In the outskirts of Chang'an, Northern Zhou, stood a newly built Daoist temple.
Inside, Qi-Observing True Person sat in everyday clothes along a corridor overlooking the central courtyard. His eyes were closed, and a tea set stood before him.
The windows gleamed, the room was spotless, and a gentle breeze drifted through.
Ahead lay a courtyard of artificial hills and shaded gardens. Thin Mist Aura wandered among the greenery, lending it a touch of an immortal realm in the mortal world.
Then hurried footsteps broke the stillness.
"Venerable Master..."
Two young people, a man and a woman, strode up to Qi-Observing True Person and saluted him together.
Qi-Observing True Person opened his eyes and smiled. "What news have you brought this time?"
The young woman was pretty. She spoke first. "Every Daoist temple and Buddhist monastery of any renown in the Zhou Kingdom has sent people to Chang'an for the Dao Debate Assembly. The court officials have already prepared the venue, but there have been plenty of arguments and fights around the city these past two days. I hear the uproar has even involved noble families and ducal residences. Some cases reached the emperor, but they were all suppressed."
Qi-Observing True Person nodded. "Gather so many people to debate the Dao, from so many schools and sects, and you won't just draw their elders and masters. Their hot-blooded disciples will come too. They'll inevitably argue over whose lineage, doctrines, and cultivation methods stand highest. Disputes and fights are only natural."
"Even so," the woman said, "the emperor of Zhou prizes order above all else. In the past, he punished even children of the Grand Pillar's Residence for making trouble. Yet he's giving Daoist and Buddhist disciples a free pass. It seems he truly intends to choose a state religion."
Qi-Observing