Chapter 219: Immortal’s Pasture, Dwelling With Mortals
Moments later.
Chen Shun’an sat in the tea room, drinking tea while slowly opening this book that seemed to be Master Tie Yu’s personal annotations.
At first glance, shock immediately flashed in his eyes.
It was not because it recorded any profoundly mysterious martial arts.
Rather, the author described, in a near-dreamlike, muttering manner, how after his Primordial Spirit Leaving Body, he saw a world that seemed real yet not, both like reality and like illusion, a Heaven and Earth.
This Heaven and Earth was Heaven Round, Earth Square, of unknown height; above the nine heavens’ firmament seemed to be layered towers and jade palaces, Daoist pavilions and scripture halls, with shadows of Flying Immortals.
And beneath the netherworld, there were more Jambudvipa’s evil paths, clusters of baleful spirits, hundred ghosts howling, life force severed.
Only in the central Rivers and Mountains were there flowers, birds, insects, fish, myriad phenomena changing, years revolving, humans and hundred spirits cohabiting there.
But the author also saw Immortals flying and leaving traces, hidden in Heaven and Earth, roaming within the four seas, living together with a group of ordinary mortals;
There were also those who reversed heaven and returned the sun, illuminating the entire Jambudvipa world, able to know all past karma, even pinching off the karma of a million people in a city, causing them to be exiled from the world;
Traveling spirit controlling qi, overturning rivers and stirring seas, reincarnating and reborn…
There was Brilliant Golden Light rushing skyward from various places in the Rivers and Mountains, as if Immortals were high-seated there, dividing and ruling the territory; merely through breathing and exhaling, strands of White Qi flew out from the skulls of countless beings, opening the virtual void, surging and flowing backward, all entering the Immortal’s palm.
In the end, this seemed to become the author’s dream travelogue, with some recorded content extremely obscure and hard to understand, handwriting unclear, like ghostly symbols.
Until the final page, the author used a line of blood-red handwriting as the conclusion—
They have always been by our side.
From Famous Mountains and Great Marshes, spiritual ruins and wondrous realms, down to Towns, Villages, and Ditches, tiles and ancient wells, all are their pasture lands.
Seeing this, Chen Shun’an seemed touched, his face uncontrollably showing some horror.
He vaguely felt that this annotation was probably left by Master Tie Yu.
Even if not him, it was some other Martial Dao Grandmaster.
Primordial Spirit Leaving Body is an extremely secretive realm of the Martial Path.
It is a kind of martial divine ability produced after thoroughly slaying the Six Thieves, suppressing the Conscious Spirit, and fully liberating the Nascent Spirit that was suppressed by black clouds and obscured by them.
Only True Intent Perfection allows one to come into contact with it.
To truly achieve Primordial Spirit Leaving Body, even spirit traveling the great void and illuminating the universe, only a Martial Dao Grandmaster might have the ability.
And that Heaven and Earth the author dream-traveled and saw…
“Is it the true face of This World, the Sacred Dynasty and other countries and territories? Immortals ruling the world, herding the common people, cohabiting with mortals?”
Chen Shun’an put down the annotation, placing it back into the wooden box, his expression somewhat dazed and lost in thought.
As if having some realization, but still a fine line away from the state of a flash of spiritual light In the Darkness.
“Shopkeeper Chen, lunch is prepared. Do you need to eat?”
Walking out of the tea room, a martial artist in short outfit immediately perked up and hurried over, seeming specially here to serve Chen Shun’an.
Of course, it was actually still to prevent Chen Shun’an from wandering randomly in the forbidden area and entering places he shouldn’t.
So they sent someone specifically to watch him.
Zhang Xiangling and the others had already left to visit the next place.
Although Zhang Xiangling was also curious about what secrets this relic seemingly from Master Tie recorded.
But seeing Chen Shun’an so lost in thought, she did not seize it by force or interrupt verbally.
Anyway, it was all hers; he couldn’t run away.
Not agreeing, not refusing—seemed pretty comfortable…
Eat?
Chen Shun’an was somewhat absent-minded and casually said, “Something simple… Uh, is there porridge?”
“Porridge…”
This person hesitated, then said, “Lately, ice ridges block the way, many lying dead inside and outside the county. Our Martial Arts Hall has joined other martial arts schools to set up sheds for dispensing porridge… but it’s just thin porridge. Does Shopkeeper Chen mind?”
Disaster relief thin porridge?
Chen Shun’an was stunned, then shook his head: “I don’t mind. Ladle a pot over.”
In no time, when Chen Shun’an returned to the quiet room, there was already a small earthenware pot of thin porridge beside him.
Chen Shun’an’s mind was still recalling the content of the annotation just now; he casually ladled out a bowl of thin porridge.
The porridge was millet porridge, steaming hot, sliding down the throat, but not very tasty, with a bitter taste.
But fortunately, no grit or mold.
Truly much better tasting than the court disaster relief grain Chen Shun’an received while fleeing in Longnan that year.
Thinking of this, Chen Shun’an’s heart stirred, various thoughts turning over in his mind.
Various past events came flooding back.
That year in Longnan, floods raging to the heavens; he and his three deceased wives, and countless floating corpses swallowed by that sky-obscuring flood.
Could it be, also the doing of some Immortal herding?
Chen Shun’an and they were merely sheep, driven from one pasture to another by the pasture owner.
Natural and man-made disasters, all bestowed by Immortals.
Precisely at the moment of realizing this key point, Chen Shun’an suddenly felt his body no longer illusory, but having something to rely on, somewhere to go.
Water Origin Becomes God, enfeoffment of various saints, wielding authority over Rivers and Marshes.
It was both the ritual and path for him to welcome back the Water Origin Great Emperor’s authority, and also the Path of Divinity’s final counterattack against the Immortal Path?
“It is done.” Chen Shun’an’s face showed no anger or joy; he just reached out, took the Purple Iron Cattail Milk, tilted his head to swallow it, and with teeth like a file, chewed it to pieces.
Immediately after, his mind suddenly churned in chaos,
Acupoint golden light, Great Medicine Dragon Tiger, Houtian Qi, treasure saliva embracing fluid, billions of fires blazing, mind monkey intent horse.
Six Sceneries Rotation came.
Thus, from Chen Shun’an’s glabella, strands of Divine Light shot out.
A Nascent Spirit awakened.
…
Opposite the Liangjiang Military Academy, atop the tall tavern building.
Tian Xuan Saint remotely watched Zhang Xiangling entering the Martial Arts Hall, a trace of wariness flashing in her eyes.
“Tongzhou Zhang Family—why has this woman come?”
This woman Zhang Xiangling was the Tongzhou Zhang Family’s beloved pearl, a young Heavenly Pride with an extremely slim chance of cultivating to Martial Dao Grandmaster.
The Zhang Family naturally wouldn’t let her come alone.
So there must be Protect the Dao followers secretly trailing, protecting her at all times!
Yue Shan Daoist Academy “emphasizes literature over martial,” governed by Eight-legged Essays and strategic classics; Ao Shan Daoist Academy “emphasizes martial over literature,” famed for archery, horsemanship, military strategies, and cultivation methods.
Between the two, there were ideological disputes and factional differences, nearly irreconcilable conflicts!
Zhang Family disciples and Ao Shan Daoist Academy people appearing here couldn’t help but make Tian Xuan Saint overthink.
“Saint.”
“Saint.”
Two figures hurriedly came up the stairs.
They were precisely the two landlords of the Pounding House, Guan Sheng and Huang Xing.
Guan Sheng carefully glanced at Tian Xuan Saint’s expression, seeing no anger or joy, then spoke,
“We’ve used every trick we could, inciting the Three Forked Road demon tide, bribing a few down-and-out Bai Shan Ren to block the water well, even scattering treasures, cultivation methods, various opportunities at the Three Forked Road to lure Chen Shun’an out of the Martial Arts Hall, but…”
“I already know.”
A trace of fatigue flashed in Tian Xuan Saint’s eyes.
But… Chen Shun’an just hunkered down in the Martial Arts Hall, refusing to come out no matter what.
She even took a risky move, personally going to Crouching Tiger Well, wanting to truly poison the well bottom, ruin the Water Station’s reputation for pure water, and force Chen Shun’an to show himself.
But Crouching Tiger Well surprisingly had an old fellow who had slain five thieves, Root of Life nearly severed, soul on the verge of scattering; Tian Xuan Saint had no chance to act.
Huang Xing coughed, then said with head lowered,
“Saint… Yu Xiaoquan, the famous speaker Yu, is urging you to quickly resolve Chen Shun’an; she’s about to give a lecture at the Righteous Book Teahouse and wants you not to delay.”
Tian Xuan Saint was somewhat speechless.
Am I the one delaying?
Do I not want to resolve Chen Shun’an?
Tian Xuan Saint suddenly felt irritated.
Why has this mountain descent been so full of setbacks?
Could it be that I, Tian Xuan Saint, am having a bad year, offending Tai Sui?
Guan Sheng perhaps sensed Tian Xuan Saint’s impatience and suddenly offered a plan in an extremely confident tone,
“Saint, no need to worry; I have a plan that might lure Chen Shun’an out!”
“Speak.” Tian Xuan Saint gave Guan Sheng an extra look.
“I’ve observed this Chen Shun’an: full of schemes but little wisdom, no great talent, especially lecherous—entangled unclearly with a widow is one thing, but keeping a canary, even laying hands on a nun…”
Guan Sheng full of smiles, continued: “I’ve already selected several beauties—some fresh and pure like little family jades, some dignified and virtuous, some oozing seductiveness; just use a slight beauty trap, and it’ll surely disrupt his mind, mind monkey intent horse, unable to breakthrough! Given time, won’t he have to come out?”
Guan Sheng also had his own little schemes.
“Now that the Saint needs talent, if I achieve great merit this time, not only can I show my face greatly before the Saint, perhaps I can even be led to cultivating immortality, become king and ancestor, play at being a god! Pounding House shopkeeper? Even a dog wouldn’t take it!”
Huang Xing stood by, seeming somewhat foolish, never saying a word.
“Fine, you go try…”
Before the words were out, a loud bang suddenly came from the building below, like cannon fire bombardment, with wall dust falling rustlingly.
“What’s going on?” Guan Sheng was somewhat panicked.
Then from downstairs came the pained wails of Pounding House Gang Members,
“Water Station people? You have some nerve, actually attacking us!”
“Who has more nerve than you? Daring to ambush Landlord Jiang, and stealing the ten thousand taels of tax silver to be turned over—you Pounding House truly do every evil deed!”
“It wasn’t us!”
“Denying it? Denying means admitting—surely it was you! Brothers, grab your weapons and charge! Let your shopkeeper come down to talk!”
Upstairs, Guan Sheng was dumbfounded.
Ambush Jiang Yutang?
Slandering without evidence?!
We are the Four Great Pounding Houses, not the Four Great Scapegoats!
Which good person prepares ten thousand taels of tax silver to hand over to the court?!
Even Huang Xing’s thick skin couldn’t help twitching, then he became even more silent.
I, Huang, know nothing and don’t want to know.
Just do my own duties.
And in Tian Xuan Saint’s perception, martial artist auras were quickly intruding one after another, seemingly guided, rapidly surrounding this tall building.
Not only Water Station people, but also powerful Jianghu figures in the shadows, Guo Lu Society gangsters.
Tian Xuan Saint nodded slightly, slowly walking to the window, her cold gaze piercing the lattice, looking toward the distant Martial Arts Hall.
There, at some unknown time, Red Fifth Master stood before the Tie Gong Ancestral Hall with shackles on his head, eyes like lightning, staring fixedly at her.
