Catching Monsters

Chapter 563 The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.

Within a single day, the struggle between the Sanqing Temple and the Qingfeng Temple spread throughout the capital through the Beijing Daily, teahouses, and storytellers' tales.

This matter has become the most talked-about topic in the capital in recent days.

Although the presence of the Taoist sect in the capital city is already relatively low.

But the topic was so explosive that the Celestial Master of Qingfeng Temple and Jiang Yun of Sanqing Temple were going to have a magical duel.

Ordinary people rarely have the opportunity to witness such a battle of wits.

At this moment, in a teahouse, the conversations of the people drinking tea and chatting mostly revolved around the two Taoist temples.

"I've heard about it. Do you know why these two are fighting?"

A person nearby said, "Didn't the Beijing Gazette say that these two have a long-standing feud..."

"Hey, a friend of my wife's distant nephew, who's the deliveryman who goes to Qingfeng Temple every day, knows the inside story. I heard that these two are because of a beautiful Taoist nun. The beautiful Taoist nun said that whoever wins can marry her."

"Don't believe or spread rumors. How old is Master Qingyangzi of Qingfeng Temple? He's a Taoist master. How could he be as lustful as us ordinary mortals?"

"And you don't know this, do you? Let me tell you, quite a few monks go to places like the Yihonglou..."

"But isn't that Jiang Yun the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard? How did he become a Taoist priest at the Sanqing Temple?"

"You don't understand, do you? How can the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard make money? Our current emperor deeply abhors corruption."

"This Lord Jiang built a Taoist temple. Anyone who wants to give him gifts or bribes only needs to donate money to the temple, and the money will cleanly go into Lord Jiang's pocket."

Such scenes are playing out in various parts of the capital.

The location for the duel between the two was set on a lawn outside the capital. Unexpectedly, a day in advance, some shrewd vendors who had a keen sense of business opportunities arrived early to secure a good spot, preparing herbal tea, desserts, and other items, hoping to make a fortune.

In any case, because of this incident, the reputation of Sanqing Temple was thoroughly established in the Zhou Kingdom.

Although the earliest Sanqing Temple has been completed for over a year, most people have no interest in going inside to take a look.

Subconsciously, it is assumed that Sanqing Temple, like Qingfeng Temple, Tianqing Temple, and Baiyun Temple, inherits the Taoist teachings of the Daoist master.

Inside the Eastern Garrison Command, Jiang Yun sat in his study, closing his eyes to rest and meditate in quiet contemplation.

Tomorrow is the agreed time for the duel, and Jiang Yun certainly won't underestimate Qingyangzi.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Jiang Yun opened her eyes and said, "Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Qi Da strode in, saying with a smile, "My lord, you've only been staying in your room these past two days, but you have no idea how lively things have become outside. Even many high-ranking officials have been asking our Eastern Garrison Command about your duel with Qingyangzi, wanting a ticket."

"Uh." Jiang Yun was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "This is a good thing, but there's no need to give us tickets."

"If they want to watch, they should just go early and get a good spot."

Jiang Yun certainly didn't expect to make money from this. Of course, in the capital, even if some famous opera troupes from other places come, their tickets are always in high demand.

Not to mention that now it is two top Taoist masters who are going to have a fair and square battle.

This kind of excitement might only happen once every ten years.

The duel was scheduled for noon.

Early that morning, many servants of high-ranking officials and nobles in the inner city came out early to reserve good seats for their masters, and even brought out a lot of tables, chairs and benches.

As time went by, more and more people came from the capital to see the spectacle.

Soon, a large crowd of over a thousand people had gathered beneath the erected wooden platform.

It was quite lively. Ling Gu Zi was also there. He had a sullen face and sat down with several disciples from Baiyun Temple in a chair near the front. Soon, he saw Xuan Dao Zi in the crowd.

A thought flickered in his mind, and he then had his disciple bring a chair to sit down next to Xuan Daozi.

"Fellow Daoist, you've come too?" Ling Gu Zi said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist, do you know that all the Daoists of Qingfeng Temple have been captured by Jiang Yun? I'm afraid everyone in Qingfeng Temple will be killed by Jiang Yun."

"If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold!"

"Once Qingfeng Temple is wiped out by Jiang Yun, their next move will probably be to target us."

Ling Gu Zi took a deep breath and, seeing that Xuan Dao Zi's expression had not changed at all, said, "Xuan Dao Zi, have you really been brainwashed by Jiang Yun's Tao Te Ching?"

Xuan Daozi slowly turned his head and said to Ling Guzi, "Jiang Yun is not a person who likes killing. Isn't the reason for all this because Qingfeng Temple took the initiative to provoke him?"

"Alas, we are all from the same Daoist sect, why bother?" Xuan Daozi shook his head helplessly as he said this.

Seeing Xuan Daozi's stubbornness, Ling Guzi was furious.

Soon, a steady stream of high-ranking officials and dignitaries arrived.

Among them was Tao Yuelan from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

Accompanied by servants, Xu Suwen, and Jiang Qiaoqiao, Tao Yuelan arrived at the scene. She whispered to Xu Suwen, "Suwen, does our son-in-law have a chance of winning? This Qingyangzi Celestial Master has been famous for many years after all..."

Xu Suwen smiled and comforted her, "Mother, don't worry. Don't I know Jiang Yun? He wouldn't agree to a magic duel if he wasn't confident."

"That's good, that's good." Tao Yuelan nodded slowly, and then she saw many high-ranking officials and nobles in the inner city.

When these people saw Tao Yuelan and Xu Suwen, they all came up to greet them.

Nearby, there were also many Imperial Guards from the Eastern Garrison maintaining order.

Li Wangxin also arrived, and some high-ranking officials jokingly said, "Lord Li, when did your Embroidered Uniform Guard start having this job again?"

Li Wangxin chuckled but did not answer. He slowly sat down. He had not originally planned to come, but he had reported the matter to Xiao Yuzheng a few days ago.

His Majesty the Emperor ordered him to come here in person and, if the opportunity arises, to uproot the entire Qingfeng Temple.

It was soon noon, and Jiang Yun had arrived. He first went to greet Li Wangxin and Tao Yuelan.

Today, Jiang Yun is wearing a formal purple Taoist robe.

Soon, Qingyangzi also arrived.

He glanced at Jiang Yun with a complicated expression, then slowly walked onto the stage. Immediately afterward, Jiang Yun also climbed up.

Jiang Yun, however, wore a smile on his face, made the Meridian Seal with his hands, bowed to the crowd below, and said, "Everyone, today Senior Qingyangzi and I are here to discuss the Dao and the Dharma. We are grateful for your kindness in coming to watch."

"Hmph." Qingyangzi showed no respect for Jiang Yun and said indifferently, "We are on different paths, so you are not worthy of being called a senior."

Then, Qingyangzi looked at the many dignitaries below and said loudly, "Gentlemen, the reason I am fighting Jiang Yun here today is because this scoundrel has taken away all the Taoists of my Qingfeng Temple with an arrest warrant. He promised that if I win, he will release all the Taoists! You can all be my witnesses."

Upon hearing Qingyangzi's words, the powerful and wealthy below did not react much, but many of the common people who came to watch the spectacle seemed to understand now.

However, these people did not criticize the Embroidered Uniform Guard much because of this...

Because of the reputation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, many people's first thought was, "Isn't this a normal thing?"
The moral character of the Embroidered Uniform Guard...

Li Wangxin, standing below, looked grim, since he was the one who issued the arrest warrant.

Qingyangzi brought this up because he was afraid that Jiang Yun might deny it later, and that even if he won, Jiang Yun would still refuse to release him.

Now that he's saying it in public, he's sure Jiang Yun won't dare to renege on his promise.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun frowned. He had to admit that Qingyangzi's mind was entirely focused on cultivating the Dao...

By saying that, he completely offended Li Wangxin, who was sitting in the audience.

Jiang Yun, of course, would not back down, and slowly asked, "Qingyangzi, why don't you tell me why our Embroidered Uniform Guard is arresting the Taoists of your Qingfeng Temple?"

"Besides, my promise to you is that once the Taoist priests of Qingfeng Temple are found to be free of any suspicion of treason, I will release them."

Jiang Yun couldn't agree with Qingyangzi's words, otherwise, wouldn't he be accused of abusing his power?

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Yun said, "Also, Qingyangzi, what if you lose?"

Upon hearing this, Qingyangzi slowly clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and said, "If I lose, I will admit that the Sanqing Temple and the Sanqing Daoist methods are not heretical or unorthodox practices."

It's really hard to admit that the Sanqing Temple is also orthodox.

It's not some unorthodox or heretical path; isn't it just the orthodox way?

Hearing Qingyangzi's words, Jiang Yun nodded in satisfaction and looked at the crowd below: "I would like to ask everyone present to bear witness to this matter."

After speaking, Jiang Yun slowly looked at Qingyangzi and asked, "Senior Qingyangzi, how do you intend to fight?"

Jiang Yun originally knew that his strength was above Qingyangzi's, and he had intended to discuss the Dao with him.

Upon further reflection, it seems that the two men's views and understanding of the Dao were probably on two different dimensions.

To be honest, it was nothing more than arguing.

Qingyangzi took a deep breath and slowly said, "Simple. Since you claim that you are not a heretic, then prove it to me!"

At this point, Qingyangzi slowly sat down cross-legged and said, "It's simple, just like when you held the Dao Discussion Conference at my Qingfeng Temple, ask the gods to appear."

This was also the only way Qingyangzi could think of to defeat Jiang Yun.

After all, Jiang Yun's magical power was stronger than his own; he was a second-grade True Monarch.

If the two were to fight to the death and compete in the power of their magic, he would definitely be slightly inferior.

After much deliberation, Qingyangzi finally came up with a way to win.

Please let the Daoist Master appear in his avatar. The other party's unorthodox and heretical avatars will be so frightened that they will flee upon seeing the Daoist Master.
He can clearly and simply uphold his own lineage, making him even stronger than Jiang Yun.

It's important to understand that Qingyangzi's goal this time wasn't just to defeat Jiang Yun and rescue the Qingfeng Temple disciples from the imperial prison.

He also wanted to thoroughly prove that Jiang Yun's so-called Three Pure Ones Taoist methods were inferior to his own.

The true lineage of Taoism lies within itself.

Although Jiang Yun did indeed invite three deities to appear during the Daoist Conference, those three deities were indeed extraordinary.

However, Qingyangzi believed that the reason for their defeat was simply that the disciple who used the summoning technique was not powerful enough.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun quickly understood Qingyangzi's intention.

This……

That's wonderful.

Jiang Yun looked intently at Qingyangzi, then slowly nodded and said, "Alright!"

Soon, Qingyangzi sat down cross-legged, took a deep breath, and slowly chanted:
"This disciple sincerely beseeches the Dao Venerable to descend, to manifest his form and reveal his deeds, for the Dao's power is boundless. Heaven is formless, earth is emotionless. The union of heaven and earth is called the Dao. This disciple, Qingyang, has always upheld the Dao. I respectfully beseech the Dao Venerable!"

Qingyangzi formed complex hand seals, took a deep breath, and soon a strong wind arose all around. Cold sweat poured down Qingyangzi's forehead. He gritted his teeth, and with his hand forming the hand seals, he pointed to the sky.

In an instant, a blurry phantom slowly appeared in the sky.

Subsequently, the phantom became increasingly realistic.

The incarnation of the Daoist!

This incarnation is seventy or eighty meters tall, and is enormous.

A powerful sense of oppression instantly swept over all around.

The appearance of the Dao Venerable is not clearly visible, because the Dao Venerable is formless and without appearance, and is the embodiment of the Dao.

However, to ordinary people, those eyes seem to reflect a vast starry sky.

Among the crowd of people who came to watch the spectacle, a small number were Taoists. When the Taoist deity appeared in person, they hurriedly knelt down before him.

Many ordinary people, even those who do not believe in Taoism but in the Daoist deity, all knelt down when they saw the Daoist deity appear in person.

Whether you believe it or not, kneel down and pray first, and make a wish.

The Daoist's eyes slowly fell on Jiang Yun, and immense pressure suddenly pressed down on Jiang Yun.

Jiang Yun took a deep breath and slowly recited:
"The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. Nameless, it is the origin of Heaven and Earth; named, it is the mother of all things. Therefore, always without desire, one can observe its mystery; always with desire, one can observe its manifestations..."

"Disciple Jiang Yun respectfully invites the divine spirits."

"I respectfully invite the Jade Pure Primordial Heavenly Venerable."

"Secondly, I invite the Supreme Pure and Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Venerable."

"We invited the Supreme Celestial Venerable of Morality and Virtue three times."

Ling Gu Zi, who was below the stage, noticed that when Jiang Yun recited the name of Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun, the Daoist's eyes in the sky flickered.

(End of this chapter)