Chapter 138: Liezi Riding the Wind (One chapter for today)

The Daoist collection at Shanju Guan is not actually very extensive, but many who cultivate the Dao are scholars who changed professions; they lack much culture and cannot yet be considered Daoists.

Perhaps their talent was not in the imperial examinations, so they instead envied the life of "returning to the garden and fields." At the very least, Shanju Guan does not have large-scale farmland, and the Daoists actually raise chickens and grow vegetables themselves.

Xu Jia looked through the few Daoist classics available, which were mostly travelogues by wandering Daoists or sketches of landscapes; from these, one could roughly discern the local customs and appreciate the joys of the authors.

Don't underestimate them; these travelogues and prose sketches are read by quite a few people. For instance, one Daoist wrote "Touring the Heaven-Reaching Waterfall," describing the waterfall as connecting heaven and earth, very magnificent. Beside it was a note: "Over three zhang wide, over ten ren high; it does not reach heaven, and it has too much earth."

It is clear that a later reader was recommended the piece by a predecessor, only to go with high hopes and return in disappointment.

Xu Jia found this very interesting and proceeded to match the terrain he had observed while riding Chang Yu to tour Yushan with the descriptions in the travelogues one by one.

Daoists do not actually travel far; they only take day trips or two-day excursions. Even those with some cultivation, having applied a Horse-Armor Talisman to go spring outing and gather greens, cannot go very far.

The furthest Xu Jia has seen is to neighboring Huangshan or Zhangjiajie.

These two places also have cultivators; these Daoists occasionally discuss Daoism, but they all hide and tuck away their own core secrets.

In fact, they exchange "materials" more than they discuss Daoism; in essence, it is actually a "trading fair."

Only then did Xu Jia roughly broaden his "cultivation map."

There are too many mountain peaks around here. Just among the various Daoists of Yushan, there are over thirty places they have traveled to throughout the generations, all occupied by cultivation forces, and often a single peak has more than one cultivation force.

One at the summit, one at the waist, and one at the foot of the mountain—this is all common fare.

Xu Jia recorded these cultivation sects one by one and secretly thought: "These people who chat back and forth with the Daoists of Shanju Guan likely have no Earth Immortal True Persons; the level of most of these cultivators seems to be at the Human Immortal stage."

Xu Jia's thinking was indeed not wrong. Earth Immortal True Persons are already transcendent and refined. According to mortal-style novels, the Human Immortal level is the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, while the Earth Immortal level is the level of Golden Core ancestors and Nascent Soul monsters. Those who have cultivated a Yang Spirit are at the very least "Primordial Spirit cultivators."

Xu Jia's past life, if placed here, would actually be a big shot. He had achieved a successful Golden Core, but his Primordial Spirit could not reach pure Yang, he failed the Demon Examination, his mindset collapsed, and thus he was rejected in the interview. Unable to ascend to the Heavenly Realm, he settled for second best and entered Di Fu Ming Gong.

Having finished these travelogues, there were no other matters, and Xu Jia had gained much! His wisdom had grown, as if he had read ten thousand books and traveled ten thousand miles.

The Daoists of Shanju Guan saw Xu Jia "quantum-reading" books, glancing at a page only once, and they were amazed. But they soon understood: an Earth Immortal True Person is also called a "True Person of Omniscience," so isn't it normal to have such a fast reading speed?

Therefore, they did not find it eyesore like Xu's father did, but instead admired him all the more.

They praised: "The True Person is truly possessed of great Divine Ability and penetrating wisdom!"

Xu Jia said: "These books are very useful, especially the parts on music theory. In fact, many rituals involve music theory. I see your Daoist temple is developing quite well; perhaps you can start from here and use the Five Tones to regulate the Five Elements."

Xu Jia actually wanted to cultivate a "Daoist music troupe."

Jingzhu Daoren nodded: "Reciting scriptures has scriptural rhythm; we do study this often, especially our scriptural rhythm, which is inherited from the pre-Qin era. It is the court music of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period, mostly using jade instruments that ring when struck."

"We want to explore the relationship between the sound of jade and the better refining of elixirs; listening to this sound often makes one feel relaxed and happy."

After speaking, Jingzhu Daoren summoned several Daoists to bring out a set of jade chimes from Shanju Guan. The jade stones were of various colors and sizes, hung on a rack in three tiers, with the Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi, and Yu notes in the center.

Jingzhu Daoren struck the chimes alone, creating a natural feeling of "clear springs flowing over stones." "Very good." Xu Jia turned for him! "Many thanks for the True Person's praise!" After playing a piece, Jingzhu Daoren smiled embarrassedly: "These are merely mundane skills, not counting as entering the Dao; they can only be called minor arts."

"How can they be called minor arts?" Xu Jia shook his head: "Since Fuxi invented the zither, it has brought the seeds of civilization to the dull and tasteless hunting and farming. The Great Sage Fuxi looked up to observe the universe and looked down to survey the earth, evolving the Primordial Eight Trigrams, and his zither music also demonstrated the Five Elements. It was only later that Zhou Wenwang and Zhou Wu Wang each added a string to make the seven-stringed zither of today."

"The Five Tones and the differences in the five colors are nothing more than the Five Elements felt through different organs; for example, in the mouth, they are the five flavors, on the skin, they are cold, heat, dampness, and warmth, and between heaven and earth, they are the four cardinal directions."

"Although I do not know how to play your stone chimes, I did indeed hear the sound of the great mountains within them."

"Zhuangzi said: The music of man is the sound of intent, the music of earth is the sound of nature, and the music of heaven is the sound of no-sound. Yours belongs to the intentional imitation of the sound of nature, but it has not yet reached the realm of the sound of no-sound."

"I have also studied musical instruments in the past, learned while harmonizing my state of mind and realizing the heavens and earth. I wonder if you have a guqin here? Let me play a piece for you all to hear."

"We do, we do. In our temple, there is a guqin of the previous dynasty called 'Great Sage's Legacy Sound' in the Fuxi style, made of phoenix tree wood; it is a relic of our temple master."

Having said this, Zhang Zhenji went personally to fetch it.

This guqin had a simple and sturdy shape, with broad shoulders and a constricted waist.

It only had the four-character inscription: "Great Sage's Legacy Sound."

Xu Jia touched the zither and felt the wood was warm and smooth; it seemed the previous owner had cherished and maintained it well.

He immediately adjusted his state to explain to the Daoists what it meant for "the sound of the Five Elements to also be able to enter the Dao."

"Your cultivation of spleen-earth is too heavy; you should strengthen the liver to transform it, with the 'Jue' tone as the primary."

"I shall play for you a piece called 'Liezi Riding the Wind'! Riding the wind is Xun, and Xun belongs to Wood in the Five Elements; it is precisely the Jue tone."

Xu Jia gently stroked the zither, and immediately it was as if a wind had risen on flat ground. The breeze blew against people's faces, as if controlled by the zither music, turning into a pair of gentle hands.

Chang Yu even felt like moving his body.

Because he truly knew how to "ride the wind."

Xu Jia's zither music drifted and scattered, riding the wind and traveling, light and airy, cold and graceful. It was like shaking one's clothes and riding the wind, not knowing if the wind was carrying him or he was carrying the wind, leaving the world behind and standing alone, the momentum continuous and unending.

Many Shanju Guan Daoists could not help but be intoxicated by it. One who originally had turbid Qi clogging his body, unable to feel light, now faintly had the feeling of "I wish to ride the wind and return, yet I fear the jade towers and crystal halls, for high places are cold."

Xu Jia had previously obtained the Wind Calming Pill and had successively dealt with the Inverse-Feather Chicken Demon and the Evil Wind Centipede Spirit, so his realization of wind was quite abundant.

Wind rises and wind rests, rising by riding the wind, falling when the wind stops—it is nothing more than this.

When the piece was finished, the Shanju Guan Daoists were still savoring it, and even County Commandant Chen, who had just fainted, woke up leisurely.

(End of chapter)