Outside Shanyin County's south gate, a sea of heads had gathered in no time.
A whole crowd stood there watching a white-haired old Daoist.
The old Daoist wore a tattered Daoist robe tied at the waist with hemp rope, with a fish drum strapped across his back.
"Now then, when heaven and earth first parted and Primordial Chaos had just been sundered, there were seven Innate Spiritual Roots. One was Fusang, east of the Eastern Sea, where the great sun dwelled. One was Jianmu, in the Wilds of Duguang, linking heaven and earth. One was Ruomu, in the Nether Capital, suppressing all ghosts."
"These three Innate Spiritual Roots are called Spiritual Roots, but in truth, they are the roots of life, death, and immortality between heaven and earth. Whoever gains Fusang shall rise like the great sun in the east, with life force unending. Whoever gains Ruomu shall become lord of the Nether Capital, commanding a hundred ghosts. Whoever gains Jianmu may connect heaven and earth, their divine powers undying."
"If one were to put a price on these three Innate Spiritual Roots, even mountains of copper coins and rivers of silk could not buy them home. Even if the current emperor of Great Liang and the Northern Wei emperor pooled their realms to trade for them, they still could not make the exchange."
Su Che and Little Fox happened to reach the south gate just then. Seeing the old Daoist spin such dazzling tales, they could not help stepping closer to watch the excitement.
"This Daoist doesn't look like a cultivator."
Su Che found a corner and watched the Daoist's words and mannerisms, which were no different from an ordinary man's.
Those who cultivated the Dao swallowed the sun and drank the moon, gathered Yin-Yang, and once they entered cultivation, they always possessed something unusual.
Put elegantly, they usually carried a certain "air beyond the dust of the mortal world."
The man before him spoke with flowers raining from heaven, yet Su Che could not shake the feeling that he sounded like the merchants back at the morning markets before he had transmigrated, hawking whetstones and meat grinders.
He had something of the jianghu about him.
Little Fox held up the umbrella with her left hand, her brows drawn together.
"Esteemed friends, this humble Daoist's lineage is called Taishang. You all know that the Daoist School of today has many different branches: the Celestial Master Sect, Yellow Heaven Sect, Divine Firmament Sect, Upper Clarity Sect, Complete Reality Sect, Tower-View Sect, Pure Yang Sect, and all manner of others. Yet trace them upward, back to their ancestors, and every one of them has a Supreme Dao Ancestor—supreme and true. These many Daoist lineages all came from the same family."
"Later, everyone divided their households and went their separate ways. This humble Daoist's branch reveres the Dao Venerable and still bears the name Taishang. Of the seven great Spiritual Roots from the time the world was opened, one has been passed down to me. Today, by fortune, I have encountered all you fated people, so I shall bring out this Spiritual Root and grant it to one with fate."
As he spoke, the old Daoist drew a small jade hoe from his sleeve and slowly dug a pit in the ground.
"This Spiritual Root emerged at the dawn of heaven and earth's division. At that time, the Five Elements had yet to settle, so it cannot touch anything of the Five Elements. Water dissolves it, earth turns it to ash, metal kills it, fire extinguishes it, and wood stiffens it." The old Daoist continued, "Only by using this jade hoe to stabilize the earth nature and nurturing it with the two currents of Yin-Yang can it survive."
As he spoke, he took out a seed from his sleeve, gently placed it in the pit, then covered it over with both hands.
"Daoist, can your damned root grow without seeing sunlight or water?"
"The Daoist master's root grows whenever it sees a nun. What the hell do you know?"
"Say all you like, you're still trying to swindle money. Just watch, everyone—this Daoist will ask for money sooner or later."
The Daoist grinned. "No rush, everyone. Just recite an incantation, and it will grow."
"East becomes north, west becomes south; the Valley Spirit never dies, and this is called the Mysterious Female."
The Daoist stepped through the Kui Pace and pointed with his right hand.
"Rise."
A verdant vine emerged from the earth, twisting crookedly like a living snake.
Before long, the vine had grown as thick as a bowl. Green leaves spread over it like claws, while several fist-sized melons slowly grew from its length.
"Daoist, are you selling melons? Are they sweet?"
Some of the villagers below began to jeer as well.
The Daoist chuckled and simply plucked the fist-sized melons from the vine, thirty-six in all, stacking them at his feet.
"Sweet? Why not smash them open and see?"
With that, he took the fish drum from behind his waist and smashed it viciously down upon the melons.
The melon rinds split open. Yellow pulp rolled everywhere, and tiny human heads tumbled out from within. Each had its hair tied in a topknot, its eyes closed, melon juice clinging to its face and flowing out through its mouth and nose.
"Good neighbors, behold the Thirty-Six Bandits of Wave-Subduing Mountain grown inside these melons. They cultivated wicked arts and committed every evil under heaven. Their chief bandit changed his shape and seized the fleshly body of a prince of the Cheshi Kingdom, defiling and throwing the palace into chaos. Such conduct made him a human demon. I have already delivered them with this Spiritual Root."
Well, well. He had misjudged him this time.
Su Che could not help growing curious.
According to the white-haired old Daoist, one of the crimes committed by those bandit chiefs from whatever mountain it was involved changing shape and taking over the body of a Cheshi prince.
As someone who had transmigrated, could he also be charged with "changing shape and replacing bodies"?
One important reason he had fled Jiankang City back then was that he feared others would spot something amiss. Who would have thought that in Shanyin County, he would run into an expert who upheld justice on heaven's behalf?
The white-haired old Daoist plucked another small melon from the vine.
"As the saying goes, chickens do not pass six, dogs do not pass eight. Once livestock partake of mortal incense for long enough, they will inevitably become spirits. In Wannian County, an old man died on the road while traveling for business. At home, an old dog he had raised for ten years transformed into the old man and took over his estate. His old wife and young concubines all became slaves to the demon, and it even plotted to murder the old man's son and daughter."
The old Daoist flung the melon down, and a dog's head smashed out from the pulp.
"How could my Spiritual Root possibly spare such an evil thing?"
"And this one." The old Daoist plucked another small melon from the vine and tossed it to the ground. "This centipede originally grew up in Shanyin County. A few years ago, she moved to Guobei County, where she specialized in eating the brain matter of corpses in mass graves. All things under heaven are born to eat and be eaten; there was nothing much wrong with that. But who knew she would cultivate divine powers and set her sights on children? She transformed into a seductive woman and specifically preyed upon youths not yet grown. She has already harmed thirteen good children. Heh heh, and now she is inside my melon too."
Melon rinds splattered everywhere, and pulp covered the ground. The human heads and beast heads inside seemed to still retain their last breaths, as though they were still breathing through their mouths and noses.
At last, the crowd of spectators came to their senses.
"Murder! Demon Daoist!"
The crowd cried out as one and scattered clean away, leaving only Su Che and Little Fox standing where they were.
Today, he had truly met an expert.
"Alas, one of the seven great Spiritual Roots is called Righteousness. All of you should practice every good and refrain from every evil. Otherwise, if you run into this Spiritual Root, the underworld may forgive you, but the immortals will not."
Seeing the empty expanse before him, the old Daoist lightly clapped his hands and sighed.
"Putting on this Daoist ballad act is truly exhausting, and there wasn't even anyone watching. Young man, tell me, is this old Daoist having it hard or not?"
"Urging people toward goodness is truly a futile endeavor." Looking at the Daoist before him, Su Che knew that today he had encountered a True Immortal.
This illusion alone had left Little Fox utterly baffled. If even a Cloud Fox from Cloud-Deep Unknown Place in the Eastern Sea could not see through it, then this man was either a living immortal playing among mortals or an ancient demon who roamed heaven and earth.
"It truly is futile. At the beginning of this year, I even quarreled with several other Preceptors over this matter. In the end, the Daoist leader had to mediate."
A Daoist in a tall crown and black robes stood before them, faint lightning flickering within his eyes.
He flicked his whisk.
"Young Master Su, Wei Zhisheng of the Yellow Heaven Sect greets you."