[Prefatory note]: (Many readers of this book know about Daoism, and some are Daoists themselves. To avoid causing offense or controversy with this chapter, I apologize for taking up paid space to add this prefatory note.)
Historically, both the Pure Brightness School and the Lushan School revered True Lord Xu, held up his story of slaying a jiao and taming the waters as their exemplar, and exchanged and integrated their teachings. However, from my own research, I found no clear subordinate relationship between them. Both were founded by later generations during the Tang and Song periods under the banner of faith in True Lord Xu. In this book, however, True Lord Xu is deified and personally established the Pure Brightness School during the Wei and Jin periods, passing down a Dao Lineage for all ages. Thus, the Lushan School in this book is made a branch of Pure Brightness. Furthermore, while drawing on reality, I have also taken artistic liberties with the origins and characteristics of the Lushan School in this book.
All these changes serve the needs of the story. If they cause any offense, please forgive me.
The main text follows.
"When I was consulting the sect's canonical records earlier, if I remember correctly, the Lushan School passed down by the True Lord claimed to 'build altars by the water, purify the earth and brighten heaven,' and was particularly skilled at exterminating spirits and monsters and cutting down yin ghosts?"
Cheng Xinzhan asked.
"Yes! Yes!"
Daoist Zhanchang was delighted to hear Cheng Xinzhan ask this. Nodding repeatedly, he explained,
"The Lushan Dao Lineage counts among the earliest branches of Pure Brightness, and is also its largest branch today. It was established by the Patriarch Chen, the Lady of Linshui, and its ancestral headquarters stand in Gutian in