Bai Luoluo smiled gently. “To be fair, you and I will summon the same god. Once the god descends, whose path is true and whose is false will be clear.”
Xue Cuo muttered to himself: What’s so difficult about summoning a god?
He crossed his arms, nodded his small head, and said casually, “So, does Jiejie go first or me?”
Bai Luoluo covered her lips and laughed softly, her voice like a silver bell. “We’ll start at the same time. And I’ll give you an extra incense stick to prepare, so you can’t claim I’m bullying you because you’re younger.”
She opened her arms, and a maid stepped forward to brush off dust, burn incense, and wash her hands. Bai Luoluo held some purified water in her mouth and sat cross-legged to meditate and clear her mind.
From below, Kong Yun called out. Seeing Xue Cuo dazed and unresponsive, he anxiously climbed the platform and laid a hand on Xue Cuo’s shoulder. “Come on, get down here and let’s talk.”
Curious, Xue Cuo said, “Let me watch a little longer.”
Unaware of his background, Kong Yun grew frustrated with his reckless boldness. Though he understood the Dao deeply, he couldn’t even fully read the Thousand Character Classic. Angrily, he poked Xue Cuo’s fearless forehead and scolded, “You think you can fool your way through? Come down! Summoning gods isn’t child’s play! If you don’t serve them properly, your path will be full of hardships and disasters!”
Xue Cuo frowned. “But if she’s better than the rest, I’d feel guilty. Besides, I draw three hundred talismans a day!”
“Summoning gods and drawing talismans are not the same!” Kong Yun snapped.
Grabbing Xue Cuo’s hand, he jumped down. Wen Renyi and other disciples hurried to meet them. Before Xue Cuo could steady himself, a female cultivator grabbed him and pressed him into a chair. “Shixiong, drink some water!”
“Shixiong, wipe your sweat!”
“Hurry! Find dew to cleanse shixiong’s hands and mouth… What? None? Cloud water will do too!”
The group moved swiftly and methodically, clearly coordinated. Xue Cuo, bewildered, watched as they gathered dew, his blackened hands were washed white. He blinked in surprise. “Who are you all?”
The disciple smiled up at him. “We’re third-tier disciples, unable to attend Fei’e Palace to hear the Great Dao, but we owe you thanks for your teachings.”
Kong Yun walked a few steps away, hands behind his back, pondering. Then he turned back to ask Xue Cuo, “What about the wing feather I gave you last time?”
Xue Cuo patted his pocket and pulled out beads gifted by Ren Shu-gege and the book Essentials of Talismans. Feeling around, he found a cold wing feather.
Kong Yun took it and inspected it closely. “I’ll forge this into a pen. You’ll use it to summon the gods later.”
Wen Renyi strode forward to Xue Cuo, with Kong Yun saluting him. “Shixiong, I’m Kong Yun. I’ve immersed myself in talisman craft for over a decade. This summoning gods business is certainly the most extravagant, costly, and complex. Clearly, the Bai girl means trouble.”
Though young, Kong Yun was sharp. Considering the ties between Taiyi Sect and Tianyi Sect, he quickly grasped the stakes, narrowing his eyes. “No wonder she came yesterday so confident, without even mentioning summoning gods. She was catching you off guard.”
Wen Renyi agreed. “She dared because she knew no one would back you now.”
Kong Yun nodded. Then he asked Xue Cuo, “The Sword Immortal and Dragon Might Swordmaster are really your parents, right? Why haven’t they come to see you?”
Xue Cuo scratched his head helplessly. “My mother’s extremely busy. Dad’s often in seclusion.”
And if they came, who knows who’d get thrashed…… Xue Cuo lifted his small backside and muttered.
Kong Yun and Wen Renyi exchanged a glance. Just as expected.
Xue Cuo pondered. “You mean Bai Luoluo deliberately chose this moment to force me to lower my realm?”
Kong Yun nodded heavily. “Very likely. That half-step True Immortal on the cloud is probably your parents’ enemy. Taking advantage of their absence, she’s baiting you into a wager, to injure your Dao realm and embarrass your parents. Two birds with one stone, with all the right appearances. We were too careless yesterday.”
Xue Cuo fell silent in thought.
Wen Renyi looked down at the two waist-high boys and sighed. “Don’t blame yourselves. You’re still children. How could you hope to best that monster… cough cough, fairy?”
Xue Cuo said, “That jiejie’s mindset’s terrible. Arrogant, self-centred. I doubt she’s that calculating…”
Kong Yun lifted his chin at Xue Cuo. “We’ll discuss this later. Wen Renyi here is a master of talisman craft. Listen carefully, and I’ll help you come up with a plan.”
Xue Cuo clapped his hands. “Good!”
Wen Renyi readily agreed. The three sat down as he pulled out a worn talisman book and opened it. “Shixiong, while talismans can be used to summon gods, all the gods have fallen silent now. The great Dao of heaven and earth has shifted greatly, and summoning gods nowadays…”
He lowered his voice, glanced around, towards the clouds, and leaned in with a discreet bow. “It’s more like managing connections, pulling strings with the powers above.”
Kong Yun wasn’t surprised. He said he’d suspected as much. Why had the demon race faded? Because no one among them became a saint, long forgotten! Why did humans prosper? Because those above are their kin!
Wen Renyi flipped to the book’s last page. “It says here that mortals who perform great merits and virtues, who do immense good deeds, are chosen to ascend the immortal path and become immortals.”
Kong Yun snorted, tapping the book. “Mortals? Open the almanac for the last ten thousand years. Every ascension was a cultivator from a major immortal sect.”
Wen Renyi was human too. Hearing this, he only shrugged and went on. “The strongest talisman is the ‘summoning gods’ talisman. But since the Xianghuo Divine Dao vanished, and its gods along with it, the only gods we can summon now are new immortals who’ve recently ascended.”
He sighed deeply, fighting back tears. “And summoning a new god… costs a fortune. One slip, and you risk thunder’s punishment! From then on, the heavens don’t bless you, the earth won’t receive you, and you could choke to death breathing.”
Xue Cuo slammed his palm on the talisman book. “Such corruption and extortion! And they still call that a god? Pei… boo hoo…”
Kong Yun clapped a hand over his mouth, glaring. “Fool! You’ll be summoning gods to writing talismans later. Clean your mouth and heart!”
Xue Cuo drew a deep breath.
Wen Renyi said, “There’s no time to prepare properly. For now, we wait until she finishes summoning. Besides that one, we’ll summon a few more, build some momentum! Shixiong, do you have gold, silver, jade, ganoderma, or fragrant flowers?”
Xue Cuo grinned. “I’ve got clean hands unsoiled by corrupt practices.”
Kong Yun patted his shoulder with a smile. “Come, if you want to die, jump off the Dao Discussion Platform. It’s faster.”
Wen Renyi stood. “Shixiong, this talisman book is yours to study. I’ll prepare some things for you.”
Xue Cuo dropped his joking expression and suddenly grabbed Wen Renyi’s belt. “Why are you helping me so much?”
Wen Renyi was silent for a long moment, then a faint, somewhat immature smile appeared on his face. “The kindness of imparting the Dao is deeply engraved in my heart.”
“And besides, the way shixiong and lil’ bro Kong Yun stood up to Ah Zhu that day… it made me feel the Dao ought to be like that.”
“If I cannot punish evil and uphold good, then what kind of immortal am I cultivating?”
Xue Cuo released his grip. “I understand now.”
Both Kong Yun and Xue Cuo wore complicated expressions. Xue Cuo opened the talisman book, and suddenly said, “Xiao Yun, I just had a thought… My father and mother are also half-step True Immortals, so do you think I…”
Kong Yun wasn’t really listening. He was lost in more serious thoughts. After hesitating, he said, “Xue Cuo, listen carefully.”
Xue Cuo nodded and looked up.
Kong Yun clenched his fists, his face twisted as if tasting something bitter. He covered his face and said, “When you summon the gods later, write a respectful title using my feather. Just to be safe.”
Xue Cuo blinked: “…”
Kong Yun glared fiercely. “Did you hear me?”
Xue Cuo said, “I’ve never summoned a new god before, but I know the demon and human races… seem to have a deadly grudge.”
Kong Yun said firmly, “Write using my feather. It’ll be fine.”
Xue Cuo had no choice but to agree. The two of them whispered and thought over several plans until a stick of incense burned out. Kong Yun clapped his hands, amazed by Xue Cuo’s talisman talent. He didn’t understand how Xue Cuo could create a talisman of perfect Dao resonance from such a fragmentary sentence.
Relieved somewhat, he asked, “How confident are you now?”
Xue Cuo held up all ten fingers.
Kong Yun’s face darkened. “Not even one-tenth?”
Xue Cuo fidgeted shyly. “I was just letting you see how clean my hands are.”
Kong Yun snorted, “…” Get lost, you daft dog.
The incense burnt down to ashes.
Bai Luoluo opened her eyes, which shone with divine light. She spoke clearly: “Xue Cuo!”
Kong Yun gave a subtle signal. Xue Cuo stepped on Kong Yun’s legs, flipped over, and landed gracefully.
Bai Luoluo looked down at him, her face cold. “Are you ready?”
Xue Cuo replied, “Yes.”
A faint, mocking smile curved Bai Luoluo’s lips. “Shall we invite the True God, His Lordship Huode Junshang Gongming Tiansi*?”
(*TN: it translates to something along the lines of “The Fire-Virtue Exalted Duke, Heavenly Minister of Radiant Light”.)
Xue Cuo slipped his hands into his sleeves. “Very well.”
Wen Renyi and the others hurried back, but their ritual implements were incomplete. Kong Yun guessed, “Fellow Daoists, did you fail to find what you needed?”
A female cultivator glared at Xiaofeng and his group opposite them. “We were obstructed.”
Someone was deliberately blocking them from collecting proper offerings. Fortunately, Wen Renyi had some implements, though of poorer quality.
Kong Yun’s expression darkened further. Despicable human scoundrels!
Wen Renyi’s face shifted slightly. “Gongming Tiansi. He’s famous for being extremely greedy… *hic*, having a big appetite.”
Bai Luoluo, clad in green feathers and wearing a pearl crown, clapped her hands.
Ritual utensils flowed forth like a stream: sacrificial tables, goblets, goblets, urns filled with fresh meats, fragrant fruits, grains like millet and rice, along with gold, stone, jade, pills, and spiritual fungi.
Two strong men carried an unusually shaped three-legged incense burner. As it was set down, the ground sank slightly. Its patterns were solemn and majestic, ancient yet simple, exuding a faint and ethereal fragrance.
Xue Cuo’s implements were simple: a table and a desk, holding large and small incense burners, three cups and two bowls, fresh sake, and new rice.
Sheets of white paper, gold water, cinnabar, and feather pens for drawing talismans were neatly laid out.
He sat cross-legged on his cushion, sneaking a glance at the opposite side.
Three incense sticks, each as thick as an arm, were lit. Their smoke rose straight and fine, their faint grey shadow visible for over a hundred metres. It was truly remarkable.
Bai Luoluo held a green sword, dancing it around the incense in a ritual to please the gods.
Xue Cuo scratched his head, held the quill between his lips, and began thinking as he bent down to draw a protective talisman. Better safe than sorry before inviting the True God.
He tried his first idea: wrote the talisman header, and when writing names, he inscribed Swordmaster Xue Zhenzhen and his father Jun Wuwei’s names.
Just give it a go…
Xue Cuo was quite bold, then moved on to Xiao Yun’s ancestor.
He still felt some fear of this ancestor but trusted Xiao Yun enough to write it stroke by stroke.
[Supreme Ancestor of the Shangyuan, His Lordship the Southern Peacock, the Ultimate Meaning of Heavenly Origin.]
Thinking it over, Xue Cuo reckoned: if one’s written, why fear two?
The cause and effect between him and the Goddess of the Great Loch were tangled beyond reckoning, so Xue Cuo decisively lifted his hand and wrote with the quill:
[The Naturally Wondrous, Merciful and Stern, Dao-Responding Goddess of the Great Loch.]
By now, the stars and nebulae above had shifted.
In a place Xue Cuo could not see lay a divine realm of black sky and white earth. Paper money floated there, sensing a faint wish-power. The source was familiar. The Goddess calculated the cause and effect and responded to the request.
Because it was from a very important person, she sent a portion of her spirit.
A breath drifted from the Xianghuo Kingdom, shaping into a rudder and descending upon the Wendao Palace.
At the same time, a faintly breathing sword and a golden feather appeared.
When the three responses met, the small sword shattered outright.
Only the feather and rudder remained facing each other.
Beneath the Great Loch, the colossal statue’s unchanging face slowly furrowed its brow. Had Xue Cuo seen it, he would surely have understood immediately, then turned tail and fled with his backside raised.
Summoning gods is as simple as buying vegetables.
Surely the Goddess of the Great Loch hadn’t witnessed this in tens of thousands of years.
