Longzang

Chapter 29 The Legacy of Our Ancestors

Although Wei Yuan had no concept of immortal silver, he could tell from the Taoist's words that the tuition was quite expensive. Since the Taoist was willing to give a lecture for free, Wei Yuan immediately bowed respectfully and stood quietly to wait.

"Don't be so formal, have a seat." The Taoist priest was kind and gentle, and he felt even more favorably toward this poor but well-educated and polite child. But then he thought to himself, "He's a good child now, but I'm afraid he'll be corrupted by the Heavenly Azure Palace in a few years."

The Taoist sat upright and said, "Three thousand seven hundred years ago, our ancestor rose from humble beginnings and accidentally obtained a cultivation method, thus embarking on the path of immortality. After the foundation of his Tao was established, the ancestor founded the Taichu Palace, which at that time was nothing more than a boundary stone and two thatched huts. After that, the ancestor opened up the northern region, eliminating demons and monsters with sword and exorcising evil spirits. Slowly, he carved out a beautiful place with clear waters and green mountains in the desolate and deadly land, saving countless lives and making great contributions to heaven and earth. Then, his Taoist cultivation advanced like a god. Three hundred years later, he achieved the Oneness and finally reached the summit."

"After the patriarch achieved mastery of the Dao, he took in twelve disciples. Among them, three were born at the right time, possessing their own destiny, and embarked on the path of immortality at an early age. After these three patriarchs achieved great mastery of the Dao, they led many younger disciples in the palace, gathered like-minded people, and bravely marched north. After years of bloody battles, they finally seized a large area of ​​land from the foreign tribes, which is the origin of Yunzhou. This great battle was later known as 'The Three Immortals Settle Yunzhou,' and it was the most important event in the human world at that time."

"However, the alien races were ferocious, and the war was brutal. Less than three years after the war ended, two of the three immortals perished one after another. The only remaining immortal, Lord Luofu, also secluded himself for many years and rarely showed himself, existing only as the anchor of my Taichu Palace. Even so, a hundred years later, Lord Luofu still ascended to immortality. After his ascension, his body transformed into a towering peak, which remains one of the sacred sites of my Taichu Palace to this day."

"After the passing of the Three Immortals, the Taichu Palace flourished day by day. In later generations, each of the Three Immortals' lineages established a temple, while the other lineages that could cultivate to the point of unity were established as halls. This is the origin of the original three temples and seven halls of the Taichu Palace. Later, disciples of the Taichu Palace were born in response to the times, with extraordinary talents, surpassing their teachers, and opening up new paths of cultivation from scratch. Five more halls were added one after another, which is the current three temples and twelve halls. The current Hall Master of the Azure Sky Hall, True Lord Xuan Yue, possesses divine cultivation and is also the Hall Master of the Water Moon Hall, making him unique among all the Hall Masters."

At this point, the Taoist paused briefly and took a sip of tea.

Wei Yuan asked, "I read in the book that the cultivation of immortality is about achieving longevity and tranquility. So why did the three ancestral immortals fight and kill each other after achieving success in their cultivation, and eventually perish one after another? What is the reason for this?"

The Taoist priest said solemnly, "Immortals and mortals are not separate. Which immortal did not come from among mortals? Since ancient times, our human race has been weak, surrounded by other races. Not only do they come to our territory to plunder and kill every year, but some even eat and sacrifice humans! We cultivate immortality and achieve great supernatural powers and magic, but what is it for? Just for our own longevity and peace? There are such people, perhaps quite a few, but they are definitely not our ancestors of the Taichu Palace! From our ancestors and the Three Immortals down to this day, the cultivators of our Taichu Palace cultivate supernatural powers and magic to expand our territory, develop the world, and fight for more land for our human race to thrive!"

The Taoist priest then said, "I didn't tell you the story after the Patriarch just now. Guess where the Patriarch is now?"

Wei Yuan was naturally unaware of this.

The Taoist pointed to the ground and said, "Right here! This land where we are standing, this mountain gate with its green canopy, is the body of our patriarch after his fall."

Wei Yuan was greatly surprised. As far as he could see, this mountain gate covered an area of ​​hundreds of miles, and he couldn't even see the end of the boundary. Could it all be the manifestation of the Patriarch's body?
The Taoist priest slowly said, "When our ancestor reached the pinnacle of cultivation, he was three hundred and thirty years old. At that time, the world we are in now was still within the territory of the Wuyu tribe. Everywhere there were fiery caves, strange trees and poisonous herbs, and the air was filled with deadly miasma. Ordinary people would die within half a day if they entered here. The Wuyu tribe used humans as sacrifices, and their strength was overwhelming, far beyond what the human race could match at that time. Every time they held a grand sacrifice, they would capture hundreds of thousands of people to offer as sacrifices to heaven and earth. After our ancestor mastered the Taoist arts, he went west alone and fought a great battle with the three Heavenly Witches of the Wuyu tribe for several months. Our ancestor fought against all three, and still managed to kill the first Heavenly Witch and severely injure the other two. This battle forced the Wuyu tribe to retreat eight thousand miles, and they did not dare to invade again for thirty years."

"After the patriarch returned, he sat down and passed away by the boundary stone he had personally erected, at the age of 331."

"After the patriarch's fall, his body turned into precious soil, completely changing this world and transforming the desolate region into a sacred land. The precious soil formed by the patriarch covers an area of ​​910 li in circumference. Nourished by this precious soil, another 7,000 li of desolate land around it gradually transformed into land where humans could live. This is the origin of the original four prefectures of Ningzhou. After you enter the gate in three days, the patriarch statue you will worship will be built on the original boundary stone."

Wei Yuan almost held his breath as he listened. He hadn't expected the ancestors of Taichu Palace to be so resolute; this was completely different from the immortal path stories he had imagined. At that moment, a figure flashed in the courtyard, and Zhang Sheng appeared, placing a small bag on the table, saying, "The tuition fees are all here."

The Taoist put away his silver pouch and said, "Why are you so slow to come back? I just told him the story of the patriarch establishing the palace and the deeds of the three immortal predecessors. If you hadn't come back soon, I would have finished my tea."

Zhang Sheng laughed and said, "Tuition fees are so expensive, it's rare to have a free teacher like you, how can I not teach you more?"

The Taoist priest didn't linger; after collecting the tuition fee, he left the courtyard.

After the Taoist priest left, Wei Yuan was able to look around the courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't large. One main room served as both bedroom and study, one side room was a cultivation room, and the other side had an empty room whose future use could be determined as needed. In the corner of the courtyard was a small kitchen, though it was fully equipped. The palace had a unified kitchen where new disciples could eat; this kitchen was actually used to prepare special spiritual and medicinal meals.

The supplies distributed to the new disciples were placed on the desk in the main room. They included three sets of clothes, which could purify the mind and eyes and keep one free from worldly defilement; a copy of the Taichu Palace Clan Rules; a copy of the Clan Entry Guide; an identity jade token; a bottle of Qi-drinking pills; and three strands of immortal silver.

This was the first time Wei Yuan had ever seen immortal silver, and he curiously picked it up to examine it. The immortal silver was milky white, warm to the touch, and each strand was about the length of a little finger, as thin as an incense stick. Immortal silver was vastly different from the ordinary silver Wei Yuan had seen before, and it was also much heavier. Three thin strands of immortal silver weighed thirty taels, which was Wei Yuan's monthly allowance for the first three months as a new disciple.

Immortal Silver is made by refining a mixture of silver, gold, mica, stardust, and other materials, and then nurturing it with Daoist power for six months. It is widely used in the manufacture of magical artifacts and formations, making it the most versatile material. According to the conventions of the Taichu Palace, one tael of Immortal Silver can be exchanged for one hundred taels of mortal silver. However, within the Taichu Palace, mortal gold and silver are of little use.

Afterwards, Wei Yuan had to pay for all his living expenses in the Tai Chu Palace, using this kind of immortal silver. However, compared to the tuition fees, the monthly silver for a new disciple was really too little. Even if Wei Yuan didn't eat or drink, his monthly silver would only be enough for one class. Therefore, the tuition fees had to be subsidized by the teachers or the palace.

The entire valley served as the new disciples' quarters, while Zhang Sheng himself had a separate cave dwelling. After explaining some important points, Zhang Sheng instructed Wei Yuan to study the sect rules and entry requirements on his own, and that he would return after dinner to formally impart the Daoist teachings. Having not returned to the sect for seven years, Zhang Sheng also had a host of matters to attend to.

After Zhang Sheng left, Wei Yuan took out two books and read them carefully.

Over the past three years, Wei Yuan had studied diligently every day and had long since developed the ability to concentrate. He could sit for an entire afternoon, and by the time he finished reading both books, it was almost dusk.

(End of this chapter)