The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Wang Zhenhuan suddenly had a bad feeling. He hurriedly walked out of the mountain gate and went up the steps. This Taoist temple seemed to be built in a natural underground cave.

Built against the mountain, the layout is symmetrical along the central axis, gradually rising in elevation. Ascending two levels and a total of eighteen steps, you will find a huge square plaza.

The entire plaza, including the plaza outside the Taoist temple, is made of the same white marble. There are three main halls on the left, center, and right sides of the plaza, with the same layout as the main gate hall, only they appear to be larger in scale.

Above the plaza stands the Sanqing Hall, which appears to have three levels from a distance. There are sixty-nine steps, with a nine-dragon carved centrally. In the center of the plaza, a Tai Chi symbol is carved.

In front of the main hall stands a huge bronze statue of Xuanwu (Black Tortoise). The Xuanwu, a snake and a tortoise, are intertwined, with the snake's head raised, its mouth open and flicking its tongue downwards.

The black tortoise below looked up to meet his gaze, its face calm and serene. Wang Zhenhuan approached for a closer look and discovered that the tortoise shell was actually carved with the Eight Trigrams, giant waves and raging fire, and a sky full of stars.

It was exquisitely crafted. Although nearly a thousand years had passed, its beauty was still undeniable. Wang Zhenhuan was worried about Ao Shuang, so he only glanced at it briefly before hurrying into the hall.

Upon entering the main hall, Wang Zhen was immediately stunned. The reason was that the deity enshrined inside was a middle-aged Taoist priest he had never seen before. And this middle-aged Taoist priest, how should I put it?

A little...not quite dignified. This was Wang Zhenhuan's euphemism; in reality, the Taoist statue had a winking expression, hands on hips, as if questioning someone.

If it weren't for the Taoist robe he was wearing, Wang Zhen would have thought he was seeing things. All the Taoists he had encountered were dignified and poised, none of them displaying the same expression as this statue.

Rather than calling him a Taoist priest, he was more like a mad, eccentric old man. Wang Zhenzhen dared not watch any longer, for fear of shattering his image of a Taoist priest.

He hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting, then turned and walked towards the back. After leaving the main hall, there were the steps he had just seen, and at the top of the steps was the Sanqing Hall.

Ascending the sixty-nine steps, one is immediately struck by a sense of solemnity and reverence, a stark contrast to the Taoist priest making faces in the main hall just moments before.

Wang Zhenzhen solemnly arrived at the palace gate and looked down. The entire cave dwelling was laid out before him, giving him a sense of being on top of the world. The Sanqing Palace was a double-eaved hip roof.

The hip roof has nine ridges: one main ridge, four hip ridges, and four gable ridges, hence it is also called a nine-ridge roof. Because the main ridge is broken once at both ends of the roof and at the eaves, it is divided into hip ridges and gable ridges, as if it has "rested" for a while, hence the name hip roof.

Compared to the main hall we just visited, the scale of this Sanqing Hall is significantly higher. Looking at the eaves and inscriptions of the main hall, they perfectly align with the Taoist theory of "Tao begets one, one begets two, two begets three, and three begets all things."

Upon entering the Sanqing Hall, Wang Zhenhuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He saw Ao Shuang, who was kneeling before the statue of the Three Pure Ones, softly praying. Wang Zhenhuan remained silent and approached her.

After bowing respectfully, he lifted his long robe, knelt before the statues of the Three Pure Ones, and clasped his hands three times. Looking at the statues of the three patriarchs, Wang Huanzhen was filled with countless questions.

The owner of this cave dwelling, Wujiaozi, lived during the Qin and Han dynasties. But why does this cave dwelling enshrine statues of the Three Pure Ones, without missing a single one? And why is Taoism now divided into three branches?

There must be some hidden story or some event that led to the current situation. Wang Zhenhuan suppressed his doubts and bowed to the statues of the three patriarchs one by one.

He turned and walked out of the Sanqing Hall. He looked up at the bottom of the Huai River above, lost in thought. About fifteen minutes later, Ao Shuang emerged from the Sanqing Hall.

Wang Zhenhuan hurriedly stepped forward, grasped his hand, and looked him up and down. He asked with concern, "Brother, are you alright? I called out to you several times downstairs, but didn't hear a response. I thought..."

"What nonsense are you talking about? This is the cave dwelling of my Taoist ancestors. How could I harm fellow Taoists? Have you finished reading the bamboo slips? How was it? What did you learn?" Ao Shuang slapped his hand away and asked with a smile.

"Of course there have been gains, and the benefits have been substantial. Brother was right earlier; the Five Thunder Orthodox Method is indeed worthy of being created in the pre-Qin period. Its mysteries are so profound that ordinary Taoists would find it difficult to even begin to understand it without instruction," Wang Zhenhuan said excitedly.

"Oh? How mysterious is it? Tell me, brother. This Five Thunder Orthodox Method has been lost for many years. I never expected it to reappear in the world. Alas, I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse." Ao Shuang patted his shoulder and said with a sigh.

"This is a good thing! The world is in chaos, with armies running rampant. Evil spirits are emerging everywhere. Now that I have obtained the Five Thunder Orthodox Method, I will certainly use it to quell all the evil spirits in the world!" Wang Zhenhuan said with boundless pride.

"You're still too young. Haven't you thought about why something lost has reappeared? It must have some purpose. Not only will the world change, but this sect will also change," Ao Shuang sighed.

"Brother, do you mean that the three branches of Taoism will be thrown into chaos because of this method? Then... should I take this bamboo slip with me?" Wang Zhenhuan hesitated for a moment after hearing what Ao Shuang said.

"The key is not this bamboo slip, but the fact that the three branches of Taoism have been separated for a long time. As the saying goes, what is separated for a long time will eventually unite. Whether you brought this bamboo slip out or not, the merger of the three branches of Taoism is only a matter of time."

"I don't know if you saw it just now, but the hall enshrines three patriarchs, not one missing. What does this mean? It means that during the Qin and Han dynasties, the three lineages were not separate!" Ao Shuang explained, waving her hand.

"By the way, brother, I was just about to ask you. Why didn't the Taoist sect split up during the Qin and Han dynasties, but now it's divided into three branches? Did something happen in between?" Wang Zhenhuan asked, frowning.

"Then let me ask you, can a woodcutter and an official live together?" Ao Shuang didn't answer, but asked in return.

Upon hearing his words, Wang Huanzhen suddenly understood. So that's it; Ao Shuang meant that the Taiqing lineage had lost its Daoist tradition and heritage, and no more Daoists from its sect had ascended to immortality.

If they had received help from the other two lineages, they might not have split apart. However, judging from the current situation, the other two lineages have not offered any assistance, or perhaps there are some hidden reasons behind it.

In the end, the Taoist sect split into three branches, each worshipping its own patriarch.

As for the Taiqing lineage, because it lost the Taixuan Dharma Seal and the True Scripture, its disciples gradually dwindled!