Chapter 54: Seeking Guidance from the Prince

  Xiao Qiu walked around the woods near the house and arrived at another dining hall just as lunch was ending. The male disciples were lining up to return to their rooms, where they would rest for a while before preparing for their afternoon meditation.

  There was no one on the road, Xiao Qiu walked quickly to a house and hesitated for a moment before lightly knocking on the door.

  "Who?" The voice in the house sounded a bit cautious, not quite like a focused practitioner of the Pong Mountain sect.

  Xiao Qiu knocked on the door again.

  "Come in." The person inside replied reluctantly, seeming very unhappy about the visit.

  Xin Yutao sat on the bed, looking at Xiao Qiu who had pushed open the door with a surprised expression, "Is it you? What are you doing here?"

  His room was as cramped as anyone else's, only packed with luggage, some of which seemed to have never been opened, already accumulating a thin layer of dust.

  "Let's talk." Xiao Qiu sat on a chair at the door, facing Xin Yu Tao.

  Xin Youtao became even more vigilant, "This is not Jinghu Village's residence, be careful, don't get yourself into trouble."

  Xiao Qiu smiled, "It seems you haven't changed much, the Nurturing Spirit Peak didn't have a big impact on you. Let's talk about this matter then."

  "I don't want to talk." Xīn Yòutáo was extremely annoyed, thinking that the other person was mocking his stagnant and unprogressive cultivation, still not having achieved even a single enlightenment.

  "Okay, I've come to ask you a question."

  "Are you asking me for advice?" Xīn Yòutáo was stunned again, put on his shoes and looked at Xiǎo Qiū from left to right. "Tell me, don't try to trick me, I'm not an easy person to deceive... What do you want to ask me for advice about?" He still couldn't help but be curious.

  "Why is it that someone who clearly dislikes and hates you doesn't show it, but instead suddenly apologizes and seeks reconciliation?"

  Xin Yutao suddenly enlightened, "Oh, you mean Sheng Ji Dao You." He paused for a moment, looked at Xia Qiu, "A person who has attained the Tao is without desires or disputes, with seven apertures open, their heart and nature will naturally change, you should believe in his sincerity."

  Xiao Qiu detected the sarcasm, "Aren't you hoping to see a clash between the two factions? Don't you want me to shake off my sleeves and fight for dominance? Then help me with this small favor."

  Xin Youtao had once been a matchmaker for Shen Geng, and at that time he had frankly revealed his true intention of watching the tiger fight from a safe distance. Bringing up old matters made him hesitate a bit, "So you still remember what I said."

  "I remember, and I remember a lot."

  "Xin Yutao's face suddenly turned red, he had expected the other party to make this move sooner or later, but when it came, he still couldn't hide his anger. He regretted his carelessness a month ago, actually revealing to this wild child his past failures in the struggle within the palace."

  "You said games are battles, don't you want to participate in this game?" Xia Qiu added.

  Xin Yutao found himself misunderstanding, Mu Xiangqiu didn't mean to blackmail him with that matter. He cleared his throat twice and asked, "Are you really asking me for advice?"

  "Hmm, I think among all of us disciples, only you can see through the true nature of this game."

  Being flattered by someone you despise, even just a vague sentence, is enough to make one's heart bloom with joy. Xin Yu Tao didn't want to show too much excitement, but his face still involuntarily revealed a smile, and he coughed several times, replacing it with a serious and mysterious expression. "This isn't the truth, this is the rule."

  "Oh?"

  "To be honest, I don't understand the rules of Pongshan Taoist sect, but I think many principles are universal. The set of Western royal etiquette can also be applied here. If you want to know why Shen Yi apologized, first determine the positions of both parties."

  "We are all disciples of Pong San, but he was born into a Taoist family, while I am from the Wild Forest Town."

  "Heh heh, you're still so arrogant. In the end, it's just that you haven't seen much of the world." Xinyu Tao walked in front of Xiao Qiu, kicked away a useless package, and his eyes shone with excited light, "How can Ye Lin Town be compared to the Dao Men Family? I'm asking you, who has the highest status in Ye Lin Town?"

  "Shen Hao's family, his father is the town guardian and also the richest old master in the town, with a large house..."

  "Enough, enough! I'll ask you again, in the town of Ye Lin, especially in front of Shen Hao's father, would you say 'we are the Mu and Shen families' like that?"

  Xiao Qiu thought for a moment, he hadn't noticed such trivial matters before, shook his head, "No way, Liu Er from the front street once said he was related to Old Man Shen, and ended up being scolded by others."

  "Look, that's the principle. In the Pongshan Taoist tradition, the Shens are the 'masters', while you're still Little Autumn, with a status similar to that of Liu Er."

  "Ke Shen Lao Ye will not apologize to anyone in town."

  "That's because his status isn't high enough." Xīn Yòutáo's interest was piqued, and he began to show off his understanding of how to deal with people to outsiders, which was much more interesting than things like meditation and cultivation.

  "What is true contempt? It's not scolding you or trampling you underfoot, it's treating you as if you don't exist. In Xijie City, I wear the most gorgeous clothes and eat the most exquisite food, but do I need to befriend tailors and chefs? No; a crowd of servants walk around me, doing all sorts of things for me, but I don't remember a single one of their names - that's what contempt is! If you want to be my enemy, first you have to be on a similar level as me. In Jinghu Village, everyone's status was all mixed up, but that was temporary; on Yangshen Peak, status will regain its original importance."

  "Apologize because he despises us?" Xia Qiu was confused, the royal rules sounded like a bunch of contradictory nonsense.

  "It's like that." Xīn Yòu Táo shrugged his shoulders, and the sense of superiority he had lost for a while came back a bit. "He apologized to you, you accepted the apology, and the matter is settled. From now on, people will no longer say things like 'Mù Háng Qiū wants to take revenge on the Shēn family' or 'Mù Háng Qiū wants to provoke Yáng Dū Jiào'. For you, such rumors are glorious, but for the Shēn family, they are a shame. It's just like in Xī Jiè City, if my name is mentioned together with a cook every day, whether it's good or bad, I would be ashamed to death."

  Xiao Qiu seemed to understand a bit, "So you're saying that Sheng Yi really wants us to go our separate ways from now on?"

  "Haha." Xin Youtao burst out laughing and shook his head vigorously, "You, always unable to shake off the thinking of a child from Ye Lin Town. I heard about your revenge plan that you guys came up with last night, and you even claimed that you're familiar with the three fields, didn't it occur to you that the Shen family also has a revenge plan?"

  "I know that after Sheng Geng Wu, there will be more killings."

  "Isn't it crystal clear? You, and your fellow villagers, all belong to Shen Geng, and only to Shen Geng. If Shen Yi were to take the fall for her brother, it would be a shame for Shen Geng; if Yang Du Jiao were to take the fall for her son, it would be a shame for her - what kind of person is she? The Starfall Realm's Hui Feng Shi, even showing you a hint of hatred would become a lifelong stain on her."

  "Thank you." Xia Qiu stood up, feeling that was enough. Xin Yu Tao's words couldn't be listened to too much, and even less believed. Xia Qiu had to ensure she wasn't dragged down by Wang Zi.

  Xin Yutao still seemed to have something on his mind, and he licked his lips, saying: "Did you notice that at Yangshen Peak, everyone lines up according to their room number, and rarely walks side by side? As a result, no one is elbowing others out of the way for position. Do you think this is a good thing?"

  "I don't know." Xia Qiu thought for a moment and pushed the door to leave.

  Xin Yutao turned around with satisfaction, jumped onto the bed and decided to take a short nap. If Mu Xingqiu took even half of these words seriously, he would be further down the path of demonic possession if there was indeed a demon seed within him.

  "He will believe it." Xīn Yòutáo muttered to himself, "Because I'm telling the truth. Hey, can't force you into madness, then help you into madness instead."

  The afternoon's lesson took place in the Hall of Seven Days, which was also a large hall embedded in the mountain body. The area was slightly smaller than that of the Sizu Hall. A row of wooden racks stood against the wall, used to hold various weapons.

  "You haven't condensed your energy into a pill yet, so you can't use the five elements spell. First, you need to learn the basic skills of casting spells." He pointed at the row of wooden racks and told Yang Baozhen, "Choose an object you like, and treat it as a magic tool."

  Most people choose swords, and Xiao Qiu is no exception. Since he saw Li Yuechi behead the snake demon, he has been stubbornly convinced that a Taoist should wear a treasure sword. Some people use iron rulers or iron sticks, especially female disciples, who prefer to use lighter objects, such as iron fans and ruyi.

  Yang Baozhen took out her own magical instrument, a bright green jade ruyi, which immediately attracted the attention of all the disciples, especially Xiao Qiu.

  "All Daoist practitioners who condense their energy into a dan, must create for themselves a magical tool, which will likely accompany them throughout their lives. The benefits of a magical tool are numerous, and others have already taught about this, so I won't say more. I will only teach you five-element Daoist practitioners how to use the magical tool. First, male disciples hold the magical tool in their left hand, while female disciples use their right hand."

  Yang Baozhen held the Ruyi in her right hand, raised her left hand, with her thumb pressing against her ring finger, and the other three fingers standing upright, leaving a gap between them. "This is the Dao Fire Jue, it's both a greeting among fellow Taoists and the basic jue for casting spells. If you suddenly encounter evil spirits or demons, you can use this method to instantly activate your magical tools and cast protective spells. Everyone try it like I'm doing."

  This is relatively easy to learn, and the disciples have to do it several times a day as a greeting ritual. The posture is exactly the same as this one, except that there is an additional weapon in the hand behind the back, and no bowing is required.

  Yang Baozhen taught his disciples the seven moves of the Dao Fire Chant: with one hand still behind, and the other hand's Dao Fire Chant stopping in front of the chest is Heart Protection Style, crossing the shoulder is Head Protection Style, pointing to the ground is Lower Abdomen Protection Style, and so on.

  Although everyone's magic wands in their hands were just ordinary objects and couldn't cast any spells, they all practiced as if they were the real thing.

  "There are 108 kinds of Taoist techniques, and the Taoist fire technique is just one of them. Each technique has many variations, totaling 961 styles. Some of you may have already decided to advance to the Five Elements Department, in which case you must start practicing diligently from today until you can use these techniques with ease. As for those who are not interested in the Five Elements Department, they should also master and apply these techniques proficiently. Outside the Taoist way lies evil spirits and demons; no one can guarantee that you will never encounter danger. Slaying evil spirits and eliminating demons is the responsibility of every Taoist."

  Yang Baozhen surprisingly said something similar to Meng Yuanhou, Xiao Qiu was very surprised. These two people are both five-element Taoist priests, but one always emphasizes "reversing heaven", and the other values "following heaven" more, completely not like they're from the same school of thought.

  What surprised Xiao Qiu even more was that the jade Ruyi in Du's hand, whether it was the color or shape, was exactly the same as the magical instrument that Shen Yi had stepped on when he went to the cave, only slightly smaller.

  However, it is impossible for a person to dream of something they have never seen before. Xia Qiu's analysis of Xin Yu Tao suddenly became more believable, and at the same time, she became even more convinced that she had spent not just one lifetime in the cave.

  (Collection needed, recommendation needed)