Zhongnan

Su Yao could scarcely believe it.

Slowly, he turned around.

His face was calm, but thunder exploded in his heart.

A long time passed-perhaps one hour, two hours, or even a day.

He stood there motionless, gazing at the immortal mountain in the distance, wreathed in ethereal mist.

"Daozi, is this... Mount Zhongnan?"

Behind him, Liu Yunhe's voice rang out, filled with disbelief and tinged with fear.

Su Yao looked back. Liu Yunhe and Li Siyi had already regained consciousness. The two supported each other, their eyes full of disbelief.

He looked at them and nodded.

Turning back to the immortal mountain ahead, he spoke with a trace of sorrow:

"Taiyi draws near the heavenly capital; its peaks reach to the edge of the sea.

Looking back, white clouds close together; entering the blue haze, one sees it no more.

The central peak marks the changing realms; sunlight and shadow differ in every ravine.

Ancient snow hangs from the dark cliffs; old cypresses embrace spirit plants.

The sound of pines flies beyond the birds; human voices rise as sunset clouds first appear.

I would ask after Zhongnan's immortals, but the mist is too deep to call through.

Where can their traces be found? I see only the lonely sun."

As soon as his voice fell, a reply came from within the immortal mountain:

"The azure heavens lead to the imperial throne; purple qi fills the corners of the clouds.

The peaks curve, and pine shadows close together; the path turns, and crane cries fade away.

Snow piles upon a thousand cliffs, transforming them; rosy clouds divide, making one ravine unlike the rest.

Fields of lingzhi bury ancient seal script; stone chambers conceal spirit plants.

The wind has stilled, yet apes still speak; the mountain is empty, and the moon has just risen.

I would ask after Qixia's guest. The mist is deep, but might I still call through?

Dao hearts were never apart; why lament the lonely sun?"

"Hahaha!" Su Yao laughed as he heard the poem in reply, but he said no more. He knew that if he spoke further, he would surely fall prey to someone's schemes.

He first performed a disciple's salute toward Mount Zhongnan, then made to turn and leave.

But just as he was about to turn, he felt waves of chilling dread in his heart.

He could not leave. If he dared retreat now, his body would be torn apart the next moment.

So he gritted his teeth and headed up the mountain without a word.

Behind him, Liu Yunhe and Li Siyi called out:

"Daozi, you mustn't!"

Both were terrified. Their families had followed Qixia Temple south eight thousand years ago. Though neither had lived through what happened back then, they knew some of the hidden truth, and they had an idea who had answered with that poem.

That was why they were afraid.

Hearing them, Su Yao looked back at the two.

"Since the elders arranged for me to come here, wouldn't it be letting their good intentions go to waste if I didn't meet them?"

He paused.

"Wait for me at the foot of the mountain."

With that, he headed straight up the mountain.

He had no choice but to go. Qixia Temple did have a True Lord, but the True Lord had shut himself away on Mount Zhongnan and refused to leave, relying on the formations there and the thatched hut where Dao Ancestor Yuqing had preached in years past to stay alive, dragging out his existence to this day.

Su Yao did not know whether he had been pushed here today as a test or for some other reason, but he had to go up the mountain in the end.

Behind him, Liu Yunhe and Li Siyi watched Su Yao go straight ahead. In the end, neither could leave him and wait alone at the foot of the mountain.

So the two picked up Little Red and Little Orange, respectively, and followed Su Yao up the mountain.

Su Yao had walked one li up the mountain when he suddenly sensed something amiss.

He raised his head and looked skyward. A bright moon had suddenly appeared in what had been a clear sky stretching ten thousand li.

The moon hung high, casting gauzy moonlight over Mount Zhongnan.

As he looked at the moon, tears streamed from his eyes, quickly transforming into moonlight.

A True Lord of the Greater Yin Dao, or even an immortal, has made a move.

At once, he lowered his head and stopped looking.

But suddenly the earth shook and the mountain trembled. He could not help looking up, only to see an imperial jade seal flying from the south toward the bright moon.

Within the seal appeared a scene: a sovereign sat high upon a throne, while below, civil and military officials and the common people, immortals and devils, demons and witches, gods and ghosts, Confucians and Buddhists all knelt upon the ground in worship.

After two glances, his tears flowed again, moonlight streaming from one eye and blood-red tears from the other.

He was about to lower his head when another radiance appeared on the northwestern horizon.

The three lights of sun, moon, and stars came intertwined.

Su Yao endured the excruciating pain and looked over. Within the three lights, heaven had its heavenly order, earth its earthly virtue, and humanity its human Dao.

The three powers of heaven, earth, and humanity converged.

The next moment, the jade seal flew backward, the moon lost its light, and then the three lights vanished as well.

Peace returned to Mount Zhongnan. Su Yao's eyes were half closed, and tears of moon-white, blood-red, and intertwined threefold light streamed ceaselessly from them.

With his eyes half closed, he continued up the mountain, relying on his Divine Sense.

At some point, a heavy fog had risen behind him, swallowing up Liu Yunhe and Li Siyi.

Only Su Yao remained on the mountain path, walking alone. His heart grew increasingly desolate. After all these years, they were still guarding against Qixia Temple's True Lord.

He did not know how long he walked. As night deepened, his Divine Sense detected a ruined temple.

Its walls had collapsed and its roof tiles had fallen, but inside was a person holding an oil lamp.

Su Yao had not expected anyone to be here. His mind was in turmoil, so he went into the temple.

Though his eyes could no longer see, his Divine Sense told him:

This person had not the slightest trace of spiritual power and was just an ordinary person-far too ordinary.

But here, an ordinary person was the least ordinary thing of all.

After entering the temple, he used his Divine Sense to find the person and spoke:

"May I ask..."

But before he could finish, he was interrupted:

"In all these decades, this is the first time I've met a living person on Mount Zhongnan."

The person paused.

"Are you hurt? Your eyes won't stop bleeding."

Su Yao laughed at this. Having made up his mind, he replied:

"When feelings run deep, blood flows without end."

"Come here. I have some herbs gathered on Mount Zhongnan. I'll apply them for you, and you'll naturally be well," the person said.

Su Yao shook his head.

"This is an illness of the heart. Herbs cannot cure it."

The person laughed.

"My prescription calls for soil from before Eight Sceneries' gate, a pill from before Jade Void's gate, water from before Jade Jasper's gate, fire from within Jade Lake's waters, the moon over Fusang in the Purple Mansion, emptiness from before Jixia's gate, substance from before Vast Righteousness's gate, the Dao beneath Sumeru's seat, and an immortal from within Jinling City."

Su Yao shook his head.

"Eight Sceneries touches no soil, Jade Void has nothing to do with pills, Jade Jasper enters no water, Jade Lake has no fire, Fusang has no moon, Jixia teaches substance, Vast Righteousness teaches emptiness, Sumeru speaks of Buddha, and Jinling speaks of humanity. None of it is practical."

The person laughed.

"You'll only know if you try. Since you've come, we must have a predestined connection. Why not give it a try?"

"Whether there is a connection or not rests in a single thought. Who knows if you and I truly have one?" Su Yao asked in return.

The person was silent for a moment, then said:

"Your wisdom in the Dao is very great."

Su Yao replied modestly:

"I don't deserve such praise. Let me try your medicine, senior."

The person's somber expression turned to a smile.

"Sit down, then."

Su Yao found a place and sat down.

The person took a packet of medicine from their waist, came over to Su Yao, and carefully opened it.

Then they took out a small wooden sliver and scraped beneath the corners of Su Yao's eyes three times, collecting moon tears, blood tears, and three-light tears in turn and mixing them into the medicine.

They then raised it and blew it toward Su Yao's eyes.

Su Yao felt a stinging pain in his eyes, followed by an intense chill.

After that, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and his consciousness became increasingly hazy.

Then he fell back asleep.

A murmured operatic song reached his ears, its tune ancient and weathered, half song and half sigh:

"Court tablets fill the bed, court tablets fill the bed; glory and splendor are but a pillow's dream as yellow millet cooks.

At dawn, pipes and songs fill the jade palace; by dusk, grass and trees run wild upon its golden steps.

Do not hurry, do not hurry; on Handan's road, the moonlight lies like frost.

Only when success and fame are won does one know that the land of immortals lies in leisure."

The song faded into the distance. Mountain wind swept through the hall, and in the ruined temple, only a single bean-sized flame remained, lighting two figures.