Chapter 4: Niu You Dao |
Luo Yuan Gong took the wooden tablet. A look of respect was evident on his face. Then he looked, sighing heavily, at Tang Su Su and Su Po.
There was nothing for it. At this moment, no amount of pressure or opinion would sway Tang Mu. One could even say that if all the disciples protested, it would still come to nothing. Exercising his authority as the Sect Head, he had named his successor before his death. Who would dare defy his will?
"Gentlemen, remember this. After my death, you must not grieve or declare mourning, otherwise, you will bring great calamity upon the Supreme Purity Sect!" Tang Mu issued his next command.
Many people exchanged glances. They didn't understand what this meant. Several elders grew anxious, as if they had figured something out.
After some time, when the disciples had dispersed, only the elders, Tang Yi, and Wei Duo remained in the hall.
At this moment, Elder Luo Yuan Gong asked in a hoarse voice:
"Head. You, Dong Guo Hao Ran, and the disciples left, but now only you have returned. What exactly happened? Who injured you?"
Tang Mu, holding firmly onto the armrest, calmly said:
"I have little strength left. If you have any doubts, then once my junior brother returns and takes the position of Head, you may ask him."
"Recently, news reached us that a certain Shang Mirror has reappeared outside. Could it be that the Head, Dong Guo Hao Ran, and others fought over this mirror?"
Upon hearing of the Shang Mirror, everyone's expressions instantly changed, and they stared intently at Tang Mu.
In truth, the Shang Mirror holds a vital role. Though seven powerful kingdoms exist now, originally there was only one Wu Kingdom.
Back then, the first cultivator, Shang Song, who freely roamed the world, suddenly, out of nowhere, decided to engage in worldly affairs. He poured all his strength into uniting the states and founded the Wu Kingdom. He himself became emperor and continuously suppressed cultivators throughout the world. To prevent wars between cultivators and ordinary people, Shang Song pierced a hole in the heavens, which led to a constant influx of spiritual qi from another dimension. As a result, it became much easier for people to embark on the path of cultivation.
However, Shang Song had a wife, Li Ge. She was also the Empress of the Wu Kingdom. Without forgetting the original meaning of cultivation, she closed the hole in the heavens. In the end, both husband and wife disappeared without a trace.
After the disappearance of the couple, the great state splintered into numerous kingdoms. And each vassal state began to fight amongst themselves, sparking the chaos that continues to this very day.
It is said that Shang Song created a set of magical artifacts, eight in total. Shang Song used them to pierce the hole in the heavens, and Empress Li Ge also used them to fill this hole. After the collapse of the Wu Kingdom, all these wondrous mechanisms began to wander among the newly formed smaller states. Thus, over time, these states absorbed one another, eventually leading to the emergence of eight powerful kingdoms. And all eight magical artifacts were held by each of these states. The Shang Mirror, specifically, is the principal magical artifact. It was the central component in both piercing the hole in the heavens and sealing it. One could say that the Shang Mirror is the foremost magical artifact among all eight. This is why it attracted so much attention that the Qin Kingdom, which possessed it, was ultimately destroyed by the other states. Only after the fall of the Qin Kingdom's ruling dynasty did the Shang Mirror vanish without a trace.
But now, legends circulate that when Empress Li Ge sealed the hole in the heavens, she nonetheless left a small crack. As a result, the source of spiritual qi was not entirely cut off, and this led to an increase in the number of cultivators, causing turmoil throughout the world. Some believe that all eight magical artifacts must be gathered to completely seal the hole and sever the source of spiritual qi, thereby incurring the wrath of countless cultivators. And the Yan Kingdom's military advisor, Ning Wang Shang Jian Bo, was precisely one such proponent of this view.
From the Supreme Purity Sect, there were also many cultivators who shared his opinion. For example, Dong Guo Hao Ran.
Just recently, rumors began to circulate that the Shang Mirror had reappeared in the world. And just as fate would have it, at this very time, Tang Mu and Dong Guo Hao Ran, taking disciples with them, departed from the sect. Now, Tang Mu had returned in such a state. It was difficult to deny that this was not connected to the Shang Mirror.
How many cultivator sects were there in a single state? Yet the Shang Mirror was precisely the kind of object over which not just sects, but entire states, were annihilated. And if the Supreme Purity Sect became entangled with this item, how could people not be worried? The days when the Supreme Purity Sect flourished were long gone. Now, the sect was in decline, and it would be difficult for it to withstand the new storm of this turbulent age.
Tang Mu slowly closed his eyes:
"You've thought too much into it. Simply, a person of unknown origin suddenly attacked us."
Several people understood that Tang Mu did not wish to speak. But how could one pressure a man who could depart to the other world at any moment...
That day, at dawn, a pair of eyes peered outside through the crack of a slowly opening door. The door opened gradually, and Lord Dao now cautiously extended a foot outward. As the door swung fully open, his silhouette became visible. Lord Dao lowered his foot slowly, testing the ground with his toes, fearing to make any sound. As soon as he was out, he immediately began surveying the area around the temple, keeping his ears sharp.
It was deep winter already; outside, the cold and frost had stripped the trees of their leaves. Instead of grass, only isolated blades of straw poked up here and there.
The temple stood on a mountain slope, with stones scattered all around it. Thus, one could clearly see everything in the vicinity. Assured that there was no danger, Lord Dao relaxed and only then took out a mirror to gaze at his blurry reflection.
Putting the mirror away, he saw a stream at the foot of the mountain. Reaching the stream, he leaped onto a stone to look at his reflection in the water.
"Ah!" Lord Dao exclaimed.
Earlier in the temple, he hadn't fully believed it, but now his thoughts changed. He finally understood why the old man in the temple had treated him as too young. He now saw for himself just how youthful his appearance truly was.
Slowly tucking his legs onto the stone, Lord Dao began to scrutinize his appearance in the water's reflection.
Grrr... His stomach rumbled.
Regardless of whether his body was young or not, he clearly felt the pangs of hunger. Therefore, Lord Dao began to look around in search of food.
And then, beyond the mountain, he saw smoke rising into the sky. There must be a village there. So, leaping across the stream's stones, Lord Dao found a winding path and headed towards the village.
Cautiously following the path, he reached a village. Hiding behind a large tree, he began to observe what was happening within the village.
Chaos reigned in the village. Women and children were wailing, while the elders tried to bring order to the disarray.
Lord Dao noticed that his strange clothes were dirty. And on his canvas shoes, a hole stood out near the big toe. However, the people of this village wore equally strange clothing, so he walked with an unhurried gait towards the village.
As soon as he entered the village, a woman with disheveled hair rushed up to him and embraced him:
"Brother Dao, you're still alive. I thought those scum—the military marauders—had killed you..."
An hour later, Lord Dao understood that the village had been plundered yesterday, and some people had even been killed. He had appeared in the ruined temple because he had been hiding there.
As soon as they extinguished the fire in the village, there was nothing edible left to be found. All the food had been carried off by the military marauders. All the remaining men began to search for food. Their main task was to dig for plant roots and hunt wild animals to feed the village through the harsh winter. All the food that had been successfully hidden in some houses was still insufficient to feed all the settlers. Only the men could procure sustenance now, so they went into the mountains to find provisions. Meanwhile, the women and elders tidied up the village.
And so, somehow, among these men was the *young* Lord Dao.
Now, he was no longer called Lord Dao. In this village, everyone called him Niu You Dao. It was unclear whether this was his fate, or if it was related to his former moniker, Lord Dao.
However, if it was Niu You Dao, then Niu You Dao it was. Lord Dao didn't particularly attach much importance to this. And so, he now became Niu You Dao.
Regarding this miracle, although he was astonished, he still accepted it, albeit not without difficulty. As an archaeologist, he had seen and heard of many interesting things concerning people after death. And in ancient times, the transmigration of human souls was spoken of countless times. Some blindly believed in it, but he had remained indifferent. However, now everything had changed for him, and he was forced to accept this reality.
Lord Dao now decided that his name was Niu You Dao.
Nearby, the young men gathered food. Further away, where food acquisition was more dangerous, the adult men went.
Under the pretext of searching for food, Niu You Dao did not, in fact, search for food alone; instead, he returned to the ruined temple.
In the temple, he wrapped the old man's body in cloth, hoisted it onto his back, and carried it down to the foot of the mountain. From there, he reached the riverbank the old man had spoken of.
There, he found a bamboo grove and, swinging his knife, cut down some bamboo. He found dried vines and began to construct a raft from the bamboo. In the end, it wasn't long before Niu You Dao had bound together a wide, three-layered raft. Then, laying several bamboo branches on the ground, he rolled the raft into the water. Lord Dao had been skilled in such matters since childhood. For him, these things were no problem.
After finishing the raft, he transferred the old man's body onto it. Afterward, he gathered some dry kindling, stones from the bank, and a long bamboo pole and threw them onto the raft.
With a swing of his knife, he cut the vine holding the raft, and began to push off from the bank.
Thus, supporting and steering the raft, he drifted downstream, keeping close to the riverbank.
Why did he not remain in the village? Firstly, he felt no particular attachment to it. Feigning ignorance, he had asked them about certain things concerning this world, but it turned out their knowledge was limited. He had arrived here in such a strange manner, and he was very curious about this world. He was especially curious about the knowledge of internal power that Dong Guo Hao Ran had demonstrated to him. And what was truly happening within the Supreme Purity Sect. Even when he was Lord Dao, he had loved plundering ancient tombs in search of sacred canons and ancient books. And there was definitely much to learn within the Supreme Purity Sect.
Secondly, he was so young. And this village was constantly being plundered by marauders. In such circumstances, how could he possibly develop? Therefore, all alone, he continued on his journey.
Moreover, if he stayed with them any longer, he would grow attached to the villagers. And then it would be even harder for him to leave them.
Although they treated him kindly now, he still needed to move on. In the future, he would repay their kindness.
He took Dong Guo Hao Ran's body as significant evidence for the Supreme Purity Sect. It seemed to him that this way, he would appear more credible.
Furthermore, in such cold weather, Dong Guo Hao Ran's body should be preserved for a long time.