Chapter 100: Qilin Gazes at the Imperial Hometown

Zhou Qingyun was hesitant, but in the end, she accepted the jade slip.

Master Canxia smiled and said, "Go. The sage says, 'Among three people walking, there must be my teacher.' Mount Sanqing is worthy of being a great sect; its foundation is even better than Emei's, and it has a heart to save the world. Any two disciples picked from its sect are not simple. Follow them and learn well."

Zhou Qingyun agreed.

So the three dared not delay any longer, bid farewell to Master Canxia, and continued to patrol the mountain and observe the Qi.

"Fellow Daoist Qingyun, do you know how to observe Qi?"

Zhou Qingyun's face turned red, and she shook her head: "This junior has not learned it. Also, Senior, just call me Qingyun."

Jianxian nodded and then stopped speaking.

Cheng Xinzhan was even more focused on surveying the Feng Shui, observing even more carefully, and no longer paying attention to any beautiful scenery, so as not to repeat the same mistake.

With a new outsider present, the master and disciple found it even harder to discuss thunder arts, so with an extra person, the scene became even colder.

Zhou Qingyun didn't know if the master and disciple didn't talk in the first place or if they didn't want to talk because of her previous rude behavior, and for a while, she felt a bit stifled.

However, she was not an ordinary person. She firmly remembered Master Canxia's instructions and watched carefully as the two leaped among the mountain rocks, sometimes listening to the wind, sometimes smelling the soil, and sometimes riding clouds into the sky to look into the distance, feeling that she had learned a lot.

Sometimes she would remind them loudly, saying whose cave dwelling was ahead, so they shouldn't ride clouds to look from high up, or what kind of long-standing poisonous barrier was ahead, so they shouldn't go deeper. Sometimes she would call the two to stop, pointing to a certain spring and saying it was excellent sweet spring water, inviting the two to taste it.

After half a day like this, Jianxian and Cheng Xinzhan felt embarrassed to remain silent all the time.

Jianxian didn't want to talk, so he gave Cheng Xinzhan a look.

Cheng Xinzhan understood. Walking to a certain place, he pointed to the mountain trend behind a long ridge and said to Zhou Qingyun,

"Look at that long ridge behind. The mountain trend is high and majestic going up, gradually lower going down, and undulating. At the low place, guardian mountains appear on both sides, and mountain streams gather to form a river flowing toward the plain. This is a dragon trend.

What is before our eyes is the 'Lesser Ancestor Coming Dragon.' The high one above is the 'Ancestor Coming Dragon,' and going down is the 'Entering Head Dragon.' Look there, where the two mountains guard and the mountain stream joins, that is the 'Dragon Cave,' which is suitable for burial.

The river flowing down is the water vein, but it is also a continuation of this mountain trend. On this entire great mountain and water vein, wherever a problem arises, it will be reflected in the Ancestor Mountain and the Mountain Cave. We only need to look at these two places. Now the Ancestor Mountain is close to us, so let's go there and take a look."

Cheng Xinzhan picked out a few of the most basic and universally recognized mountain trends in Feng Shui form and topography to tell Zhou Qingyun. This was not considered leaking secrets. Naturally, he wouldn't talk about the various divine mountains and strange caves recorded in the "Qingfu Transformation Scripture," and of course, they were not easy to encounter.

Zhou Qingyun didn't understand much, but she knew Cheng Xinzhan was teaching her, so she listened especially carefully.

And Daoist Jianxian, listening, was even more astonished in his heart. It seems that in terms of the Dao of form and topography alone, Xinzhan had already surpassed him!

Although he only practiced mountain searching and Qi observation as a secondary skill and was not deeply involved, he couldn't compare to the inheritance of Mount Mingzhi. But how old was Xinzhan? He certainly hadn't read as many books as he had, but his understanding of mountain trends and his eye for searching mountains were already much higher than his own!

Just take that dragon trend just now. If he had been standing at the low place of the Entering Head Dragon, he would certainly have been able to see it, but they were now on the side of the high place, with a ridge in between, and he hadn't seen it!

And Cheng Xinzhan also felt that he had gained a lot from this trip. Mount Huangshan's mountain trends were unpredictable, with various strange rocks and springs scattered about, changing the original mountain trends beyond recognition and giving rise to many changes out of thin air.

He felt that he had only understood four or five parts of the form and topography he had read about in books before. Now, observing the mountains and verifying them, he understood six or seven parts. As for the remaining three or four parts, based on the correspondence between the books and reality, he could vaguely guess one or two parts.

Walking and looking like this, they circled Mount Huangshan for more than half a circle. By the third day, they finally made a discovery.

Cheng Xinzhan gazed at a mountain range for a long time, then looked at a dense forest.

"Something is wrong."

"What is it?"

Jianxian asked.

"There shouldn't be a forest there, and such a dense forest at that."

Jianxian didn't see the reason.

"Look at this mountain. It is a Qilin trend, but there is an extra 'Flying Peak' on the Qilin's forehead. It is a 'Triangular Qilin.' There is yellow fog on the Qilin's head and a sea of clouds behind it. This is the mountain trend of an 'Exotic-Horned Qilin Ascending to Heaven for Coronation,' which is noble beyond words. The Qilin is crowned and lowers its head, but the Qilin is an immortal species and generally does not lower its head. Lowering its head must mean seeing the moon. Lowering its head to see the moon means water, but there is no lake there; instead, it is a dense forest. It's not right."

Jianxian had never heard of this mountain trend, so he said: "Let's go over and take a look."

So the three flew toward the dense forest. As soon as they entered the forest, there was a cold feeling. Finally, in the middle of the forest, they saw a small pool with a diameter of no more than a zhang, the pool water black.

Cheng Xinzhan looked around the small pool; it was all wet mud, overgrown with shrubs.

"This was originally a lake, connected to an underground spring. It gradually dried up into a small pool, and the water became stagnant, which actually nourished these yin woods. This 'Moon Lake' is the cave eye of this mountain trend. Once the lake dries up, all the yellow fog and sea of clouds will dissipate, and the mountain rocks will crack. By then, the Qilin will also die. Now it seems it won't take ten years."

"Can you see the source?"

Jianxian asked.

Cheng Xinzhan carefully looked at the mountain trend. The Qilin was looking north. He took some soil from the north below the mountain and smelled it, saying, "Moon Lake was originally connected to underground living water. The underground river is an extension of this earth vein. Now the mud underground is already foul-smelling. However, following this direction, we should be able to find clues. If we go further, the underground river will flow out of the ground and connect with the mountain on the ground. It is a clear vein."

"Can you see the cause?"

Jianxian asked again.

Cheng Xinzhan shook his head this time: "Not clear. The downstream earth vein must have had an accident, but I don't know if it is a natural disaster or man-made."

"Good, let's do this. We will finish the circle. If there are no clues elsewhere, or if it is not as critical as this, we will come back."

Cheng and Zhou naturally agreed.

Over the next day and a half, they finished walking the remaining places. Indeed, they found no other situation like the dying Qilin, so they decided to follow the mountain trend of the Qilin looking north and continue searching to the north.

"Fellow Daoist Qingyun, thanks to you these past few days."

Daoist Jianxian said.

Zhou Qingyun shook her head. She really didn't feel she had helped with anything; on the contrary, she had learned a lot. She was even more impressed with Cheng Xinzhan. How did he know everything?

"Next, let my master and disciple continue the investigation. It has delayed your reunion with Master Canxia."

Zhou Qingyun also knew that she really couldn't help at all next, and might even be a burden, so naturally, it wasn't appropriate to say they should continue traveling together, so she said,

"Then, Daoist Jianxian, Fellow Daoist Xinzhan, I wish you a smooth journey and that you find the truth soon. If there is anything you need, you can come to Pen-Writing Peak. My master and I will certainly not refuse."

Jianxian and Cheng Xinzhan nodded with a smile.

So Zhou Qingyun looked at Jianxian, and then lingered on Cheng Xinzhan's face for a little longer, cupped her hands, and left.

The master and disciple returned to the Qilin trend and followed the polluted underground river north.

After traveling about seventy or eighty li, they saw a small stream emerging from the ground, but looking at the old riverbed, this should have been a large river.

The two continued north along the stream. This earth vein was crystal clear in Cheng Xinzhan's eyes. Sometimes it was a stream, sometimes a mountain ridge. Sometimes, although it was just flat ground, the underground river and mineral veins were still guiding him. So, smelling the wind and soil all the way, they traveled about one thousand five or six hundred li.

Subsequently, a large mortal city stood before them.

At this time, looking at it again with the method of mountain searching and Qi observation, it was a rolling red dust, making people shrink back.

And on the south city gate of that giant city were clearly written three majestic characters:

Hongwu Gate!

The master and disciple watched from afar.

"It is the Central Ducheng of Fengyang."

Cheng Xinzhan said.

Jianxian nodded: "This is troublesome. The imperial capital of the mortal world. This red dust Qi is more powerful than any miasma poison. I just look at it from afar, and I feel a palpitation."

Cheng Xinzhan said softly: "The Qilin vein goes straight into the imperial hometown, the Central Ducheng. Is this connected to the dragon vein? Then could this yin evil Qi originate from the Ming Dynasty dragon vein? The Qilin vein might just be implicated."

Jianxian shook his head: "Not clear. This matter is probably not small. You and I should not move yet. I will report to the sect first."

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Cheng Xinzhan nodded in agreement.

So Daoist Jianxian took out a command arrow, used his hand as a pen, wrote rapidly on it, and finally sealed it with a talisman. The Daoist flicked the command arrow, and it went directly into the void and disappeared.

"Done. Now let's wait here and see how the sect arranges it."

Then he saw Cheng Xinzhan staring curiously at the direction where the command arrow disappeared, and then smiled and said, "Just a command arrow for transmitting messages, it can just escape into the void. It has my Mount Sanqing's secret incantation on it, so it is not easily intercepted and will fly directly to the sect's 'Letter-Seeing Mountain.' Since you and I are waiting here, I will teach it to you."

Cheng Xinzhan immediately said good.

The two waited on a small hill outside the Central Ducheng from sunset until the next morning. Just as Cheng Xinzhan had learned the technique of command arrow transmission, there was finally movement from the direction of the sect.

Several black dots appeared in the sky to the southwest, and it seemed several people had come.

After a while, those people flew closer, pressed down their cloud heads, and landed on the hill. Cheng Xinzhan's eyes lit up.

"Fellow Daoist Jihu, Fellow Daoist Miaoyuan!"

A total of five people came, all very young. Feng Jihu and Wang Miaoyuan were among them, and he didn't recognize the other three.

After the five landed, they all saluted Daoist Jianxian first.

"Greetings, Master."

Jianxian laughed upon seeing this: "You all came. The sect thinks thoroughly."

One of the five stepped forward and said: "Master, the sect indicates that the red dust in this Central Ducheng city is surging. Since you are at the critical juncture of the Second Realm, do not go in. We few of the First Realm, together with Xinzhan, can go in. After we return, sitting on the 'Calm Heart Cliff' for a few months should eliminate the red dust Qi."

Daoist Jianxian nodded and said with a smile: "Since you all came, what else do I have to worry about? There are some you haven't met yet, Xinzhan; you can get to know each other. I am leaving."

After saying that, Jianxian flicked his sleeves and left on a cloud, leaving only a few young people behind.

Feng Jihu said at this time: "Let me introduce. This is Cheng Xinzhan, the twenty-second generation true disciple of Mount Mingzhi. Everyone must call him 'Daoist Master.' When he opened his Heart Mansion, he suffered from miasma poison, so now he is auditing thunder arts next to 'Pivot Mountain'."

"I know, six-breath Qi-eating, a figure on the 'Southern Dipper Ranking'."

Someone said with a smile.

Everyone greeted Cheng Xinzhan with a smile.

Next, Feng Jihu introduced the three people Cheng Xinzhan hadn't seen to him.

"True disciple of Purple Smoke Mountain, Sun Miaoshu. All five mansions are opened, and he can enter the Second Realm at any time. He specializes in the Void Law. If we fall into danger, our escape depends on him."

Feng Jihu pointed to a young man in a purple robe. This person was handsome and dashing, needless to say, and his temperament was particularly steady. It was he who first spoke to Daoist Jianxian just now.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Miaoshu."

Cheng Xinzhan saluted, and Sun Miaoshu also returned the salute with a smile: "Greetings, Little Daoist Master. Jihu exaggerates; I only know a little bit of the fur of the Void Law."

Feng Jihu pointed to a young man in a star robe. This person's eyes were particularly attractive, extremely deep and extremely clear.

"True disciple of 'Shake Light Mountain,' Xu Jishen. Opened four mansions. Specializes in star observation, Qi observation, and calculation. He can predict good and bad luck. If you want to ask for directions, you must ask him. When I left the sect to open the Water Mansion, I asked him to calculate a hexagram for me, and it was very accurate."

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Jishen."

Cheng Xinzhan saluted, and Xu Jishen returned the salute with a smile: "Little Daoist Master, don't listen to Jihu. He exaggerates, exaggerates. I just entered the gate."

Feng Jihu chuckled and pointed to the last unfamiliar one. It was a young man in a white robe. His face was a bit round, and he didn't look old. At this moment, he was smiling, showing two deep dimples.

"True disciple of White Tiger Mountain, Zhu Jianmo. Has the bloodline of the Ming imperial family, a side branch of the founding prince. However, his ancestors loved the Dao, and several generations ago, they began to live in seclusion to seek the Dao, and have long since broken ties with the secular world. Last night, I let him flip through all the classics related to the construction of the Fengyang Central Capital city. He didn't finish reading them, so he even brought the original blueprints."

"He should be a year younger than you, already opened three mansions, and is proficient in the Dao of mechanisms and puppets. Pathfinding depends on him."

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Jianmo."

Cheng Xinzhan saluted, and Zhu Jianmo returned the salute with a smile: "Little Daoist Master, just call me Jianmo. What proficiency, just roughly understand."

"Fellow Miaoyuan, we have already drunk together. True disciple of Hundred Grass Mountain, opened two mansions, specializes in array formations."

Feng Jihu pointed to Wang Miaoyuan and said.

Cheng Xinzhan and Wang Miaoyuan smiled at each other. Both were drinking buddies, and everything was understood without words.

Subsequently, Feng Jihu pointed to himself: "I am the most useless. I only know some medical skills and medicine preparation. I just hope not to drag you down when the time comes. I guess the reason the teachers named me is mainly because I have done many errands before and am familiar with everyone."

Everyone scolded Feng Jihu for not being honest, saying that others bragged, but he hid his clumsiness.

Feng Jihu laughed and finally pointed to Cheng Xinzhan: "The teachers originally wanted to arrange someone who specializes in Yang arts, or thunder and fire, someone who specializes in illusions, someone who can identify yin and strange objects, and someone who knows the terrain. But Master Su Kongyu said, none of these are needed; you are enough."

Everyone looked over with a smile.

Cheng Xinzhan smiled bitterly. His master trusted his disciple too much and bragged too much. He only said: "All are roughly understood, just know a little bit of fur."

Everyone laughed loudly.

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(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 101 =====