Chapter 39: To Seek the Way of Heaven, One Must First Perfect the Way of Humanity

Human emotions run deep, yet the Dao seems distant. How could the world, so engrossed in human emotions, ever understand the Dao? Only when human emotions are void of the Dao can one even begin to glimpse its vastness.

I chuckled softly and muttered to myself, "Just a little pug dog, and it's chained up with an iron chain. I bet you can't even reach me. Come on, try and bite me!"

Bang!

As soon as I finished speaking, the iron chain that had been straightened by the pug snapped in two.

"Woof woof... woof woof woof!"

The little pug’s fur seemed to bristle as it let out a wild bark and pounced toward me.

What the hell! Was this still a pug? After eating the "Vitality Pill" I had made, it had turned into a vicious beast, almost like a Tibetan Mastiff! I had made that "Vitality Pill" for the first time as a favor, and yet it didn’t even appreciate my kindness!

So you want to bite me, huh? Heh!

“Dog's biting me...!”

I screamed, turned around, and ran as fast as I could. Damn it! I wasn’t about to waste time with a dog. Of course I could run!

Though, as a cultivator, I wasn’t afraid of dogs. In fact, with my martial arts skills, even this newly empowered pug wouldn’t pose a threat. But, well... I had a guilty conscience. Unknowingly, I was ashamed before the Invisible Celestial Lord!

"Woof woof woof... woof woof woof woof..."

Hmm? Why had the barking gotten quieter?

I glanced back while running, only to realize that the dog wasn’t chasing me anymore. Instead, it was running towards another house.

…Oh no! I remembered that house had a spotted pug, and it seemed to be a female one.

#％￥…—￥!!!!

I realized what had happened and felt a surge of helpless laughter. When I saw the villagers rushing over, I quickly turned around and went home.

That afternoon and evening, the village buzzed with gossip. The villagers laughed about how the dog from the Wang family had been with the dog from the Yu family for a long time. Could it be that the "Vitality Pill" I had concocted had turned into some sort of mythical "Yin-Yang Harmony" aphrodisiac?

I sighed in relief for several days. Luckily, no one had seen me feeding the black pug some steamed buns.

Since that day, I swore to never again feed my experimental pills to other animals. I tried looking for a few mice, but couldn’t find any. Seriously, when did even mice become so rare?

On the 23rd day of the twelfth month, Granny Yang passed away before the New Year. Yang Gaozi had just returned from his business trip in the south. Since the Zhang family no longer operated the Yin-Yang divination business and there were no relatives from Granny Yang's side, the funeral was simple.

I watched as Yang Gaozi burned everything related to Granny Yang's divination practices. Later, out of curiosity, I sifted through the ashes but didn’t find any treasures like my Xuanhuang Flag.

The meeting began.

Every year, just before the New Year, our Zhang family would gather at the ancestral hall for a large family meeting. All male members over the age of sixteen were required to attend. This year, I attended as well. When I first saw the introduction in the "Tianjing Danyi," I became curious about our family’s mysterious ancestral hall.

Though I had made some progress in my cultivation and focused on inner peace, I still had a youthful spirit and, well... I couldn't help but feel excited and active during this time.

Both my two older brothers and my third uncle's family came back, filling the large ancestral hall with over thirty people.

Before my grandfather passed away, he was undoubtedly the clan leader. However, after his passing, to help the Zhang family adapt to societal changes, my third uncle took over as clan leader due to his wealth.

On the table in the center of the ancestral hall, portraits of our ancestors were displayed, including that of my grandfather. What was strange, however, was that there was also a portrait of a white-bearded Taoist priest hanging on the wall, dressed in Taoist robes, with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing up at the sky.

As soon as I saw the portrait of this white-bearded Taoist, I was stunned.

It reminded me of the records in the Xuanhuang Sect's library that Elder Chongxuan had once mentioned. Could this white-bearded Taoist be the person depicted in the portrait in our Zhang family's ancestral hall?

Was the first ancestor of our Zhang family a disciple of this Taoist?

I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear what the elders were saying during the meeting. The white-bearded Taoist, my ancestor, my grandfather, the Xuanhuang Flag, the Tianjing Dan Book from the Yang family... All of these things slowly connected in my mind. Everything was not a coincidence, but who exactly was this white-bearded Taoist?

On the first day of the New Year, we began the customary New Year greetings, bowing to our elders. The customary red envelopes filled with money were handed over with each bow. In our hometown, bowing during New Year’s greetings was a tradition. Some of the younger children or those with lower ranks in the family would even pass out from the exertion of bowing.

Sometimes, when I visited the elders' homes, I casually asked about the white-bearded Taoist, but it seemed no one knew much. They all told me that my third uncle had a family genealogy, and it was likely documented there.

I hadn't had the chance to ask my third uncle, as his family returned to the provincial city on the second day of the New Year. I was left to wait for another opportunity.

Several times, I suggested returning to the provincial city early, but my parents refused. To be honest, I was more interested in visiting Mount Jishi, having received several thousand in red envelopes. It would have been enough for me to visit the "Taixuan Extreme True Cave Heaven," but...

It wasn’t that I lacked initiative; it was just that after cultivating, I placed more importance on the feelings of my family. I felt like I hadn’t done enough for them, especially for my parents...

To attain the Way of Heaven, one must first perfect the Way of Humanity. If human affairs are not perfected, the Way of Heaven is far out of reach.

Due to a shortage of medicinal herbs, my alchemy pursuits were temporarily put on hold. I spent time with my parents until the fifteenth day of the first month before heading to the provincial city.

Although school didn’t start this early, the school, in the name of improving our college entrance exam scores, had scheduled extra lessons — naturally, at a cost. How much exactly? I had no idea. All my school expenses were handled by my third uncle. Honestly, I had never really concerned myself with money.

After school started, I noticed that most of my classmates seemed to have gained weight. When Zhang Yu saw me, her smile was as radiant as ever. What a wonderful girl!

For me, life at school felt rather dull. The classmates studied cultural subjects, while my studies focused on small spells, drawing talismans, and refining medicinal pills.

During this period, I spent every day practicing Thunder-type hand seals to supply the special Vital Energy to my Xuanhuang Flag.

I also occasionally perused the "Tianjing Danyi" to learn about inner alchemy techniques.

As for the Golden Elixir path, I had browsed many related books, but there was no consensus.

Some said that everything consists of three parts, which then merge into two, and ultimately return to one. Those who understand the Way find peace of mind, nourish the body, and refine essence into energy, which is then combined with spirit, and ultimately forms the Golden Elixir.

However, my cultivation method was different. It focused on combining the essence, energy, and spirit of all things into three, refining the essence into energy and combining it with external medicine, calming the mind to cultivate the inner elixir (inner medicine). This process involves merging the two into one, using the Mud Ball Palace as the furnace and the Dantian as the cauldron. External medicine nourishes the inner elixir, and once energy and spirit unite, the Golden Elixir is formed. The final stage of cultivating the spirit is when the Golden Elixir is perfected.

There are countless paths to the Way. I only take one, using formlessness as my form. My cultivation began with the Xuanhuang Flag, and from there, I followed the natural course. I didn’t care much about the other interpretations.

With each practice of the Thunder-type technique, the mysterious images in my mind sharpened my spirit, strengthening my inner elixir. I felt that I was on the verge of a breakthrough, one step away from uniting internal and external medicines, and achieving the harmony of the Dragon and Tiger to form the Golden Elixir...