As Bi Zhen was about to triumph, watching Mei Qing struggle to maintain composure, she suddenly heard Mei Qing shout, “You’re wrong!” Startled, her expression froze, and her concentration faltered momentarily. Seizing this brief opportunity, Mei Qing steadied his focus, maintaining his spiritual clarity, and continued, “Master, please look here—this interpretation is incorrect!” With his free left hand, he pointed toward the scroll of silk on Bi Zhen’s desk.
Internally annoyed and regretful, Bi Zhen realized that her hard-earned advantage had slipped away. Yet, as she sensed the confidence in Mei Qing’s tone, doubt crept in—could he actually be right? Her eyes involuntarily followed his finger to the text.
At this moment, Mei Qing finally exhaled inwardly, knowing he had turned the tide. Sweat soaked his back as he silently admitted, “That was close.” Though his heart raced, he maintained his composure, continuing, “Master, please observe—this passage originally reads, ‘Metal and Wood entwine, Sun refines and Moon cooks, rooted in the dual Qi, divided into the Five Elements.'”
Mei Qing explained, “‘Rooted in the dual Qi’ should actually be ‘rooted in the dual Qi.’ In ancient seal script, the characters for ‘Qi’ and ‘beggar’ were written oppositely compared to modern script. After the Qin Dynasty standardized small seal script, the meanings became confused. Today, few people recognize this. Master, you must verify this carefully.”
Bi Zhen, though skeptical, admitted, “I had my doubts too, but the original scroll clearly used the character ‘beggar,’ which puzzled me. Mei Qing, this scroll is written in Yun Script—could it be that you actually understand ancient Yun Script?”
Yun Script, also known as “True Script” or “Spirit Script,” was an ancient form of writing passed down through Daoist traditions. Later generations imitated cloud patterns to create it, and Daoist talismans were derived from this script. However, most Daoists today only learn a few commonly used characters for talismans, far removed from authentic ancient Yun Script. Truly understanding and interpreting entire passages was extremely rare.
Therefore, despite Mei Qing’s convincing explanation, Bi Zhen remained doubtful. These scrolls were indeed ancient Daoist texts, their calligraphy in Yun Script. Over the years, she had studied them diligently, yet could only decipher about 20–30%, often relying on guesswork. She had even consulted senior Daoists, who told her that only ancient immortals or highly enlightened sages could truly decipher such ancient scripts, and such experts were now rare.
These scrolls were of great antiquity, confirmed by experts as authentic Daoist scriptures from ancient times, containing techniques vastly different from modern Daoist practices—profound and mysterious. Yet, despite their value, she could not fully understand them. For years, Bi Zhen had been tasked with deciphering these scriptures, but progress was slow, and recently, she had nearly reached a standstill.
Hearing Bi Zhen’s words, Mei Qing frowned and replied, “Whether it’s Yun Script or not, I can’t say for sure. But I can confirm this scroll is written in the ancient Yan regional script of antiquity. I have some familiarity with ancient scripts—I may not claim full mastery, but I can guess about 60–70% correctly.”
To Mei Qing, this was modest. But to Bi Zhen, it sounded almost arrogant. Yet, seeing his confidence, she found it hard to doubt him. After a pause, she picked up the scroll and pointed to a line, asking, “Since you claim such expertise, I should not doubt you. But this is a serious matter—I must verify it. Please tell me what this line says.”
During this exchange, Mei Qing had subtly circulated his inner energy, calming himself. Confident and unafraid of further tricks, he examined the line Bi Zhen indicated and explained, “This line has sixteen characters. I can confirm nine with certainty, and about four with reasonable confidence. The remaining three are unclear.” He proceeded to explain each character in detail.
“‘Preserve spirit in the □ Palace, Wood generates in the □ Palace, Heart Fire circulates three times, transforming into Yellow □…’ Hmm, the last character seems easy to read. Since the previous character is ‘Yellow,’ this one is likely ‘Court (Ting).'” Bi Zhen asked, comparing his explanation with her own notes.
“Oh, yes, indeed, it should be interpreted as ‘Court,'” Mei Qing replied after a moment’s thought. “Master, you must understand that ancient seal script had many variant forms. A single character might have dozens of variations, and multiple interpretations were common—unlike modern script, which is more standardized. Without understanding the context, interpretation becomes much harder. Could this scroll possibly be an ancient prayer or ritual text? Though I have some knowledge in this area, deciphering it is still quite difficult.”
“Prayer text?” Bi Zhen was surprised. “You’re a Daoist practitioner—can’t you tell this is a cultivation technique? Didn’t you understand the cultivation methods you sorted out a few days ago?”
“Oh—those earlier texts, I thought they might be cultivation techniques too. But how would I know whether today’s text is a technique or not? I’m not even a Daoist practitioner, nor do I cultivate. All this talk of Yin and Yang, Kan and Li, Water and Fire, Dragon and Tiger, Infant and Maiden—I don’t understand any of it,” Mei Qing replied matter-of-factly.
Bi Zhen glared at him furiously. This young man’s eyes gleamed with spiritual light, bright enough to serve as lanterns at night. A purple aura gathered between his brows, indicating his solid foundation in golden elixir cultivation, nearing the stage of forming an immortal embryo. His every movement subtly aligned with Daoist principles, already showing traces of an innate, transcendent aura. And yet, after a month of exhausting efforts, she had gained no advantage in their contest. And now he claimed he wasn’t a Daoist practitioner and hadn’t cultivated at all? Who could lie so boldly and still sound sincere?
“Daoist Companion Mei,” Bi Zhen said, her tone sharp with anger, “do you think me so lowly in cultivation and perception that you needn’t even bother pretending? Although our rivalry has been intense, Daoist contests are not bound by rigid rules—could you really still hold a grudge over this?”
Mei Qing, sensing her hostility, responded with some irritation, “I’m just telling the truth. What ‘pretending’ are you talking about? Besides, with your status, uncovering my background would be easy. Didn’t you already investigate me before coming here?”
Seeing his genuine tone, Bi Zhen began to waver. Though she was part of the inner circle, she hadn’t been deeply involved. She only knew that Mei Qing had recently established his foundation in cultivation, but no one had told her the full details of his background, and she hadn’t pursued it.
After a pause, she softened her tone and said, “Perhaps there was a misunderstanding. Please don’t be angry. During these past days, you must have sensed my little tricks?”
Mei Qing understood what she meant and blushed slightly. “Of course. I’m not stupid—I know what you’ve been doing.”
Bi Zhen showed no embarrassment. “This technique is called the ‘Great Method of Cessation.’ Have you heard of it?”
Mei Qing thought hard but finally shook his head.
Bi Zhen was surprised. Though not an advanced technique, the “Great Method of Cessation” was difficult to counter unless one understood its principles. Only by internal insight and inner cultivation could one resist its effects. Yet Mei Qing clearly had no knowledge of it—how had he broken free?
However, Daoist etiquette forbade prying into another’s cultivation methods, especially since their contest remained unresolved. Bi Zhen couldn’t bring herself to ask Mei Qing directly. In fact, she was overthinking—Mei Qing had no idea about such etiquette and would have told her everything if she had asked.
“Then tell me,” she rephrased carefully, “did the method you used to counter my technique come from your sect?”
Though still somewhat inappropriate, this question was more acceptable. But Bi Zhen’s careful wording was wasted—Mei Qing answered immediately without a moment’s hesitation, “Sect? Well, someone did teach me something.” He then recounted in detail how, at the Taqing Palace, Master Zhang Qizheng had introduced him to a fat Daoist who taught him the *Supreme Golden True Jade Liquid Dragon-Tiger Immortal Elixir Method of the Primordial Cavern*. Seeing her interest, he elaborated further, though his knowledge was limited.
As Mei Qing continued explaining concepts like “reverse inhalation and natural exhalation,” “guiding energy upward,” and “celestial circuit meridians,” Bi Zhen’s face changed from pale to red, then to purple, then to blue, and finally to a deathly white. Her whole body trembled. Finally, she could no longer contain her fury. Slamming the table, she shouted, “Enough! Daoist Companion Mei, even if I offended you before, must you mock me so cruelly? Even if I was wrong, we still share a karmic connection. How could you—how could you—” Her delicate finger trembled as she pointed at him, her lips quivered, and she could no longer speak. Tears streamed down her face.
Mei Qing was shocked. He had spoken honestly, yet Bi Zhen’s rage suggested a misunderstanding.
His mouth hung open, unsure how to explain. Suddenly realizing her outburst had shattered her usual composure and Daoist equanimity, Bi Zhen was alarmed. She realized she had been overcome by anger, giving rise to a spiritual hindrance. Feeling wronged and hurt, she glared at Mei Qing and left in silence.
Bi Zhen’s cultivation was advanced enough to maintain calm under most circumstances. To have her composure broken, reduced to tears—this was no small feat. If word of this spread, Mei Qing would indeed have reason to be proud.
Yet Mei Qing felt no pride—only unease. Though they had been rivals, he held no ill will toward the beautiful Daoist. Of course, he didn’t realize that she had been trying to disrupt his spiritual foundation. Another cultivator in his place might have felt differently.
With Bi Zhen gone, Mei Qing felt relieved. After a month of constant pressure, he stretched lazily, feeling lighter than air. Absently, he noticed his inner energy still circulating automatically. He smiled wryly—after a month of forced practice, energy circulation had become second nature.
It was not until afternoon that Bi Zhen returned. This time, her face was expressionless, her eyes still smoldering with anger. Entering the room, she sat before Mei Qing, took a deep breath, and stared at him intensely.
“Tell me, Daoist Companion Mei,” she said coldly, “what will it take for you to help me decipher those ancient scrolls?”
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