Jiaoli

"Daoists and monks, shamans and spirit mediums... they are all lowly people, unable to gain a foothold at court, fit only to hoodwink foolish men and women in the countryside. Why? Once one enters the court, where the fortunes of ten thousand souls converge, under the suppression of the government's dragon aura, the law does not touch the noble. No matter what Daoist arts are used, they will be broken! They will have no effect at all..."

Though Scholar Gu was gasping for breath, his words remained exceptionally well ordered. "Therefore, with an official status, one is immune to all evils... As a provincial graduate, your father naturally bears a share of the court's fortune. Who could delude me with petty tricks? You, on the other hand, must never be led astray."

This was also Gu Yue's first time hearing such hidden lore.

After thinking it over, he replied, "But the Emperor now also favors Daoist arts... Even the Nine-Five Sovereign is like this. Clearly, there is no smoke without fire—there may well be some reason behind it... Besides, I witnessed that man's divine abilities with my own eyes. And what I asked for was not some golden elixir, only a single jujube. Father, just try it... A jujube can't hurt anyone, after all."

Scholar Gu looked at the fire jujube and was faintly surprised. After all, it was not yet jujube season.

But then he slowly shook his head, recalling an interesting tale he had once read in an unofficial history.

It told of a Daoist a century ago who put fleeceflower root and ginseng into a furnace and refined several spirit pills, claiming they could prolong life and preserve health.

He gave them to his parents, and sure enough, the two elders' white hair all turned jet-black. The