Chapter 63
Chapter 63
Hua Jiunan had practiced Ancient Martial Arts since childhood and had recently begun cultivating the Daoist Breathing Technique. Combined with the protection of the Dragon Skin, he naturally had no fear of the cold.
Old Sixth Hui was an elite existence among animal cultivators; to him, the freezing temperatures were hardly worth mentioning.
Thus, despite the wind and snow filling the sky, the two sat on the ground, enjoying cup after cup of wine together.
As the alcohol brought them to a state of pleasant tipsiness, Hua Jiunan and Old Sixth Hui both opened their hearts completely, sharing many sincere thoughts with one another.
Old Sixth Hui let out a soft sigh.
“Young master physician, there are some things you might not know.”
“Among all the spirit mediums, we of the Gray Family have the hardest time with cultivation because of our origins. We are also the ones most looked down upon by others.”
“It’s even difficult for us to find a spirit medium disciple!”
“This has created a vicious cycle.”
“Without disciples to invite us to manifest, we cannot perform good deeds to accumulate merit, making the path of cultivation even more difficult!”
Hua Jiunan felt quite sympathetic upon hearing this. He suddenly realized he might be able to help.
“Sixth Brother Hui, I am practicing the breathing techniques and the Three Primordial Dunjia Art from the Baopuzi Inner Chapters. Would those be useful to you?”
“If they are, I can explain them to you right now.”
Old Sixth Hui leaped up in shock and joy.
“Young master physician, what did you just say?!”
“The Baopuzi Inner Chapters?! You… you are a descendant of the lineage of Celestial Master Ge?!”
It was no wonder Old Sixth Hui was so agitated.
Hua Jiunan didn’t know the status or identity of Ge Hong, but Old Sixth Hui did.
Ge Hong, courtesy name Zhichuan, self-styled as Baopuzi, was a native of Jurong in the Danyang Commandery during the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Not only was he the great-grandson of Ge Xuan, one of the Four Great Celestial Masters of Daoism, but he was also a Grand Celestial Master of profound strength in his own right.
However, unlike other Celestial Masters, he did not leave behind a formal sect. Instead, he recorded his life’s work in the miraculous book, the Baopuzi.
Only after listening to Old Sixth Hui’s introduction did Hua Jiunan realize his lineage was actually so formidable. This gave him even more confidence in the Daoist arts he had learned.
“Sixth Brother Hui, based on what you’ve said, what I’ve learned can help you?”
Old Sixth Hui nodded repeatedly, his excitement plain to see.
“It’s more than just help! If you are willing to teach me, young master physician, it would be a heaven-defying opportunity for the entire Gray Family lineage!”
Hua Jiunan was also happy to see that he could help Old Sixth Hui.
“In that case, I’ll explain it to you right now, Sixth Brother Hui!”
Seeing that Hua Jiunan was truly willing to teach him, Old Sixth Hui actually calmed down. He looked at Hua Jiunan with a solemn expression and said:
“Young master physician, do you know the saying among your human race: ‘The Dao must not be lightly transmitted; if lightly transmitted, it is not the Dao’?”
Hua Jiunan had indeed seen this phrase in books: “Do not knock on doors to offer medicine; do not lightly transmit the Dao,” and “Better to let it be lost than to transmit it recklessly.”
These were experiences summarized by the great sages of past generations and were ancestral rules for many sects.
If the transmission of the Dao was this strict even among humans, it was even more so regarding non-human cultivators.
Throughout all of official history (excluding various novels), there were very few instances of a human cultivator ever transmitting the Dao to an animal cultivator.
In fact, in the eyes of orthodox Daoism, animal cultivators were looked down upon. Even if an animal cultivator achieved great results, it was very difficult for them to join the ranks of immortals. The best outcome for them was usually to serve as a mount for some powerful being.
Human cultivators viewed spirit mediums in much the same way-similar to how a civilized society might look at unrefined savages.
After understanding Old Sixth Hui’s concerns, Hua Jiunan smiled instead.
“Sixth Brother Hui, feel free to learn. I trust your character.”
“No matter how powerful you become, I know you won’t do evil or harm the people.”
Old Sixth Hui gazed at Hua Jiunan solemnly for a long time. Suddenly, he knelt on the ground and performed three kneels and nine bows to him.
Hua Jiunan tried to move away, but he was bound in place by an invisible force.
Old Sixth Hui did not rise after finishing his bows. He pointed a finger toward the sky and swore a blood oath:
“From this day forward, I, Old Sixth Hui, shall treat the young master physician with the respect due to a master.”
“Should the young master physician have any command, I, Old Sixth Hui, shall fulfill it even if my body is ground to dust and my bones shattered!”
“If I violate today’s oath, may I be abandoned by Heaven and loathed by the Earth! May I not have a moment of peace in life, and may I find no plot of land for my burial in death!”
After speaking, Old Sixth Hui performed another three kneels and nine bows to Heaven and Earth.
***
Note: The Four Great Celestial Masters of Daoism are Zhang Daoling, Ge Xuan, Xu Jingyang, and Sa Shoujian.
To help the readers better understand the strength of Daoism, the author will focus here on the least famous one, Celestial Master Sa.
Sa Shoujian was also known as Perfected Sa or Quanyangzi.
Legend has it that Sa Shoujian used the Jade Pivot Fire Mansion formation to summon Wang Lingguan from the heavens, took him as a subordinate general, and taught him the secrets of Talismans.
This Wang Lingguan is the very same one in “Journey to the West” who, by his own strength, stopped the Monkey King outside the Lingxiao Palace!
This is not the author’s invention; in the original text of “Journey to the West,” the Monkey King never actually managed to fight his way into the Lingxiao Palace. There was certainly no scene of the Jade Emperor, the Great Heavenly Lord hiding under a table and shouting, “Quickly, go invite the Tathagata Buddha!”
Even in a work like “Journey to the West,” which promotes Buddhism and disparages Daoism, Wang Lingguan was incredibly powerful. One can only imagine the strength of the Four Great Celestial Masters who stood above him!