Chapter 113
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The little peacock seemed to have slept too well, too comfortably. Only after waking up did it realize that it was stuffed inside this small hidden pouch. As a young creature, it was brimming with spirit and full of energy, unable to stay put obediently. It wriggled against Qi Wuhuo’s hand in the cramped space, prompting the young Daoist to untie the pouch and lift it into his palm.
“You’re awake?”
The peacock responded with an unpleasant and raucous cry.
Standing in the young Daoist’s palm, it puffed out its chest and strutted about with great confidence.
Its spirit was lively—excessively so.
Because of this, it was also terribly noisy. Qi Wuhuo found that, unlike before, he could no longer reflect its spirit within his own. After some thought, the young Daoist lifted the peacock in his left hand while raising his right. His fingers stretched naturally upward, palm facing outward, forming the Buddhist [Fearless Seal]. In an instant, the peacock’s restless mind became as calm as the young Daoist’s own.
Qi Wuhuo fell into contemplation.
The Fearless Seal was a seal of heart mirroring heart, stilling one’s own spirit to bring tranquility to another.
Taking it a step further, it bears some resemblance to the Buddhist ability of [Mind-Reading].
Buddhism spoke of the Five Aggregates, and many Bodhisattvas possessed the Five Great Mudras. Could it be that they were all linked to the Five Great Divine Powers of Buddhism?
This thought flickered across his mind but was not pursued further. After forming the Fearless Seal, Qi Wuhuo caught glimpses of the peacock’s thoughts within his own heart. He extended a finger, gently brushing over the soft feathers of the little peacock, and smiled as he asked:
“You say… you had a dream?”
“What kind of dream?”
The little peacock lifted its head proudly, strutting across the wooden desk, crying out in its rough voice as it recounted its dream.
Big cat! Bad! Nine heads!
It tried to eat me!
Dark! Don’t know where—like an eggshell!
Don’t want to go back inside!
Eggshell is edible!
In the end, I pecked through the eggshell!
Pecking and eating at the same time!
In the end, the big cat disappeared, but the hunger remained unbearable. In the dream, there was a glowing sphere in the sky.
Bright and round, shining with light.
Just like the grains of rice Ah-Qi fed me.
I took a peck!
Ate my fill—
The little peacock patted its belly with its unusually dexterous wings, only to realize that the fullness from earlier had vanished, leaving its stomach flat again. Its two eyes stopped moving, giving it a dazed look, but then a glimmer of thought surfaced in its expression:
“Ate my fill?”
“Full?”
“Hungry?”
“Hungry!!!”
“Ah-Qi, hungry, hungry, hungry!”
It ran up to Qi Wuhuo, opening its beak wide like a true fledgling. Qi Wuhuo chuckled and took out a sesame flatbread, which the little peacock had particularly enjoyed that day. The peacock was overjoyed, holding the snack in its nimble wings and taking a few big bites. But after a moment, it stopped, raised its head in confusion, then ‘asked’ Qi Wuhuo—
Not tasty.
Not filling!
Still hungry!
Qi Wuhuo was slightly surprised but smiled and said: “It’s fine. There are other things. Try this.”
He offered the leftover vegetable leaves from the day.
The little peacock pecked at them several times, then immediately turned around and coughed everything back up.
At birth, it had been an indiscriminate eater, devouring anything without complaint. But now, it had become picky. Qi Wuhuo tried giving it various foods, even Yun Qin’s homemade candied peaches, but it refused them all. No vegetables. No rice grains. No cooked meals.
In the end, after trying everything, they ended up at the kitchen stove, where only the raw pork strips prepared by the little Daoist Mingxin remained.
The little peacock’s eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. Unable to contain itself, it leaped from Qi Wuhuo’s shoulder, fluttering its small wings. Though unsteady in the air, it managed to land on the stove. Then, without hesitation, it pecked down at the meat. The winter air was harsh, and the pork had been left in the cold, causing the blood within it to freeze, turning the meat rock-hard.
It was tough enough to break bricks, strong enough to hammer nails—better than an iron mallet.
If swung overhead and brought down with force, it could easily knock over three to five grown men.
Yet, with a single peck, the little peacock pierced a hole clean through. Lifting its head, it tore off a large chunk and swallowed it whole.
Qi Wuhuo couldn’t even tell how such a tiny beak managed to devour such an enormous piece of pork.
It was as if it hadn’t eaten for days and nights.
The little peacock pecked and swallowed frantically, as if delaying for even a second would mean starving to death.
In less than the time it took to finish a cup of tea—
The slab of pork, as thick and long as Qi Wuhuo’s forearm, had completely disappeared.
The little peacock wobbled on its feet—then collapsed with a plop.
Its belly was round and taut.
The young Daoist had no idea how such a massive piece of pork had fit into such a tiny stomach.
Crouching down, he extended a finger and poked the little peacock’s belly. It felt oddly nice to the touch.
“How did you eat so much?”
“Ah?”
The little peacock struggled to lift its head—
But its overly full belly made it impossible.
It tried several times.
Plop. It flopped back down.
It gave up.
It thought for a moment.
Then, with a mind still as blank as a sheet of paper, it answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world—
Because I am the Peacock Great Wheel Ming King!
The young Daoist smiled warmly.
Since when would a being of the Peacock Ming King’s lineage get stuffed from eating just a slab of pork?
Though still young, he was not stupid.
Old Yellow Ox’s words might fool others, but not someone like him, who spent his days and nights with the little peacock.
Still, he understood that Uncle Niu had only said so to avoid dampening their spirits. What Uncle Niu did not realize was that for Qi Wuhuo, simply having this little bird survive was already a boundless joy.
He placed the little peacock in his palm, shut the kitchen door, and offered a brief apology to the little Daoist Mingxin. Tomorrow morning, he would need to wake up early and head to the city market to buy more meat—otherwise, Mingxin would surely be heartbroken. Walking slowly through the silent Daoist temple, he smiled and said: “By the way, you’ve just been born. Would you like a name? I can’t keep calling you ‘little one’ every time.”
The little peacock tilted its head. “A name? What’s that?”
“Can you eat it?”
The young Daoist laughed. “Of course not.”
“A name…”
He recalled someone once saying, ‘May my child live a life free of doubt, safe and smooth.’ His voice paused for a moment before continuing:
“A name is a kind of hope, a wish, a blessing. It is something uniquely yours.”
Qi Wuhuo patiently explained to the young peacock what a surname was and what a given name was, then suggested,
“According to Uncle Niu, you’re a peacock. How about the surname ‘Kong’?”
Kong?!!
Ugh! No! Don’t want it!
Qi Wuhuo asked, “You don’t like it?”
“Then how about [Que]?” (Sparrow/Small bird)
The little peacock shook its head furiously.
Que?
Ugh, no, no!
It answered without hesitation—
I want to take the same surname as A’Qi!
The same one!
A faint smile appeared at the corners of the young Daoist’s lips, and he said: “Very well, then from now on, you shall follow me and bear the surname Qi. As for your name, we’ve agreed to decide it together with Yun Qin, so we’ll settle that later.”
The little peacock was already overjoyed. It climbed onto the young Daoist’s head and nestled itself there.
“You’re A’Qi, and I’m A’Qi too.”
“Big A’Qi, Little A’Qi.”
“A’Qi the Elder, A’Qi the Younger.”
After some playful fussing, it soon fell asleep. The young Daoist gently picked it up and placed it on a soft cushion, watching it sleep soundly.
His own heart had also calmed. After circulating his qi in meditation for an hour, he washed up and lay down on the bed. Moonlight bathed his body as he thought of the matter concerning the Mingzhen Dao Alliance tomorrow night. Unknowingly, he too drifted into a deep sleep. And so, the next day, the old Daoist and the little Daoist saw that Qi Wuhuo now had a chubby little bird perched on his shoulder.
The little Daoist Mingxin blinked in surprise and said: “Huh? Uncle Master, when did you buy a little fat chicken?”
“It even looks like a three-yellow chicken.”
The little peacock blinked and looked toward Qi Wuhuo in puzzlement.
Three-yellow chicken?
The young Daoist replied, “It’s tasty.”
At that, the little peacock was overjoyed and flapped its wings at Mingxin.
It was said that in the Realm of Evergreen Splendor and Eternal Joy stood the Miaoyan Palace. Within, a Daoist sat, crowned with ceremonial headgear and robed in rosy clouds, his form the embodiment of the wondrous Dao, radiant with a purple-gold auspicious aura. He was calmly flipping through scriptures of the Dao. He first read the [Wondrous Scripture of Taiyi’s Salvation and Protective Deliverance] and then the [Wondrous Scripture of the Dongxuan Lingbao for Deliverance from Suffering and Removal of Sin]. The wondrous truths flowed ceaselessly. Only, beneath him, the nine-headed lion he sat upon was sound asleep.
Suddenly, it opened its eyes wide.
And so, the Daoist ceased his recitation. His gaze remained serene as he asked: “What is the matter?”
The Nine-Headed Lion Primordial Lord yawned, then respectfully replied:
“Heavenly Venerable, forgive my transgression. I was in deep slumber, but was suddenly awakened by a strange dream.”
The Supreme One Who Saves the Suffering, Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun, spoke with a calm voice: “What dream?”
The Nine-Headed Lion Primordial Lord pondered briefly, then said: “A strange dream indeed. Your disciple remembers only swallowing a peacock in a single bite, after which I promptly fell into sleep once more. Heavenly Venerable knows well that the spiritual nature and foundations of a peacock are quite ordinary. Even the so-called Peacock Great Wheel Ming King is not beyond my ability to devour with a single bite. As for what is called the [Right Dharma of the Peacock], it is nothing more than stopping rain, praying for rain, and dispelling calamity.”
“Even in the latter scroll, with phrases like [can dispel fear, enmity, and all misfortune; especially if recited, upheld, and practiced, it shall surely bring peace and happiness], it remains rather ordinary.”
“Though their cultivation is formidable, it’s nothing more than the tricks of a side-path Primordial Lord.”
“With the talent and strength of this disciple, I would not necessarily be outmatched. If sufficiently prepared, I could easily swallow such a being in a single bite.”
“Yet this dream was most mysterious.”
He spoke with utmost reverence, gazing at the scriptures laid beside Taiyi Jiuku Heavenly Venerable.
They were none other than the sacred transmissions of the Daoist tradition, the classics which laid the foundation for the [Taiyi Dharma Lineage], established by the Taiyi Jiuku Heavenly Venerable himself:
[Wondrous Scripture of Taiyi’s Salvation and Protective Deliverance], [Wondrous Scripture of Unbinding Resentment Across Three Lifetimes].
As well as the legacy passed down from their master—scriptures bearing the master’s revered name—such as the [Wondrous Scripture on Deliverance and Sin-Purging by the Supreme Dongxuan Lingbao Heavenly Venerable], the [Scripture on Deliverance and Rebirth of the Supreme Dongxuan Lingbao], and the [Wondrous Scripture on Salvation from the Three Paths and Five Sufferings and Deliverance from Life and Death by the Supreme Dongxuan Lingbao Heavenly Venerable].
The title “Taishang” – Supreme and Exalted – was used in reverence to the highest of masters. All disciples of the Three Pure Ones refer to their respective teachers with the honorific “Taishang” before their names.
This venerable one was among the most exalted figures among the Heavenly Venerables of the Daoist pantheon.
A disciple of one of the Three Pure Ones—the Shangqing Lingbao Great Heavenly Venerable.
The foremost disciple of the Shangqing Great Heavenly Venerable’s lineage, the one who established its foundation.
His cultivation was unimaginably profound, far beyond the other disciples of the Shangqing lineage.
He inherited the Lingbao Great Heavenly Venerable’s aspiration to ferry all beings across the sea of suffering and manifested himself as the Ten-Directional Heavenly Venerable.
He had also received treasures personally refined by the Great Heavenly Venerable, such as the Willow Branch and the Jade Purity Vase.
According to the [Complete Collection of Iron Jar Food-Offering Rituals by Qingxuan Jilian]:
“He rides upon a Nine-Headed Lion,
In his hand, a willow branch,
Scattering divine nectar to save the suffering and ferry the dead to salvation.”
This, indeed, was the Supreme One Who Saves the Suffering – Taiyi Jiuku Heavenly Venerable.
Previously, the [Ritual Manual of the Ten Heavenly Venerables of the Yellow Register Altar] that Yun Qin retrieved from the Shangqing Library referred precisely to his ten incarnations. Only within the Library Pavilion of the Shangqing lineage could one so directly access and peruse such a ritual text that pointed straight toward the ten incarnations of the Taiyi Jiuku Heavenly Venerable.
At this moment, Taiyi Jiuku Heavenly Venerable let out a soft laugh, then lowered his gaze to ask the question — a gesture that showed his solemn attention. The Nine-Headed Lion, now all the more respectful, replied:
“That little peacock, trapped within this disciple’s belly, attempted countless times to break free — all failed. Yet its nature was incomparably resolute and unyielding.”
“In the end, it began to peck at my insides as though my belly were an eggshell.”
“It actually devoured this disciple clean in the dream.”
“Then, as though still unsatisfied, it opened its mouth and swallowed even a great blazing sun.”
“Such a gluttonous little thing.”
Taiyi Jiuku Heavenly Venerable lowered his gaze further and said lightly: “A vision of the [Peacock] devouring the [Sun]?”
The Nine-Headed Lion Primordial Lord responded with deference: “This disciple has already attained transformation of the self — worthy of the title Primordial Lord— a demon who has obtained the Dao, comparable to a Bodhisattva. Though still short of the immortal realm of [Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown and Five Qi Returning to the Origin], I have long since unified spirit and nature, severed dreams and stray thoughts — so that any dream I do have must be the revelation of Heaven and Earth’s spiritual intent.”
“Only this dull disciple cannot comprehend its meaning, and thus beseeches Heavenly Venerable’s guidance. What could this omen signify?”
“A peacock is but a common beast. Even that so-called Peacock Great Wheel Ming King — this disciple could battle and slay, devour in a single bite.”
“Its innate gift lies only in praying for rain, warding off evil, and dispelling malign spirits. Never has it been associated with the power of devouring.”
Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun answered: “All things in Heaven and Earth follow cycles. Each has its own rhythm. There is no need to concern yourself overmuch.”
“Lately, I seem to sense traces of Master’s presence.”
“If the chance arises, I shall go seek him.”
“In those days, he gave me nothing but a Jade Purity Vase, and bade me ferry all living beings across the sea of suffering, deliver the ten directions. Now I have fulfilled my task, attained completion, proven the Dao and become the Ten-Directional Heavenly Venerable. Yet he still hides away from the world.”
Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun swept his dust whisk gently, resting it upon his arm, and said with a faint smile: “Surely Master entrusted me with a duty.”
“Shouldn’t this disciple at least ask Master—”
“What he meant by that?”
Only then did he reveal the bearing of a true Heavenly Venerable of the Dao, before turning his gaze to the far distance, murmuring with an airy gentleness:
“Master… even if you find joy in all manner of things, even if you come upon a most promising seed of cultivation—”
“Do not let your heart be stirred, and do not step outside.”
“Lest you be… [blocked] by your disciple.”
Night fell once more. Tonight, too, the moonlight was resplendent. The young Daoist carried the little peacock with him, then retrieved his waist token. Raising his head, he gazed at the full moon, rose to his feet and left the Daoist temple, following the water’s flow. According to the fortune-teller’s instructions, he raised the waist token toward the moon. As the moonlight shifted and shimmered, sure enough, a path emerged from beneath the water, beneath the moon.
Qi Wuhuo carefully put away his belongings.
Though over the past half month his state of mind had become remarkably tranquil, in this moment, faint ripples stirred once again.
The youth whispered softly:
“Mingzhen Dao Alliance…”
Let’s hope that fortune-teller doesn’t cause trouble.
PS:
[Wondrous Scripture on Deliverance and Sin-Purging by the Supreme Dongxuan Lingbao Heavenly Venerable] is one of the core scriptures of the Taiyi lineage established by Taiyi Jiuku Heavenly Venerable.
Beyond this, many rituals and scriptures bearing the designation “Dongxuan Lingbao” exist — such as the [Ritual Manual of the Ten Heavenly Venerables of the Yellow Register Altar], which is part of the various Lingbao altar rites.
Hence, in this novel, I have listed Taiyi Jiuku Heavenly Venerable as the chief disciple under the Supreme Lord of Shangqing Lingbao.
The Daoist Canon also includes the Xuandu, where he is honored as the Heavenly Venerable of Serene Blessings and Wondrous Joy, and the Great Emperor of the Five Manifested Spirit Altars — but there is no Duobao involved…
