Shaohui

Dangjiang readily agreed, then felt inside his sleeve. Finding it empty and his pockets penniless, drumbeats of anxiety began to pound in his heart. Yet refusing to lose face in the slightest, he smiled and said: “Still, the rules of Heaven are strict. Arriving at this mansion, I cannot simply take whatever I please. Fortunately, not a single corner here is ordinary. Just wait a moment.” He briskly walked to the front of the courtyard and pushed the door open. Two maidservants stood outside, both slender and graceful, draped in rainbow garments. Though their clothes drifted like clouds, no patterns were embroidered upon them. One held a jade pipa with white borders in her arms, while the other carried a flower basket heaped with luminous celestial herbs. Dangjiang glanced over and asked, “What spirit herb is this?” The maidservant answered, “Reporting to Your Excellency, today the Dipper’s handle points toward the cord of Baode, Yueyin is upon the earth, and the Timekeeper conveys the heavenly mandate: Taiyang culls the steed and plucks the dark blossom; Taiyin prunes the Moon Laurel Golden Branch. The celestial pivots open and close as usual, and the twelve qi are drawn naturally from the heavenly signs.” “The Moon Laurel Golden Branch.” Dangjiang nodded and asked, “May I take a branch?” The maidservant promptly drew out a white laurel branch. Dotted with tiny white blossoms, the cut end of the stem gleamed golden, revealing concentric spiral rings that exuded a piercing chill. Dangjiang had not actually been certain she would agree. Seeing her grant him face, he breathed a sigh of relief. Turning back with the branch, he found Chi Buzi savoring the words thoughtfully: “Taiyang culls the steed and plucks the dark blossom; Taiyin prunes the Moon Laurel Golden Branch…” Dangjiang raised his chin with no small hint of pride. “Immortal Master Chi, keep it safe! A single branch of moon laurel from Heaven is an extraordinary treasure down in the mortal realm!” Chi Buzi offered a sincere word of thanks, took the spirit object, and tucked it into his sleeve. Nodding slightly, he replied, “Then I shall take my leave. From now on, I will draw a formation each year to inquire. If you learn anything about my Golden Core path, send word back.” Dangjiang still felt somewhat reluctant to part, asking, “How about inquiring once every three months? That way I can make a few more trips… at least give myself something to do… and you can report what is happening in the lower realm to me then.” Still unaccustomed to the term ‘lower realm,’ Chi Buzi frowned. “Just focus on doing your work well. Don’t go landing yourself in trouble, or I will have nowhere to turn when claiming my merit…” Dangjiang could only nod. Suddenly remembering something, he said with some urgency, “That reminds me of something. Up in Heaven, there is an immortal officer surnamed Li who has gone to reincarnate and cultivate. If you ever have a chance to cross paths with him, and if he still remembers matters of Heaven, you might as well help me ask when he will return… I can’t bear this job for even one more day!” Chi Buzi committed this to memory with a furrowed brow and asked, “Just what kind of work do you do?” “Sorting through magical arts and amending Daoist lineages,” Dangjiang said with a miserable face. Chi Buzi’s expression instantly turned bizarre. Gritting his teeth, he glared at him with venomous envy. Back in his days at Jiutian Pavilion, Chi Buzi had neglected sleep and food, unwilling to take even a single step outside! Now this was the library within an immortal lord’s blessed land—an archive where countless Violet Palace cultivators would smash their heads open just for a chance to enter! Yet looking at Dangjiang’s mournful demeanor, Chi Buzi could only curse, “Useless, ungrateful creature! You sit in blessed fortune without even knowing it…” With a furious flick of his sleeve, he stepped into the pool. His figure dissolved like water and vanished. Wearing a grimace, Dangjiang walked out. No sooner had he pushed the door open than the maidservant stepped forward and bowed respectfully. “Reporting to the Immortal Officer, that Moon Laurel Golden Branch has been recorded under Your Excellency’s name. If the remainder is not needed, this basket must be presented to the appropriate bureau for the records.” “Ah?” Dangjiang froze, stunned as though thunder had struck his ears. His heart plummeted, and overwhelming regret surged through him. ‘Dammit… this thing wasn’t free?!’ He had put on such a grand show in front of Chi Buzi, but now he was utterly sick with remorse. Dangjiang had only just attained the rank of immortal officer, and the meager merit he had painstakingly earned had already gone toward exchanging for strongmen. Where would he find any savings? A sudden chill gripped him, and he stammered, “This thing… how is it accounted for? Why was it brought here…” The maidservant answered, “The yields of the various realms and mansions have always been presented to each palace and hall. This was decreed earlier by Immortal Officer Liu, to be offered regularly in the courtyard for use at any time.” “Aiya… Chi, that dog, has ruined me!” Dangjiang’s face drained of color from sheer heartache. He immediately asked, “Could this… could it be charged under Chi Buzi’s name? He was the one who took it… it has nothing to do with me!” The maidservant merely lowered her eyes and said, “It was Your Excellency who bestowed it. Heaven and Earth take heed.” *** Haijiao. The deep sea was profoundly dark. Beneath the submerged reefs ran bone-chilling undercurrents, and spiritual energy here was almost nonexistent. Even a Violet Palace cultivator arriving in this vicinity would find no way forward and would have to return to the mortal realm to fly. Reaching the depths of Haijiao, the terrain rose sharply. Seawater tumbled into an endless abyss, floating upward as mist. This place was extraordinarily close to the Beyond, yet the Great Void was severed here; across the whole world, no place was more hidden. Inside a gloomy cavern, bright white formation patterns glowed faintly. Before Chi Buzi’s eyes, the blinding radiance gradually receded into darkness. Inspecting his surroundings, he confirmed that this was indeed the cave estate he had condensed underground using ‘Ru Zhongzhuo.’ Exhaling softly, he weighed his sleeve, reached inside, and turned his palm upward. A snow-white laurel branch lay quietly in his hand, radiating a hazy white halo. The cut of the stem displayed golden spiral rings—evidently a treasure of the highest quality. The young man’s gaze lingered on the laurel branch for a long time. As the chill of Taiyin began to permeate the cave, he produced a jade box from his storage bag and placed the branch inside. ‘It truly is an extraordinary treasure of the Taiyin lineage… The spiritual items there can indeed be brought out… It’s just… for some reason, the storage bag could not be opened.’ Holding the jade box, Chi Buzi looked down in quiet contemplation. After pondering for a while, his mind settled: ‘This spiritual item alone, in today’s world, is hardly inferior to that demon beast. In that case… the Sacrificial Method of the Heavenly Seal and Luminous Mystery is indeed a means to communicate with a blessed land… Demon beasts… must it strictly be demon beasts?’ A subtle, intriguing glint flickered in Chi Buzi’s eyes, and realization dawned upon him: ‘Every Violet Palace demon beast in the East Sea is accounted for, and hardly any are free of ties to the dragon clan. Naturally, killing them is out of the question… Demon beasts… spirit beasts count as beasts as well… Several Mahas in the north are fond of taking in spirit beasts. Not only do demons become Lianmin, but those aged Lianmin prefer to bind their lives with their mount spirit beasts, which can also be considered a Violet Palace destiny… Aren’t there far more of them than wild demon beasts?’ The more he thought, the brighter his eyes shone. He mused inwardly: ‘Good, very good. Though Lianmin are hard to kill, they are far more numerous and easier to deal with than true Violet Palace immortals. Behind them stands only a Maha. I wonder if that would count as a full merit; even if not, half a merit would still be good…’ He could think of no sacrificial offering more suitable than a Lianmin. A quiet understanding took root: ‘It seems this exalted one also finds the northern Buddhists an eyesore…’ Pausing briefly, he sat cross-legged on the ground inside the cave estate to admire the Moon Laurel Golden Branch within the jade box. Its grade was slightly higher than Taiyin moon essence, a rarity almost unheard of in the world. Merely resting before him, it already breathed forth the qi of Taiyin. The young man quietly gazed at the white blossoms clinging to the stem, an astonishing ambition burning in his eyes. Resting his chin in his other hand, his voice grew softer, like chanting sacred scriptures in low, melodic murmurs: “All yin attainments revere Taiyin, while Taiyang is the foremost revelation of the day, followed by all yang manifestations… Taiyin’s profound radiance rests upon the waters of Bingzi… providing guidance to both Lushui and He…” *** Taiyin Mansion of Huasu Yuanming Shengqing. White snow piled around the base of the bright moon lantern stand. Lu Jiangxian sat beside the table, watching the phantoms before him slowly dissolve. ‘Chi Buzi… truly has a formidable mind.’ At present, Lu Jiangxian naturally lacked the ability to pull a living person’s physical body into the realm of the mirror and then send physical items out. When Chi Buzi used the formation to connect with the Immortal Mirror, it was fundamentally no different from Maha Jinlian or Wumu—more akin to falling into an illusion. Yet Chi Buzi differed from Jinlian and Wumu in that he had visited intentionally, rather than kneeling beneath in trembling terror. He could move about freely, even retrieving and placing objects! Had Chi Buzi wished to draw something from his storage bag, Lu Jiangxian was not incapable of manifesting it… But what would happen afterward? ‘Buzi is crafty. I cannot control his storage bag. Even if I manifested the object, the moment he handed it to Dangjiang and placed it here, he would check his storage bag upon his return, find a duplicate inside, and instantly understand the deception.’ The Immortal Mirror currently lacked the ability to transfer physical objects in and out, a flaw that was undeniably fatal. Thus, Lu Jiangxian had locked his storage bag early on. Yet merely from Dangjiang speaking, Chi Buzi had still grown suspicious, wondering if this place was an illusion where nothing could be removed. That was why he had sought a keepsake—the moment he left, a pat of his sleeve would reveal whether it was real or false. Lu Jiangxian could certainly have instructed Dangjiang to use various bureaucratic regulations to stonewall him, preventing him from taking anything. But Chi Buzi was not someone easily fooled. Telling him that his true body had arrived was intended precisely to dispel his doubts from the previous ambiguous encounter. For a Violet Palace cultivator like him, using the same trick twice would inevitably provoke deep suspicion. Therefore, he had deliberately allowed Chi Buzi to ‘take’ a Taiyin spiritual item back with him. That was the only spirit material Lu Jiangxian could currently condense in the mortal realm, serving to plug the gap. ‘Still, this method can only be used this once. For now, I have acquired what he offered for free, using this priceless Taiyin treasure to put his mind at ease. But… without further response hereafter, he can forget about bringing any more Violet Palace demon beasts!’ Achieving this had largely relied on having Dangjiang available to cast aside face and talk through the pros and cons with Chi Buzi. Had Lu Jiangxian conjured a phantom himself to handle it, Chi Buzi would never have spoken so candidly… and the current result would have been impossible. ‘This, in turn, poses a dilemma. Chi Buzi is sharp. Though he will no longer ask for cultivation methods, his attention has shifted to the path toward the Golden Core. If he is not given enough, trouble will inevitably follow.’ Chi Buzi was a double-edged sword: extraordinarily useful, adept at discerning intent, cautious and steady in action, and possessing consummate strength. In Jiangnan, he was second only to Qiushui and Yuanxiu. If he died, immense trouble would ensue, so Lu Jiangxian still needed him considerably for now. All of that, however, was a worry for later. Lu Jiangxian raised his eyes. Lying prone on the jade floor beneath his feet was a large sparrow with blue-and-white plumage, fallen on the ground, roughly the size of a writing desk. Her tail feathers were spread out in a circle like pale gauze. This Shaoyin demon beast differed from all the beasts sacrificed previously. The Li clan’s sacrifices were grounded in incense, using sacrificial blades to slaughter the offerings so that soul, vitality, and immortal foundations flew into the mirror, arriving before Lu Jiangxian as an amalgamated mass. This beast, however, had been offered up independently, without undergoing the incense-refining process of the sacrificial slaughter method. Her immortal foundation, vitality, wondrous dharma body, and even the Shengyang Mansion within the Great Void had all been sacrificed whole and unharmed. Even better, a Violet Palace cultivator’s soul resided in the Shengyang Mansion, remaining undestroyed upon departing the physical body at death. The spirit sparrow’s soul had flown into the mirror and remained right here, conscious and intact. In a certain sense, this demon was the very first living being to enter the mirror! Lu Jiangxian looked upon her with fervent anticipation. This was a laborer comparable to Dangjiang! Reaching out, he lifted her soul and swept it with his divine sense, quickly discerning her history. ‘This demon was born in the North Sea of mediocre bloodline. By sheer luck, she consumed a precious herb and embarked on the path of cultivation. For her first two centuries, she fed indiscriminately, raising several tribes as food, before gradually opening her wisdom in the northern desert.’ ‘After opening her wisdom, she read a couple of books and realized that the human Dao was flourishing. She promptly transformed herself into a spirit beast protecting the tribes, diligently swallowing pure qi to cultivate and dispel foul qi. Taking the tribe’s name as her own, she called herself Fuyu.’ ‘By the time she emerged from secluded cultivation having reached Foundation Establishment, the State of Fuyu had long been conquered, becoming the territory of the Lou clan. Left with no choice, she wandered far and wide, unexpectedly chancing upon numerous opportunities.’ ‘Her talent for magical arts was astonishingly high; she devised many techniques on her own, and by currying favor with the luan birds, she gained passage to Mount Taishi, subsequently ascending to the Violet Palace…’ Lu Jiangxian examined her carefully. In her clashes with Chi Buzi, the majority of the arts she had employed were indeed developed through her own research. Unfortunately, the cultivation attainments of demons could rarely rival those of humans. Though gifted in magical arts, she had not studied as many orthodox lineages as Chi Buzi, and having only recently reached the Violet Palace, she was ultimately outmatched. Sifting through her memories, he found them rather sparse. Looking closer, he realized someone had indeed tampered with her mind: all memories concerning the luan birds had vanished, and she had deliberately forgotten matters from centuries ago concerning the Golden Core. Stripped of those tangled memories, only the cultivation methods she had chanced upon remained. She appeared to have no real backing, which explained why she had fallen into Chi Buzi’s hands. After reviewing her once more, Lu Jiangxian understood clearly, though he frowned slightly: ‘Good as this is… using her soul here means one less Violet Palace soul for the Azure Register. Incense is sufficient for now, but without this soul, the Azure Register will fall a step short.’ Pondering for a moment, his mind settled: ‘Still, five years remain until the next sacrifice, and Li Zhouwei is currently in seclusion. There is ample time, so I will watch and wait… After all, her talent for arts is extraordinary. Adding someone like her to the mirror is a tremendous boon.’ Raising his sleeve, a sparkling glow of Taiyin appeared in his hand. He lifted the jade pitcher from the table and flicked a finger. The spirit sparrow on the ground instantly dissolved into a sky full of Shaoyin luminescence, pouring into the pitcher. In the blink of an eye, the pitcher was filled to the brim with a blue-and-white divine ability resembling a starry sky and a surging ocean. Lifting the lid to look inside, a small mansion floated within the expanse of water—the spirit sparrow’s Shengyang Mansion. A faint phantom remained on the floor—the soul of the demon beast. With another wave of Lu Jiangxian’s sleeve, the soul attached itself to the descending radiance, glowing with resplendent colors. The mirror was the domain of Lu Jiangxian’s divine abilities. Imbuing a wisp of Shaoyin, he condensed it into a woman clad in tea-white rainbow garments. Though petite, she possessed an aloof, ethereal grace. Cradling a pipa in her arms, a pale white circular mark rested between her brows, lending her an extraordinary aura. The woman blinked in confusion at first, seemingly unable to grasp why she was here. As her soul and memories gradually integrated, she raised her eyes in bewilderment. Beholding the figure seated above, the confusion and blankness in her eyes were swiftly replaced by reverence and terror. Bowing softly, she offered her greeting: “Shaohui, Celestial Maiden of Shaoyin Wugui, pays respects to the Lord of the Mansion!”