“Changchun Palace… What a great name, a truly great name. Apprentice, when your old master gets too old and lazy to move around in the future, you should buy this Changchun Palace for me as a place to cultivate. Better yet, build a hut beside it, and call it—Baiyun Temple!” Zhang Shisan laughed heartily.
Ever since he heard from the inn waiter that this dilapidated and desolate former palace was named Changchun Palace, Zhang Shisan had been grinning mischievously.
This was understandable, for originally the ancestral temple of the Quanzhen Taoist sect of the Dan Ding school was also named Changchun Palace, named after its patriarch, Qiu Chuji, who held the title “Changchunzi.” After Qiu’s ascension, his disciples established a hall dedicated to him at the eastern branch temple, naming it Baiyun Temple.
During the late Yuan Dynasty, Changchun Palace was destroyed in war. It was rebuilt during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, but due to extensive damage, it was reconstructed on the site of the original Baiyun Temple. Since then, the Quanzhen sect had regarded Baiyun Temple as its ancestral temple.
Now, suddenly hearing that another Changchun Palace existed in the Yeping area, and that it had fallen into such decay, Zhang Shisan couldn’t help but feel a sense of schadenfreude. He even joked that any place named Changchun inevitably declined after a brief flourishing, suggesting the name itself was quite terrible.
“Master is joking. This Changchun Palace was originally a Liao Dynasty Khitan royal retreat. Its name predates the founding of the Quanzhen sect and is far removed from the history of Baiyun Temple,” Mei Qing, well-versed in history and classics, naturally knew the origins of the Changchun Palace. Seeing Zhang Shisan’s smug expression, he calmly explained.
“Whether it came earlier or later doesn’t matter. Right now, it’s not only completely run-down, but also occupied by a bunch of heretical villains, making it a chaotic mess. Whether it’s an emperor or a Taoist priest who named it, it’s clearly an unlucky name,” Zhang Shisan, adopting the air of a professional fortune teller, proceeded to elaborate how the name “Changchun” was imbalanced in Yin and Yang, discordant in the Eight Trigrams, misaligned in the Five Elements, and flawed in its fundamental energy, in short, thoroughly displeasing to him.
Seeing Zhang Shisan speak with such fervor, Mei Qing thought to himself, “I wonder what grudge my master has against the Quanzhen sect. He even dislikes their ancestral temple now.” Naturally, he didn’t dare to provoke his master directly and instead feigned a respectful, inquisitive manner. “Master, why didn’t we go to the mansion the cult leader entered last night? Why did we have to come here to Changchun Palace first?”
Upon hearing Mei Qing’s question, Zhang Shisan became even more smug. Adopting a solemn teacher’s demeanor, stroking his sparse beard, he said, “There’s great wisdom behind this. Qing’er, since you’ve only recently joined and haven’t traveled much in the martial world, you wouldn’t understand. The leader we saw yesterday was clearly just a figurehead, a puppet with the title of leader but no real authority. Even if we went to his residence to investigate, we wouldn’t find anything significant. However, this Changchun Palace, long abandoned, has suddenly become the site of ghostly disturbances, eerily similar to the Fish Bone Temple. There might be a connection. Therefore, coming here first to look for clues is a most wise decision.”
After hearing Zhang Shisan’s explanation, Mei Qing couldn’t help but admire his master’s seemingly haphazard demeanor, which actually concealed sharp insight. Hou Shen, standing nearby, also remarked, “Master Zhang’s reasoning is clear. I thought it was just because we couldn’t investigate during the day that we came here first to scout.”
Zhang Shisan became even more pleased, chuckling, “You, young thief, naturally think that way, having been accustomed to sneaking around. But you should realize that for cultivators like us, hiding our traces, there isn’t much difference between day and night. Little monkey, since you’re now part of the martial world and following Qing’er, you’ll surely have the chance to learn some Taoist techniques in the future. But you must change your habits accordingly.”
Naturally, Hou Shen could only nod in agreement. Mei Qing, however, wasn’t entirely convinced. He had worked hard to subdue Hou Shen precisely because of his martial prowess. Although his own Taoist techniques weren’t particularly strong, he had at least entered the path of cultivation and would naturally improve with time. But he didn’t believe that once one’s Taoist cultivation improved, martial skills would become useless.
The simplest example was the Brocade Guard’s treasure vault—ordinary cultivators were helpless against it, yet Hou Shen had moved freely within it. Then there was the night they encountered the zombie Yang Zui—neither Hou Shen nor the other man had been able to do much, but with Mei Qing’s help, Hou Shen had finally succeeded with a single strike. This showed that cultivation wasn’t omnipotent, and martial skills weren’t useless.
Of course, Mei Qing had also considered that since Hou Shen was now following him, combining his own knowledge of talismans with Hou Shen’s martial skills would likely yield better results. For example, if he could create a talisman that concealed spiritual energy, combined with Hou Shen’s near-invisible stealth techniques and his skill in ambushes, cultivators below the Qi Gathering stage might find it hard to escape.
But it was still too early to discuss such things. Mei Qing merely kept these thoughts to himself for now.
The Changchun Palace was located several miles southeast of Changchun Dian village.
At the foot of the Changchun Palace was a large lake known as Changchun Dian, from which the village also took its name. However, over time, the lake gradually silted up, splitting into eastern and western parts, which locals now called Big Changchun and Little Changchun.
The Changchun Palace sat at the northern edge of Little Changchun, facing south, covering an area of more than a dozen acres. However, through dynastic changes, local villagers had gradually encroached upon the grounds, leaving only the main courtyard intact, though even it was now in ruins, with collapsed roofs and broken walls.
As for the rumors of ghosts haunting the palace, the trio had also asked the inn waiter. However, before he could finish explaining, the waiter was called away by the innkeeper. They only knew that at night, strange sounds of people shouting and horses neighing could be heard inside the palace. Locals, unable to understand the cause, believed it was the soul of a former emperor leading his ghostly troops in military drills.
Since it was still daytime, the three did not use any techniques but instead approached the palace like ordinary visitors, chatting and laughing. They saw two stone beasts flanking the entrance, now weather-worn and scarred. The once-vermilion walls had faded to a pale white, with many sections collapsed or riddled with holes. The grand gates had long since vanished, and the stone steps and courtyard within were overgrown with thick weeds.
“O vast heaven, who could have done this—haha, perhaps the Dao is indifferent, unmoved by the affairs of mortals?” Zhang Shisan surveyed the ruins for a long time, then sneered coldly.
“Rarely does my master express such deep emotion, lamenting like this,” Mei Qing, surprised at Zhang Shisan’s poetic lamentation, which was so unlike his usual self, couldn’t help but tease.
Zhang Shisan merely shook his head without speaking, then silently tossed out an invisibility talisman. The three stepped through the palace gate and vanished like a wisp of smoke.
Inside the courtyard, the decay was even worse. The western side hall had collapsed entirely, and the main hall and eastern side hall were also in shambles. As soon as they looked around, Zhang Shisan frowned, and Mei Qing let out a soft “Hmm.”
“Good apprentice, do you sense anything?” Zhang Shisan turned to Mei Qing with a questioning glance.
Mei Qing tilted his head, concentrating for a moment before replying, “This place has a tremendous amount of negative energy! Considering it was once an imperial retreat, even though long abandoned, the emperor’s aura should still be strong, the ultimate yang energy in the world. How could it have become so easily tainted with such heavy yin energy? Someone must have tampered with this place.”
Zhang Shisan shook his head. “You’re right, but you’re also wrong. Someone definitely tampered with this place, but choosing this imperial retreat was precisely to harness its yang energy to suppress the yin. It seems someone has been cultivating something evil here, and as it nears completion, the yang energy can no longer fully suppress it, allowing some yin energy to seep out. That’s why the locals hear strange noises and see odd sights, thinking it’s haunted. Take a closer look—though you haven’t studied formations, can you at least recognize the Reverse Seven Yang Formation and the Three Light Formation here?”
Upon hearing this, Mei Qing immediately calmed his mind and carefully examined the surroundings with his spiritual sense. As he focused, he indeed began to perceive some clues.
The reason he hadn’t sensed anything at first was precisely because of the Reverse Seven Yang Formation. Although Mei Qing hadn’t formally studied formations, his spiritual sensitivity was extraordinary, and his experience with refining thunder seals had given him a keen perception of basic yin and yang and the Five Elements. Thus, he could faintly perceive the workings of the formation. As its name suggested, the Reverse Seven Yang Formation used yang energy to suppress yin, redirecting the natural yang energy of the imperial retreat to suppress the negative forces. Because it was a reversal, the yin and yang did not directly clash but instead blended into a strange harmony, leading Mei Qing to mistakenly believe the yin energy was dominant without noticing the hidden yang energy flow.
Though he didn’t fully understand the formation’s function, Mei Qing greatly admired the technique of transforming yang into yin. Lately, he had been thinking deeply about the transformation and application of yin and yang and the Five Elements. Seeing how this common Seven Yang Formation could be used in such a novel way, he was instantly captivated.
After a long while, Mei Qing gradually withdrew his spiritual perception and exclaimed in admiration, “Marvelous! Truly marvelous! Just like talismans, formations have such profound and subtle applications.”
Zhang Shisan nodded with a smile. “Indeed, whether it’s techniques, formations, or talismans, at their core they all revolve around yin and yang and the Five Elements—mutually generating, mutually restraining, and mutually complementing. However, the subtleties of their application require insight, experience, and cultivation to truly grasp. You, Mei Qing, have excellent insight and decent cultivation, but your experience is lacking. In the future, if you encounter advanced and clever formations or talismans, you must pay close attention.”
Mei Qing frowned and said, “Master, you just talk easily, but you don’t consider that I’ve had no guidance since childhood. I couldn’t even tell one formation from another. If I do encounter one, I’ll probably just get stuck in it—’Hear the Dao in the morning, die content in the evening!'”
“You slow-witted boy, with a master as skilled as me guiding you, what are you afraid of? Fine, fine, don’t look at me like that. Since we’ve encountered a formation today, I’ll teach you a little. But I’m only saying this once—don’t understand it, and you can ‘die content in the evening!'”
Saying this, Zhang Shisan didn’t rush to speak. Instead, with a casual movement of his hand, he pulled out a large gourd of wine, took a swig, and after savoring it for a moment, began to speak slowly and deliberately, “All formations in the world, no matter how they change, ultimately stem from the Primordial Chaos, the Taiji, the Four Symbols, the Eight Trigrams, the Five Elements, the Seven Stars, and the Nine Palaces. However, within these basic frameworks, countless variations arise through the integration of various supernatural techniques. There’s too much to explain all at once, so I’ll start with the most fundamental principles.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage