Transmission meant passing on the orthodox teachings and guiding someone to attain the Dao. All true cultivators who belonged to an actual lineage had to go through this process before they could be said to have taken a master. Otherwise, even if they had received supernatural abilities, they could not be called master and disciple. Instead, it would be viewed as privately passing on a lineage and leaking supernatural abilities—a grave transgression for many lineages.
The teachings could not be passed on lightly. One had to examine and assess a prospective disciple's character and aptitude again and again before imparting the orthodox teachings.
For a disciple, meeting a renowned master and receiving the true teachings was of utmost importance. But for a teacher, finding a disciple whose character, aptitude, and comprehension all lived up to their expectations was just as worthy of celebration. To find such a person among countless living beings in the vast sea of humanity was no less difficult than fishing a needle out of the ocean.
The young girl whispered in confusion, "I remember transmission was supposed to be very important. Didn't it require three masters?"
"Uncle Ox, is it all right to do it like this today?"
The old ox watched the scene unhurriedly and said calmly, "There's supposed to be some sort of three masters: the Transmission Master, the Recommending Master, and the Supervising Master."
"But under all the heavens, no one can serve as the Supervising Master this time."
"And the Recommending Master is supposed to be the teacher who recommends a disciple to enter the Dao, but..."
He sighed ruefully. "That senior wants to take a disciple. Does he need anyone to recommend one?"
"And who would even be qualified to recommend one?"
The matter was solemn. Only after Qi WuHuo had been taken to bathe was he brought back.
He had once read Tantai Xuan's Record of Becoming Immortal. That book also recorded Tantai Xuan's own experience of receiving transmission and entering the Dao in his youth. Because it was such an important occasion, he had written the details down meticulously, as if afraid he might forget the procedure and make a mistake when transmitting the teachings to a disciple of his own one day.
So Qi WuHuo knew that the first step was to [lead the disciple before the Great Dao, bow three times, and offer incense].
Then one had to write an invitation on a Jade Book, stating: "Today, we burn incense and make offerings to the gods and holy ones above, the perfected immortals of the ten ranks, the Jade Emperor Heavenly Emperor, Ziwei Great Emperor of the North, and Houtu Empress Earthly Deity." Their names were written down all the way to the Heavenly Bureau and the netherworld, to all the divine spirits, to show how solemnly one was receiving a disciple into the Dao.
After bathing, Qi WuHuo still wore his blue shirt. He had merely untied the grass cord that had held his hair, so his black locks fell loose.
The boy's black hair fell almost to his waist.
A table had already been set out before him. The old man sat on one side of it, and Qi WuHuo on the other.
They faced each other across the table.
Between them stood only three sticks of fragrant incense.
The old man stroked his beard and asked with a smile, "WuHuo, do you know the rites?"
Qi WuHuo nodded and slowly let out a breath. Following the man's directions, he offered three sticks of incense, then picked up the brush. He dipped it into the golden ink and paused before setting it to the white paper, just as Tantai Xuan had done back then—
"Today, we burn incense and make offerings..."
The old man glanced at it and chuckled. "You wrote it wrong."
Qi WuHuo lifted his brush and looked at the old man, who pointed to the words on the scroll. "It shouldn't say 'make offerings.'"
"You need to write [announce] here."
Qi WuHuo picked up his brush again and wrote, "Respectfully announce to the gods..."
The old man said, "You, honestly. There's no need to be so polite right now. It's only a ceremony. No need for all these elaborate formalities."
He said nonchalantly, "One word—announce—is enough."
Qi WuHuo slowly breathed out and started over, finishing the Jade Book.
The old man stroked his beard. "Let's keep everything simple. No need to make it too complicated. I'll leave this to you."
He looked at the man beside him.
The man smiled and cupped his hands. "How could I refuse when you've asked, senior?"
"But since this is such a solemn occasion, I'm dressed rather improperly."
He was wearing the sort of clothes common folk wore when working in the fields. They were easy to work in, with short trouser legs. But when people in the Human World attended a solemn occasion, they changed into more formal attire. The honest, unassuming man rubbed his hands and chuckled. "I never imagined I'd have the good fortune to take part in something like this, so I didn't prepare in advance."
"It's truly discourteous of me. As it happens, my wife just made me a new set of clothes."
"Please allow me to change before I come back."
He returned a short while later.
He had changed into robes that looked like Daoist robes, yet also like a general's battle garb.
He wore a dark crown and military boots, with a jade belt around his waist and a brocade battle robe. The workmanship was exquisite. Mountains, rivers, and all living things were embroidered across the lower half, while the upper half bore the symbol of the second mansion of the Seven Mansions of the Black Tortoise. The clustered stars shone brilliantly, the highest heavens blazed with light, and radiance seemed to spring from his brows. His presence was magnificent. He looked just like the second star lord of the Seven Mansions of the Black Tortoise descended into the world, like the celestial deity of the Ox Mansion, whose aura surged up to the Dipper and Ox constellations, had come down to earth.
He had Qi WuHuo stand before the incense table and scroll, then said with a smile, "I never expected to be the one serving as the [Transmission Master]."
He told Qi WuHuo to stay still.
Then he personally removed the worldly clothes from Qi WuHuo's body, even taking off his shoes, and burned the clothes he had worn in the mortal world.
Only the white inner robe remained.
Then he had the young girl in green bring over a tray. He took out a pair of simple shoes and said with a smile, "Put on your shoes first."
The old man rested his horsetail whisk in the crook of his arm and said gently, "You shall step into both shoes and forever leave the Six Dusts behind. Though the road to the Dao is long, it must begin beneath your feet. This step marks the very beginning."
"May you devote yourself to the Dao and tread upon the spiritual altar."
Then he added calmly, "When my disciples wear these [shoes], wherever they travel, they shall not tread upon ill-omened ground or enter places haunted by demons."
"They shall ever ascend to assemblies of the Law and journey along the steps to immortality."
The man called over another young girl in green, who brought out the Water Cloud Robe, mostly blue and white. Unlike ordinary Daoist robes, it was simpler and more elegant, easygoing and refined. It consisted of an upper garment and a lower skirt. First, he took out the skirt and wrapped it around Qi WuHuo's waist, letting it fall.
Then he brought out the cloud sleeves of the Water Cloud Robe. He first bound the inner garment with arm guards, then put on the wide sleeves patterned with water and clouds.
He clipped and trimmed the rosy clouds, fashioning them into sacred robes.
A frosty silk cape was layered over the top, while a flying-cloud skirt was bound below. This was the attire of the Middle Way, not to be parted from even for an instant.
Last came the blue outer robe. It was very loose and fell to the knees. He took a five-colored silk sash and tied it around Qi WuHuo's waist, giving him a simple, elegant look, as well as the spirited air of a young warrior.
The old man gazed at the youth before him, watching as he shed his worldly garments and stood in his white inner robe.
He put on Daoist shoes, donned the Daoist robe and cloud sleeves, and tied the silk sash. At last, he had become a handsome young Daoist.
The old man's expression was gentle. "Clothing means unity. It gathers the multitude beneath one purpose: to unite Daoist companions and bring them together in purity."
"Above is the robe, below the skirt; above is Heaven, below is Earth. The Daoist walks between Heaven and Earth."
"Only by remaining impartial and unbiased can one be upright."
"When my disciple wears these clothes and walks this path, disasters shall not befall him. All the holy ones shall protect him; no evil spirit shall invade him, and no wickedness shall come near him. He can extinguish the evil karma of three lifetimes and deliver the nine generations of his ancestors."
The man beside them stared at the old man in astonishment. He had never expected this transmission to be even more solemn than the previous ones. Even the old ox, who had been leisurely eating tender rice shoots, froze. It turned around, and what it saw made it leap to its feet, mouth agape.
!!!
The man turned to fetch the crown, then froze when he came back, eyes wide.
The young Daoist stood there quietly. The man should have been the one to place the crown on his head.
But the old man gently rested his palm on the youth's crown and said with a smile, "Would you call this 'Immortal strokes my crown; tie hair and receive longevity'?"
He waved the man away. The latter retreated carefully, and the old man gently tidied the youth's hair. Then he sighed wistfully. "WuHuo, you haven't come of age yet."
Qi WuHuo replied calmly, "That's right. After the New Year, I'll be fifteen."
"Haha, then we won't put on the crown just yet."
"Let's use a Daoist hairpin first."
The old man chuckled and personally gathered the youth's hair, securing it with a hairpin. Then he picked up an utterly ordinary wooden hairpin and used it to hold Qi WuHuo's black hair in place.
It was no more than a simple gesture.
The young girl didn't know why her father and Uncle Ox were so shaken that even their expressions had changed.
It was only an old man tying a boy's hair.
Just tying it with a [Daoist hairpin], that was all.
At last, the old man took out a jade slip and said warmly, "A slip is called a slip because it records matters simply; its purpose is to collect the mind and gather one's thoughts."
"My disciple shall hold it, and by holding it, maintain what must be upheld. He shall observe the stars and salute the Dipper, bless the holy ones and pay homage to the perfected. He shall be the radiant embodiment of the Dao and the model for humanity and Heaven."
"Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
Wearing the Water Cloud Robe, cloud sleeves hanging at his sides, his black hair secured with a Daoist hairpin, Qi WuHuo solemnly received the jade slip with both hands.
The old man stroked his beard and said calmly,
"'Mysterious upon mysterious, the Gate of All Wonders'—this is what we call the Dao."
"Look at it, and you cannot see it; its name is the elusive. Listen to it, and you cannot hear it; its name is the inaudible. Grasp at it, and you cannot seize it; its name is the intangible."
"These three cannot be pursued or questioned, so they merge into one. Above, it is not bright; below, it is not dim. It stretches on without name, returning again to nothingness. This is called the shape of the shapeless, the image of the imageless."
"Enter my lineage."
"Your Daoist title—Profound Subtlety!"
"May your name be recorded on a jade slip, and your body draped in robes of rosy clouds!"
"May the Myriad Spirits Supervision summon the spirits, and may the Five Emperors bear witness!"
!!!
At those last words, the man and the old ox both changed expression.
The Myriad Spirits Supervision, with the Five Emperors as witnesses?!
One resounding declaration seemed to reach up to the Heavenly Bureau and down to the netherworld. It was as if something had changed between Heaven and Earth.
The ceremonial procedure followed the most orthodox tradition, from the Supreme Rite for Leaving Home and Transmitting the Dao. The original text can be found in the Orthodox Daoist Canon, in the Zhengyi section on ritual precepts and ceremonial forms.
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