"Yin Yang Shun Ni Miao Nan Qiong, Er Zhi Huan Gui Yi Jiu Gong, Ruo Neng Liao Da Yin Yang Li, Tian Di Dou Zai Yi Zhang Zhong..."
The old man wore a blue Taoist robe and a black Taoist hat, holding a fishing rod. He squatted on the bridge, as still and leisurely as a statue.
The fishing rod remained unmoving in his hand, the line hanging down naturally, the entire scene like an ink-wash landscape painting.
What he was reciting was the "Song of the Misty Angler."
Yan Shouyi had also recited these words before.
Observing the old man's attire, Yan Shouyi guessed that he had been a Taoist priest in life.
It was no wonder; ordinary old people, after death, couldn't possibly turn into powerful ghosts.
Even the masters from the Lü Shan Sect couldn't subdue him.
It turned out this elder was formidable in life, and after death, with his Taoist arts, he could still thrive in the mortal realm.
However, since this elder was a Taoist, what sect or school did he belong to?
Yan Shouyi observed the old man's clothing and appearance, recalling his past experiences, and his mind arrived at an answer.
Longhu Mountain.
The Celestial Master's Mansion.
This was the leader of the Zheng Yi Dao!
"Zheng" means to rectify evil, and "Yi" means to unify all. This is the meaning of "Zheng Yi."
Yan Shouyi, being from the irregular forces, felt a touch of respect upon seeing the regular army from the Celestial Master's Mansion.
Holding his fishing rod, he awkwardly saluted the old man:
"Junior Yan Shouyi, pays respects to the elder."
But the old man did not acknowledge Yan Shouyi. He kept his eyes closed and did not respond. If his body wasn't swaying slightly back and forth, Yan Shouyi would have thought he had kicked the bucket.
"Xuanyuan the Yellow Emperor battled Chi You, Zhuolu lasted years, arduous and unceasing, by chance dreamt of divine instructions for talismans, ascended the altar for sacrifice, meticulously practiced."
After a moment, the old man continued reciting the "Song of the Misty Angler."
"The divine dragon emerged from the Luo River bearing the diagram, a colorful phoenix carried a letter from the azure clouds, thus ordered Feng Hou to arrange the text, leading to the inception of Du Jia and Qi Men,
One thousand and eighty were formulated then, Taigong reduced them to seventy-two, arriving at Zhang Zifang of the Han Dynasty, eighteen formations were refined..."
Seeing that the old man ignored him, Yan Shouyi dared not be presumptuous.
He then squatted beside the old man and quietly joined him in reciting the song, starting to fish.
"First, arrange the Nine Palaces on your palm, fifteen horizontally and vertically within, then divide the Eight Trigrams into eight sections, with one Qi unifying three as the true lineage,
Yin and Yang two formations are divided into forward and reverse, one Qi unifying three Yuan, unfathomable to mortals, five days to change one Yuan, adhering to the principle of receiving Qi and transcending the divine...
...Three to four palaces are hard to avoid, eight and nine are high and spread, east and west, the movement of the solar terms determines the time, Yin and Yang forward and reverse must be mastered,
The sum of three Yuan forms six epochs, before heaven and earth were formed there was one principle, please observe the true profound secret in the song, it is not to be passed to the uninitiated."
As he recited, the song finally came to an end.
Yan Shouyi suddenly felt a tug on the fishing rod in his hand.
Did a fish bite?
He didn't reel in immediately but glanced at the old man beside him with the corner of his eye.
The old man's fishing rod had not yet caught anything.
To show respect to the elder, Yan Shouyi silently ignored the sensation from the fishing rod in his hand.
However, the urge to reel in grew stronger in his heart.
He had never been so curious, curious about what fish he had caught and how big it was.
But Yan Shouyi still resisted his curiosity, never reeling in the line.
After an unknown period.
The old man suddenly used his fishing rod to lift Yan Shouyi's.
As the rod was lifted, Yan Shouyi was surprised to find nothing at the end of the line.
Jiang Taigong at least used a straight hook!
What was going on?
And if there was no hook, what had been tugging at him just now?
The old man chuckled, "All suffering in the world arises from desire. You, at such a young age, can suppress desire, truly rare."
Judging by his words, it seemed the old man was testing him?
Although he appeared to have passed the test, Yan Shouyi was even more bewildered.
He had only come over to greet him; what needed testing?
Just as Yan Shouyi was about to speak, the old man reeled in his fishing rod, pointed to the small tea pavilion next to the courtyard, and then walked over with his hands behind his back.
It seemed he wanted to share some tea with Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi obediently followed. After sitting down, the old man skillfully brewed the tea.
Finally, a fragrant cup of tea was placed before Yan Shouyi.
"Elder, may I ask first, are the few people who were with me alright?" Yan Shouyi couldn't help but ask.
The old man shook his head. "My good children are leading them in play, you need not worry."
"Uh..."
Thinking of the vengeful spirits from before, Yan Shouyi became even more worried.
In reality, it wasn't Long Fei Cheng and the others who had disappeared, but Yan Shouyi himself.
Judging by the surroundings, he was clearly in the Yin-Yang realm, not the real world.
The ancestral residence of the Liu family required passing through an ancient well, but the Yin-Yang realm here seemed different.
The old man leisurely brewed tea, his small eyes narrowed into slits, meticulously examining Yan Shouyi from head to toe.
"Are you Yan Baixiang's grandson?" the old man asked.
Yan Shouyi nodded and honestly replied, "Yes."
"How do you prove it?"
Yan Shouyi thought for a moment. He didn't have many things left by his grandfather.
The item that best represented his grandfather was the Zanpakutō.
Therefore, Yan Shouyi used a technique of burning talismans to retrieve items, summoning the Zanpakutō and placing it on the table.
Upon seeing the Zanpakutō, the old man's eyes clearly lit up.
He held the Zanpakutō in both hands, his gaze following his hand as he gently stroked the blade, and he couldn't help but sigh:
"After so many years, this Zanpakutō is still the same as it was back then."
"You recognize the Zanpakutō?"
"Naturally. Look at the hilt, what characters are carved on it?" the old man chuckled.
Yan Shouyi took back the Zanpakutō and carefully examined the hilt, only then realizing that characters were indeed carved on it.
He hadn't noticed them all these years.
The characters carved on the front of the hilt were blurry and illegible.
But on the back, there were clearly the words "Shan Tong."
"Shan Tong?" Yan Shouyi exclaimed in surprise.
The old man laughed heartily. "Indeed, it is I! My name is Zhang Zhidong, courtesy name Shan Tong. Zhang Shan Tong!"
Yan Shouyi was greatly shocked.
The Zanpakutō that his grandfather had given him had a profound connection with the elder before him.
Who would carve their name on a sword?
Besides the owner of the sword, who else could it be?!
"Elder, you mean this Zanpakutō once belonged to you?!"
Zhang Shantong stroked his beard and nodded meaningfully.
Yan Shouyi then continued, "Elder, earlier I saw your fishing rod had my grandfather's mark carved on it, clearly made by my grandfather's hand. Do you know my grandfather?"
"More than just acquaintances, your grandfather and I spent a very wonderful time together..."
Upon hearing this, Yan Shouyi froze.
A very wonderful time?
Why did that sound...
A little off?
He clearly remembered his grandfather only liked his grandmother!
Now, an old man had appeared, claiming to have spent a very wonderful time with his grandfather?
Yan Shouyi harbored a terrible suspicion.
He swallowed and said softly, "Elder, were you and my grandfather forced to separate due to societal judgment?"
Zhang Shantong was also taken aback.
He also felt that what Yan Shouyi was saying was somewhat incorrect?
Seeing Zhang Shantong's strange expression, Yan Shouyi quickly comforted him:
"Elder, society is not as harsh now. Even if genders are the same, people can love boldly! It's just a pity that you two elders didn't live in a better era back then..."