Shui Miao suddenly became alert. This old monk knew the Ling Shuai of the Fifth Heaven inside out, so he definitely wasn’t an ordinary monk.
Then who was he? And why had he come looking for her?
The old monk appeared taken aback by Shui Miao’s question. He paused, then replied with a counter-question, “Didn’t you have other questions? Such as how to handle the thousand-year-old female ghost, how to remove the jade pendant from your soul, why you always seem to be used as a pawn, and what you should do next?”
“No, now I only want to know who you really are, and why you came looking for me,” Shui Miao had made up her mind and no longer wanted to guess blindly.
Suddenly, the old monk burst into laughter… and in a flash, he vanished!
Shui Miao was startled. Just as she was about to get up from the meditation cushion and go outside, a large hand suddenly appeared on her shoulder.
She turned around and saw a refined middle-aged man. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with a full beard, and wore a light-blue robe, looking like an ancient scholar.
“Don’t panic. Let me help you retrieve the jade pendant first.”
As soon as the scholar finished speaking, his other hand shot into Shui Miao’s back. She felt a strange sensation inside her body, and before she could react, the scholar had already flashed to the opposite side, placing the Ling Shuai’s jade pendant on the wooden stand.
“Yes, that’s the one.”
Shui Miao immediately recognized it, though the pendant was wrapped in a faint aura of green wood energy.
Stroking his beard, the scholar said, “That Ling Shuai is no good fellow. Let me help you seal this pendant and sever his connection to you.”
As he spoke, a folding fan suddenly appeared in his hand. With a light tap of the fan on the jade pendant, the pendant transformed into a wisp of green energy and was absorbed into the fan. When the scholar opened the fan, Shui Miao saw a figure painted on it—exactly her own likeness. Around this figure’s neck hung a jade pendant identical to the one that had been on the wooden stand.
“Oh, and also, those two talismans in your consciousness—I’ll help you remove them too.” The scholar reached out toward Shui Miao and pulled out two black talismans. He tossed them onto the fan, and they vanished.
A sudden surge of spiritual energy flowed into Shui Miao’s consciousness.
After finishing, the scholar closed the fan and said to Shui Miao, “Don’t return to the Immortal Realm for the next ten years, to avoid drawing trouble and risking your life. More importantly, your main problem is that you don’t know how to conceal your cultivation. That’s why powerful individuals can instantly tell your cultivation level, and thus manipulate you like a pawn. If you wish to escape this fate, you must cultivate the Dao of Nature, merging yourself into nature itself. Only then will no one be able to see through your true strength. Of course, this is no easy task.”
“May I ask, what exactly is the Dao of Nature?” Shui Miao was deeply intrigued by the scholar’s words.
The scholar nodded and explained, “Nature is the universe. In my words, nature is wind and water. All things in the universe are born and nurtured by wind and water. The yin and yang, the five elements, and all kinds of spiritual energies are included within wind and water. Fengshui is another name for the universe. Wind is the foundation of all things, and water is the mother of life. When wind and water combine, the universe and life come into being.”
“Why have I never heard of these ideas before?”
Shui Miao was somewhat confused by the scholar’s theory, though it sounded fresh and reasonable.
Smiling slightly, the scholar replied, “Of course you haven’t heard of them. In this vast universe, very few people can transcend the Three Realms.”
“Transcend the Three Realms! Are you saying you are a great sage beyond the Three Realms?”
Shui Miao was deeply moved. Indeed, only a supreme being outside the Three Realms could possess such power. But she couldn’t believe why such a mighty figure would seek out someone as unknown as herself.
“That’s right. I transcended the Three Realms five hundred years ago,” the scholar didn’t deny it. “This time, my page told me about you, so I came especially to observe you. And indeed, you are someone with extraordinary fate and fortune.”
“A page! The Yínshén!”
“Oh! I remember now. Aren’t you that Fengshui master from the Ming Dynasty who once came here searching for a mysterious tomb? My Third Uncle told me about that story…”
Shui Miao was shocked beyond belief. She never expected to meet such a legendary figure from five hundred years ago.
The scholar raised his eyebrows slightly. “That Fengshui master was indeed me.”
“But why do you say I have an extraordinary fate and fortune? I feel quite ordinary!” Shui Miao herself felt somewhat doubtful. She thought that her luck might indeed be a bit good—her grandfather had cultivated for decades without attaining immortal power, while she had succeeded in just a few days. However, she didn’t believe this alone constituted an extraordinary fate.
Especially since these words came from the mouth of a supreme being beyond the Three Realms.
The scholar tapped his palm with the fan. “You think cultivating into an immortal is easy, but in reality, the path of immortality is unimaginably difficult. Without extraordinary encounters and great fortune, no one can attain the Dao. Back then, when I came here, I accidentally absorbed the Wood Sage’s spiritual energy one night, which gave me the chance to cultivate. After centuries of cultivation, I finally grasped the great Dao of Fengshui, which allowed me to transcend the Three Realms. But you have obtained the Water Sage’s spiritual energy, which is why your cultivation progresses so rapidly, with one miraculous encounter after another.”
“But I don’t even know when I got it!” Shui Miao was confused.
The scholar shook his head with a sigh, “Such is the irony of fate!”
Though skeptical, Shui Miao chose to believe the scholar’s words.
“The Five Elements generate each other: water generates wood. Could it be that you came looking for me because I can help with your cultivation?” Shui Miao hesitated, feeling her words might sound foolish.
Surprisingly, the scholar nodded with satisfaction. “Exactly. The reason I came to find you is that, hundreds of years from now, when you also transcend the Three Realms, I hope you will cultivate together with me, help me enhance my strength, and then we can challenge the demon kings deep within the universe. Of course, you needn’t worry too much. I will teach you the Dao of Fengshui, the Dao of Nature, the Dao of concealment, the Dao of survival, and the Dao of destruction. However, these will be divided into five lessons, each lasting ten years. If you cultivate quickly, you may even grasp the five secret techniques I have sealed within your consciousness ahead of time.”
After saying this, the scholar opened his fan and drew out five streams of spiritual energy, hurling them into Shui Miao’s consciousness.
A sudden clarity filled Shui Miao’s mind, and she discovered that many new pieces of knowledge about Fengshui had appeared in her thoughts.
“Take care, my young friend. I will come back to find you in a hundred years. I don’t have a good gift for you, so I’ll give you this Dragon-Seeking Ruler.”
The scholar bowed to Shui Miao with clasped hands.
Looking up, Shui Miao suddenly noticed the surroundings had changed. The temple and everything else had vanished, and she was now standing beneath a large tree, holding a green Dragon-Seeking Ruler. The sky was clear, without a trace of rain. On the nearby road, a minivan was approaching, and beside the scholar stood a young white-robed page, smiling at her.
“Excuse me…”
Shui Miao raised her hands to ask the scholar’s name, only to find that he and the yin spirit had suddenly vanished.
“Beep beep!”
The minivan honked, and Huo Xiang leaned out of the window, excitedly waving at Shui Miao.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage