If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1318 Lü Zhi's Supernatural Abilities

“To spread disaster.” After a moment’s thought, Lü Zhi asked, “Does the Taoist priest mean that the gods in heaven deliberately set up fires to cause calamities and suffering for mortals?”

Wu Yazi nodded and said, "Since you have such insight, why are you still so careless?"

Empress Lü smiled awkwardly and said, "It's not that I'm particularly insightful. Since the Second Emperor ascended the throne, the court has introduced various new policies, such as the 'Proclamation to the People'."

Recently, many of the major events that have happened in the world are related to gods and immortals.

When I was a young lady in the Lü family, I longed to seek a connection with the immortals, but I lacked the fortune to do so and knew little about the affairs of gods and immortals.

Now, squatting at the city gate listening to the gatekeeper deliver the "proclamation to the people," I've learned many secrets about the immortals.

It's like Fulongting, using the luck and fortune of humanity to cleanse sins.

The reason I learned about the disaster was from Lu Wan's wife. She said that the River God angered the court by causing disaster and was executed by dismemberment.

Taoist priest, you don't know yet, do you?
"Thanks to the Immortal Pillow you bestowed upon me, Lu Wan has found love with a celestial concubine."

Lü Zhi quickly recounted the story of Lu Wan's wife, Qiu Shui.

During the narration, she secretly observed the subtle expressions of the old Taoist Wuyazi out of the corner of her eye.

The old Taoist Wuyazi simply nodded slightly, his expression indifferent, without any obvious change in emotion.

Empress Lü felt somewhat disappointed.

She practiced the "Pavilion Chief's Wife Skill" and mastered several "miraculous arts." In addition to the ability to make her words correspond to natural phenomena, she also possessed the remarkable ability to understand people's hearts and human nature.

She herself didn't understand the principle, but she could easily catch other people's subtle expressions and guess what they were thinking.

She had some guesses about some things herself, and also heard some "fragments" from strange and unusual people.

But no matter what others say, nothing is better than seeing and hearing it with your own eyes and ears. That's why I decided to test "Teacher Wuyazi" in person.

"Upon learning that the new River God was merely a minor dragon kept by the imperial court, Qiu Shui was quite disappointed and somewhat resentful. As a river goddess herself, she would never dare to harbor any ambition for the position of River God, but she felt that she was far superior to a mere minor dragon," said Lü Zhi.

The old Taoist Wuyazi said calmly, "Let's leave aside Lu Wan's wife for now and just talk about you."

Since you know that some natural disasters are deliberately caused by the gods in heaven, why didn't you feel the slightest bit of vigilance when you were 'summoning the wind and rain'?

Lü Zhi frowned and said, "Is the rain that soaked the wheat a divine act of calamity? I really didn't notice."

I didn't sense anyone spying on me.

Moreover, the disciple heard from Qiu Shui that the Dragon King brings disaster in the summer, when crops need rain to grow.

"The wheat has already been harvested, why bother with disaster relief?"

Wu Yazi said, "Disasters do not discriminate by season, nor are they limited to floods and droughts."

Manipulating rainfall is just the most common method of disaster prevention.

This summer, although the Heavenly Court issued calamities, the effect did not meet expectations, because the Qin Dynasty also had a rain master.

The sudden shift from sunny to torrential rain after the autumn harvest is probably because some deities want to boost their year-end performance.

Lü Zhi asked nervously, "Daoist Master, have I been discovered by the immortals?"

Even the old Taoist Wuyazi wasn't quite sure.

If Empress Lü had truly been discovered and the secrets of heaven had been revealed, she would have been targeted long ago.

At this moment, Lü Zhi was surrounded by a clean and tidy area, and she did not see a single envoy or official monitoring her.

Moreover, "The Merit of the Lady of the Pavilion Chief" was ultimately her creation, and if it were exposed, she should have some sense of it.

Just like when "revealing the Heavenly Dao", once the technique is leaked, the creator of the technique receives a "Heavenly Dao response".

Even at this moment, she had no particular urge to do so.

If Lü Zhi hadn't been discovered for making such a commotion and still hadn't been noticed by the rain-bringing deity, then Lü Zhi's "strange magic of the village head's wife" would truly be quite sinister!

"Besides stopping the rain, what else can you do?"

Lü Zhi said, "I have also called for the wind to stop, and for the hail and snow to stop."

On another occasion, it seemed as if the dark clouds had been dispelled, and the sun had been summoned forth from the sky.

—To directly change the celestial phenomena by speaking words directly—this "miracle" is a bit beyond the scope of the art!

Wu Yazi was skeptical. "Are you sure all the celestial phenomena were your doing?"

Lü Zhi shook her head and said, "I can't be 100% sure, but I can be sure that sometimes I can indeed shout out the weather I want."

Wu Yazi waved his hand, and a gust of air pushed open the window, letting the cold winter wind blow into the study.

"Try making the wind stronger."

Lü Zhi faced the window, as if gathering her strength. After concentrating for a while, she shouted, "Make the wind stronger!"

Before the wind changed, Wu Yazi's eyes changed.

In that instant, an intense and irresistible spiritual will erupted from Lü Zhi.

Not only has her mental strength increased significantly, but more importantly, her spirit bears a resemblance to Ying Zheng's "undying will".

The power she wielded as king in Western Shu back then bears no resemblance whatsoever to Ying Zheng's "undying will."

"Huhuhu~~~"

Two breaths later, an even stronger cold wind rushed into the room, significantly stronger than before.

Lü Zhi smiled, somewhat pleased and a little smug, and said, "Daoist Master, do you see, isn't the north wind getting stronger?"

Wu Yazi stood up, leaped lightly, and slipped out of the window, arriving a hundred feet above the ground.

After closing his eyes and sensing for a moment, "he" returned to the ground with a puzzled look on his face.

"You probably haven't been exposed."

Wu Yazi did not notice anything unusual at all.

In his perception, the local wind force did increase, but it was a purely natural change.

There were no unusual fluctuations in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, no fluctuations in the laws, and no fluctuations in the cultivators' magical power.

Due to external environmental factors such as topography and airflow changes, wind force in nature is inherently uneven.

At this time, the environment around the Lü family remained unchanged, but outside the Lü family, in Pei County and the outskirts of Pei County, there seemed to be some factor that "naturally changed" the wind force, which then triggered a butterfly effect, causing the north wind blowing towards Lü Zhi to become more intense.

The area is not large, and the duration should not be too long, with no abnormal human interference factors.

It's so natural.

But Lü Zhi clearly used "magical arts" in front of "him".

He was quite certain that the change in the wind was very abnormal.

"At least this time, the wind summoning didn't have any magical fluctuations. It's likely that the previous weather changes also didn't have any magical fluctuations."

Lü Zhi was first delighted, then asked curiously, "How can I, disciple, cause changes in the weather?"

"I have a guess, but I need to verify it and learn more about your situation."

Wu Yazi pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is your 'miraculous skill' limited to weather changes?"

Lü Zhi said, "The weather changes are the most obvious and also the most mysterious."

There are many other strange things as well.

For example, this disciple is no longer afraid of ghosts, nor of mysterious and extraordinary people.

After a moment's hesitation, she still admitted frankly, "This disciple can also read people's expressions and seems to be able to understand their thoughts. I can quite keenly detect whether someone is being malicious or benevolent."

Wu Yazi laughed and said, "The internal energy of cultivating the 'Lady's Skill' is not the true energy of ordinary immortal martial arts, but a more fundamental spiritual energy."

You may not understand the primordial spirit method of the Xuanmen, but your soul at this moment is definitely no worse than the yin spirit of an ordinary cultivator.

A strong will naturally leads to various extraordinary abilities.

For example, their telepathic abilities become more acute.

This is not an isolated case of "The Lady's Merit".

Just like cultivating any immortal martial art, it will strengthen the body, making you run faster and stronger.

Then Wu Yazi asked in confusion, "Your fate is unique, so you don't need to be afraid of ghosts."

There's no need to fear extraordinary people. They're just people too; what's so scary about people?

Lü Zhi said, "When I was still unmarried, I was really afraid of the sneaky evil spirits and ghosts."

After achieving some success in cultivating the "Lady's Skill," the disciple inexplicably became bolder.

Sometimes at dusk, in the woods or on the desolate mountains, when they saw seemingly terrifying demons and monsters, the disciples would peek out to observe them closely, feeling only curiosity and disgust, without a trace of fear.

Even after they discovered him, he remained unafraid and even shouted at them with great confidence.

When I yelled, they were so frightened that they fled in panic, some even disappearing into thin air.

The extraordinary person possesses unusual skills, is powerful and wicked, and always makes the disciple feel uncomfortable and uneasy.

Now that the inexplicable unease has disappeared, the disciple feels more confident, though he doesn't know why.

"I've only ever seen ghosts and monsters; I've never had any conflict with extraordinary people. I don't know what effect shouting at them would have."

At this point, she revealed a strange expression and said, "It is said that monsters emerge in chaotic times. Now that the world is about to fall into chaos, many incidents involving demons and monsters have indeed occurred in our Pei County."

Sometimes when ghosts or monsters are encountered in the village, there's no need to spend money to hire a Taoist priest.

The villagers knew how powerful I was, so they all asked me to ward off evil spirits.

I never refuse an invitation.

Wherever I go, demons and monsters either vanish into thin air or flee in disarray.

"You've made quite a commotion!" Wu Yazi raised an eyebrow.

This woman was completely unrestrained, sometimes summoning wind and rain, sometimes suppressing evil spirits, displaying all sorts of strange phenomena.

Even though she herself has no magical fluctuations, there are too many strange phenomena and anomalies happening around her, so sooner or later someone will notice.

Lü Zhi said helplessly, "How could I refuse the invitation from my fellow villagers? However, Daoist, you don't need to worry."

Now everyone knows that, like Liu Ji, I studied 'Qimen Dunjia' under you, Master Daoist."

The "wedding gift" that Wu Yazi gave her was a complete set of martial arts techniques, which included internal energy cultivation, body techniques, and mental cultivation.

The Heart Sutra is the "Taoist Version of the Righteous Qi Formula," which Lü Zhi hasn't even mastered. Her internal energy cultivation method is the "Tingzhang's Wife's Skill" (the power of commoners), and her body technique is Xiao Yu's early life-saving miracle, the "Void Step," which Lü Zhi still hasn't mastered and can't use.

However, it is enough as an excuse for "magical arts".

In fact, this speed of training is Lü Zhi's true martial arts talent.

Both the "Righteous Qi Secret" and the "Void Step" require extremely high talent and a great deal of time to study.

Lü Zhi's martial arts talent was mediocre.

After becoming Liu Ji's wife, she didn't have time to study diligently, so she didn't even get the basics of either skill.

She was able to quickly master the "Pavilion Chief's Wife Skill" because she was destined to cultivate this skill.

Destiny is the greatest and most overpowered talent.

"If you don't actively promote it, how will everyone know that you can ward off evil?" Wu Yazi asked.

Lü Zhi said, "I often go alone into the desolate mountains and wilderness to deliver food to Liu Ji."

Even in the countryside there are demons and monsters, let alone in the deep mountains and forests.

Liu Ji hid in Mangdang Mountain.

Within a radius of several hundred miles, the forests, caves, and deep ravines of Mangdang Mountain are teeming with demons and monsters.

The local people not only witnessed it, but also suffered greatly from it.

I am clearly a 'weak woman', yet I can carry a shoulder pole into the mountains alone, going back and forth dozens of times, always finding Liu Ji accurately, and always returning safely and on time.

Wouldn't the neighbors be alarmed and suspicious?

Everyone in Pei County knew that Empress Lü sent food to Liu Ji, who had fled to Mangdang Mountain.

She herself never shies away from it.

In Xiaoyu's previous life's "Records of the Grand Historian", it was clearly written that every time Lü Zhi returned from delivering food, she would shout everywhere - "Do you know why I was able to find Liu Ji in the vast wilderness? It's because Liu Ji had auspicious seven-colored clouds above his head. I followed the clouds and found him every time."

This woman is promoting her husband!
In this life, Empress Lü would certainly not dare to make such a rash statement. Liu Ji's imperial aura was also not revealed at this moment.

But she carried hundreds of kilograms of scallion pancakes alone, weaving through streets and alleys, entering Mangdang Mountain under the watchful eyes of nearby villagers, and more than once. People aren't stupid; how could they not know what she was doing?

Why is the government not doing anything? Liu Ji is clearly a wanted criminal.

The government wasn't indifferent; Empress Lü had actually been imprisoned. She was only spared hardship thanks to Liu Ji's good friends Cao Can and Xiao He.

“They may be surprised and suspicious, but you can say you are skilled in martial arts. There’s no need to expose your strange abilities,” Wu Yazi sighed.

Lü Zhi explained, "The ghosts and monsters disappeared in the places I passed through, which was discovered by the people."

I didn't want to be seen as a monster, so I said that I was born with a tough life and had learned some magical arts from a Taoist priest.

They asked me to help exorcise the evil spirits, how could I refuse?
After trying it once or twice, I proved even more skilled than the Taoist priests at Songfeng Temple outside Peixian City, and my reputation spread throughout the countryside.

At this point, a complex expression of helplessness and pride appeared on her face. "As my reputation spread and I helped more and more of my neighbors, I clearly felt that the cultivation of the 'Pavilion Chief's Wife Skill' became smoother and my 'internal strength' grew faster and faster."

Didn't the Taoist master say that when he passed on his skills to his disciples?

As long as a disciple does the right thing, his inner strength will increase; he should persist in doing all the right things.

If one's internal strength declines, it indicates that the disciple has done something wrong and needs to correct it immediately.

This is indeed a limitation that Xiaoyu left in "The Merit of the Pavilion Chief's Wife".

She never minded spreading the Dharma to sentient beings, but she cared deeply about her own Dharma, which became a source of power for evildoers.

Empress Lü can make her words law and possess various strange powers, but the source of her power lies in the "Lady of the Pavilion Chief's Merit".

The true name of Lady Gong, the head of the village, is "The Power of the Common People"! Her power comes from the common people.

Empress Lü Zhi was able to cultivate her "inner strength" only by gaining the genuine approval and support of the common people. If she were to act perversely and public resentment were to boil over, she would lose the "power of the common people."

"Alas, it is fate. I hoped you would keep a low profile and remain unnoticed. But by cultivating this technique, it seems you are destined to become the focus of everyone's attention," Wu Yazi sighed.

Lü Zhi said, "Many extraordinary people came to Pei County to look for Liu Ji before. They were clearly more interested in Liu Ji than his disciple."

“Uh, that’s true.” Wu Yazi paused for a moment, his expression turning somewhat strange.

As the saying goes, a tall tree catches the wind.

If we take Lü Zhi out on our own, she is indeed very large and conspicuous, and she is likely to attract strange looks.

In reality, Empress Lü Zhi, this great tree, was attached to an even greater "Emperor's tree".

Liu Ji is already conspicuous enough, having been framed and made a wanted criminal. Once Liu Ji's "imperial aura in the southeast" is exposed, who will still give Lü Zhi a second glance?
(End of this chapter)