“In the ninth month of the seventh year, did the current emperor obtain anything extraordinary?”
The drizzle fell softly, washing the green bricks around them as the damp air seeped into the noses of the gathered Taoists and martial artists. The inexplicable question lingered in their ears.
Eyes met, faces turned to one another, and expressions of bewilderment spread. It was now the third month of the twelfth year of the Taikang era—who could possibly know or remember what special item the emperor had obtained five years prior in the seventh month? Especially since that year had been uneventful!
Meng Qi first disrupted their suspicions with an unexpected counter-question, then leveraged the seniority of the Taoist master Yunji to silence further doubts, quietly seizing control of the courtyard’s atmosphere. Only then did he inquire about the events of the ninth month of the seventh year. Yet the result was unsatisfactory—the pivotal moment of change seemed lost to history.
As his thoughts churned, he was about to press further when a warm yet authoritative voice emerged from the side chamber: “The venerable master truly lives up to his reputation as a Taoist sage, discerning the anomaly of the ninth month of Taikang’s seventh year amidst such chaos.”
Meng Qi turned to see a man with a fine beard striding forth with the bearing of a dragon and tiger, speaking in measured tones: “Ever since my father and the Grand Tutor launched their sudden attack during the Heaven Worship Ceremony, slaying Celestial Master Xu, I have pondered one question: how did they, ostensibly only at the third and fourth tribulations, suddenly surge in power, breaking through barriers to reach the sixth and seventh tribulations, overwhelming even Celestial Master Xu, the unrivaled master of the era.”
“After years of investigation, correlating my father’s suppression of Taoism and promotion of Buddhism, I finally found traces. In the first half of Taikang’s seventh year, he and the Grand Tutor indeed only possessed the strength of the third and fourth tribulations. But in the ninth month of that year, an unnamed monk secretly visited my father. By the twelfth month, a concubine privately revealed that my father had already reached the fourth tribulation.”
As Meng Qi understood, the cultivation in this world involved refining the soul and tempering the body. Upon reaching certain thresholds, one would face heavenly tribulations. Each tribulation overcome brought a significant leap in power, with the seventh tribulation marking a qualitative transformation. Hence, experts were often described by their tribulation level.
Celestial Master Xu of the Taoist tradition, with his seventh-tribulation strength, had once anchored Taoist fortunes and intimidated all demonic forces, standing as the undisputed top master. With his death, Taoism crumbled, suffering suppression. Even Li Zhongkang, a third-tribulation master, nearly became one of the court’s four celestial masters. Now, the situation had escalated to the outright suppression of Taoism in favor of Buddhism.
“Prince Jiu’s ability to discern this anomaly is truly remarkable,” Meng Qi nodded slightly, as if affirming the bearded man’s account.
So it was an unnamed monk… Whose manifestation could it be?
Prince Jiu halted a zhang away from Meng Qi and asked earnestly, “Can the venerable master confirm that my father obtained something extraordinary from that unnamed monk?”
Meng Qi, his hair damp, clasped his hands behind his back and smiled: “Though this humble Taoist’s insight is shallow, I cannot err in this divination. I can even assert that the key to the emperor and Grand Tutor’s sudden advancement and their ability to conceal repeated tribulations from fellow practitioners lies in that very object. Only, its exact nature remains elusive.”
“I shall endeavor to investigate,” Prince Jiu nodded thoughtfully.
A peerless treasure that aids rapid advancement and tribulation transcendence?
To Li Zhongkang and others, the dialogue was initially cryptic, then gradually enlightening, stirring shock within.
The root of the current situation traced back to Taikang’s seventh year!
Initially skeptical due to Meng Qi’s seemingly frail, unremarkable demeanor, they now wavered. Perhaps his lack of apparent power was not weakness but profundity—so profound as to return to simplicity, rendering his true state imperceptible to them.
It was said that Master Yunji had secluded himself in the mountains to face the seventh tribulation, seeking a sliver of survival…
“Many thanks, Prince Jiu,” Meng Qi bowed slightly, then added solemnly, “Return to the palace within half a shichen, or risk suspicion.”
Prince Jiu was about to respond when his ears twitched, his expression shifting slightly. “Thank you for the warning,” he said before swiftly departing with his attendants, without hesitation.
Meng Qi turned, sweeping his gaze over Li Zhongkang and the others, his smile enigmatic. “Fellow practitioners, remember to return to your residences tonight. If you must retrieve valuables or notify kin or disciples, do so before the hour of you. Moreover, avoid the southern city after dark.”
With that, he strode past the crowd into the side chamber, leaving behind a final remark:
“This old Taoist will lodge here tonight.”
The assembled were pillars of the capital’s Taoist community. Though purges had left none above the fourth tribulation, each had at least overcome one tribulation, wielding divine arts and formidable physiques—figures capable of founding sects in the martial world. To be so dismissed, coupled with the prophecy of impending calamity, left them shocked, angered, and suspicious.
The door creaked shut, candles lit, casting Meng Qi’s writing silhouette against the window.
Bi Chongde, the first to recognize Yunji, stroked his graying beard and stepped forward. “Venerable Yunji, what did your earlier words mean?”
“Night has fallen. Ask again at dawn,” came the calm, aged voice, its firmness unmistakable.
Bluffing and scaremongering… Li Zhongkang cursed inwardly, reaching out with his spiritual sense to confer with peers:
“Yunji seems amiss—no tribulation aura, no martial refinement. His claims may be baseless.”
“Better safe than sorry.” “Even Prince Jiu believed him.” Opinions varied, but caution prevailed. Li Zhongkang, too, decided prudence was wise.
Thus, they dispersed, secretly relocating loved ones and valuables to perceived safe havens.
Li Zhongkang hid in a brothel’s elegant chamber, disguised as a commoner, surrounded by disciples and aides, gazing at the capital’s nightscape.
Shortly after you, flames erupted at the Zangtian Temple, accompanied by battle cries. Fires and clashes spread across the southern city’s Taoist sites, smoke billowing, chaos resounding.
“Simultaneous attacks imply long preparation. Had we lingered south after dark…” Li Zhongkang murmured, cold sweat beading. The seemingly feeble Yunji had foreseen this, while he, a third-tribulation master versed in the “Nine Celestial Pivots Art,” had sensed nothing.
“Has he truly returned to simplicity, surpassing even Celestial Master Xu?” Fear gripped him.
His aide Wei Ji interjected, “Master, perhaps Yunji planted spies near the emperor or Grand Tutor, learning of the plot to intimidate and control Taoist affairs.”
“Plausible,” Li Zhongkang nodded gravely. “As a third-tribulation master, I may misjudge depths, but never mistake the presence of power or tribulation aura. Wei Ji, accompany me to spy on Yunji.”
With a flick of his sleeve, wind enveloped them, vanishing from the chamber.
Returning to the courtyard, they saw Meng Qi reading a thin booklet by candlelight.
“Master, that must be his secret records. Age has dulled him; he relies on notes,” Wei Ji whispered.
“Steal it,” Li Zhongkang ordered, casting a cloaking spell.
Wei Ji slithered down, snatching the booklet unseen during a gust.
Back under the tree, he presented it triumphantly: “The old fool noticed nothing!”
Li Zhongkang smiled, opening the booklet to find four characters: “The Biography of Li Zhongkang!”
His hands trembled. The text detailed his true birth date—a secret even he hadn’t known until his cultivation advanced. Page after page recounted his life with uncanny accuracy, reviving forgotten memories and solving lifelong mysteries.
Trembling, sweat pouring, he read on—horrified.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage