Hearing this, Fuxuan fell silent for a moment, appearing somewhat troubled. He raised his teacup, only to realize that in his fluster, he had not poured any tea. Real Person Chehong had no choice but to step forward and smooth over the situation, replying:
"I do not know where Great Real Person obtained this news. Penglai has been shut away for many years without word, and there has been no sign of Real Person Puyu. Our Chunyi Dao has little contact with Penglai either..."
Chi Buzi shook his head. Since he had asked, he naturally possessed certainty, saying softly:
"Since Senior Yuanshang is still around, there must be a way."
Hearing his inquiry, Fuxuan finally broke his silence and replied:
"I do not know how Fellow Daoist obtained this news, but restarting one's cultivation is a matter of grave consequence. Even when Senior Yuanwu personally went to beseech Penglai in the past, Real Person Puyu still refused to act on his behalf, so how much less for Fellow Daoist? It would be best not to harbor too many hopes."
He paused briefly, then looked solemnly at the blue-eyed man before him:
"Furthermore, once a divine ability is achieved, one's name is registered in the Nether Office, and upon demonic demotion one falls beneath the Nine Netherworlds. Extending life and bringing rebirth to someone who suffered an unnatural death already demands such a tremendous price; without a dedicated lineage, who could possibly achieve it? Nowadays, the paths of Shangwu and Bingxiu have not returned to their seats, and souls remain unmanifest. How difficult this matter is, I need hardly elaborate..."
Chi Buzi smiled and shook his head, replying:
"Fellow Daoist is mistaken. Who can know what the future holds? Who can say whether these two paths will return to their seats?"
He raised his brows, a leisurely expression emerging as he answered:
"Before Liang fell and Zhao rose, before Xiuyue returned to its seat, who thought anything of formation plates? What was the speed of traversing the Great Void then, and what is the speed today? Before Shangqing Congge, before Jin Yi proved the Dao, who could have imagined that after Gengdui shifted once, it could shift a second time? What about fifty or a hundred years from now?"
How immense was Chi Buzi's ambition! He was determined to attain the rank of True Monarch, erase his name from all books, and have the people of the world cultivate and pursue the Dao along the path he blazed—only then would this life reach perfection! Speaking of the instances where Xiuyue and Taiyuan attained the Dao, he fought to suppress the restless, surging ambition within his heart!
A century from now, there must surely be a celestial omen of borrowing a mansion to leap the yin, breaking free from the Lushui pool!
He smiled and said:
"I cultivate Lushui, not the virtue of Metal. I am myself, and Yuanwu is Yuanwu. Fellow Daoist, you need only arrange a meeting for me. As for whether it succeeds, or what I seek instruction on, none of it will fall back on you."
Fuxuan gave him a deep look, though he harbored little agreement in his heart, merely shaking his head inwardly:
'Whether these two paths return to their seats is for no one to say. Over all these years, could the Nether Office have had no desire for them to return? It is simply that the time has not arrived and the candidates were not right!'
Outwardly, he nodded silently and replied:
"Very well! Within three months, I will definitely obtain word. If it falls through, consider it a favor my sect owes you, Fellow Daoist!"
Hearing this, Chi Buzi readily let go of his grip. Chehong immediately stepped forward to present the pocket-sized cauldron and the jet-black prayer beads. Separated from their master for so long, the two treasures gleamed with radiant light, appearing immensely excited.
Chi Buzi took his Rain-Watching Precious Cauldron and Motang from Chehong's hands, while Fuxuan picked up the jade box with overwhelming agitation, appearing somewhat at a loss.
"Good... good..."
Chi Buzi merely looked at him with a smile:
"I shall await nearby... In three months, I will surely return to meet you."
With that, he flicked his sleeve lightly, transforming into a flash of brilliance, passing through the grand array, and vanishing into the Great Void.
The moment Chi Buzi departed, Fuxuan could no longer keep his composure. He sprang from his seat with a whoosh, clutched the jade box tightly against his chest, and strode toward the deeper reaches of the cave dwelling, saying in a low voice:
"Guard this well! Question him thoroughly and get to the bottom of it!"
Chehong immediately stood guard gravely at the cave dwelling's entrance and began questioning the old man carefully about the conditions inside Chi Buzi's secret realm. Fuxuan hurried deep into the cavern, and soon, in the innermost sanctum, he came upon a mirror shimmering with silver radiance.
It was none other than the Taiqun Spiritual Mirror!
The silver light fell profusely upon the ground, coalescing into a moon-white illusory realm, calm and unrippled. A stretch of silver-white, barely a dozen paces from end to end, not even the size of a courtyard in an affluent household, containing only a single table and chair.
An old man stood beside the table, staring quietly at a chess match laid out upon it. Hearing the commotion, he raised his silver-white eyes and nodded:
"Lingjiao, you have come."
Real Person Fuxuan immediately bowed.
The world only knew that Fuxuan possessed extraordinary talent and had revived Chunyi Dao, but precious few knew that this Real Person who presided over Chunyi Dao had not originally borne the surname Xi. After entering Chunyi Dao, it was Real Person Yuanshang who had personally bestowed a name upon him, making him Xi Lingjiao.
Only before this old man did Fuxuan have no need to conceal his emotions. His face was filled with immense joy as he hurried forward, placed the jade box on the table, and bowed:
"Congratulations, Master!"
Real Person Yuanshang's expression turned solemn. With a gentle flick of his finger, the lid of the jade box flipped open, revealing the noble, mysterious spiritual item inside. He froze instantly.
The old man's eyes gradually reddened, his voice turning hoarse:
"A Xuandan Taiyin spiritual item!"
"Born of the waters of lunar splendor, grown in a land of Taiyin, the disaster-averting, tribulation-clearing Xuandan Taiyin White Moon Laurel Branch! Where did it come from?"
With tears in his eyes, Real Person Fuxuan nodded quietly. Watching the old man seem to lose all his strength bit by bit and sink back into his chair, Real Person Fuxuan choked up:
"It has been found! Chi Buzi was the one who obtained it!"
Hearing this, Real Person Yuanshang lowered his eyes slightly, sighed wistfully, and replied:
"Even if it is found, what of it?! What year and month is it now... This body of mine... aside from eking out a wretched existence beneath the Taiqun Spiritual Mirror, what use is it?"
He slowly raised his hand and rested it gently on the box, his expression growing profound. With a slight twitch of his index finger, the box snapped shut, and the scattering of white blossoms and the gleaming golden laurel branch vanished from sight. The old man's emotions gradually calmed, returning to his usual composure.
Real Person Fuxuan urged in a low voice, "Master... please give it a try!"
Real Person Yuanshang silently shook his head and answered:
"This Zhaoxuan Splendor spans sixteen paces from one end to the other, and I cannot step a single pace outside. I have eked out an existence here for fifty-six years; I gave up all desire of charging toward the realm of True Monarch long ago.
"This item can only be left to you!"
Fuxuan immediately furrowed his brow, but seeing Real Person Yuanshang's solemn expression, he listened as the old man continued:
"Back then, the founding ancestor left behind a final decree, stating that Taiyin was sealed off and spiritual items had ceased to appear. For us descendants, he left behind the Taiyin Mystery-Seeking Wondrous Art to seek the status of True Monarch. In those days, the ancestor used the Changmu Harmonious Light White Hair, but returned without success. In truth, two remained..."
"What?!"
Fuxuan was utterly shocked and blurted out uncontrollably.
He knew of the Taiyin Mystery-Seeking Wondrous Art.
Taiyin was a fruit position of supreme nobility and veneration. Ever since it became unmanifest in the world, seeking to prove it had become immensely difficult—virtually no one attempted to attain it nowadays... And Chunyi Dao's greatest backing lay precisely in this secret art of the Taiyang lineage: the Taiyin Mystery-Seeking Wondrous Art!
This art was an exceptionally sublime secret technique. To carve out a sliver of opportunity for seeking a surplus status, it utilized spiritual items of extremely high rank that possessed a connection to the surplus status to empower the cultivator as they charged toward True Monarch, resonating with the secret art in hopes of achieving a favorable outcome...
And Chunyi Dao's founding ancestor, Xiequn, had once encountered a karmic opportunity, obtaining a Changmu Harmonious Light White Hair to use for his breakthrough!
When these words were spoken, Fuxuan was naturally bewildered, dense doubts welling up within him:
"Then why did Master..."
Real Person Yuanshang said wistfully:
"You have not read that secret art, so you do not know... Through the deductions of the secret art, although the Dao of Taiyin is unmanifest, there is bound to be one surplus status that emerges from obscurity into brilliance, capable of accommodating a later cultivator... Your grandmaster once discussed this with me; it may be that an immortal possessed heaven-shaking divine abilities and left behind a contingency, using a ray of mysterious light or some magic treasure to anchor this surplus status..."
Fuxuan listened and found himself deeply agreeing, yet he saw the old man suddenly reveal a trace of resentment and agony:
"Yet back then, no matter how the founding ancestor calculated, he could never determine what kind of surplus status it was. Needless to say, it must have been that some True Monarch employed their divine ability to blind all eyes with a single leaf, so that neither ghosts nor gods could fathom it!
"We had no choice but to try!"
He shook his head in some torment and answered:
"Why did the founding ancestor fail back then?! In my view, the surplus status corresponding to the Changmu Harmonious Light White Hair was bound to be futile!
"We stand at a low vantage point and cannot see clearly, like mayflies gazing at the sun and moon, believing it to be an opportunity to attain the Dao. Yet looking down from the vantage of the great almighty beings, this spot might well be a vital nexus upon the great chessboard, one that others cannot be permitted to see!"
Fuxuan had an epiphany. His expression turned solemn as he immediately understood:
"So the remaining two... Master kept them stored on the mountain all along, never using them! Only now, this Xuandan Taiyin spiritual item is an item that can truly be tested!"
Real Person Yuanshang sighed:
"Precisely..."
With that, he pressed his hand against the jade box on the table and said softly:
"It is destined that our Chunyi lineage shall flourish. You are a genius seen only once in a century, and what is even rarer is that amid the persecutions of various factions, you walked forward step by step to reach this day, able to shield our successors. Later came Guanghou, and I was glad to have a pillar of strength, but who knew Chehong would be rarer still. With the two of you... there is no need to waste this on me!"
Real Person Fuxuan sighed in silence, but Yuanshang, overjoyed, refocused his gaze, picked up the jade box, and said with full delight:
"The quality of this Xuandan Taiyin White Moon Laurel Branch is exceptional; it is likely an artifact from the era of Wei. I have heard that before that imperial lady of Shiqi attained the Dao, she obtained a branch and refined it into a talisman to avert calamity and lessen karmic burdens. Though we cannot employ it in such a manner, it is enough to show just how precious this item is!"
"Indeed," Fuxuan said in a low voice. "I have instructed Chehong to inquire closely to find out which family owned that cave dwelling..."
As he spoke to this point, Real Person Yuanshang's movement paused slightly, though the expression on his face remained gentle and natural. In an almost imperceptible murmur, he said:
"There is no need to ask."
Real Person Fuxuan raised his eyebrows slightly, then immediately lowered his head and answered:
"Understood."
The cavern fell silent for a moment. Real Person Yuanshang shook his head and said:
"What we promised Chi Buzi must also be asked on his behalf. I shall pen a letter to inquire of Puyu's intention... In those years, Yuansu and Zimu were the most familiar with him, but he keeps himself detached from all entanglements, and no one dares claim to be his close friend. Whether he comes depends both on my face and on Chi Buzi's own standing."
Fuxuan bowed and swiftly withdrew, leaving the old Real Person sitting quietly amidst the silver glow, staring at the jade box before him. His expression grew melancholy, and he remained speechless for a long time:
'Just which almighty one sent this... The one of Lushui? Most likely not... That one's thoughts are unfathomable, caring nothing for mundane affairs. Aside from Sui Guan, who could represent him?!'
...
East Sea.
Chi Buzi sped onward day and night, heading outward through the East Sea. This time, he did not choose a direction beyond the Peacock Sea, but traveled along Shiqi, diving downward in the most remote territory.
Only when he reached the subterranean depths did he seek out an area devoid of spiritual essence, carve out a cave dwelling, and sit quietly cross-legged to review and reflect.
'Yuanshang truly is still around... Chi Wei was right. Zhaoxuan Splendor can fix the six consciousnesses, gather dharma essence, evade deep scrutiny, and dodge tribulations. This old man is definitely bound to live the longest. Though he cannot step outside, he still has at least a decade or so...'
His gaze was placid as he secretly calculated:
'Does the Nether Office know or not... The Taiqun Spiritual Mirror is ownerless and not being wielded by Xiequn, so how could it possibly be hidden from them? In my estimation, they believe he might seek Gold and have reached an understanding with him. Since the Taiqun Spiritual Mirror cannot preserve him for much longer anyway, they simply gave him face.'
As for the matter of Penglai, it was no sudden whim on Chi Buzi's part. Not only did he want to see Puyu, but he also wished to make a journey to Penglai's Quhai Sect!
'According to my plans, once I abandon the Dao of Lushui, I must seek a next life. I must see Puyu. Whether things succeed or fail... it is an excellent thing. If I can enter the Penglai grotto-heaven, all the better!'
For no other reason than Penglai being an exceptionally unique place.
'Penglai is the lineage of an Immortal Lord, the heritage of Immortal Lord Chufu, a leftover of immortal auspiciousness, awe-inspiring and inviolable. Furthermore, I have heard that Immortal Lord Chufu possesses great merit, and all the various paths hold great reverence for him; its status is starkly distinct...'
And the Penglai grotto-heaven was one of the few places in this world confirmed to be anchored by an immortal artifact!
Chi Buzi could not be entirely certain, but he held eighty to ninety percent confidence—once he visited the Penglai grotto-heaven even once, the various entanglements of karmic mandate upon his person would become hundreds of times more complex, undergoing a qualitative leap!
'Even if I will have forgotten everything by then, it can still make the secrets of my person far less easy to divine... reducing risks by a fraction, even the slightest aid is good.'
Chi Buzi had assumed the worst from start to finish. In truth, Lushui was injured and paid him no heed at all; falling straight into Luyu Heaven was completely within the realm of possibility. But to Chi Buzi, he had only this one life, so no amount of vigilance could be excessive!
Aside from this, a greater worry was brewing in his heart.
'As time draws closer day by day, immortal merit is hard to come by, and the day I successfully exchange for it... seems all the more remote...'
Chi Buzi had spent all his previous immortal merit to obtain guidance on his orthodoxy. Truth be told, these mere bouts of fighting and exercising his wits were worlds apart in value compared to what he had exchanged for; he had never felt any regret. Yet what constrained him in the end was time.
Moreover, as he killed demons and repeatedly slew Lianmins, the risk of this endeavor was rising constantly, keeping his heart tightly clenched:
'It would be best if I can exchange for the cultivation method this time... If I cannot, what follows will be far too dangerous... But even if I exchange for the cultivation method, the method of seeking Gold is worth hundreds or thousands of times more—how difficult will that turn out to be?'
He could only close his eyes tightly and pray silently:
"Lesser cultivator Chi Buzi respectfully petitions Taiyin..."
As streaks of white light flashed before his eyes, the sensation of weightlessness surfaced once more. Chi Buzi took a step into the void, and his vision brightened as he finally appeared within that courtyard once again.
Even though he had experienced it more than once, Chi Buzi still felt an awe that was hard to comprehend. The deeper one's cultivation grew, the more one understood how terrifying was the power that could seize someone across tens of millions of li.
Four white jade lampposts appeared before him anew. The place was unfailingly bright and pure, seemingly eternal like this grotto-heaven itself. Chi Buzi steadied his footing and noticed the courtyard was empty.
'The stupid donkey is slacking off again!'
Chi Buzi was much more familiar with things now and knew quite a bit. Aside from the very first time when that stupid donkey had been on duty for the first time and waited beforehand, in the subsequent visits it had almost never been on time. He thus stepped out of the circular pool at the center and waited quietly to the side.
After only a short while, the courtyard gate creaked open. A young celestial official with pale green eyes pushed the door open and strode in cheerfully, calling out:
"Yo! Great Real Person Chi is here!"
Chapter 916