Zhang Xiao studied the book, feeling strangely at a loss about where to begin. His dad had only said he could use it after passing the test.
He had said nothing about how to learn or how it would teach him, as though those questions did not even need discussing.
Or... did he just need to open it?
Zhang Xiao reached out and slowly lifted the heavy cover. Beneath it lay a page as smooth as a mirror, without a single word.
It really was as smooth as a mirror. The white jade, fine and creamy in texture, had been polished so perfectly that he could see his reflection in it!
Zhang Xiao tried touching the page with a finger. A sudden sting pricked his fingertip, and a bead of blood seeped out, falling into the page.
Something strange happened. Despite feeling cold and hard, the white jade page rippled like a still pool struck by a drop of water, sending out ring after ring. It was extraordinary.
Now what? Zhang Xiao poked the page curiously. Suddenly, an immense force surged through his finger. He felt as though he had been shoved into a flushing toilet, his entire body stretching and spinning at dizzying speed.
He was sucked straight into the book.
When he recovered his senses, he found himself standing in an enormous plaza, seemingly atop a lofty mountain.
Clouds and mist swirled around him like an immortal realm. The plaza was paved with huge slabs of white marble, with a basketball-court-sized Bagua diagram in its center. He stood on the eye of the yin fish, while another person stood opposite him on the eye of the yang fish.
Zhang Xiao looked closely and could not help crying out:
"Dad?"
The person standing on the yang fish's eye was Zhang Chengdao. Unlike his usual appearance, however, he wore a long white Daoist robe, his moderately long hair gathered into a topknot and secured with a Green Jade Hairpin. There was an ethereal, otherworldly air about him.
He looked completely different from the dad Zhang Xiao saw every day.
Unfortunately, that impression shattered the moment he opened his mouth. Zhang Chengdao raised a hand and waved enthusiastically.
"Hey, son~ Surprised to see your old man? A nice surprise, huh?"
Zhang Xiao: ...
"You must be wondering what's going on, right? Heh, this space is actually just a construct, and your dad here is only a memory.
"If we didn't have a way to pass on our teachings like this, how could I feel safe letting you study Daoist magic on your own?"
Zhang Xiao froze for a moment. Then it struck him: replace the Golden Book and Jade Register with a Pensieve, and his dad's memory with a ghost or a portrait.
Wouldn't that just be a Pensieve with an interactive memory?
It was such a simple change, yet it instantly became a powerful teaching tool. Why had nobody in the Wizarding World thought of it?
With both hands behind his back, Zhang Chengdao took a light step and instantly appeared before Zhang Xiao. Then, with a wave, he conjured two meditation cushions on the ground.
In a virtual space, creating things could hardly have been easier.
After they sat down, Zhang Chengdao propped his chin on one hand. He considered for a moment before speaking.
"This memory of mine comes from before you started school. By my reckoning, you should have some understanding of magic by now, right?"
Zhang Xiao nodded.
"Yes. I keep getting this vague feeling that I've grasped something, but when I think about it carefully, there's nothing there."
He knew he did not feel this way because he was some extraordinary genius. It came from his experiences in his previous life.
Countless people online had discussed everything in Harry Potter: the magic, the theories, anything there was to discuss.
In other words, he was surveying the Wizarding World from the shoulders of countless others, subconsciously comparing what he had learned with what he had seen in his previous life.
It remained vague only because he knew too little and had not made enough connections.
Zhang Chengdao murmured an acknowledgment, then clapped his hands.
"Then let's do this. I'll start by explaining the differences between our Daoist magic and wizarding magic. These are insights I've gained over all these years."
Zhang Xiao immediately perked up and settled in to listen attentively.
"First, the most fundamental difference between Daoist magic and wizarding magic lies in their purpose." Zhang Chengdao's expression grew solemn. At that moment, his gaze seemed to reach across time, back to the untamed world of antiquity.
He swept his sleeve again. A Daoist whose face was indistinct appeared before them, a sword strapped to his back. He went about his daily life at incredible speed, yet Zhang Xiao discovered that his eyes could follow every movement.
No, this was a mental space. However fast his mind worked, that was how fast he could take things in!
Once he understood that, he hurriedly returned his attention to the Daoist.
The Daoist carried water up the mountain, lit a fire and cooked, practiced his swordsmanship at the rooster's crow, and quietly recited the Yellow Court.
The Daoist descended the mountain to slay demons, drew his sword to fight jiangshi, raised an altar to destroy a ghost king, offered a Blue Prayer to help summon rain, and gathered herbs to treat the sick...
Zhang Chengdao's voice sounded beside his ear, carrying a serene, questioning cadence.
"Daoist magic has never existed to serve oneself. Its purpose is to serve all living beings.
"The Dao refers to contemplation of heaven and earth, while its magic consists of the arts that put the Dao into practice."
Zhang Xiao was stunned. He could not help sinking into thought, his gaze growing distant. Daoist magic... had never existed to serve oneself?
Zhang Chengdao's voice continued.
"Wizarding magic, meanwhile, took an entirely different path. Its arts exist wholly to serve oneself."
Another figure appeared, this one wearing a cloak. He used magic to cook, wash clothes, heal wounds, tidy his home, summon a cup of water to drink... he used magic in every aspect of his life.
"So Daoist magic is broad and far-reaching, while wizarding magic is narrow and precise. What Daoist magic can accomplish, wizarding magic may not, and what wizarding magic can accomplish, Daoist magic may not either.
"Is one superior to the other? Not really. They simply follow different paths. That's all."
Zhang Xiao was deeply shaken. He had never tried considering the two paths from the perspective of their original purposes.
Zhang Chengdao continued speaking.
"The strength of Daoist magic lies in one's understanding of the Dao. As for the strength of wizarding magic... I'm not quite sure. You'll have to discover that for yourself..."
Zhang Xiao's scalp tingled. It felt as though an electric current had passed through him, and he could not help murmuring:
"It's the heart... the strength of wizarding magic lies in one's grasp of the heart..."
Why? Why did wizarding magic and Daoist magic seem not to conflict at all, but instead complement each other? Daoist magic questioned heaven; wizarding magic questioned the heart.
Was this coincidence? Or had some unseen being arranged everything long ago?
But if it wasn't coincidence, what had brought about this opposition between the words "Dao" and "magic," yet this harmony between them in practice?
Simply different paths?
"Calm your qi and focus your mind! Center yourself and hold to the One!" Zhang Chengdao's voice suddenly rang in his ears.
Zhang Xiao instinctively followed his father's instructions. After a while, he discovered that he was utterly exhausted.
Zhang Chengdao watched him with concern and spoke gently.
"Everything here depends on your mind to exist. If you expend too much mental energy, it will end automatically, and you'll have to recover before you can continue.
"So remember, never let your mind fall into turmoil. Keep your spirit platform clear at all times."
Only after taking several deep breaths did Zhang Xiao remember that he was inside an illusion and had no need to breathe at all.
He nodded quietly. "I understand, Dad."
Zhang Chengdao stood with a smile, waved away the two figures, and declared in a clear voice:
"Then let's begin with the Daoist Order's foundational teaching, the basis for protecting yourself and preserving your life.
"The Golden Light Spell!
"Now repeat after me... Heaven and Earth, Mysterious Ancestor, root of the ten thousand qi..."
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This chapter lays out the basic framework for Daoist magic in this book. I'll flesh out the details later. I'm not sure whether everyone understands what I'm trying to say, but given the limits of my ability to express it, this is probably the best I can do...
I've set up quite a lot for the Daoist Order, and no small amount for the Wizarding World either. Anyway, I've spent a long time thinking it all through, and the logic should more or less hold together. Let me work through it bit by bit. All kinds of votes are welcome!
Before you continue