The hermit with gray beard and coarse clothes, living deeply secluded, wondering who might still be living in poverty amidst the laurel winds and moonlit nights.
Dragons lurking at the entrance, tall cypress trees like those from Han Dynasty, secluding people of Qin beyond the river...
In the Five Filthy Evil Worlds, Daoist Zhang Ping Sheng lived reclusively in the mountains, cultivating himself in solitude. Upon hearing Xu Qing mention the ostentatious deeds of the Celestial Master's Mansion, this Daoist, instead of getting angry, chuckled:
"A name is nothing but a guest to reality, namelessness is the beginning of heaven and earth. The word 'name' is all illusory. Like the Celestial Master's Mansion, it originally came from the Xuan Sect, passed down from generation to generation, and what remains in the end is nothing but a title."
Zhang Ping Sheng bowed in front of the Celestial Lord General's statue and said to himself: "Our Xuan Sect originally focused only on cultivation, dressing plainly and consuming Talisman of Xuan Sect daily. Later, Ancestor Celestial Master Zhang Daoling was granted the Talisman Alliance of Right Oneness, dedicating himself henceforth to subduing demons and guarding the Way, with the aim to save the world and bring peace to the people."
"The Ancestor Celestial Master has made the doctrine clear: in poverty, one should cultivate oneself alone; in prosperity, one should benefit the world."
"Our orthodox tradition of the Xuan Sect cannot be severed. Now, as demonism rises and Daoism declines, the Celestial Master's Mansion using Evil Technique to strengthen themselves is in full swing. I need to avoid their edge and wait for the reversal of heaven and earth; only then will it be time for me to emerge."
Xu Qing looked at the indifferent Zhang Ping Sheng and suddenly asked: "How much true inheritance does the Celestial Master's Mansion still have?"
"..."
The always serene Daoist's aura fluctuated for a brief moment.
"Only me, a single poor Daoist."
Zhang Ping Sheng paused, then added: "Or perhaps two of us, as the child outside the temple is a disciple I have my eye on, but the old Daoist of the Taiping Sect is unwilling to hand his disciple over. I am still young; once he ages, our Xuan Sect will have another member of incense."
So it's a solitary successor...
Xu Qing suddenly understood that this Daoist might not want to enter the world because his sect was facing the crisis of extinction. Without this concern, the other party might not have made such a choice.
"How did the Xuan Sect fall into such decline? Moreover, with no members in the sect, why not recruit many disciples?"
Zhang Ping Sheng's eyelids twitched, and his voice remained even: "Our Xuan Sect's Ancestor Celestial Master was the venerable who subdues demons and protects the Dao, wielding the Triple-Five Swords that cut through evil, and the Seal of Yangping Order, specializing in exorcising and subduing monsters. During the secular era, he held the celestial orders; upon ascending to the upper realm, he substituted the thunderous mandates, and the Celestial Emperor decreed the Ancestor Celestial Master as the 'Great Mage of Right Oneness'..."
"Disciples of our Xuan Sect, being students of the Great Celestial Master, naturally take the Ancestor Celestial Master as a model. When the passage between heaven and earth was severed and the era of great calamity arrived, the Ancestor Celestial Master once manifested in the lower realm, instructing his followers to hide in the mountains and forests, biding their time to act."
"But amidst a world overrun by demons, how could the disciples, dedicated to eradicating demons and protecting the Way, just sit by and watch?"
"Through the millennium, our Xuan Sect has never truly retreated; the enmity between our disciples and demons has only deepened. In this generation, it should have been me, my master, and my senior guarding the sect's legacy."
"But thirty years ago, my master passed the sect's inheritance to me and my senior, then went alone to Yu Zhang to settle an old score and ultimately perished under the 'Corpse Severing Sword,' becoming demon fodder."
"Twenty years ago, my senior left without a word, leaving only a letter, and has been missing ever since. Presumably, he went to Yu Zhang too, following our master."
Though Zhang Ping Sheng's tone remained calm, Xu Qing could see his hand, hidden in his sleeve, trembling; clearly, beneath his composed exterior, the Daoist's heart was already a churning storm.
Xu Qing changed the topic and asked: "Why is your shadow different from those of the Celestial Master's Mansion? I noticed that the Daoists of the Celestial Master's Mansion often measure their rank by the number of shadows. I've seen the most disciples there have up to five shadows..."
The two-shadowed Zhang Ping Sheng sneered: "How can they be disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion? They're just opportunistic people, unable to endure the hardship of pure cultivation, so they resorted to the Demon Dao, finding demon pupils and monstrous entities to be their true inheritance. Those shadows are all manifestations of their obsessions, trapped within these cursed beings for their use."
"Just wait and see. When heaven and earth reverse, and yin and yang become harmonious, these trapped shadows will surely turn into evil spirits and demons, forcing them to reap what they have sown!"
Zhang Ping Sheng, from the bottom of his heart, held contempt for the Daoists of the Capital City's Celestial Master's Mansion as he walked to the doorway, allowing the sunlight to shine upon him.
One blue, one black, the two shadows became even more mysterious under the daylight; the blue shadow seemed to shimmer with divine light, while the black shadow appeared almost tangible, as if it could intervene in reality.
Xu Qing watched Zhang Ping Sheng, the Daoist whose aura had been normal just moments ago, suddenly had his presence surge, causing the surrounding wind to become fierce.
There was a sudden commotion outside the temple, and Xu Qing could faintly hear an old Daoist cursing, complaining about the swift wind blowing dry grass and fallen leaves into the farmland.
Now, in the autumn harvest season, the dry grass contains mature seeds; once they blow into the fields and the wheat sprouts, getting rid of the weeds will become a tricky affair.
Moments ago, Zhang Ping Sheng still looked like a lofty hermit, but he hastily dispelled his powers, pretending as if nothing had happened, returning to being that ordinary itinerant Daoist.
Xu Qing moved closer, intending to step on the shadow, but Zhang Ping Sheng dodged nimbly.
This person really has no sense of boundaries?
"What cultivation technique are you using?"
Xu Qing only knew about the fragmentation technique but not the shadow splitting technique. He was aware that the shadows of the demonic Daoists from the Celestial Master's Mansion were harmful to their kin, but Zhang Ping Sheng's shadow seemed different...
"This is not a cultivation technique; even if you wanted to learn, you couldn't replicate it."
Zhang Ping Sheng laughed heartily, then returned to the hall, inviting Xu Qing to take a seat:
"This shadow is from my past life; it is me, and I am it."
Seeing Xu Qing frown, Zhang Ping Sheng pondered aloud: "Daoist, you may have heard of the Primordial Spirit leaving the body. You can think of my shadow as a Primordial Spirit, but this Primordial Spirit is actually my past life body; my Xuan Sect prefers to call it the Shadow Spirit."
Xu Qing mused: "Could this be a ghost-commanding deity-descending technique? Only, what you've cultivated is a past life split spirit..."
Daoist Zhang Ping folded his hands and said, "Precisely this way! You, Daoist friend, who have subdued the waters of the Turbid River, truly have extraordinary insight."
"The concept of divided spirits is not uncommon. For instance, my senior brother was merely a scholar in his previous life, without the strength to truss a chicken. Yet, after encountering mountain bandits, he accidentally awakened a deity from his past life and eradicated the bandits in a single night."
"When my senior brother awoke, he was drenched in blood, completely unaware of the previous events. If not for the companions traveling with him, he wouldn't have known it was he who accomplished such deeds."
Daoist Zhang Ping said, "Later, my senior brother became a disciple under our sect, able to control his divided spirit. In a previous life, he was actually a renowned and valiant general!"
"And that is the Shadow Spirit True Method cultivated by the Orthodox Dao Sect."
Xu Qing, although not fully understanding, was still impressed, and curiously asked, "May I ask, Daoist friend, who was your divided spirit in a previous life?"
"Are you asking me?"
Daoist Zhang Ping smiled mystically, not answering directly. He clasped his hands behind his back toward Xu Qing and began to recite an ambiguous poem:
"The clouds in hand deduce the birth of the four symbols, The Mystery Pass bright atop the Three Terraces Peak. The elixir furnace does not boil the years of the mortal world, The celestial ladder treads backward into the Great Clarity."
"..."
Xu Qing, looking at the Daoist pretending to be enigmatic, pursed his mouth. This person was even more pretentious than him!
"Three Terraces Peak..."
Though feeling disdainful, after hearing the implied name in the Daoist's poem, Xu Qing still held a bit more respect for the Daoist.
In the land of Jingchu, there is a mountain called 'Taihe,' where Three Terraces Peak stands. This peak resembles a phoenix resting, admired always by literati.
Connecting the concealed information in the Daoist's entire poem, Xu Qing suddenly laughed and said, "Ah, so it's the Three Peaks, that mountain is truly famous!"
"..."
Daoist Zhang Ping did not continue the conversation.
"For you to take action and control the flood of the Turbid River, I presume you are a person adhering to the righteous path. Now that you know the ins and outs, I ask that you do not mention these matters after you leave."
Xu Qing did not mention that the waters of the Turbid River were caused by him. He cleared his throat and said, "I came here not for you, but to erect a grave for an old friend."
"That old friend, you, Daoist Zhang, might also be familiar with."
Xu Qing got up and headed outside the temple, using his Civil and Military Divination Skills to find an auspicious burial site. There, he buried the coffin containing the relics of the Celestial Lord General, the Earth Lord General, and the Human Lord General.
At first, Daoist Zhang Ping wanted to intervene several times. After all, a newcomer directly digging and setting up a new grave on others' grounds seemed a bit presumptuous.
But when he saw Xu Qing bury three old headbands and several sets of helmets and armors in the grave and establish the 'Three Lords' position of the Taiping Sect, Daoist Zhang Ping was left without words.
Returning to the front of the Taiping Temple, an old Daoist dressed simply had already finished planting the wheat seeds and was in front of the temple, writing and drawing in the sand with a twig, teaching a little Daoist child literacy.
"I have something to entrust to you, Daoist, and I hope you will keep it well."
Xu Qing approached, taking out a scroll of the Taiping Scripture, and said, "This item originated from the founder of the Taiping Sect, the Celestial Lord General, dating back thousands of springs and autumns. You are the last disciple of the Taiping Sect, and this scripture should be preserved by you and passed on..."
The old Daoist, upon seeing the Taiping Scripture, felt as though joy had descended from the heavens. Yet it was not over; after staying a night in the Taiping Temple, Xu Qing transcribed another Earth Talisman Scripture into a book and handed it to the Temple Master there.
"I, an old Daoist, believed the roots withered, yet I never expected the Taiping Sect to still have true transmission. Wuchen, quickly pay respects to your Grand Master..."
The young Daoist was about to bow as instructed, but Xu Qing stopped him.
"I am not a disciple of the Taiping Sect; this scripture and talisman book are indeed left by an old friend. In this world, besides you two, there is no other true transmission."
"If not true transmission, then you're still a comrade. Even old Daoist Zhang Ping is treated as a fellow sect member..."
The old Daoist, after circling around, compromised and had his little disciple call Xu Qing 'Martial Uncle' to pull closer relations no matter what.
This time, Xu Qing did not refuse. He patted the little Daoist's head, smiling and said, "This child looks clever at first glance."
The little Daoist smiled, and behind him, two shadows could be seen faintly in the weak daylight.
...
"If not true transmission, then you're still a comrade. Even old Daoist Zhang Ping is treated as a fellow sect member..."
The old Daoist, after circling around, compromised and had his little disciple call Xu Qing 'Martial Uncle' to pull closer relations no matter what.
This time, Xu Qing did not refuse. He patted the little Daoist's head, smiling and said, "This child looks clever at first glance."
The little Daoist smiled, and behind him, two shadows could be seen faintly in the weak daylight.