Ji Xiang was officially conferred a title by Emperor Wanli during the grand court assembly, and the formal ceremony was completed. This meant he now truly had an official position within the Great Ming.
Later, Emperor Wanli heard that Old Zhang intended to use the Jade Emperor's position to patch the hole in the celestial ceiling, and that it required his own conferment. This matter gave Emperor Wanli pause.
He had been conferred titles several times before, and none of them had brought good fortune; he had nearly lost his life.
Perhaps you should find the next emperor?
"Your Majesty need not worry. With the Jingzhen Sword in hand, even a properly enshrined divine position can be severed with a single strike."
With Jingzhen in hand, a single strike could break all laws. After all, it was a national treasure forged by the Song court, and it was quite reliable.
Emperor Wanli weighed the pros and cons. If the heavens were not mended, who knew how many monsters would escape from the hole. So be it with the conferment, but he kept a watchful eye, reducing the Jade Emperor's position by two ranks.
This was not targeting, but a "technical adjustment."
"From Supreme Emperor to Great Emperor, Your Majesty, this seems to be against regulations?"
A minister objected, stating that this did not conform to the system of deification. Titles were always bestowed upwards; how could you demote someone?
"Let alone demoting him to Great Emperor, I'd even want to demote him below Emperor!"
Emperor Wanli's rebuttal was powerful, and Elder Xu, who arrived later, strongly supported the Emperor's actions!
Demote him! He must be demoted! If not, the Great Ming would become a ghost realm controlled by gods and ghosts!
Emperor Wanli was instantly overjoyed!
Elder Xu's journey through the "cannon's mouth" had indeed elevated his mental awareness significantly.
Now you understand my concerns, don't you? It's not too late to join my ranks!
Old Zhang stepped in to smooth things over, stating that demoting him to Great Emperor was acceptable. Further demotion would negate the effect of mending the heavens and would also affect the casting of certain spells.
Moreover, even though the Jade Emperor's divine position was an empty shell, and the officials had officially lowered its rank, the popular belief remained strong.
There was also the saying "Jade Emperor" among the populace, so demoting him to Great Emperor was already quite fitting and aligned with popular belief.
The deification ceremony was rather elaborate and took the entire day. By evening, the Jade Emperor's position had stabilized. Emperor Wanli conferred upon it the authority to mend and guard the heavens. Old Zhang then began his work, embedding the Jade Emperor into the hole in the national prestige, making it impossible to remove.
The Jade Emperor's divine position gradually vanished, transforming into an intangible form and beginning to merge with the national prestige.
"It will take ten days to completely fill the gap using the Jade Emperor's divine position."
Old Zhang began the ritual. For ten days, his true form would remain motionless at the altar.
From then on, there was one more position protecting the Great Ming. The special statue that could connect to the Jade Emperor's divine position was moved by Emperor Wanli to the Longde Hall. After it was placed, no unauthorized personnel were allowed near it.
Old Zhang, meanwhile, split off a wisp of his Yang Shen avatar and went with Ji Xiang to meet the craftsman's child.
The child with the Nezha hairstyle had already been settled in the West Market. Ji Xiang instructed Old Zhang to send the child to a disheveled Daoist priest named Lei at Mount Wudang.
"That was the master of this body."
Ji Xiang's previous incarnation, this young Daoist, under the guidance of his disheveled master, had memorized many scriptures at a young age. Although the master was unkempt, his teaching ability was not poor; in fact, he was ranked among the best at Mount Wudang.
"Speaking of which, my predecessor's master was also surnamed Zhang..."
Old Zhang found this agreeable. They were of the same clan, so a connection was already established.
The craftsman father was very reluctant but also happy for his son. Thus, the child with the Nezha hairstyle respectfully kowtowed, bid farewell to his craftsman father. Old Zhang's Yang Shen avatar embraced the child and, lifting a thousand feet of rosy clouds, flew away.
With Old Zhang's protection, it was impossible for anything to happen on the way.
Returning to Longde Hall, they encountered eunuchs delivering clothes.
It was a black and red Daoist official robe, primarily black with red accents.
Ji Xiang also unexpectedly saw an old acquaintance... "immortal"?
A handsome young child, appearing to be around ten years old, with crimson lips and bright teeth, clear and lively eyes, and a refined aura in his brows and eyes.
He held Old Zhang's whisk and wore the Daoist robe of the Daoist Registry Office, looking like a Daoist acolyte with a touch of immortal demeanor.
"Grand-disciple, you're back."
Ji Xiang turned his head to look at the gate of Longde Hall. Although the gate had been burned, a new plaque had been brought and was waiting to be hung.
It was indeed Longde Hall, not Wuzhuang Temple.
"Grand-disciple, it's me! Look, the Golden Light Incantation!"
This child was the little fox. Ji Xiang lacked the "clairvoyant eye" skill and relied on his fists to identify demons. The little fox was not a great demon, so the Inner Scenery Divine Tablet didn't even bother to provide a guide, which was why Ji Xiang hadn't recognized it.
"It's you! How did you transform into human form and sneak into the Forbidden City!"
Ji Xiang was a little surprised and told the little fox that it wasn't a good place to be!
If the people from the Imperial Guard saw you, you'd be going to jail!
"And you're calling me Grand-disciple? Weren't you calling me Senior Brother before?"
In the Daoist tradition, "Senior Brother" was a polite form of address, carrying more familiarity than "fellow Daoist."
"This isn't an illusion! It's a transformation bestowed by True Master Zhang!"
The little fox was very happy and grinned foolishly at Ji Xiang, explaining how Old Zhang found it and brought it to the Forbidden City, including how Old Zhang suppressed the Eastern Yue Temple and killed ghosts with firearms.
Its current appearance was also a true human form, and it could now switch freely between human and fox forms!
This was not the previous transformation technique but a genuine human form. After all, the process for a fox immortal to cultivate a human form was very complex, but with the guidance of a flying immortal expert, it was different!
As for the change in address from Senior Brother to Grand-disciple... Since Old Zhang addressed Ji Xiang as Senior Brother, and Old Zhang was equivalent to the principal of Longhu Mountain, while the little fox was merely a dropout first-grader from Longhu Mountain, Ji Xiang was then equivalent to the principal of another school. How could it dare to address Ji Xiang as an equal?
Ji Xiang's heart stirred upon hearing about the firearms and spells!
He had been too hasty. If Old Zhang had such a good spell, shouldn't he share it with his Senior Brother for enjoyment?
Old Zhang, I want to learn this!
Now that Old Zhang was busy mending the heavens and dealing with the aftermath, Ji Xiang decided to find Old Zhang after things were settled and ask him to teach him this spell. He then looked at the little fox:
"Do you remember that firearm divine incantation?"
The little fox grinned foolishly.
Ji Xiang sighed:
"So, it's because your talent wasn't enough that you couldn't re-enroll!"
The little fox was very embarrassed. The make-up exam was too difficult, but it still cleared its throat and mumbled, "That's not my fault. How could my incantation be so weak that it could defeat the Yin spirits in the Eastern Yue Temple! And he chanted so fast, I naturally couldn't remember it!"
"Exactly, it's clearly the Heavenly Master who doesn't want me to go back!"
The little fox told Ji Xiang that it couldn't continue at Longhu Mountain, and since Heavenly Master Zhang wouldn't let it return, it had no choice but to transfer to Mount Wudang and asked Ji Xiang for an introduction.
To participate in the Great Examination of Mount Tai, it was necessary to have an academic record from a reputable sect!
It grabbed Ji Xiang's robe hem and gently shook it, appearing somewhat anxious and starting to act cute:
"Grand-disciple, Grand-disciple! Just teach me!"
Ji Xiang chuckled: "Nonsense! Why would you need to follow me? By leveraging the reputation of Heavenly Master Zhang and performing well in the Forbidden City, perhaps Emperor Wanli will entrust you with an important task."
"That won't do, that's too scary!"
The little fox quickly refused. Foxes were wary of entering the palace to serve as officials. If someone were to label it a fox spirit, it truly couldn't bear it.
Ji Xiang thought about it. Old Zhang had enlightened this little fox, which meant he still had some expectations for it.
Did he want me to tutor this little fox?
After all, Old Zhang and Emperor Wanli might have other matters to attend to. Asking me to stay in Shuntian for a while was also for the purpose of maintaining stability in case of emergencies.
The little fox was devoted to the Dao and had persisted in drawing talismans for many years without wavering. This Dao heart was also rare and precious.
"Oh, extracurricular tutoring."
Understanding this, Ji Xiang took out a pile of talismans from his pocket: "I got quite a few major talismans from the Han Jing Factory. Because the situation was urgent at the time, I didn't have time to draw too many, only about a hundred or so to deal with Zhao Xuanlang. There are still some left here, all for you."
"However, if you truly follow me and learn to draw talismans, my teaching methods might be a bit radical. Do you really want to learn from me?"
Ji Xiang asked. The little fox immediately became serious and bowed repeatedly: "Grand-disciple above! Disciple Hu Xiao Shi, devoted to the Dao, will never give up halfway. I am determined to cultivate into a fox immortal and have my name inscribed in the Sun and Moon Palace!"
"Please, Grand-disciple, do not hesitate to impart your teachings!"
——————
Time passed extremely quickly. In the blink of an eye, six days had gone by.
These six days were finally peaceful and uneventful. Emperor Wanli could sleep well, Old Zhang was busy mending the heavens at the altar, and the little fox, under Ji Xiang's supervision, was constantly drawing talismans, marking the beginning of its hellish days.
A desk was set up in front of the little fox, piled with bundles and bundles of paper.
The people from the Han Jing Factory had died, but they were quickly replenished, and much of the merchandise remained. The paper was ordinary paper, not talisman paper.
"Drawing talismans requires familiarity with the stroke order of the talisman characters. Don't rush to write on talisman paper yet; first, copy them on regular paper!"
"After finishing reciting scriptures for the morning lesson, the next task is to copy talisman characters, fifty times. After noon, copy another fifty times. By the time of Shen Shi in the evening, copy another fifty times."
The little fox's eyes turned into circles:
"Grand-disciple, I don't recognize these characters anymore!"
Ji Xiang nodded: "You don't recognize them? That's a good thing. It means you've copied them to a certain level. You need to copy them to the state of forgetting yourself and forgetting the characters. The next step is to have no characters but convey meaning, to write the Golden Light Incantation based on your muscle memory and instinct."
"That's how it is. Copy another hundred times today."
Bang!
The little fox slammed its head onto the desk, feeling miserable, but Ji Xiang's nagging voice still echoed in its ears:
"Nonsense, nonsense! How can one attain the Dao without great perseverance! A daily reminder, have you forgotten your oath? Strive for a hundred days, and even a dropout student can participate in the Great Examination of Mount Tai!"
"Legend has it that Mencius's mother moved three times just to provide her son with a good learning environment. If you feel this place is not suitable for learning, then I can apply to the Emperor to have you confined in the Imperial Prison. Perhaps that will greatly increase your sense of crisis. When a person is pushed to the brink, they can do anything, including drawing talismans."
"I heard that people in the Imperial Prison are covered in pus and blood, with swollen limbs, festering sores, and foot tumors, making it impossible to walk or stand. They can't hear, they can't see, their hands and feet don't obey them, and only a breath remains in their throats..."
The little fox shivered, its face contorted in misery, tears welling up in its eyes. It made whimpering sounds, but could only bravely continue writing on the paper.
Must be strong! Strive for a hundred days! Great Fox rises, Xiao Shi reigns!