Chapter 130: Seeking Transcendence Through the Path of 'Ghost Immortal' or 'Spiritual Cultivation'

Seeing Lu Yuan getting more and more carried away, completely lost in a fanatical fantasy.

The old man trembled all over with anger, suddenly took a step forward, and delivered a loud, sharp flick right on Lu Yuan's forehead with his knuckle!

"Bah!!!"

A roar of fury, unlike his usual teasing tone, carried genuine rage and alarm.

"You really must have been possessed by a ghost, you fool!!"

His voice wasn't loud, but each word struck Lu Yuan's ears like thunder, filled with an unquestionable severity.

"What do you think a temple is?!"

"Is it child's play, just finding a random spot, molding a clay idol, and calling it done?!"

The old man's eyes widened, bloodshot veins bulging from their corners.

"It's a sacred place that bridges yin and yang, channels the Spiritual Mechanism, and bears the prayer power of all living beings!!"

The old man paced back and forth anxiously on the spot, his fingers twitching and gesturing nervously in the air, as if sketching out the threads of rules invisible to ordinary people.

"Let's start with that 'Deity of Beauty'!"

"Do you think she managed to receive the Patriarch's tempering by thunder and fire, to attain her current 'true form' today, by sheer luck?!"

"It's because of her 'foundation' and 'opportunity'!"

"First, although her former self was a Malevolent Deity, her origin was the beauty porcelain personally fired by Liu Ruyan; she's an 'Object Gaining Spirit'!"

"What is an object?"

"It's an inanimate thing gaining sentience! It inherently carries a trace of the work of creation and the empty opportunity for 'postnatal attainment of the Dao'!"

"The Patriarch's thunder and fire weren't for creation, but for 'purification'! To wash away the filth she acquired after gaining consciousness, restoring the purity of her 'object essence'!"

"It's like taking a piece of raw jade soaked in blood and polishing it back into a jade embryo! That's called 'returning to the origin'!"

"Second, the rule of 'Beauty' she embodies, though twisted twice by the evil intentions of the Commanding Ghosts Liu Family and the Life-Severing Wang Family, the rule itself has no inherent good or evil!"

"'Beauty' can tempt people into depravity, but it can also purify the soul."

"The Patriarch infused it with the radiant, righteous Incense and Prayer Power, which is like re-attaching a righteous hilt to this masterless blade! That's called 'correcting a deviation and restoring order'!"

"Third, and this is the most important point!"

The old man suddenly stood still, an astonishing presence erupting from his withered frame, his gaze fixed intently on Lu Yuan.

"She was at Luo Yan Slope! That was a moment of creation where 'heavenly timing, earthly advantage, human harmony, and dharma opportunity' converged, a once-in-ten-thousand-years opportunity! Not a single element could be missing!"

The old man paused to catch his breath, his tone growing even more urgent and grave.

"Now, look at Gu Qingwan again!"

"What is she?!"

"She's the resentment of a person who died a wrongful death! An aggregation of Yin Malevolence, fierce energy, and remnant souls!"

"Her very 'existence' is a trampling and erosion of the rule of 'Life'!"

"You think those Yansheng Coins on her are just for suppression?"

"You fool!"

"They are the 'coffin nails' locking down her overwhelming tide of resentment and malevolence, preventing it from completely erupting and destroying heaven and earth!"

"And you still want her to receive incense offerings?!"

"Do you even know what Incense and Prayer Power really is?!"

The old man's furious outburst poured out like a mountain flood, crushing Lu Yuan into speechlessness.

And before Lu Yuan could even speak, the old man glared at him and shouted loudly.

"Have you forgotten why you stole the Three Pure Ones' Incense and Prayer Power in the first place, to wash away the evil techniques on her?!"

"That's the purest, most fervent belief and prayer of all living beings!"

"It's the most yang, most rigid force in this world!"

"You want to pour that kind of power into an entity whose very essence is an aggregation of 'death' and 'resentment'?!"

The old man slapped his own thigh hard, producing a crisp sound.

And Lu Yuan suddenly snapped out of it, as if waking from a demonic possession just moments before, seeming to understand.

The old man, meanwhile, continued glaring and speaking loudly.

"That would be no different from pouring boiling oil onto ice, or throwing fire onto dry tinder!"

"The fierce conflict between prayer power and resentment would cause her soul body and original form to be utterly annihilated! Any talk of a merit-based true body would be nothing but an illusion!"

Finally, the old man frowned as he looked at Lu Yuan.

"As for building a temple?!"

"Once a temple is erected and its deity statue consecrated, it automatically draws upon the local Earth Veins' Spiritual Mechanism and senses the surrounding people's prayer power."

"You want a resentment and malevolence entity to preside over it?"

"Then that temple would no longer be a blessed land, but a 'ghost cave and demon nest' that gathers yin energy, attracts malevolence, and breeds Evil Entities!"

"Within three days, anomalies would surely arise, and for dozens of miles around, not a single chicken or dog would be at peace!!"

"All the common folk praying to you would not receive protection. Instead, they'd have their yang energy drained, become tainted with bad luck, and be plagued by misfortune!"

"Can you bear such immense karmic retribution?!"

The old man leaned in closer to Lu Yuan, practically speaking through gritted teeth.

The old man took another step closer, almost squeezing each word out from between his teeth.

"You think the example of the 'Deity of Beauty' can be applied arbitrarily?!"

"Dead wrong!"

"She walked an almost unreplicable narrow path to heaven: 'survival in extremity, rule reconstruction'!"

"As for Gu Qingwan, she's walking another, even more perilous, more rugged path through the netherworld!"

"The only thing you can do now, the thing you must do, is first 'complete', then 'purify', and only then dare to dream of 'transformation'!"

"Complete her three hun and seven po, stabilize the foundation of her existence!"

"Resolve the resentment, malevolence, and obsessions on her, remove those damned Yansheng Coins and all external evil methods!"

"Only after the resentment dissipates, her soul body stabilizes, and her mind becomes clear... perhaps..."

A trace of uncertainty finally entered the old man's voice.

"Just perhaps, relying on the yin virtue and good deeds she has accumulated, she might seize a sliver of opportunity."

"To seek a bit of liberation through the path of a 'Ghost Immortal' or 'Spirit Cultivator'."

This old man was actually quite taciturn by nature, always sparing with his words.

Usually, he only spoke a bit more with Lu Yuan.

If it were anyone else in the temple, he wouldn't even manage three sentences a day.

It was either a grunt or an "okay."

And even with Lu Yuan, he rarely spoke this much.

Now, thoroughly infuriated by Lu Yuan and having spoken so much in one breath, he was panting heavily on the spot, nearly out of breath.

Lu Yuan completely calmed down, his face burning with embarrassment as he scratched the back of his head and muttered softly.

"...I get it... why shout so loud, it's not like I'm deaf..."

The old man's chest heaved violently. After catching his breath for a moment.

Looking at his disciple's current demeanor and his words, the old man, as his master, naturally understood that his disciple had realized his mistake.

For a moment, the old man's tone finally softened slightly, but became even more earnest.

"I know you remember her kindness and want to secure a perfect future for her."

"But the Dao follows nature, yin and yang have their order, all things have their own path, their own destiny."

"Forcibly grafting, going against heaven's will, will only brew a catastrophic disaster, harming her and destroying you."

By now, Lu Yuan finally lowered his head and said with utmost seriousness.

"Master, I understand. It's just that seeing the 'Deity of Beauty' able to reshape her divine body, while Qingwan can't, made me a bit anxious."

To this, the old man just waved his hand, a hint of weariness in his voice.

"Can't blame you. At twenty years old, anyone is bound to be a bit impulsive. It's good that you listen to advice."

Lu Yuan nodded seriously. Finally, the old man added a comforting word.

"The best way to 'repay her kindness' is not through fanciful ideas of building her a temple and sculpting a deity."

"But to be down-to-earth, first help her settle past affairs, complete her soul, and remove all restraints."

"As for how far she can go in the future... that depends on her own destiny, and also on your opportunity."

"It cannot be forced."

"And even more... it cannot be rushed!"

The old man wasn't the type to nag. Today, he was really driven mad by Lu Yuan.

But after saying his piece, the old man stopped. He wouldn't repeat the same thing over and over like a broken record.

He just pulled the stopper from his wine gourd again and took a slow sip.

Lu Yuan, meanwhile, digested the old man's long lecture by himself.

The two of them walked leisurely like this until they reached Lu Yuan's room door.

Lu Yuan looked at the old man beside him and said seriously.

"Then I'll go in and pack my things."

"Once I'm packed, I'll head straight to Fengtian City."

"You haven't slept all night, hurry up and rest. Don't you dare drop dead from exhaustion."

"In the future, you still have to help me look after the kids!"

The old man was stunned for a second, then immediately glared.

"Hey!! You brat, saying such things during the New Year!"

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"Still New Year? The fifteenth has been over for days!"

The old man retorted righteously.

"Before the first lunar month ends, it's still the New Year!"

Lu Yuan grinned and didn't say anything more.

The old man then raised the wine gourd in his hand and shook it.

"Tell your wives to get me some Maotai!"

"Really, now that you're married, you don't even know to bring some things to show filial respect to your master!"

Lu Yuan couldn't help but laugh.

"That really can't be blamed on them."

"This trip back was too rushed; I didn't bring them along."

"The plan was to bring them back together after the Celestial Master Grand Ceremony ends."

After saying that, Lu Yuan added.

"When I get back to Fengtian City, I'll have someone send you some right away."

The old man yawned and stretched.

He headed towards the nearby meditation room, his voice trailing back.

"I want Maotai!"

Lu Yuan grinned. Hey, this old man, said it twice already!

Quite picky, isn't he!

A little past four in the afternoon.

In the Guandong region beyond the Great Wall, at half past four, the sky was already beginning to darken.

Lu Yuan boarded the carriage he had arranged in advance and set off, swaying and bumping along the road towards Fengtian City.

The carriage creaked and groaned on the official road shrouded in dusk.

The old horse pulling it snorted white puffs of breath, its hoofbeats monotonous.

Inside the carriage, Lu Yuan wrapped his cotton-padded jacket tighter, leaned against the jolting carriage wall, and rested with his eyes closed.

In his mind, the old man's harsh, vehement rebuttal and the cold, cruel logic it contained echoed repeatedly.

Object Gaining Spirit, aggregation of resentment, returning to the origin, yin-yang disorder...

Each term weighed heavily on his heart.

Lu Yuan understood the old man was right.

His previous ideas had indeed been too naive and fervent.

He had nearly been blinded by the special case of the "Deity of Beauty," overlooking the inherent peril and difference in Qingwan's essence.

"Can't be rushed... cannot be forced..."

Lu Yuan chewed on these two phrases. The flame that had ignited in his heart because of the "Deity of Beauty" example, his eagerness to find a "righteous path" for Qingwan, gradually gave way to reason and a touch of helpless clarity.

But that stubborn desire to do something for her did not extinguish.

It just sank deeper, becoming more concrete: first remove the Yansheng Coins, then find a method to complete her soul.

After Lu Yuan sorted through all these matters, it seemed things were back on track.

The first priority was to make Zhenlong Temple's reputation resound far and wide.

To attract more and more incense offerings.

If he could help the old man secure the "Celestial Master" title this time, then in the Fengtian City area, Zhenlong Temple's name would instantly shake the heavens!

At that time, who in Fengtian City wouldn't want to come to the temple where a Celestial Master resided to offer incense and pray for blessings?

It's been a hundred years since Fengtian City last had a Celestial Master presiding over the area.

The last time was a hundred years ago, the abbot of Baiyun Temple.

Speaking of this Baiyun Temple, Lu Yuan thought, since the Baiyun Temple in Fengtian City had collapsed, its operations ceased.

Was there a possibility that Zhenlong Temple could move to the outskirts of Fengtian City?

Thinking about it carefully, better not.

With Zhenlong Temple's current manpower, they really couldn't handle such a large area as Fengtian City.

If they tried to forcibly recruit more Taoist priests, chaos would surely ensue.

Step by step, taking it slow is fine.

A little past ten at night.

In a daze, Lu Yuan heard the coachman outside knocking on the carriage frame and whispering.

"Taoist Priest~"

"Taoist Priest Lu Yuan~"

Huh?

Lu Yuan woke up groggily.

The coachman lifted the carriage curtain, poked his head in, and grinned at him.

"Taoist Priest, we've reached Qu Family Town. Let's get down, eat something, and rest a bit before continuing, alright?"

Lu Yuan had eaten before leaving and had slept fitfully the whole way.

But the coachman had been driving outside from afternoon until now, naturally feeling both cold and hungry by this point.

Lu Yuan immediately nodded with a smile.

"Sure, let's eat something warm. My treat."

As soon as Lu Yuan said that, the coachman waved his hands repeatedly.

"No, no, if anything, I should be treating you!"

Lu Yuan was taken aback.

He thought the coachman was just being polite.

After all, normally, when a coachman takes a client somewhere over a long distance, the client is supposed to treat the coachman to meals along the way.

Even if it wasn't just politeness, it was probably because of his identity as a Taoist priest.

Lu Yuan naturally wasn't the type to take advantage of his status.

After getting off the carriage, he looked around.

Qu Family Town was still quite lively.

Although the old saying goes, "before the first lunar month ends, it's still the New Year," for the laboring masses, after the seventh or eighth day of the new year, it's time to get back to whatever work they do.

If they really waited until after the first month to start working, they'd go hungry.

Qu Family Town had a post station.

A place specifically for passing vehicles to rest and eat.

Lu Yuan glanced around. There were plenty of good things to eat.

Like wontons, big meat noodles, even hot pot and instant-boiled mutton.

"Come on, I'll treat you to hot pot."

After getting off, waiting for the coachman to park the carriage.

Lu Yuan rubbed his hands together and blew on them.

The coachman was stunned.

The next second, he slapped his chest and declared loudly.

"No, Taoist Priest!"

"This meal has to be on me no matter what!"

Huh?

Lu Yuan looked at the coachman in surprise.

Hey...

This isn't like giving red envelopes during New Year, with all that polite refusal back and forth!

If you keep insisting, I really will let you pay!

Lu Yuan grinned, about to insist on treating.

But the coachman suddenly stared at Lu Yuan's face, his eyes lighting up as if remembering something.

He quickly exclaimed loudly.

"Taoist Priest Lu, it's me!"

"Have you forgotten??"

"Last year around this time, you were at my house, you saved my little girl's life!"

Huh??

Lu Yuan looked at the eager coachman before him, his mind completely blank.

A thick cotton curtain hung at the entrance of the hot pot shop.

Lifting it, a wave of steaming white air mixed with the rich aroma of mutton broth and the warmth of charcoal fire rushed out, instantly dispelling the chill of the winter night.

The shop was bustling with noise and activity, full of the atmosphere of everyday life.

Coachmen on the road, shrewd traveling merchants, idlers from the town, crowded around several greasy square tables, either slurping down bowls of hot noodle soup.

Or gathered around small copper pots, dipping thin slices of meat, creating a noisy and lively scene.

Lu Yuan and the coachman finally found an empty table in a corner and sat down.

The coachman was a man in his thirties, his face weathered dark red, his hands large and coarse with prominent knuckles, the cuffs of his cotton-padded jacket long worn shiny.

He didn't wait for Lu Yuan to speak, deftly taking the lead to order.

"One jin of mutton, sliced thin!"

"A plate of frozen tofu, a plate of Chinese cabbage, and a bunch of vermicelli noodles!"

"Boss, heat a pot of strong sorghum liquor, make it fierce!"

The small charcoal-fired copper pot was soon brought over. Clear broth bubbled and rolled under the lick of the charcoal fire, its aroma wafting everywhere.

The coachman swiftly prepared a bowl of sesame paste with leek flower sauce for Lu Yuan, and one for himself.

After doing all this, he rubbed his calloused hands together, his eyes, behind the rising steam, somewhat red as he stared intently at Lu Yuan.

His voice carried barely suppressed excitement.

"Taoist Priest Lu, you really don't remember me?"

He leaned forward slightly, adding urgently.

"Last spring! Zhuangli Village, the house west of the old locust tree! The one with three earthen rooms!"

"My little girl, Chunni! She was only seven back then!"

Lu Yuan was taken aback by his intensity. He carefully studied the man's face, then searched his memory with effort.

Zhuangli Village...

This place name felt vaguely familiar.

Lu Yuan could only answer somewhat awkwardly.

"I think... I have a bit of an impression."

Actually, he had no impression at all.

Who knew this polite remark would be like lighting a fuse.

The coachman slapped his thigh excitedly, his floodgates of words opening completely. With slightly trembling hands, he started putting mutton slices into the boiling broth while gesturing.

"You must remember now!"

"Back then, my Chunni was acting possessed!"

"During the day, she was listless. As soon as night fell, she'd point at the corner and cry, saying an old lady in a red jacket wanted to take her away!"

"She was burning up with fever, talking nonsense!"

"The Town Physician in town gave her several doses of medicinal soup, useless! We watched as the child's little face turned sallow, looking like she was about to stop breathing!"

"The village chief found an Itinerant Taoist Priest. Good heavens, he opened his mouth asking for eighteen yuan, not a cent less! Where was I supposed to scrape that together?!"

"Right at that time, you were passing by my house with two Junior Brothers..."

At this point, a trace of guilt appeared on this rough old fellow's face, and he scratched his head sheepishly.

"Not afraid of you laughing at me, but looking at you so young, deep down I didn't believe..."

"If I hadn't truly been unable to scrape together those eighteen yuan, I would never have dared to ask you."

Hearing this, a long-buried memory finally cleared up in Lu Yuan's mind.

Yes, there was such an incident.

Back then, he had just descended the mountain, had no reputation, no prestige. Wherever he went to take on work, people looked at him with scrutinizing, doubtful eyes.

If they weren't truly out of other options, or attracted by his low price, no one was willing to hire a young, beardless Taoist priest.

To build Zhenlong Temple's reputation, during that period, he not only charged little for his work, sometimes he even did it for free.

And along the way, if he encountered truly destitute people, he'd even have to pay out of his own pocket for medicine, maybe eight or ten cents.

All to build a reputation, to make people remember his kindness.

Looking back now, the things he did back then really weren't in vain.

"It was miraculous!"

The coachman slapped his thigh again, his voice rising an octave, making the wine bowls on the table hum.

"The very night after you left, Chunni didn't cry or fuss at all, slept so soundly!"

"The next morning, the fever was completely gone!"

"After a few more days of rest, she was running around everywhere again, like a little wild girl!"

He picked up a large bunch of just-cooked, still-steaming mutton and unceremoniously plopped it into Lu Yuan's bowl.

His voice had taken on a heavy nasal tone, slightly choked.

"Taoist Priest Lu, what our whole family can never forget is what happened afterward!"

"My woman thought we had to thank you somehow, so she wrapped up twenty eggs we'd saved at home, scraped together ten yuan from here and there, and took them to your temple."

"You absolutely refused to accept them!"

"You said, 'The child getting better is enough. Your life isn't easy either. Take the money back and buy the child some good food to build her up'!"

"And that's not all..."

The coachman's eyes were completely red now, his voice hoarse.

"You... you even took two yuan out of your own pocket and forced it into my woman's hand."

"You said, 'The child was sick, her body is weak. Go to the pharmacy and get some codonopsis and astragalus, make soup to replenish her energy'."

A man in his thirties, by the end, seemed unable to continue, as if about to cry.

Lu Yuan was also moved inside, quickly waving his hand.

"The child being fine is what matters, it's all in the past. Hurry, eat the meat, eat."

The coachman wiped the corner of his eye forcefully, picked up his wine bowl, stood up, and bowed deeply to Lu Yuan.

"Taoist Priest Lu, I'm a rough man, don't know how to say pretty words, but your kindness, your virtue, our whole family will remember it for a lifetime!"

"Later, I went to Zhenlong Temple to offer incense several times, but they all said you were out working, never saw you."

"From then on, the incense burner in my house honors Zhenlong Temple. I tell everyone I meet, Zhenlong Temple's Taoist Priest Lu is a true living immortal with real ability!"

After saying that, he downed the strong liquor in his bowl in one gulp, let out a long breath of alcohol-scented air, and a look of deep emotion appeared on his face again.

"Funny coincidence, I just got back from leading people to Fengtian City to cast jade beans for Zhenlong Temple."

"Just got home when I heard Zhenlong Temple needed a carriage to Fengtian City, so I rushed to take the job."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan felt a warmth in his heart, then asked curiously.

"Went to Fengtian City to cast jade beans?"

Mentioning this, the coachman's just-relaxed expression instantly took on a hint of anger again, and he pursed his lips.

"Yeah!"

"Wasn't it about the Celestial Master Grand Ceremony? All of us who received your kindness thought we could go cast jade beans for you."

"As soon as I heard the news, I immediately loaded up a carriage of people and went to Fengtian City. But damn it!!"

"They said it's some bullshit 'public opinion period' now, not the 'voting period'..."

"I didn't really understand, but anyway, they wouldn't let us vote! Said we have to wait until the sixth of next month!"

Hearing this, Lu Yuan couldn't help but feel this old uncle was a truly sincere person.

But before he could even say a word of thanks, the coachman took another gulp of wine, lowered his voice, and spoke with a tone of indignation.

"Because of this damn thing, things are practically turned upside down over in Fengtian City!"

"Just the village chief of Qingniu Village led several hundred people, all blocking the entrance of the city hall making a fuss!"

"And people from a few other villages too. Over the past couple of days, several thousand people have gone there one after another, all because of this, making a huge mess!"

Lu Yuan: "???"

The coachman was still grumbling.

"Those people are just neurotic, I say! Since people are already there, just let them vote first!"

"We villagers aren't like those city folks; going to the city once is a big hassle!"

"Making people travel back and forth in this cold winter, how can the old and young stand it!"

Lu Yuan: "..."

The next second, snapping back to reality, Lu Yuan directly turned to the waiter nearby and said.

"Another two jin of mutton, half a jin of hand-pulled noodles."

After saying that, Lu Yuan turned back to look at the coachman before him and quickly said.

"Old Uncle, this meal is on me, no arguing!"

"You don't earn money easily either."

"Let's finish eating quickly, no more resting, let's hit the road right away."

"I slept during the first half of the night. Next, I'll take turns driving the horse with you. Let's try to reach Fengtian City by tomorrow morning."

Good heavens!

If we don't hurry there, it feels like things are really going to spiral out of control!