Chapter Fifteen: Painted Skin

  (New book needs care and support from all aspects!)

  Night, cool as water; outside the window, the north wind howls, and at first listen, it seems like there are monsters wailing like ghosts and wolves, making a mournful sound that is quite piercing to the ear...

  Chen Jianchen tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep - if the appearance of Qingyun Daozhang represented one end of this world's complexity; then today's manifestation of that mountain goblin creature represented the other end.

  There are both sages and demons; this world is becoming increasingly mysterious and urgently needs further understanding.

  This feeling is stimulating and intriguing, also making Chen Jianchen unable to help but be on high alert, facing it head-on, and thinking deeply about a way out.

  It's essential to improve one's abilities now. Having a strong physique alone is not enough... But where can I find the ability, learn the way? Or something else?

  Several thoughts flashed through her mind——

  Unconsciously, Chen Jianchen fell asleep in contemplation.

  Qingyun Daozhang's arrival far exceeded expectations, and by noon the next day, he appeared in Jingyang Village. Chen Jianchen was overjoyed to see him and immediately followed him out of the village, all the way up to Maziling Ridge.

  Qing Yun Dao Zhang deliberately wanted to avoid the eyes of the crowd, and Chen Jianchen did the same. As a scholar and a Taoist monk who had left home, getting too close would ultimately lead to gossip.

  Qingyun Daozhang's face looked quite unpleasant, especially when he retrieved the Lingtong artifact, it was as if he had been cut by a knife, his mouth twitched and he was heartbroken: "You dare to destroy my artifact, you should die!"

  It can be seen that this bell is not an ordinary object for him.

  Chen Jianchen's mouth twitched, isn't this a waste of words? Would the mountain goblin just wait to be captured? But thinking back, it was his own fault for being too confident and underestimating the demon's strength, almost getting himself into danger. However, these words could only be muttered in his belly, absolutely not to be spoken out loud.

  "I learned last night that the law enforcement equipment was damaged, so I rushed here overnight..."

  When he heard this, Chen Jianchen's heart was even more certain that the Ling Tong instrument must have some kind of spiritual connection with Qingyun, and they could communicate with each other silently. This was indeed a profound mystery of Taoist magic.

  He took out that torn human skin again.

  Qingyun Daochang took a look and said, "It's indeed a painted skin."

  Chen Jianchen's heart skipped a beat as he pretended not to understand and asked: "What is Hua Pi?"

  Qingyun stroked his beard and asked, "Young master, do you believe that there are demons, ghosts and monsters in this world?"

  "Letter!"

  Isn't this nonsense? It's all happening right before our eyes, and if you don't believe it, you're an idiot.

  Qingyun chuckled and said: "Young master, are you interested in hearing me elaborate on this?"

  "I'd love to hear more about it, unfortunately I couldn't find out."

  Chen Jianchen was overjoyed, he just needed these extraordinary insights, and Qingyun's words hit the spot.

  "All things in the world have spirits, the difference lies in whether they are enlightened or not..."

  "When an animal becomes enlightened, it is called a 'yao'; when plants become enlightened, they are called 'jing'. When a person dies and their vengeful spirit does not disperse, and the underworld does not record them, that is called a 'ghost'. As for things like mud, soil, rocks becoming enlightened, that would be considered 'guai'..."

  Chen Jianchen pricked up his ears and listened, the more he heard, the more horrified he became: it turned out that this world was full of evil spirits and demons running amok.

  "Of course, it's not easy for ordinary monsters and ghosts to open up, and they usually need a very long time; on the one hand, because they have no way of transmitting Taoist teachings, they can only understand and comprehend by themselves; on the other hand, their own spiritual intelligence is low and stubborn, making it difficult for them to grasp the laws of heaven and earth. However, when a country is about to perish, there must be monsters, and the more chaotic the world is, the more ghosts and monsters there are..."

  At this point, Qingyun glanced at Chen Jianchen intentionally or unintentionally.

  Chen Jianchen was taken aback. With the country's governance stable and peaceful, where did this talk of chaos come from? Could it be that Daozhang had something in mind, but wasn't referring to the present, rather the future?

  He didn't bluntly ask this question, and perhaps Qingyun was just speaking casually.

  "There are evil spirits in the world, and there are cultivators who can overcome them with their skills. In today's world, the orthodox Daoist sects are divided into three parts: one is Mount Emei outside of heaven; one is Mount Kunlun outside of the world; and another is the birthplace of this poor Daoist, Mount Laoshan overseas - Mount Emei cultivates swordsmanship; Mount Kunlun excels in strange door spells and incantations; Mount Laoshan specializes in talismanic skills... Of course, apart from these three mountains, there are other Daoist sects that exist, but they are not well-known."

  Chen Jianchen felt enlightened, his vision suddenly expanded, flying in the sky and entering the sea, carefree and unrestrained. He quickly composed himself and paid respects, saying: "It turns out that Daozhang comes from the Cangshan Xianmen, I have always admired you deeply."

  Qingyun smiled and waved his hand: "I'm just a nominal disciple of the outer courtyard of Lao Mountain, I've only just entered the door... We cultivate for carefree longevity, but this path is so vast, with six major tribulations: enlightenment, yin spirit, golden elixir, yuan infant, dharma body, and human immortal. Now, I'm only at the stage of cultivating my yin spirit."

  He spoke in a gentle and unhurried manner, intending to make Chen Jianchen understand the matters of Taoism. In fact, demons and ghosts also cultivate Taoism, but it is much more difficult for them to achieve great success. In Qingyun's mind, they exist as "alien" beings that cannot be acknowledged.

  Chen Jianchen indeed listened with great interest and benefited a lot.

  "The Taoist teachings are transmitted, but not to the six ears (i.e., those who are not worthy), nor through written records. They rely solely on mental intention and enlightenment. Therefore, what is called 'oral formulas' and 'secret scriptures' are merely superficial, without grasping the essence..."

  So it was, Chen Jianchen suddenly understood, no wonder there were many oral secrets and recipes in the world, but those who got the way were one in ten thousand, yet there were other mysterious gates; in other words, without a master's guidance to enter the door, even with oral secrets and recipes, it would be like a blind man touching an elephant, unable to find the door.

  Cultivation is indeed not easy. It seems that the number of true cultivators in this world will never be large.

  Having said that, Qingyun stopped in time and pointed to the painted skin in his hand: "This thing also belongs to the category of law instruments, made from human skin. Demons wear it and can transform into a human form, using this to confuse people. Hehe, many people are foolish, thinking demons are beautiful, pitiful! And demons use this painted skin to bewitch men, absorbing their essence and yang, increasing their cultivation."

  Chen Jianchen nodded in agreement, paused for a moment, and was about to speak out his thoughts when Qingyun suddenly said, "Young master has a wise foundation, understands the great righteousness, has courage and is a dragon among men; however, as a scholar, your temperament is rather heavy, and your mind is tied up by many things, so for now, you are not suitable for cultivating the Tao..."

  He was suddenly blocked by him, and Chen Jianchen felt a bit embarrassed.

  Qingyun saw it with his own eyes, but didn't point it out - talking to Chen Jianchen this much was already a kind of hint; firstly, with Qingyun's cultivation level, he couldn't do anything to help; secondly, once a cultivator enters the Daoist path, they leave worldly affairs behind. What's happening in the world, what suffering the people are enduring, none of that is their concern. If they were to worry about those things, it wouldn't be cultivating the Dao, but rather doing official business. As for subduing demons and eliminating evil, that's a different matter altogether - after all, that's beyond the scope of mortal affairs, belonging to the struggle between cultivators and "other kinds" of beings, just using the banner of saving the people as an excuse.

  In Qingyun's view, Chen Jianchen's character clearly does not meet the second requirement for cultivating the Tao - at least not currently; after a pause, he added: "Young master, I have a Shifu who lives in Jiangzhou, with the Daoist name 'Guanghan'. His Daoist skills are profound and unpredictable, truly a transcendent being. However, he has always been mysterious in his actions, appearing and disappearing without warning, even I have never seen his true appearance... hmm, if you really want to ask about the Tao, you can pay attention to him. If there is an opportunity, you may be able to become a disciple of Guanghan Shifu."

  Is this considered "the willow is dark and the flower is bright"?

  Chen Jianchen secretly remembered it.

  "Gentleman, that mountain goblin has escaped with injuries. If we leave it be, it will surely cause more harm to humans in the future. Therefore, I plan to personally go and eliminate it. Are you interested in joining me on this trip?"

  Chen Jianchen smiled and replied: "I'm willing to follow you wherever you go."