Two Realms: Starting with transmitting the Taiping Jing to Zhang Jiao

"The imperial court can't wait any longer."

"The two purges implicated more than 60,000 people. Although the rebellion of the Eastern Qiang was quelled, the court was severely weakened and its finances were in deficit."

"A great plague struck Jianning, leaving the dead lying on the roads; a great flood in Yuzhou submerged 32 counties; a locust plague afflicted Jizhou, obscuring the sun for 500 li... The nation is in peril. As a Taoist master, can you bear to see the world suffer?"

In the Celestial Master's meditation room, the Sili Commandant with a hooked nose coldly slammed his hand on the table.

Zhang Heng, his eyes half-closed, his hair completely white, was surrounded by five Sili Colonels.

"I have heard that Zhang Jiao, a Taoist priest of the Way of Peace, travels to various states, using talismans to save countless people."

The man with the hooked nose shook his head: "We've contacted him, but he doesn't meet the criteria. Besides, it's thanks to his travels to treat disaster victims and his skill in educating them that the thirty-six districts under his command have become the people's home, and the situation hasn't worsened further."

Zhang Heng fell silent and remained so for a long time.

The man with the hooked nose squinted and said, "I've heard that Zhang Lu, the son of Master Shi, calls himself the Young Master of Yangping in Yizhou, and he has attracted many followers as well."

Zhang Heng's breathing suddenly became much more rapid, and his body hunched over, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

Finally, he managed to speak, his voice dry and hoarse.

"I understand, but before that, I have one more thing to do. Please come back in three days."

The hook-nosed man was overjoyed upon hearing this. After more than a decade of persistent pleading, the old man had finally given in!

"In that case, the entire Han Dynasty will never forget Master's contributions!"

He stood up and bowed deeply to Zhang Heng, a meaningful smile on his face.

"Three days later, I will take people and related ritual implements up the mountain."

The Sili Commandant's men left, leaving Zhang Heng alone in the Celestial Master's Quiet Room, his body hunched over, like an old man nearing the end of his life.

He didn't even notice Yi Chuan's arrival.

You didn't have to agree to them.

Yi Chuan squinted and sat down opposite Zhang Heng, just like when he first arrived at Yangping Mountain nineteen years ago.

After spending time with him, he actually had a pretty good impression of the old Taoist priest who had imprisoned him for nineteen years.

From the perspective of the Han Dynasty, the so-called "True Cultivator of Heaven's Mandate" was indeed a traitor and a villain, while Zhang Heng was the true loyal minister of the country.

Despite their differing ideologies, Yi Chuan still respected this successor to the Celestial Master from the bottom of his heart.

"Whether or not one achieves immortality is no longer important," Zhang Heng sighed heavily. "Even if a nation is on the verge of collapse and remains unaware, what good will it do to succeed in achieving immortality?"

An eerie silence fell over the quiet room.

"Fellow Daoist, I would like to perform the divination again."

Zhang Heng suddenly raised his head, his eyes cloudy and bloodshot.

"I already had little time left to live, and since I am destined to become an immortal in three days, I would like to find the answer to my question."

He sensed a powerful and surging aura emanating from the direction of Qingzhou.

That's Zhang Jiao.

However, he clearly sensed a great deal of cause and effect from Zhang Jiao in front of him.

He believed he hadn't misjudged the person.

Looking into the old Taoist's cloudy eyes, Yi Chuan pondered for a long time before deciding not to refuse.

Zhang Heng's face lit up with joy. Over the past nineteen years, he had deduced the outcome many times, but the final result remained shrouded in mystery and could not be discerned.

But now Yi Chuan was sitting right in front of him, and he didn't seem hostile. He felt that this time he should be able to succeed.

This was the first time Yi Chuan had ever seen someone perform divination up close. The old abbot of Baiyun Temple had never done it before; he had only fooled the young widows in the village.

Contrary to expectations, the tortoise shell artifact was not as mysterious as one might imagine. Zhang Heng simply borrowed a strand of hair from it, then pinched it, closed his eyes, and remained motionless.

After a long while, beads of sweat the size of beans appeared on Zhang Heng's bark-like skin, and his eyelids twitched as if he had seen something unimaginable.

"puff!"

The Celestial Master suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face filled with terror, but he quickly burst into a strange laugh, tears streaming down his face.

As if shocked, or perhaps talking in his sleep, Zhang Heng, who had just been solemn and stern, suddenly stood up, looking at Yi Chuan with a gaze that was both like crying and laughing.

"Hahaha! I was right, I was indeed right!"

"You are indeed a true cultivator, but not a true cultivator of this world!"

Yi Chuan frowned. He didn't know what the Celestial Master had seen, but this was the first time in nineteen years that he had seen Zhang Heng so distraught.

Zhang Heng, leaning against the wall, began to bleed black blood from his eyes, nose, and ears. He looked at Yi Chuan with a strange, even terrified, gaze.

"Your cause arises from the future, but its effect comes from the past, far greater and more devastating than that of the land below..."

"Yu... Jing..."

These were the last two words Yi Chuan heard from this Celestial Master.

Zhang Heng coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground. Yang Pingzhi's disciples at the door hurriedly helped him back to his room.

The scene was chaotic, but Yi Chuan remained calm on the surface, though his heart was in turmoil.

This was the second time he had heard this name.

The last time was at Baiyun Temple before I traveled through time, with that strange woman who claimed to be a staff member of the town's Taoist Association.

That happened nineteen years ago, but for some reason Yi Chuan still remembered it vividly.

"Yujing..."

Yi Chuan stood in Yangpingzhi, looking up at the drifting clouds in the sky.

Within his lungs, six wisps of light swirled and spun, causing the crescent moon on the back of his hand to flicker.

-----------------

Three days later, the Sili Commandant's men arrived on time, bringing with them craftsmen and a group of men dressed in black into Zhang Heng's room.

Zhang Heng entrusted Yang Pingzhi's disciple to deliver a final letter to Yi Chuan.

"Fellow Daoist, this formation was not set up by the Celestial Master. It was originally left behind by a pre-Qin alchemist. My father discovered it when he went to Shu and modified and utilized it. Once activated, no one except the Celestial Master can break it."

"The Celestial Master once said that this formation is both a calamity and a blessing, but mortals cannot comprehend its mysteries. Fellow Daoist, you are no mortal, so you should be able to comprehend it."

"Therefore, fellow Daoist, you must spend several more years idly on the mountain. Do not descend the mountain for five years. Remember this! Remember this!"

The last sentence was bolded and underlined, the force of which almost seemed to penetrate the paper, leaving Yi Chuan puzzled.

"Is this to force me to stay on the mountain?"

Yi Chuan squinted, trying to figure out the intentions of this Celestial Master.

He had never seen anyone lock someone up on a mountain for nineteen years and then justify it by saying they were doing it for a good reason.

Yi Chuan placed the letter on the table. Bai Ze jumped up, circled the letter for a while, then quickly lost interest and ran out the door.

The next morning, the entire Yangping region was in mourning as news of Zhang Heng's passing spread.

It is said that this Celestial Master ascended to heaven without leaving behind his physical body. When his disciples broke into the room, all that remained were his clothes and a will from the 24th Celestial Master of the Lilu Hall.

In his grief, the disciple could only erect a cenotaph for Zhang Heng.

After nineteen years of working together, Yi Chuan also attended the memorial service for this successor of the Celestial Master.

Unlike the other disciples who were crying their hearts out, Yi Chuan's eyes remained calm and unwavering as he stared intently at the statue in the center of Chongxu Hall, which still bore the scent of mud.

It was built by the Han Dynasty to commemorate Zhang Heng's achievements. It is said to be two meters tall, and its facial features are modeled after Zhang Heng.

"His master Zhang Heng, courtesy name Lingzhen, was the eldest son of Zhang Zhengyi Zhenren. He was learned in his youth, lived in seclusion and did not serve in office, and was famous throughout the world... In the second year of Guanghe of Emperor Ling of Han, he attained the Dao at Yangping Mountain and ascended to heaven in broad daylight."

Yi Chuan spoke calmly, reciting a passage from the "Chronicles of the Celestial Masters" that he had memorized while at Baiyun Temple.

"Has it already been two years since the Guanghe era...?"

Yi Chuan looked up at the outside of the mountain, his thoughts drifting.

That time is coming soon.