Chapter 36: The Memory of Daoist Chongxuan

The Dao is inherently without intent; do not seek it with desire. To seek and fail is to understand; to not seek and yet gain is the true path.

Every day when I arrived at school, there was one less beautiful classmate, one less beautiful teacher. Suddenly, it felt like something was missing in the routine of school life.

What is missing must be replaced by something else. Hehe, look! My cousin Zhang Fuhong and Cao Kui both gained new nicknames as lovesick boys. After the departure of Wu Xiaoman and our English teacher, it didn’t take long for the classmates to discover their infatuations. Soon, there was a new topic in class.

Autumn, originally a season of harvest, saw the love seeds of my cousin Zhang Fuhong and Cao Kui wither just as they had started to sprout. Oh, what a pity!

As for me, I seemed to be doing well. My academic performance had improved recently, and my internal cultivation had reached a great level of perfection. My internal elixir was growing steadily. I felt that everything I ate was delicious, and though I slept less, I felt fully rested. My spirits were high, and life felt more carefree. Cultivation really is great!

Cao Kui, after recovering from the sadness of our English teacher’s departure, became even more passionate about practicing the Five Elements Yin-Yang Palm. As his instructor, I was slightly embarrassed. Could this be the power of love? Should I try dating as well? Would my cultivation soar like a rocket then?

Of course, I just entertained that thought. Since I started cultivating, everything had been going naturally. I never rushed to break through the void and ascend, nor did I have any formidable enemies or vendettas like the protagonists in novels. So, I just maintained a simple, steady approach, not striving too hard for breakthroughs.

Since Wu Xiaoman left, my cousin Zhang Fuhong had lost weight and stopped talking to me. He had probably decided that I was the cause of her departure. Sigh! If only he knew the real reason — Wu Xiaoman left because she no longer wanted to stay at a school where there had once been a mummified corpse.

Lately, whenever I was bored in class, I would browse through the memories of Daoist Chongxuan to pass the time. Among the records from the Upper Yuan Temple on Haixin Mountain, I learned about the existence of two other cultivation sects in Qing Province, aside from the Upper Yuan Temple: one was the Quanzhen Sect, which focused on solitary mountain cultivation and rarely appeared, and the other was the Zhengyi Sect, or the Talisman Sect, which was only passed down in certain families. The latter focused on drawing talismans, casting spells, summoning spirits, and driving away ghosts — activities that were commonly practiced by household Taoists, also known as "fire-residing Taoists." In Daoist Chongxuan’s memories, he had dealings with both Quanzhen Taoists and fire-residing Taoists, but none of them had truly achieved remarkable success in cultivation.

Aside from these Taoist sects, I discovered some fascinating historical accounts and rumors about the cultivation practices in Qing Province from Daoist Chongxuan's memories. For instance, it was recorded that during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, on the desolate mountain slopes of Jishi Mountain in Qing Province, there were Taoists known for their "crane feather robes" and their devotion to the Dao, who practiced in the Tang Shu Cave and Shi Liang Cave while preserving a large collection of ancient scriptures. The Qiang people at the time believed these Taoists were divine beings, and they called the caves "Tang Shu" (named after a Qiang word for ghost), while they named the river flowing from Jishi Mountain the "Tang Shu River."

There were also records of the highest Taoist goddess, the West Queen Mother (Xi Wangmu), who managed both celestial and earthly female immortals. Her abodes included the West Queen Mother's Stone Cave at the source of the Huang River, the West Queen Mother Temple on the Qilian Mountains, and her Jade Palace in Kunlun Mountain.

Wow! I couldn’t help but wonder if there might be any immortal pills or precious medicines hidden there. As I read these accounts, I couldn’t help but imagine the possibilities.

Taoist immortals lived in "Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands," with ten major Cave Heavens, thirty-six minor Cave Heavens, and seventy-two Blessed Lands. The fourth major Cave Heaven was called "Taixuan Extreme True Cave Heaven" on Xixuan Mountain…

Huh, Qing Province actually had these legendary places?

Among the most startling things I found in Daoist Chongxuan’s memories was a story recorded in the Upper Yuan Temple's collection: In the 11th year of the Tianming era (1626), a black cloud appeared over the Qilian Mountains, accompanied by thunder and lightning for six whole months. Afterward, a towering peak mysteriously vanished, leaving only its base. Taoists from all over China rushed to see it, suspecting that this was no natural disaster but something else. An elderly Taoist with a white beard said that a hidden "dragon and tiger vein" had been destroyed there. In the following decades, this Taoist stayed in the area. It was rumored that he had boundless magical powers, could ride the clouds, command thunder, and had superb alchemy and medical skills, rivaling that of immortals…

Qilian Mountain? A towering peak vanishing? A white-bearded Taoist? Could this be related to my hometown, Jiushizhang? Why is there no such story in my hometown? Was I simply unaware, or is there something more to this?

This is truly intriguing. I need to ask the elders when I return home for the winter holiday.

Suddenly, I realized that I wasn’t really without things to do. The stone caves of Jishi Mountain seemed like they could be very interesting to explore. I definitely couldn’t miss the "Taixuan Extreme True Cave Heaven" on Xixuan Mountain. It was a place of legend, after all. Hmm…

I made a secret resolution: Whenever I had time, I’d go check it out, maybe dig around a bit, who knows what treasures I might find! I couldn’t wait for the winter break to arrive. How exciting!

As time passed, my classmates were busy preparing for exams, while I, immersed in Daoist Chongxuan's memories, faced a lot of disapproving looks from my peers and teachers.

During the New Year’s Eve, our class held a small gathering. That night, as we were leaving, Zhang Yu, with a slight hint of beer on her breath, gave me a little cloth doll — as cute as she was. She also brought greetings from Wu Xiaoman, who thanked me deeply.

Oh! So someone actually remembered me during the holiday and sent me a gift. I suddenly realized that life could be so beautiful!

After the New Year, the end-of-term exams quickly approached, and the atmosphere in school grew tense. Everything seemed to lose its charm for me. In the meantime, I became so absorbed in Daoist Chongxuan's memories that during the first exam, I almost wrote "Daoist Chongxuan" in the name field on the exam paper. Sigh, that was a real slip of the mind!

That evening, I forced the soul of Daoist Chongxuan out of my spiritual palace and dissipated it, allowing it to return to the heavens and earth. The things I had gleaned from Daoist Chongxuan's memories, though I hadn’t consciously studied them, had already become ingrained in my mind, thanks to my powerful consciousness. As soon as I focused, I could recall them as if they were my own memories.

After the exams, I eagerly had my uncle's driver take me back home. As soon as I arrived in my hometown, Jiushizhang, I heard villagers discussing the imminent passing of Granny Yang, who had once invited a divine being to the village…