In the nineteenth year of Wanli, Li Chengliang was impeached by censors and removed from his post in Liaodong.
This great mountain overhead, which had made Nurhaci gasp for breath, disappeared. Old Li remained out of office for six years.
Therefore, from the end of the nineteenth year of Wanli, Nurhaci actively managed the Liaodong region. Relying on his identity as Li Chengliang's adopted son, coupled with the legitimate title of "Commander of the Guards," he became the commander of Jianzhou Wei and was also conferred the title of "Dragon Tiger General."
This Dragon Tiger General was an extraordinary title. Although it held no actual power and was merely an honorary position, among the civil and military officials of the Ming Dynasty, the Dragon Tiger General was the highest rank!
Even a nominal title enjoyed the protection of imperial prestige. This was a genuine rank of the second grade!
With the great backing of the Ming Dynasty, the process of unifying the Jianzhou Jurchens was very smooth!
However, although Old Li was out of office, he could be reinstated at any time. Nurhaci knew that it was not yet time to rebel, nor did he possess the strength to do so.
Last night, around the fifth watch, when Nurhaci opened his eyes, the sky he saw was not the sky of the Great Ming.
It was a boundless void, with tall, illusory figures around. One of them spoke with great dissatisfaction, and in their words, it seemed as if the Ming Emperor was being unappreciative.
Of course, Nurhaci was not alarmed. This was not the first time he had encountered these people.
The reason for this early tribute was that these people had told him that going to Shuntian now would allow him to pick up a bargain.
About a month ago, in early June, on a warm night, Nurhaci saw a figure emerge from the void. It summoned a spiritual realm, enveloped him within it, and told him certain things.
Finally, they gave him a treasure.
That item was called "Tian Sui" (Heavenly Marrow), and it was said to help him be reborn, transform, and achieve immortality.
Tian Sui was a term used after the Song, Liao, Yuan, and Ming dynasties. In the Qin and Han periods, it was called "Gan Ye Yu Ying" (Sweet Dew Jade Essence). The bronze immortal statue cast by Emperor Wu of Han held a dew-collecting plate, which contained these substances.
Consuming Tian Sui could prolong life, restore youth, grant immortality, and cause a complete transformation. Of course, the effects varied. Tian Sui was the great essence condensed from the heavens, earth, sun, moon, and stars. The efficacy of each Tian Sui was different, and naturally, there were distinctions in quality.
The lowest grade was the essence of mountains, rivers, trees, and grasses. Consuming it could prolong life and significantly increase vitality and blood, making the weak strong, but still unable to escape the cycle of birth, aging, death, and illness.
A higher grade was the essence of stars, known as Gan Ye Yu Ying, which was the dew that descended from the Big Dipper at the third watch of the night. Consuming it could transform a person and cure all ailments.
A grade higher still was the essence of the moon, known as "Di Liu Jiang" (Imperial Flowing Dew). It was most suitable for spirits, mountain demons, ghosts, and human immortals to cultivate, allowing them to manifest divine powers, grow immortal bones, and skip hundreds of thousands of years of arduous cultivation.
The two highest grades were more mysterious.
The first was the essence of the sun, which could revive the dead and restore youth.
The second was the essence of heaven and earth, which could grant eternal life and immediate ascension to immortality.
The changes brought about by Tian Sui were not instantaneous. They required prolonged cultivation to achieve complete refinement, and the required dosage varied depending on individual constitution.
Therefore, to truly defy fate, one had to obey their will and obtain Tian Sui from them.
The outer world could no longer condense Tian Sui, so such treasures could only appear in the inner world.
Unless, one could find Emperor Wu of Han's dew-collecting plate!
Of course, those illusory figures also mentioned a heretical form of Tian Sui, which used the essence of the human body to refine elixirs, gathering the changes of yin and yang, and could achieve effects beyond that of moonlight.
They mentioned one person who had used this method to change his aptitude: Emperor Jiajing. However, this heretical Tian Sui had severe negative side effects.
They demonstrated the superiority of true Tian Sui to Nurhaci, requiring no risk.
All that was needed was to pay a price.
That person said some words to Nurhaci that greatly moved him and to which he partially agreed.
If Nurhaci ruled the current Great Ming, would he be ruling its people or its land?
Thinking of it this way, the price to be paid did not seem particularly unacceptable.
Imperial prestige, the Great Dao—what did these have to do with him? Besides, they were merely hypothetical.
Nurhaci recalled the scene at the time and almost burst into laughter.
The unification of the Jianzhou Jurchens was a small goal. Ruling the Great Ming was a grand goal composed of countless small goals.
The path was long and arduous!
They gave him cultivation techniques and the transforming Tian Sui, and they made a Great Dao oath with him. These oaths were terrifying. Nurhaci knew the power of such oaths, similar to heavenly punishment in Shamanism.
This was a powerful constraint. Furthermore, according to what those people said, there were many others in this vast world who had consumed Tian Sui.
But their allegiances might not be the same as his.
Of course, Nurhaci also had a question that he could never understand.
Why did they always come at night?
Facing the suspicion and questions of Shurhaci, Nurhaci did not conceal anything. He revealed most of the content, but omitted the part about Tian Sui, as this item was his little secret, which he could not even tell his own brother.
"I feel as if I've received guidance from Princess Yin Jiang, but how is that possible? Those figures asked me if I hated the Great Ming. They wanted to bestow upon me great power, but there was a price, and they didn't say what it was..."
Princess Yin Jiang was the legendary first great shaman among the Jurchen tribes. She received guidance from the supreme heavenly god Abkahah, shook a divine drum, fought evil, saved the suffering, and founded Jurchen Shamanism.
"Brother, the unspoken price now proves that you cannot afford it, or perhaps you will never want to pay it. If you truly dream of it by day and think of it by night, I advise you to abandon this thought."
"If such magical power truly exists, then why are they targeting us small Jurchen tribes? Why don't they approach the Great Ming or the Tatars... Of course, perhaps they have already approached the Great Ming and the Tatars, but are you implying that the current Ming Emperor is also a lackey of the inner world?"
Shurhaci tried to persuade Nurhaci. His tall figure faced the rising sun, leading the packhorse.
"There is no such thing as a free lunch. You should know this."