Daoqi Huangcheng

Chapter 62, Section 61: The Spirit of Man is Unmatched by the Dragon (3.4K words - Please Subscribe)
The towering mountains and their dark shadows resembled hunched giant demons, eerie and oppressive.

The master is focused on brewing tea.

He rinsed the emerald green teacup with hot water before slowly pouring in the emerald green tea. Then he looked up at Song Chen opposite him, a calm smile appearing on his serious face.

He casually replied, "Go ahead and drink."

Song Chen hadn't forgotten that this "retribution" needed to be relieved once a year, and today he realized that it was the antidote bestowed by his master.

He hurriedly picked it up with both hands, slowly drank it down as if savoring a divine wine, and then put it down. He was about to find a few words from the "Company Guide to Flattering Bosses" before his transmigration to praise his master's cooking skills when he suddenly felt the "retribution" that had seeped into his internal organs slowly dissolving like snow meeting soup.

Master poured himself another cup, then brought it to his nose, closed his eyes, and smelled it. A subtle sense of relief appeared on his face, as if he had briefly escaped some kind of struggle and pain.

He sipped his tea quietly, and only after finishing it did he casually raise his eyes, glance at Song Chen a second time, and say, "Let's go."

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Song Chen felt that the "retribution" in his body had completely disappeared.

This completely resolved his "karma," and he will no longer need to take the antidote every year.

He hurriedly replied, "This disciple will certainly not fail Master's trust."

Master said, "In the past, I was just afraid that you would not be able to adapt to the bitter cold of the Yellow Springs, so I gave you a cup of tea to ward off evil spirits. Now that you don't need it, I will remove it for you."

Song Chen believed him for a second.

He looked at the tea on the table.

The master only drank one cup of the pot of tea.

He asked curiously, "Master, there's still so much tea left?"

The master smiled faintly and said, "Since you've already tasted a cup and fully appreciated the flavor of the tea, why must you gulp it down and finish the whole pot?"

With a slight movement of his fingers, a golden token flew into Song Chen's hand. He glanced at He Bai beside him and said, "Since it has applied for you to be the patriarch of the Marrow-Eating Crane Demon Clan, then you shall take the position. After you have handled your affairs, bring this token to the palace. Someone will bring you to see me, and then I will discuss the important matters with you."

"Yes."

Song Chen responded respectfully.

Tian Kuizi added, "Come quickly."

Song Chen nodded, and when he looked again, his master and Tian Kuizi had already gone far away.

He glanced at the slender, blue-eyed crane demon on the ground and called out, "Aunt Bai."

He Bai looked at him in fear.

Those who have undergone soul-searching often suffer from mental confusion, which not only disrupts their spiritual path but also diminishes their potential.

He Bai's soul was roughly searched by his master, and he is now in extremely poor condition.

"You...you...don't come any closer!"

As He Bai saw the approaching man in black robes, he shrank back repeatedly, crying out in fear, "Don't come any closer, don't come any closer."

Song Chen raised his hand and summoned a piece of bronze feather.

The feathers emitted an aura that reassured the crane demon.

Crane White recovered slightly, stood up, and said tremblingly, "Greetings, Clan Chief."

Song Chen approached and brushed the dust off the crane demon's wings, saying gently, "Go back to the secret realm and rest well. Tell them who the new clan leader is."

He Bai asked in surprise, "Aren't you coming with me?"

Song Chen's lips moved, but he didn't say anything like "Since Master has arranged for me to be the clan leader, then I am the clan leader." Instead, he said, "I accept the position of clan leader, but I didn't grow up in the Crane Clan. There's plenty of time in the future. Aunt Bai, you can handle all the clan affairs for now. If there's anything important, just come and find me."

After saying that, he asked gently, "Can it still fly?"

He Bai turned his head away and said, "Yes."

Song Chen nodded and said, "Then, I'll be going now."

He turned and took two steps, when he heard He Bai's hesitant question from behind.

"Was Elder Crane killed by the clan leader?"

Song Chen stopped.

Even though his master had already stated unequivocally that he was the one who killed Elder He, He Bai was still asking questions.

He paused for a moment, then replied, "Old Crane has devoted himself wholeheartedly to the cause. It has simply chosen a more suitable clan leader, that's all. Otherwise, why would it have left that letter?"

"Aunt Bai, take good care of your injury."

"And... never mind, it's nothing."

Song Chen wanted to say something like, "Restrain your clansmen and stop them from eating people," but when the words came out, he felt that saying such a thing would be extremely out of place and problematic, so he decided to keep quiet.

In the next instant, he transformed into a beam of light and headed in the direction his master had gone.

The beam of light disappeared into the imperial city and landed in front of the palace gate.

The imperial palace does not have any formations or shields that prohibit flight, after all, even the Imperial City Temple does not have them.

For some reason, Song Chen felt a strange sense of reverence for the palace at this moment. Even standing in front of the gate and looking at the majestic palace entrance, it was as if he were looking up at a mountain or the sun in the sky.

He had to get down.

It was a kind of respect that he simply couldn't control.

When Song Chen combined this with his inexplicable worship of that "Holy Emperor," he suddenly felt strange. It was as if this feeling had been forcibly stuffed into his mind, rather than originating from his true emotions.

He couldn't help but wonder: 'When did this feeling arise?'

He remembered.

This was after General Que had made unparalleled contributions and returned victorious.

Upon seeing the light descend, the palace guards dared not delay and hurriedly stepped forward to inquire.

Song Chen took out the golden token, and the guard immediately became much more respectful upon seeing it, saying repeatedly, "So you are a distinguished guest of the Grand Scholar. Please follow me. The Grand Scholar is currently in the Wenqu Hall." Grand Scholar?
Song Chen was filled with doubt.

He entered the palace gate and followed the guards eastward.

When a magnificent palace appeared in the distance, the guard stopped and respectfully said, "Just follow this cobblestone path and you will arrive."

After saying this, the guards left.

Song Chen strolled over.

Inside the Wenqu Hall, several young princes dressed in golden dragon robes and the little princess with bluebirds and flowers were reading aloud from books. In front of the hall, an old man with white hair and beard was holding a book and reading aloud, nodding and swaying his head.

The old man reads a sentence, and the princes and princesses follow along, creating a heartwarming scene with a touch of childlike innocence.

Before long, it seemed that the day's lessons had come to an end. The little princes and princesses politely bid farewell to the old man, and then looked at Song Chen curiously as they left.

Not only them, but even the imperial concubines who came to pick up their children in the distance also turned their gazes to this man who had never been to the palace before, seemingly wondering what his relationship was with the Grand Secretary of the Wenqu Hall.

After a short while, the Wenqu Hall fell silent.

The Grand Secretary carefully put away his books of classic texts before sitting down to make tea. He glanced at Song Chen outside the door and said, "Come in."

Song Chen approached in disbelief and called out, "Master?"

He never expected that his master would have such a highly respected status.

He had heard of the Grand Scholar.

This identity is often associated with the "Holy Emperor" and is referred to as the "Holy Teacher".

It is said that the "Holy Emperor" was quite absurd in his youth, but thanks to the guidance of this Grand Scholar, he became wise and sagacious.

However, he hadn't lingered in the Underworld for long before. He followed his master not long after he left. So, how come his master has been teaching here for so long?

Looking at the youngest princess's retreating figure in the distance, and listening to the faint laughter drifting from afar, the master said kindly, "She's just like my own child."

After he finished speaking, he raised his hand and waved it, and the door slowly closed, dimming the light in the room.

Early spring has not yet arrived, and deep winter still lingers; darkness falls not only early but also quickly.

Inside the hall, the master brewed tea while looking at the doubt in his eyes and said, "It's just a puppet."

Song Chen was stunned for a moment.

The master didn't speak again. After quietly brewing the tea, he handed a cup to Song Chen, then stopped looking at him. He picked up the teacup in front of him with both hands, first stroking his white beard to prevent it from getting into the cup, and then quietly sipped the tea with an intoxicated expression. After finishing the cup, his expression became much more comfortable. He then placed it to the side and didn't look at it again.

Song Chen was taken aback.

Because, if you're a puppet, why would you drink tea?

But if this scholar in front of us is a puppet, then what about that young man before us?

Has he ever really seen his master's true form?

Hearing his master gently place the teacup on the table, Song Chen realized what was happening and quickly finished his tea. It was just an ordinary cup of tea, and he couldn't taste anything special, but he still sincerely praised it, "Good tea."

Master got straight to the point: "Since you were able to kill Elder Crane and obtain the Yellow Springs Scripture, you must know about the Three Kalpas."

Song Chen nodded, then looked at his master in surprise.

Master smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I am not doing this to transcend the tribulation, but to forge a treasure, so that I can truly find a place to live in the raging karmic fire of the realm between reality and illusion."

Having said that, without waiting for Song Chen to ask a question, he said directly: "No one in the world is more noble than the emperor. When the emperor's virtue is great, his dragon aura is also great. This is a gift from heaven and earth, a true dragon destiny."

Few can surpass the virtuous in good deeds. The virtuous uphold loyalty and righteousness throughout their lives, and are worthy of respect. Even after death, their bones retain their fragrance. This is the character of the virtuous.
If someone possesses both the destiny of a true dragon and the virtues of a virtuous person, then that is true cultivation of both body and mind.

Song Chen, I plan to use the current emperor to make a garment on Golden Peach Mountain. At that time, what you need to do is to work with the Crane Clan to ride the Yellow Springs Water, break through the Ghost Gate, and open the Ghost Gate.

You don't need to worry about the rest. After the matter is accomplished, I will certainly receive the emperor's robes, but some secondary robes will also be produced. Those robes are for the bodies of sages, but I don't know how many there will be this time.

If there are five, no, four, then I'll guarantee you one.

After he finished speaking, his master looked at him with a smile and asked, "Can you do it?"

Despite his inner surprise and the difficulty of the matter, Song Chen nodded and said with certainty, "Yes!"

Then he sighed and said, "But I'm worried about my lack of experience."

The master said, “The Marrow-Eating Crane Clan is not vegetarian; they are the main force. Why don’t you share the hard and tiring work with them? If you do things well, you will rise with the tide, and they will also have a foothold and dignity.”

Song Chen suddenly realized, "I see."

Immediately, he sighed and said, "I really envy Senior Brother Tian Kuizi. If I could also stay by Master's side and listen to Master's teachings, I would definitely benefit greatly. Unfortunately, I don't have that blessing."

Master had obviously heard this kind of talk many times. He might forget who said it, but he would never forget who didn't. He smiled and said, "There are very few people who can open the Yellow Springs Secret Technique. As long as you follow the steps and wait in line, your chance will eventually come."

After saying that, he said, "Alright, you know enough secrets now. Let's go to the harem and see who you can marry."

Song Chen respectfully rose and followed the old man out of the Wenqu Hall.

Only then did he wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and ponder what his master had just said.

No one in the human world is more noble than the emperor. When the emperor's virtue is abundant, his dragon aura is also abundant. This is a gift from heaven and earth, a true dragon destiny.

故.
The monks taught the emperor to be wise and intelligent, bestowing upon him sagacity; they conferred titles and honors upon generals who expanded the territory, granting them merit. This is called nurturing the dragon.

Raising dragons is merely a pretext for killing them.

Since the destiny of the true dragon is bestowed by heaven and earth, it is no wonder that after General Que's victory, the image of the emperor's wisdom and sagacity began to take root in the minds of ordinary people. Even someone like him, who is at the ninth level of Qi gathering, could be affected. This is all due to the dragon's energy.

Although dragon energy belongs only to "human energy" among the "three energies of heaven, earth, and man," it is now considered a rare resource, as only one dragon energy is produced by a sage ruler.
"Stay close."

Suddenly, the Master's voice came from ahead.

Song Chen quickened his pace and followed.

(End of this chapter)