The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 151 Humans and Ghosts Are Ultimately Different

Silence reigned in the courtyard.

The young girl, Li, carried a large bundle on her back. Beside her was a woman who looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, but with a graceful demeanor, carrying a zither. After the two were welcomed in, Li Zhiwei politely thanked Shen Cangming and then greeted the others one by one.

Pei Xuan Niao's arrogance vanished three seconds after recognizing the girl; he sprang to his feet and said:

"Princess?! What are you doing here?"

Li Zhiwei was dressed in a light-colored round-necked robe, with her hair tied up, making her look like a man.

The gentleness has been reduced by three parts, but the youthful spirit has been added.

"Well... for some reasons, I'll be leaving Chang'an for the time being..."

She looked at the ripples in the cup and recalled what had happened before.

After she and Zhou Yan joined forces to cause the collapse of the Pei family's main lineage and the loss of its prestige, the young girl lived a few peaceful days until that day when Consort Cui came to see her. The beautiful woman, who came from one of the five noble families and seven prominent clans, was extremely agitated at that time.

At that time, Li Zhiwei only thought that she was afraid because the emperor who had 'killed' Consort Yang had returned, and as Consort Yang's blood relative, she was afraid. However, a few days later, Consort Cui told her to leave Chang'an.

Li Zhiwei said, "Huh? Me? Why?"

Consort Cui looked at her intently:
"why?"

"The Sage made his decision and dispatched three thousand cavalry to Fengxiang after listening to your [Jinghe Dragon King's Mandate of Heaven]. Your father, the Prince of Guangping, is the current Crown Prince and also the Marshal."

"I don't know why or for whom you put yourself in this vortex."

"The retired emperor has returned with such great power. Even the slightest aftershock of the struggle between the two emperors could lead to your utter destruction."

"Leave immediately."

Li Zhiwei asked, "Where am I going?"

Consort Cui took a deep breath and said, "Go to Louguandao. You are of the Li family bloodline. Louguandao is the legacy of Li Er and is a royal palace. It is in accordance with the rules for a daughter of the Li family to temporarily cultivate in Louguandao."

“Your father knows your identity is sensitive, and he will agree.”

"I'll go into seclusion to cultivate my Dao and avoid the limelight."

Although Li Zhiwei was meticulous, she was somewhat at a loss in the face of the turbulent situation. She had entered the path of the unorthodox Xuan Guan sect by painting a mountain god picture for Zhou Yan, but she was only a ninth-rank painter. A well-equipped martial artist could easily defeat her.

Consort Cui gave her a protective jade disc, telling her that she must never lose it, and also told her many secrets. Li Zhiwei and Consort Cui talked in secret for two hours before finally making up their minds to leave Chang'an.

Consort Cui summoned Jiang Huaiyin, who had been rescued earlier, and asked Jiang Huaiyin to take care of her. She then took the two of them to the vicinity of Louguan Road.

Li Zhiwei kept something to herself, her eyes sweeping over the people around her.

He just smiled and said he was going to Louguan Taoist Temple for quiet cultivation.

“I know you’ll be buying things at Hedongtan in Wugong Town, so I’ve decided to stay here for the time being. I also heard from the locals that something happened at Wofo Temple, and that a remarkable Taoist priest named Zhou was doing a heroic deed, slaying demons and monsters. I knew it was you.”

Xuan Zhuzi was overjoyed and clapped his hands, saying:
"Louguan Dao, oh Louguan Dao, Louguan Dao is good, Louguan Dao is familiar!"

"Sister, I can show you the way."

Li Zhiwei looked at the young Taoist priest, smiled slightly, then took a step back, leaning closer to Zhou Yan. Her smile was polite yet distant, and she said:
"No need, Zhou Yan will guide me."

Li Zhi smiled warmly and was polite and approachable, but Xuan Zhuzi felt that beneath that warm smile, there seemed to be a huge, invisible barrier between them, making it impossible for her to get close.

Li Zhiwei turned to look at Zhou Yan and smiled slightly: "Is the money you had before enough to live on, Daoist Master?"

Zhou Yan said, "There are still quite a few."

Li Zhiwei smiled and said, "If that's not enough, I have some more here."

Zhou Yan pointed to Pei Xuan Niao: "There are many there."

Xuan Zhuzi glanced at the Taoist priest, then at the strikingly beautiful Li Zhiwei, and then at the aloof and slender Bihen with her clear, bright eyes. The young Taoist priest obediently turned back to grind the medicinal herbs, murmuring, "How envious I am, so envious."

"Damn it, I shouldn't have chosen to cultivate in seclusion on the mountain."

"Ah ah ah ah ah!"

So the little Taoist Xuanzhuzi's small millstone for grinding medicine almost sparked.

When everyone was packing their bags, Li Zhiwei found Zhou Yan, greeted him, and whispered, "Let's talk about some things in our dreams."

Zhou Yan knew that Li Zhiwei's sudden departure from the palace had other reasons.

The girl blinked and smiled as she greeted Lianniang.

........................

Zhou Yan was thinking about how he could tell Li Zhiwei about her mother. He knew he had to bring it up eventually, and keeping it a secret forever wasn't going to work. But how should he do it?

His injuries have now healed, and he is going to Louguandao to repair Shen Cangming's severed arm. He also needs to go into seclusion to cultivate. Louguandao is a must for him, and he has already started packing his bags.

The monk Kongkong looked rather unwell.

Ever since he realized the significance of Xuanzang's staff appearing at the Reclining Buddha Temple, the high monk had been sitting there muttering to himself, his expression changing several times.

I'm even a little bit timid.

Finally, watching the group packing their bags, he muttered to himself:
"Or perhaps this humble monk should take this with him and go to Louguan Temple with you?"

Yuan Danqiu held the blue lotus flower, took a bowl, wrote a talisman inside, and carefully planted the blue lotus, nurturing the three souls and seven spirits of Li Bai's daughter that the blue lotus represented.

Upon hearing this, he solemnly said, "It's best for monks not to go to Louguan Temple."

The monk looked up, his face full of confusion: "Huh?"

Yuan Danqiu said, "Everyone knows that Louguan Taoism was founded by Yin Xi, and it even contains the original version of the Tao Te Ching, which Lao Tzu recited and Yin Xi wrote down himself. However, the lineage is the same, but the people are different."

"Monk, you know about the [Emperor Wu's persecution of Buddhism], right?"

The old monk said, "Ah? I know." "Those monks occupy land but don't farm, they don't study Buddhism properly, they don't do anything, they deserve to be eliminated. Monks are not monks, and people are not people. They violated the law and punishment, so they should be eliminated."

The old monk was very open-minded, which left Yuan Danqiu of the Canxia Pavilion somewhat bewildered. The latter said helplessly, "However, few people in the world know that Emperor Wu of Zhou intended to destroy Buddhism and Taoism. The destruction of Buddhism was due to the monks of that time, and the destruction of Taoism was due to the matter of the Taiping Daozu."

“There was a True Man named Yan Da who went to court and spoke directly with the emperor to ‘discuss the Daoist teachings.’”

"In the end, Emperor Wu destroyed Buddhism, and as a concession to Taoism, all ten great masters of the world gathered in Louguan Taoism. They could not go out, but they successfully integrated all the resources of the northern and southern Taoist sects and were known as the Ten Elders of Tiangu."

"It can be said that the different Taoist lineages and techniques that had developed separately between the Northern and Southern Dynasties over several hundred years were integrated into one under the Louguan Taoist tradition."

"The power and influence of the Louguan sect is far beyond what any other sect or lineage can match."

Seeing that Monk Kongkong looked confused, Yuan Danqiu had no choice but to emphasize his words and say directly, "In other words, Louguan Dao was one of the direct results of the persecution of Buddhism back then. You, a great monk, with a Buddhist heart and nature, would be better off not going there."

The monk Kongkong was speechless.

"how about you?"

Yuan Danqiu's expression remained somewhat solemn:

"This humble Taoist priest also intends to visit Louguan Temple."

Gao Shi had already spoken with Yuan Danqiu in secret and would help Yuan Danqiu rescue Li Taibai. Li Pingyang's soul was almost completely corrupted in the incident at the Wofo Temple, and even if he was rescued, it wouldn't be safe.

Although Canxia Tower is one of the Five Great Daoist Sects, the fourth-rank True Person is currently in seclusion and specializes in alchemy and the Cantong Qi. He is not very good at solving pollution and nurturing spirituality.

"The mysterious pearl turns in the pool of supreme goodness, it is tempered by thunder and fire before the platform of preaching, the cinnabar swallows the qi, the Yellow Court hides the book, and it undergoes nine transformations to shed its form."

"The jade furnace refines the essence of the sun and moon, and the resounding stone crushes the gate between life and death."

"When the pine trees in the myriad valleys roar and the earth roars, the Dao follows nature, and the sages of all ages will return."

"The Daoist sect is number one. Only here is it possible to remove the insect-Buddha divine charm that tainted this green lotus and place it in the Shangshan Pond. This would allow the three souls and seven spirits to be tempered into Yin spirits, which would at least be worthy of Li Bai."

Yuan Danqiu also felt a little melancholy: "Alas, what a pity."

"Louguan Taoism is the foremost Taoist sect in the world, with ten True Men within its ranks."

"Although my Canxia Pavilion is also fifth, the gap between it and the number one in the world is perhaps greater than the gap between an ordinary Taoist temple and my Canxia Pavilion."

Zhou Yan's lips twitched. He already knew who the older brother in his dream was, and he was quite shaken by it for a while. He was thinking of telling the older brother that he should write less poetry.

But looking at his age, he's already finished writing down almost everything he should have memorized.

wrong.

Since I don't have to memorize anything now, I should give him some good wine so he can write more!
May future generations have more poems they must memorize.

Write more, write even more!
Zhou Yan looked into the distance. After thinking for a long time, the monk Kongkong said, "Then this humble monk still has to return to the temple. I won't go to Louguan Dao with you. Master Zhou, please take care."

Zhou Yan said nonchalantly, "The world is so big, we'll always have a chance to meet again."

The senior monk scratched his head and said, "Yes."

"However, I just realized that I still have something to do. The calamity of this Reclining Buddha Temple was caused by the past incarnation of Manjushri Bodhisattva. So, I will find a way to resolve the influence of the past illusory incarnation of Manjushri Bodhisattva."

"If possible, I will use the [Womb Realm Mandala Technique] to suppress the evil thoughts. At that time, when you, Daoist Master, face that great demon Weaver Girl, you will be able to save some effort."

"However, Buddha is merciful and shows leniency. If you are able to defeat the Weaver Girl in the end, please have mercy on us..."

Zhou Yan said, "You want me to spare its life?"

The monk Kongkong put his hands together and said, "No, I hope that you, Daoist, will destroy it."

Zhou Yan chuckled: "Manjushri Bodhisattva showed mercy and spared it, but you, monk, want to kill it." Monk Kongkong said: "Actually, it's the same. Manjushri Bodhisattva never saw it do evil, so he had compassion for it. I saw it do evil, so I have compassion for all living beings."

"If this humble monk is able to see Manjushri Bodhisattva, I will also seek retribution from the Bodhisattva for this karmic debt."

Zhou Yan said, "The method you practice is different from Manjushri's path."

The monk Kongkong said, "Cultivating Buddhism is nothing more than cultivating oneself."

"What does the Taoist priest cultivate?"

Zhou Yan looked into the distance and said, "Nothing can bind me."

The monk Kongkong also gazed at the distant sky and earth. Winter had already arrived, but the winters of this era seemed less cold than those of Zhou Yan's time. Yet, the sky remained overcast and gray. The old monk asked:
"Buddhism seeks emptiness, so I seek emptiness; does the Taoist priest seek freedom or immortality?"

Zhou Yan laughed: "You guys talk in such mysterious ways. I'm only an eighth-rank, isn't it a bit too far-fetched for me to bring this up?"

The monk Kongkong smiled and put his hands together in prayer, without saying a word.

Hui Niang packed her things, Pei Xuan Niao carried a large black pot and pots and pans on his back, Li Zhen Yue sharpened his blade, and Xuan Zhu Zi treated Shen Cang Ming's injuries by stimulating acupoints with golden needles to prepare for the subsequent arm reattachment.

Li Zhiwei looked at the village with great interest.

Jiang Huaiyin followed Li Zhiwei, but seemed to glance at Shen Cangming as if she were not.

Each time they were discovered, they would pretend to be nonchalant and look away.

Everyone was preparing to leave and embark on their journey to Louguandao. While Zhou Yan was practicing his swordsmanship, Yin Zichuan found him and said, "My lord, I have something I want to tell you."

The young Taoist priest swung his heavy sword horizontally.

The blade is sharp, and there is a noticeable pause when the force is released.

This is a sword technique that has surpassed the level of a hundred-battle elite. At this moment, Zhou Yan's skills and martial arts are enough to support him in his travels. However, even he is still worried about what is about to happen.

The earth's essence and the heavens' tilt are gathered and returned to their sheaths.

Zhou Yan seemed to know what Yin Zichuan was about to do. He turned to look at the dazed Yin Zichuan, who pursed his lips, suddenly lifted the hem of his clothes, bowed deeply, and said, "My lord."

Yin Zichuan kowtowed and said softly:
"Please forgive me, I cannot continue to accompany you on your journey to Louguandao..."

(End of this chapter)