Chapter 108: Bai Yu Capital in the Heavens

The twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Cheng Xinzhan set down his brush, blew on the paper to dry it, and finished another "Portrait of the New Year Daoist Subduing Demons."

He had promised the people of Lixi Village, deep in the mountains of the Miao Border, that he would replace their door paintings every year. He had painted many while in the Miao Border last year, so this year's batch was still sufficient; there was no need to make a special trip, but he had to start saving up for the years to come.

Compared to last year, his painting technique hadn't improved much, but the intent of Yang fire in the paintings was much more vigorous. Surely, the old village chief would be even more pleased when he saw them.

Heavy snow fell outside the cave. He didn't want to go out for the time being, so it was the perfect time to sort out his path forward.

Back when he was still far from the Fire-Repelling Mansion, he had been thinking about the Inner Landscape Deity for his Metal Mansion. He had set his heart on a Golden Corpse early on and even thought about going to the northwest to search for one.

However, man proposes, Heaven disposes. Through a series of coincidences, he saw the Jin Horned Qilin Corpse Immortal ascend in Qingzhou, and thus he forged the Horned Qilin Golden Corpse Inner Landscape Deity.

But if he hadn't had a plan early on, he wouldn't have been so attentive when he saw the Horned Qilin Corpse, and he certainly wouldn't have asked the Corpse Immortal, "What is the nature of Metal?"

Now that his Metal Mansion Inner Landscape Deity was forged, he only needed the thunder pulp to dissolve the true malevolence of the Metal Mansion to open it. Therefore, he should plan for the next organ.

Fire is born in the air, and Metal is refined in fire. Now, only the three elements of Earth, Wood, and Water remained. He thought for a moment and realized the sequence for what followed was already very clear.

Metal generates Water, Earth generates Metal, and Metal conquers Wood. Unlike fire refining true metal, although they are mutually destructive, there is also nourishment. Metal truly has no theory of benefiting Wood, so according to the order of the Five Elements, the next should be Water or Earth.

Looking at the Heavenly Stems to distinguish Yin and Yang, currently, he had Bing fire and Xin metal. According to the order of Yin and Yang, the next step should be Yang as well—that is, Wu earth or Ren water.

However, looking back at the Heart Mansion's Bing fire, in the Five Elements, Water and Fire correspond to Yin and Yang, and in the five organs, the Heart and Kidneys divide the two poles. Since the Yang fire was already set, it should be Yin water.

If it were Bing fire and Ren water, Yang would be flourishing and Yin would be declining, leading to an imbalance of Yin and Yang. That would not do.

Thus, after Xin metal, it could only be Wu earth; after Wu earth, it would be Gui water; and finally, Jia wood.

Moreover, the Spleen Mansion being the third mansion to be opened also corresponds to the theory of Earth within the Five Elements.

Finally, Jia wood would turn back to nourish the momentum of Bing fire. In this way, the cycle of the Five Elements would be completed, Yin and Yang would generate each other, the five mansions would be settled, and the Crimson Palace could be expected.

Wu earth.

Cheng Xinzhan wrote these two characters on a new sheet of white paper.

In his sequence of opening mansions, Wu earth was located between Xin metal and Gui water. If applied to a person, this would be an extremely noble destiny.

The Daoist classic *Drip Heaven Essence* says: "Wu earth is solid and heavy, both central and upright. Quiet in gathering, active in opening, it governs the fate of all things."

Taken together, what would match Cheng Xinzhan's Spleen Mansion would be a mountain of wealth that is central, upright, heavy, and holds the power of life and death.

A name immediately came to his mind.

Taishan.

Taishan was the mountain where successive emperors performed the Feng and Shan sacrifices; it was indescribably noble and the head of the Five Sacred Mountains, naturally central, upright, and heavy.

Taishan determines life and death and gazes toward the East Sea, which also fits the configuration of having Xin metal and Gui water at its sides.

Thinking about it carefully, Mount Laoshan would also be acceptable.

Mount Laoshan is the premier immortal mountain near the sea, and it has the reputation of being the ancestor of sea dragons and the sect of ten thousand ghosts. It similarly possesses the legal essence of nobility, heaviness, life and death, and proximity to water.

However, what was interesting was that both of these immortal mountains were in the land of Qi and Lu.

There were far too many gods and true immortals associated with these two mountains. As for which one to choose as his Inner Landscape Deity, he would have to ponder it carefully, and it wouldn't be too late to decide after seeing them in person.

He had a rough idea for the Spleen Mansion. What he also needed to think about was the Wind Residence.

He had been practicing wind techniques for nine months. Wind is formless and shadowless, and when he first started learning, it felt even harder than thunder techniques.

The language in the *Fundamental Scripture of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Xun Human Spirit Manifestation* was obscure and difficult to understand, and it set the tone for wind extremely high.

The *Scripture* says that when wind is in the heavens, it is the Gang wind; the movement of all clouds, stars, and constellations is driven by the Gang wind, a power on the same level as the river of time.

The shifting of stars and the changing of the world, the turning of youth into white hair—it is all nothing more than the Gang wind blowing thousands of times.

When wind is on the earth, it is the Xun wind; the flow of all spiritual power and the breath of life and death are driven by the Xun wind. When the Xun wind blows, spiritual power flows; when the Xun wind stops, fog, miasma, and poison accumulate.

When wind is in the small universe of the human body, it is called internal wind. Internal wind is even more ethereal. The *Scripture* says that the beating of organs, the flow of blood, the circulation of magic power, and even chaotic thoughts all give rise to wind. This wind is divided into righteous wind and evil wind. When righteous wind rises, thoughts are clear and the body is healthy; when evil wind rises, one becomes muddled and plagued by a hundred illnesses.

Honestly speaking, he didn't quite understand it and had to spend time slowly comprehending it.

Compared to such a metaphysical *Scripture*, the physical *Secret of Summoning Wind and Moving Luck Talismans* was much easier for him to understand. Now, he could perform many wind techniques, and some incantations and talismans came to him easily.

As for the Wind Residence, the *Scripture* also says that all hundred apertures of the body can store wind, but it primarily recommends the ear apertures and the Wind Pool. The ear apertures store external wind, and the Wind Pool stores internal wind.

Compared to internal wind, external wind was easier to grasp, so he planned to open the ear apertures first, though he had no clue about an Inner Landscape Deity for them.

As for the Twelve-Story Building, he ate morning mist and drank evening glow every day. By now, he had opened six levels, but he still hadn't selected a suitable Inner Landscape Deity.

Thinking of this, he let out a long sigh. The burden was truly heavy and the road was long!

"Cheng Xinzhan!"

"Cheng Xinzhan!"

Someone was calling from outside the cave.

He poked his head out to look. It was the morning glory planted at the edge of the cave entrance, which Daoist Brother Jihu had planted himself.

Although it was snowing, the morning glory was blooming as usual, never fading through the four seasons. Some were blue, some purple, some yellow.

Now, the voice of Daoist Brother Jihu came from one of the flowers.

"Cheng Xinzhan, are you there?"

"I am! What is it, Daoist Brother?"

Cheng Xinzhan replied.

"Go to the Fishing Rock of the Eastern Heaven Path now. We're going on a long journey."

Cheng Xinzhan was a bit surprised. Why were they suddenly going out? He asked, "Where to?"

Laughter came from the morning glory. "I don't know either. You'll know when you get there. Daoist Brother Miaoshu organized the gathering, saying it's a fun place. Oh, right, Miaoyuan told you to bring Third Sister along. He said he misses her."

"Alright!"

He agreed. Since it was a gathering organized by Daoist Brother Miaoshu, it must be the same group that went to Mount Huangshan. After returning from that trip, their relationships had clearly grown much closer, and they often met privately to discuss the Dao.

And because Cheng Xinzhan was practicing in the Yingyuan Mansion and often went off-duty with He Jiyuan, He Jiyuan had joined them later on.

Light and shadow flickered on his body again as the Refreshing Spirit and Hidden Essence reattached to the bamboo body.

Deng Ge'er noticed immediately and looked toward the bamboo body. Third Sister couldn't see, so her reaction was slower; she only realized what had happened when she felt the hand stroking her suddenly stiffen.

He smiled. "I'm taking you both with me this time!"

Third Sister let out a "meow" and jumped from the arms of the physical body she was sitting in into the arms of the bamboo body. Deng Ge'er also wagged his tail.

He reapplied the obscuring spell and then headed out.

He soon arrived at the Fishing Rock of the Eastern Heaven Path. A giant rock stretched out into the sea of clouds, and there was a short pine tree on it. From a distance, it looked like a fisherman wearing a straw hat and a coir raincoat, hence the name.

By this time, Feng Jihu, He Jiyuan, and Wang Miaoyuan had already arrived.

As soon as Wang Miaoyuan saw Cheng Xinzhan arrive, he shouted,

"Third Sister!"

Third Sister hid in her master's arms, pretending not to hear.

"Hehe, Third Sister, look what this is. Come here quickly."

Wang Miaoyuan took out a handful of plantain grass. The fragrant scent made it impossible for Third Sister to keep pretending. She jumped from Cheng Xinzhan's arms into Wang Miaoyuan's and began to devour the grass. Taking advantage of this gap, Wang Miaoyuan hurriedly reached out to stroke her, left and right.

Soon, Third Sister finished the grass and immediately jumped back into her master's arms, showing no lingering attachment at all.

"Third Sister, oh Third Sister, you really have a heart of stone!"

Wang Miaoyuan complained.

It was at this moment that Sun Miaoshu, Xu Jishen, and Zhu Jianmo also arrived.

"Miaoshu, where are we going?"

Wang Miaoyuan asked. It seemed he didn't know either.

"Follow me first. You'll know when we get there."

Sun Miaoshu said with a smile.

Immediately, the six of them raised their clouds in unison and flew straight toward the sky.

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Zhu Jianmo leaned over to Cheng Xinzhan's side.

"Little Daoist, have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

Cheng Xinzhan was completely confused.

Zhu Jianmo smiled mysteriously. "I specifically asked around. The current Emperor has been plagued by illness for over ten years, and his health has been getting worse year by year. The imperial physicians and Daoist masters have tried every prescription, but nothing worked; he hasn't held court for over a decade. After Senior Jin Mingzi ascended, the Emperor's illness inexplicably recovered. The Emperor thought it was his ancestors manifesting, so he ordered the imperial mausoleum to be rebuilt and began to govern diligently himself, as if he wanted to make up for all the court sessions he missed over the last ten years."

Cheng Xinzhan smiled upon hearing this. "That's a good thing for the people of the world."

Zhu Jianmo nodded and said again, "Little Daoist, have you never inquired about your own background...?"

He shook his head and said slowly:

"My father's name was Tingxian—the 'Ting' of the imperial court, the 'Xian' of a virtuous minister. He came from a Hanlin background, a family of officials for generations. My mother's name was Mingjun—the 'Ming' of the Ming state, the 'Jun' of a king's consort. They never told me their origins, but she had the surname Zhu. As for me, I was named Yunqi—the ethereal mist, the free-roaming clouds."

Zhu Jianmo was thoughtful.

"When I was young, the books my parents used to teach me to read were Daoist books, not Confucian ones. When I grew older, my parents only taught me the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting; they never taught me the eight-legged essays for the imperial examinations. Before, I thought my parents were just tired of the officialdom and the whole 'ruler-ruler, minister-minister, father-father, son-son' business. But after Senior Jin Mingzi exposed my identity that day, I naturally understood—there was another reason for this."

"My parents didn't tell me the truth before they left, surely because they didn't want me to know those things. Why should I add to my own troubles by trying to find out?"

Zhu Jianmo agreed, muttered something about "rare is the muddled," and secretly blamed himself for being a busybody.

The group flew over the Neon Sea, flew over the Milk Sea, and continued to fly upward.

"Daoist Brother, are we going to explore the end of the Mountain-Protecting Array?"

Xu Jishen said with a smile.

Unexpectedly, Sun Miaoshu nodded and said, "That's right."

Everyone was surprised. Feng Jihu said, "The end of the Mountain-Protecting Array? I'm afraid that would be the Third Heaven!"

Sun Miaoshu smiled and said, "That's exactly where we're going—the Third Heaven. The Mountain-Protecting Array leads directly to the Third Heaven. This is originally the most convenient path for us to go to the Third Heaven. If we were outside the sect, we would have to endure the thunder and Gang winds!"

"Oh!"

Xu Jishen shouted, "Miaoshu, you've broken through to the Second Realm! You're taking us to the Bai Yu Capital, aren't you?!"

Sun Miaoshu laughed upon hearing this. "Exactly! I didn't expect you to see it first!"

Hearing this, everyone offered their congratulations.

Cheng Xinzhan also offered congratulations, but he didn't understand, so he asked, "Daoist Brother Jishen, what does Daoist Brother Miaoshu breaking through to the Second Realm have to do with us going to the Bai Yu Capital? And what kind of place is the Bai Yu Capital?"

The others didn't understand either and looked at Xu Jishen in unison.

Xu Jishen explained, "The First Heaven is the place where clouds, rain, and thunder are born. The Second Heaven is the place where Gang winds rage. The Third Heaven is windless and rainless, with clear skies for ten thousand miles, and white clouds like a snowfield. The Bai Yu Capital is in the Third Heaven. The Third Heaven is also a hurdle. To pass through the wind and thunder, and being at such a high altitude, ordinary cloud-riding can no longer reach it. One must have broken through the First Realm, with the Five Elements circulating endlessly in the body, and possess the ability to ride the wind like Feng Xu to fly up."

"As for what the Bai Yu Capital is, I've only been taken there once by my senior brother. You'll know in a moment."

He kept them in suspense and refused to say everything.

By this time, it was extremely cold in the sky. Cheng Xinzhan was in a bamboo body, so he didn't feel it, but Wang Miaoyuan was shivering with his chest exposed, still stubbornly resisting. When Sun Miaoshu saw this, he circulated his Five-Element magic power, forming a bubble shimmering with five-colored light to cover everyone, and the others felt a bit better.

As they went higher, the speed of everyone's cloud-riding gradually slowed down. Later, they simply withdrew their cloud-riding and stood on Sun Miaoshu's magic shield, their curiosity growing stronger and stronger.

It wasn't until they crossed a thick layer of clouds that seemed as high as the sky that their vision suddenly opened up. It was indeed clear for ten thousand miles, with clouds beneath their feet and neither wind nor clouds above their heads.

"It's fortunate that we're traveling within the sect; it's so convenient. When I went to the Bai Yu Capital outside the mountains before, I almost exhausted my magic power. It scared me to death at the time."

Sun Miaoshu breathed a sigh of relief.

Afterwards, he led the group to fly toward the east again.

After flying for a while longer in the boundless, vast sky, something different finally appeared in their eyes.

He Jiyuan rubbed his eyes, looking at the object that was gradually enlarging in his vision; he found it somewhat hard to believe.

"What is that?"

Cheng Xinzhan was also stunned, looking at the object before him, wondering if it was a hallucination or a mirage.

That, it seemed to be a city?

There is a city in the Third Heaven?

When they got closer, the group finally became certain that this was neither a hallucination nor a mirage; there really was a city here.

This city was built on the cloud layer, five hundred miles from the ground, with city walls eight zhang high. From afar, one could see the high-rise eaves in the city, and people coming and going on the wide streets. One truly wondered what kind of great power could allow such a massive city to float here.

"Is this the Heavenly Realm?"

Zhu Jianmo asked.

No one mocked him; Cheng Xinzhan had this thought in his heart as well, and Sun Miaoshu had the same idea when he first came here.

"Bai Yu Capital in the sky, twelve towers and five cities; this is one of the five cities, the Peacock City located in the southeast."

Sun Miaoshu murmured. This was his third time here, yet he was still as shocked as the first time.

Under Sun Miaoshu's lead, the group flew toward the nearest city gate.

"What kind of place is Bai Yu Capital, exactly?"

Before they had even entered the city, someone asked impatiently.

Sun Miaoshu replied, "I haven't been here many times either, so how could I explain it clearly? But I hear it was built by the joint efforts of the wealthiest families in the cultivation world."

"When did this happen? Has it existed since ancient times?"

Cheng Xinzhan asked.

Sun Miaoshu shook his head, "Bai Yu Capital was built during the Tang of Longevity, only four thousand years ago."

"What is this actually used for?"

He asked again.

"Visiting immortals, gathering friends, drinking, listening to music, singing and dancing, trading, throwing away thousands of gold—this is a place of pleasure, a den of gold-melting."

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(End of chapter)