Chapter 64
Chapter 64
Before Hua Jiunan began his explanation, Old Sixth Hui summoned several more rats, each over two meters long.
“I must trouble my brothers to stand guard. No living creature is permitted within a hundred-meter radius.”
Hua Jiunan didn’t know the rules, but Old Sixth Hui did.
Secrets of the Way are not for the ears of the uninitiated!
The lineage of Celestial Master Ge was such that if an outsider accidentally overheard even a single word, it would be a grave sin.
The giant rats bowed respectfully to Hua Jiunan and then dispersed to set up a perimeter.
Hua Jiunan taught with sincerity, and Old Sixth Hui studied with meticulous care.
Before they knew it, the night had passed into its later hours.
Hua Jiunan had only possessed the Baopuzi Inner Chapters for a short time, and he soon ran out of things to teach.
“Sixth Brother Hui, I’ve finished explaining everything I’ve memorized.”
“How about this? Once we get back, I’ll give you the book so you can study it yourself.”
While Old Sixth Hui admired Hua Jiunan’s open and upright character, he hurriedly waved his hands in refusal.
“Young master physician, you must absolutely not do that!”
“I, Old Sixth, come from humble origins and possess meager fortune. If such a miraculous object ended up in my hands, it would only bring disaster!”
“If you are still willing to teach me, please just pass on what you’ve learned once you’ve mastered it yourself!”
Hua Jiunan did not insist. He suddenly thought of another question.
“Sixth Brother Hui, I want to pass these Daoist arts to Daji as well. Do you think that’s possible?”
Old Sixth Hui always answered Hua Jiunan’s inquiries with great caution.
He lowered his head and pondered for a moment before speaking.
“Whether one can walk the path of cultivation depends primarily on personal opportunity and fate.”
“If one forces it, the result will be the opposite of what is intended.”
“A single careless step could even invite unexpected calamity!”
Hua Jiunan nodded to show he understood. When he looked at Old Sixth Hui again, he suddenly laughed.
“Sixth Brother Hui, in just this short time, you seem to have become much more handsome!”
Old Sixth Hui inherited the physical traits of his true form; he originally had a narrow head and rat-like eyes, giving him the image of a sleazy middle-aged man.
However, after studying orthodox Daoist arts, his temperament had changed significantly.
He now possessed a hint of detached, otherworldly grace.
Old Sixth Hui had already sensed the changes in himself.
Being teased by Hua Jiunan, the Gray Family Patriarch actually felt a bit embarrassed.
“This is all thanks to your mercy, young master physician, in teaching me the orthodox Great Way.”
“Only because of this can I defy heaven to change my fate. My future cultivation will be much smoother!”
To clarify: Old Sixth Hui’s claim of “defying heaven to change fate” was not an exaggeration in the slightest.
His lineage was restricted by innate conditions; from ancient times to the present, no one from his kind had ever been able to join the ranks of immortals.
In particular, because rats were classified as one of the four great pests, the path of cultivation was effectively sealed off for them.
Forget becoming an immortal-even basic cultivation was difficult!
To put it another way, even if Old Sixth Hui had heaven-defying luck and reached the realm of an “immortal,” he would at most be a wild immortal.
Not only would he be barred from the divine halls and unable to receive the incense of the human world, but he would also be bullied at will by other immortals.
A single mistake could lead to his death and the dissipation of his Dao.
With Old Sixth Hui’s status, even if he wanted to serve as a mount for another immortal, no one would want him!
Have you ever seen a god or immortal flying through the sky riding a rat?!
Just imagining that aesthetic is enough to make one’s eyes sting!
But everything changed once Old Sixth Hui received the orthodox teachings of the Celestial Master from Hua Jiunan.
As the saying goes, “Before you hit a dog, look at who its master is.”
Regardless of whether the lineage of Celestial Master Ge officially recognized Old Sixth Hui, the fact remained that he had learned their arts.
Even if Old Sixth Hui remained unpopular, anyone wishing to bully him would have to consider the feelings of the Celestial Master first.
After all, Ge Hong’s lineage had almost no successors.
Now that chance had produced someone like Old Sixth Hui, they couldn’t just let others bully him as they pleased.
Humans fight for a breath of air; Buddhas fight for a stick of incense.
A Grand Celestial Master held a noble status and, more importantly, valued his reputation!
If Old Sixth Hui hadn’t even qualified as a “grassroots” practitioner before, he now had a benefactor.
And this benefactor was terrifyingly powerful.
For a comparison, one could look at the rat spirit in *Journey to the West*.
Because she established a connection with the Buddha, she could cause as much trouble as she wanted without consequence.
In the end, she even took the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King as her adoptive father and gained the titles of Half-Guanyin and Lady Earth-Surge.
But we digress; let us return to the story.
Perhaps it was because the Gray Family Immortals had come out in such force, but whatever was inside the ancient tomb did not emerge to harm anyone that night.
Everyone welcomed the new day in peace.
However, early in the morning, several “uninvited guests” arrived at the archaeological site.
Leading them was an elderly man in Daoist robes and his disciple, Hu Ping.
Behind them followed several government reception officials.
Professor Ma clearly recognized them and asked in surprise, “Daoist Priest Zhou, what brings you here?!”