Crouching Tiger Village.
Xuanming received a warm welcome from the village chief.
This did not surprise him.
It was only human nature for the village chief to act this way.
That evening, everyone paid their respects to the Mountain Lord for the third time.
When the burning incense was placed in the censer and smoke curled upward, the Mountain Lord's statue finally stirred. Light flickered, and streams of radiance descended upon those seeking aid and remedies from the Divine.
Their illnesses vanished the instant the Divine power reached them. Their bodies felt at ease, their health restored, and they excitedly dropped to their knees to kowtow to the Mountain Lord.
Qiao Da's daughter also improved considerably. Unfortunately, hers was a stubborn congenital ailment, not an acquired illness. The Mountain Lord's power was limited and could not truly cure her.
Just then, the character for "heal" flew out of the Mountain Lord's statue and settled upon Qiao Da's daughter. An upright, majestic primordial aura flowed into her body, making up for her deficiencies. Within moments, her cheeks grew rosy, and she looked no different from any other healthy child.
At this sight, Qiao Da and his wife wept with joy, repeatedly kowtowing to the Mountain Lord's statue until their foreheads swelled. Xuanming knew that Bai Tingshan had intervened, displaying Divine power to support his daughter. That aura was the Confucian School's Righteous Qi.
On the fourth day, while the others were in no hurry to leave, Xuanming led his donkey away alone. Before departing, he threaded the copper coin Qiao Da had originally given him onto a red cord and tied it around the girl's neck as a protective charm.
In truth, Xuanming had not really left; he had merely made a show of it. Bai Tingshan invited him to the