Leaving the Mountain and Breaking the Restriction

Su Yao reached out to open the hall doors, but the next moment, an earthy yellow glow appeared over them. It was Wu Earth Qi, the Dao Daozheng cultivated.

Within the glow, faint images showed a human sovereign governing his people and immortals dwelling apart from the world.

He gave a cold snort and stirred his thoughts again.

The knocking outside the doors grew louder and louder. The next moment, the doors were pushed partly open.

He was about to slip sideways through the opening when the Wu Earth Qi appeared again and blocked him.

He paid the doors no further mind and turned to the patriarchs' portraits and memorial tablets.

Qixia Temple belonged to the direct lineage of the Jade Pure One, one of the Three Pure Ones, yet it was not qualified to enshrine the Three Pure Ones in its ancestral hall. Their portraits were enshrined only in the rear hall of the Purple Gold Jade Palace, Qixia Temple's main hall below.

In the ancestral hall, the Return to Truth Hall, the one enshrined was Yun Zhongzi, Qixia Temple's founding patriarch.

Patriarch Yun Zhongzi's portrait hung at the very top, with his jade tablet before it.

Below the jade tablet were the portraits and memorial tablets of the five True Lords and immortals who had followed Patriarch Yun Zhongzi in Qixia Temple. Some tablets were jade, others wood.

On the several tiers below the offering table, the wooden tablets of Qixia Temple's successive temple masters were arranged in orderly rows.

The distinction between jade and wooden tablets was this: those who had gone beyond the heavens and whose deaths had not been confirmed received jade tablets; those confirmed dead received wooden ones.

After all, the patriarch had gone beyond the heavens, so he had to be enshrined.

Below the tablets were two swords, a branch, and a talismanic edict.

The azure longsword at the top was called Ask Amid the Clouds. Patriarch Yun Zhongzi had forged it after attaining the Dao, and it was an immortal artifact.

Below it was an ancient bronze sword. Its blade was short, meant not for killing but for casting spells.

The sword had been forged from Mount Shouyang's copper when the Jade Pure Dao Ancestor, before attaining the Dao, went to subdue the demons and evils of the Ji River. Thus it was named Zhengji.

It was later bestowed upon Patriarch Yun Zhongzi, who had intended to refine it into his Dao attainment treasure. Later, he had another fortuitous opportunity, so, like several other lineages, he left it as a token for successive temple masters.

Below that was the Turbid and Clear Branch Daozheng had mentioned earlier.

Its precise origins were unknown, but it had always been enshrined here. It was also one of the temple master's tokens, used specifically to punish disciples who had committed grave offenses.

Beside it was the Daoist talismanic edict held by Qixia Temple.

A thought stirred in his mind.

He would have to leave the mountain eventually.

Daozheng was cold-faced but kindhearted, yet he also cared a great deal about his dignity. Having so thoroughly embarrassed him today, Su Yao feared it would be difficult to go down the mountain. He might as well slip away under cover of night.

So he took stock of his treasures.

The garment he wore was transformed from a feather robe of the rainbow and rosy clouds Dao, and nothing could cling to it. He also had a ritual robe of the Grand Yin Dao, which was especially effective at concealment and hiding.

He then looked at the azure bracelet on his wrist. Called Transforming Azure, it had been given to him by a black goat on the mountain when he reached Foundation Establishment. It could transform into a white deer or an immortal crane for him to ride, and it could also bestow blessings and ward off calamity.

Besides those, his Storage Bag held a sword called Clear Breeze, three Purple Mansion talismans, and five bottles of pills. As for Foundation Establishment talismans, he had two or three hundred of them; he had been stockpiling them since last year.

On top of that were a few assorted trinkets.

As these thoughts arose, a surge of heroic spirit welled up in his heart.

Just do it.

He went to the hall doors and pondered how to get through them.

At the same time, on the back mountain, the two Daoist attendants and Daoist Zheng had just left together.

A streak of gray light and a streak of white light descended beneath a tree. The two colors flowed over the figures of two people, making them impossible to see clearly.

"You two go and retrieve the treasures. Once that unfilial disciple has slipped down the mountain, you need only protect him in the Great Void." Daozheng's voice rang out.

The two bowed their heads to the ground, took the talismanic edict, and headed for the treasure cave behind them.

A short while later, the two returned the talismanic edict, turned into streaks of light, and descended into Lake Encompassing Emptiness halfway up the mountain to wait quietly.

Daozheng's voice sounded faintly, as though he were speaking to himself:

"I only hope that when Yao'er leaves the mountain, he won't repeat what happened to Guangli."

After all, he knew full well that Su Yao had secrets of his own. But since his disciple had not spoken of them, he presumably had his reasons, and as his teacher, Daozheng could hardly pry too deeply.

Then his divine sense descended into the ancestral hall.

He might have been better off not looking. The moment he did, his anger blazed: Su Yao had already taken Zhengji, left behind by the patriarch, and had actually broken the restriction he had left in place. At that moment, Su Yao was tucking Zhengji into his belt. He had also taken the Daoist talismanic edict and was fastening it beside the jade pendant at his waist.

But when Daozheng recalled his earlier plan, he calmed down again.

With a slight stir of his divine sense, a rock appeared out of thin air above a great beam in the ancestral hall and dropped straight toward Su Yao.

Su Yao was just about to step out of the ancestral hall when a massive object suddenly struck his back, sending him staggering forward.

Only after a moment did he steady himself. He looked back to see a dust-covered boulder, its dimensions matching the hall's crossbeam down to the last fraction.

He had an inkling of what had happened, but it was not a good time to expose it. He decided to play along and left, cursing under his breath.

Passing the Hall of Reflection to the east, he paid no heed to the commotion inside. He mounted a rosy cloud and headed for Mysterious Rosy Cloud Peak to the east.

A quarter of an hour later, he arrived halfway up Mysterious Rosy Cloud Peak.

A great formation covered the area below, so he had to continue on foot, descending the stone steps.

After going down some five hundred steps, he saw two white-robed Daoist attendants, one tall and one thin, waiting below with trays in their hands. The taller one was Nannuo, and the shorter one was Jueming.

He took a deep breath and walked slowly toward them.

Although Daozheng had assigned the two to look after him and assist his cultivation, they had raised him since birth.

When the two saw Su Yao, they came up to meet him.

As soon as they met, both gave slight bows while holding their trays.

Before Su Yao could speak, Jueming said:

"Dao Child, you're about to leave the mountain, so I've put the clothes you usually wear in this bag, along with your ordination certificate, documents, cultivation resources, Daoist scriptures, and the mountain's local products. Please be sure to keep it safe. Things below the mountain are different from here, especially now that the Qing Dynasty is particularly wary of immortals like us."

Su Yao's eyes reddened slightly. He took the Storage Bag from Jueming's tray and patted his head.

"You're as thoughtful as ever, Jueming."

He paused and looked at Jueming, whose eyes had also reddened. "You should cultivate diligently on the mountain and spend less time thinking about this and that."

With reddened eyes, Jueming said:

"Dao Child, when you were little, you said people shouldn't pat others on the head whenever they pleased, or they wouldn't grow tall."

Su Yao was struck speechless, then let out a laugh.

Jueming added:

"Dao Child, you know me. I've always loved the sights and food down below. I hope you'll bring plenty back when you return to the mountain."

"All right," Su Yao replied, then looked at Nannuo.

Nannuo took the opportunity to offer the tray in his hands.

"Dao Child, you grew up on the mountain, so I imagine you aren't familiar with the surrounding places and their customs. What's in this bag is something I compiled myself over the past two hundred years, after reading the Scripture Repository's books on geography, local features, strange tales, customs, and refined pursuits. It covers Nanyue, the Southern Frontier, Nanzhao, the Miao Frontier, the South Sea, and other places. You can use it when you go down the mountain."

Hearing this, Su Yao patted Nannuo's little head too.

"This time, I'll be sure to bring back plenty of local books and illustrated storybooks for you to read."

He then took the Storage Bag from Nannuo's tray. "While you're on the mountain, Nannuo, besides resting and reading, you should learn the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, enjoy the scenery and gladden your heart, and pick up a skill. Cultivation means both cultivating and practicing; you can't just cultivate without putting it into practice."

Hearing this, Nannuo nodded earnestly.