"Before the Ancestor ascended, he left behind two Other Shore Straw Dolls. Fortunately, the family head and I each kept one, or even contacting the Ancestor would have been troublesome."
As the effeminate youth spoke, he turned his hand over and produced a straw doll roughly half a person's height.
The doll was bound with crimson thread, and its straw was a brilliant gold.
After setting the golden straw doll on the floor, the effeminate youth looked toward Xiao Sui with some embarrassment and said respectfully, "Senior Xiao, activating this Other Shore Straw Doll requires two cultivators at the fourth heavenly pass, or one expert at the fifth. Could I trouble you...?"
The Cheng Family had only two cultivators at the fourth heavenly pass. As the family's grand elder, he was one of them.
The other was the family head, who lay unconscious in bed.
At a time like this, he could not activate the Other Shore Straw Doll alone even if he wanted to. He could only ask Senior Xiao for help.
"A trifle."
Xiao Sui nodded slightly and said, "Just have your Ancestor's spirit tablet ready."
Although she had come only as a projection, working with the grand elder would be enough to activate the Other Shore Straw Doll.
Before long.
A broad table had been placed in the bedroom. Upon it stood a nameless rosewood spirit tablet, bearing only the character "Cheng." It was simple and utterly unremarkable.
"Where heaven and mortals meet, let the other shore open."
Amid the softly murmured chant, the effeminate youth abruptly extended his hand and pointed at the golden straw doll. Xiao Sui flicked a finger with effortless grace. With a whoosh, the straw doll burst into flames.
The fire grew increasingly dazzling, rising into a great blaze over a meter high. Yet it gave off little heat; only the space around its edges distorted.
The spirit tablet bearing the character "Cheng" also began trembling incessantly, as though it had sensed something.
Soon, the great blaze stabilized completely. Like a mirror, it revealed the slightly blurred upper body of a figure-an old man with white hair and a youthful face.
"Ancestor!"
"Great-Grandfather!"
"Great-Grandfather!"
At the sight of the old man in the flames, the Cheng Family members dropped to their knees in excitement.
For a moment, everyone from the Cheng Family knelt respectfully on the floor, leaving only Xiao Sui standing where she was.
The Cheng Family had originally been nothing more than an ordinary family of cultivators. It had gained its present standing only because it had produced an exceptional, peerless expert like the Ancestor.
The Ancestor was the pillar that held the family steady!
After his ascension some time ago, the Cheng Family members had felt as though they had lost their anchor. Anxiety and unease were inevitable.
Now that they could see his face again, how could they not be excited?
"I have been away from the mortal world for barely a month. What do you need?"
The Cheng Family Ancestor swept an indifferent gaze over those kneeling on the floor. Then, noticing Xiao Sui's moonlight projection, he smiled faintly and said, "I did not expect Fellow Daoist Xiao to be here too. It seems this is no small matter."
"Fellow Daoist Cheng." Xiao Sui nodded lightly and asked, "How have you been finding the Heavenly Realm?"
"A new world. I have yet to become familiar with it or adjust." The Cheng Family Ancestor smiled. "Still, I have gained a little. I must thank you for your guidance, Fellow Daoist Xiao."
"Oh?"
Xiao Sui's eyes brightened slightly, and she smiled. "Time is precious, so I won't keep you chatting. Once I return to the Heavenly Realm, we can talk at leisure."
The Cheng Family Ancestor nodded lightly, then turned to the grand elder. Glancing at the family head on the bed, he asked impassively, "What happened?"
The grand elder, who looked like an effeminate youth, knelt on the floor and drew a deep breath. "Ancestor, for reasons we do not know, a free Outer Demon called the Heavenly Dog infiltrated our family grounds today. Its ambush killed several of our younger members. Even the family head had the source of his vitality devoured and nearly died.
"Fortunately, the family-protecting treasure you left behind gravely wounded the Heavenly Dog, causing it to self-destruct. But the family head's life is hanging by a thread. Please save him."
"Please save him, Ancestor."
The Cheng Family members kneeling behind him all echoed his plea.
Xiao Sui stood quietly to one side. When she heard "causing it to self-destruct," a trace of puzzlement crossed her face, but she said nothing.
"The Heavenly Dog? His source of vitality was devoured by the Heavenly Dog?"
The Cheng Family Ancestor frowned slightly within the flames and said coldly, "Did none of you consult the other experts in the mortal world? Once the Heavenly Dog devours someone's vitality, even its most fundamental source is gone. Neither mortal spirit medicines nor cultivators can possibly save him. How could I save him from the Heavenly Realm?"
His voice grew harsher as he continued. "Other Shore Straw Dolls are not easy to obtain. I spent a long time traveling about to leave you those two, and you wasted one just like that?"
The effeminate youth froze. "Even you cannot save him, Ancestor?"
"If he were in the Heavenly Realm, relying on my own divine abilities might prove rather troublesome, but I could simply expend an Immortal Fruit to reconstruct his vitality."
The Cheng Family Ancestor said coldly, "But with the heavenly and mortal realms between us, how am I supposed to save him? Could you not consult another expert before using the Other Shore Straw Doll? Were all the arrangements I made for you before leaving a wasted effort?"
At these words, the Cheng Family members turned pale, not daring even to breathe loudly.
Though the Ancestor had ascended, his authority remained. Faced with his fury, they were naturally terrified.
"Please calm your anger, Ancestor."
The effeminate youth said fearfully, "Buxiu said that as long as we contacted you in the Heavenly Realm, we could save the family head. And..."
He did not dare finish. Xiao Sui had also agreed to this, and he would never dare point the finger at her so lightly.
"Buxiu?"
The Cheng Family Ancestor frowned and looked toward Cheng Buxiu, who knelt among the others. "Why did you think that?"
"Ancestor, Senior Lin of He Mingxuan instructed me to do this," Cheng Buxiu replied respectfully.
He had wanted to say so earlier, but within the family, the Ancestor's word was absolute. Who would dare interrupt him?
"Oh? Senior Lin?"
The Cheng Family Ancestor's eyes lit up. The coldness in his expression gradually melted, and he nodded lightly. "Since Senior Lin said so, he must have had a purpose. It seems I blamed you unjustly."
The Cheng Family members were all a little stunned.
The Ancestor had just been furious and declared that he could not save the family head. Yet the moment he heard that Senior Lin had said it, he immediately admitted he was wrong?
He was just like Senior Xiao, who had contradicted herself earlier...
Just what sort of person was Senior Lin? Why did both Senior Xiao, a heavenly immortal incarnated in human form, and their Ancestor, who had already ascended to the Heavenly Realm, hold him in such esteem?
"However..."
Within the flames, the Cheng Family Ancestor said with some confusion, "Perhaps I am too dull-witted. Although Senior Lin said I could save him, I truly do not know how..."
He turned toward Xiao Sui. "Fellow Daoist Xiao, do you know how I can save this unworthy descendant of mine while I am in the Heavenly Realm?"
"I have no idea either." Xiao Sui shook her head with a smile. "But since Senior Lin said so, he naturally cannot be wrong."
The Cheng Family Ancestor nodded lightly. "Of course."
The Cheng Family members exchanged bewildered looks.
Neither had the slightest idea how to save him, yet they believed in Senior Lin so firmly?
"How can I save him...?"
Within the flames, the Cheng Family Ancestor frowned in deep thought.
Just then-
"Ancestor."
A slightly youthful female voice suddenly rang out from among the crowd. "I have something to report. It may be related to this matter."
Everyone looked toward the voice. The speaker was none other than the beautiful girl kneeling in the last row-Cheng Qiyue.
Of everyone present, she had the lowest standing and cultivation. Yet she dared to speak?
The Cheng Family Ancestor nodded. "Speak."
Cheng Qiyue said respectfully, "About a month ago, I had the good fortune to meet Senior Lin. He gave me something, saying it was a gift for you, Ancestor. He told me to place it before your spirit tablet at the appropriate time."
"Oh? What is it?" The Cheng Family Ancestor's eyes lit up.
"A piece of calligraphy Senior Lin gave you."
As she spoke, Cheng Qiyue took a mounted calligraphy scroll from the spatial storage within her sleeve. She slowly rose to her feet, holding it respectfully in both hands.
"Senior Lin's calligraphy?" The Cheng Family Ancestor's eyes grew brighter still. "Open it."
"Yes."
Cheng Qiyue answered and carefully unrolled the paper, revealing an entirely unremarkable piece of calligraphy. A line of wild cursive swept across it, bold and fluid-
Onward, onward, a thousand miles of mist-veiled waters; beneath heavy evening haze, the skies of Chu stretched vast!
At the lower left were two lines of inscription.
-At the request of Mr. Cheng Wunian
-An idle composition by Lin Zhishui, at He Mingxuan in the Summer of the Gengzi Year
Everyone turned to look and saw the calligraphy. Apart from Cheng Buxiu, his daughter Cheng Qiyue, and Xiao Sui, the Cheng Family elders could not help finding it strange.
What use could such an ordinary piece of calligraphy have, without the slightest trace of magic power or pressure?
"Hahaha..."
Yet after seeing it, the Cheng Family Ancestor suddenly burst into laughter. "So that is it... so that is it! Truly worthy of Senior Lin's hand. Was even this present situation... within your calculations?"
Everyone was astonished. What exactly had the Ancestor seen in such a simple piece of calligraphy?
Cheng Buxiu, Cheng Qiyue, and Xiao Sui, however, vaguely understood that the calligraphy must contain some great divine ability. Once such a work had an owner, only that person could perceive the Dao Resonance and divine ability hidden within it.
Of course, their cultivation also had to be high enough. After obtaining her own piece of calligraphy, Cheng Qiyue could only contemplate the Dao within it; she could not activate its divine ability.
"Fellow Daoist Cheng, seeing how delighted you are, may I ask what divine ability lies within the calligraphy Senior Lin gave you?"
Xiao Sui could not help asking.
Before you continue