Chapter 36: All Things Possess Spirit, Unearthing Divine Powers

As a child, I didn't recognize the moon; I called it a white jade disc.

I also thought it might be the mirror of the Jade Terrace, flying above the blue clouds.

Ye Qin gazed at the moon above his head, and suddenly an ancient poem he had learned as a child in his past life resounded in his mind; back then he was young and naive, feeling the moon was beyond reach.

He had asked adults more than once whether there really was a lonely rabbit on the moon, and also a solitary osmanthus tree.

He lifted his head to look at the moon, and the moon seemed to be looking back at him; as he ran, the moon moved along with him.

In fact, it's not just Ye Qin; even now, humanity's steps in exploring the moon have never stopped, yet only he can cultivate by contemplating the Yin as Ye Qin does.

After all, both are exploration—one uses science, the other uses the Dao.

There's a saying that the end of science is theology; although it's nonsense peddled by marketing accounts, perhaps there's a grain of truth in it.

Ye Qin beheld the Yin hanging in the firmament; though it seemed lofty, he also knew the world's sufferings, shedding a soft radiance that smoothed the mountain ravines and eased the pains of mortal life.

His gaze also followed the silver radiance's steps, traversing the whole landscape.

The moon's light is not as dazzling as the sun's, often easy to overlook, yet it is a bright lamp guiding in darkness; without the moon, one would easily lose direction.

In the contemplation.

Under the moonlight's shroud, a huge white bone appeared in midair, emitting a silvery-white glow; those unaware might think it was a piece of white jade that glowed all over.

If observed carefully, one would find many light spots on the white bone, shaped like crescent moons.

And beneath the white bone, Ye Qin also received a feedback from the Origin; a halo of light fell upon his serpent body.

First from the serpent's tail, then the middle of its body, then the head; finally it all turned into a tiny point of light, merging into one of the serpent's eyes.

Every scale on Ye Qin's body opened, as if gaining its own life; with each breath he absorbed all the moonlight into his body.

The light did not last long; it soon faded, yet on those serpent scales there still shimmered rippling light, as if countless stars had fallen into them.

There was no trace of the serpent kind's fearsome nature; instead it resembled some kind of artwork.

Pure and divine.

Ye Qin seemed to have fallen asleep, but actually his mind was now clear and tranquil.

In the contemplation.

In the sky a bright moon, and a clear cold crescent moon also appeared behind the white bone; both moons were bright and splendid, their light indistinguishable from the outside.

And the Origin Contemplation Object white bone also became more sacred under the silver moon's backdrop.

As Ye Qin's contemplation deepened, white mist again welled up from around him in reality, affecting the surrounding magnetic field, as if even the air underwent some unfathomable change.

Not far away, the thicket emitted a faint rustling, as if some creature was approaching.

The beast's eyes looked at the small snake not far away; its heart inexplicably felt a sudden closeness, yet more so was awe.

It also didn't know why it did this; it seemed driven by some instinct to come here; the beast's mind couldn't think much, so it just stared fixedly ahead without blinking.

If a human were here now, they would surely see in the beast's eyes a look of 'devotion'.

The surrounding environment was no different from elsewhere; the only difference was that green snake paying homage to the moon.

It looked so strange, yet also harmonious beyond compare.

And on the grassland a hundred meters away, a field mouse was foraging for food; suddenly it glanced at the moon, then put down the wild fruit it held and ran toward the southeast.

Owls are creatures that hide by day and hunt by night; at this time it should have been their hunting hour.

A pair of wings spread, sweeping through the high air, precisely capturing the field mouse running on the plain; its talons slightly hooked, obviously preparing to attack.

A swoop, a rapid plunge; the motion was smooth and fluid; the field mouse in its run obviously noticed nothing, death was imminent, unaware, it continued onward toward its destination.

Seeing that the field mouse was about to be caught, the weak preyed upon by the strong—this is the basic law of nature.

The moon in the firmament silently watched all this, casting two shadows.

The owl abruptly changed direction, then suddenly flew again toward the high sky, heading for the highest point of the mountain peak, as if something drove it to abandon its hunting instinct.

Animals have spirits, but lack wisdom; the unseen mountain summit exerts a great attraction on them, even suppressing their desire to hunt.

And the place they were heading turned out to be exactly where Ye Qin was!

When Ye Qin finished his contemplation and opened his eyes again, it was already the latter half of the night; he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, and a pair of beast's eyes faintly lit up not far away, then seemed to be startled.

A yellow flash flickered and vanished, quickly darting into the nearby thicket.

Even though it was fast, Ye Qin's keen eyes saw it: 'Turns out it was a yellow weasel.'

As for why there was a yellow weasel around, Ye Qin just thought it had passed by accident; returning to his cave, he didn't give it another thought.

Let alone a mere yellow weasel; according to Ye Qin's current ability, even if a large beast came, it probably wouldn't be a match for him.

He was no longer the weak, pitiful little snake that could be killed by any random predator.

Originally he thought it was an accident, but who would have expected that after Ye Qin finished his cultivation the next day and opened his eyes again, this time there were two pairs of green, gloomy eyes.

Good fellow, besides a yellow weasel, there was now also a small field mouse.

Ye Qin suddenly felt he was being intensely watched; he looked up and saw an owl perched on the treetop, looking somewhat wooden and not very bright.

If he remembered correctly, field mice and owls are natural enemies, and owls also eat serpents.

Even if it were a coincidence, this would be too unusual; moreover, the yellow weasel had already appeared here a second time.

He remembered that before his cultivation, these animals did not exist; that is, only after his cultivation did they gather.

As Ye Qin's cultivation ended, these animals quickly fled into the nearby thicket or hid in the sky; soon they vanished completely, leaving the ground empty as if nothing had happened.

Only a strand of yellow hair drifted down to the ground, especially conspicuous in the moonlight.

"It seems they were attracted by me."

Ye Qin pondered; as he cultivated each day, the animals gathered more and more, of all kinds.

Most were small animals like owls; later he became accustomed to them.

As for why they were drawn to him, perhaps because he contemplated the Yin, absorbed moonlight, thereby altering the surrounding magnetic field and generating a special energy.

At first these animals might have been afraid, not daring to get too close, merely watching from afar; but seeing that Ye Qin seemed to have no reaction and would not harm them, their boldness gradually grew.

However, the open space around Ye Qin remained an absolute forbidden zone; no animal dared to set foot there.

(End of chapter)