ATEG Chapter 55

“…Xuanqing Sect?” The Taiwu Earth God pondered with furrowed brows for a long while.

It wasn’t because he’d never heard of this sect’s name, but rather because there were far too many similar names.

In this world, there were countless sects and factions of all sizes. If they weren’t named after the location of their sacred grounds, most loved to incorporate terms related to their cultivation path—partly to distinguish themselves and declare their origins, and partly to constantly remind themselves that having been born into this sect, they must not forget their path and must not stray onto a deviant road.

Profound mysteries, purity and emptiness—these were all commonly used words when choosing names. Names like “Xuanqing” were far too numerous.

“Having a name means I can ask friends to help investigate, though I don’t know if what we find will be the real culprit…” the Taiwu Earth God said slowly.

Chi Zhenzi shook his head. “I’m afraid that whatever can be investigated won’t be the real culprit.” 

The Taiwu Earth God knew this as well, but was simply doing what he could as a human being.

Chi Zhenzi continued, “After the divination ended, that half wisp of aura automatically dispersed. My friend lamented to me that the source of this aura had been subjected to powerful methods by some unknown person. Without an expert cultivator intervening, this single wisp of aura couldn’t have been condensed separately at all.”

The Taiwu Earth God’s frown deepened. He took out the half wisp of aura that Chi Zhenzi had given him earlier and examined it carefully once more. However, he still couldn’t discern anything and couldn’t help but sigh.

It seemed that everything related to the Xuanqing Sect had already been concealed by the intervention of a powerful being. His path to atone for his crimes through merit was destined to remain incomplete.

“This matter runs too deep. Being able to investigate this much is already difficult. Report what you have now, and you likely won’t be blamed too much,” Chi Zhenzi consoled him.

The Taiwu Earth God nodded. He knew in his heart that when the incident first occurred, no one had expected the matter to involve such deep waters. What he’d uncovered now was sufficient to report, and though it couldn’t completely offset his culpability, it would make things considerably better for him than before.

Taiwu County had suffered disaster, and as the deity of this place, having received years of incense offerings from the people here, their sorrow and resentment weighed on him like mountains and stones. His power and divine consciousness had been affected. Although he hadn’t truly been injured, during this period, his condition was no different from forcibly suppressing wounds.

Now this ordeal was finally coming to an end. As for what would happen afterward, that was beyond the reach of a mere county deity like himself. Thinking of this, the Taiwu Earth God felt somewhat relieved, but also somewhat regretful.

The Dream-Eating Tapir had taken the lives of half the people in his jurisdiction. He would likely be unable to personally avenge this grudge.

The Taiwu Earth God suppressed his unsettled emotions and earnestly thanked Chi Zhenzi. “I must thank you for this matter.”

Whether it was the aura or the divined name of the Xuanqing Sect, all had been obtained through Chi Zhenzi’s help. Without Chi Zhenzi’s assistance, he truly would have had no leads at all. 

“I too received help from a benefactor,” Chi Zhenzi shook his head. “To tell the truth, that Dream-Eating Tapir’s methods were extraordinary. I nearly let it escape back then, which would have caused great disaster.”

Previously, in their haste to investigate, Chi Zhenzi hadn’t detailed his pursuit process that had nearly spanned half of Lu Kingdom. Now that this matter finally had a conclusion, the Taiwu Earth God couldn’t help but grow curious and pressed him, “Benefactor?”

Chi Zhenzi then recounted everything in detail. When speaking of his visit to Li Chi, who dwelt hidden in the remaining ranges of Daqing Mountain, Chi Zhenzi suddenly paused and asked, “By the way, when I went to visit that deity, I noticed the spiritual energy in the mountain forest was abundant, pure, peaceful, and harmonious, as if it had been transformed by powerful methods. Though such methods are rare, they’re not particularly impressive, yet the Shuigu Earth God who accompanied me was greatly shocked…”

Chi Zhenzi described the situation in detail. At the time, his mind had been preoccupied with the Dream-Eating Tapir matter, and though he’d received the Shuigu Earth God’s reminder, he hadn’t examined what was different about the mountain forest. Later, because he was rushing back, he hadn’t asked the Shuigu Earth God either. This matter had become his puzzle, and he happened to consult the Taiwu Earth God about it now.

The Taiwu Earth God looked thoughtful and asked several more questions. After Chi Zhenzi answered, he became increasingly certain of his conjecture, and his expression grew solemn. “If my guess is correct, that deity’s transformation of the surroundings wasn’t ordinary methods as you believed, fellow daoist, but true creation!”

Upon hearing this, Chi Zhenzi had a guess in his heart, and his eyes widened. “Do you mean, fellow daoist, could it be…”

The Taiwu Earth God nodded and sighed, “Receiving grace from heaven and earth, and also giving back to heaven and earth. Fellow daoist, you are an immortal path cultivator, seeking great freedom and ease, cultivating inwardly within your own heart, aiming to reach the state of acting from the heart without transgressing boundaries. Deities enjoy the positions and virtues granted by heaven and earth, cultivating merit outwardly. They must not forget their true nature and seek only power, but must shoulder the responsibilities of heaven and earth.”

“However, most people in the world receive the grace of heaven and earth, yet few can repay it. In these times, human hearts are restless. Being able to remember and appreciate the grace of heaven and earth is already difficult. Common people value benefits, cultivators value cultivation. Even when doing good deeds and accumulating merit, if one examines one’s true heart—how much is for improving one’s own cultivation and desiring the benefits of merit, and how much is from genuine appreciation for doing good?”

As the Taiwu Earth God spoke, his voice gradually lowered. As a fellow cultivator of the divine path, he had a sudden realization. His state of mind became clearer as if washed and refined. Thinking of how he’d felt relieved after believing this matter was concluded, as if he’d escaped a great trouble, he couldn’t help but feel ashamed.

Among the deities of heaven and earth, there were those who didn’t concern themselves with living beings or receive incense, only managing to regulate heaven and earth and suppress fate energy. There were also those who received incense offerings from people, listened to prayers, educated regions, and protected the common folk. Receiving incense offerings was his own choice. It was he who valued incense to increase his power, and it was also he who now felt aversion to the tribulations brought by incense.

After the Dream-Eating Tapir calamity occurred, though his actions had been careful and cautious with no further missteps, how much was due to fear of Divine Court’s punishment, and how much was genuine repentance? His behavior might deceive others on the outside, but his inner heart couldn’t deceive himself.

These past days, he’d only focused on pursuing leads about the forces behind the Dream-Eating Tapir, but hadn’t been very concerned about comforting the suffering people in his jurisdiction. Even for those who had relocated out of Taiwu County because of this, there had been mostly strict scrutiny and little comfort or compensation.

Once the Taiwu Earth God understood this, the suffering caused by the influence of incense also lightened considerably. But instead, he felt somewhat restless, his thoughts urging him to make amends immediately.

Cultivation was also cultivating the heart. The deeper one’s cultivation became, the more one needed to pay attention to one’s thoughts. One deviant thought or misstep would create bottlenecks that trapped oneself. If one couldn’t achieve clarity, one might remain confused until one’s lifespan ended, and it was also possible to stray further and further down an evil path.

Fortunately, his realization now wasn’t too late. If he’d waited until after this matter’s effects on the people of Taiwu County had completely ended, there truly would have been no chance for remedy.

“Congratulations, fellow daoist, and thank you, fellow daoist.” Chi Zhenzi was genuinely happy for him and for himself.

He saw that the Taiwu Earth God had gained understanding. Hearing the Taiwu Earth God’s heartfelt words just now, Chi Zhenzi also examined his own state of mind, brushing away a few specks of dust, which would mean fewer difficulties on his future cultivation path.

The Taiwu Earth God continued, “Just like the immortal path—cultivating to the end, though one acts as one wishes, every word and deed still conforms to the Dao. The divine path is the same. We cultivate by absorbing heaven and earth’s spiritual energy, yet this deity has already reached the realm of giving back to heaven and earth. Even when cultivating, every move benefits heaven and earth. This is an extremely profound realm of the divine path, requiring not only cultivation realm, but also compassion and great vows.”

Hearing this, Chi Zhenzi couldn’t help but praise and yearn for it from his heart. After praising, he recounted the experience of actually meeting the deity.

Upon hearing this, the Taiwu Earth God felt both amazed and joyful, while carefully pondering. He had been an earth deity for a long time. Though he dared not say he knew all the deities in the world, he had a good idea of the deities registered with the Divine Court. Yet he had never heard of any deity as Chi Zhenzi described.

Such a powerful and unique deity, if they were part of the Divine Court, would certainly be well-known. Could it be a celestial who hadn’t joined the Divine Court?

The Taiwu Earth God thought this way, and asked as such.

Chi Zhenzi smiled. “I also guessed this. That deity’s aura is pure and clear, their bearing natural. Though their reputation isn’t prominent, they must be a righteous god who has dwelt in seclusion for a long time.”

The Taiwu Earth God sighed, “I regret not being able to personally visit and express thanks.”

After the two finished their laments, with matters here concluded, the Taiwu Earth God prepared to go make amends for his previous faults and was about to bid farewell to Chi Zhenzi.

“By the way, I nearly forgot one thing.” Chi Zhenzi suddenly called out to the Taiwu Earth God and said seriously, “After my ancestral master went into seclusion, my friend’s heart suddenly stirred, and he cast a divination following his intuition. The hexagram result was vague and unclear, only roughly able to deduce: A great misfortune will arise in heaven and earth.”

…..

“Xuanqing Sect… A great misfortune will arise in heaven and earth…” In the Li Manor, Li Chi murmured.

A paper kite rested on his fingertip—this was a spell Chi Zhenzi used for transmitting messages.

“High God?” Hou Li asked curiously.

The High God had spoken extremely softly, and the courtyard was unusually noisy at the moment. If he weren’t a manor spirit, he probably wouldn’t have heard it either.

The old monkey from the mountains with white eyebrows and white whiskers had deep fortune. When his lifespan was about to end, he encountered High God Li Chi. Now not only had his lifespan been extended, but he had also refined his transverse bone and could finally speak human language.

Unlike the little mouse Wen Qianzi, Wen Qianzi had gained an opportunity back then. Although he could only speak content from the “Thousand Character Classic”, he never stumbled over words.

The old monkey, however, was truly learning from the beginning. His speech was still awkward now and needed practice. The others found it lively, so they all gathered around to talk with him. The most talkative was Jin Yan, speaking quickly, urgently, and without pause, quickly leaving the old monkey covered in sweat. If not for his thick fur, one could have seen his flushed face.

The white-cheeked little monkey suddenly pounced down from the tree and blocked in front of the old monkey, spreading its claws and baring its teeth at the surrounding people with a threatening fierce expression.

Though it was clever, its spiritual intelligence hadn’t yet awakened. At this moment, it only thought they were surrounding and bullying its great-grandfather.

The old monkey grabbed it to his side and scolded it in chattering monkey language. Don’t let its old appearance fool you—in terms of actual age, Jin Yan was old enough to be its great-grandfather!

Jin Yan wasn’t angry at all. He had naturally retreated two steps when the white-cheeked little monkey first pounced down. He rather liked it.

“Don’t scold it! It’s still young, what does it understand? Just teach it slowly,” Jin Yan spoke up for the little monkey with great elder’s demeanor.

The old monkey scratched his head and grinned, “Thank… thank you.”

Li Chi withdrew his gaze and said to Hou Li, “It’s nothing. It’s a message from Chi Zhenzi regarding the follow-up to that Dream-Eating Tapir matter.”

Hou Li understood.

Back then, High God Li Chi had given them help in this matter. After the matter was concluded, Chi Zhenzi informing them of the result was reasonable and proper.

Hou Li didn’t have strong curiosity. Since the High God didn’t elaborate, he didn’t press further.

Li Chi tapped the paper kite in his hand, and it transformed into a talisman paper that suddenly ignited, dispersing into scattered points of firelight that flew away and extinguished in an instant.

His gaze fell distantly in the distance, looking toward who knows where. He said to Ding Qin, “Wangyue will be returning soon. Go meet her and tell her not to enter Shuigu Town, but to come here first.”

Ding Qin, who had been talking with the old monkey, immediately stood up and acknowledged the order. Li Chi pointed at her from afar, and Ding Qin felt that she now mysteriously knew Wangyue’s location in her heart.

After Ding Qin left, Li Chi surveyed the courtyard once more and said, “All right, the rest of you may leave as well.”

His voice fell calmly into each living being’s ears. Except for the silver fish swimming in the spirit pool, all other beings quickly rose, quietly bowed in salute, and departed.

The courtyard once again returned to tranquility. Li Chi returned to his room.

He sensed that the news Chi Zhenzi had brought would once again trigger his dreams.

The deity reclined on the couch with closed eyes. Clouds and mist arose naturally, surging and unfolding gently.