frightfiction #254 - The matter of deification
#254 - The matter of deification
Chapter 253 The Matter of Conferred Divinity
Mister Five was very polite to Zhang Chen, inviting him to take a seat, and then said to Zhong Xiang, "Go check if the kitchen has prepared the wine and dishes."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Xiang stood up and left. Mister Five personally poured tea for Zhang Chen before saying, "Actually, the reason I invited you here today is that I want to take you back to the capital. With your talent and learning, staying in this desolate northern land is a complete waste. Why not return to the capital with me? I will personally recommend you to the Imperial Academy to strive for a bright future and a better destiny."
Hearing Mister Five's words, Zhang Chen's expression shifted. Although this wasn't the first person to extend goodwill towards him—previously, there was Han Suzhen, then Little Mister, and now Mister Five sitting in front of him—all had shown him kindness. But the fact that the other party was willing to support him and give him a helping hand still moved him slightly.
For someone deep in the mire of the lower class, this opportunity was too precious, simply a chance to change his fate. Even if he mastered the Qi Refining method, this opportunity would still be invaluable.
"The Northern Lands are actually quite good. I'm just a peasant with a rebellious streak. If I go to the capital, where power and influence are concentrated, I won't bow my head when people tell me to. I'll definitely cause big trouble then," Zhang Chen refused Mister Five's kindness. He still needed to find a way to obtain the Qi Refining incantation within the Yellow Turban Taoists, so how could he rashly go to the capital?
Hearing Zhang Chen's words, Mister Five dipped his finger in the tea and drew a very large circle on the table: "Look, this is the entire Great Victory Empire."
Then, he extended his finger and gently touched a point within the circle: "This point is the Northern Lands."
"The three prefectures and eighteen counties of the Northern Lands seem boundless, but compared to the world, they are just an insignificant point. If you don't go to the capital, you won't know the prosperity and vastness of Great Victory. The Northern Lands are just a remote area of the Great Victory Dynasty, a place of bitter cold and barren culture. Staying here will only delay your growth. You are young now, the time to absorb knowledge and seek a future for yourself. With me planning and promoting you, I can't guarantee anything else, but making you a noble and establishing your own family lineage is not a problem."
Mister Five earnestly persuaded him: "The capital is where the talents of the world gather. Only when you get there will you know the gap between you and your peers, and only then can you stimulate your ambition. Not to mention anything else, you see Zhong Xiang, known as the Southern Kirin, is already a master in the eyes of the world, but little does he know that in the capital, there are bloodline families inherited from the beginning of the world. Those families have countless prodigies, who may not be inferior to Zhong Xiang."
"Bloodline families?" Zhang Chen asked in surprise upon hearing this.
"These are people whose ancestors once refined the mysterious and passed down the bloodline through generations, even entrusting the mysterious to their bloodline for continuation. There are countless mysteries in this world, all gathered in the royal capital. If you don't go to the royal capital, you simply won't know how vast the world is." Mister Five's voice was very sincere, but Zhang Chen could only disappoint his sincerity.
He had a nature that refused to bow. Once he went to the royal capital, if someone bullied him and he refused to lower his head, he would inevitably cause trouble.
Moreover, even if he left the Northern Lands, he wanted to go to Jiangnan, to be a wealthy man in that land of fish and rice. In his spare time, he would inquire about clues to the mysterious, explore the spiritual world, and then seek opportunities, quietly developing in secret.
"I am ashamed to accept Mister's kindness, but I am a person who cannot be brought to the table and does not have such great ambitions," Zhang Chen once again refused Mister Five.
Unexpectedly, Zhong Xiang returned and glared at Zhang Chen: "A great man born between heaven and earth should have lofty aspirations. How can you be so unambitious? You are simply dog meat that cannot be served at a banquet, mud that cannot be plastered on a wall. Do you know my little granduncle's status? For him to want to support you is such a hard-won opportunity! How many children from large families in the capital are begging for it, kneeling outside the door day and night, pleading bitterly? Even the children of the Great Victory royal family find it as difficult as climbing to the sky to visit my master. How can you be so lacking in ambition?"
Zhong Xiang was filled with anger at his lack of ambition, his voice full of expectation and encouragement, but unfortunately, Zhang Chen refused to budge in order to obtain the Qi Refining technique: "Alas, Brother Zhong speaks simply."
"You…" Zhong Xiang stomped his feet in anger, seeing Zhang Chen's stubborn appearance. He was about to say more, but Mister Five stopped him: "No need to persuade him further, everyone has their own ambitions. I have a premonition that we will eventually meet in the capital. The Northern Lands cannot contain you, and the Pingbian Prince's Mansion cannot contain you. This is not your home."
"We'll talk about it then," Zhang Chen didn't completely shut the door: "If I really go to the capital in the future, I hope the old gentleman will give me more support."
"That is natural," Mister Five nodded, and then said: "How far have you progressed in the literacy course?"
"I have already learned all the characters," Zhang Chen said.
"Go to the study and bring the ten books placed on the desk," Mister Five said.
Zhong Xiang turned and left, and soon brought ten books, placing them on the table.
Mister Five looked at the ten books and sighed softly: "These ten books are the knowledge I have annotated recently. You can read them in your spare time in the Northern Lands. No matter when or where, knowledge is the most important wealth. If you can comprehend one of these books, you can sense the existence of the soul. If you fully understand two books, you can achieve soul projection. If you fully understand three books, you can achieve night travel. If you fully understand four books, you can achieve day travel. If you can fully understand all of them, proving the Confucian Yin God will be a natural process."
Hearing this, Zhang Chen's expression shifted. Although he couldn't use Mister Five's ten books, it couldn't be said that these ten books weren't precious.
These ten books were a complete set of cultivation methods, precious to the extreme. If placed in the outside world, they would surely cause bloody storms, and countless people would lose their lives for them.
However, Zhang Chen did not agree with the Confucian method of cultivation. Confucian cultivation relies entirely on the support of belief. Once the belief collapses, one will end up with a dissipated cultivation, just like the previous Mister Five. When debating, Zhang Chen broke his belief, and his cultivation instantly turned into flowing water.
"Thank you, Mister," Zhang Chen stood up at this time and solemnly bowed.
Although these books were useless to him, Zhang Chen had to acknowledge the weight of the intention behind them.
"Don't be polite. When you guided me to break through the Yang God, the fate between us was already bound. In the dark, everything has already been linked. I only hope that you get better and better, which is good for you and good for me," Mister Five said: "You may not understand what I am saying now, but in the future, when you understand what is meant by fate and what is cause and effect, you will know."
Zhang Chen was thoughtful upon hearing this, but did not respond.
Then came the meal. After they finished eating, Zhong Xiang personally escorted Zhang Chen to the back door. Zhong Xiang stopped, his large, clear eyes fixed on Zhang Chen: “Are you really not going to Kyoto? This conference is a rare opportunity.”
Zhang Chen, carrying his bag, felt the weight of the books inside. Hearing this, he looked at Zhong Xiang, replying with unusual seriousness: “Of course I'm going, but I haven't decided when yet.”
“You do have a sense of self-awareness. With your lawless personality, who knows what trouble you'll cause if you go to Kyoto? You might not even know how you died. Just don't drag my Zhong family into it, pulling us into eternal damnation.” Zhong Xiang's words were sharp as ever.
Zhang Chen glanced at Zhong Xiang. In the next moment, he activated his invisibility talisman and, before Zhong Xiang could react, appeared behind him.
Now that Zhang Chen had mastered the Wind-Fixing Pill, his movements were truly without any abnormality, except for the faint, unsuppressable fragrance of the Primordial Osmanthus, leaving no other openings.
Zhang Chen raised his hand and slapped Zhong Xiang hard on the buttocks, then quickly retreated, his voice full of mockery echoing at the gate: “Brother Zhong, the feel of your buttocks is more enjoyable than a woman's.”
Zhong Xiang's face flushed red with anger. He stood there, gnashing his teeth in hatred: “Zhang Chen, you damned fellow! Don't let me ever run into you again, or I'll kill you for sure. When I return to Kyoto, I'll find secret techniques to break your invisibility.”
Zhong Xiang cursed and muttered, turning back into the courtyard.
Meanwhile, Zhang Chen walked out of the city gate, deactivated his invisibility talisman, and headed towards the deep mountains and old forests. Just as he reached a deserted place, preparing to transform into a vampire bat and fly away, a shout came from the distance: “Zhang Chen, what are you doing in the mountains?”
Hearing the shout, Zhang Chen was stunned. He turned to look at the source of the sound and saw Abbot Liu Feng, carrying a bundle of firewood on his back, poking his head out from afar.
Looking at Liu Feng dressed as a peasant, Zhang Chen's eyelids twitched. He quickly went forward and asked: “Abbot, why have you come here?”
Abbot Liu Feng had shown him great kindness. If Liu Feng hadn't spoken up in the Taoist temple, he might have already met his doom.
“I've come down the mountain this time to preside over the propagation of the Tao. Prince Pingbian has allowed my Yellow Sky Dao to freely preach in the Northern Lands. Now, the disciples of our Yellow Dawn Temple have all gone down the mountain to spread the word.” Liu Feng, dressed as a peasant, looked honest and simple.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen was shocked. Was Prince Pingbian stupid? How could he allow the Yellow Sky Dao to preach freely?
Liu Feng seemed to sense Zhang Chen's doubts and said with a smile: “Times have changed. I heard that the ancestors of the Yellow Sky Dao have accomplished a great feat and reached an agreement with Prince Pingbian, so Prince Pingbian has allowed my Yellow Sky Dao to preach. However, although we have obtained the qualification to preach, whether we can get the people to believe and join us depends on our own methods.”
Hearing this, Zhang Chen said without batting an eye: “With your methods, Abbot, it shouldn't be difficult to gather believers, right?”
“Of course, it's not difficult. Now that the world is suffering from a great drought, preaching is extremely simple; just a bowl of water will do.” Saying this, Liu Feng said to Zhang Chen:
“You're lucky, kid, to have run into me. The Yellow Sky Dao is going to hold a Grand Rite of Cosmic Proportions to enshrine a Water God. It is said that there will be divine blessings at this Grand Rite, and my Yellow Sky Dao is finally going to show its face in the Northern Lands.” Liu Feng said to Zhang Chen:
“You're lucky to have met me, kid. Let's go back quickly. In just three to five days, we'll be able to collect enough incense and spiritual energy to enshrine the Water God.”
Hearing this, Zhang Chen couldn't refuse. He couldn't find a suitable excuse to refuse, but thinking of his own alchemic furnace, he could only pray secretly that the fox spirit Nannan would be reliable and not cause any trouble.
The master and disciple walked towards the mountains. Liu Feng glanced at Zhang Chen: “How are you getting along with Commander Xie? Is there any progress on the matter of entering the Inspection Division? We have now settled Prince Pingbian, and the only obstacle is the Inspection Division. If we can get our own people into the Inspection Division, it will be wonderful.”
Of course, he didn't say that if they could control Xie Lingyun, or even pull the entire Northern Lands Inspection Division into the water, then the rise of the Yellow Sky Dao would be unimpeded.
So, the burden on Zhang Chen's shoulders was heavy!
“I'm just a small character. It's already good enough that Commander Xie can give me a meal and send me off with some gold and silver. How dare I have any extravagant expectations? As for my relationship with Commander Xie, I can only say that Commander Xie values me somewhat, but he still wants me to find opportunities to show myself.” Zhang Chen's reply was impeccable.
Hearing Zhang Chen's words, Liu Feng said: “This is a good start. Don't be impatient; take it slowly, step by step. We have plenty of time.”
Saying this, Liu Feng suddenly paused: “Actually, you have a chance to show yourself this time.”
Hearing this, Zhang Chen looked at Liu Feng with a surprised expression, asking in confusion: “Please enlighten me, Abbot.”
“This time, the Yellow Dawn Temple is holding a Grand Rite of Cosmic Proportions, intending to take the opportunity to enshrine the Water God of the Miluo River Basin. If the enshrinement is successful, the Water God will surely bestow blessings. If you tell Xie Lingyun this news, and she receives the Water God's blessing, she may have a chance to advance further in her cultivation.” Liu Feng explained to Zhang Chen.
“Enshrine a Water God?” Zhang Chen thought of the rumors about the Yellow Sky Dao, but he didn't know the details, so he pretended not to know and asked: “Can humans also enshrine deities?”
Hearing this, Liu Feng's voice was full of pride: “It's okay to tell you, anyway, my Yellow Sky Dao has prepared everything. Now everything is ready except for the final touch, so we are not afraid of people knowing. The Grand Heavenly Master of my Yellow Sky Dao once obtained an supreme mystery in the past. That mystery can gather the power of incense, and then enshrine deities with the power of incense. The Twelve Heavenly Masters of my Yellow Sky Dao are disciples under the Grand Heavenly Master, and they have all been enshrine deities by the Grand Heavenly Master. As long as there is enough incense and faith, my Yellow Sky Dao can create a continuous stream of deities! Moreover, some old guys in various families whose lives are coming to an end covet the positions of deities in my Yellow Sky Dao, and have long secretly leaned towards my Yellow Sky Dao, and have been secretly granted deity positions by my Yellow Sky Dao. However, in the past, those enshrine were all human deities, enshrine as deities by humans, but this time is different. This time, the enshrine is a natural deity, gathered from the qi of nature, so a Grand Rite of Cosmic Proportions is needed.”
“Many people have long heard about the matter of my Yellow Sky Dao enshrine deities, and even many people have secretly joined in. This matter is not a secret, otherwise, how could my Yellow Sky Dao take root in the territories of various nobles?” Liu Feng's voice was full of pride: “But this time is different. This time, the enshrine is a natural deity, the meaning of which is significant. Once the enshrinement is successful, my Yellow Sky Dao will truly prosper.”
Hearing this, Zhang Chen's heart stirred. Enshrine deities? And it's a natural deity, this is a major event.