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

The Han Dynasty, and specifically the late Eastern Han Dynasty, which was on the verge of collapse and about to end its glorious reign!

Yi Chuan still felt a sense of unreality. Gazing at the barren, green mountains of Lutang Mountain, he finally felt a sense of reality about this era.

"Immortals are those who have exhausted Yin and attained pure Yang, possessing a body outside their own, transcending the Three Realms and the Five Elements..."

"The Dao Fruit of Immortality is indeed profound and mysterious."

Yi Chuan rubbed the crescent moon on the back of his hand. Half a month had passed, but the bottom layer of the crescent moon had only become thinly lit. It would take a long time for it to accumulate enough energy.

Over the past two weeks, he has also noticed the abnormality of this body. Apart from having no pores, the food and water he eats and drinks are excreted from his body intact every day.

What he drank was water, and what he excreted was also water, even purer and more fragrant than before he drank it.

However, having already transmigrated, Yi Chuan quickly accepted this anomaly.

Although he recognized the clerical script, he still couldn't understand most of the accents of that era.

To avoid being exposed, Yi Chuan rarely interacted with anyone in Lutangzhi, spending his days and nights wandering around Lutangzhi.

Lu Tangzhi's disciples dared not offend him, and apart from delivering food, they would only steal glances from afar. Yi Chuan had to constantly pretend to be a detached and otherworldly master.

This was not the law-abiding society he had known before. The late Eastern Han Dynasty, a dark and turbulent era as depicted in history books, was full of unknowns and dangers for Yi Chuan.

Having learned from past mistakes, since he obtained his spiritual fruit from a divine statue, it meant that what he was looking for must also be residing in some object.

Lutangzhi was very large. Yi Chuan knocked on it and touched it here and there. In the past half month, he had touched every piece of adobe, incense burner and farm tool, but the crescent moon on the back of his hand did not give any feedback.

"Lutangzhi, one of the twenty-four temples established by the Celestial Master in Sichuan, can be said to be the ancestral temple of all Taoist sects in the world. How could it have yielded nothing?"

As evening fell, Yi Chuan sat wearily on the stone steps of Chongxu Hall, his gaze sweeping around before settling on a cluster of buildings to the north of Lutangzhi.

That's Chongxian Hall, the residence of the Taoist priests in Lutang. He has already inspected the Yangxian Room, where male cultivators live, on the east side.

"Could it be in the Yin Immortal Room on the west side of Chongxian Hall?"

"Although I've fooled these Taoist priests, I'll still be beaten out if I'm caught sneaking into a female cultivator's room... Besides, I, Yi Chuan, am a man of iron will; am I that kind of petty person?"

Just as he was struggling with this, a series of shouts and curses rang out from outside the mountain gate. By the time Yi Chuan stood up, several yamen runners had already kicked open the mountain gate, and then laborers carried a stretcher in one after another.

Yi Chuan leaned closer and saw Fei Shi, the magistrate of Mianzhu County, sitting in the last sedan chair. After not seeing him for many days, the dignified middle-aged man's eyes were bloodshot, and his gaze toward him was extremely unfriendly.

As the sun was setting, Zhang Xiu, who was having dinner with his disciples, ran out with his bowl to greet the county magistrate.

Adhering to the principle of "better to avoid trouble than to cause trouble," Yi Chuan nodded to Zhang Xiu and went to have dinner.

Lu Tangzhi usually eats two meals a day: one in the morning, called "morning meal," and the other in the evening, called "evening meal." When Yi Chuan arrived at the dining hall, his dinner was placed on a separate table.

A bowl of millet porridge, with a few pickled vegetables, and many pale and thin disciples around him staring longingly, all lowered their heads when they saw Yi Chuan enter.

Yi Chuan glanced at the other disciples' dinners; the porridge in their bowls was much thinner than his, with yellow bran floating on top.

"I ate too much for breakfast today. Is there anyone willing to help me finish this bowl of rice porridge?"

His pronunciation was still not quite standard, but some of his disciples understood it.

They dared not make any moves, as Zhang Xiu, the chief priest, had instructed them not to offend Yi Chuan.

Yi Chuan repeated it twice, and seeing the kind smile on Yi Chuan's face, finally a disciple in his teens came over to take the rice porridge.

It was then snatched up, the porcelain bowl was passed around and everyone took a sip, and the last disciple licked the whole bowl clean.

Amidst the commotion, the entire dining hall suddenly fell silent. The last disciple, still licking his bowl, looked in the direction behind Yi Chuan and put down his bowl in a somewhat alarmed manner.

"Nonsense! How dare you be so insolent in front of a real person!"

Yi Chuan turned around and saw Zhang Xiu's angry, dark face.

"It's alright, I just didn't have the appetite to serve them."

Yi Chuan spoke with a smile, and Zhang Xiu's expression softened slightly.

"Since the True Man has given his consent, then I will spare these fellows." With that, Zhang Xiu changed the subject, cupping his hands towards Yi Chuan: "Would the True Man be willing to come to the Jing Shi for a chat?"

Yi Chuan noticed the slight unease in Zhang Xiu's eyes and said calmly, "If you have any advice, please speak freely here."

An embarrassed look immediately appeared on Zhang Xiu's dark face. Seeing this, the disciples in the dining hall wisely all withdrew.

"To be honest, the plague is raging in Mianzhu County. Magistrate Fei and I have discussed setting up Lutang as an empty house to house the people of Mianzhu County who have been infected."

"The people the yamen runners just carried in were the first batch of infected people. In order to avoid offending you, Master, please choose another place to cultivate in peace."

Zhang Xiu spoke very euphemistically, and Yi Chuan didn't understand most of his words.

But he realized that the dark-faced man meant for him to leave.

"Is the plague really that severe?" Yi Chuan asked, frowning.

Zhang Xiu sighed heavily: "It's not just Mianzhu County, but also several surrounding prefectures and counties. The imperial physicians have been slow to arrive, and dozens of people have already died."

Zhang Xiu didn't explicitly say that Mianzhu County was originally under Fei Shi's management and was relatively controllable, but because of the existence of Yi Chuan's descended "immortal," refugees from several surrounding counties flocked to Mianzhu, which caused the situation in Mianzhu to deteriorate rapidly.

"I see."

Yi Chuan nodded and fell into deep thought.

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

Inside the ancestral hall, Fei Shi covered his mouth and nose, looking at a sick boy with a worried expression.

The boy wore a brocade robe, which, though not particularly luxurious, was still not something an ordinary family could afford.

The most horrifying thing was that the boy's exposed skin was covered with blisters, which were congested and purple, and had begun to ulcerate. Even with his mouth and nose covered, he could still smell a foul stench.

"The tales of divine prophecies are nothing but fantasy, mere pretexts used by evil people to bewitch people!"

"Magistrate Fei, there is no need to blame yourself. I will report to the authorities that I contracted the plague by accident and it has nothing to do with you."

The boy was still quite lucid; his lips trembled as he spoke, his face filled with deep pain and utter disgust.

Despite this, Fei Shi's brow remained furrowed with worry. He knew what kind of people those in power were, and if someone were to die in his jurisdiction, he would definitely be implicated.

"What you say, young friend Zhang, makes sense!"

"It's all the fault of those so-called gods!"

When Zhang Xiu, the chief priest of Lutang, entered, he covered his mouth and nose and just saw County Magistrate Fei Shi slam his hand against the wall, his beard and hair standing on end.

"So, is that so-called immortal willing to leave?"

Why aren't you saying anything?

Fei Shi looked coldly at Zhang Xiu, only to find that Zhang Xiu was acting awkwardly.

"May I ask you to go outside to speak, sir?" Zhang Xiu asked, bowing respectfully.

After glancing at the young man on the sickbed and pondering for a moment, Fei Shi nodded in agreement.

Stepping out of the house, Zhang Xiu curiously withdrew his gaze: "Sir, may I ask which official of the court lives inside?"

"A scholar recommended for his filial piety and integrity, a native of Julu, was ordered by the imperial court to go to Sichuan to find a suitable altar for worshipping Heaven. He originally came to Lutang Mountain to conduct a survey." Fei Shi waved his hand.

"By the way, what was the immortal's reaction after you explained things to him?"

Zhang Xiu turned his head, seemingly having made up his mind, and cupped his hands to Fei Shi, saying, "Reporting to Your Excellency, that immortal said he could cure this plague."

He said he would set up an altar tomorrow, burn talismans and burn water to save the disaster victims!