Nuwa's Path of Creation

The vastness, sternness, and heaviness of Buzhou Mountain outside were completely sealed off here.

In its place was a sense of tranquility, peace, and even a hint of gentle warmth.

He walked along the white jade path deeper inward.

On both sides were indeed dense groves of emerald bamboo, no ordinary species—their stalks were translucent like jade, and faint green Spiritual Light flowed through their leaves and branches.

A gentle breeze passed, rustling the bamboo leaves, and the clear sound entered his ears, easing his mind.

Deep within the bamboo grove, a simple thatched pavilion was faintly visible, with a stone table and stone stools inside, and an unfinished chess game set on the table.

At the end of the path stood an equally simple thatched hut.

Before the hut, two figures stood.

The first wore a moon-white Daoist robe, with a slender figure and a face of pure, unmatched beauty, enveloped in a faint, infinitely soft halo.

That halo was not like the warm, heavy Merit Golden Light, but something closer to the origin of heaven and earth, the vitality of all things... Creation Qi.

Her eyes were clear as autumn waters, and when she looked at Xuande, they held a gentle curiosity and goodwill.

This was Nuwa.

The one half a step behind was tall, in a dark blue Daoist robe, with a handsome, calm face, and his brow bore a steady, worldly wisdom tempered by years.

His aura was similar to Nuwa's, but carried more ancient depth, subtly resonating with the Dao rhyme of Buzhou Mountain itself.

This was Fuxi.

Xuande stepped forward a few paces and bowed solemnly again:

"This Humble One, Xuande, greets Daoist friend Nuwa and Daoist friend Fuxi."

Nuwa smiled faintly and returned the bow: "Daoist friend Xuande, no need for such formality. Please."

Fuxi also nodded in return, his gaze lingering on Xuande for a moment before he said warmly:

"Daoist friend, your aura is pure, with Merit by your side. You cultivate... the path of the Golden Lotus?"

Xuande was slightly surprised.

Though Fuxi hadn't hit the mark exactly, he was very close.

He nodded: "Daoist friend Fuxi has keen eyes.

This Humble One's original form is the Innate Golden Lotus. After Form Transformation, I take Merit and Purity as the foundation of my cultivation."

"No wonder," Fuxi said thoughtfully.

"The pressure of Buzhou Mountain is immense. An ordinary Daluo would be exhausted by the time they reached the mountainside.

That you can arrive here so calmly, aside from your deep cultivation, must also be due to your stable original form and the protection of Merit."

Xuande said: "Daoist friend flatters me. This Humble One is barely holding on, and was just seeking a place to rest when I happened upon your Dao field here."

Nuwa said softly: "Since you're passing through and fate has brought us together, why not rest here for a while? Though this place is humble, I do have some tea."

As she spoke, she turned and walked into the thatched hut. Fuxi stepped aside and made a "please" gesture to Xuande.

Xuande hesitated briefly, then followed them inside.

The interior of the hut was extremely simple.

A wooden couch, a low table, a few bamboo scrolls casually placed, and in the corner, a clay pot held several unknown wildflowers with pale purple petals, emitting a faint, elegant fragrance.

Nuwa sat by the low table, raised her slender hand, and produced a similarly simple tea set from somewhere, beginning to boil water.

Fuxi invited Xuande to sit opposite, while he took a seat to the side.

The fragrance of tea soon filled the hut.

That tea was not like the Ginseng Fruit tea Xuande had drunk at Wuzhuang Temple, which was bursting with Spiritual Energy; instead, it had a refined, distant, almost "nothing" light scent.

When he drank it, he barely felt any fluctuation in spiritual power, yet his entire mind settled, as if drawing closer to heaven and earth and nature.

"This tea is wild tea from Buzhou Mountain, made by my elder brother and me in our spare time," Nuwa said softly. "It's not as precious as the Ginseng Fruit tea from Wuzhuang Temple, but it's enough to clear the heart."

Xuande's heart stirred again.

He hadn't mentioned knowing Zhenyuanzi, yet Nuwa had hit on it in one sentence.

Either she had acquaintances in the West, or she had seen the faint Wutu Aura left in his magic from years of working with Zhenyuanzi.

Either way, it was enough to show—

This seemingly gentle and indifferent female cultivator had a mind far sharper and more perceptive than her appearance suggested.

"Daoist friend, no need to be surprised."

Nuwa seemed to read his thoughts and gave a faint smile.

"Your aura, besides Merit and Purity, also carries a very faint Wutu Dao Rhyme and a hint of the Four Symbols' harmonizing breath.

In the Primordial Wilderness, the ones most skilled in these are none other than Daoist friends Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun. You must be old acquaintances with them."

Xuande nodded and said frankly:

"Daoist Sister Nuwa has keen eyes.

This humble one, along with Daoist friends Zhenyuanzi, Hongyun, Jieyin, and Zhunti, spent over ten thousand years repairing the Earth Veins of the West. It was inevitable that some of that aura would cling to me."

"Repairing the Earth Veins of the West?"

A flicker of surprise passed through Fuxi's eyes, quickly turning into approval. "This humble one has heard of this matter as well.

Since the Dao-Demon Conflict, the West's Earth Veins have been severely damaged, its living beings withered, making recovery exceedingly difficult.

For you and those fellow Daoists to carry out such a benevolent act is a boundless merit."

Nuwa also nodded gently, her gaze toward Xuande softening with genuine warmth:

"No wonder your aura of merit is so pure.

Such a great act of kindness is something even this humble one and my elder brother aspire to."

Xuande said, "The two of you flatter me.

This matter was not my achievement alone. It relied entirely on the concerted efforts of Jieyin, Zhunti, Zhenyuanzi, and Hongyun. This humble one merely contributed a small part."

"You are too modest," Fuxi said with a smile.

"One who can accomplish such deeds of merit must be a person of great aspiration. You mentioned earlier that your original form is an Innate Golden Lotus?"

Xuande nodded. "Indeed."

Fuxi pondered for a moment, as if weighing his words, then spoke slowly:

"I know little of the path of the Golden Lotus.

But at the dawn of creation, when the Chaos Green Lotus disintegrated, its seeds scattered across the Primordial Wilderness, giving rise to many lotus-type spiritual roots.

Among them, the highest grade is the Twenty-Four Petal Creation Green Lotus, born from the sole mature seed.

The other seeds were mostly immature, all transforming into twelve-petal forms."

He looked at Xuande, his gaze warm and profound:

"Your Innate Golden Lotus belongs to this category.

That you could cultivate this twelve-petal Golden Lotus to such a state of perfect clarity through the path of merit speaks volumes about the depth of your foundation and the firmness of your Dao heart."

Xuande's heart stirred slightly.

Fuxi's words had nearly laid bare the origins and potential of his original form.

He paused for a moment, neither denying nor fully admitting, only saying, "Daoist Brother Fuxi's breadth of knowledge is admirable. This humble one is impressed."

Fuxi waved a hand. "Merely idle deductions of the principles of heaven and earth, a superficial understanding at best.

Your path lies in merit, in bearing, in purity and freedom.

It differs considerably from the path my younger sister and I cultivate, yet there are points where we can mutually corroborate."

Nuwa added:

"My elder brother has always delighted in deducing the principles of change in all things under heaven.

I, on the other hand, favor the path of creation and life. Your merit and purity, poised between birth and completion, often resonate with my own thoughts."

Xuande's heart stirred at her words.

Though he had long known that Nuwa would one day attain sainthood through the path of creation, he had never imagined he would have the chance to discuss the Dao with her.

Now that Nuwa had brought it up herself, he naturally would not let the opportunity slip.

"Daoist Sister Nuwa's path of creation..."

He hesitated slightly before asking, "This humble one dares to ask, what is creation?"

Nuwa glanced at him, her gaze clear and profound, as if she could see through his thoughts.

She did not answer immediately. Instead, she gently lifted her teacup, took a sip, and then spoke slowly.

"'Creation' is neither making nor generating."

Her voice was soft, yet carried an indescribable rhythm, as if each word faintly resonated with some law of heaven and earth.

"Heaven and earth give birth to the myriad things—that is called 'birth.' Cultivators refine magical instruments—that is called 'making.'

But 'creation' lies beyond these. Creation is... giving form to the formless, granting life to the lifeless.

It is turning a 'principle' that did not originally exist in heaven and earth into reality."

She paused, her gaze falling on the green bamboo outside the window, and said softly:

"Take this bamboo, for example.

It grows between heaven and earth, basking in sunlight and rain, absorbing spiritual energy and nourishment, taking on its present form.

That is 'birth.' But if one day, I could use my own path to bestow upon it a spark of 'spirit,'

transforming it from an insentient plant into a living being capable of perception, thought, and cultivation—

That would be 'creation.'"

Xuande was silent for a long time.

He understood.

What Nuwa spoke of was not creation, not bestowal, but... unlocking.

Opening a door to possibilities that were once sealed.

Awakening a light within slumbering potential.

This was not something any divine power or supernatural ability could achieve.

This was the deepest understanding of life's essence, the most delicate touch upon the laws of heaven and earth.

This was the supreme Dao.

He suddenly realized why, in later legends, Nuwa attained sainthood through molding clay into humans.

That was not the peak of her merit, but the most complete and ultimate manifestation of her Dao—the Dao of Creation.

"Many thanks for your guidance, Daoist friend."

Xuande said solemnly, "This humble one has gained much."