Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 676 Errands
"I really don't know."

The refined young man was slightly taken aback. Although he had some guesses in his heart, he still humbly asked for advice.

He had previously overheard his elders discussing politics and learned that the imperial court had issued twelve imperial edicts in succession, halting the advance of the army that had been sent to Yunnan and Guizhou to break through the western border, turning the offensive into a defensive posture, and forcing them to retreat a hundred miles.

The clever and quick-witted Chen Yun quickly connected this important military and national event with the decree issued by the Dengzhen Pagoda. He vaguely guessed that something might have happened to the Boundless Saint worshipped by the court. However, as the middle-aged Taoist said, he was not a cultivator and did not know the details.

"I'm asking you, what is innate red lead?"

The middle-aged Taoist took a sip of tea, but instead of getting straight to the point, he kept everyone in suspense.

"The first menstrual blood of a full-term girl."

Chen Yun answered honestly.

"Indeed, the key to why the Tower of Ascension wants this item lies in the word 'beginning,' otherwise, how could mere mortal blood catch the eye of that being?"

The middle-aged Taoist priest held up a finger, paused, and continued, "The Daoist Canon records that all mortals experience ten emotions and eight sufferings, while young boys and girls, in addition to these, also possess a trace of unreleased primordial yang and yin. Our Daoist sect has a secret technique called [Shaping Sand], which can refine this primordial yin of living beings into innate profound yin, and then combine it with innate profound yang to create the innate primordial primordial qi that gives birth to all things in heaven and earth."

"Primordial Qi?"

Chen Yun became increasingly interested as he listened to the secrets of the Taoist sect.

"The Primordial Qi, also known as the Great Beginning, transforms into form and materiality, but before it becomes a complete body, it is called the Primordial Essence. The Primordial Venerable's extremely powerful [manifestation body] is composed of this Primordial Essence, which can transform the ten emotions and eight sufferings back into the Primordial Beginning, emulate the nature and form, enter the dragon pool and pass through the tiger's den unharmed, and pass through the knife mountain and pass through the sea of ​​fire safely."

At this point, the middle-aged Taoist's voice softened considerably, as if afraid of being overheard by anyone other than the young man: "The decree issued by the Ascending Truth Pagoda to collect this Primordial Red Lead was given by the Primordial Venerable. His manifested body had encountered some problems and needed Primordial Qi to repair them, which is why he informed the imperial court, ordering all 120 prefectures to expedite the collection of this precious material, lest things escalate and lead to some great disaster."

"Huh? A major disaster? Uncle Mei, are you referring to that old killer in the Southwest?"

Thinking of the recent mobilization of the Ministry of War, Chen Yun tentatively asked.

"Yun Cong, sometimes it's better to be ignorant about certain things."

Seeing that the young man had hit the nail on the head, the middle-aged Taoist neither confirmed nor denied it, but simply said to himself, "By the way, where were we?"

"Red lead and yin."

"Oh right, Yuan Yin. To refine the innate Xuan Yin using the Sha Tuan Sha method, the red lead used as raw material must be pure and cannot be affected in the slightest by the licentious worship of wild gods. In the outer city, even wild cultivators who retain their virginity will inevitably have their Yuan Yin distorted by impure nature, making them the most poisonous demons in the world. Not only can they not be used as medicine, but even those who uphold the precepts must be extremely careful when they see them."

The middle-aged Taoist stroked his beard, his piercing gaze fixed on the young man, and slowly said, “As for the female Taoists under the Xuanpin Venerable, although their Taoist practices are of the same origin as the Primordial Venerable's, and their primordial yin is pure and flawless, they are still fellow disciples of the Wuliang lineage. Rashly taking their blood could easily shake their foundations and corrupt their path. I'm afraid Abbot Brother will find it difficult to bring this up. Therefore, we must find another way.” “I see. Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Mei. I have learned a great deal.”

After the middle-aged Taoist priest explained it this way, the quick-witted Chen Yuncong quickly understood the implied meaning and raised his cup in respect.

Indeed, Taoist priests like Mei Bo, who are high and mighty, are not on the same level as ordinary people. They can easily summon wind and rain and control thunder and lightning. It is no exaggeration to call them terrestrial immortals. Since they can squeeze money from ordinary people for their own use, they naturally have no need to harm the interests of their fellow disciples.

But when will I be able to become a true immortal?
After a moment's thought, Chen Yun finally understood the key point and, unable to suppress his excitement, got down to business: "Uncle Mei, what about the ordination certificate application I submitted earlier?"

“Yun Cong, you were known as a child prodigy in your youth, and your literary talent was renowned throughout Yingtian Prefecture. Your senior brother, the abbot, was afraid that your early talent would lead you to follow in the footsteps of Jiang Lang, which is why he has been slow to give the Chen family a reply. Now that you have come of age, you have worked hard for me over the years, and your sincerity is evident to all. If you wish to enter the Taoist sect again, your senior brother, the abbot, will certainly not refuse.”

As he spoke, the middle-aged Taoist took out a jade plate from his bosom and handed it to the young man. After he saw the three characters "Chen Yuncong" engraved on it, the Taoist took it back before the young man could reach out and take it.

"Meibo, what does this mean?"

As if a bucket of ice water had extinguished the passion in his heart, Chen Yun suppressed his surging emotions and forced a smile as he asked.

"Don't worry, I've already found a high-ranking priest to preside over your ordination after you become a disciple. However, if you want to become a disciple of the Primordial Venerable, you still need to do something for the Tower of Ascension."

The middle-aged Taoist priest stroked the warm, smooth jade disc and said softly.
"But what about that congenital red lead?"

Chen Yun subconsciously thought of what they had just discussed, but the middle-aged Taoist shook his head.

"Mysterious Yin is easy to obtain, but Mysterious Yang is hard to find. Although collecting red lead is tedious, it only requires more manpower and money. The Tower of Ascension has countless believers, and it can gather the required amount of red lead in a few days. On the contrary, it is this Mysterious Yang that is difficult to obtain."

The middle-aged Taoist priest looked at Chen Yuncong, whose expression had changed slightly, and slowly said, "...It will require you, Young Master Chen, to put in some more effort."

"Does Mabel have anything to teach me?"

Hearing this new term that he had only learned tonight, Chen Yun realized that the Taoist priest in front of him had his eye on his family's power and wanted to use the strength of a powerful clan to complete this task, which was obviously very difficult.

"It is said that Emperor Yao caused nine years of floods, inundating China and causing people and livestock to live side by side. Yao ordered Yu the Great to control the floods, and Yu dredged the nine rivers into the four major waterways of the Yangtze, Huai, Yellow, and Han. In the Huai River, there lived a water monster named Wuzhiqi, who had a white head and a blue body, golden eyes and white teeth. He commanded 96,000 demons, all of whom stirred up storms and caused great harm to the people. Among them was a red serpent named Xuanyang Chilian. Yu ordered Yi Wu to capture it and imprison it at the bottom of the Sheshan Pool, forbidding it from emerging for thousands of years. During the reign of Emperor Dezong of Tang, five rulers mismanaged the government, and six kinds of calamities occurred. This serpent monster shed its skin and shrank its bones." The demon, having escaped, unleashed its heat, causing a drought and widespread poverty. The Xuanpin Zun, pitying the people, transformed herself and descended to earth to subdue it. After forty-nine battles, large and small, the demon escaped each time. The Xuanpin Zun then disguised herself as an old woman in a restaurant. The demon, repeatedly defeated and hungry, also transformed into a poor woman and begged for food from the deity. The Xuanpin Zun used her supernatural powers, transforming iron chains into noodles for the demon to eat. As the demon finished eating, the iron chains bound its liver and intestines. The Xuanpin Zun revealed her true form, grabbed the end of the chains, and locked it back at the bottom of the pool at Sheshan. The iron chains wound around the mountain a hundred times, and a sword was suspended above them to suppress the demon, thus slaying the dragon.

The middle-aged Taoist seemed to have anticipated the young man's question. He took out a brocade handkerchief from his bosom and handed it to Chen Yuncong, saying, "And that Sheshan is located in Songjiang Prefecture, five hundred li away."

(End of this chapter)