Hearing the Dao, Seeking the Dao, Entering the Dao

"The Hair-Cutting Pill is forged from the hair of women who died harboring grievances; its edge can sever metal..."

Upon seeing this object, he guessed its origin almost instantly.

"However, the Chi Ling Daoist and his companions only noticed one of them, failing to realize that these two were fired by two different people..."

Earlier, there were two of these pellets aimed at Xie San; the first pierced his wrist, and the second sent the blade in his hand flying.

Yet, the small black ball that struck Xie San's wrist and the one that hit his blade were not thrown by the same person.

The green-clad servant had only knocked away Xie San's blade; the one who pierced his wrist was someone else, and this person was also within the He family residence.

He looked toward the rafters again, reaching out to grasp at the air, and actually caught a nearly invisible thread, hanging like a spiderweb between the beams.

"So that green-clad servant used these threads to 'fly' away? No, he was rescued... Interesting. This is the 'Formless String' of the Immortal Puppet Sect. Pity the technique is too crude; the Formless String has not been refined to the point of being controlled at will, nor to the state of being truly formless and shadowless... Heh, if it cannot be formless and shadowless, how can it be called a Formless String?"

A cold sneer tugged at the corner of He Ping's mouth as he flicked his sleeves and left the pavilion. As he stepped outside, he snapped his fingers, and the elongated, transparent thread—resembling a spider's silk—suddenly shuddered. Instantly, the rafters felt the impact, and dust from the ceiling rained down in a flurry.

"Young Master."

Outside the pavilion, the steward He Fusheng seemed to have been waiting for a long time.

"The Tongyu Troupe is missing a new dan actor. As for... that green-clad servant, he was recommended by the side branch three months ago. Should we continue investigating this?"

He Ping sat in a chair, his fingers tapping lightly against the black fan held in his left hand.

"Continue the investigation... Also, dispatch our men to monitor the movements of the Hu Ma Gang. Chen Er and those few foster sons of Xie San are not to be trifled with; I fear they will not let those two off easily... Though, I am curious: who exactly did the Hu Ma Gang provoke this time?"

"Hair-Cutting Pill," "Formless String"—these were clearly the methods of the Immortal Puppet Sect.

He Ping had been startled when he first realized it, mistakenly thinking the Immortal Puppet Sect was coming for him, and he had been exceptionally wary. That was why he had remained hidden and inactive throughout, not even intervening when Xie San was killed. It was only after the culprits escaped that he realized the situation was not as he had feared.

"With the methods of the Immortal Puppet Sect, killing a North Prefecture swordsman shouldn't require such trouble. No matter how formidable the 'Wind-Soaring Blade' Xie San may be, he could not withstand puppet sorcery..."

He did not look down on this North Prefecture swordsman; Xie San's blade technique was indeed powerful, capable of dealing with ordinary people, but to someone like him who practiced Daoist arts, Xie San was merely a character who could be crushed with a flick of a finger.

Even if the Hu Ma Gang was considered a formidable gang in the North and even the Mobei region, in He Ping's eyes, they were just a group of mortals who had practiced a bit of martial arts, possessed decent blade skills, and strong horsemanship.

The threshold for Daoist cultivation was extremely high. According to the Immortal Puppet Sect's classification, the entry into cultivation was divided into "Lower Scholar hears the Dao," "Middle Scholar seeks the Dao," and "Upper Scholar enters the Dao."

--The Lower Scholar refers to the common, worldly mortals.

"Hearing the Dao," "Seeking the Dao," and "Entering the Dao" reflect the three states of cultivation.

All practitioners in the world begin at the "Hearing the Dao" stage of the mundane world, sitting in bitter meditation day and night, seeking to preserve stillness and observe movement, nourishing and strengthening their soul and mental power, making their hearts increasingly sensitive. Following this, the spirit and energy resonate, opening the mysterious barrier of life and death, only then gaining a trace of the marvelous ability of heaven-human resonance.

Afterward, one must be diligent, using the patience of water dripping through stone to regulate the pulse and open the limbs and bones, stirring the vital energy. Only then is there a chance to leap to the heavens, break out of one's own cage, and step into the "Seeking the Dao" realm of cultivation.

Daoists in temples and monks in monasteries—whether practicing breath-holding, energy circulation, fetal respiration, guidance, or Zen meditation—mostly focus on tempering the mind and spirit, with nothing particularly special about it. Their combat capabilities are pitifully weak; any strong man who has practiced basic fisticuffs could beat them black and blue, utterly crushing them.

Only by stepping into the level of the "Middle Scholar seeking the Dao" does the practitioner's spiritual realm deepen, allowing for the transformation of the mortal body. Supplemented by talismans, arts, incantations, and shamanic methods, they can perform feats like summoning wind and rain, suppressing evil and driving away plagues, or walking through water and fire.

As for the "Upper Scholar," they can be called experts who have entered the Dao, true True Persons who have entered the Daoist realm, capable of moving mountains and draining seas, overturning clouds and rain, possessing immense supernatural power.

He Ping had practiced the Formless Secret Treasury for many years, and his cultivation had long since entered the "Middle Scholar seeking the Dao." Combined with the strange and treacherous arts of the Immortal Puppet Sect and his ability to manipulate puppets, his strength was far beyond what ordinary martial artists could reach. It was no wonder he possessed such confidence.

Yet, he harbored another layer of worry regarding what had happened today.

For instance, who were the green-clad servant and the dan actor hiding in the Tongyu Troupe? Who was the person hidden behind them?

(Could it be Wu Yousheng?)

He Ping clenched his fists in silence.

This was precisely what worried him the most.

He Ping was certain that Wu Yousheng must have left a contingency plan on him. The arts he practiced had fatal flaws; once he "spun a cocoon to trap himself" and completed the refinement of a living puppet, Wu Yousheng would use puppet arts to turn him into his own puppet.

However, he thought about it again and felt that this should not be the case—

"No, I haven't even succeeded in the 'Heart Exchange.' It would be meaningless for Wu Yousheng to act now. His contingency should only trigger after I become a living puppet, right?"

He Ping's eyes grew suspicious. He knew well that because of his practice of puppet arts, although he appeared fine for now, he was actually trapped in a desperate situation.

Due to the flaws in the arts he practiced, the only way to survive was to refine himself into a living puppet. Yet, if he truly did so, he would only be manipulated by Wu Yousheng, who had taught him the puppet arts.

"I must break this deadlock, but my biggest problem right now is a lack of intelligence."

What He Ping found most frustrating was his total ignorance regarding information about the cultivation world. He had operated in the North for many years but had not gathered many clues about practitioners. Even when he did find some information, it was only fragmented, scattered scraps.

"If I leave the North and head to the Central Plains, to Yujing City, the capital of the Great You Dynasty, to investigate, I might obtain more clues. Unfortunately, my body is not suited for long-distance travel. Furthermore, the He family's influence is limited to this small patch of North Prefecture..."

Sitting in the chair, He Ping licked his lips, feeling a sense of agitation.

(I need more information on Wu Yousheng and the Immortal Puppet Sect... Sitting here waiting for death is not my habit...)

He sank into deep thought, recalling everything that had happened, when a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed his mind.

"Wait a moment, have I been biased? Looking at the current situation, is it possible that this is someone else from the Immortal Puppet Sect?"

Wu Yousheng's schemes would not be so crude or so conspicuous.

If it were that Wu Yousheng, his style of scheming would be far more unfathomable, like an antelope hanging by its horns, leaving no tracks to follow.

Having figured this out, He Ping's mind suddenly became active. He guessed that this matter might not have a direct connection to Wu Yousheng.

"Perhaps it is necessary to find that servant, and the person behind him..."

He Ping muttered to himself, lost in thought.

He felt he should take a risk, to gamble on this matter. After all, he hadn't undergone a "heart transplant" himself, nor possessed the prerequisite conditions to refine a living puppet. Thus, even if he faced "fellow disciples" from the Immortal Puppet Sect, he wouldn't need to worry about Wu Yousheng's contingency plan.

He had some confidence in this deduction, having studied the Formless Secret Treasury for a long time. Puppet techniques were most effective only on puppets. As long as he remained a living person, the Immortal Puppet Sect members couldn't do much to him.

-- That's right, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Furthermore, if this turned out to be a trap, there was nothing to regret.

After all, succeeding in the heart transplant after killing the One-Horned Mountain Demon might be the very moment Wu Yousheng's contingency plan would activate. Not undergoing the heart transplant meant waiting for death. In that case, he might as well use this opportunity to uncover the secrets of Wu Yousheng and the Immortal Puppet Sect.

Outside Suian City.

There was a small hut amidst a lush green bamboo forest.

A person lay on a bamboo bed inside the hut. This person was the young man in green who had slit Xie San's throat with his blade.

"A-Zhi, you were too reckless."

A woman's voice rang out.

"I sent you to the He Mansion hoping you'd find an opportunity to use the He family to get close to the Sheng family. In Suian City, the He family, being immensely wealthy, was the most likely to connect with that old scoundrel from the Sheng family. Instead, you took matters into your own hands and killed Xie San!"

"Sister, Xie San personally killed the enemy who murdered our parents. Knowing that villain was going to the banquet, how could I possibly endure it!"

"A-Zhi" gritted his teeth, his voice almost a growl from between his clenched jaws.

"Killing him with one blow was too good for that dog thief. I can't rest until I've gouged out his heart and liver to offer to our parents!"

"You truly acted foolishly."

The woman sighed. "Xie San must be killed, and that Sheng family official must also be killed. But your rash actions have alerted the enemy, disrupting our original plan. Our identities have both been exposed. It will be as difficult as ascending to heaven to infiltrate Suian City again."

"What's there to fear!"

"A-Zhi" ignored his knife wounds and rolled off the bed.

"Is that dog official going to stay in the city forever? Can't I find an opportunity to finish him?"

"You think too simply..."

The woman was helpless. Her younger brother's temperament was simply too impetuous. While he had decisively killed Xie San this time, she had also exposed her identity while saving him.

The two of them were being pursued by swordsmen from the Hu Ma Gang, and even Chen Er had made a move.

Her brother "A-Zhi" was injured, having taken Chen Er's Sand Camel Quick Blade, imbued with Chenxing Stone, to his right arm. He was also poisoned, forcing them to hide here to recover.

The woman knitted her delicate brows, her worry undiminished.

"Chen Er is nominally Xie San's adopted son, but in reality, he's Xie San's strategist. His mind is far sharper than that crude brute Xie San... Those northern men from the Hu Ma Gang are not only skilled with their blades and swift on their horses, but there are also many among them who are adept at tracking. It's likely they'll find our whereabouts before long."

Just then, several strings of wind chimes tied to the eaves of the bamboo hut stirred without any wind, their scattered tinkling rousing her from her deep thought.

"This is bad."

The woman moved closer to the window, listening intently. From outside the bamboo forest came the whinnying of horses, followed by a rising wind. Amidst the rustling of bamboo leaves, she could hear the sounds of shouting men and neighing horses.

"It's here... those two..."

"Second Master... capture... them... no need... for survivors..."

The woman and A-Zhi exchanged glances. Neither of them could have imagined that the Hu Ma Gang pursuers would arrive so quickly.