[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dao-dust-pearl":3,"chapter-the-dao-dust-pearl-the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-961":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},2360462,4614,"Chapter 961: Black Hair, Tears Turn to Ash","the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-961",961,"\u003Cp>Zhigou lies at the lower reaches of the Nine Rivers, connecting north and south, with a customs bridge frequently set up on the Southern Canal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recently, a strange case occurred at the customs bridge: the Red Building Ghost Ship incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Red Building Ghost Ship also linked to a fire disaster in Zhigou City; thanks to the blessings of the Fire God enshrined in countless Fire God temples throughout the city, the Third Prince’s Wind-Fire Wheels extinguished the demonic flames across the city that night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tens of thousands on both banks of the canal witnessed with their own eyes how the Third Prince Nezha subdued the Red Building Ghost Ship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did the Southern Canal reopen after days of closure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hundreds of northern and southern grain barges delayed these past days all landed at the docks before the customs bridge; from the docks, a road led east directly to a bustling street called Dock East Street, but because it was lined with secondhand clothing shops, the common folk called it “Secondhand Clothing Street.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Secondhand clothing was the trade of pawnshops; common folk had no spare cash, so when the weather warmed slightly, they would pawn their thick winter clothes and borrow thin ones to wear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When autumn came, they would redeem them again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Common folk had little money and could not afford idle goods, so they could only cycle them back and forth, year after year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In good years, hemp clothes were exchanged for cotton, cotton for sable; in bad years, each year’s exchange grew thinner than the last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When autumn arrived and one had cash, one could buy warmer clothes; if one had no money, one could only swap for a tattered garment and endure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was now nearing autumn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peak season for secondhand clothing, so the shops in this area were especially lively…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before a secondhand clothing shop stood an old Daoist with a fluttering banner, his hair and beard tangled, streaked black and white, his face and body filthy beyond age recognition; his white beard and hair, his thin bare arms and calves protruding from his robe, could have been fifty or sixty—or thirty or forty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His banner read “Iron Plate Divine Divination,” yet he shouted: “Collecting hair!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“High price for hair! Collecting hair, collecting braids, exclusively long hair… young maidens and brides, their jet-black long hair can fetch two feet of red cloth, plus a piece of decorative hair tie.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long hair was indeed collected—weren’t the wigs and fake braids sold at Beihai Tower Mall made from collected hair?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for a Daoist to collect hair was peculiar!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shop assistant kindly warned: “Old Daoist! In Zhigou City, young maidens and brides sell their hair only to the Hair-Keeping Old Woman; she also sells hair oil and hair cream—and pays the highest prices! A sixty-year-old woman’s hair still reaches her ankles, and you must lift it three feet higher!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Daoist was puzzled: “Autumn’s here. Daoists have no business, so I collect hair for a meal—how could this trade offend anyone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assistant laughed: “It doesn’t offend, but they won’t sell to you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Daoist learned that the Hair-Keeping Old Woman was another oddity of Zhigou City; legend said she was born with perfect hair—thick and jet-black—so she never cut it since childhood; by her sixteen, her hair reached her waist, and every young maiden and bride who saw it was envious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time she washed her hair, she used fresh flowers from all four seasons steeped in water, pouring rice-wash bucket by bucket, like a jet-black waterfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She married well—into one of the most prominent families locally—because her husband adored her long hair and never cut it; later, he left to do business, supposedly sailing south, and vanished without a trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hair-Keeping Old Woman swore she would never cut her hair until her husband returned, and so she waited until now…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without her husband, her family declined, yet her long hair became famed throughout Zhigou City; every time she stepped out, it flowed like silk brocade spread on the ground, so she began selling hair cream and oil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was the best at conditioning hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether hair was dry and yellow or thin and sparse, after she advised you to wash it with herbs and apply her oil and cream, it would become thick and jet-black, like a waterfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Young maidens and brides who loved beauty all preferred buying her hair oil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But poor children loved beauty too, yet most couldn’t afford her goods; so she told them: “I’ll accumulate virtue too—girls should dress well before marriage; if you care for your hair, you’ll marry well, and later, if you’re short on cash, good hair fetches a high price!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One foot of hair is worth three feet of cloth!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buying from me is like saving for your dowry! Spend your money here! When you marry, sell it back to me—I’ll guarantee you a better dowry. If you can’t afford it, borrow from me; when you marry, repay me with your hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, every young maiden’s fine hair in the city either waited to be sold back at a high price—or was already borrowed from the Hair-Keeping Old Woman; no one else had room to intervene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And every maker of fake braids and wigs in the city had to get their hair from her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Hair-Keeping Old Woman is truly an oddity—over sixty, her face shriveled! Yet her long hair remains thick and jet-black, even insects can’t crawl in,” the assistant sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Daoist stroked his long beard, hesitating: “Hair is the tip of blood; thick, black hair means abundant qi and blood. How can a man past sixty have jet-black hair yet a withered face?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assistant blinked: “I can’t explain that!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When things defy norms, there must be demonic influence!” The Daoist cast his bronze coins: “The tip is strong, yet the root must weaken. When qi and blood flow fully through the body, hair and beard must decay. Thus, the elderly lack qi and blood, so hair and beard turn white first. If hair and beard remain dark and lustrous while the person’s complexion is poor, this thing has usurped its master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Hair-Keeping Old Woman has nurtured her hair for sixty years—such supernatural hair must have become a spirit, draining her own blood and qi to nourish itself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is a demonic thing—not an omen!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Daoist stared at the hexagram formed by his coins and shook his head: “If this continues, in five or six years, that demonic hair will drain her blood and qi dry—she may even grow hair inside her coffin, sprouting from the ground, becoming a malevolent spirit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those around heard this and found it plausible; soon, murmurs spread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, someone found the old Daoist: “Master Daoist, someone requests you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Daoist smiled: “Business has come!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He followed them through winding alleys to a large courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep within the mansion, shade from towering locust trees obscured the courtyard; the man who brought him vanished without notice; the Daoist stood in the yard when suddenly a voice called: “Daoist, why slander a person’s reputation without cause?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Daoist turned and saw behind him a red-clad figure facing away, her jet-black hair cascading like a waterfall to the ground, sliding down the steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure was aged, yet her silhouette resembled a young maiden of sixteen—only because her glossy hair concealed her form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Daoist drew a sharp breath—he understood now why no one had refuted his earlier words!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This long hair was nearly a spirit…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I, the Daoist, speak truth: when things defy norms, there must be demonic influence! If not for your supernatural nature, why would mere idle words from me be believed by all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From my view, your long hair has become a demonic entity! It now harms only you, but as you age, your hair does not; when you die, your hair will not die! One day you will perish because of it—and your hair will not wither with you… it will become a malevolent spirit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Burn it now—cut it off, and even then, it may still harm others!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The aged voice chuckled bitterly: “Daoist, don’t you know? I swore an oath: I will not cut this hair until I see my husband again!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Daoist fell silent for a long while, then spoke: “What if I could divine the location of your husband’s bones?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On the day my husband’s bones return, I shall cut this hair, burn it, and bury it with him! I wish I could die with him at once—yet these bound tresses remain for him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s only hair! How can it compare to a departed loved one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Daoist pulled out a tortoise shell, placed three bronze coins inside, and asked: “Do you have any of his old belongings?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only one hairpin—he gave it to me,” the figure, back turned, hair hanging still, seemed to turn slightly: “Come closer—I’ll fetch it for you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, a withered hand reached into the waterfall of hair, drawing out a jade hairpin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Daoist stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the hair was too thick—even that slender hand seemed unable to lift it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the hand struggled to pull the jade pin from the heavy hair, it could only force apart the dense strands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The jade pin slipped—the Daoist instinctively reached to catch it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the hair split apart, revealing a wrinkled, aged skull emerging from within, its mouth clutching the jade pin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The long hair surged toward the Daoist, as if to drag him into its depths…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the Daoist’s fingernails extended—his ring finger bore a seven-inch black nail, drenched in thick bloodstained aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the nail pierced the old woman’s forehead; blood was drawn from beneath the nail; the aged skull stared in disbelief, eyes filled with horror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The nail lifted upward, slicing open her scalp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Daoist gently peeled the scalp from her skull, smiling as he did: “To nurture such lustrous, dark hair as yours is rare! Your hair is like threads of longing—you poured your longing into it, hence your qi and blood wither while it endures. For longing wounds the heart, and wounds shorten life—thus your qi and blood are depleted!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yet these threads of longing bind you to him—even across a thousand li, they still pull.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He must have died in a fengshui treasure site—only then could your longing hair stretch a thousand li, nurtured by your thoughts into such a treasure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thoughts are subtle, threads are exquisite—such wondrous hair could not be yours alone!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Xuanzhen Sect gave you this red bean bracelet to cure your longing sickness—but I arrived first and seized this wondrous hair! Thus, their Five Organs’ Heads failed—and I, the Divine Daoist, seized my chance to break the deadlock!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Daoist cut two paper figures and tied them to the jet-black hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One paper figure captured the Hair-Keeping Old Woman’s soul; the other floated upward like a breeze, tethered by a strand of hair, drifting southward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Daoist chanted a spell; the old woman’s entire body surged with qi and blood, sucked dry by the hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, only a dry, weightless skeleton remained—the Daoist took the scalp still attached to the long hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearly a zhang of hair trailed behind him, tucked under his arm like a dust whisk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sly smile spread across his face: “To refine this wondrous hair into a Longing Tribulation, you alone are insufficient.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fortunately, you’re skilled at nurturing hair—you’ve cultivated many lovers. From their hearts, you’ve drawn their longing blood; three thousand strands bind three thousand pairs of lovers—only then can I perfect my demonic art: A Thousand Knots of the Heart!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Among the Five Organs’ Heads cultivated by the Xuanzhen Sect, this tribulation should give them a surprise…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahahaha… I had no choice, Miaokong! Miaokong! You’ve doomed me! The Revival Patriarch of Languan Dao—you chose this person at random, yet his identity is fate! Heaven’s decree is sealed! If I cannot break this tribulation and attain Nascent Soul True Immortality, my destiny is ended!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if I betray the Tai Sui Alliance, I must pass this trial first…”\u003C\u002Fp>",2041,"2026-06-21T05:40:02.617Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0fa4156ed5d75c2ffdcebd23f0793d2fbaec8abf159524d9fca75e8b42b01651","the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-962","the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-960",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dao-dust-pearl-cover.jpg"]