The Crane's Shadow Arrives: How to Seek Wind and Rain

Yao Qianshu sat in his living room, his eyelids drooping slightly.

He hasn't had a proper rest for almost two days and two nights.

I seemed to have dozed off a few times in between, but I always woke up in less than an hour because I had things on my mind and couldn't sleep soundly.

Second Master Chu sat with him on the sofa in the living room.

On the sofa next to them sat an old man with white hair and beard, wearing a black suit, and holding a cat in his arms.

Yao Qianshu had met this person a few years ago.

The principal of Golden Saber Martial Arts School, Grandpa Feng Jianhua, is a generation older than Yao Qianshu in terms of seniority.

When I saw him a few years ago, his face was full of wrinkles and his hair was completely white.

Looking at him now, it seems like he has hardly any wrinkles on his face.

If he dyed his hair and beard black, Feng Jianhua would look like he's in his forties.

That's truly unbelievable.

I've heard of martial arts training that can keep you young forever.

However, the kung fu he practices clearly doesn't focus on health preservation. He's already quite old, yet he can still look young again, which is truly amazing.

"You two rascals, you can get some sleep too."

Feng Jianhua said to the two old men, "You can't be blamed for Tianshu's disappearance."

"These days, bizarre things can happen anywhere. Just recently, half the people in a small town in Americas disappeared."

"Judging from your description, even if all of us had gathered here at that time, we probably wouldn't have been able to keep Tianshu here."

Suddenly, a disapproving voice came from upstairs.

Who said that?

But then a Xianhe flew out of the second-floor window, glided down from the outside, and flew into the first-floor living room.

"I already know what happened."

"If I had been here then, I could have saved Tianshu."

Second Master Chu's spirits lifted. "Senior, have you made any progress?"

"Um."

The Xianhe's wingtip swept across the air, creating a ring of water that cascaded down from the top, covering the entire ring and forming a mirror.

The view of the Yangtze River Bridge appears in the mirror.

"An ancient Immortal once used the magic of mirages to invite friends to travel together to a sea market; that so-called sea market was located within the Spirit Realm."

"In other words, if Mr. Yao's magic is practiced to its peak, and given the right environment, he could freely travel between the Human World and the Spirit Realm."

"Of course, your cultivation level is still far from sufficient, and your current environment hasn't reached that standard yet, but coincidentally, you live near the Yangtze River Bridge."

Second Master Chu was startled and blurted out, "A bridge spanning Yin and Yang?!"

"Good."

The Xianhe said, "In ancient times, bridges also symbolized communication with the Spirit Realm."

"Besides, this is the Yangtze River Bridge, a place teeming with people, and it's also the culmination of a battle of wits among a bunch of feng shui masters back then."

"Mr. Yao has been practicing the Mirage Art here year after year, and has developed a connection with the Spirit Realm, thus creating a special location. Coincidentally, Chu Tianshu is someone who has cultivated the Yellow Sprout True Qi, with a pure physical body and an exceptionally close connection between his essence, qi, and spirit."

"He encountered this unusual location, which led to his physical body going to the Spirit Realm as well."

Second Master Chu's face turned pale. "Even if Tianshu is made of iron, how many nails can he hammer in? What if he falls into a place full of Evil Spirit..."

The Xianhe interrupted him.

"As I just mentioned, the ancients traveled to see mirages, and those mirages existed in the Spirit Realm."

"The Spirit Realm is vast, so of course not every place is a dangerous place teeming with Evil Spirit and rampant with Ghost God."

Lin Baisui also came down the stairs, explaining, "According to the information I've seen."

"The Spirit Realm is actually like a large, uneven pancake, with significant differences in depth in its terrain."

"Those deeper layers are where Ghost God dwell, while the shallower areas are mostly inhabited by native species and monsters."

Feng Jianhua stroked the cat's head and said softly, "That Mirror Ape released quite a few Evil Spirit in Guangling before, and they all look familiar to me."

"In the Spirit Realm realm corresponding to the Guangling Hailing area, there must be at least one Mirror Ape, right?"

The Xianhe paced back and forth, flapping one wing.

"That's wrong!"

The Xianhe said decisively, "When the Spirit Realm is far removed from reality, only Ghost God can still intermittently retain the ability to pay attention to reality."

"Therefore, even a lingering resentment that manages to drift towards the Spirit Realm will be influenced by Ghost God, causing it to drift towards Ghost God territory and transform into Evil Spirit."

"The Ghost Market in Guangling back then even directly worshipped the Mirror Ape, which is why many Evil Spirit in Guangling ended up in the hands of the Mirror Ape."

"In reality, the Mirror Ape must be in the deep layer, while the Spirit Realm realm corresponding to the southeast of Divine Land should be a shallow layer."

The Xianhe looked at Yao Qianshu.

"By chance, during a journey to the Spirit Realm in the Northwest, I, Benhe, found the trip extremely difficult."

"With Mr. Yao's cultivation level, he could only sense something because the other side is a shallow Spirit Realm."

Second Master Chu grasped the key point. "So, you're saying Tianshu is still relatively safe?"

"It should be, probably, most likely safe."

The Xianhe's tone was somewhat subtle.

"Based on your description, it's highly likely that some Spirit Realm creature was casting a spell on Mr. Yao at the time."

"With Chu Tianshu's strength, even if he were truly the target of the spell, he could easily break free as long as he resisted, let alone since he wasn't the primary target."

"But he... unless he's too perceptive, and he's somehow connected with that spell, analyzing and responding to it."

After learning about Chu Tianshu's background, Helai always felt that Chu Tianshu was somewhat neglecting his duties.

Such a promising psychic talent went off to practice martial arts.

But being able to capture the aura of the Spirit Realm magic and analyze it in reverse is not something a martial artist would do.

It's hard to say exactly where he put in the most effort.

Feng Jianhua pondered for a moment and then said, "Can you contact Tianshu?"

"If we can't bring him back right away, why not just send me over? That way we can help each other out."

The Xianhe shook its head.

"Even if I were to send someone there, it would only be through their spirit. You're a martial artist... even with the Sky-Spanning Divine Art and its immense power, most of it would still reside in your physical body. You wouldn't be of much help there."

What else did Feng Jianhua want to say?

The Xianhe suddenly spread its wings. "Quiet, quiet!"

A crane actually adopted a posture of listening attentively.

The Xianhe's right claw suddenly tapped the ground, drawing a crooked yet precise talisman in the blink of an eye.

He caught the water mirror in mid-air with his mouth and tossed it upwards.

The water mirror left a mark on the first-floor ceiling.

A circular piece of reinforced concrete slowly cracked into four pieces, the pointed ends falling downwards and embedding themselves around the Xianhe.

The entire process produced only slight knocking sounds.

It looks like Xianhe surrounded by four concrete fan-shaped panels.

The ground talismans, laid on four concrete slabs, resembled an altar or a mysterious furnace.

A large amount of subtle energy on the second floor was drawn in from nowhere and fell into the furnace.

The Xianhe's wings, raised high, gently folded against its back, maintaining a single-leg stance, as if in deep meditation.

Deer King Temple.

The curtain at the temple entrance was still hanging, and familiar sounds could be heard outside.

The shouts of hundreds of people, the sound of flags fluttering in the wind, and the cracking of bamboo joints.

After transporting the grain and corpses back, Lu Touqiu worked through the night to make straw figures.

Fortunately, the flags and other items we used are still there, so we pray for rain again today.

Chu Tianshu stood alone inside the temple, looking at the three large incense sticks.

He could hear a greater sense of sorrow and a more resolute desire for rain in the shouts outside.

This thought and this Howling Art are probably even more effective than when he came that day.

Chu Tianshu did not intend to actually bring down Great Immortal Master Yao, but rather to observe from the sidelines, grasp that feeling, and convey some information to Yao Qianshu.

However, just as that sensing power was slowly rising along with the smoke, it seemed to be suddenly intercepted by another force.

The force pressed down, causing the ashes inside the incense burner to suddenly rise and leap.

Chu Tianshu's expression hardened, and he brought his fingers together.

The darkest part of the grass ash fragments was twisted into a line.

It's like someone is painting in the air with a brush.

A stroke of ink rises from the furnace, resembling a crane's foot, which forks at the tip.

With just a few strokes, the outline of the entire Xianhe is revealed.

Finally, the Xianhe's eyes and beak emerge.

With a blink of its eyes, its beak turned.

The Xianhe's face was already pointed at Chu Tianshu.

"... Senior Helai?"

"It is indeed I, Benhe."

Chu Tianshu asked curiously, "Senior only uses this self-reference when possessing Xianhe. You should be manifesting your divine soul now, so why are you doing this?"

Ash Xianhe, shaking its head.

"The soul of the Xianhe is extremely spiritually powerful. This crane came to this world by residing its own thoughts within the crane soul."

It's one thing for the soul to be attached to the Xianhe's physical body, but how can the mind also be attached to the Xianhe's soul?

Is this considered possession by a ghost?

A thought flashed through Chu Tianshu's mind, and he smiled as he cupped his hands in greeting, "I suppose you headed southeast after I disappeared, senior. Thank you."

The Xianhe nodded. "Looks like you're doing quite well here?"

Chu Tianshu sighed, "Senior, aren't you under time pressure? Well then, let me explain in detail."

"This place is completely different from the Spirit Realm I imagined..."

He recounted his experiences here, and although he hadn't been here long, he already had a lot to say.

Upon hearing this, the Xianhe couldn't help but flap its wings.

"Water-Refined Solomon's Seal?! A mere village can produce something like this?"

"I have learned quite a bit about the Spirit Realm from ancient texts, and I once thought of visiting Spirit Realm, but I couldn't stay long and had to return in haste."

"This place you are in truly verifies the description of the shallow Spirit Realm."

The Xianhe's excitement was palpable.

"As expected, it's possible to farm in the shallow Spirit Realm!"

It doesn't rely on Evil Spirit spirits or medicinal herbs; it can be grown directly on the land.

You can grow grains, and of course you can also grow medicinal herbs.

"I originally thought that with this contact, I could stabilize the relationship and then find a way to bring you back to the Human World."

The Xianhe softened its tone, "But given your situation, I think there's no need to rush back."

Chu Tianshu quickly said, "Then let's stabilize the contact first. Whether I'm in a hurry to go back or not, it's good to have a backup plan."

"Of course I understand, it's already underway."

The Xianhe chuckled, "But judging from your words just now, you're actually quite interested in the resources of the Spirit Realm, aren't you?"

Chu Tianshu's eyes flickered slightly, but he did not deny it.

"I can mobilize as many people as possible to support you."

The Xianhe said, "But even if others go down after us, they will only be in the form of divine souls. Only you can be their leader."

"If this succeeds, your place will be the first pilot site, and the future benefits will be self-evident..."

The Xianhe began to mutter many words.

Chu Tianshu listened to him for a long time, nodding slightly from time to time, but finally let out a long sigh.

"I do have many ideas, but the most pressing issue is the severe drought here."

Chu Tianshu spread his hands and said, "Leaving aside the cultivation of medicinal herbs, even for something as simple as grain, they have to pray for wind and rain."

But where can I get them to create this storm?

The Xianhe pondered, "That is indeed a problem. In truth, while reality and the Spirit Realm cannot completely correspond, there are always some connections between them."

"This area you're in, even if it lacks rain, shouldn't lack water."

Chu Tianshu's heart skipped a beat. "You mean?"

Ask them if there's a large river nearby.

The Xianhe laughed again.

"We can't stop the wind and rain, but we can send a large group of professionals down here to lead them in surveying the land and digging canals!"

(End of this chapter)