Chapter 42: The Sun's Bing Fire is Fierce, the World's Ultimate Flavor is Pure

A chick broke out of its shell, surrounded by darkness.

The chick pecked at insects on the ground to grow, becoming a small chicken.

The small chicken grew a comb as fresh and red as blood, its claws became as brilliant as gold and could cut iron like mud, and it changed into a set of emerald feathers and brocade wings.

The small chicken traveled through the dark forest, pecking at insects and snakes, fighting fierce beasts, battling evil ghosts, driving away zombies, and growing up bathed in blood.

The small chicken grew into a rooster. To see clearly in the darkness, it grew double pupils and golden eyes. It became even more fierce in the darkness; insects and snakes dared not approach it, fierce beasts were its blood food, and evil ghosts and zombies would catch fire just by being stared at by it.

The rooster was no longer afraid of the darkness, but it detested the darkness.

Finally, one day, it could no longer hold back. The rooster, which hadn't made a sound since birth, crowed with all its might. The sound shattered evil ghosts and made insects and beasts bow their heads, but this wasn't enough. It kept crowing, increasingly high-pitched, as if even the darkness was retreating.

Suddenly, brilliant golden light descended from the sky, sweeping away the darkness.

The sun had come out.

It had called the sun's radiance to this land.

The rooster bathed in the golden light and left this land.

It wandered in the human world and discovered that many people were growing up in darkness, so wherever it went, it cleared away the poisonous insects and ghosts there, and then crowed to call for light.

Thus, people called it Sun Essence, Fire Essence, Yang Child, Crowing Bird, Morning Caller, Han Yin, Time Night, Candle Night, Vermilion-Robed Gentleman, Red-Crowned Master, Ghost-Catching General, and Insect-Catching General.

Later, people discovered that the rooster's blood was too tyrannical and could melt and burn all evil things. Not only poisonous insects, evil ghosts, and zombies, but if a villain full of lies drank it, their intestines would rot, so they also called it Faith Gentleman, Fierce Young Master, and Five Virtues Young Master.

People also discovered that the rooster's crowing could not only call for light but also call back lost souls, so they also called it Soul-Summoning Duke and Spirit-Crowing Duke.

Everyone hoped that the rooster could stay in their village, but there were too many places under heaven that needed the rooster, so the rooster pecked its own body, letting its scalding blood flow out. These drops of blood turned into chicks under the shining of the sun, which is the origin of the chicken clan in the world.

"Oh! So that's how it is!"

"It's like that!"

"......"

In the night, old people and children all sat in front of Cheng Yunqi's house, listening to Cheng Yunqi tell the story.

The old Village Chief nodded seriously, "Then where did that first divine rooster go?"

Cheng Yunqi continued:

"The divine rooster later learned Daoist arts, cultivated into an immortal, and transformed into a human form, naming itself 'Daoist Yuandan'. You look at this 'Dan' character, I'll write it for you to see. A sun coming out from the ground, you see, this is the 'Dan' character. Does it look like it? What does 'Yuan' mean? It means everything has just begun. 'Daoist Yuandan' means the sun has risen, sweeping away ghosts and monsters, and a new life has begun. Daoist Yuandan Daoist is the one posted on everyone's doors and windows."

Cheng Yunqi pointed to the door god diagrams newly posted in every household in the village.

Everyone looked at the paintings and couldn't help but nod. The Daoist in the painting was so burly and majestic, it really looked like a big rooster.

A child said, "Daoist Yuandan is the second day after the New Year! It is also the first day of the New Year!"

Cheng Yunqi nodded with a smile and touched the child's head, "Yes, this day happens to share the same name as Daoist Yuandan Daoist. If you post Daoist Yuandan Daoist's portrait on this day, Daoist Yuandan Daoist will protect you."

The child nodded and said okay.

"Later, Daoist Yuandan Daoist's ability became too great. One night, seeing that a piece of the night sky was black and the stars in that area had no light, he simply flew up to the sky and lived in the sky. Thus, that star region lit up. That star region is called Mao Su, so he was also called Mao Ri Star Lord, and the place where he lived was called the Brightness Palace."

"You see, right there!"

Cheng Yunqi pointed to a cluster of stars in the western sky.

"I see it!"

"I see it!"

The children clapped their hands; the stars in that area were really brighter than elsewhere.

"However, sometimes it's too cold living on the stars, so the Star Official sometimes lives in the sun, which is the warmest place. So you should pay attention in the future. If Mao Su is bright, it means the Star Official is at home. If Mao Su is not bright, it means the Star Official has hidden in the sun again."

"Oh—" The children looked at the stars, remembering Cheng Yunqi's words in their hearts.

"Alright, alright, Daoist Cheng needs to rest. We'll come back tomorrow night."

The old Village Chief let the children leave. These past few days, every night, Daoist Cheng would tell stories of Daoist Yuandan Daoist slaying demons and eliminating monsters, and these children were reluctant to leave after listening.

Cheng Yunqi sent the children away with a smile.

The villagers wouldn't know that while Cheng Yunqi was constantly telling stories of Daoist Yuandan Daoist and drawing door-guarding paintings, a Daoist Yuandan Daoist, derived from Mao Su but never actually appearing in this world, was also slowly taking shape in the top layer of his Twelve-Story Pagoda.

————

September 19th, the eleventh day of arriving at the village, and also Cheng Yunqi's birthday.

Early this morning, after watching General Red-Comb crow, he went into the mountains. When he returned, he carried two bundles of firewood and a wild boar.

He put the things in the middle of the village and said to the villagers who gathered around,

"Tonight, we'll have a bonfire party!"

Everyone cheered loudly.

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Everyone was looking forward to it. With such a big wild boar, after eating it once, they wouldn't need to eat meat for months!

That night, the firelight was bright, the smell of meat overflowed, and the village was full of the fragrance of wine.

Cheng Yunqi hugged a few children and, together with a few Bai Long'ers, fell asleep warmly by the bonfire.

————

September 29th, the twenty-first day of arriving at the village.

Early morning, the remaining stars were sparse, the sky was blue-gray, and the eastern horizon was glowing with a fish-belly white.

Cheng Yunqi sat in meditation, his five hearts facing the sky, facing the east.

"Wo—wo—wo——"

Red-Comb Master began to crow again.

Immediately, the light shone brightly.

Cheng Yunqi breathed naturally. In the Twelve-Story Pagoda, the Daoist Yuandan Daoist in a red robe was also sitting in meditation.

In the radiance of the great sun, wisps of golden smoke were inhaled into Cheng Yunqi's nose and mouth, falling into the Twelve-Story Pagoda and circling around the Daoist Yuandan Daoist. The golden smoke looked light and magnificent, like golden threads on the most beautiful brocade.

A smile appeared slightly on Cheng Yunqi's face.

He flipped his palm, and a golden flame danced in his palm. As the tongue of fire leaped, the void twisted into the shape of water waves. Feeling the extremely terrifying temperature and tyrannical implication, he whispered softly:

"The contemplation method is complete. This, is this the Sun's Bing Fire?"

That night.

Cheng Yunqi was still sitting in meditation in front of the house, facing the village.

The lights of every household were like the stars in the sky, but the starlight was cold, while the lamplight was warm.

Inside the Twelve-Story Pagoda, Daoist Yuandan Daoist sat peacefully.

Between Cheng Yunqi's breaths, imperceptibly, wisps of fire Qi, almost transparent but with a warm ginger-yellow color, drifted out from the lights of every household, gathered into threads, drilled into Cheng Yunqi's nose and mouth, flowed into the Twelve-Story Pagoda, and were distinct from the Sun's Bing Fire, together circling the Vermilion-Robed Daoist, swirling into a circle, like two dragons.

Cheng Yunqi sighed. This is the contemplation method. If the heart is sincere, the spirit is formed; if the spirit is formed, one can do as one pleases. At this moment, he had eaten a kind of flame that had never been seen in writing.

"The ancients took the meaning of essence, Qi, and spirit to combine into the Samadhi True Fire. I am picking up the scraps, so I will take the human world, human smoke, and human feelings to combine into the Samadhi True Fire."

Working the late shift today, I'll post a short chapter for everyone to read first. The second chapter will be very late.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 43 =====