Chapter 1 The Dragon and Tiger Mountain

On Dragon and Tiger Mountain stood the Daoist ancestral altar.

Even if it wasn't as bustling with incense offerings as those great Buddhist temples, it still saw a steady stream of visitors.

On the mountain's back, there was a lotus pond. Although considered a forbidden area, it wasn't strictly off-limits to tourists. An old Daoist priest usually sat dozing on a rock beside the pond. With him there, no mischievous child dared to do anything outrageous to the lotus pond.

Those shameless cultivators from various sects wouldn't even dream of breaking a single lotus flower here.

The old Daoist, who had been shrinking under the shade of a tree, dozing off, suddenly heard a child's excited whisper, "Hey? That flower looks like it's about to bloom?!"

The old Daoist remained lazy and unconcerned.

With each breath, his *xingqi jue* (circulating Qi technique), cultivated for decades, flowed almost instinctively.

Sometimes, he would sigh, feeling that these children were truly innocent and carefree. It was just a lotus flower. No matter how beautiful it bloomed, if one saw it every day, year after year, one would inevitably grow bored.

But alas, he also felt a pang of nostalgia.

He missed the amazement he felt as a boy when he first passed by this lotus pond and witnessed a lotus flower in full bloom.

That feeling was long gone.

The little boy who spotted it first gazed intently at the lotus flower. It was the dark black bud at the innermost part of the pond. A slight crack seemed to be slowly appearing. Its unassuming exterior was small, far less impressive than the vibrant white and pink lotuses blooming around it.

So, some of the other children couldn't see it and kept asking, "Which one?"

"That one, the one inside, the one that looks a bit black."

Huh?!

Which one?!

The old Daoist, lost in reminiscence, almost disrupted his *xingqi*.

Unable to regulate his Qi, he abruptly opened his eyes.

...

Wei Yuan stepped onto the Dragon and Tiger Mountain steps.

He paused, looking down at the Tianming Chi Lu (Heavenly Mandate Red Talisman) slowly glowing on the back of his hand.

This was the original talisman created by Zhang Daoling, now faintly resonating with the entire Dragon and Tiger Mountain, though not strongly enough to erupt.

Wei Yuan frowned and flicked his fingers across it.

Using the Dao techniques of the Taiping Dao (Way of Great Peace), he temporarily sealed the emerging Tianming Chi Lu.

Having used the Tianming Chi Lu in the ruins of Yin Shang's capital, Chaoge, to construct a talisman array similar to a Heavenly Court, his control over the decree had greatly increased. More importantly, the Tianming Chi Lu's power was severely depleted after completing the Heavenly Court structure.

Only then could Wei Yuan temporarily seal it.

After quickly completing the spell, severing the Tianming Chi Lu's connection to Dragon and Tiger Mountain, Wei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, tugged at his fingerless gloves, and covered the Tianming Chi Lu more securely.

No, no, he couldn't cause a big commotion before setting off.

He had a feeling that if he caused a scene before leaving, Zhang Ruosu would find a way to detain him and send a disciple to Sakura Island instead. But this trip to Sakura Island was something he was determined to make himself.

Wei Yuan murmured inwardly, stepping up the Dragon and Tiger Mountain steps one by one. He saw an old Daoist in a gray robe waiting at the mountain gate. The old man looked like an ordinary Daoist, unremarkable. Passersby didn't even notice him, but Wei Yuan, as a cultivator, could sense that something was off.

There was no aura of magic.

Yet, he felt that the old man standing there was the center of a world.

The Qi of all things flowed around him.

The Dao, self-evident.

The current Celestial Master, Zhang Ruosu.

Beside Zhang Ruosu stood a delicate-looking young man with a scarlet flame mark between his eyebrows, also in Daoist robes.

Zhang Ruosu smiled. "Master Wei, you've finally arrived."

Wei Yuan hid the back of his right hand, his expression gentle, and nodded slightly. "Daoist Zhang."

"You've been waiting long."

...

Beside the lotus pond, the old Daoist strained his eyes to see.

But the purplish-golden lotus showed no sign of movement. The children complained that the first child was lying. The old Daoist finally gave up, sighing and mocking himself for being so old and easily distracted from his cultivation.

The black lotus didn't change in the slightest.

It remained quietly like a club.

Neither blooming nor withering.

The old Daoist deflated and closed his eyes to resume his cultivation.

The children also left, bickering playfully.

Still insisting that they really hadn't seen it wrong.

Their voices gradually faded away.

On Dragon and Tiger Mountain, the wind was clear and the sky bright. All was peaceful. A breeze swept across the lotus pond, rippling the water. The large, vibrantly blooming lotuses swayed gently. The dark, ugly bud didn't move at all. But a tiny slit opened in its petals in the breeze, then closed again when the wind stopped.

Outwardly, it appeared black, but the sliver revealed was purplish-gold.

In that instant, it overshadowed the entire lotus pond, but no one witnessed its fleeting beauty.

...

In the reception room,

Wei Yuan had a cup of fragrant tea in front of him. The old man across from him smiled and took a sip.

Wei Yuan also picked up his cup and took a sip. Perhaps the tea leaves themselves were ordinary, but the water and the person brewing it were not. So, it had a sweet aftertaste. Wei Yuan looked at the kind-faced old man and couldn't help but think, "Is this what a meet-up with an internet friend is like?"

Zhang Ruosu's eyes fell on the backpack behind Wei Yuan. He asked curiously, "Master Wei, this is..."

"Oh, this is a little gift."

Wei Yuan casually placed the fish head he'd been carrying on the table with a thud, startling the old Daoist. The delicate-looking young man who had been scrutinizing Wei Yuan also flinched. After the old Daoist opened the box with suspicion and saw what was inside, he was stunned. Wei Yuan smiled.

"Eight-hundred-year-old top-grade fish head. Daoist, may I borrow some peppers?"

Zhang Ruosu was taken aback. He looked at the fish head and sighed with a hint of sorrow.

"Eight hundred years of cultivation. Daoist, you just killed it like that?"

"What a pity, what a pity. A lifetime of cultivation, eight hundred years of starlight and dew, reduced to ashes."

The young Daoist also chanted a Daoist prayer for rebirth.

Wei Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Eating or not?"

Celestial Master Zhang spoke righteously.

"Eating!"

...

Wei Yuan personally went to Zhang Ruosu's own garden and picked some spiritual peppers, then borrowed tools and the kitchen from the Celestial Master's mansion to make a chopped pepper fish head. He had made it once before, so this time it was really easy and smooth.

Zhang Ruosu said in surprise: "Demons with magic power and Dao practice are not easy to cook."

Wei Yuan smiled slightly: "In this regard, I am still somewhat confident."

I am an expert in cooking extraordinary creatures.

He would not be modest in this regard.

After finishing, he opened the rice bucket and scooped out three bowls of the remaining rice from this morning.

Then he gave a bowl each to the little Daoist called A Xuan and Zhang Ruosu.

It has to be said that Zhang Ruosu's peppers were much better than the ones Wei Yuan had used before.

The deliciousness and spirituality contained in the flesh and blood of the great demon and the spiciness of the peppers themselves merged more perfectly. The snow-white fish was spread on the rice, and then the soup was poured down. The soup of the chopped pepper fish head was excellent for soaking pancakes and mixing noodles.

However, the slightly dry and hard old rice that had been left for a while was also very good, because the old rice had lost some of its moisture and was not as soft and glutinous as freshly cooked rice, but it could absorb more soup.

The shiny fish soup filled the gaps between the rice grains.

Even the white rice exuded the aroma of fish. The spiciness whetted the appetite, and one chopstick followed another, almost non-stop. Even the young Daoist, who had felt a little guilty about eating the flesh of this great demon, couldn't help but eat several bowls, and finally put down his chopsticks a little embarrassed.

A man of few words is soft-spoken when fed, and the little Daoist's favorability towards Wei, who cooked for himself, increased rapidly.

No matter how you look at it, this doesn't look like someone who would cause trouble.

After everyone was full, Zhang Ruosu asked while drinking tea:

"Are you ready to go, Daoist friend?"

"The sooner the better, let's leave today."

Zhang Ruosu said: "It's a little early to leave today."

Wei Yuan said: "Early?"

The old Taoist said leisurely: "I calculated that in a few days, it will be the Obon Festival of the Buddhist sect of Sakura Island. The Motoki family is the largest temple in Kyoto, and they will definitely have a grand ceremony. It would be great if you go then, Master Wei. Well, the fireworks festival is actually not bad.”

The Buddhist Obon Festival, visiting with the head of the temple's successor?

The little Taoist suddenly raised his head and stared blankly at his senior brother.

It was like he was meeting this Celestial Master for the first time.

Who is the one who is going to cause trouble?!

Wei Yuan thought for a while, but still smiled and replied: "Forget it, I still have to leave today. I haven't been to Sakura Island yet, and I want to visit more places. By the way, Daoist Zhang, have you finished what I asked you to do? "

Seeing that Wei Yuan decided to leave today, Zhang Ruosu didn't force him, but nodded.

Then he asked his disciples to take out two boxes, one slightly longer and the other square, which contained Motoki Yoshiyuki's head, but it emitted a strange smell, a bit disgusting and a bit strange, mixed together and made people sick.

The corners of Wei Yuan's mouth twitched as he looked at the old Celestial Master with his hands in his sleeves and a serious expression:

"What's this smell?"

"It's too hot, the lime can't stop it, it's a bit rancid..."

"Celestial Master, rancid things don't smell like this."

The old man was silent for a while, then raised his head slightly and shifted his gaze: "Isn't it too hot in autumn?"

"This thing attracts mosquitoes and bugs, and the disciples who are watching over it can't stand it."

"…so?"

"So, the old Taoist sprayed some floral water."

……………………

In the end, Wei Yuan still carried the strange box mixed with the smell of lime, rancid smell, and the fragrance of Liushen floral water, and boarded the plane to Sakura Island. He successfully passed the security check with illusion. The little Taoist sighed and whispered: "Thank you, Master Wei."

Just when he was about to leave, the old Taoist pulled the young Taoist aside and muttered for a long time.

The general idea was to keep an eye on this Master Wei and never let him cause any trouble, but the young A Xuan felt that this Master Wei, who was not much older than himself, looked very kind and polite in dealing with people, and he would also cook and take the initiative to wash the dishes after eating. He didn't seem like someone who would cause trouble at all.

It was obvious that his senior brother was more unreliable.

He couldn't help but sigh.

But since the Celestial Master had ordered it, he had to follow.

Wei Yuan and A Xuan boarded the plane. Sakura Island was not far from Shenzhou. After arriving at Sakura Island, they rested at the home of a lay disciple of the Celestial Master's Mansion for a day. The next day, the weather was very good. Wei Yuan got up early in the morning. A Xuan originally thought that Wei Yuan was going directly to the Kyoto temple to solve this matter, but he slipped away in a blink of an eye. A Xuan hurriedly shouted to him:

"Master Wei, the direction is wrong."

Wei Yuan smiled and said: "Now that I'm here, how can I not visit Tokyo?"

"Besides, I have to buy something for those guys at home. I'll also go shopping in Akihabara. There's a ghost in my house who likes things there." Wei Yuan thought of the water ghost's water escape, and the corners of his mouth twitched. He felt nauseous when he looked at the drink in his hand.

Going to Akihabara, of course, was nothing.

A Xuan thought that this senior was going to do something, and when he saw that this was the case, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had no position to refuse, so he quickly handed the luggage to the lay disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion who came to pick them up, and he quickly stepped forward to catch up.

They took the Shinkansen and arrived at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo.

Then it was Akihabara.

That prosperous place left the little Taoist dumbfounded and uncomfortable.

Some of the outfits made him blush.

Wei Yuan wandered around buying things, and by the way, he introduced the little Taoist to what was sold in these places, which dazzled the little Taoist. Slowly, he was holding a lot of things in his arms. Finally, he took the tram and walked slowly. When Wei Yuan looked up and saw the words "Kitanomaru Park" in Chiyoda Ward, he patted the little Taoist on the shoulder and signaled him to get off.

A grand summer festival was held here a while ago, and there were many tourists at that time.

Now there are still many stalls left.

The scenery, which was completely different from Shenzhou, fascinated A Xuan, who had never been down the mountain.

Wei Yuan casually picked up a wooden sword and patted him on the shoulder, and smiled: "I think the masks there are good, let's buy two?" A Xuan turned around and saw a stall with demon masks, god and Buddha masks, and white fox masks on it. The craftsmanship was good, and compared with the products of Shenzhou, they had a unique flavor.

The young man remembered the profession of this Curator Wei, and suddenly realized, "Do you want to buy some collections, Curator Wei? I'll go buy them."

Because Wei Yuan didn't understand Japanese, A Xuan had to negotiate.

Wei Yuan paid for an ice pop through sign language. A Xuan cultivated pure Yang body and didn't eat these cold things on weekdays, so Wei Yuan only bought one. He tore open the package, watched the young Taoist negotiate seriously, smiled slightly, and slightly tilted his steps. His eyes followed the lights on both sides of the festival, and he saw the shrine.

It seemed to have been burned, but it has now been rebuilt, and ordinary people are not allowed to enter around it.

You can feel the aura of weak souls inside.

Yasukuni Shrine.

Wei Yuan took a bite of the ice and was a little lost. He thought of the past scenes.

‘I love books, paintings, flowers, and I also love good wine and beautiful women, but not as much as my heart for you, and my heart for you is not as much as my love for my country. Now that Shenzhou is in trouble, we should all sacrifice ourselves for the country. If I have a chance to come back, I will listen to you playing music in Jiangnan, and we will never be separated in this life; if I have no chance to come back, you can sing anywhere in my Shenzhou, and I will be able to hear it. '

‘We should live and die with our country. '

‘I remember running past here many times when I was a kid. Early in the morning, people from nearby villages would come to sell vegetables, green vegetables, Chinese cabbage, and very fresh things. In winter, there were also frosted persimmons. The old Chen family's soy sauce was here, and there was a small noodle restaurant over there, with three tables and one person, two taels of noodles, and a small spoonful of soy sauce, very authentic. '

‘I thought such things would never change…'

The vivid Jiangnan city in Wan Qiniang's mouth, the young and soaring young man back then.

In the end, they turned into cold, white names on the monument.

Wei Yuan bit the ice pop, and his empty hands formed a seal.

With his Dao practice and his magic power, what needed to be sealed was definitely not ordinary magic.

A clear voice slowly fell in his heart.

Yan Yan Yan Yan, Yang Guangfeiwen; spit flames and generate wind, burning the field and swallowing the mountains.

Taiping Yaoshu (Essential Arts of the Way of Great Peace)——

Seventeenth Method · Spit Flame!

Huh? This is……

Di Sha (Earthly Fiend) Orthodox Magic?!

The young Taoist, who was communicating with the stall owner in clumsy Sakura Island language at the stall in front, suddenly felt a violent magic power fluctuation that could be described as violent Zhiyang (Extreme Yang) behind him. His pupils shrank, and his scalp felt numb. He took a few steps forward subconsciously. With a crash, the masks on the stall fell to the ground. He turned his head in a panic.

Violent flames, riding on an unparalleled strong wind, had already soared into the sky.

Completely engulfed the shrine.

ps: Today's first update... 4,600 words, enough words~ Thank you innocent 灬 Xiaoran for your reward, thank you~

It's been twenty-one days, and I have to get my second vaccine shot.

In addition, I would like to recommend a new historical book "朕" (朕 – I, the Emperor), which is the new book of the great god Wang Zijun, about a domestic slave in the late Ming Dynasty who eventually became the emperor. His previous book was "Dreaming Back to the Ming Dynasty Spring". Friends who like historical books can give it a try~