Chapter 223: A Book That Shook the Soul 

Within Fulin Prefecture, mountain ranges wound endlessly into the distance. Sunlight filtered through the forest canopy, mottling the fallen leaves with shifting patches of light, while hurried chirping echoed from the nearby woods. 

Hiss— 

Upon a branch, a long serpent covered in fine scales patterned with mottled green markings slithered along, its tongue flicking in and out without pause. The next moment, a large hand shot over and seized it seven inches below the head. A Daoist-robed figure sat up on the branch and stretched lazily. 

“Heh heh, breakfast delivered right to my door first thing in the morning. Heaven truly treats this Daoist well.” 

Sun Yingxian swiftly squeezed the snake in his hand. Its pale belly scales split open, forcing out an ink-green gallbladder, which he tossed into his wine gourd. After glancing at the sky, he jumped down from the branch, swept his leg across the ground, sending fallen leaves flying and clearing a patch of open earth. He gathered some dry twigs into a pile, slapped two Fire Talismans onto them with two sharp pa pa sounds, and a small blaze erupted with a boom. He then skinned and gutted the snake before skewering it on a branch over the fire. 

“As expected, wandering the world is what suits this Daoist’s cultivation best. If not for all this warfare and chaos, I might already be entering the first minor realm of the Golden Core stage… uh…” 

Gurgle— 

As he stared at the roasting snake meat, a sudden cramp twisted his stomach, which immediately growled in protest. He hurriedly planted the branch into the ground and rummaged through his yellow cloth bag, pulling out several blank talisman papers along with the wrapped Daoist scripture. Lifting his robe in haste, he dashed toward a distant patch of bushes. 

With a yellow talisman clenched between his lips, he loosened his belt and squatted down. The Daoist book in his hands was one he had never opened. Originally, after gaining enlightenment into his current realm, he had intended to read it during his spare moments. But then the capital of Southern Chen had fallen, the emperor had vanished without a trace, and the entire south was crawling with soldiers of the Sui Dynasty. Even in the mountains, enemy troops and scattered Southern Chen soldiers would occasionally pass through. He had changed mountains several times before finally ending up here this morning. 

“Reading while taking a dump, finish reading, finish dumping, then go eat some meat~~ Ah, now this is comfort~~~” 

As he hummed a terribly off-key tune, rustling footsteps sounded from the woods on the eastern side of the slope. Two figures, supporting one another, climbed upward. 

The youth in front staggered as he ascended. His disheveled topknot swayed about, revealing a faintly handsome face. Turning around, he reached out and pulled up the woman behind him. 

“Mother, be careful. The moss is slippery.” 

The woman climbed up with his help. Several tears marred her plain garments, her black hair hung loose and tangled, and her face was smeared with dirt. There was little vitality left in her beautiful eyes. Supporting each other, mother and son continued into the forest ahead. 

“I wonder whether Imperial Uncle Chen Fu and Minister Min managed to escape as well?” 

The youth was none other than Chen Jing, who had escaped the capital by relying on an Invisibility Talisman. Beside him was his mother, Zhang Lihua. The two had fled south all the way, not daring to travel along the main roads and instead taking mountain paths through the wilderness. After crossing ridge after ridge from the capital, surviving on wild vegetables gathered from the mountains for several days, they had finally reached this region of Fulin Prefecture. 

“Your imperial uncle should be fine. He knows a little Daoist magic, so leaving wouldn’t be difficult for him. As for Minister Min, you needn’t worry either, Jing’er. If he cannot resist, he can always surrender and serve as an official under the new dynasty.” 

After entering the forest, mother and son slowed their pace. They were truly exhausted and sat beneath a tree to rest. The woman lifted her sleeve and wiped the sweat from her son’s forehead. 

“You’ve suffered because of this. You’ve never endured such hardships since you were little.” 

“It’s alright. Jing’er can bear it…” 

The youth comforted his mother, but suddenly stopped speaking. His nostrils flared slightly as he took a deep sniff. “It smells so good.” 

Having spent days fleeing through the wilderness, exposed to the elements and surviving mostly on carefully rationed dry provisions, mother and son had not tasted meat for a long time and had become particularly sensitive to such aromas. 

At that moment, Zhang Lihua caught the scent as well. 

“It seems to be coming from over there.” 

Taking her son’s hand, she pushed aside a clump of bushes and saw a small campfire burning. A branch skewering snake meat had been planted at an angle in the ground. The surface of the meat had turned golden-brown, coated in a layer of glistening fat that released an irresistibly enticing fragrance. 

  咕~

Gulp~ 

Accustomed to a life of luxury and privilege, Zhang Lihua could not help swallowing. She wanted to eat it. The meat clearly belonged to someone, yet there was no sign of its owner nearby. Mother and son were starving. They hurried over, grabbed the roasted snake meat, turned around, and ran. 

“Hey! Hey! What are you doing?!” 

Hearing the commotion, the Daoist, who had just unwrapped the Daoist scripture, hurriedly stood up and stumbled out of the bushes. Seeing the two figures fleeing into the distance, he chased after them for a couple of steps before hastily turning back, clutching up his trousers. After wiping off the yellow talisman papers, he finally resumed the pursuit. 

“Have you no sense of decency at all?! Stealing even wild game? Aren’t you afraid of getting sick?!” 

Fastening his belt, he stuffed the Daoist scripture into his yellow cloth bag, then activated an Earth Escape technique. With a whoosh, he sank into the ground. A small mound bulged across the forest floor, flipping up fallen leaves as it sped after the two thieves. 

Ahead, the fleeing mother and son broke the snake meat into two portions and gnawed on it, meat and bone alike, producing loud crack crack sounds. Hearing the sudden rustling approaching from behind, they turned to look. 

The leaf-covered ground had bulged into a small mound that rapidly spread toward them from afar. 

“What is that?!” 

In an instant, the pursuing mound shot past beneath their feet with a whoosh, then exploded. Dead leaves and clumps of dirt flew in every direction. Sun Yingxian burst out of the ground, covered in soil and withered leaves. He swept a sleeve across himself and shouted: 

“Hey! How dare you steal this Daoist’s stuf—eh? Jingqiu?!” 

Sunlight filtered through gaps in the forest canopy, dancing across the startled woman’s face. Brushing aside her tangled, dried hair, Zhang Lihua felt somewhat relieved upon hearing the familiar tone. The Daoist before her looked rather familiar. After exchanging a few glances, she suddenly remembered him—the Daoist who had accompanied Mister Lu in the past, the same one who had once given her a length of silk. 

“So it is the Daoist Master. This humble woman is not Jingqiu. My true name is Zhang Lihua.” 

Chen Jing swallowed a mouthful of snake meat and looked from his mother to the sharp-faced Daoist. He had been young back then and remembered Lu Liangsheng far more clearly. After studying the man for a while, he gradually recalled that there had indeed been such a Daoist. 

He immediately cupped his hands in greeting. 

“Chen Jing greets Daoist Master. What happened just now was highly disrespectful. My mother and I were simply starving.” 

The Daoist did not even move his gaze away. He merely waved a hand at the youth. 

“No matter, no matter. If it isn’t enough, this Daoist still has some provisions here.” 

As he spoke, he pulled several hardened rice cakes from his yellow cloth bag and stuffed them into the hands of the mother and son. Rubbing his hands together, he stepped aside and grinned. “So then, where are you headed?” 

Having already eaten some snake meat, Chen Jing was in no hurry to bite into the rice cakes. With an outsider present, he maintained his courtesy and cupped his hands again. 

“Now that the capital has fallen, my mother and I have nowhere to go. We intend to travel to Qixia Mountain and seek Mister Lu’s guidance on where we should settle in the future.” 

“That is quite far away. The roads are filled with Sui soldiers. One careless mistake and you’ll likely be captured.” 

The Daoist paced back and forth a couple of times, his eyes occasionally drifting toward Zhang Lihua. Before the mother and son could speak, he patted his chest loudly. “Well now, this Daoist originally came out to gain insight into a new realm and improve his cultivation—” 

“Then we shall not disturb Daoist Master any further.” 

Chen Jing immediately interrupted, cupping his hands and bowing. He grabbed his mother’s hand and started walking away. 

Sun Yingxian, left standing there with his mouth open and unable to get another word out, blinked twice before hurriedly chasing after them. Walking beside them, a broad smile spread across his sharp-featured face. 

“No disturbance, no disturbance at all. This Daoist has already gained enough insight anyway. It just so happens that I can return and pay Old Lu a visit.” 

Compared to Lu Liangsheng, the Daoist had one advantage—he was skilled in the Dao of Talismans. This was not a Daoist art one could master merely by possessing spiritual energy. One also had to worship the patriarchs of one’s Daoist lineage. By imbuing the Divine Travel Technique into talismans, even ordinary people could make use of them. 

Taking out two Divine Travel Talismans, he formed hand seals and muttered an incantation under his breath. A moment later, he affixed them to the legs of Zhang Lihua and Chen Jing. As they stepped forward, each stride carried them two or three zhang in a blur. 

The mother and son personally experienced the marvels of Daoist magic. 

After descending the foothills, the three chose an official road leading toward He Valley County. Before they had even left Fulin Prefecture, they encountered a massive force of Sui soldiers. At the center, a young man rode swiftly on horseback, escorted by troops before and behind him. Besides several great generals, there was also a Daoist-robed figure among them, whose presence made Sun Yingxian instinctively sense danger even from a distance. 

After the group had passed, the Daoist poked his head out from a patch of bushes, a ring of branches tangled around him. He spat in the direction of the departing army, ejecting a leaf from his mouth, then looked at the mother and son beside him. 

“Now, now, it wasn’t that this Daoist was afraid of that fellow. There were simply too many of them. If we had been discovered, this Daoist wouldn’t have been able to look after you two.” 

Not long afterward, once the army was well gone, the three took a small path and hastened toward Qixia Mountain. Towns, villages, and hamlets slipped rapidly behind them. Avoiding the bustling county seats, they traveled through rolling mountain ranges dotted with patches of fresh green. After two days of travel, they finally arrived at Qixia Mountain. 

“Just around the bend ahead is Lu Village. This Daoist will go on ahead first.” 

Temporarily leaving the mother and son behind, the Daoist quickened his pace and even employed a lightness technique. With several swift leaps, he descended among the fields, ran along the ridges separating the farmland for a stretch, then made another soaring jump, descending into the village like a great roc spreading its wings. 

“Liangsheng?!” 

“Great Scholar Lu!!” 

He rushed into the fenced courtyard. Li Jinhua and her husband were nowhere to be seen. Pushing open the door to the scholar’s room, he found a small pot suspended over an oil lamp. Wearing an apron, Toad Daoist stood on several stacked books, stirring the soup with his webbed feet braced beneath him. 

At the table, Toad Daoist was startled by Sun Yingxian suddenly barging into the room. By reflex, he raised the wooden ladle in his hand and even lifted one leg. 

“Old Toad, sneaking yourself a special meal again? Where’s Old Lu?” 

Sun Yingxian stuck his head farther into the room and looked around. Seeing no one else there, he finally stepped inside. Over at the desk, Toad Daoist lowered his leg, rolled his eyes, and continued stirring the pot. 

“He’s up on the mountain teaching disciples. Weren’t you supposed to be out comprehending the Dao?” 

“Hmph, this Daoist is exceptionally clever.” The Daoist sat on the edge of the bed and casually lay back, looking up at the ceiling with a grin. “The Golden Core realm is nothing special. This Daoist could enter it whenever he wishes—” 

Toad Daoist glanced at him. “Liangsheng is already at the late Golden Core stage.” 

The Daoist’s smile instantly froze. 

He sat upright and pointed at Toad Daoist’s back. “Now, now, saying that is no fun at all. This Daoist simply hasn’t devoted himself wholeheartedly to it yet, and besides, I haven’t even read that Daoist scripture!” 

He patted the book he had taken from the yellow cloth bag and pulled away the wrapping cloth. Four characters entered his sight: [Five Elements Daoist Arts]. 

“Hiss… Five Elements Daoist Arts? This title feels strangely familiar. Old Toad, you’re knowledgeable and well-traveled. Have you ever heard of—” 

Not far away, Toad Daoist, who had just scooped up a spoonful of soup for a taste, suddenly stiffened. Turning his toad face slightly to the side, his half-closed eyes gleamed with a cold light. 

Before Sun Yingxian could finish saying, “—heard of it before…,” a sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out. 

Sun Yingxian looked up. 

A black blur instantly descended over his forehead. 

Smack! 

The wooden ladle struck the Daoist square on the head. His body swayed twice before he collapsed backward onto the bed with a thump. 

Toad Daoist lowered his webbed foot and let out a long breath. 

How did Liangsheng end up giving this book to him… 

His toad eyes swept across the room. Spotting a booklet that Liangsheng had personally stitched together, the corner of his mouth curled upward into a sly smile. 

A short while later, Sun Yingxian groggily regained consciousness on the bed. Across from him, Toad Daoist was holding an exquisite little bowl, leisurely sipping his soup. 

Rubbing his forehead, the Daoist sat up. 

“Old Toad, this Daoist just had a nightmare. It felt like someone hit me. Uh… why does my forehead hurt so much? Right, what was I talking about just now…?” 

“The book.” 

Toad Daoist gazed out the window and drank a spoonful of rich soup, his expression utterly calm. 

“Right, the book. This Daoist still hasn’t read the book the scholar gave me. Once I learn the spells recorded inside, catching up to Liangsheng will be effortless… effor… effortless.” 

As he spoke the final syllables, his eyes suddenly widened. 

The book in his hands seemed to become a burning-hot potato. He tossed it from hand to hand several times before hurling it, wrapping cloth and all, to the foot of the bed. Standing up with his scalp tingling, he exclaimed: 

“It really was a dream!!” 

The book lay quietly at the foot of the bed. The slipped wrapping cloth revealed four large characters on the cover: [Three Years of Children’s Examinations]. 

The afternoon sun slanted westward, casting crimson light across the courtyard atop the cliff. 

The three youths who had been organizing annotations on cultivation methods stretched lazily. At the stone table nearby, Lu Liangsheng waved them off and told them to head down the mountain for supper. 

“There are lessons tomorrow morning as well. Remember to come early.” 

“Yes, Master!” 

Li Sui’an, Yuwen Tuo, and Qu Yuanfeng cupped their hands in unison and took their leave. Watching the three depart with dispirited expressions, Lu Liangsheng smiled, rose to his feet, gathered up the annotations, and returned to his room. 

As soon as he entered, a voice suddenly sounded from the painting hanging on the wall. 

“Young Master.” 

A graceful figure dressed in flowing red robes drifted gently down behind the scholar. Lowering herself slightly, Honglian offered a respectful curtsy. 

“Young Master, this servant has something she wishes to discuss with you.”