Chapter 104

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The sound of rain pattered softly. Qi Wuhuo sensed the dissolution of his Heart-Connecting Divine Power, knowing that the old monk had now also passed away and entered the cycle of reincarnation. Like an ordinary Daoist, he could simply perform an incantation, chant “Boundless Heavenly Venerable”, and immediately return by following the connection between his Primordial Spirit and physical body. Yet at this moment, he did not do so. Instead, he leisurely wandered through the mortal world.

Suddenly, he felt something and looked to the side. On a pavilion, a fortune teller in gray robes leaned against the railing, watching the rain. The unkempt fortune teller had originally been drinking alone, but as if sensing something, he suddenly lowered his head. He saw the stone-paved street below, washed clean by the rain. Pedestrians holding umbrellas moved back and forth like a flowing river. Amidst them stood a young Daoist, his hair slightly lifted by the wind, his gaze bright and clear.

The fortune teller was momentarily startled.

Then, his eyes widened as if he had seen something remarkable.

All of a sudden, he laughed and praised: “What a good state of mind! Your primordial spirit has been honed to such utter clarity and purity!”

He pointed at the table beside him and took the initiative to invite:

“Little Daoist, want to come up for a drink?”

Qi Wuhuo cupped his hands and politely declined: “No need.”

The fortune teller chuckled and said: “Indeed. In your current state, drinking wouldn’t suit you. You’d best hurry back.”

After the young Daoist left, a beauty in thin silk robes walked out from within the pavilion. She carried a redwood tray with a slender porcelain bottle, the aroma of fine liquor wafting from it. Seeing the fortune teller’s expression, she curiously looked outside but saw nothing. So, she asked with a smile: “Sir, who were you speaking to?”

The fortune teller answered after a long pause: “A rather interesting little Daoist.”

“Oh? Why didn’t I see him?”

He sighed with a smile: “Though you have cultivation, yours is merely strength, not Dao. Your eyes are bound to external things, whereas his primordial spirit has already reached perfect harmony. How could you possibly see it?”

Lifting his wine cup, he sighed with admiration: “A primordial spirit like that—it’s no longer something that can be refined through effort.”

“It wasn’t achieved through deliberate cultivation but seems to have formed naturally.”

“It has a hint of the Taishang’s Inaction Dao.”

Taking a sip of wine, he shook his head and laughed:

“Looks like that old bull-nosed Daoist of his lineage is quite the teacher!”

“He’s got some skill!”

“But not by much!”

“Still not as distant as that certain someone!”

In the end, he seemed to be mumbling about a particular person, yet out of caution, he dared not utter their name.

Qi Wuhuo walked forward at an unhurried pace, feeling the rain, sensing the mortal world, and experiencing the fusion of the two. His heart remained clear.

Once his Three Essences were complete, his Primordial Spirit had surged with restless energy, akin to the first rising sun. But now, it had become as tranquil as this gentle rain.

He observed the Dao of Lingbao.

He witnessed the Nirvana of the Buddha.

His heart was as it always had been, unchanged yet incomparably serene. As if, from within the teachings of both Dao and Buddhism, he had gained insight into his own path, becoming boundlessly pure and transparent. Qi Wuhuo’s Primordial Spirit had already been cultivated upon the foundation of seventy years within a Yellow Millet Dream. Now, after experiencing this transformation, his Primordial Spirit had become exceptionally pure and profound.

However, the cultivation of the Daoist path required balanced progress.

He needed to reverse the Three Essences into Two Principles before he could truly step onto the Great Dao. With one aspect strong and two aspects weak, it was ultimately incomplete.

Unable attain the highest Dao.

If he were willing to abandon his physical form and forsake the orthodox Daoist path, embarking upon the path of the Yin God, he could advance by leaps and bounds, achieving significant breakthroughs within a hundred years.

By now, the rain had softened into a fine mist. Since it was no longer heavy, some vendors began pushing their stalls out. A wooden cart, covered with woven straw to shield against the drizzle, let off warm steam. People walked under umbrellas, stopping to buy breakfast. The scent of sesame biscuits drifted through the air. Qi Wuhuo’s thoughts returned. His steps paused as he glanced to the side, noticing a street stall. After a moment of hesitation, he walked over.

Moving foward step by step.

He actively wrapped his Primordial Spirit around the raindrops, blending into the mist, allowing the light refracted through the rain to reveal his figure in others’ eyes. This was a method mentioned in the manuscripts of Elder Ao Liu. The vendor was deftly retrieving freshly baked sesame biscuits from the stove. The crust was golden, radiating warmth, sprinkled with a few black sesame seeds, releasing a rich, fragrant aroma.

A youthful voice rang out: “Five sesame biscuits. Four regulars, and one with a sweet filling.”

“Alright, got it!”

The vendor swiftly prepared the order.

Beside them, an elderly vendor selling charms and talismans to ward off evil spirits recognized him and laughed: “Ah, it’s the Daoist from Lianyang Temple!”

“Old Li, this young Daoist came to buy biscuits from you just a few days ago. How are you? I heard you caught a cold for two days.”

The vendor let out an exclamation, clasping his hands together with a smile. “Ah, I’ve troubled the young Daoist, truly troubled you.”

“But isn’t that just how life is?”

“I suddenly fell ill. At home, I have two elderly parents, three children, and my wife—six mouths to feed. I was so feverish I nearly saw the ghost official coming for me. But even then, I thought, ‘I can’t die just yet’. So I held on, watching as that ghost official came closer day by day. I thought I was done for, but who knew that today I’d be completely fine?”

“Not even a trace of discomfort, so I hurried back to set up shop.”

“My wife took care of me for days and nights. Now that I’ve recovered, I told her to rest well—can’t have her falling sick too.”

As he spoke, his hands worked swiftly, wrapping the sesame biscuits in oiled paper. With a smile, he handed them over.

“Here, young Daoist, your sesame biscuits.”

Qi Wuhuo accepted them.

The vendor glanced up at the rain and laughed. “Ah, what fine rain.”

“It fills the heart with ease.”

“Don’t you think so, young Daoist?”

The young Daoist replied softly: “Mm.”

Lifting his gaze, he saw a porridge stall had also been set up nearby. With his heightened Primordial Spirit, he could sense that today’s medicinal ingredients had been adjusted to include herbs that dispel cold. His eyes flickered slightly in surprise. The young prince overseeing this charity was not merely doing it for show.

To adjust the herbs based on the situation took attentiveness.

And keen perception.

The young Daoist fell into thought.

Was the prince, once half-imprisoned within the imperial city, truly capable of this?

The vendor noticed that Qi Wuhuo had no umbrella and was about to call out while lifting one.

Yet, before he could speak, the young Daoist had already turned away, taking just a few steps before blending into the crowd.

The rain curled like mist and he was gone.

At Lianyang Temple, the little Daoist Mingxin stretched lazily, feeling utterly refreshed. He had woken to the soft patter of rain, pushed open the door, and watched the silken threads of rain drape over the world. Stretching again, he turned back and noticed a plate on the table. It was filled with his favorite sesame biscuits. With a joyful cheer, he took a bite—

And molten sugar oozed from within.

His happiness soared.

Spotting the young Daoist in the courtyard, he waved excitedly and called out—

“Uncle Master Qi, did you just go out?!”

“The sesame biscuits are delicious!”

Qi Wuhuo smiled in response. He pushed open the door and stepped into the Scripture Pavilion—and in that very instant, his form dissolved into nothingness. Inside the pavilion, another young Daoist slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was tranquil, but as he had been meditating for a long time, a faint weariness lingered. He stretched, and his Primordial Qi flowed like the rain outside, circulating through his body in an instant. Qi Wuhuo paused, then raised his hand. His five fingers curled together—

The mist-like rain in the air gathered at his fingertips, condensing into a miniature dragon of water that coiled and twisted.

This was the boundless Primordial Qi he had cultivated during a year of meditation beneath the rising and setting celestial bodies.

Now, he could wield it with effortless precision.

Qi Wuhuo pondered.

“The sun governs nature, the moon governs life.”

“And water veins are akin to primordial qi.”

“So the rain I summoned over Zhongzhou was also a form of cultivation?”

With a flick of his hand, he dispersed the energy at his fingertips. Though delighted by this unexpected gain, he did not dwell on it.

When he glanced around he noticed that the peacock egg had cracked open. A tiny, featherless chick lay nestled inside, slowly pecking at its shell. Perhaps startled by Qi Wuhuo’s return, it shrank back, its beady black eyes staring at him in absolute silence.

But after a while, hunger seemed to set in and it seemed to be unable to control itself.

With its frail, down-covered wings, it carefully cradled a fragment of eggshell—

And, ever so slowly, brought it toward its mouth.

Its dark, glistening eyes remained locked onto the young Daoist the entire time.

Its beak silently opened—

Silently sent the eggshell into its mouth—

Silently closed.

Crack.

The sound still escaped.

The lone feather atop its head gave a little twitch.

Its tiny body froze.

Eh?!!!

The young Daoist couldn’t help but chuckle. His spiritual essence naturally exuded, flowing like a gentle breeze. The tiny peacock had been about to flee, but upon sensing that pure, serene energy it suddenly stopped. This was the same presence that had spoken to it so warmly during that endless darkness. Recognition dawned in its eyes, which immediately lit up. With a rather unpleasant squawk, it leaped forward.

But it couldn’t fly yet. After jumping up, it just fell from the edge of the table. Qi Wuhuo took a single step forward. His Primordial Qi flowed like drifting clouds, catching the little bird mid-fall.

Then gently retracting, letting it settle perfectly in his palm.

The peacock chick chirped in delight and nestled against his hand, rubbing against it over and over.

Qi Wuhuo lightly ran his fingers over its tiny body, sensing the sheer vitality within.

—It had not relied on the precious treasures Uncle Niu had provided.

—It bore no traces of the countless demon gods’ auras.

For over three hundred years, it had struggled on its own. And at last, it had broken through its shell and grasped hold of life. Qi Wuhuo’s gaze softened, a quiet smile in his eyes.

“Welcome to this world.”

“Hmm, I should take you to see that medicine spirit sometime.”

“And we’ll need to find you a good name.”

“But as for your name—”

“I’ll have to ask Yun Qin. We promised to name you together.”

The peacock chick didn’t understand his words. It simply rolled about in his palm, filled with uncontainable joy. As if this warm hand was the safest place in the world. As if it was the entire world itself.

Eastern Pure Glazed World.

When the Medicine Master Glazed Light Tathāgata ceased condensing his Dharma body, power, and fruition, the entire Glazed World seemed to respond. The Twelve Divine Generals, each leading seven thousand Medicine Yakshas, along with the countless beings dwelling within this vast Pure Glazed World, all stepped out from their places of refuge. With bewilderment in their eyes, and fear for what was about to unfold, they gazed upon the Buddha.

The Buddha seemed as if he were weeping.

And yet, he also seemed immensely joyful.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes. The Buddha light surrounding him collapsed in unison, dispersing his will and Dharma across the four directions. The translucent and pristine Glazed Buddha light surged forth, repairing and perfecting the shattered Pure Glazed World. However, it did not mend the Medicine Master Glazed Light Tathāgata’s body or his wounds.

The Moonlight Universal Illumination Bodhisattva seemed to perceive something and stepped forward, saying: “World-Honored One, why?”

The old monk, who had already shed his Buddha form, did not answer. He merely spoke in a warm voice:

“Moonlight Universal Illumination.”

“After my departure, you shall be the sovereign of this world, the Buddha of the Pure Glazed Buddha Kingdom, guarding this land.”

“Moonlight Universal Illumination.”

“After my departure, seal the gates of the Pure Glazed World for a thousand years, cultivating and transcending by your own effort.”

“Moonlight Universal Illumination, you shall cultivate righteously and attain the Dao.”

Moonlight Universal Illumination pressed his palms together, tears falling as he asked: “I am here, but World-Honored One—where will you go?”

The old monk let out a long, sorrowful sigh and said: “The burden is too heavy to return.”

“The path of enlightenment—if one walks in the wrong direction…”

“Then the farther one goes, the greater the mistake.”

“Except for rebirth, I can no longer turn back. Moonlight Universal Illumination, you still have a chance. All beings still have a chance. Do not be as I am.”

“Now, listen to the true Dharma.”

Pressing his palms together, he used the last of his strength to speak. His power was already gone; he was no longer a Buddha. He was like an old man on the verge of death—he was an old man nearing his end. The Moonlight Universal Illumination Bodhisattva, now having inherited the fruition of Buddhahood in this world, bowed deeply and listened to the old monk’s murmured words. Then, he opened his mouth and chanted the final scripture of the old monk.

His voice was vast and filled with sorrowful compassion, like moonlight illuminating all beings of the great thousand worlds. Within this Pure Glazed Buddha Kingdom, in this boundless land spanning millions upon millions of miles, his words echoed in the ears of all sentient beings, saying thus—

“Thus have I heard.”

“Once, the Buddha walked in the mortal kingdom, among the cities of men.”

“At that time, beneath the Seven Marvel Trees, there was the Taishang Xuanwei True Person, expounding the unsurpassed Wondrous Dharma…”