Chapter 23: Return to Gu Shu Village

“Pay back the money?”

Sha Lifei rubbed his bald head, feigning confusion, “Father Dao, you must be mistaken. You’re a high master of the Xuanmen—how would I, old Sha, dare owe you money?”

Wang Daoxuan fell silent. “That spring in Chang’an, at the Drunken Flower Pavilion…”

“Oh~ I remember now.”

Sha Lifei began lying with a straight face, “You’ve forgotten—I only invited you for drinks. That day, you got drunk and insisted on summoning the most famous dancer. I couldn’t stop you…”

“Did that really happen?”

“Of course it did. And I didn’t abandon you—I had to rescue a fellow martial brother in dire peril. There was no time to waste.”

“You know me—I’ve always been the most loyal.”

“Hahaha, fine, consider it my treat.”

“Father Dao, look here… next time, next time I’ll treat you!”

“Will you?”

“Absolutely. Just look who you’re talking to—I’m Sha Lifei…”

On the yellow earth road, three horses kicked up dust as they rode.

Perhaps it was Li Yan’s unfamiliar face, or his disguise, or perhaps Meng Haicheng was too lowly for the Divine Fists Society to notice even if he was wronged.

In any case, leaving the city went smoothly.

Sha Lifei was a slick, shifty martial rogue; Wang Daoxuan carried pure sincerity. No one could understand why these two utterly mismatched men had endless things to say to each other.

The two chatted aimlessly, passing the time.

Li Yan sat silently beside them, lost in thought.

It was nearly dusk; he had lingered longer with Wang Daoxuan, asking detailed questions, and finally pieced together a rough understanding of the Xuanmen.

This world was far more complex than he had imagined.

Martial cultivators progress through Ming Jin, An Jin, Hua Jin, Dan Jin, Gang Jin, Xiantian, and Master realms—all rooted in personal cultivation, each step dramatically increasing the power of their techniques.

The Xuanmen, however, emphasize spirit retention.

The first step is to visualize a deity, borrowing its power to manipulate the soul and control divine arts.

If successful, he could suppress his nearly uncontrollable divine art.

And this was only the beginning of Xuanmen cultivation.

Humans consume grains and suffer the seven emotions and six desires, burdened by worldly troubles—even after visualizing a deity, their spirit remains vulnerable to collapse.

At that point, they must begin spirit retention and visualization anew.

The solution: build temples and monasteries.

Through ritual ceremonies, they construct a palace of towers and halls within their mind’s eye, anchoring the visualized deity in place.

This is true entry into the Xuanmen—called Daoxing, the first level.

The stronger the visualized deity, the taller the palace, the deeper the Daoxing.

Thus, Xuanmen practitioners speak of a high master’s Daoxing as being “as tall as several stories.”

Moreover, martial cultivation and Xuanmen cultivation do not conflict—some high masters of the Tai Xuan Zhengjiao, for instance, are also skilled in Daoist martial arts. But one cannot hold two hearts, and energy is limited, so few reach Master level in both.

Some abandon martial arts entirely, like Wang Daoxuan—he only knows basic fistwork, enough to handle a couple of ruffians, but helpless against true martial experts.

But whether martial or Xuanmen, both revealed one crucial truth:

This world has no such thing as spiritual energy!

No matter how high one’s cultivation, death comes when it must.

This world revolves around Gang Qi and Sha Qi—vastly varied in type.

For example, great mountains and rivers absorb the essence of sun and moon, condensing primordial Gang Qi—most are lush and clear, and even some spiritually aware creatures cultivate within them.

Spirit-retention arts and martial Gang Jin are human-made, postnatal Gang Qi.

Temples, shrines, and statues, through incense and devotional power, generate Divine Gang Qi.

Powerful weapons and talismans also condense Gang Qi.

The other kind is Sha Qi, tied to all demons, ghosts, and monsters.

Of course, Gang Qi and Sha Qi have no inherent good or evil.

Used rightly, they are righteous; used wrongly, they are wicked.

For instance, his Three Talismans Demon-Sealing Coin-Sword Tassel was a device for suppressing evil Sha Qi.

All arts, rituals, even feng shui, are built upon this foundation.

What troubled Li Yan now was how to perform spirit retention.

The methods of spirit retention were numerous—any deity visualized from within the heart would do, but not through random imagination; it required true inner reflection.

After countless years of exploration, the Xuanmen had developed a proven method.

They selected children with awakened Yang Six Senses, had them recite Daoist scriptures daily, sit in meditation, and etch the image of their ancestral master or deity deep into their minds—so that when the time came, spirit retention came naturally.

Wang Daoxuan’s transmitted Dao method also followed this.

The scripture was called the *Xi Xuan Dong Ming Zhen Jing*, and the ancestral master venerated was the three-eyed sword-wielding Daoist, Xuan Qi Xian Wei Chen Tianjun.

According to the text, this ancestral master came from the mysterious Xi Xuan Dongtian.

Over countless years, Xuanmen practitioners had traveled thousands of mountains and rivers, identifying all the primordial Gang Qi sacred peaks of Shenzhou, which became known as Dongtian and Fudi.

But with time, some could still be found; others had become legends.

Take Xi Xuan Dongtian—some said it lay in Jinzhou, others in Guanzhong, still others claimed it was on Mount Hua in the West. No one knew its true location, let alone the crucial feng shui spirit orifice.

So Wang Daoxuan suspected the legend was likely false.

Many Dao lineages invent grand names and bizarre legends for their ancestral masters—to spread their fame and make spirit retention smoother.

Li Yan’s difficulty lay here.

Adults are inherently complex; he carried memories of two lifetimes. To fully believe in the real existence of any deity was impossible. So he had only one path left.

Visualize and retain spirit—reflect the true deity within his heart.

Li Yan had already decided: he would use the divine statue within his dantian as the object of visualization for spirit retention.

But the object was too mysterious, its risks unknown.

It concerned a miraculous treasure for prolonging life—he could not consult anyone.

Fortunately, spirit retention required days of pure, clear mind.

Li Yan decided to first follow Wang Daoxuan into the Lu family, find out what triggered the substitute deity statue’s reaction, then return to Li Family Fortress to perform spirit retention.

…………

When they returned to Gu Shu Village, the sun was near setting.

Around the fields, the wheat harvesters still labored, their skin blackened by sun, sweat pouring down, yet their sickles never ceased swinging.

Carts of wheat were hauled into the threshing yard.

!.

They had to dry and store the grain quickly, lest rain come suddenly.

Snatching grain from the dragon’s mouth was as tense as battle.

The three rode past on horseback; the harvesters didn’t even look up.

On the open ground beside the wheat fields stood a simple tent—Lu Squire and his two concubines, along with the steward and guards, were inside.

The summer harvest was a major event for any landowner.

Lu Squire personally supervised to prevent the harvesters from slacking, and to reward them at the right moment, ensuring a good yield.

Yet he was distracted, glancing frequently toward the road.

“Why haven’t they arrived yet?”

Hearing his question, Lu’s steward broke into a cold sweat and bowed low. “Master ordered secrecy, so I could only find these people. I heard the City God Temple in Xianyang has a Xuanmen temple priest…”

Lu Squire’s face turned icy. “How to act is my decision. Are you teaching me how to manage?”

“Master is right.”

The steward dared not speak further, silently cursing Sha Lifei.

He knew well: this seemingly kind, broad-minded Lu Squire was ruthless and cruel when angered.

Even the two concubines beside him trembled slightly, fear in their eyes.

At that moment, hoofbeats sounded in the distance.

Seeing Sha Lifei and the others return, the steward sighed in relief and hurried forward, ordering servants to take the horses and feed them, then leaned close to Sha Lifei and hissed, “Why so late?”

The delay was Li Yan’s fault, but Sha Lifei dared not blame him—he grinned and made excuses: “Father Dao is a busy man—many wealthy patrons in Chang’an have invited him. Today alone, a nobleman from the city came calling. If not for my influence…”

Wang Daoxuan could no longer listen. He stepped forward and said, “Wu Liang Shou Fu. I was delayed by matters. I hope you will not blame me, respected layman.”

Though Wang Daoxuan’s abilities were modest, his gaze was clear and upright—immediately likable.

The steward was no exception. He hurriedly replied, “Not at all, Father Dao, you’ve worked hard.”

He then led the group toward the shaded pavilion.

Lu Squire had already risen. After polite exchanges, he gestured: “Father Dao, you’ve traveled far—I’ve prepared wine and food. Please.”

“Thank you, respected Lu layman.”

Wang Daoxuan nodded slightly and followed Lu Squire forward.

Li Yan and Sha Lifei were about to follow when the steward blocked them, whispering, “Why come with them? Come with me to the side courtyard for your meal.”

Before Sha Lifei could protest, Wang Daoxuan turned and smiled: “Lu Squire, Sha layman will accompany me to select a site on the mountain, and this young Li has already entered the Xuanmen—he is my junior brother. Might I ask…”

This was the story they had agreed upon on the road.

They were all martial rogues, cunning and cautious. This job for the Lu family felt suspicious—having two extra people meant mutual protection.

Lu the Squire hesitated a moment, “Very well.”

Saying this, he led everyone into the Lu family mansion.

The Lu family mansion had high walls; outsiders could only glimpse fragments of trees and pavilions, but once inside, they realized it concealed a world apart.

Centered on four large courtyards, the estate also featured a study hall, a flower garden, a servant’s yard, and an enclosing courtyard, all connected by alleys, each adorned with exquisite brick and wood carvings.

Even the placement of flower pots along the path followed careful design.

Sha Lifei’s eyes had long been dazzled; his face brimmed with envy as he muttered, “No wonder Lu the Squire—this mansion would make even the old rogue from Rong Family Gate dizzy.”

A towering man behind him frowned at this, sneering, “With us here, not even a rat from Rong Family Gate can get in!”

This man was Zhao Cheng, the senior disciple of Zhao Family Fist and leader of all the guards.

They were hired hands, paid to protect; hearing such words, of course they were displeased.

Sha Lifei chuckled, “Just joking, don’t take it to heart.”

As they spoke, the group passed through layer upon layer of gates and entered a side courtyard, its plaque reading “Lan Fang.” Servants bustled within, and the scent of wine and food filled the air.

Lu the Squire said, “Gentlemen, this is Lan Fang Courtyard, reserved for guests. I’ve prepared a feast to welcome you.”

On the table were eight cold dishes and eight hot dishes, eight meat and eight vegetarian.

They weren’t particularly luxurious: the cold dishes included sliced pig’s ear, blanched cowpeas, cucumber salad, spinach with vermicelli, and braised beef; the hot dishes included fried hairtail, oil-stewed prawns, red-braised pork, and steamed perch.

Yet these dishes were typically served only by wealthy households on special occasions.

Sha Lifei’s mouth watered from hunger, but Wang Daoxuan remained calm, raising his hand and saying, “Not so fast, Lu the Squire. I’ve arrived, but I dare not eat this meal just yet.”

“First, tell me—what exactly has happened in your household?”

“It’s unlikely to be as simple as merely selecting a site…”

(End of Chapter)