"Mountain Lord, what does all this mean?"
"May I ask what you truly mean by it, Mountain Lord?"
"Mountain Lord, I think I understand a little. I know a bit about the wonders of Yin and Yang, but how are we supposed to practice it?"
Mountain Lord didn't want to answer the first two questions at all. One of the Spirits and Monsters was so dimwitted he couldn't even tell that "this seat" wasn't part of Mountain Lord's name. But the last question happened to put him in a difficult spot.
"The scripture says these things, and the rest of it says these things too. As for the specifics, you'll have to comprehend them yourselves."
"The rest of it says these things too?"
"Exactly."
"Then how can it help us practice the Way of Yin and Yang?"
"I'm still trying to comprehend it myself."
"Even someone as clever as Mountain Lord hasn't figured it out? Could that Daoist from Mount Qi Yun have swindled you?"
"Presumptuous!"
Mountain Lord was a little angry.
The Deer Demon who had spoken shuddered, then sat back down.
By then, the bonfire on the mountain had grown very dim, almost about to go out. Yet everyone's attention—including Lin Jue's and even the young woman's—was fixed on the Yin Yang Scripture Mountain Lord had recited and on the many Spirits and Monsters. Only the old Daoist beside them seemed unconcerned with the scripture. Without interrupting them, he quietly stepped forward and added a stick of firewood.
"Whoosh..."
The old Daoist blew a breath, and the flames flared much higher.
The sky had grown dim, and the horizon was darker still. But the fire atop the mountain suddenly shone brighter, lighting up a wide area.
When the old Daoist sat back down, he saw that nearly every Spirit and Monster on the mountain was staring at him.
Lin Jue followed their gazes toward the old Daoist.
That was right—
Hadn't this Yin Yang Scripture come from a Daoist temple on Mount Qi Yun? If they wanted to know whether it was genuine, or to explain its principles, wouldn't they just need to find a Daoist with real cultivation?
Wasn't there one right in front of them?
"Guest, what do you make of this Yin Yang Scripture I recited?" Mountain Lord asked.
"True Person! Is this book real or fake?"
"Has Mountain Lord been swindled?"
"How come we can't understand it?"
"What does it mean?"
As soon as Mountain Lord spoke, the Spirits and Monsters could no longer contain their curiosity and anxiety. They hurriedly began asking questions.
"Fellow Daoists, don't be impatient. Mountain Lord wasn't swindled... though I can't say for certain that he wasn't. At the very least, this Yin Yang Scripture is genuine, and it truly describes the Great Way of Yin Yang. It is a Great Way suited to most Spirits and Monsters in the world."
After sitting down, the old Daoist still carefully arranged the hem of his robe, as if he were simply enjoying the scenery and chatting with someone.
"Still, this Yin Yang Scripture isn't especially rare or precious. Many Daoist temples down the mountain have copies, and Mount Qi Yun naturally has one too. Whether Mountain Lord was swindled depends on how many treasures he paid."
At those words, Mountain Lord froze.
With his wild boar's head, he'd seemed fairly wise when wearing a composed expression. But now that he looked like this, he seemed rather foolish.
Even Lin Jue could tell—
The Yin Yang Scripture was genuine.
But the swindle was probably real too.
"As for why you can't understand the Yin Yang Scripture..." The old Daoist suddenly turned to Lin Jue beside him and said with a smiling face, "This poor Daoist is old and can't hold his liquor. I've had a little too much. Fortunately, there's a scholar from below the mountain sitting here. Perhaps he can explain it to you."
"Swish..."
All the Spirits and Monsters turned their gazes toward Lin Jue once more.
Lin Jue himself was taken aback.
When had he ever read the Yin Yang Scripture? He didn't even know the Spiritual Methods of cultivation passed down in the world. He only knew the simplest Qi Nourishing Method. How could he possibly interpret it?
He looked again at the old Daoist, who was still smiling.
"..."
Thinking, There's no reason for this old Daoist to set me up out of nowhere, and this is a good chance to see what the Yin Yang Scripture actually says, Lin Jue asked Mountain Lord to let him read the book.
Mountain Lord agreed.
And so, amid the mountain wind and the crackle of the fire, the sound of pages turning joined in.
The Spirits and Monsters held their breath, not daring to make a sound, afraid they might disturb Lin Jue as he read and delay their own Great Way.
"Rustle..."
Lin Jue continued leafing through the book, reading by the firelight.
He felt nothing unusual in his heart.
It seemed the Ancient Book had not reacted.
But as he turned the pages, he began to understand.
This really was a "scripture."
It was probably the work of a sage.
Yet it was just like how students in the Human Realm read the classics of the sages: either they needed a teacher to guide them, or they had to study alongside a book of annotations. Otherwise, understanding the surface meaning of the sages' writings was already a good result. Most students simply memorized them by rote, engraving them in their minds and waiting for some experience in the long years ahead to resonate with a passage in the text. Then, in an instant, they would grasp its meaning and comprehend its deepest principles and specific methods.
That was undoubtedly a long process, and an uncertain one.
"I understand now."
"What do you understand?"
All the Spirits and Monsters stared at him.
Facing their gazes, Lin Jue knew they had never read much of anything and were all lacking in learning. Yet their hearts, eager to study and seek the Great Way, were no less earnest than his own. Some were even more so. Their pure devotion could bring a sage down to their very doorstep. Lin Jue might have little talent and learning, but how could he bring himself to selfishly hoard what he knew?
"Do you all know what a 'scripture' is?
"People often say that only the works of sages are called scriptures, but that isn't necessarily true.
"'Jing' means what is constant; it also means a path."
Lin Jue paused. No one contradicted him, but countless gazes filled with confusion and a thirst for knowledge met his own. Their eagerness didn't make him feel pleased with himself; instead, it left him vaguely ashamed. So he could only pour out what little he knew to these Spirits and Monsters, born of heaven and earth.
We often use the word "jingchang," meaning "often." The character "jing" appears in that very word.
"'Jing' means what is constant: principles that endure in the world, the broadest and most fundamental truths of existence.
"'Jing' also means a path—the road that the vast majority, perhaps even everyone in the world, must walk.
"These fundamental principles often come from the mouths of sages, which is why people say that only the works of sages are called scriptures. But even if you aren't a sage, if you put forward your own unique Great Way and write it down in a book that earns widespread recognition, that too can be called a scripture.
"But because it is so vast and broad, it only points in a direction. It describes the essence, not the specifics.
"This Yin Yang Scripture is remarkable, because it speaks of the essence of Yin Yang Qi and the Way of Yin and Yang. But it is not all that useful, because it doesn't explain the specific methods for cultivating with Yin Yang Qi or practicing the Way of Yin and Yang. As for why it doesn't, it must be because the Great Way has many paths. Different people will have different ways to cultivate with Yin Yang Qi and different ways to practice the Way of Yin and Yang.
"So there should also be some 'annotations'—different interpretations made by later geniuses based on this Yin Yang Scripture, each offering a different method. My guess is that those are what the Spiritual Methods of cultivation are."
As Lin Jue spoke, he couldn't help glancing at the old Daoist beside him.
The old Daoist only smiled and nodded repeatedly.
The Spirits and Monsters still didn't make a sound. Even though this wasn't a specific method for their cultivation, nor some ultimate truth of the Great Way, they listened as if entranced. In that moment, they seemed just like the Spirits and Monsters in strange tales who sneaked into village schools to listen to lessons.
After that, he explained the meaning of the scripture to them.
Line by line.
He could no longer remember how late they'd talked last night, or how much they'd discussed.
Once he'd passed the initial stage of finding the Spirits and Monsters with their strange appearances a little frightening, Lin Jue began treating them with a normal state of mind. He even felt their thoughts were purer and easier to understand than people's. He wouldn't claim they were close friends, but their brief company had been pleasant enough, and they'd chatted late into the night.
Some said they could use the Yin Yang Scripture to correct mistakes in their past cultivation, find the right direction, and discover their own Way of Yin and Yang.
Some said they could seek out Yin Yang Spiritual Methods.
Some said they could pool their wisdom and study the Yin Yang Scripture together; perhaps that would be more useful.
Some said they ought to go settle accounts with the Daoists of Mount Qi Yun.
Perhaps it was also because they'd been drinking and were a little drunk.
Mountain Lord was grateful and happy, so he gave Lin Jue another cup of Thousand Day Wine infused with Sun Moon Essence. But after the old Daoist warned him, Lin Jue didn't drink more. He was afraid he wouldn't wake up if he did, and he'd also heard that the second cup of Thousand Day Wine wasn't nearly as effective, so he put it away.
He thought that after some time, once he'd absorbed the Sun Moon Essence in this cup, he could drink it. Or, if he met another demon or ghost on the road who gave him a gift, he wouldn't accept theirs for nothing; he could give them this cup of Thousand Day Wine in return, and call it courtesy repaid.
Or, when he reached Mount Qi Yun or Mount Yi, if he needed a gift for someone, he could give this fine wine to an expert.
As for what he'd gained tonight, it was already more than enough.
The Yin Yang Scripture wasn't useless to the Spirits and Monsters, nor was it useless to Lin Jue. Although he hadn't begun cultivating like Mountain Lord and the others, with his talent and the Qi Nourishing Method, even if he never obtained a Spiritual Method, perhaps in time he could find a simple Yin Yang Spiritual Method of his own and walk the Way of Yin and Yang.
In the end, their conversation grew increasingly scattered. He even listened to the Spirits and Monsters reminisce, and heard a Mountain Ghost whisper sweet nothings.
Before he knew it, he'd fallen asleep.
When he woke the next morning, the sun was already high.
The sky was clear and blue, and the sun rose over the mountains. A few pine trees stood still atop Mount Langtou; the grass was still soft as silk, and the ground had been trampled into disarray. A pile of ashes remained in the middle, and the large granite boulder still stood ahead. But Mountain Lord and the Spirits and Monsters of all kinds had vanished without a trace.
Only the old Daoist and the young woman remained.
Lin Jue couldn't help rising to look around.
If not for the traces left behind, he would have thought the previous night had never happened, and that the stories he'd heard had given him a strange dream.
For a moment, he felt strangely empty inside.
He was truly afraid it had all been a dream.
Before you continue