Chapter 85

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Qi Wuhuo washed his face, then gathered his hair into a Daoist topknot once more. By the time he had finished tidying up the room, a faint fragrance had already begun to waft through the air. The young Daoist patiently endured for a while longer, and when he estimated that it was about time, he finally crouched down, took out a wooden stick, and carefully dug out two charred sweet potatoes from the fire stove.

The freshly roasted sweet potatoes were scorching hot, their outer shells slightly carbonized. He prodded them with the wooden stick, leaving behind traces of blackened ash on the ground. Only when the heat had dissipated somewhat did he cautiously cradle one in his hands. Peeling it open, he revealed the golden-yellow flesh within, steaming as it released its rich aroma.

The young boy blew on it hastily, his stomach already rumbling with hunger, and impatiently took a bite.

At once, the sweet yet searing-hot morsel tumbled around his mouth as if engaged in a battle, rolling back and forth as he struggled to keep it in place.

It was only after some effort that the heat finally subsided enough for him to swallow. A wave of warmth surged down his throat, spreading through his stomach, and only then did the roasted sweet potato’s rich and mellow sweetness fully unfold. Qi Wuhuo quickly finished the first one in just a few bites, and at last, the deep exhaustion that had lingered within him began to ease.

The second sweet potato, he ate more slowly.

Yet at that moment, a faint emotional fluctuation surfaced within his spirit.

Following the trace of that presence, his gaze fell upon an egg placed at the side of the table.

The young Daoist let out a soft chuckle. “You’re hungry too?”

“Alright, alright, just wait a little longer.”

He rose to his feet, retrieving a medicinal liquid he had refined earlier in exchange for intelligence at the Mingzhen Dao Alliance. Then, he gently drizzled it over the egg. He could sense the sliver of spirit within the eggshell, struggling to absorb the essence, clinging desperately to life, yearning for the day it would break free from its shell and emerge into the world.

The young Daoist lightly traced his fingertip over the egg’s surface and spoke gently: “Don’t worry. There’s no need to rush.”

“Sooner or later, you will break through your shell and witness this world.”

“For now, just take your time to replenish your vitality. That is enough.”

“There is no need to hurry.”

He could tell that the eggshell had already become quite thin.

This meant that over the course of more than three hundred years, most of the egg’s spiritual essence had already dissipated, used to sustain the faint vitality within its shell. Yet now, under Qi Wuhuo’s influence, the lingering spirit inside seemed to gradually settle, its once turbulent fluctuations growing calm, becoming gentle and serene.

The young Daoist lifted his hand.

He placed the egg onto a small, soft cloth and then carefully set it on the table.

Seating himself beside the table, he retrieved a sheet of white paper—his transcription from the previous day’s [Original Canon]. Yesterday, he had merely copied down the cloud seal script. Since different cloud seals were written together, they needed to be deciphered into common script before they could be properly studied. But even from a single reading, Qi Wuhuo could already tell that the spells within this Original Canon were of immense difficulty.

Still, he had promised to bring osmanthus cake to the young girl.

Thus, no matter how difficult the [Xuantan Original Canon] was, he had to learn it.

His gaze fell upon the text. There were over three hundred cloud seals, each rich with meaning. The text detailed three types of [Xuantan], the first being [Dongxuan Lingbao Natural Fasting Rite]. Qi Wuhuo read it silently, carefully examining the introductory standards and requirements before continuing his interpretation—until he reached the invocation within this [Fasting Rite]:

[From the Supreme Three Heavens, the Profound Primal Three Qi, the Supreme Elder Lord summons forth… the Left and Right Attendant Envoys, the Left and Right Incense-Bearing Dragon Messengers, the Incense-Attendant Golden Boy, the Word-Transmitting Jade Maiden, the Five Emperors’ Direct Talismans, the Day-Guardian Incense Officials—each in groups of thirty-six—to open and awaken the land and domain of this place, calling forth the True Officials and Proper Deities.]

[By this command, may this petition be swiftly conveyed, directly proceeding to the presence of the Supreme Jade Emperor of the Utmost Dao.]

The young Daoist’s gaze paused slightly at the last line.

He blinked, then carefully read it again.

This Fasting Rite actually directly reached the presence of the [Supreme Boundless Great Dao and the Most True Jade Emperor]?

Hmm?

Directly?

Directly to where?

Just what exactly did Yun Qin give me?

The young Daoist held the scroll in his hands, momentarily dumbfounded—then, all of a sudden, he let out a soft, amused chuckle.

There was no way this ritual could actually be used.

But this Original Canon…

Could it be that Yun Qin, among all the [Xuantan Ritual Original Canons], had simply picked the highest-ranked one available?

Thinking that the highest one must naturally be the best?

Continuing his study, he deciphered the remaining two Xuantan methods: [Yellow Register Fasting of the Ten Celestial Honored Ones] and [Golden Register Liberation Ritual]. The Ten Honored Ones’ Rite went without saying, but even the [Golden Register Liberation Ritual] required multiple Daoists to jointly establish an altar to perform it—a large-scale Xuantan method.

Qi Wuhuo could already guess that the young girl had earnestly selected the highest and most prestigious methods, carefully choosing from among numerous scriptures. He could almost picture her sitting amidst countless Daoist texts, furrowing her brows as she searched.

However, this seemed a bit too high-level.

Let alone whether these rituals would even elicit a response, he wasn’t even capable of performing them, to begin with.

And yet, all he wanted to do was deliver a piece of osmanthus cake—surely, there was no need for something of this scale?

It wasn’t as if he needed to formally establish an altar, perform a grand ritual, and report directly to the Supreme Jade Emperor of the Utmost Dao, saying: “Your Majesty, I would like to deliver a piece of pastry to someone. May I have your divine approval?”

Could he extract only part of its functionality instead?

The young Daoist recalled the girl’s parting words:

“Of course, if you manage to learn the Xuantan ritual within three to five days…”

“You could always contact me directly.”

Well then, he had to learn it.

Resting his chin on one hand, the young Daoist carefully analyzed the [Xuantan Original Canon], originally titled [Shangqing Lingbao Various Fasting Rites], deciphering it word by word.

He stripped away the excessively grandiose elements, preserving only what was common to all three major ritual frameworks.

After a long while, Qi Wuhuo lightly tapped his fingers against the table and said thoughtfully: “It seems that deconstructing these Xuantan rituals completely is impossible. However, all of them share a similar structure: setting up a ritual altar, conducting a ceremony, and invoking a specific existence using a [True Name Precious Invocation]. The ritual altar likely serves to enhance the caster’s spiritual essence, while the ceremonial procedures purify and strengthen the spirit itself.”

“Finally, through this process, the [True Name Precious Invocation] is activated, completing the most critical step of the Xuantan method.”

“In theory, as long as these three steps are met, the Xuantan technique should function.”

“So, if I know Yun Qin’s [location] and then reinforce [my own] connection, could I modify this Xuantan method from a one-way invocation into a two-way transmission?”

Qi Wuhuo pondered deeply. Then, using the three grand Xuantan rituals as a foundation,

He began attempting to simplify the ceremony.

This was akin to walking while holding onto a wall or like a vine growing along the trunk of a great tree.

Compared to creating an entirely new technique or divine ability, this was much simpler.

Before long, Qi Wuhuo had constructed a ritual framework that, at least on the surface, appeared quite legitimate.

The young Daoist glanced at [Yellow Register Fasting of the Ten Celestial Honored Ones] and, after some thought, picked up his brush to mimic one of its steps—writing down words that identified himself.

[Taishang Xuanmen, Blessed Wondrous Law] This phrase signified the grandest lineage and background.

Next, he needed to describe his deeds and actions. The young Daoist thought about it, and although writing this about himself made his face flush red with embarrassment, he still had to write it down.

[Residing in Helian Mountain, refining elixirs and expounding the teachings, enlightening all spirits, establishing the path, and bestowing blessings upon all beings as the mountain’s guardian.]

[Wandering the mortal world, observing the red dust, dwelling within the Supreme Path, and upholding the Daoist Dao.]

[In all conduct, aligning with the Heavenly Will, practicing great compassion, and universally delivering beings from calamities.] These were the precepts his teacher had given him.

Lastly, he had to define himself with a title:

[Xuanwei True Person of the Daoist Path, Wuhuo Wondrous Dao True Monarch.]

Setting his brush down, Qi Wuhuo exhaled lightly. Looking over his self-styled [Precious Invocation], he felt that it seemed quite convincing. His time studying under the old master had been brief. The elder had always allowed his disciples to grow freely, never interfering, so Qi Wuhuo had no idea what he was actually doing. To him, this was simply a necessary step in delivering the osmanthus cake.

After some thought, he removed the two words ‘Taishang’ entirely. Since he could not reveal his lineage, he replaced them with ‘Daoist Sect’ and ‘Daoism’ instead.

He also erased “Xuanwei True Person” from his title.

Only then did he nod slightly in satisfaction.

“This should be fine now.”

“Helian Mountain isn’t that large, and among its past mountain deities, just adding ‘Wuhuo’ should be enough.”

“Using ‘True Monarch Wuhuo’ instead of ‘Dao Monarch Wuhuo’ should differentiate me from Uncle Niu. After all, throughout history, it’s not uncommon for people to have the same name—ancient sages and present-day True Persons often share titles. Still, I need to test this before attempting to contact Yun Qin. It wouldn’t be good if it failed…”

The young Daoist pondered. But just then, he remembered—there was something he needed to do, and it could only be accomplished through the Xuantan method.

Helian Mountain.

He had promised the mountain’s spirits that he would hold an altar and refine elixirs annually, and that every three years, he would preach the Dao. Yet now, he was far away in the Zhongzhou Capital, treating someone’s eye disease. The long journey meant that he wouldn’t be able to return anytime soon.

When he had originally left with his teacher, he’d expected to be gone only a few days.

Who would have thought he would end up meditating for an entire year?

At the very least, he needed to inform Helian Mountain that he was safe.

And if he could send the elixirs back using the Xuantan method, that would be even better.

But how could he get in touch with Helian Mountain from such a distance? Qi Wuhuo thought for a moment, then retrieved a jade scroll—a gift from Tao Taigong, given in gratitude after Qi Wuhuo’s Dao lecture. The scroll contained a registry of the land and mountain deities of Zhongzhou. When unfurled, it was a detailed topographical map, recording all the mountains and rivers of the region. He searched through it carefully—and sure enough, he found Tao Taigong’s name among them.

“Hmm… this [Xuantan Original Canon] does describe how the one being contacted can respond to a Xuantan ritual.”

“Dream communication…”

“Hmm… the one Yun Qin told me about—the ancestor who told his disciples that the offerings weren’t to his taste—was using this kind of method, right?”

“If I use Tao Taigong’s name, which contains his spiritual aura, it should work.”

Following the method outlined in The [Shangqing Lingbao Various Fasts and Rites], Qi Wuhuo retrieved his Mountain God talisman seal. He then used both the seal and the jade scroll bearing the names as the foundation for constructing a ritual altar. After all, a Xuantan altar was meant to assist Daoists in making their spirits purer and stronger, allowing them to directly connect with their intended spiritual target amidst the vast world.

The Mountain God Talisman Seal and the Jade Scroll imbued with the aura of Tao Taigong were undoubtedly more qualified.

Stepping in Yu Steps, maintaining intent in accordance with the ritual.

Reciting in sequence the Daoist Incantation of Purifying the Mind, the Incantation of Purifying the Mouth, and the Incantation of Purifying the Body.

Using the Jade Scroll as the ritual drum.

Tapping the fingers to strike, sounding the Ritual Drum twenty-four times.

Then, taking three sticks of pure incense as the medium.

Chanting the Incantation of Blessing the Incense, one of the Eight Great Daoist Incantations.

Only then did he prepare to establish a Daoist Ritual Altar. But after some thought, he realized that he did not truly understand these rituals. If he were to improvise, what if he failed?

Thus, he followed the method recorded in the so-called [Xuantan Original Canon] and began chanting.

Beneath Helian Mountain, Tao Taigong was drinking with his many old friends, reveling through the night. As a Land God, he had a lifespan of three to five hundred years. If he neither sought incense offerings nor pursued cultivation, then spending his days drinking was truly the height of carefree leisure.

That very day, they were discussing the young Daoist and the Tiger Mountain God. A whole year had passed without his return, without any news. Drunk, Tao Taigong lay on his bed fully clothed, sinking into a deep slumber. In his dreams, he did not know where he was—until suddenly, he heard a voice calling him. Light and tranquil, yet distant and ethereal, as though echoing from beyond the heavens.

“Tao Taigong——”

The old man abruptly sobered up from his drunken stupor!

PS:

The names of the Fasting Rituals come from the Daoist Canon – Lingbao Fasting Rituals.