Chapter 76: Contemplating to Pacify Heavenly Disaster (8000-word Major Chapter)

As the village head, the leader offered a stick of incense with utmost reverence.

Praying for the Mountain God to bless Longyuan Village, to send down heavy rain soon to ease the drought, I, Liu Deming, thank the Mountain God Elder here.

All the villagers followed behind the village head, kowtowing devoutly, pleading, 'Mountain God Elder, please send rain quickly.'

If these crops all wither and die, then we will have no way to survive.

Please, Mountain God Elder, show great mercy.

Everyone knelt on the ground and kowtowed three resounding times in unison.

Hu Xiaocao looked at the crowd, lifted his head and asked his mother, 'Mom, will Grandfather Mountain God hear us?'

The woman's eyes were full of tenderness as she rubbed Hu Xiaocao's head, 'Don't worry, the Mountain God Elder won't ignore us; he will surely hear us.'

Hu Xiaocao clenched his fists, his eyes full of determination, 'Yes, I also believe in Grandfather Mountain God!'

Grandfather Mountain God will definitely bless us to get through this crisis.

This grand ceremony continued until midnight before ending, after which the villagers returned home to rest.

The villagers were full of hope, but unfortunately the longed-for heavy rain still did not fall.

The rice paddies were completely dried out, deep cracks spreading like spiderwebs, and the crops, like fish lacking water, withered at a visible speed.

The ground was constantly scorched, revealing gullies like wounds that could not heal.

As the heavy rain continued not to fall, the light in the villagers' eyes faded bit by bit.

In the face of natural disaster, humans sometimes appear especially tiny and powerless; aside from silent prayer, they hardly have any recourse.

After the ceremony, there was still no rain for several days.

The village head looked at the weather every day, smoking dry tobacco helplessly, as if that could ease his inner anxiety, recalling the words of Secretary Zheng and others when they last visited.

'We can't make the heavens rain, but we must remember: under no circumstances can a fire break out, because once it ignites, it's no joke.'

Villagers who rely on the mountain for their livelihood know well how terrifying a mountain fire is; once ignited, it is hard to extinguish, especially in such dry weather.

Even now, villagers going to worship the Mountain God are strictly ordered five times not to use incense or candles, only to lay out offerings, lest a spark be blown onto the mountain.

Yet what we fear often comes; sometimes the heavens just like to joke—human factors can be controlled, but natural ones cannot.

The blazing sun scorched the earth, usually dispelling darkness and bringing warm red light, but now it revealed a cold, merciless side.

The mountain stream had dried up; a shriveled frog lay on a rock, and the water still held many dead fish, emitting a foul odor.

Terrestrial creatures could still find places to cool off, but the unfortunate ones were the frogs and fish.

Plants, lacking moisture, had withered roots and stems; even those deeply rooted underground were helpless against the soil riddled with gullies.

The ground was covered with fallen leaves and dry twigs, their moisture evaporated, making them highly flammable; under direct sunlight, sparks dotted the ground.

Soon a wisp of white smoke rose, leaves instantly curled and spread to nearby flammable material.

Crackling sounds filled the ears without cease.

Since it was daytime and deep in the old mountains, far from human habitation, this went unnoticed.

A single spark can start a prairie fire.

When the mountain wind blew, flames quickly swept upward, swallowing the dry leaves, then spread rapidly in all directions like thunder before one could cover their ears.

The mountain range stretched continuously; the place where Ye Qin was located was the largest, with other smaller peaks surrounding it.

The fire occurred at West Mountain Peak, and the mountain where Ye Qin was located was separated from it by a small peak.

With so much flammable material around, plus the dry weather, a gust of wind made the fire grow larger and larger.

As night fell, Ye Qin then went out; silver light sprinkled onto the earth, and everything was just as usual.

A bright red snake tongue trembled uneasily, a faint burnt smell came and went, though slight, he still caught it.

Ye Qin seemed to sense something; his gaze accurately fell to the northwest—'It's a mountain fire!'

The worst fear came true: the ground temperature was too high, and with no rain, a fire finally broke out.

Moreover, judging by the situation, the mountain fire had likely been burning for a while—'This is terrible; I don't know if the villagers down at the mountain foot have noticed.'

Ye Qin looked toward the not‑far distance, a hint of gravity flashing in his serpentine pupils.

If it were still at the beginning, merely finding the fire source would make the mountain fire relatively easy to extinguish.

However, the ignition point was deep inside the forest, and it was the hottest part of the day, so by the time people noticed, it was already too late.

A man with a soot‑streaked face ran toward the village, as if a flood beast followed behind, shouting loudly all the way; many villagers poked their heads out of their homes.

'Panicked, what's happening?'

Someone recognized him as the forest guard Old Wu and hurriedly asked, 'Old Wu, what's wrong with you? How did you get in such a sorry state?'

Old Wu's face was covered with soot and fire marks: 'Not good, a mountain fire has started!'

Everyone was instantly shocked: 'How could this happen? Has anyone called the alarm?'

'I called 119, but I doubt they'll arrive anytime soon.'

Getting here requires traveling a stretch of mountain road, and this place is relatively remote.

Since they are at the mountain foot, the fire site is higher and on another peak; from the villagers' perspective they cannot see it, so without Old Wu's warning they might not even know about it.

'So what should we do now? Go fight the fire.'

Upon hearing that, someone couldn't help but roll their eyes: 'This is a mountain fire; even if all the villagers teamed up, we couldn't put it out.'

Although the village had some fire extinguishers, they were few; they could handle small fires, but lacking professional equipment, everyone could only feel helpless.

'So what should we do now? We can't just stare helplessly.'

The village head, respected and experienced, immediately ordered: 'Old Wu, lead some villagers to the outskirts to constantly monitor the fire situation; remember to protect yourselves.'

'Zhuzi, Old Ma, Xiao Wu, and you others, go to the road to direct traffic, guide the firefighters via a shortcut so they don't get lost.'

'As for the rest, don't gather here; just wait for any news from the village loudspeaker at any time.'

In the face of natural disaster, they could only respond to all changes with constancy.

'Good!'

Everyone nodded quickly.

The village chief's gaze fell toward a not-so-distant place, filled with worry and unease.

The green mountains stretched for miles; here it seemed peaceful, but the mountain fire was extremely fierce, and if the fire could not be controlled, it would likely spread to other peaks.

"Hope we can control the fire as soon as possible."

"Mountain God, if you truly have spirit in heaven, please bless our Longyuan Village."

The mountain fire is extremely fierce; trying to extinguish it is difficult because there is so much flammable material around, and even a tiny spark can reignite.

"Beep—beep—"

The harsh whistle from not far away sounded like heavenly music to everyone; the red vehicle, dragging its heavy body, moved slowly forward, carrying the people's hope of extinguishing the fire.

The car door opened, bright orange-yellow dazzling, also slightly calming the panic caused by the mountain fire in everyone.

The firefighters inside carried equipment and quickly jumped down from the vehicle.

Because a section of the mountain road was rugged and impassable for cars, the firefighters and villagers who spontaneously formed a team could only carry the heavy equipment on their backs, transporting it up the mountain by motorcycle or mountain cart.

After crossing half the mountain peak, a wave of heat hit them; within a few seconds, their clothes were soaked with sweat, then quickly evaporated.

It was as if a sticky, heavy layer of armor formed on their clothes, melted by the high temperature and then re-aggregated, repeatedly stacked, pressing on everyone so they could hardly breathe.

Flames surged upward, almost lighting half the sky; red and orange light intertwined like a fanged, clawed monster, constantly demonstrating against the firefighters.

Fire Captain Qian Qixue made a swift decision: "Team One, you open the road; Team Two, set up the water pumps; Team Three, establish isolation points; Team Four, scout the situation to see if we can use helicopters to extinguish the fire."

They were well-trained and quickly grasped the basic situation.

"The fire line is about 800 meters long, roughly V-shaped, spreading toward the mountain base and westward; the fire spreads quickly, and the numbers keep growing at a terrifying rate."

At this rate, the burned area will only increase.

"The terrain here is complex; the fire zone aloft easily forms turbulence, affecting aircraft flight, so using aircraft to extinguish the fire won't work."

The firefighters quickly went into action, but the mountain fire came on fiercely; their hair dried, then became wet again, and was then dried by the high heat.

The water jets shot out like a long dragon; countless droplets sprayed out, falling on the flames, making a continual hissing sound.

The fire seemed to be diminishing, but the surrounding temperature was extremely high; after the water droplets evaporated completely, the fire returned to its previous state.

At such high temperatures, even wearing protective gear, one could feel the scorching heat.

Using water cannons to sweep was also futile; as long as there remained even a spark, it would merge with the nearby fire line and blaze anew.

Thick smoke rolled, almost swallowing the orange completely; facing the fire's onslaught, these firefighters fighting on the front line showed no retreat.

Their mouths were dry, constantly secreting saliva, yet their throats still felt as if being cut by a knife.

"No, Captain, we must adopt other effective measures; besides, we lack manpower and need to request reinforcements."

From the walkie-talkie came teammates' hoarse shouts, accompanied by the whooshing mountain wind and the crackling of the fire burning.

Qian Qixue looked at the not-so-distant blaze, his gaze somewhat solemn.

The terrain here is somewhat complex: high, steep slopes, hills, gullies crisscrossing, obvious undulations; under the influence of wind speed and slope, the fire zone easily forms microclimates, affecting fire development.

Moreover, multiple intermittent fire lines could split out, spreading in all directions, making the fire zone shape extremely irregular; if the outer and inner fire lines are not clearly layered, three-dimensional burning could occur, greatly increasing the difficulty of extinguishing.

He immediately reported the situation here, hoping superiors would dispatch more personnel.

"The fire here is already about to reach level four, and it might even reach level five later!"

The city attached great importance to this, and activated the emergency plan, because there are not few forests here; once the whole mountain ignites and spreads elsewhere, the consequences would be uncontrollable.

The Transportation Department urgently deployed, directing large fire trucks and material transport on each mountain road to avoid congestion, and also helping with transport.

The Meteorological Department also sent personnel to the scene, who set up a logistics team; they not only observed whether conditions for artificial rain existed, but also provided precise wind direction and speed warnings, helping firefighters extinguish the mountain fire more quickly.

One after another precision instruments were placed at safe points, while supplies were continuously transported upward.

The wind-powered fire extinguishers on the mountain peak continuously roared with earth-shaking sounds, as if the ground itself trembled, determined to fight the fire to the end.

The water pump's suction sound never ceased; the machine's noise rang constantly, followed by that long water hose, spreading among the mountains.

These items were transported over time, nearly 3000 sets of forest fire‑fighting equipment, joining this firefighting battle.

Humans were like tiny ants, moving through the deep mountains, with over 200 meters of water hose and heavy gear, being dragged and shoulder‑carried by them into the mountains.

Flames raged high; the heavy firefighting combat suits steamed inside and baked outside, making it unbearable; such high temperature could no longer be measured, only they themselves knew what it meant to sweat like rain.

Facing such harsh conditions, they never stopped moving, like a spinning top that never ceases, hardly having time to take a sip of water.

Sweat slid down their cheeks, evaporating without needing to be wiped,

That hint of bright yellow gathered in the mountains and forests, like an orange river, but compared to the surrounding sea‑like flames, it was still too weak.

As time passed bit by bit, the situation remained unoptimistic.

At this point it was daytime; adding insult to injury, the scorching heat once again blanketed the land, making firefighting even harder.

The red sun hanging in the firmament seemed unaware of the suffering on the earth.

Under such weather, the temperature in the mountains and forests had already reached terrifying figures, breaking the three‑digit threshold.

Even the firefighters' boots showed signs of melting, feet burned, and even professional protective gear could not withstand such temperature.

They are mortal flesh; even with steel‑like will, they still feel pain and get injured.

Moreover, due to the high heat, some people suffered heatstroke and fainted, with bodily fluids continuously evaporating without timely replenishment.

Everyone on the mountain felt extremely heavy‑hearted, even treating this as their final mission.

The villagers at the mountain base could already see the sky‑reaching firelight not far away; even in daylight it was clearly visible, thick smoke rolling, the air reeking of scorched odor, blowing toward them.

As countless personnel and firefighting equipment were transported here, everyone instead felt a sense of unease.

"You say this fire can be put out?"

"With so many firefighters here and such huge equipment, it should be extinguishable, right?"

"But I see the fire is still quite big; the mountain fire is truly fierce, this can't be certain—what if we can't put it out?"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell into silence at once.

If it cannot be extinguished, then we can only let the mountain fire keep burning, until the whole mountain peak is reduced to ash; when there is nothing left to burn, it will naturally die out.

But the key is, there are still several mountain ranges nearby, and there are villages at the mountain's base; no one can guarantee that a strong wind won't blow sparks to other places, igniting fires again.

"Pah, you jinx, the mountain fire will definitely be put out."

The villager who just said that also realized his slip of the tongue, "Exactly, exactly, I was just speaking off the cuff."

The fire on the mountain is too fierce; for safety, only professionals can operate, and even if villagers want to help, they can only assist in transporting supplies and cannot stay too long.

A batch of villagers just came down from the mountain, were smoked by the drifting thick smoke to grimy faces, and moreover drenched in sweat.

"How's the situation on the mountain?"

The villagers transporting supplies exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat solemn, "The situation isn't good; the fire on the opposite mountain is huge."

Hearing this, everyone's hearts sank to the bottom of the valley; they could only pray in their hearts for heaven to send rain quickly, even a light rain would do, so that even if the mountain fire couldn't be extinguished, at least the situation wouldn't worsen.

Unfortunately, only dry wind blew in the air, with not a trace of moisture; people felt anxious and restless, various emotions intertwining in their hearts.

Under the scorching sun, the firefighting operation faces even greater difficulties.

"If we could carry out artificial rain and combine it with our ground work, it would greatly relieve the pressure."

Hearing Qian Qixue's words, the meteorological staff wore bitter expressions: "It's not that we don't want to, but we can't; after testing, this place lacks the conditions for artificial rain."

Artificial rain is most important; it requires a suitable cloud cluster, and the cloud thickness must exceed 2000 meters, lacking ice crystals but having abundant water vapor, etc.

Now the sky is clear and cloudless; even if there are clouds, they are thin and do not meet the conditions for artificial rain.

"Then what about natural rain—how likely is it?"

The meteorological staff still shook their heads: "The chance is almost zero; according to the latest atmospheric observations, there will be no rain these days."

Everyone wore worried frowns; artificial rain was not an option. As information came back from the front lines, Qian Qixue made up his mind to adopt a certain decision: "Pass the word down, implement the controlled burn tactic."

Controlled burn tactic, which is colloquially known as 'fight fire with fire'.

By artificially igniting a fire head and meeting the oncoming forest fire, the junction suddenly lacks oxygen, losing the condition for combustion.

Put simply, it means pre‑burning the combustible material; after it burns out, when the fire spreads there is no fuel left, so when the two fires meet they will extinguish themselves, and finally human effort assists.

This is a commonly used method for dealing with forest fires; it can efficiently and quickly control large‑scale fire situations.

"Won't it be too dangerous? Affected by terrain and weather, local areas may generate eddies, with unstable wind strength and direction, easily causing the forest fire's behavior to change unpredictably, making it hard to accurately predict how the fire will spread."

Someone raised an objection.

"All previous firefighting methods have been tried; after overall consideration, only this is feasible. If we don't take measures against the spreading mountain fire, it will very likely flow downstream and endanger the populace."

One wave hasn't settled before another rises.

Soon, survey personnel came running over with panicked expressions.

"Not good! The wind direction over there has changed—the mountain fire has shifted from a northwest wind to a southeast wind, spreading toward our mountain!"

The fire in the mountains changes in an instant; if their mountain peak also catches fire, no amount of extraordinary means will help.

Qian Qixue made a swift decision: "Immediately launch the controlled burn tactic!"

He took out the mountain map and pointed to the southeast position.

"Team 12 will conduct the ignition upfront; if the fire is too weak, we'll use wind‑powered fire extinguishers to assist combustion, and if it's too strong, we'll use water pumps to suppress it, ensuring the controlled burn spreads in the intended direction and keeping the fire within control."

"Team 34 will handle the rear support, staying ready to adapt to any situation; even if we can't completely extinguish the mountain fire, we must absolutely not let it continue spreading."

Everyone carried out the operation in an orderly manner, only hoping this time it would be effective.

At the mountain's base, Hu Xiaocao and her daughter, one frail and the other young, could be of little help; they could only carry water to distribute to everyone, which counts as doing their small part.

Watching the flames lick the sky, the mother and daughter felt uneasy.

Hu Xiaocao gazed into the distance, worried about Ye Qin's safety: "Will Mountain God Grandfather be alright?"

"Don't worry, Mountain God Grandfather is very capable; nothing will happen to him."

"Mountain God Grandfather is so powerful—why can't he put out the fire? Could it be because he previously expended too much spiritual power?"

Seeing Hu Xiaocao's guilty, self‑reproachful expression, the woman also felt somewhat uneasy.

Nobody wishes to see a mountain fire occur, but sometimes natural disasters are unavoidable and beyond human control.

"Good child, this isn't your concern; Mountain God Grandfather is so kind, he surely wants to help too, but he isn't omnipotent."

Hu Xiaocao recalled the small animals she had once seen in the woods; Mountain God Grandfather might escape disaster, but what about those small animals?

Ye Qin, whom the mother and daughter were worrying about, was roaming the neighboring mountain, surveying the situation.

At this moment the mountain fire has begun spreading toward the neighboring peak; if it cannot be controlled, it will likely reach the mountain where he is.

Flames licked upward, shooting straight to the horizon.

The sky burned crimson, like a huge furnace trapping the mountain's living creatures inside.

Ye Qin personally saw the fire reveal a ferocious, crimson face, devouring a small animal that couldn't escape in time.

The smell of scorched fur accompanied the crackling sounds and the animals' mournful cries, incessant to the ear.

That small animal seemed to see Ye Qin as well, extending its forepaw in a human‑like gesture, as if begging him to save it—but the fire's ferocity turned it into a charred corpse in an instant.

Corpses like that could be seen everywhere.

Ye Qin couldn't help but sigh, "Life and death are fated."

Thick smoke rolled and spread everywhere, like the shadow of the grim reaper, spewing poisonous gases in all directions.

Originally clear waters and verdant hills were either covered by fire or veiled in black smoke, losing all their former vitality.

Calling it a human hell would not be an exaggeration; animals wailed across the fields, everywhere lay scorched fur and bodies.

Those animals had nowhere to flee, no escape; even if they survived the fire, inhaling too much carbon dioxide eventually overwhelmed them, and they staggered and collapsed.

In the fire, the most deadly thing is actually the carbon dioxide, then toxic gases, and finally the intense heat.

A dazed small animal was again devoured by the fire close behind; a vibrant life vanished in an instant.

A fire dragon surged forth with the force to crush rotting wood, ravaging the entire forest; wherever it went, no living thing could escape.

Trees that blocked the sky toppled slowly, leaving only charred husks that emitted faint cries; the ground was entirely blackened crisscrossed, the scars where flames had passed.

Ye Qin, whose body had been forged and tempered and who also had cultivation supporting him, possessed a certain resistance to high temperatures and was also able to withstand these poisonous fumes.

But other animals weren't so lucky.

Along the way, many charred corpses came into view, making the whole scene look shocking.

The fire has already burned two mountains; if it continues, casualties will likely increase even more.

Although the fire hasn't yet reached Ye Qin's mountaintop, at this rate it's only a matter of time.

Various tragedies kept unfolding before Ye Qin, but he remained calm, feeling only a hint of sorrow.

Among these small animals, even a few that had once come to worship him had also once bathed in the moonlight.

Yet in the cycle of life and death, the world is impermanent; in the blink of an eye they turn to charcoal—one can only say that life and death hang by a thread.

But such a mountain fire, more accurately speaking, for the animals and for the ecology of the entire mountain range, is a disaster.

In this mountain fire, probably aside from Ye Qin, no living thing can escape.

Regarding the understanding of life and death, Ye Qin seems to have gained deeper insight.

Heaven is sometimes merciless; it does not target any particular being, but all things have their own fate.

From beginning to destruction, it often happens in an instant; no one knows whether tomorrow or an accident will come first.

Ye Qin originally did not wish to intervene, because whether human or animal, all should be treated equally.

Heaven is not benevolent, treating all things as straw dogs.

The meaning of this is that heaven is impartial, treating all matters and things equally.

Ye Qin also does not wish to intervene in such matters, for there is no karmic involvement.

Yet this mountain fire affects not only these creatures but also himself.

His own cultivation progress will also be disrupted by this fire.

Ye Qin could simply leave; at worst, he could change locations and continue cultivating.

But what should become of the white bones in the cave? Must they really be burned in this great fire?

"I took up cultivation because of the white bones; if I let them be consumed by fire, it would likely be of no benefit to my cultivation."

In the fire's glow, the snake's forked tongue seemed to turn redder, and its pupil became a straight vertical line, branded with the distant firelight.

Ye Qin seemed to have made a decision; he absolutely would not allow his Origin Contemplation Object to be burned to ashes by the fire, so he must do something.

"Alas, I lack the divine ability to move mountains and seas, summon wind and rain, transform into a flood dragon, and extinguish this blaze."

If my abilities were a bit stronger, perhaps it could be done.

Ye Qin looked up at the sky, "If only a heavy rain would fall now, is there really no way?"

The sun shone brightly, white clouds drifted lazily, with no sign of rain.

Gazing at the thin clouds on the horizon, Ye Qin's mind suddenly flashed with inspiration.

Recalling the past, he remembered that the first heavenly tribulation had arrived exactly when he broke through to the second realm after contemplating the moon.

"Perhaps… this method could work?"

"By using contemplation to summon the heavenly tribulation, and extinguish the fire!"

Having thought this through, Ye Qin seemed to grasp it, no longer hesitating, and immediately turned around.

After returning to his mountaintop, he coiled on a stone, half his body rising upright—clearly preparing to contemplate.

Although the fire had not yet reached them, the small animals sensed something and fled the cave in droves, heading down the mountain, gradually forming a multicolored stream.

Some creatures were soot-covered, with more than half of their fur scorched—clearly they had barely escaped with their lives from the neighboring mountain's inferno.

But such fortunate ones were few; most creatures perished in the sea of fire.

As the fire spread, these animals also had to run for their lives, fleeing to places the fire could not reach,

Birds were relatively lucky, but for ground beasts it was hard to outrun the raging blaze.

Looking at the distant firelight, everything was swallowed by smoke; Ye Qin's mindset gradually settled into calm, returning once more to his former state of neither joy nor sorrow.

The mountain fire had consumed too many lives; if he chose to contemplate the fire, he would likely give rise to anger and resentment, which would be of no benefit to his cultivation, and he also did not wish to contemplate flames.

Although the situation is urgent, he would not casually pick a contemplation object to deceive himself and deceive Heaven; that would be disrespectful to the Dao and irresponsible toward himself.

Ye Qin raised his head to the sky; the sun seemed like a good choice.

Moreover, he had already contemplated the moon; logically, he could now contemplate the sun.

But as previously said, sunlight is too scorching, its power excessively domineering, easily burning him; Ye Qin wanted absolute certainty before contemplating the sun.

"But what if we contemplate… it?"

"Its power is boundless, and it is utterly pure and yang!"

Upon thinking this, Ye Qin seemed to have an idea; his heart was stirred, and he unusually felt a faint excitement.

"If that's the case, then the first step can be to contemplate 'clouds'!"

Taking his thoughts into account and considering the situation, contemplating clouds is the most suitable.

Ye Qin found a relatively high spot; the fire had not yet spread there, leaving him ample time for contemplation.

He cast aside his distractions, as if becoming a piece of green stone, gazing at the thin clouds above and falling into thought.

The sky was clear for miles; the cloud layer was few, even sparse.

If one ignores the scene of the mountain fire raging.

Under the blue sky, that wisp of white cloud drifting in the firmament makes the view not bad at all.

Among the mountains and forests, all animals were fleeing for their lives, trying to escape the sea of fire; only here, where Ye Qin was, was there a patch of tranquility, as if a self-contained world.

White clouds have endured since ancient times, present both day and night.

Clouds are the tangible result of Earth's vast water cycle.

Water evaporates into vapor; once the vapor becomes supersaturated, water molecules gather around airborne dust particles, and the resulting droplets or ice crystals scatter sunlight in all directions, producing the appearance of clouds.

Compared to the brilliance of the sun, moon, and stars, and being widely known, it seems unremarkable, yet it appears everywhere, closely tied to human life from ancient times to the present.

Ancient peoples would read clouds to observe celestial phenomena; moreover, they would draw weather cloud charts.

Cloud phenomena again become weather.

As early as the time of Emperor Yao, a dedicated astronomical official was established, specializing in 'observing phenomena to grant time'.

On the oracle bone scripts unearthed in Huaxia, there already appear wind, rain, snow, clouds, rainbows, and thunder and other weather phenomena; thus it is clear that the earliest humans attached great importance to weather.

Even furthermore they also used divination to predict weather information, and weather is closely related to cloud layers.

From the Qin to Han dynasties, it is not difficult to find various folk-recorded cloud chart illustrations.

In the 'Book of Han, Treatise on Literature and Arts' there is 'National Chapters Observing Rainbow Clouds and Rain'; in Song dynasty classics there is 'Chart of Solar and Lunar Halos, Pearls, Clouds and Qi for Divination'; and in early Western Han there is the 'Four Spirits Cloud Qi Chart', etc.

In the 'Chapter on Divining Cloud Qi' there is even a detailed record: 'Heaven and earth interact, yin and yang interact, this is called qi; after accumulating long, it becomes cloud; all things take form below and qi responds above…'

Thus it can be seen that 'cloud' is formed by the accumulation of 'qi', and 'qi' is generated by people; therefore, when people gather, qi arises, and when qi accumulates, cloud forms.

Ye Qin's contemplation of white clouds is none other than contemplating another kind of 'qi', and it exactly matches the Third Realm's 'Heaven and Earth Refining Qi'.

Not knowing when it started, a wisp of white cloud drifted above Ye Qin's head, casting a small shadow on the ground, and he stood still.

In the vague, it seemed as if an invisible thread connected Ye Qin and the white cloud above his head.

The mountain wind kept blowing, yet this little wisp of cloud underwent no change.

However, if observed carefully, one would find that the surrounding clouds continually drift toward it, afterwards gathering and growing larger.

(End of chapter)