Chapter 56: Perfected Person, True Person, Immortal

Xu Jia spoke eloquently, without hiding or concealing anything: "Fellow Daoist has a keen eye. I will not lie to you; this method is the Ascending to Heaven Great Method. The higher one climbs, the more dangerous it becomes, yet the closer one gets to Heaven. If one can climb up and cast aside fear and terror, one can gaze directly upon the Nine Heavens. At the highest, one can stack thirty-three layers, though that is something only those in legends can achieve."

"That is truly a dangerous method. Observing you, Fellow Daoist, it seems you possess no martial arts. To complete this method is truly to gamble with your life; you must absolutely not do it."

"Fellow Daoist has just survived a death tribulation; you should know that life is not easily come by. Why must you do this?"

Xu Jia cupped his hands: "I naturally have my own hidden reasons!" He then asked: "I do not yet know your name, Fellow Daoist, or at which immortal mountain you cultivate?"

"This poor Daoist is Zhang Zhenji of the Yushan Shanju Guan. My cultivation is shallow, and I have no Daoist name. I am ashamed to hold the position of Daoist Administrator for this county, overseeing the practitioners in this territory. I usually hang my staff and cultivate at the City God Temple."

Xu Jia asked curiously: "Then how many practitioners are there in this county?"

"Not many. There are about a dozen from the Miscellaneous School and side paths; the rest are all at Yushan."

Hearing him mention Yushan, Xu Jia was already alert, because that Evil Master was also from Yushan and a Daoist from the Shanju Guan. He did not know what relationship he might have with the person before him.

But this Daoist clearly did not seem like the Evil Master. Cultivating evil methods inevitably brings forth evil Qi, and one's appearance and temperament would also change; he would not be so easy to talk to.

"There are actually a dozen people?" Xu Jia was surprised: "So many?"

"Is it many? Those of the Miscellaneous School and side paths, lacking the orthodox method, are counted as such once they have cultivated one or two spells."

Zhang Zhenji said: "Previously, someone said that you were holding Licentious Offerings and were perhaps an Evil Sect. That is what startled me into coming to investigate. Now that I see, it was all a misunderstanding."

Xu Jia had a sudden inspiration: "What kind of sect is this Evil Sect?"

Zhang Zhenji sighed: "It is an Evil Sect that deludes people with promises of Longevity. It has risen in Nansheng over the last twenty or thirty years, worshipping the Longevity Mother. This Longevity Mother possesses the Undying Medicine; if one eats the Longevity Medicine, one can cure all diseases and attain eternal life..."

"This sect harbors filth and evil, having successively absorbed many evil gods. Because it took a crown prince from the previous dynasty who was scattered among the people as one of its main gods, it was branded a rebel group by the imperial court. It has been suppressed several times, but it always rises from the ashes. Originally, this was a matter for Nansheng, but recently there has been word of it in the Jiangnan Circuit as well..."

Xu Jia was speechless. It was already developing groups right under your nose, and you still think it is far away and only needs to be guarded against? "Fellow Daoist, this sect has many side paths and heterodox ways. Their spells are all evil, high in power but with strong backlash. If you discover them, you must absolutely not make contact. Report to me at the first opportunity. Otherwise, even listening to one of their incantations or reading one of their scriptures makes it easy to be deluded by the evil gods."

"The Evil Masters of this sect are skilled in the Blood Sacrifice Method and proficient in the Refining Ghost Secret Art. They most enjoy refining the Five Elements Sha, Ghost Mother Evil, Hungry Ghost Evil, Charming Peach Blossom Evil, and Boy Evil..."

Xu Jia checked his expression repeatedly. It was genuine and did not seem fake. He also hid his hand in his sleeve to calculate, and the divination showed this person was "abiding in the center and upholding righteousness," a hexagram of a gentleman.

Under double verification, Xu Jia said: "As it happens, we have already clashed. Having heard what Daoist Wang said, it has already been confirmed. I fear that what I encountered was indeed an Evil Master of the Longevity Sect."

Xu Jia said: "And, as far as I know, he is a Daoist from the Yushan Shanju Guan."

"Impossible!" Zhang Zhenji said firmly: "My Shanju Guan is an orthodox lineage; it is absolutely impossible for us to have any connection with this so-called Longevity Sect."

Seeing that he did not believe him, Xu Jia did not say much more, only stating: "The one who denounced me was likely sent by this person. His two Sha ghosts have already been captured by me and locked away. He must have had concerns, which is why he dared not show his face, wanting to borrow a knife to kill."

Xu Jia then recounted the matter of the little Daoist boy coming to deliver the letter.

Hearing this, Zhang Zhenji pondered for a while and said: "From what you say, it must be my senior brother. He is the guest-welcoming Daoist of Shanju Guan. I also heard that the only son of a certain scholar was suffering from an evil illness and was seeking help from Buddhists and Daoists. I did not expect it to be you, Fellow Daoist."

"This was originally my task, but at that time there were clues about an Evil Master. I was invited to the Jinghu Shuyuan to guard those scholars, so I wrote a letter entrusting it to that senior brother of mine."

Xu Jia knew that after his original self's soul left his body, his father and mother had sought out monks and Daoists to look at him, but they were all helpless. It matched what he said. "This matter must have had some accident..." Zhang Zhenji still refused to believe it, explaining it to himself.

Xu Jia sneered: "That senior brother of yours wrote a letter telling my parents that I was an illusion of a demon and not their biological child. But now, Daoist, look at me—am I a demon?"

"How could you be a demon, Fellow Daoist?" Zhang Zhenji said earnestly: "You have merely survived a life-and-death tribulation."

However, one of these two was lying. If he hadn't misjudged the person in front of him, then there must be a problem with the senior brother. Yet he stubbornly refused to believe his own senior brother could have a problem, and for a moment, he became conflicted.

Xu Jia pressed him further: "If it truly is your senior brother who has fallen into the evil path, will you side with reason or with kin?"

"Naturally with reason. Heaven and Earth are vast, but reason is the greatest," Zhang Zhenji said firmly.

"However, it is possible that there is some misunderstanding here."

Seeing him being obstinate, Xu Jia just smiled: "Fellow Daoist, you should still be more cautious. Even if it is not that senior brother of yours, but someone impersonating him, then... what is the fortune of that senior brother of yours now?"

Hearing this, Zhang Zhenji also became worried and immediately took out some Yarrow to begin divining.

This method of divination has a long history; Kongzi knew this method, and it belongs to the earliest forms of divination.

Seeing him divide the stalks several times and clarify the Yin and Yang, he obtained the hexagram "Earth Fire Brightness Obscured," where the sun is blocked by the earth, representing a dangerous situation.

The Yarrow in Zhang Zhenji's hand fell...

Xu Jia asked a question he already knew the answer to: "Did you calculate something?"

Zhang Zhenji's face turned pale, and he forced a smile: "Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist. My senior brother is indeed in a dangerous situation now."

Xu Jia said: "I fear he has already been controlled."

Zhang Zhenji did not want to say anything more and was planning to take his leave; after all, his senior brother was more important. Xu Jia stopped him and said: "I have one more thing to ask you, Fellow Daoist!"

Zhang Zhenji paused slightly. Although he was clearly anxious, he was not impatient and only said: "Please speak, Fellow Daoist!"

Xu Jia said: "I am new to cultivation and am ultimately just of the side paths and Miscellaneous School, not of the mainstream. Although I dare not ask you for your lineage, I would like to ask about the general realms of cultivation?"

"So that is it." Hearing that it was only this, Zhang Zhenji patiently said: "Actually, since ancient times, there have been roughly three realms: first is the Perfected Person, second is the True Person, and third is the Immortal."

"The Perfected Person possesses pure virtue and complete Dao, harmonizes with Yin and Yang, adjusts to the four seasons, departs from the world and leaves behind the vulgar, accumulates essence and perfects the spirit, travels between Heaven and Earth, and sees and hears beyond the eight directions; this is called a Perfected Person."

"The True Person is one who is at one with Heaven and unites with the Dao, holds to the One to nourish all things, harbors the heart of Heaven, bestows virtue and nourishment, and uses non-action to encompass their will, thoughts, and intentions while exercising their power."

"The Immortal is one who rides the void and the wind, mounts the Liuxi, and travels through the Taixu."

"These three realms are also known as the Human Immortal, Earthly True Immortal, and Heavenly Immortal."

(End of chapter)