Under One Person: I Have a Billion Taoist Gods Within Me

Li Yuan paused slightly and turned to look back.

Before the dimly lit gates of the mansion, a figure slowly approached.

The visitor was none other than Zhuge Yunting, the head of the Zhuge family, known as the Marquis of Wu.

Bai Ling's beautiful eyes flickered as she glanced at Li Yuan, then looked at Zhuge Yunting, a hint of interest flashing in her eyes.

Li Yuan turned to face Zhuge Yunting and nodded slightly.

"Master Zhuge, what brings you here?"

Zhuge Yunting stopped three steps in front of Li Yuan. He did not speak immediately, but first bowed respectfully to Li Yuan with clasped hands.

"Li Yuan Daozi."

"Today I have had the pleasure of seeing the Daoist's sage face and hearing him discuss the Dao. I have benefited greatly from this experience."

"In particular, Daozi's discussion of the word 'nothingness' just now reminded me of the words in my ancestor's admonition to his son: 'Without tranquility, one cannot achieve far-reaching goals; without detachment, one cannot clarify one's ambitions.'"

"Although the expressions are different, the principle is the same."

"Our ancestors admonished us, their descendants, with the saying 'A tranquil mind leads to lofty ideals, and a peaceful heart leads to far-reaching goals.' This is simply to tell us to let go of our attachments and return to our true selves."

"And what Daozi said today, 'no self, no mind, no law,' is precisely pushing this principle to its extreme."

"Those who plan things out must be detached from worldly affairs to clarify their aspirations; those who seek enlightenment must be selfless to attain truth."

"The words of our ancestors and the actions of the Daoist master resonate with each other across a thousand years."

Li Yuan nodded slightly, his gaze gentle:

"Mr. Zhuge, you flatter me."

"The wisdom of Zhuge Liang has been passed down through the ages, and I, too, have always admired it."

"The eight characters in the admonition to my son may seem simple, but they actually contain profound truths."

"Only those who can guard this mind can remain steadfast amidst the chaos and confusion."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Yunting's eyes shone even brighter.

He remained silent for a moment, as if considering something, and finally seemed to have made up his mind.

"Michiko—"

"I have taken the liberty of stopping you here, Daozi, because I have a favor to ask of you."

"This matter concerns a long-cherished wish of the Zhuge family that has lasted for thousands of years, as well as a legacy left by our ancestors."

As he spoke, he slowly took something out of his wide sleeve.

It was a scroll of bamboo slips.

The bamboo slips are dark brown all over, clearly having been soaked in the patina of countless years.

Zhuge Yunting held the bamboo scroll in both hands with extremely light and steady movements, as if he were holding the most precious inheritance of the Zhuge family over a thousand years.

His gaze fell on the bamboo slip, a complex light flashing in his eyes—

That is the memory and mission passed down through countless generations, the regret that the Zhuge family has been unable to fulfill for thousands of years, and the relief that can finally be delivered at this moment.

"Michiko."

Zhuge Yunting raised his head and looked at Li Yuan, his voice filled with barely concealed excitement:

"This is a fragment of the 'Eight Trigrams Formation' passed down from our ancestors."

Li Yuan's gaze narrowed slightly.

The Eight Trigrams Formation.

The unparalleled masterpiece of Zhuge Liang, the strategist of the Wuhou!

It integrates military strategy, battle formations, and the art of divination.

Legend has it that it can mobilize the power of heaven and earth, using stones as soldiers and formations as generals to trap enemies invisibly.

The Records of the Three Kingdoms states:

"Liang was skilled in ingenuity; the improved repeating crossbow and the wooden ox and flowing horse all originated from his ideas. He deduced military strategies and created the Eight Trigrams Formation, grasping its essence perfectly."

Du Fu also wrote a poem that said:

"His achievements rivaled those of the Three Kingdoms, his fame was established by the Eight Trigrams Formation. The river flows on, but the stones remain unmoved; his only regret is the failure to conquer Wu."

This bamboo scroll is actually a fragment of the original "Eight Trigrams Formation" from legend?

Zhuge Yunting continued, his voice solemn and devout:

"This fragment was written by our ancestor himself and has been passed down for nearly 1,700 years."

"Our Zhuge family has guarded this scroll for generations. Each patriarch has devoted all his efforts to studying its mysteries, but we have never been able to unravel all its secrets."

"Before our ancestor passed away, he left behind a final instruction: This incomplete scroll of the Eight Trigrams Formation can only be deciphered by those who are destined to understand it."

"If one day I meet someone—"

His voice paused slightly, as if repeating an ancient proverb etched in the hearts of successive family heads, yet never fulfilled:

"If you meet a person who is born with purple aura coming from the east, whose innate nature is perfect, who can be in harmony with the virtues of heaven and earth, and with the fortunes and misfortunes of ghosts and gods, you can discuss the Dao with him, entrust him with the Dharma, and give him this incomplete scroll."

"At that time, that person will surely be able to unravel the mystery and understand its profound meaning."

Upon hearing these words, the echoes throughout the courtyard seemed to freeze in that instant.

Bai Ling's gaze narrowed slightly, and she looked at the rolled-up bamboo slip with a more solemn expression.

Li Yuan stood still, his gaze fixed on the rolled-up bamboo slips.

He didn't speak, he just watched quietly.

It's as if you're looking at the bamboo scroll itself, or as if you're looking through the bamboo scroll at the figure of that wise man with a feather fan and turban from 1,700 years ago.

Zhuge Yunting continued, his voice growing deeper:

"This fragment has been passed down to this day, and the heads of our Zhuge family have been searching for the 'destined person' mentioned by our ancestors at all times."

"We observed celestial phenomena, examined geography, and sought out extraordinary people and individuals throughout the world, but we found nothing."

"Until—"

His gaze fell on Li Yuan, his eyes gleaming.

"Until the birth of you, Michiko."

"Eighteen years ago, on the fifteenth day of the eleventh lunar month, a night with a full moon."

"A purple aura came from the east outside the Daluo Palace, and thousands of statues in the palace trembled at the same time, and bells and drums sounded on their own, which lasted for a whole night."

"These strange phenomena may deceive the world, but they cannot deceive the Zhuge family, who are proficient in divination and numerology."

"The ancient texts passed down from our ancestors say: 'When a person chosen by Heaven is born, there will be extraordinary celestial phenomena as proof.'"

"From that moment on, the Zhuge family has been keeping an eye on you, Daozi."

"Every step of your growth, every enlightenment you attain, every legend you share—the Zhuge family has recorded them all."

As Zhuge Yunting spoke, he took out an extremely thin booklet from his bosom and gently opened it.

The booklet was filled with densely packed notes—

"At half a year old, he attained enlightenment; at three years old, he corrected the talismans of the high-ranking priests of Longhu Mountain; at five years old, he used the cycle of the four seasons as a metaphor for the Dao of alchemy; at eight years old, in the Hunyuan Hall, he asked the Celestial Master, 'If the greatest calamity cloud is the one that comes to destroy the Dao...'"

At the age of twelve, he asked the abbot of Baiyun Temple, "If one's nature is like the bright moon and one's mind is like the ripples on the water, where does the moon's nature remain when the ripples end?"

"At the age of fifteen, he taught the *Zhouyi Cantongqi* on behalf of his teacher, drawing lines in the air with his fingers, and the listeners seemed to see black and white energies swirling around him..."

"At eighteen, he debated the Dao with the leader of Wudang for seven days. Upon returning to the mountain, the leader sighed, 'I saw no supernatural powers, but I saw the Dao. This boy has already entered another world.'"

Zhuge Yunting closed the booklet and looked intently at Li Yuan:

"My visit to the Lu family is not only to celebrate Old Master Lu's birthday."

"Furthermore, I intend to take this opportunity to personally witness your appearance, Daozi."

"To verify with my own eyes whether the legendary existence of 'being in harmony with heaven and earth, and in accordance with the fortunes and misfortunes of ghosts and gods' is real or not."

"And today, I—"

"At Chengxin Water Pavilion, I saw Daozi discussing the Dao with the Celestial Master and the Left Gate Master, giving guidance to the younger generation of the Wang and Lü families, and enlightening the young master of the Lu family."

"At the birthday banquet, I witnessed Daozi and Zhang Zhiwei exchanging thoughts, with Daozi using the concept of 'nothingness' to break Zhang Zhiwei's attachment to the concept of 'faith'."

"Especially after witnessing you, Daozi, summon the image of the Celestial Master Zhang Daoling!"

"I have finally confirmed it—You, Daozi, are indeed the person our ancestor spoke of!"

"That is the destined person who 'can harmonize with the virtues of Heaven and Earth, and with the fortunes and misfortunes of spirits and deities, with whom one can discuss the Dao and entrust the Dharma!'"

"That's the one who can decipher the true meaning of the Eight Trigrams Formation."

As he spoke, he held the rolled-up bamboo slips in both hands, took a step forward, bowed deeply, and raised the bamboo slips high:

"Therefore, I hereby entrust this incomplete Eight Trigrams Formation scroll to the Daoist."

"This scroll has been in the hands of the Zhuge family for 1,700 years. Successive family heads have exhausted their wisdom but have failed to unravel all its mysteries."

"Perhaps this is the day it has been waiting for."

"What it's waiting for might just be you, Daozi."

"I hope Daozi will accept this scroll, unravel its mysteries, and understand the profound meaning of our ancestors."

"This is the place that this incomplete Eight Trigrams Formation scroll should go to most in the past 1,700 years."