[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-book-of-strange-tales":3,"chapter-the-book-of-strange-tales-the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-546":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Book of Strange Tales",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2317826,4532,"Chapter 546: Three Years of Kneeling","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-546",546,"\u003Cp>“Jiang Daochang has been enshrined as Yuanjun, yet still dresses so plainly?” asked the junior disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t a Yuanjun dress plainly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve seen the statues in temples—every deity is dazzling gold and jade, clad in golden armor and silver mail, or feathered robes and colorful silks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s merely mortals’ imagination of deities. Many spirits deliberately cater to such notions, or unconsciously take on those forms through the power of incense and prayers. Other deities wear whatever they please when not performing official duties or manifesting before mortals.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three walked slowly up the high mountain, chatting as they went.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One fox followed obediently behind, seeming more composed; another colorful lynx leapt onto elevated perches, scanning the distance with vigilance, sniffing and nosing everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about when performing official duties or manifesting before mortals?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then it’s just as you said. Martial deities wear armor when marching to war, divine robes when ascending the court; other spirits don fine silks and feathered garments, officials wear official robes, and when manifesting before mortals, most adopt the image people hold in their hearts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what do you wear?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior disciple seemed deeply curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gentle breeze swept past, and suddenly five-colored divine light appeared beside them, dazzlingly bright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The senior and junior disciples stared in astonishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the divine radiance, Jiang Daochang, once clad in simple robes, now wore a divine garment of red, green, and gold, adorned with perfectly balanced ornaments, her sash fluttering behind her without wind, framed against the pure blue sky above the peak—her cold expression and piercing light making her seem ready to ride the wind and ascend to heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the divine light dimmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yuanjun reverted to her Daoist form, still plain-robed, holding her dust whisk, and asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Completely different from now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have many such robes, each unique. Regional tastes differ, and fashions change with time—it’s quite troublesome.” Jiang Daochang said, “This one is better.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior disciple’s eyes darted as she pondered: “Don’t deities change their own clothes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Some must, some needn’t. Some can avoid it, yet still choose to dress slowly, just as grooming and makeup follow the same logic.” Jiang Daochang said, “Deities each have their own temperaments and preferences.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group slowly reached the peak, enjoying the breeze and scenery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before they knew it, half the day had passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I must return.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Daochang bowed to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Farewell, Dao friend.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do visit often!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Daochang said nothing more, instantly transforming into a beam of divine light and soaring into the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet after ascending only a few zhang, she halted, looking down at the two below:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The world is now settled, and I’ve been enshrined as Yuanjun. Visiting you two will be far easier henceforth. Though I still lack Yuanjun’s divine power, with the incense offerings from the south and Qinzhou, it won’t take long. If you need anything, tell me. Some matters, my Lord Emperor will gladly aid you; others, I myself will assist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Naturally.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Absolutely!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Daochang withdrew her gaze and offered no further reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The divine light vanished instantly into the horizon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two still gazed upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deity’s rank resembles an official post, not a Daoist’s cultivation level; thus, divine power is uncertain and lags behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deities arise from incense; their divine forms and powers derive from incense. Yuanjun is a title—it does not grant immediate Yuanjun-level divine power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The position may be nominal, with no incense, meaning only the title exists. Even if not nominal, years of incense offerings are needed to slowly accumulate divine power after enshrinement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many Lord Emperors and ancient deities hold nominal titles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Jiang Daochang’s is not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that—she has personally walked among mortals, earning\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>great renown, and her incense is thriving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior, you’ve been seen through by Jiang Dao friend,” the junior disciple finally said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I never hid it—so it’s you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it’s you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The senior and junior disciples walked slowly down the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They did not doubt Jiang Daochang’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in the Old Heavenly Weng ’s projections, Jiang Daochang remained their friend, still aiding them from heaven as a deity—partly due to Jade Mirror Emperor’s need to counter Zi Emperor’s search, partly contrary to Jade Mirror Emperor’s own interests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now I think carefully, many things in the illusion were wrong,” the junior disciple said as they walked. “That was our struggle against the Nine Heavens. The Old Heavenly Weng  was once a Heavenly Weng  of the Nine Heavens. Jiang Daochang was a Yuanjun of the Nine Heavens. Since Senior woke up midway, shouldn’t you have deliberately avoided dragging Jiang Daochang into it, given your uncertainty about the Old Heavenly Weng ’s intentions?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve grown clever.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too bad you’re still not as clever as Senior…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two walked one behind the other, transforming into a gentle breeze that swept through the forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they returned to the pavilion, they found Wan Xinrong waiting, with news to share.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“True Person! A demon has come below—a rabbit—claiming it received your teachings and admires you, and wishes to become your disciple!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I am grateful for the Immortal’s teachings and admire the True One, and wish to become your disciple!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Precisely!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Xinrong, thinking he didn’t know, explained in detail:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a spirit from Fengshan, living nearby. When you first arrived here and taught us the Dao, it followed other spirits to listen!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It often hid in the woods, watching Xu Yi and Pu Mei chop wood and fetch water, watching us cook and wash clothes, watching Xu Yi and Pu Mei cultivate and practice spells. Perhaps this demon has good talent—it gradually awakened from confusion and gained some insight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Later, when you planted trees on the mountain, the divine trees matured, exhaling spiritual mist and divine qi, emitting strange fragrances. Demons and ghosts tried to steal them while we slept or when you were away—almost every time, it warned us in various ways: first by throwing stones and branches, later by alerting us directly, sometimes even blocking them. So we came to know it, felt awkward about driving it away, and didn’t know whether we should. That’s why we came to ask you today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, the True One planted trees on the mountain; when the divine trees matured, they breathed out spiritual mist and immortal qi, emitting strange fragrances. Demons and ghosts tried to steal from them while we slept or while the True One was away—almost every time, it warned us. At first it threw stones and branches, then later gave us direct warnings, sometimes even blocking them. We came to know it, felt a little ashamed to drive it away, and didn’t know whether we should drive it away at all, so we’ve come today specifically to ask the True One.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it has disturbed the True One, I’ll drive it away right now!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Wan Xinrong spoke, he followed Lin Jue to the pavilion’s balcony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue leaned on the railing and looked down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, a gray rabbit knelt prostrate among the pebbles below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue remembered that in the illusion, his past self had asked Wan Gong to drive it away—but it refused, kneeling there for three years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was because this rabbit was connected to him, had listened to Lin Jue’s teachings, had repaid kindness, and had good character—so Lin Jue didn’t wish to drive it away rudely. But if he accepted it as a disciple, he feared Zi Emperor’s hatred of demons and spirits, and also feared opening the door—every spirit who had heard his teachings would swarm here. How could he possibly identify or accept them all?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he ignored it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until three years of wind, rain, scorching heat, bitter cold, sun, and frost finally moved him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this wasn’t truly difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except for the peak, the cliff’s sheer face was the closest place to Lin Jue’s cultivation site, richest in divine qi. But the peak bore divine trees, always forbidden to other spirits—only a few birds could perch atop the cliff to absorb the qi. Thus, the cliff face was the best alternative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Wan Gong and others practiced spells here, and Xu Yi and Pu Mei passed this way when returning from outings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So if one could endure prolonged kneeling, wind, rain, sun, and frost, merely seeking the Dao or learning—even without becoming a disciple—this place offered great benefit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it was an illusion, such thoughts and decisions were truly ones Lin Jue could make—and indeed, ones he had made.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now he knew: this rabbit demon would indeed kneel for three years here, and he knew Zi Emperor would indeed exterminate demons without regard for good or evil. How should he choose?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it was an illusion, those thoughts and decisions were truly something Lin Jue could make—and truly made by Lin Jue himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now he knows this rabbit demon truly knelt in worship for three years in the mountains, and he is certain the Purple Emperor truly will exterminate demons without regard for good or evil—so how should he choose?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the name he had given the rabbit demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Xinrong didn’t understand, only looked puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing. Ignore it.” Lin Jue said. “Let it keep kneeling here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Xinrong finally departed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue found a cushion and sat cross-legged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the illusion, he had reached profound mastery over “severed yet renewed,” “scattered yet reunited,” and “stealing life to grant longevity,” and through this, comprehended the cycle of birth, death, stillness, and return in all things—seeking his own immortal, indestructible Dao. Now he wished to see how much of that illusion’s insight was real and how much false.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky darkened; stars and moon rose, spinning in the heavens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the illusion, he attained deep mastery over “severed yet renewed,” “scattered yet reunited,” and “stealing life to grant longevity,” and through this, he comprehended the cycle of birth, death, stillness, and return in all things of heaven and earth, seeking to awaken his own unique method of immortality. Now he wishes to see how much of that illusion-born insight is real and how much is false.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The morning sun rose, staining the mist with crimson light, spilling over the treetops into Fengshan’s woods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yi and Pu Mei, swords at their sides, rode paper donkeys, their bells jingling as they passed, glancing curiously at the kneeling rabbit among the stones, stopping briefly to ask a few questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But eager to descend and subdue demons, they left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet when they returned at dusk, the rabbit was still there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stopped, spoke at length with it, and often looked up at the pavilion atop the cliff, shrouded in mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, by evening the rabbit demon was still there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stopped and engaged in long conversation with it, frequently raising their heads to glance at the pavilion shrouded in mist at the very top of the cliff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master is in seclusion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you still here? Last night you fell asleep, and Shuyao Senior Sister sniffed at you for a long time—don’t you know how dangerous that was?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go back. When Master emerges from seclusion, I’ll plead your case to him—I swear I won’t lie to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on! Dandelion! Say you like to eat it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stand up and stretch—you might as well, since Master is in seclusion and can’t see you. I won’t tell if you won’t—who says the immortals know everything?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Put down some straw?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As days passed, he almost grew used to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In and out, sun rose and set, seasons changed, stars and moons turned; countless seekers came to find immortality, arrived and left again, the mountain mist surged like tides against the shore—yet the rabbit’s heart remained as unyielding as a reef amid the tide.\u003C\u002Fp>",1962,"2026-06-20T14:45:37.804Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b3edb58bb03ce4c41db3740d3f1277e39a0002f011da765be6087ff3d84bc3df","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-547","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-545",608,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-book-of-strange-tales-cover.jpg"]