Chapter 26
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When Qi Wuhuo closed the door, the lively chatter outside fell into an awkward silence.
Although the door is low, it inexplicably gives a sense of [isolating sight].
Outside the courtyard, a large group of people stood—some were local gentry, others wealthy merchants. They were among the most informed people in the town, always aware of the latest news. They had first been shaken by the sudden gale that had swept across the town, and later, after those who attended the banquet at the Li family had left, word quickly spread that Qi Wuhuo was on friendly terms with the Mountain God.
They were astounded, unable to believe it.
Afterward, carrying the past disdain for this youth, along with the hope of gaining some immortal fate.
With their daughter of marriageable age from home
Wearing fine silk garments like those of an immortal.
Carrying a gift that is worth more than the entire house belonging to this impoverished family that had some immortal fate.
A brilliant and enthusiastic smile broke out on their faces as they came over.
Wishing to establish a good connection.
But instead, they were met a big rejection!
“Really, such rudeness!”
“Arrogant fool!”
“Thinking that they had some connections with that Mountain God, they became arrogant, not knowing their own weight, and dared to show us a long face. Good riddance, good riddance!”
The faces of the gentry and wealthy families turned stiff and ugly.
What was their status in this town? When had they ever been treated like this?
In their minds, they had already ‘lowered themselves’ by coming to this shabby little place. They felt insulted by this poorly-dressed boy’s audacity. They were resentful—hadn’t they come personally, brought valuable gifts, and expressed goodwill? Surely, that boy should have been grateful, accepted their gifts with humility, and built a relationship with them.
Isn’t he like a fish in water in this town?
Even in the prefectural city, he would be able to establish himself!
For anyone, this would be an excellent opportunity, yet who would have expected this boy to be so arrogant—his arrogance was simply because they were not used to being rejected by such a “country bumpkin”, hence their anger.
At this moment, despite their rising fury and having already muttered all kinds of bitter words in their hearts, they still had to maintain pleasant expressions, smiling and greeting each other before finally leaving.
“It seems Immortal Qi is a bit tired today.”
“Haha, yes, yes, after all, he did experience some unpleasantness today.”
“Huh? Why does it feel a bit cold?”
“Yes, how did it suddenly become so chilly?”
They instinctively shivered and, when they looked up, they noticed that the sky had somehow darkened with clouds, and the wind was blowing coldly. Thinking back on the rumors of the events at the Li family today, they couldn’t help but shiver even more. After exchanging a few more forced pleasantries, they quickly took their leave.
None of them noticed that, after they left, an old man was standing at the entrance of the alley.
He was dressed in simple yet elegant clothing, with silver hair and holding a finely carved wooden staff. It was Tao Taigong, the Land God, who had sensed the disturbance and hurried over. Stroking his beard, he looked solemnly at the swirling Yin Qi hovering above the house. “This is… the yin qi I saw at that time…”
“So, what I saw before wasn’t the evil cultivator himself.”
“It was the ghosts being controlled by him.”
Tao Taigong stroked his beard and sighed.
“Such a pity, such a pity. These souls were refined by that evil cultivator using secret techniques, with gold tainted by the aura of Underworld emissaries as the catalyst, avoiding detection from the Underworld. Making the latter believe that these souls had already been taken into the cycle of the Underworld. These souls are beyond saving now…”
“They’ll either be collected by cultivators to raise ghost soldiers…”
“Or be refined.”
“Or dissipate between heaven and earth…”
Tao Taigong has served as a God of Fortune and Virtue for a long time.
He has a sharp insight, and with just a glance, he deduced the truth. Stroking his beard, he lamented. Though he felt pity for them, his power was limited. To save these souls would require a significant price, and paying such a price merely to ferry ten souls across—
He did not possess the mindset or level of enlightenment yet.
“What a shame.”
“If you had encountered the me from long ago, perhaps things would have been different.”
“No…”
“Even then, I would have been powerless,”
The old man shook his head and chuckled self-deprecatingly, turning to leave.
But just as he did, he suddenly sensed a slight change and paused in his step.
In the courtyard, Qi Wuhuo referred to himself as Pindao for the first time.
[TL_Note: Pindao = This humble daoist]
The behavior of the young man in a blue robe, and the gentle compassion he used to treat these ghosts.
In the end, it was the solemn words [Pindao] that sparked the reaction. They didn’t know why, but even though it was the evil Daoist who had harmed them before, now, when Qi Wuhuo uttered these words, they felt an indescribable sense of peace, as if the moment this young man spoke, he was certain to follow through.
Even life and death cannot stop him
The numerous ghosts returned the gesture of respect.
Qi Wuhuo carefully folded and put away the paper on which he had recorded their unfulfilled wishes. Then, he sat once again before the qin, placed his ten fingers on the strings, and the sound of the qin echoed softly. Yet, he soon realized that while his music could dispel the resentment and madness brought upon them by Tantai Xuan’s evil technique, what should be done next?
His power was insufficient.
His knowledge was even more lacking.
The old man, holding his tea, observed his efforts and suddenly chuckled, saying: “To take on their karma and fulfill their final wishes—only then is it true salvation.”
“Very good, very good.”
“But simply playing the qin won’t allow you to completely free them… am I right?”
Qi Wuhuo replied: “Yes…”
The elder sighed with regret, stroking his beard, and said: “In the end, your current level of cultivation is still too low.”
“To directly cross into the Underworld, a single melody from the qin to ferry a dozen souls.”
“Your cultivation still needs to rise slightly before that can happen.”
Slightly?
Crossing the Underworld to ferry souls?
For some reason, Qi Wuhuo didn’t know much about cultivation.
He didn’t even understand how difficult it was to cross the Underworld directly to implement the ferry.
He still felt that the use of the word “slightly” in this context might need some reconsideration.
It didn’t seem to align with the meaning he understood.
He stood up, clasped his hands, and said: “Please teach me, Old Sir.”
The elder stroked his beard, pondered, and smiled gently: “It’s not a problem to help you. What you’ve done today is quite like my Dao.”
“I’ll help you once today.”
“In the future, if you don’t want to encounter situations where you’re helpless, you’ll need to cultivate more diligently.”
“This isn’t passing on a method, so it’s not breaking my word.”
“Breaking my word? Passing on the Dao? Haha, not at all, not at all.”
The elder said jokingly.
Then, after thinking for a moment and stroking his beard, he said: “How about this.”
“When you play the qin, circulate your Primordial Qi in your mouth and recite along with me.”
Qi Wuhuo asked in surprise: “Is it enough just to recite?”
The elder smiled: “Of course.”
Seeing that he was ready, the old man opened his mouth and began to recite four words.
Qi Wuhuo’s qin playing paused slightly.
He lowered his eyes and continued playing the qin.
He opened his mouth and began to recite along with the elder—
Outside the alley, the footsteps of the Land God suddenly paused. He felt an indescribable sense of suffocation, as if the air itself was oppressive. His heart grew extremely restless, and he found it difficult to maintain his calm.
Something has changed; I must leave!
Without hesitation, he turned and hastened his steps.
After walking a few dozen steps, he noticed that his Primordial Qi was becoming sluggish, and there were faint signs of it flowing backward, gathering all around him.
Gritting his teeth, he pressed onward.
After another ten steps, Tao Taigong found that lifting his feet became increasingly difficult, he could no longer move an inch.
To his eyes as a cultivator, everything seemed normal—people walked along the road, chatting about mundane matters, birds flew across the town’s sky, and smoke from cooking fires rose in the air. But on another level, it was as if everything had frozen. The Primordial Qi in the entire town, or at least in this section of the world, had ceased to flow, as though captured in a still image, like insects trapped in amber.
Unseen, unheard, unspoken.
Motion and stillness.
Action and inaction.
Completely opposing Dao Rhythms seemed to overlap at this moment.
Then suddenly, a note of the qin rang out, as if tearing through the stillness, shattering this strange situation.
Zheng! ! !
The Land God Tao Taigong spun around sharply.
He was gasping for breath.
The world returned to silence.
The wind passed through the plum branches.
There was the sound of the qin, clear and resonant, and the mortal world seemed unchanged. Amidst it all, the voice of a young man was heard, calm and warm, as he uttered—
“Taishang Edict.”
This was his first time chanting a Daoist Scripture.
The first words he spoke.
Just these four characters, light as wind, calm as clouds.
Yet vast and majestic!
Tao Taigong’s pupils contracted sharply, and a chill ran up his spine, making his scalp tingle.
He took step after step backward.
His emotions surged uncontrollably.
Even the cane in his hand slipped, falling to the ground.
[TL_Note: Taishang (太上) is a Daoist term that refers to the “Supreme” or “Most High.” In Daoism, it often denotes the highest authority or the most exalted beings, such as Taishang Laojun (太上老君), also known as the “Grand Supreme Elderly Lord,” a prominent deity believed to be an incarnation of Laozi, the founder of Daoism. The term embodies supreme wisdom and authority in the Daoist cosmic hierarchy, often associated with divine decrees and profound spiritual power.]
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