[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dao-dust-pearl":3,"chapter-the-dao-dust-pearl-the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-57":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dao Dust Pearl",{"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},2359558,4614,"Chapter 57","the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-57",57,"\u003Cp>Wei Taiping arrived at Sanyang Village with seven or eight retainers; the village head hurriedly told his wife to notify Jiang Weng to take his grandson and hide, then bowed with a servile smile and greeted: “When did you find time to visit our village, Master Wei?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Taiping snapped impatiently: “Where’s your big plum tree? Take me to see it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again the big plum tree—the village head sighed inwardly; this was nothing but a curse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he grumbled inside, the village head obediently led the Wei family group to the giant plum tree behind the village; villagers who had just returned from town eagerly followed to watch the spectacle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he saw the massive plum tree, Wei Taiping’s eyes lit up: its gnarled, powerful branches coiled like a dragon, radiating an ancient, rugged beauty as they supported a canopy as broad as a crown; the trunk was nearly two men’s arms wide, etched deep with the marks of time—its dark, heavy wood looked forged from iron, long dead, yet stretching upward with the weight of history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the very top of these branches, a sudden surge of vibrant green life erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tiny, adorable plums mingled among the leaves, their delicate yellow hue making one’s mouth water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Taiping stepped forward and slapped the dark trunk; its texture was indeed as heavy and dense as iron. He gripped a branch as thick as a child’s arm, channeled true qi into it, and pressed down—yet the plum tree merely bent slightly; its wood was clearly extraordinarily resilient, though not impervious to blades or axes, but capable of bearing immense pressure without breaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cautiously infused true qi into the trunk of the giant plum tree, instantly sensing a thick, powerful vitality, faintly tinged with a resilient, chilling coldness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Truly, the curse has refined it… How could such a spiritual material have gone unnoticed all this time!” Wei Taiping felt a pang of regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanyang Village lay right beside Jiaobu Town; this giant plum tree had grown for a hundred years, famed for its ancient, peculiar shape and for having once poisoned a man—Wei Taiping had heard of it, yet now he blamed himself: why, after hearing these strange tales, had he never come to see it himself? Had he come sooner, he might have already refined this plum tree into a magic treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What a fine tree… truly a fine tree!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Taiping praised endlessly, then turned to his retainers: “Cut it down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the village head could speak, other village elders rushed forward in alarm: “Master Wei, don’t cut it! This is our village’s feng shui tree—the Immortal himself said cutting it would bring great disaster! When Shi’s son tried to cut it down, he still walks with a limp today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who dares stop me from cutting a tree my Wei family wants?” Wei Taiping sneered, sweeping his gaze over the villagers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The villagers, intimidated by the prestige of Wei Taiping from Jiaobu Town, grew uneasy; Shi’s son, leaning on his cane, had also arrived and shrank back in fear. Seeing the villagers cowed, Wei Taiping sneered: “Cut it down for me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unbeknownst to him, the village elder who had recently returned from Jiaobu Town had recognized Zhen Daoist as the same wandering sorcerer who had once tried to stop the tree’s felling—and now believed his words utterly: the plum tree’s canopy, broad as a canopy, meant a noble would emerge from their village; and the elder’s own son was the only one in Sanyang Village with any official merit—who else could that noble be, if not his son?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the giant plum tree was as vital to him as his own life; seeing Wei Taiping about to cut it, he forgot everything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rushed forward and threw himself before the tree: “Don’t cut it! It’s a feng shui tree—cutting it will ruin our feng shui!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing someone stand up, the villagers gained courage; others shouted: “This is our Sanyang Village’s fortune, ordained by the Immortals… how can you cut it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few bold villagers stepped forward to grab the retainers’ arms…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The retainers, hesitant, were held back from the tree; Wei Taiping, now humiliated by this mob of peasants, flew into rage—he kicked the village elder blocking the tree squarely in the chest, sending him sprawling. The white-haired elder lay gasping on the ground, moaning softly, leaving the villagers, who always revered the elderly, stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several young villagers with spirit clenched their fists…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing he’d lost control, Wei Taiping channelled true qi and roared: “Beat them! These lowlife peasants have turned against heaven! Are you all dead men?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that cry, the retainers snapped back to their senses and swung their clubs wildly in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village head knew the Immortal wasn’t a true Immortal, and the plum tree wasn’t a blessed tree—he’d wanted to persuade the villagers to just let it be cut. But now Wei Taiping’s brutality had turned the matter beyond repair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The villagers were merely peasants, armed only with righteous fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wei family’s retainers, though mere roughhands and not seasoned warriors who guarded merchant ships, still knew enough martial arts to easily knock down these villagers; soon… the villagers lay sprawled everywhere, many seriously injured, while women and children nearby wept uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These men struck without mercy; some even kicked the fallen villagers repeatedly in the head and face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even those who had merely come to watch were knocked down and lay silent!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These injuries, even if no one died, left several permanently crippled; the retainers, inflamed by violence, kicked several villagers hard in the junction of chest and abdomen—the diaphragm—causing them to spew pink, frothy blood; those with experience knew at once: lungs and organs were shattered. Even if they lived, they’d never again lift a heavy load.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were the heads of households, the ones who bore the entire family’s livelihood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For men who toiled from dawn to dusk, sweat dripping like broken coins just to survive, becoming unable to work hard—turning from strong laborers into invalids dependent on medicine—was worse than death for their families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The villagers never imagined that merely stepping forward to stop the cutting would draw such brutal retaliation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Summoning courage, the village head rushed forward and grabbed Wei Taiping’s arm, pleading: “Young Master, stop! You’ll kill someone! It’s only a tree—take it, take it if you want!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Taiping only sneered, then ordered: “Stop!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The retainers scattered; Wei Taiping ordered someone to toss three taels of silver onto the ground. One thug shouted to the groaning villagers: “The Young Master pities you—take this for your wounds! Don’t be so foolish again! Don’t you dare thank the Young Master for his mercy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The villagers dared only cast furtive, hateful glances at them…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Taiping ordered an axe brought; he channeled true qi and swung it at the base of the giant plum tree—this resilient trunk was not truly impervious; the first blow left two palm-sized gashes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The villagers watched with hopeful eyes, but saw no sign of the disaster they expected; the limping Shi boy stared blankly: “Impossible… why isn’t his leg broken?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village head sighed bitterly: “He’s the Immortal’s disciple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the axe cut deeper, the injured villagers were slowly carried aside; then came a thunderous crash—the giant plum tree fell. Even those who had felt no attachment to the tree now had tears in their eyes—perhaps from accumulated bitterness, perhaps from their wounds—all flowed silently with the crash.\u003C\u002Fp>",1248,"2026-06-21T05:39:58.326Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","07647ea4ecb88da3783737efa115d0b870821c12b5f4fde0b62eeab88126359f","the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-58","the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-56",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dao-dust-pearl-cover.jpg"]