Yinshan Record

Chapter 44 Huang Tian
Outside the south gate of Shanyin County, crowds gathered.

A large group of people were staring at an old Taoist priest with white hair.

The old Taoist priest was wearing a tattered robe, tied at the waist with a hemp rope, and carrying a fish drum on his back.

"It is said that when heaven and earth were first separated and chaos was just beginning to form, there were seven innate spiritual roots. One was Fusang, located east of the East Sea, where the great sun resided; another was Jianmu, located in the wilderness of Duguang, connecting heaven and earth; and the third was Ruomu, located in Youdu, suppressing all ghosts."

"These three innate spiritual roots, though called spiritual roots, are in reality the three roots of life, death, and immortality in the world. One who obtains Fusang is like the rising sun, with endless vitality. One who obtains Ruomu is the master of Youdu, with all ghosts obeying his commands. One who obtains Jianmu communicates with heaven and earth, and possesses immortal supernatural powers."

"If we were to price these three innate spiritual roots, even a mountain of copper coins and a river of silk would not be enough to buy them back home. Even if the current emperor of the Great Liang and the emperor of the Northern Wei were to combine their empires and exchange them for them, they still could not buy them."

Su Che and the little fox happened to be outside the south gate when they saw the old Taoist priest talking so eloquently that they couldn't help but walk over to see what was going on.

"This Taoist priest doesn't seem to be a practitioner."

Su Che found a corner and watched the Taoist priest, whose speech and behavior were just like those of an ordinary person.

Those who cultivate the Tao absorb the sun and moon, and adopt the principles of Yin and Yang. Once they embark on their cultivation, there are always some unusual aspects to their practice.

To put it more elegantly, they mostly exude an air of otherworldly refinement.

The person in front of me was speaking eloquently, but it all felt like something I'd heard from the vendors selling whetstones and meat grinders at the morning market before I time-traveled.

There's a certain江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) vibe about him.

The little fox held the umbrella in its left hand, its brows furrowed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my lineage is called Taishang. As you know, the Taoist sects in the world today each have their own lineage, such as Tianshi Taoism, Huangtian Taoism, Shenxiao Taoism, Shangqing Taoism, Quanzhen Taoism, Louguan Taoism, Chunyang Taoism, and so on. If you trace back to your ancestors, you will find that there is a Taishang Taoist Ancestor who is supreme and true. All these Taoist sects and lineages come from the same family."

"Later, everyone separated and went their separate ways. My lineage still reveres the Daoist Master and takes the name Taishang. Of the seven spiritual roots that existed when the world was created, one was passed down to me. Today, I am fortunate to meet you all, so I will take out this spiritual root and give it to you."

As he spoke, the old Taoist priest took out a small jade hoe from his sleeve and slowly dug a pit in the ground.

“This spiritual root originated at the beginning of the separation of heaven and earth. At that time, the five elements were not yet determined, so it cannot be touched by anything of the five elements. It will turn to dust when it encounters water, turn to ash when it encounters earth, die when it encounters metal, be extinguished when it encounters fire, and become stiff when it encounters wood.” The old Taoist continued, “Only by using this jade hoe to stabilize the nature of the earth and nourish it with the yin and yang energies can it live.”

As he spoke, he took a seed from his sleeve, gently placed it into the pit, and then covered it with soil with both hands.

"Taoist, how can your bird's root grow without seeing the sun or water?"

"The Taoist priest's roots can grow when he sees a nun, what do you know?"

"In the end, he's still just trying to swindle money. You all see, this Taoist priest always wants money, no matter how high or low he is."

The Taoist priest chuckled and said, "Don't worry, everyone. Just recite a spell and they will grow."

"East is north, west is south; the valley spirit never dies, it is called the Mysterious Female."

The Taoist priest stepped out with a powerful gait and pointed with his right hand.

"rise."

A vibrant green vine, resembling a living snake, twisted and turned as it emerged from the ground.

Before long, the vine grew to the thickness of a bowl, with green leaves spread out like claws on each one, and several fist-sized gourds slowly grew out from it.

"Taoist priest, are you selling melons? Don't you know they're sweet?"

Some of the villagers below were also there, making a fuss.

The Taoist chuckled, then simply picked the fist-sized melons from the top—thirty-six in total—and placed them at his feet. "Are they sweet? Why don't you break them open and see?"

As he spoke, he took the fish drum off his waist and smashed it hard against the melons below.

The melon rind split open, and the yellow pulp rolled around, revealing tiny human heads, each with their hair in a bun, eyes closed, melon juice sticking to their faces and flowing out of their mouths and noses.

"Fellow villagers, look at this melon. It contains the Thirty-Six Bandits of Fubo Mountain. They practiced evil arts and committed numerous atrocities. The leader of the bandits transformed himself and took over the body of the prince of Cheshi Kingdom, defiling the palace. Such behavior is worthy of being called a demon. I have already used this spiritual root to convert him."

Goodness, I misjudged this time.

Su Che couldn't help but feel a little curious.

According to the old Taoist priest with white hair, one of the crimes committed by the bandits of this mountain was to change bodies and take over the body of the prince of Cheshi Kingdom.

As a time traveler, could I also be accused of "changing body shape"?

One of the main reasons I fled Jiankang City was that I was afraid people would find out what was going on, but I never expected to encounter a great man who was going to act on behalf of Heaven in Shanyin County.

The white-haired old Taoist priest then picked a small melon from the vine.

"As the saying goes, chickens should not live past six, and dogs should not live past eight. These animals, exposed to human life, will inevitably breed monsters over time. In Wannian County, there was an old man who died on the road while traveling as a merchant. His old dog, which he had raised for ten years, transformed into the old man and took over his property. His wife and concubines all became slaves of the monster, and the monster even plotted to kill the old man's two children."

The old Taoist priest tossed the melon down, and a dog's head popped out from inside the melon.

"How could I, with my spiritual root, allow such an evil creature to remain?"

“And this one,” the old Taoist priest said, picking a small melon from the vine and tossing it to the ground. “This centipede originally grew in Shanyin County, but a few years ago it moved to Guobei County. It used to feed on the brains of corpses in mass graves. All living things in nature eat and drink, so there was nothing wrong with that. But who knew it would cultivate supernatural powers and start targeting children. It transformed into a seductive woman and preyed on underage boys. It has already harmed thirteen good children. Hehe, now it’s in this melon of mine.”

The melon rinds were scattered everywhere, and the pulp was left on the ground. The large and small human and animal heads inside seemed to still have some breath left, as if they were still breathing between their mouths and noses.

The onlookers finally realized what was going on.

Murder! You sorcerer!

As soon as the onlookers shouted, they all left, leaving only Su Che and the little fox still in the same spot.

I've met a true master today.

"Alas, one of these seven spiritual roots is called Righteous. Everyone, please do all good and refrain from all evil, otherwise, if you run into this spiritual root, you'll find it easier to get through the underworld than to be forgiven by the gods."

The old Taoist priest looked at the empty space before him, clapped his hands gently, and sighed.

"Performing this Taoist opera is really exhausting, and nobody watches it. Young man, do you think it's difficult for an old Taoist priest?"

"To persuade people to do good is truly a futile effort." Su Che looked at the Taoist priest in front of him and knew that he had met a true immortal today.

This illusion left even the little fox beside him completely bewildered. For a cloud fox from the Cloud Recesses of the East Sea to be unable to decipher it, this person must be either a carefree immortal or a powerful old monster who roams the world.

"It was indeed a futile effort. At the beginning of this year, I even had a fight with several other religious leaders over this matter, and in the end, the Taoist leader came to mediate."

A Taoist priest, wearing a tall hat and black robes, had a faint flash of lightning in his eyes.

He flicked his whisk.

“Young Master Su, Wei Zhisheng of Huangtiandao greets you.”

(End of this chapter)