Chapter 16: The Daoist Secret Incantation: The Heavenly Mother

The moon, like a fox’s eye, gazed coldly upon the mortal world.

Qingwei Palace, quiet chamber.

When Zhang Fan awoke, dawn was breaking; he staggered out of bed and stepped outside to see a faint sliver of pale light in the east.

“Reverend Breaker?” Zhang Fan called out, his voice hoarse and low; his throat felt as if scorched by fire, agonizingly painful, his body utterly weak.

The long corridor lay silent and empty; the vast Qingwei Palace had returned to its usual stillness.

“Where has everyone gone? Did they all die?”

Zhang Fan rubbed his temples, his head throbbing as if about to split; he clearly remembered being pierced through the chest—he should already be with his ancestors…

He wandered dazedly out of Qingwei Palace, following a back-mountain path, and soon saw a pond before him, beside which stood a figure—short hair to the shoulders, pale skin, ethereal under the mingling light of sun and moon.

“Jiang Lai…”

Zhang Fan’s eyes lit up; he forced himself forward despite the searing pain in his head.

“Why are you here…”

“Don’t speak…”

Jiang Lai raised a hand to silence him.

Only then did Zhang Fan notice Jiang Lai’s gaze fixed intently on the pond’s center, where a giant turtle had surfaced, its shell as large as a millstone…

“This…”

Zhang Fan glanced once, unimpressed; he had seen the great serpent that watched the moon, the Daoist priest who commanded thunder, the cursed insects that broke through wells…

Such a giant turtle seemed ordinary now; besides, some turtles in real life could indeed grow this large.

“Where did you go last night?” Zhang Fan couldn’t help asking.

“It’s about to emerge…”

Jiang Lai seemed not to hear Zhang Fan; her eyes never left the giant turtle at the pond’s center.

“What?”

Zhang Fan froze, instinctively turning to look.

At that moment, the pond erupted in ripples; waves surged, and a dark, coiling shape rose from behind the turtle…

“This…”

Zhang Fan’s pupils shrank sharply—he saw now that the dark shape was a giant serpent, most bizarrely, fused with the turtle as if it were the turtle’s tail…

Zhang Fan snapped to alertness, turned his head—his side was empty, not a soul in sight.

“Jiang Lai…”

Zhang Fan shouted, jolting awake.

This time, it was truly just a dream!! “You’re awake…”

A soft voice came from beside his ear; Zhang Fan stared at the ceiling—he was still inside Qingwei Palace’s quiet chamber, his clothes soaked in sweat; he turned to see a beautiful young girl seated at the bedside, cheek propped on her hand, bright almond eyes half-lidded, like a fox’s, fixed intently on him.

“Xia… Xia Weisheng…” Zhang Fan recognized her at once.

“You still remember me. Looks like you’re fine.”

Xia Weisheng rose slowly, walked to the table, poured a cup of water, and handed it to Zhang Fan.

“I… I wasn’t…”

Zhang Fan sat up quickly, checking his chest—no wound, only a faint mark, like a curved line cradling a perfect sphere…

“You were lucky—you stole our Zhenwu Mountain’s jade tally, so you kept your life…”

Xia Weisheng pressed the cup into Zhang Fan’s hand, then propped her cheek again, watching him.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Zhang Fan felt uneasy under her gaze.

“The Daoist jade tally represents a lineage, tied to the fate of the mountain… it’s not merely symbolic…” Xia Weisheng said calmly.

“Can it be removed?” Zhang Fan couldn’t help asking.

“When you reach the Tianshi rank, you may pass the tally to another…”

“This…”

Right now, he could barely count as [Qi Gong]… Among the nine ranks, [Tianshi] was the highest achievement—he might live a hundred years and never reach it.

So this solution was clearly unreliable.

“There’s another way…”

“What?” Zhang Fan pressed.

“Kill you…”

“….”

At these words, Zhang Fan instantly tensed, instinctively shrinking back; he hadn’t forgotten how this woman once tried to kill him over just the four characters [Yin Fan Ying Jie], and worse—her [Five Thunder Orthodoxy] had even broken through Breaker Daoist’s defenses.

“Just joking…” Xia Weisheng smiled at his tense expression, eyes narrowing further, more foxlike.

“Killing is against the law… besides, Heaven favors life…”

Xia Weisheng rose again, sat warmly beside Zhang Fan’s bed, leaning close—immediately, a faint fragrance drifted toward him, stirring his thoughts.

“You have good talent. Train hard. If you reach the Gaogong rank soon, you might try removing the Zhenwu jade tally.”

Xia Weisheng patted Zhang Fan’s head, like a thoughtful neighborly older sister.

“Gaogong!?” Zhang Fan exhaled slightly in relief.

In Daoist circles, reaching the [Gaogong] rank was already rare enough; compared to [Tianshi], it was far more attainable.

“I’ll teach you a Daoist secret incantation… it’s Zhenwu Mountain’s most guarded secret—practice it often, reach Gaogong sooner.” Xia Weisheng suddenly changed tone.

“Really?” Zhang Fan felt suspicious.

What was a Daoist secret incantation?

Celestials often bestowed secret words to channel Qi—these were called secret incantations; mortals who recited them could command the power of spirits and ghosts.

Famous ones include the [Golden Light Incantation], [Pure Heart Incantation], [Tianpeng Divine Incantation], etc.

Each secret incantation was a lineage’s most closely guarded secret.

As Zhenwu Mountain’s senior sister, Xia Weisheng’s incantation was no ordinary thing.

“The incantation I’ll teach you is called…”

“The Heavenly Mother’s Heart Incantation!”

Xia Weisheng spoke softly but firmly, rose, checked outside the door, then shut and barred the windows.

As the saying goes: the Law is not passed to a third ear; the Art does not fall to an outside altar.

“The Heavenly Mother’s Heart Incantation!?” Zhang Fan repeated the name—he’d never seen it online.

“Heavenly Mother” refers to the Daoist deity [Doumu Yuanjun], said to have been born from the primordial Yin Qi of Yuanshi Tianzun, who later gave birth to [Gouchen Tianhuang Dadi], [Beiji Ziwēi Dadi], and the [Seven Northern Stars]…

Thus, she held exalted status in Daoist myth, known as the Lord of Stars, Sovereign of the Dou Mansion.

“An incantation from Doumu Yuanjun…”

“I’ll now transmit the incantation to you—remember it well…” Xia Weisheng grew serious, her throat shifting as she uttered strange syllables.

“Primordial Dao Mother, All-Celestial Star Sovereign, Lord of Stars, Sovereign of the Dou Mansion, Celestial Qi of the Center, Nine Emperors Supreme…”

Half an hour later, the door opened.

Xia Weisheng departed, satisfied, a lingering smile on her face.

Inside the quiet chamber, Zhang Fan silently recited the [Heavenly Mother’s Heart Incantation] Xia Weisheng had taught him, recalling it carefully—it carried a lingering, profound resonance.

“Zhang Fan…”

At that moment, Breaker Daoist came to visit.

“Feeling better?”

“I’m fine now,” Zhang Fan smiled lightly.

“Someone came?” Breaker Daoist noticed the teacup on the table.

“Your senior sister came!”

Zhang Fan’s mind echoed with the Heavenly Mother’s Heart Incantation—the chant seemed to hold an unforgettable magic.

“Weisheng? What did she want?” Breaker Daoist’s face darkened, visibly tense.

“She came to see me… not just to see me—she taught me a secret incantation.”

“What!?”

At these words, Breaker Daoist’s expression didn’t ease—it grew even darker.

“She taught you a Daoist secret incantation?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Zhang Fan blinked, sensing something amiss.

“This… Daoist secret incantations aren’t for just anyone to practice… even reciting them casually is forbidden…” Breaker Daoist said gravely.

“Why?” Zhang Fan didn’t understand.

“This…” Breaker Daoist paused, then said: “Have you ever heard this saying…?”

“What saying!?”

“Blue button, blue blood! No blue button, blood instead!!!”

(End of Chapter)