Where Now Lie the Immortal Caves?

The group continued their tour. The Heavens were generous; today was an overcast day. Drifting clouds and mists rolled over the mountains, brushing past the late autumn maple groves and effortlessly disguising the place as an ethereal mountain realm. The peaks held their heads high amid the shifting vapor, radiating an immortal aura. Jiang Tao, his curiosity piqued, asked, "Old Ge, I heard there are several immortal cave dwellings here?" "There are, there are!" Old Ge pointed into the distance. "Mount Xu has six immortal cave dwellings scattered among the peaks. The largest one is right ahead on Tianquan Peak." "Immortal cave dwellings?" He Lingchuan asked. "Isn't this the former site of the Dahuan Sect? Why would there be separate immortal caves?" Jiang Tao chuckled. "Brother He, you might not know this, but immortals frequently entered seclusion, each in their own cave dwelling. Of course, only prominent figures in an immortal sect had the privilege to claim sect land for their private seclusion." Gao Jilin elaborated, "As for what they called cave dwellings, some were indeed separate blessed grottos carved out from the void, while others were simply solitary mountain peaks claimed for personal use." He Lingchuan nodded, recalling Master Dongli, who had passed away in his cave dwelling by Xianling Lake. The old turtle demon's divination skills had been learned from him, and Master Dongli was a disciple of the Dahuan Sect whose lifetime of knowledge originated right here. Jiang Tao asked, "Aren't there secret manuals, magic artifacts, or spiritual treasures inside those immortal cave dwellings?" "Of course there were." Old Ge leapt up and walked along the railing as though on flat ground. "Supposedly, when the caves were first unsealed, Lingxu City carted out load after load of treasures—well over a hundred wagonloads!" "Then are there any unexcavated caves left today?" Jiang Tao asked eagerly. "I've heard there are still hidden caves on Mount Xu that haven't been discovered!" Old Ge gave him a sidelong glance. "If there really were undiscovered caves, how did *you* hear about them?" "Uh..." It fell to Gao Jilin to bail out his companion. "Six cave dwellings on Mount Xu have come to light, but historical records state the Dahuan Sect had a dozen or so. That's why people reckon a few remain undiscovered." "Heh heh, you underestimate Beijia." Old Ge bared his teeth at him. "Do you think all the great demons and mighty experts in Lingxu City failed to find them? Or that in the six hundred years Mount Xu has welcomed millions of visitors, not a single one noticed anything amiss? Or perhaps that the celestial gods watching over this place couldn't uncover Mount Xu's secrets?" Jiang Tao was rendered speechless by the retort. Only then did Old Ge chuckle. "Still, there is a place suspected of being a cave dwelling. Right ahead, on Tianji Peak." The spirits of the tourists lifted, and someone called out to Old Ge: "We've heard that one can divine good and ill fortune on Tianji Peak?" He Lingchuan instantly pricked up his ears. Wasn't this one of his reasons for coming to Mount Xu? "That's right. Tianshu governs Heaven, Tianxuan Earth, Tianji Man, Tianquan the Seasons, Tianheng Sound, Kaiyang Law, and Yaoguang the Stars. The Tianji Star is the mortal realm's star of fortune and wealth—anyone down on their luck does well to pay respects to it." Old Ge bobbed his head, reciting the lines from well-practiced memory. "Truth be told, more than half the visitors who come to Mount Xu are heading straight for Tianji Peak. From high officials and noble lords down to peddlers and foot soldiers, everyone wants to know their future." He Lingchuan smiled. "Have you tried divining there?" "Of course." Old Ge sighed. "I've gone four times in all. Came away with two ominous omens and two auspicious ones. The two bad ones came true, but I never saw a sign of the good." "A fifty percent hit rate is already quite formidable." Wen Daolun had once told He Lingchuan that ever since the Heaven-and-Earth cataclysm, dynastic fortunes and world currents had fallen into chaos; divination had become fickle and erratic, and achieving even a twenty percent accuracy was considered impressive. Yet Master Dongli's sect was evidently far more adept at the craft. Gao Jilin suddenly spoke up. "If the Dahuan Sect was truly so skilled in divination, why couldn't they foresee the calamity of their own annihilation?" The Dahuan Sect had been ambushed by the northern demon kingdom; forced to fight unprepared, they lost the initiative and were ultimately wiped out in ignominy. It was all written in gold characters upon the black stone of the grand stele at the mountain gate. "Those times had their own circumstances." Old Ge picked at his ear. "Who knows what really went on back then?" "Even if the Dahuan Sect's divination was accurate, whether the people running the sect could make good use of it to seek benefit and avoid catastrophe is another matter," He Lingchuan noted. "A Daoist order isn't organized as tightly as a state, nor does it have military discipline. Every important figure has their own petty calculations. When a crisis strikes, they bicker and shirk responsibility, and by then the day is already lost." No matter how grand the blueprint for the future, or how sound the rules and regulations, they still required the right people to carry them out. People were always the pivotal factor determining the rise and fall of Daoist orders, families, and states. "Well said!" Old Ge clapped for him. "Young Master He truly has keen insight." Gao Jilin looked thoughtful, then asked, "If you want to divine fortune, there has to be an entity to ask. The Dahuan Sect perished six hundred years ago, so who exactly is providing the answers?" He Lingchuan gave him a thumbs-up. "Good question!" To seek divination, one needed an entity to question; otherwise, was one asking heaven, earth, or empty air? Old Ge huffed at Gao Jilin. "Think you're clever? Do you think the millions of people who've visited Tianji Peak were all fools?" He Lingchuan had never seen such an arrogant tour guide. Yet Gao Jilin had an easy temper and raised his hands with a smile. "I wouldn't dare presume." Old Ge gave a mirthless grin. "Once you reach Tianji Peak, you'll see." The party continued their ascent, the scenery along the path magnificent. From this vantage, one could look down across the entirety of Lingxu City. No wonder the gods had established the Heavenly Palace upon Mount Xu. He Lingchuan stepped forward a couple of paces and asked Old Ge in a low voice, "Do you know where the Guihua Pagoda is?" He needed to deposit Master Dongli's keepsake into the pagoda to fulfill the man's final request. After all, the divine bone necklace had swallowed up the core of that small world. "Guihua Pagoda?" Old Ge blinked. "I seem to recall seeing it, but no visitor has ever asked to go there." He Lingchuan turned his palm, letting the monkey catch a gleam of silver. "How about arranging a private detour for me?" Old Ge said, "Wait a moment." He called up the two shanxiao bringing up the rear. The three apes huddled together, chattering and jabbering while taking turns scratching their heads, though nobody else could understand a word they said. Finally, Old Ge turned back to He Lingchuan. "Looks like my memory didn't fail me. There really is such a place, but it wasn't on the late Emperor's roster when Mount Xu was restored. It's thoroughly derelict now." "Is it far?" "Not far from Tianshu Peak," Old Ge replied. "We can pass by it before heading down the mountain." "Much obliged." He Lingchuan tossed the silver to him. Over on the other side, Jiang Tao and Gao Jilin were whispering among themselves. Gao Jilin said to Jiang Tao, "Weren't you looking to make more friends in Lingxu City? This He Yun is a prime candidate." "Him?" Jiang Tao glanced at He Lingchuan's back. "His appearance and bearing are extraordinary, but it's a pity he hails from a minor kingdom. His prospects are limited." In a place like Lingxu City, talent from small countries or backwaters had an inherent lack of backing if they wanted to climb the ladder. It was like a minnow swimming into an ocean—who knew how many perils it would have to brave before ever growing into a leviathan? Success rate? Heh, not even one in ten thousand. "Look at how that old monkey treats him—far more deferential than toward any of us," Gao Jilin whispered. "That means he either has exceptional capability or powerful backing." Though Old Ge worked in tourism, his customer service was genuinely abysmal. Having established himself as a local monkey of Lingxu, he invariably looked down on out-of-town travelers with patronizing disdain. "Didn't you join Old Ge's tour group to Mount Xu because you heard he has some connections and wanted to build a bridge?" Gao Jilin smiled. "Why wouldn't you pay attention to someone he treats with respect?" Jiang Tao thought it over and nodded. "Makes sense." Sure enough, he gravitated toward He Lingchuan after that, dropping cheerful remarks in an attempt to probe his background. How could He Lingchuan let himself be read so easily? Trading pleasant evasions while taking in the views, the party finally arrived at Tianji Peak. Aside from Tianshu Peak, which was a snow-capped summit, the other main peaks were lush and green, their foliage and blossoms transitioning through hues of crimson, gold, purple, and white. Buildings of every style lay tucked within the vibrant colors. Here, the skill of the master architect was on full display: upturned eaves and interlocking brackets peeked through the trees and flowers, while diverse pavilions and terraces stood firmly rooted beside plunging ravines and rushing waterfalls. It was as harmonious and picturesque as a painting. Yet Tianji Peak was different from the rest: It had virtually no buildings. Old Ge explained that this was the main peak with the fewest traces of human handiwork. Those drawing near the peak all let out a long gasp of wonder— Dongming Peak was a peak formed of a single stone, craggy and skeletal; but this Tianji Peak was a peak formed of a single tree, blotting out the sky and sun! It was an alpine banyan. Its roots lay exposed like vines and blood vessels, gripping the crags tightly and even piercing into the mountain's core, anchoring itself atop the precipitous summit. Gao Jilin gasped, "Could we be asking this great tree for divination?" "You guessed right." Old Ge, in a rare act of kindness, warned everyone, "Don't open your mouths when looking up—there are plenty of birds in this tree!" The closer they came, the more colossal the great banyan appeared. Its girth was at least thirty arm-spans around. Yet its trunk was not straight; rather, it coiled and knotted like a dragon, claws and fangs unfurling to prop up a graceful, sprawling canopy overhead. Reaching toward the heavens, wild and untamed. Among the giant trees He Lingchuan had ever seen, this one ranked second. First place naturally belonged to the Jeweled Tree King, whose stature was far more massive than even this alpine banyan. Old Ge took the opportunity to explain, "The grand name of this tree is the 'Dao-Seeking Tree.'" "Originally, its seed landed in a stone cave. The soil was barren and sunlight couldn't penetrate, so the sapling grew thin and frail, yet it refused to die. An immortal of the Dahuan Sect was moved by its tenacity, and with a single sword stroke, leveled the peak's summit. "Ever since it saw the light, it grew frantically. It not only climbed out of the cave, but also wrapped around the entire peak, creating this wondrous spectacle of a tree embracing a mountain." Old Ge finally resumed his duties as a sight-seeing guide. "Legend has it that Venerable Muling, a mighty figure of the Dahuan Sect, passed away in meditation right beneath this tree." Venerable Muling? He Lingchuan was startled. Wasn't that Master Dongli's master? Even though the paths had been built as wide and level as possible, the crowd was thick here. Everyone had to shuffle along with the flow. Jiang Tao tilted his head back a full ninety degrees to gaze up at the tree. "Has this tree become a demon?" "No. At best, it's merely a spiritual entity," Old Ge shook his head. "Not all spiritual entities are blessed with the fortune to transform." This was a relic from the era of immortals. It had weathered three thousand years of worldly wind and frost, bathed in countless showers of Emperor's Flowing Dew, yet the Dao-Seeking Tree had never become a demon. He Lingchuan remarked, "Perhaps that was a blessing in disguise. Otherwise, when the northern demon kingdom wiped out the Dahuan Sect, it wouldn't have been spared either." Insensate as wood and stone, the northern demon kingdom had seen no reason to destroy it. Old Ge countered, "The late Emperor didn't intend to spare it either. I hear the Jeweled Tree King and Mount Xu's mountain spirit pleaded repeatedly on its behalf, arguing that a spiritual tree thousands of years old was exceedingly rare. Only then did Beijia grant it clemency." A tourist asked in bewilderment, "Why wouldn't they even spare a tree?"