Chapter 270: Transmitting the Dharma at the County Yamen

"I Jian Zhi" was written by Hong Mai of the Southern Song Dynasty.

The book title comes from "Yu traveled and saw it, Boyi knew and named it, Yijian heard and recorded it," calling himself Yijian, keeping pace with the "Classic of Mountains and Seas."

Its content is complex, covering everything from dreams and strange arts, grievances and retribution, immortals, ghosts, and monsters, medicine and divination, demons and witches, Buddhism, Daoism, and lewd sacrifices, to customs and habits; most are magical, strange, illusory, and wild.

Of course, many are folk legends and cannot be taken as truth.

This "I Jian Zhi" before their eyes was clearly ancient, and the ink marks of the annotations were also somewhat blurry; most of the time they were written as "fake," occasionally "doubtful," followed by many guesses.

Moreover, the descriptions were mostly related to Feng Shui.

"Daoist, take a look."

Li Yan was somewhat puzzled and handed it to Wang Daoxuan.

After Wang Daoxuan took it, he was also somewhat strange, pondering, "Indeed, he seems to be looking for something."

"Some Feng Shui treasure lands, where innate martial evil qi gathers, form natural arrays, hiding their traces, yet occasionally revealing strangeness, becoming legends in the local area."

"Among Feng Shui masters, there are those proficient in analysis; every time they arrive at a place, they must find the local county gazetteer to check, looking for clues."

"Look here, the ancestors of Tong Mengbi in the southern city picked up a golden duck in the river, which could produce gold, and his family became wealthy because of it; later, they accidentally damaged the golden duck—this is clearly a heavenly spirit and earthly treasure, and there are guesses about Feng Shui earth veins marked on it; it is estimated that there is a gold mine nearby..."

"A gold mine?"

Sha Lifei's eyes lit up. "Why don't we go find it?"

Wang Daoxuan laughed dumbly. "Too late; it is written above that the gold mine was discovered by the Great Xing imperial court, and not long after the Great Xuan founded the dynasty, it had already been mined empty."

As he spoke, he flipped a few more pages and pondered, "This poor Daoist roughly knows what he wanted to find."

"According to Ge Baopu, there are three types of immortals. Heavenly Immortals are 'the superior scholar lifts his form and ascends to the void, which is called a Heavenly Immortal,' which should be those who succeeded in ascending to the divine."

"'The middle scholar wanders in famous mountains, which is called an Earth Immortal; the inferior scholar dies first and then sheds, which is called a Corpse-Shedding Immortal.'"

"Liu Gang and his wife refined the 'Great Yin Refining Form Technique,' but they had to hide underground for a lifetime, relying on the Yin evil qi of the earth veins to nourish them; even if they could live forever, they would at most be 'Corpse-Shedding Immortals.'"

"They used 'Earth Longsheng Xianku' as a name; naturally, they wanted to achieve the Earth Immortal status, and achieving the Earth Immortal status likely requires some conditions, and it concerns Feng Shui patterns."

"Unfortunately, they didn't even succeed in becoming Corpse-Shedding Immortals before they met their calamity."

Li Yan hurriedly asked, "Are there any clues about the Western Mystery lineage of the Daoist?"

Wang Daoxuan shook his head slightly. "No discovery for the time being; wait for this poor Daoist to flip through all these books, perhaps I can find clues within them."

As he spoke, he stroked his beard and smiled, "Even if I can't find them, it doesn't matter; there are several Feng Shui classics here that have long been lost, some only have lone copies, and they were collected by those Dharma lineages, kept secret and not shown to others."

"These ancient books are already a heavenly harvest for this poor Daoist!"

…………

When they returned to Dangyang City, it was already approaching noon.

The streets were crowded with people, and there were quite a few merchants from other places.

Constable Yang of the county yamen was guarding outside the city gate; seeing the group arrive, he hurriedly welcomed them, his face full of flattery. "You all finally returned; that immortal master is losing his temper."

Li Yan knew that the other party was talking about Yulongzi, frowning, "The person hasn't left yet?"

"Who says not?"

Constable Yang smiled bitterly. "This one has a massive capacity, pulling people everywhere to drink, and his seniority is high, so no one dares to refuse; even the County Magistrate has vomited three times."

"Clearly saying there was an important matter, yet he insisted on waiting for you all to return."

Li Yan nodded, asking while walking, "Why did so many merchants suddenly come? Could it be that something happened again?"

Constable Yang replied, "The Guanling Temple Fair is almost at its time; every year at this time, merchants and gentry come, and quite a few martial arts sects also send people to offer sacrifices."

"This is the most important thing in our Dangyang County every year; fortunately, you all captured the evil people, otherwise this temple fair would definitely have caused a big mess."

While speaking, the group had already arrived at the yamen entrance.

Yang Chengzi of the True Martial Palace was standing outside the yamen, reeking of alcohol, squatting there and retching; seeing the group, he nearly cried out, "You all finally returned."

Yulongzi's great name was widely circulated in the Ezhou Mystic Sect, and many young disciples worshipped him as an idol.

Before, they had only heard of his fondness for the cup.

That statement was still a bit euphemistic.

He was purely a drunkard!

Li Yan and the others looked at each other, following the crowd into the back courtyard of the county yamen.

Only to see a wine banquet set up in the courtyard, already a mess; several people were lying under the table nearby, including both Mystic Sect disciples and yamen runners, regardless of status, all drunk to the point of confusion.

At the wine table, only Yulongzi was still shaking his head, drinking by himself; seeing the group, he said with blurry drunken eyes, "You... you finally returned; thought you... you were going to run."

"This junior acts openly and honestly, why run?"

Li Yan did not have a very good impression of Yulongzi, only feeling that the other party acted without the demeanor of a master senior, and said solemnly, bowing, "Senior, we do things with a share for everyone who sees it; we have already sent out the 'Necklace Bead,' why is Senior still being relentless?"

Yulongzi shook his head. "A single 'Necklace Bead' is not enough; that 'Mystic Yellow Heavenly Talisman,' this poor Daoist must also take away."

A trace of anger rose in Li Yan's heart, but thinking of the other party's cultivation, he could only suppress his anger. "Senior is being too excessive, right?"

In the battle of the Earth Longsheng Xianku, even if the other party hadn't come to reinforce, they had a chance to turn the tables; giving up a "Necklace Bead" was already giving a lot of face.

Moreover, if it weren't for their investigation, Dangyang would definitely have caused a big mess, and it's possible the Purple Cover Mountain Cave Heaven would have been attacked by evil people.

At that time, the other party wanted to take it all; Li Yan argued based on reason and dragged it out, not expecting him to still be relentless.

Yulongzi drank a mouthful of wine, his eyes blurry, and laughed, "Mystic Sect disputes are about life and death; sometimes one can't care about other things."

"To tell you the truth, if you take this 'Mystic Yellow Heavenly Talisman,' I fear you won't be able to get out of Ezhou before being intercepted and killed."

"Don't talk about forces like the Ghost Sect and Lord Lord Tian Sheng Sect; even some Dharma lineages will send masters to surround and kill you. This is a situation of life and death; can you hold onto it?"

Li Yan fell silent upon hearing this.

He knew that this old drunkard was right.

Now it could be confirmed that there were still many masters hidden in this world; they might not have practiced the evil arts in the "Zhao Changsheng Immortal Treasury," but they had definitely chosen resurrection, violating the "Yin Law" and "Heavenly Statutes."

According to what Liu Gang revealed in his words.

These guys either hid in cave heavens and blessed lands, not daring to go out at will, or borrowed the power of "National Treasures" to evade Yin Office investigations.

There were quite a few in the Mystic Sect orthodoxies and Dharma lineages as well.

Concerning life and death, they certainly wouldn't talk about any rules.

Even if he had a good relationship with several factions of the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect, in this situation, I fear it would be of no use.

At this moment, Li Yan suddenly understood why the Living Yin Officials were independent of the Mystic Sect, appearing mysterious.

And the Mystic Sect orthodoxies, although respectful to them, did not think of winning them over.

Perhaps some of their old ancestors were the targets of the Living Yin Officials' capture, so naturally, they had to keep their distance.

Thinking of this, Li Yan had already decided to give up the "Mystic Yellow Heavenly Talisman."

This item was good, but for him at present, it was still a big trouble.

There was also another point: after wearing this "Mystic Yellow Heavenly Talisman," the Summoning Order actually lost its response, and even Yin soldiers could not be summoned.

He didn't want to violate the "Yin Law," so it was very inconvenient.

Of course, if he wanted to hand it over, he had to get enough benefits...

Before he could say more, Yulongzi rubbed his face and said somewhat helplessly, "You don't need to feel wronged; this poor Daoist wants this item not out of selfishness, but for the overall situation. 'On Mount Wushan, there are a few old ghosts that are very difficult to deal with, but we can't do anything about them; this poor Daoist's trip is to discuss with them, otherwise the Daoist field of the "Pure Origin Wonderful Dao Erlang Zhenjun" at Guanjiang Mouth will have a big problem.'"

"At that time, there will be countless casualties."

Sha Lifei beside him laughed, "Senior's words are interesting; this Guanling demon evil is raging, and we haven't seen you send heavy troops to guard it, so could it be that that side can turn the heavens?"

"What do you know, you blockhead?!"

Yulongzi scolded, "'Pure Origin Wonderful Dao Erlang Zhenjun,' or 'Protecting the Country Spirit-Response King,' the City God of the whole world, how many wicked things have been suppressed by the dynasties of the past?"

"Now the southwest is in chaos; those rebels are crazy and want to release the things inside. Around Mount Qingcheng and Guanjiang Mouth, there have already been more than ten consecutive Dharma battles; the situation is far more critical than here."

"Moreover, the Guan Saint Emperor is just arrogant and ignores people, but that doesn't mean he doesn't kill."

"The Lord Lord Tian Sheng Sect people want to use the Dragon Soul to break open the Ju River; it's purely wishful thinking. I fear that before the demon dragon reaches Dangyang, it will be cut to death by a single blade!"

"This Mystic Sect matter is far more complex than you think."

Li Yan pondered for a moment and said, "Since Senior says so, we are naturally not petty people who only care about private interests."

"But just opening your mouth to take it away, I fear Senior would also feel embarrassed, right?"

!.

Yulongzi shook his head. "What's there to be embarrassed about?"

Li Yan said solemnly, "No, Senior would definitely feel embarrassed!"

Yulongzi was amused. "You kid, your skin is thicker than this poor Daoist's; you will definitely have a future."

"Speak, what do you want to exchange for it?"

Li Yan did not act coy, bowed and said in a deep voice, "This junior wants to practice thunder arts and wants to ask Senior for some pointers."

Hearing thunder arts, a trace of vigilance flashed in Yulongzi's drunken eyes. "Thunder arts? Your appetite is not small; do you know that this item is the method for each sect to suppress their destiny?"

"The thunder arts of my True Martial Palace cannot be leaked at will."

Li Yan shook his head. "This junior naturally won't covet the secret arts of the True Martial Palace, but the cultivation method needs Yang thunder to harmonize Yin and Yang."

"Ordinary Palm Thunder is not enough."

In the battle of the Earth Longsheng Xianku, what Li Yan remembered most deeply was Yulongzi's Five Thunders Sword, which could be described as invincible.

Even with Liu Gang's "Mystic Yellow Heavenly Talisman" blessing, it couldn't compare.

The cultivation of this Five Thunders Sword was extremely difficult; the other party could become the strongest demon-catcher in Ezhou and make a name for himself in the Mystic Sect, all because of this method.

Encountering such a thunder art master, he naturally had to ask for pointers.

"Oh?"

Yulongzi listened and relaxed a bit. "The cultivation methods of superior thunder arts each have their own merits; some require consuming thunder qi, some require borrowing places with thunder martial qi."

"Your Yin thunder, if this poor Daoist guesses correctly, likely requires drawing in Earth Yin qi to cultivate, right?"

Li Yan bowed. "Senior is right."

Yulongzi clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Your method is already extraordinary, and you are still thinking of Yin-Yang harmonization; it is simply daring to defy the heavens. I fear that if you are not careful, you will go into demonic deviation and your soul will fly away and scatter."

"But once successful, the power will also be limitless. The risk is quite large; even this poor Daoist wouldn't dare to try. Do you really want to learn?"

Li Yan said solemnly, "Please bestow the Dharma, Senior."

He could hear that this old drunkard had something in his hands.

Yulongzi's expression also became serious at this time. "Your thunder art is Earth Thunder; it needs Heavenly Thunder Dharma to harmonize Yin and Yang."

"I have a Heavenly Thunder Dharma, and its origin is also quite mysterious. It is rumored that a Dharma lineage cultivator attained the Dao at the Thunder Fire Refining Hall on Mount Wudang and was taught it in a dream by someone, saying it was the method of the Nine Heavens Thunder Duke General, named 'Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Hammer,' which is a martial Dharma."

"Unfortunately, this method is difficult to cultivate; quite a few disciples of the True Martial Palace have practiced it, but none have cultivated any appearance, instead wasting many years."

"This poor Daoist can make the decision to transmit this method to you; as for whether you can cultivate it or not, it all depends on your opportunity. Are you willing?"

Li Yan hesitated. "Has Senior cultivated it?"

Yulongzi did not talk nonsense, threw down the wine gourd, stood up, pinched a few Dharma incantations, and then slowly clenched his fist.

As his fist clenched, crackle, thunder light flashed, and the whole fist was like a thunder hammer.

Li Yan's pupils constricted.

He could smell the scent emitted by his thunder martial qi; it was scorching and explosive, exactly a kind of Yang thunder, and its power was not inferior to the Yin Thunder Hand.

Suddenly, Yulongzi clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground.

Only a boom was heard, and a crater appeared on the ground, but his fist clearly hadn't touched the ground.

And the thunder light on his hand also dissipated accordingly.

After Yulongzi stood up, he said somewhat regretfully, "This method responds to Heavenly Thunder and is too rigid and fierce; it conflicts somewhat with the Five Thunders Dharma I practice, so after learning it, I didn't dare to continue practicing."

"Please bestow the Dharma, Senior!"

Li Yan did not talk nonsense, bowed and bent his waist.

This method was most suitable for him.

He could already see that this "Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Hammer" was a martial Dharma, with the fist as Yang, while the "Northern Bei Bei Di Yin Lei Hand" used the palm as Yin.

One Heavenly Thunder, one Earth Thunder, the two echoed each other; if even this couldn't succeed, then the path he wanted to take was likely a dead end.

"Alright."

Yulongzi nodded. "This method can be transmitted to you, but there is a condition: only you can practice it, and it cannot be passed on to others."

Wang Daoxuan and the others understood and immediately left the small courtyard.

Including the drunkards lying in the courtyard, all were moved out.

Until only the two were left in the small courtyard, Yulongzi said in a deep voice, "The Dharma methods between heaven and earth all originate from ghosts and gods. Therefore, when practicing this method, one must know the source of its roots."

"The Nine Heavens Thunder Duke General is a divine general under the Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin Lei Sheng Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable, so to practice this method, one must also be well-versed in the 'Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin Lei Sheng Universal Transformation Jade Pivot Precious Classic'..."

"The Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin Lei Sheng Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable is in the Jade Purity Heaven, meeting with the Ten Directions Heavenly Emperors in the Hall of the Jade Void Nine Palaces..."

One transmitted the Dharma, and one listened earnestly.

Yulongzi was proficient in thunder arts, explaining many things thoroughly; without knowing it, he had actually spoken for a day and a night.

Li Yan naturally gained quite a lot; many things he didn't understand before were pointed out by him one by one.

By the next day, a trace of morning light appeared in the distance.

Yulongzi stretched, shook his head, and said, "You kid, your aptitude and comprehension are just average; I don't know how you cultivated to such a state—perhaps your good fortune is deep."

"The path of cultivation is difficult; do not forget your original heart."

Having said that, he took the "Mystic Yellow Heavenly Talisman" handed over by Li Yan and headed straight for Mount Wushan...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 271 =====

By the next day, a sliver of morning light appeared in the distance.

Only then did Lu Longzi stretch, shaking his head as he said, "You junior, your aptitude and comprehension are merely average. I don't know how you managed to reach such a state; perhaps your fortune is profound."

"The path of cultivation is difficult; do not forget your original intention."

Having said this, he took the "Huang Tian Talisman" handed over by Li Yan and headed straight toward Mount Wu...

(End of chapter)