Day and night tour

Chapter 421 Deceiving Mountains and Rivers
The unusual behavior of the eldest and third children wasn't anything particularly dramatic. It was only after Zhou Xuan reminded them that the engineer realized what was happening and said...

"Yes, Da Wa and San Wa are usually very focused when playing games, but today they seem a bit distracted, just like you?"

As the two were discussing, the third child, the Red Ginseng Boy, suddenly burst into tears, his sorrow flowing like a river, while the eldest child chased after Xiao Nao and hit him.

"What's going on?" Zhou Xuan jogged towards the "game room" in the secret realm, and the engineer followed.

"What are you doing? What are you doing? Why are the mastermind of the Buddhist Kingdom and the Red Ginseng Boy fighting?"

Zhou Xuan separated the eldest child and the cerebellum, and asked about the situation.

The Buddha Kingdom's main brain is a silver object about the size of a walnut. It was just being chewed on by the eldest child, who even left teeth marks on it.

As soon as he saw Zhou Xuan coming over, he said aggrievedly, "Brother Xuan, you be the judge. A few of us were playing cards together. Da Wa and San Wa were on my team, but those two would sometimes stare blankly and sometimes be in a daze, which caused us to lose a lot of money to the Blood Well Brain."

"and then?"

"Then I scolded Sanwa, and Sanwa cried because of my scolding. Dawa didn't like it and wanted to mess with me... no, he already messed with me."

Cerebellum felt wronged and said, "I don't think I said anything particularly offensive when I scolded Sanwa."

What did you say to him?

Zhou Xuan asked.

“I call Sanwa a brainless big water radish.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan immediately laughed and shook his head, saying, "Your insults aren't harsh enough? It's a genuine ginseng, and you're calling it a radish?! That's racism."

A ginseng root that's priceless is being touted as worthless, like a cheap radish that costs only a few cents a pound at the market.
Which ginseng can withstand such slander?

"Is a radish necessarily inferior to ginseng? I don't think so." The cerebellum was a bit stubborn.

Zhou Xuan asked, "If someone said you were a walnut that couldn't nourish the brain, would you be happy about that?"

The cerebellum immediately felt the pressure and said, "Then I definitely have to scold him."

"It's all the same thing. Put yourself in others' shoes. Don't say things that could affect unity."

After finishing his work on his cerebellum, Zhou Xuan comforted Sanwa: "Third brother, don't cry. You are a ginseng, a genuine ginseng. Just look at those tendrils on your body, what kind of radish can grow out of them?"

"really?"

"Really, be more confident. Ginseng is ginseng, and radish is radish. No one can change that just by saying a few words."

After some encouragement, the third brother finally regained his confidence and asked the eldest brother, "Eldest brother, eldest brother, am I really a ginseng root?"

"Your ginseng is genuine Dongguanfu red ginseng." Da Wa acted like an older brother.

Xiao Nao was still angry and said, "Brother Xuan, I think there's going to be a rectification movement in our secret realm, with Da Wa and San Wa forming cliques."

"They're brothers, why are they forming cliques or factions? Don't say things that could affect unity."

Zhou Xuan scolded Xiao Nao again, then asked the two ginseng dolls, "Eldest brother, third brother, you two seem a bit off today. Tell me what you're thinking about."

The eldest and third brothers looked bewildered and asked, "What happened to us?"

“You just…” Zhou Xuan made a dazed gesture.

Sanwa realized: "Oh, you mean this? I felt a warm and moist aura nearby, and when it rushed over, my mind went blank."

“Yes, that aura... it's like a treasure,” the eldest child chimed in.

"What kind of treasure?" Zhou Xuan asked.

The eldest brother thought for a moment, patted his chest, and said with great pride, "A treasure just like ours, on the same level."

"is it?"

Zhou Xuan frowned. These two Red Ginseng Boys could bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded; they were practically human substitutes for the dead, invaluable treasures indeed.
Is it on par with Red Ginseng Boy?
Do I have such a treasure around me?

"We sensed it anyway. There are countless spirits in this Jing Kingdom, and treasures can often be sensed by other treasures."

"That's what the eldest child said."

Zhou Xuan thought for a moment. Indeed, nothing new had been added to the Zhou family's ritual shop today, except for the three fragments he had obtained and the copy of "Shangqing Cantongqi".

"Could it be?"

Thinking of this, Zhou Xuan said to the engineer, "Teacher, let's pause the class for now. I'm going to get something for Da Wa and San Wa to take a look at."

Before the engineer could nod, Zhou Xuan strode out of the secret realm.

He returned to the real world, opened his eyes in his bedroom, and was about to go downstairs to ask Yun Ziliang for the "Cantongqi" when he discovered that the ancient book was lying quietly on the table.

"Hey, how did this book get back? Did Old Yun figure it out?"

Zhou Xuan realized he needed to reassess this alchemy manual; he subconsciously flipped through the book.

Something's not right now.

"Why has the matter of Master Lu Xue been recorded again?"

Thinking of this, he quickly turned his head and glanced at the corner of the table, only to find that the three tattered scrolls that had been pressed down by the ink bottle were nowhere to be seen.

"I understand now. Those three tattered pages have grown back."

Zhou Xuan quickly threw the booklet into the secret realm, and then entered the secret realm himself.

As soon as the ancient booklet entered the secret realm, the two children ran towards it as if they had seen something extraordinary.

"Wow, I can smell it, the fragrance of earth."

"It tastes like the wild mountains, it's so familiar."

Once the booklet floated on the black water, the two children pounced on it and began to doze off.

"You guys just fall asleep as soon as your heads hit the pillow?"

Zhou Xuan walked over and kicked each of the two children awake.

"Tell me, what exactly is this booklet?"

Zhou Xuan said.

The eldest child rubbed his eyes and said, "What is this booklet? We don't know either."

Sanwa said, "However, I can smell that there seems to be a great mountain in this booklet, full of the smell of Dongguan Prefecture."

"Have it?"

Zhou Xuan picked up the booklet, held it to his nose, and sniffed it carefully. He couldn't smell any earthy fragrance; he only smelled a "stale" odor.

This booklet has been stored in Mr. Ye's main hall for who knows how many years, and it's perfectly normal for it to have a slightly stale, outdated feel.

"Ah Xuan, you seem quite interested in this booklet?"

The engineer walked over and asked.

"Who says it isn't?"

Zhou Xuan turned to the "Master Lu Xue" page in the booklet and showed it to the engineer, saying, "Take a look. Master Lu Xue resurrected his relatives twenty years later, but I don't know what kind of evil magic he used."

"So, you want to know how he resurrected his loved ones?"

"The engineer asked."

Zhou Xuan nodded and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

"Then your sixth-level skills as a magician will come in handy."

"That's what the engineer said."

"What was the opportunity behind this? Teacher Gong, could you explain it to me?"

Zhou Xuan threw the booklet into the black water. The two dolls who had been staring at the booklet were overjoyed. They each stretched out a small hand, grasped a corner of the booklet, and entered the sweet "Dream of the Great Mountain".

The engineer explained, "The sixth level is called 'Harmony with Heaven,' which, to put it nicely, is the attainment of a state of harmony with heaven, earth, and nature."

But to put it simply—it means you can fool heaven and earth, you can fool a river, and you can fool a mountain.

"Rivers and mountains, aren't those inanimate objects? How can you deceive people like that?"

Zhou Xuan was greatly surprised.

The engineer said, "They are not inanimate objects. In the land of Jing, all things have spirits. A mountain, a river, also have their own spirits. Some Taoist temples, because of the existence of 'mountain guardians,' have also acquired a spirit."
A celestial deity, possessing divine power, can move mountains and rivers—guess how they do it, and how they move them?

"According to Teacher Gong, since these mountains and rivers all possess spirits, then when the gods move mountains and rivers, it means that the gods have reached an agreement with the mountains and rivers?"

"That's roughly the idea."

The engineer said, "In layman's terms, that divine status is like a decree of a prefecture, which can summon the great rivers and mountains, the spirits of the rivers and the spirits of the mountains. Once the decree is received, one accepts the command of the gods."

"There's this trick to it?"

Zhou Xuan learned new knowledge.

The engineer said, "Take the matter of Master Lu Xue for example. The miraculous event of him resurrecting his family happened at Yunlu Mountain. If you can deceive the spirit of Yunlu Mountain and make it believe that the current time is when Master Lu Xue is still alive."

"Can Master Lu Xue come back to life?"

"That's not possible, but... the scenery in the mountains will recreate the past, and you can find out what Master Lu Xue did back then."

The engineer said, "Those who knew the truth back then are long dead, including Master Lu Xue himself, but that mountain and that temple are still alive."

"Wonderful."

Zhou Xuan immediately clapped his hands together and said, "With this technique, wouldn't we be able to uncover many long-lost truths of the Jing Kingdom?"

"That's natural."

The engineer said, "This is why the Supreme Will sent so many gods to annihilate the magicians."

Some of the secrets of the Kingdom of Jing can be traded or bought and sold, but some secrets are far more complex, involving many powerful figures, and even the "Supreme Will."

"Some secrets are not to be touched. Back then, when the magician touched them, his establishment was destroyed. Now, if you want to touch them, you should be careful."

"I'm not afraid anymore."

Zhou Xuan said, "Anyway, as the Witch God said, I've already gotten involved in the business of big shots. I'm not bothered by having too many lice."

"It's always best to be cautious in everything."

The engineer then said, "Boss Xuan, do you remember what I told you about mind control?"

“I remember,” Zhou Xuan replied.

"You've experienced the techniques of the magician; the effects are astonishing. However, how to activate them is an extremely difficult problem, requiring the techniques to be layered one by one."

However, "being in harmony with Heaven" is not the same.

The engineer said, "This method involves sensing nature and finding the spirit of all things within it. Therefore, to deceive the mountains and rivers, this is the first technique to use."
Once found, things become much easier—the rest is simply a matter of "catering to their preferences," layering the deception one trick at a time until "there are no thieves in the world," thus fooling even mountains and rivers.

"First, use the sixth level of methods to find the target, and then unleash a combo from the first to the fifth level to fool that Cloud Deer Mountain Spirit."

"That's what it means."

After the engineer finished speaking, he instructed Zhou Xuan to enter a meditative state to prepare for learning how to achieve harmony with the heavens. Zhou Xuan immediately sat on a lotus seat and concentrated his mind.

"Boss Xuan, the first step is to gather all your thoughts and focus your attention on the space between your eyebrows."

Zhou Xuan complied.

"You're leaking too much energy. You need to continue to restrain yourself and suppress your energy to the lowest possible level, turning yourself into a stone or a dead leaf."

The engineer was quite dissatisfied with Zhou Xuan's ability to conceal his aura, but as soon as she finished speaking, Zhou Xuan's aura indeed shrank into a small dot.

These tiny, condensed particles of energy are smaller than a grain of rice, almost like dust. Even with the engineers' best efforts, they could not find them.

Zhou Xuan's aura seemed to be nowhere to be found.

"Wow, Boss Xuan is amazing! His comprehension is so strong!"

It wasn't that Zhou Xuan's comprehension was so exceptional, but rather that he had grasped the techniques of "遁甲" (Dunjia).

The Turtle Breathing Technique of Dunjia, which allows one to breathe for a thousand years, can be considered the most powerful technique for "concealing one's aura".

Zhou Xuan incorporated the state of tortoise breathing into his current state of restrained aura, thus fulfilling the engineer's requirements.

"Very good, Boss Xuan. Not only should your aura be concealed as if it were stone, but your thoughts should also be kept clear. Don't think about anything; let everything be empty and clear."

This instruction then pointed to the back of Zhou Xuan's hand. He had activated the Mirror of Emptiness, and there were truly few people in the world who could comprehend the "State of Emptiness" better than him.

Zhou Xuan stopped what he was thinking.

For a moment, he was like a stone, his mind completely blank, with only a little bit of perception remaining.

He didn't even know how many years had passed outside. From his faint perception, it seemed that time had flowed for a thousand, two thousand, or even three thousand years.
He was in a completely chaotic world, with neither wind nor rain around him.
After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly heard a thunderous sound.

"Boom!"

Accompanied by thunder, a flurry of raindrops fell into Zhou Xuan's heart.

Fresh air nourished Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan suddenly stood up, only to find himself surrounded by a thin mist and gauze. Within the mist lay the appearance of his secret realm, with the City God Temple representing the Blood Well, the Blood Moon, and the Black Water representing the will of the Nuo God, all standing and flowing quietly as before.

"I must have entered a state of perfect harmony with Heaven. The Taoist temple and the Black Water are still there, but the others are nowhere to be seen. I must be in this state where I can only sense the 'spirit of all things.'"

Zhou Xuan spoke to himself.

Moreover, as Professor Gong just mentioned, the concept of "human" is very broad, encompassing ordinary people, human spirits, and even celestial deities—all are essentially "human." However, deities, celestial beings, and wills transcend the category of "human."
They are also "spirits" among all things, and are within the scope of being "in harmony with Heaven".

"Blackwater and Blood Well, since they are spirits, they must have thoughts and ideas. Can I hear them?"

Zhou Xuan had a bold idea: to go and listen to what the "Blood Well" and "Black Water" were saying and thinking.

He immediately bent down and gently pressed his ear against the surface of the black water.

The ripples of the black water had just washed over Zhou Xuan's ears when suddenly, he had an extremely dangerous feeling.

He seemed to hear the sound of many people drinking water.

The sound of water being sucked into his mouth and the swallowing sound as his Adam's apple moved up and down was clearly audible.

At the same time, Zhou Xuan felt his blood being drawn out of his body along with the sound of "drinking water".

"What I'm drinking isn't water, it's my blood."

Zhou Xuan struggled to rise from the black water, but his limbs were limp and he couldn't muster any strength.

His vitality weakened as his blood supply decreased. Just then, a sharp pain shot through the back of his head, and he fainted.

……

When Zhou Xuan woke up, he felt a little dizzy. He rubbed his head, and the engineer next to him quickly asked, "Mr. Xuan, are you alright?"

"What did I just do?"

"You were really brave just now."

The engineer said, "You sensed the Blood Well and the Nuo God, and you even dared to prostrate yourself to listen."

"The Celestial Venerable, the God, the 'Spirit' of Will—cannot be heard, cannot be seen, cannot be detected."

"Otherwise, your consciousness will be infinitely absorbed and become part of the Celestial Venerable, the God, and the will."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan asked again, "Then how did I wake up?"

"it's me."

Miss Wall waved her fist and said, "I transformed into a fist bigger than a mountain and woke you up. Otherwise, you would be Blackwater or Blood Moon by now."

"If I sense the spirit of Cloud Deer Mountain, can I listen to it?"

Zhou Xuan asked the engineer.

"Of course, Yunlu Mountain is nothing compared to the Celestial Venerable and the Celestial God."

Before the engineer could finish speaking, Miss Wall complained, "And you, why didn't you tell Ah Xuan about something so important beforehand?"

"I never imagined he'd be so audacious," the engineer said, covering his face. "Any normal person knows not to provoke a deity or god, but..."

“Ah Xuan isn’t a normal person.” Miss Qiang understood what she meant.

Zhou Xuan stood up, stretched his limbs, and after confirming that he was still safe and sound, walked out of the secret realm.

"Ah Xuan, where are you going?"

“I’m going to Bailu Mountain to deceive the spirit of Bailu Mountain and see what evil magic Master Lu Xue used to resurrect my family members in the Mohe Temple of Bailu Mountain back then.”

……

After Zhou Xuan emerged from the secret realm, he was still pondering—why did Blackwater want to drain the blood from his body?

"Shuizi is trying to harm me?"

Zhou Xuan felt that it shouldn't be the case. As Blackwater was part of his secret realm, if they really wanted to harm him, they would have a thousand or even ten thousand opportunities to do so, so there was no need for them to hide it.

If you can't figure it out, don't think about it for now.

Zhou Xuan couldn't possibly sense and hear Blackwater's inner voice again—if he did, he probably wouldn't be so lucky next time.

He went down to the lobby on the first floor, where Li Changxun had already returned from his shower.

He and Yun Ziliang huddled together, discussing which singer had the most captivating voice.

One is a mountain ancestor, and the other is a hermit from Chuyun Mountain. Both were once prominent figures in the temple and the temple, but now they have become "song fans". It's just a twist of fate.

"Old Yun, Li Shanzu."

Zhou Xuan greeted him, and Yun Ziliang, as if provoked, turned around and cursed, "Xuanzi, the person who wrote that 'Cantongqi' is an idiot; his words are incoherent!"

People like that, what's the point of writing a manuscript? They might as well find a block of tofu and smash their head against it and die.

Faced with Yun Ziliang's barrage of questions, Zhou Xuan shrugged and said, "Old Yun, you didn't actually understand anything from that Cantong Qi and your defenses were breached, did you?"

"..."

Yun Ziliang immediately blushed, and then said things like "there is a way to study" and "I only read the books of sages," which made Zhou Xuan laugh very happily.

"Old Yun, when it comes to finding excuses, it has to be you. You have so many tricks up your sleeve."

After Zhou Xuan responded, he asked, "Are you free right now?"

"Something's up," Yun Ziliang said.

"What's the matter?" Zhou Xuan asked.

"I was chatting with Changxun about pop stars."

“Talking about pop stars is fine, is there anything else?” Zhou Xuan asked.

"That's gone."

Zhou Xuan couldn't help but complain: "All you ever do is deal with this trivial nonsense, yet you pretend to be incredibly busy. You two, come with me."

"where to?"

“Go to Yunlu Mountain.” Zhou Xuan spread his arms wide, making a “big” gesture, and said, “I’m going to do something very big.”

"What is it!"

“Let’s go and deceive Yunlu Mountain,” Zhou Xuan said.

"..." Yun Ziliang and Li Changxun.

The two old men were taken aback at first, then looked at each other, and then burst into cheerful laughter.

"Ku, ku, ku".

"What are you laughing at? If you really try to fool the mountains, our sixth level of magic tricks is called 'In Harmony with Heaven,' which can deceive mountains and rivers."

Zhou Xuan said.

"Bullshit."

"That's ridiculous."

Yun Ziliang and Li Changxun scoffed at this.

"If you don't believe me, come with me, and I'll show you what I'm capable of," Zhou Xuan said solemnly.

The two men looked at Zhou Xuan carefully for a while and felt that Zhou Xuan was not joking. They were confused. Putting aside whether the magician's skills were powerful or not, his skills were extremely unethical, even deceiving a mountain.

"Even if it's just about seducing a widow into bed, I think there's something to it. But swindling a mountain?! What would you do with it? Just because you think the soil there is a bit harder?"

Li Changxun complained.

“There’s a lot to learn here. Let’s talk about it when we get to Yunlu Mountain.”

As Zhou Xuan was about to embark on his soul journey, he suddenly turned back and asked, "By the way, where is Cloud Deer Mountain?"

Yun Ziliang and Li Changxun: "..."

“Yunlu Mountain is in Huangyuan Prefecture. If you don’t know the way, we can’t explain it to you clearly.”

Li Changxun conjured a gust of wind, enveloping him and Yun Ziliang, and rode the wind away.

"Sir, just follow us."

Zhou Xuan nodded, and his divine soul followed. The three of them traveled together to Huangyuan Prefecture, a thousand miles away.

Huangyuan Prefecture is known for its ancient trees and golden bells.

The Ancient Tree Golden Bell is a monitoring instrument; if a master who has been in the residence for more than six incense sticks enters, the alarm bell will ring continuously.

Li Changxun is a celestial deity above nine incense sticks, while Yun Ziliang is a dragon-seeking master who sits at eight and looks towards nine.

The two entered the mansion at the same time as Zhou Xuan. The golden bell of Huangyuan Mansion, like a boiler boiling water, wailed incessantly, like an air raid siren...

(End of this chapter)