I cultivate the Purple Mansion Golden Elixir Dao on Earth

Jiang Songjing spent her four years of university in this way, her confidence gradually crumbling. Among them were the frustrations of drifting apart from her good friends because she couldn't afford social gatherings due to her lack of money; the heartbreak of hesitating in place due to low self-esteem, not daring to confess her feelings, and only being able to watch the person she liked fall into the arms of someone else...

Four years of university seemed to have taken Jiang Songjing into a small society, allowing him to see himself more clearly.

After sending out 300 resumes without receiving any response in her senior year of college, Jiang Songjing returned to Baiyang Temple.

He was disheartened and utterly lost. He remained silent every day, still helping the old Taoist priest Yunfu manage the affairs of the temple as in previous years, but the old priest saw through his disguise at a glance. So one morning, Jiang Songjing got up early and saw a brand-new Taoist robe that had been made and was hanging in his room.

Jiang Songjing held the Taoist robe and put it on. It fit him perfectly, which he couldn't understand, but it brought tears to his eyes.

From that day on, Qiu Jing returned to the Baiyang Temple. Everything seemed unchanged, except that the old Taoist Yunfu no longer avoided discussing Taoist texts in front of Jiang Songjing.

Having re-enacted Xuanzhen and become a Taoist priest, Jiang Songjing finally had someone to rely on. He could hang under the Baiyang Temple, receive subsidies from the religious organization, and lived a peaceful life for a while.

But this period was extremely short.

Because the old Taoist priest collapsed.

Because a tumor had grown on Yunfu's lung, which had been detected when Jiang Songjing was in high school, the old Taoist priest had been hunched over ever since.

Fortunately, Baiyang Temple not only provides subsidies but also social security, so the old Taoist priest was able to maintain his condition for so many years despite the conservative treatment, and even kept it a secret from Jiang Songjing until he graduated from university.

However, years of conservative treatment ultimately led to multiple metastases of the cancer that could have been completely eradicated, and the old Taoist priest's days were numbered.

Upon hearing the truth, Jiang Songjing knelt down before the old Taoist priest's bedside, but the old priest managed to struggle to his feet and simply waved to Jiang Songjing. He had another extremely important matter to attend to.

He was going to hold a coming-of-age ceremony for Jiang Songjing.

The so-called capping ceremony is a ritual performed by the Xuanzhen Daoist school to bestow a cap on its disciples before they leave home to become monks. Only those who receive the capping ceremony can be called Daoist priests; otherwise, they are merely Daoist novices.

However, if a disciple wishes to receive the precepts, he must first undergo three years of arduous cultivation in a Taoist temple before he can receive the cap and cloak. Jiang Songjing has only just resumed his Taoist name "Qiujing", so how can he receive the cap and cloak?

Jiang Songjing was puzzled, but the old Taoist Yunfu spoke haltingly and hesitantly, finally making him understand the inside story.

According to relevant regulations of Taoist temples and religions in China, Taoist priests must be 21 years old before they can be formally ordained as adults. Therefore, the old Taoist priest secretly added Jiang Songjing's name to the personnel register when he was 18 years old, so Jiang Songjing's current cultivation time on the register has fully met the requirements for the ordination ceremony.

...Of course, this is fabricated.

However, with the decline of Taoism, Taoist temples are now mostly in seclusion, and the management of them has become lax. Such forgery is commonplace not only in the Tianyi lineage but also in the Xuanzhen lineage, and is not considered a despicable act.

However, when he spoke of this, Master Yunfu still seemed to have used up most of his life's strength.

Kneeling before the hospital bed, Jiang Songjing choked up for a moment.

He knew perfectly well why Yunfu was doing all this.

The Baiyang Temple is located in a remote area, with only a few incense offerings, and few Taoist priests can tolerate the environment there. After the death of the old Taoist priest Yunfu, if there is no formal Taoist priest in the temple, the Baiyang Temple will probably be abandoned. Therefore, he intends to make Jiang Songjing the next abbot to maintain the lineage of the Baiyang Temple.

But more importantly... only by having Jiang Songjing officially ordained at Baiyang Temple can he receive a state certificate and no longer have to worry about going to other Taoist temples and becoming a novice Taoist again, being assigned tasks by his senior brothers and masters every day. Instead, he will become a formal Taoist qualified to travel alone!

Such heartfelt concern made Jiang Songjing tremble, but she couldn't utter a word.

The capping ceremony was thus established.

On the day of the ceremony, Master Yunfu spent money to invite a special initiation master, guiding master, and introduction master from the Minjiang City Taoist Association, and personally put the Hunyuan scarf on Jiang Songjing.

The Taoist priests sent by the Taoist Association were all from the Tianyi sect. They were not averse to meat and had families. Jiang Songjing thought Yunfu would mind, but to her surprise, Yunfu just sighed and let it be.

Those masters were just doing a shoddy job for money; they left as soon as the inauguration ceremony was over, leaving only the master and disciple in the Baiyang Temple.

As if fulfilling a long-cherished wish, Yunfu could no longer stand up.

Over the next few days, he lay on his sickbed every day, his breathing growing weaker and weaker.

Although Jiang Songjing wanted to take him to the city hospital, Yunfu refused, saying that he understood his time was coming and there was no cure, so there was no need to spend any more money. As he lay dying, Yunfu held Jiang Songjing's hand tightly, as if looking at him, or perhaps at the empty space behind the Taoist temple, murmuring something to himself.

"...I have cultivated the profound truth my whole life...and maintained my integrity...but at the end, I still did something that violated the teachings of the patriarchs and brought shame to the Baiyang Temple."

As he spoke, his cloudy eyes could no longer clearly see Jiang Songjing's face, yet they made Jiang Songjing's kneeling legs tremble, her throat bobbing as she cried silently.

"But...but...I can't let go of Baiyang Temple, I can't let go of you...Qiu Jing, after you're officially recognized, you can also take charge of Baiyang Temple. There's a stipend of several thousand a month, don't leave...don't let Baiyang Temple fall into ruin..."

"I won't leave, I won't leave... Master."

"That's good, that's good..."

Yunfu beamed with joy at his disciple's response, but his already weakened hearing made it difficult to even hear the tremor in Jiang Songjing's voice.

Yunfu smiled, but soon his expression turned hesitant. His cloudy eyes showed no fear of death, only worry for his disciple.

"Not leaving... isn't good either... times have changed, and someone like me is out of step with the times... You're still young, you can't stay here guarding a desolate temple... Go to the Heavenly Dao Sect to stay someday, you can... get married... have children... it's much better than my life... But even if you have to leave the temple to stay... remember, first spend three years cultivating in seclusion at the Baiyang Temple, filling in the days of cultivation required before you are ordained... that way, after I go to the Yellow Springs, I'll still have something to argue with the patriarch..."

As he spoke, Yun Fu gave a strange laugh, but Jiang Songjing could no longer suppress the boiling emotions in her heart and burst into tears!

"Master...this disciple will not leave the temple!This disciple...will protect Baiyang Temple for the rest of my life!This disciple will cultivate Xuanzhen for the rest of my life!"

"Silly child... how can you cultivate for a lifetime... I've thought about it many times over the years... you were actually right back then... you, child, will definitely achieve great things... I, this old Taoist priest, have just been too proud all these years..."

"Xuanzhen... is wrong."

"I... really..."

Old Daoist Yunfu slightly raised his hand, as if he wanted to do something.

But with just a little more effort, it lost its momentum, just like the indistinct words he left behind, and fell silent.

What did the old Taoist priest Yunfu want to say on his deathbed? This became a question that Jiang Songjing could never answer.

But at that time, Jiang Songjing's heart was filled only with sadness, nothing else.

He knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

Thus, after Yunfu's death, only Jiang Songjing remained in Baiyang Temple.

He was both a registered Taoist priest and the abbot of a Taoist temple.

The Baiyang Temple is not very popular and can only survive on government subsidies. Jiang Songjing receives a few thousand yuan a month, but she lives a leisurely and carefree life.

He kept in mind the teachings of the old Taoist Yunfu before his death, and that he should cultivate his character and make up for the past three years after his coming-of-age ceremony. Even if he did not stay in Baiyang Temple for the rest of his life, he could not let this "fabrication" by Yunfu before his death become a regret and sin in his afterlife.

So Jiang Songjing began to peruse the Taoist books preserved in Baiyang Temple and also looked at all sorts of classical texts and materials.

Having received over a decade of education, his academic accumulation and knowledge base far surpassed that of the uneducated Daoist Yunfu. Furthermore, he could easily utilize modern tools to research online. In addition, the Baiyang Temple offered ample time to while away the hours. Within a short period, Jiang Songjing's understanding of Daoist history, cultivation philosophies, and practices advanced by leaps and bounds. He could even decipher word for word the yellowed manuscripts in the storeroom that the Daoist Yunfu could only read and not fully comprehend.

In the past two years, Jiang Songjing learned about the lineages between the Xuanzhen and Tianyi sects. The former became monks, while the latter entered the inner circle; the former cultivated internal alchemy, while the latter used talismans... The difference lies in this, but it is not entirely the same.

He also learned about the historical evolution and various historical cases between the two sects: when Xuanzhen was at its peak, Tianyi yielded, and when Tianyi became the national teacher, Xuanzhen often closed its mountains... There had even been disputes and conflicts involving weapons in the past few decades. However, in the present day, all the past chaos in the Taoist sect has become like smoke and clouds, and has become nothing more than empty talk and metaphysical principles.

He also learned that the history and legends of Baiyang Temple, as told by the old Taoist Yunfu, were all untrue. The so-called "Master Yin Jue" and the so-called "Jinling Sect" did not exist... In other words, Baiyang Temple was indeed just a dilapidated little temple near Minjiang City without any major lineage or true lineage. Despite this, he did not feel inferior, but he would secretly sigh when he recalled the old Taoist Yunfu's animated expressions in his childhood.

He also learned about the various theories and cultivation methods in Taoist scriptures. Although he didn't believe in the existence of Taoist immortality in modern society, he was quite interested in the theories in Taoist scriptures. Whether it was the common books on the internet or the yellowed copies in the warehouse, he became more and more familiar with the essence of each word and sentence, and could even interpret them independently.

But... perhaps because the Baiyang Temple was already dilapidated and didn't have any powerful lineage, the Taoist books in its collection were full of errors.

Take, for example, the book I'm studying today, "The Essentials of Enlightening the True and Co-existing with the White Elixir and Holding the Mysterious." Although the Taoist text is full of intricate energy channels and looks quite impressive, there are many incomprehensible parts in it.

"...'Dragon and tiger complement each other, uniting with the profound, causing clouds to rise and mist to disperse, and crimson streams to flow through gold'... What kind of alchemical method is this? It's utter nonsense!"

Recalling the contents of the book "The Essentials of Holding the Profound," Jiang Songjing's face showed a bitter smile.

He sighed and was about to continue sweeping the courtyard when he stopped, his bitter smile turning into a blank expression.

"Splash splash..."

The sound of pages turning slowly came from behind me.

Jiang Songjing turned her head and immediately saw the figure of a middle-aged man.

He was standing by the stone table he had just left, flipping through the book "The Essentials of Enlightenment and Co-existence with the White Elixir" with great interest. But even though this middle-aged man had come deep into the courtyard, he had no idea how he had silently pushed open the temple gate and come so close to him!

"It's because I was completely lost in thought, and I was too distracted. But I was just recalling way too many things..."

Jiang Songjing suddenly understood and found a reason for herself. Although she had some doubts, she did not investigate them further.

He looked at the middle-aged man standing by the stone table without any fear, thinking that the man might be a rare visitor to the temple. So he picked up the broom and walked towards the man with a smile.

"Esteemed pilgrim, we are from Baiyang Temple..."

"The dragon and tiger complement each other, uniting with the mysterious, causing clouds to rise and mist to disperse, and red to flow through gold." This should be interpreted using cinnabar, which means applying yellow with a cinnabar brush.

The middle-aged man didn't look up, but kept looking at the Taoist book in his hand. He turned to the page that Jiang Songjing had originally seen and said quietly.

A calm sentence, yet it exploded like a thunderclap in Jiang Songjing's heart, making him stop in his tracks.

"Vermilion ink applied with yellow ink...isn't this a talisman?!"

"certainly."

The middle-aged man finally raised his head and looked at Jiang Songjing with a half-smile. His face was not particularly striking, but his eyes were as deep as a bottomless pool, as if they could swallow even the sunlight in the sky.

"Therefore, this book, 'The Essentials of Awakening to Truth and Observing the White Elixir, Holding the Mystery,' is not a classic text on internal alchemy cultivation, but rather a Taoist book that teaches talismans."

"..."

Jiang Songjing has come to understand what the people in ancient times felt when they accused others of "spreading heresies and misleading the public."

"...'The Essentials of Enlightenment and Co-existence with the White Elixir' is not a method of alchemy, but a teaching of talismans, a Daoist text... How is this possible! This is a classic text secretly kept within our Baiyang Temple! No matter how dilapidated Baiyang Temple is, it has been passed down from the Xuanzhen lineage!"

"This...pilgrim, or lay Buddhist, please do not utter such fallacies."

Jiang Songjing frowned and said seriously.

But the middle-aged man only glanced at him indifferently and raised an eyebrow.

"Is it truly the Xuanzhen lineage?"

"...What does this mean?"

Jiang Songjing suddenly opened her eyes and frowned.

He didn't know what the middle-aged man was trying to say.

The lineage of the Baiyang Temple is described as follows: "Yin and Yang establish the primordial beginning, the two polarities converge. Nature and life unite to unravel the elixir, the profound truth seeks the void. Auspicious energy arises from the cloud hill, the rosy light shines on the green pines. The ultimate method of Heaven and Earth, manifest and hidden within change." It seems to be a profound and orthodox lineage, but upon closer examination, many problems can be found.

The middle-aged man put down the Taoist book in his hand, strolled out from beside the stone table, and said as he walked with his hands behind his back:

"...The most important part of this text is the phrase 'The nature and life unite to achieve enlightenment, the profound truth seeks the emptiness.' What does 'seeking the emptiness' mean? It means having nothing to seek. Since it is the profound truth, why should one belittle one's own orthodox teachings? If we only talk about 'emptiness,' it seems to be an attempt to explain the Tao."

"...Just based on the word 'emptiness'! Absurd! Emptiness can also be interpreted as stillness and non-action! Although it originates from Buddhism, it is integrated into Taoism. The two religions are essentially one family!"

Jiang Songjing found a reason to refute, and the thought of protecting the orthodoxy of Baiyang Temple swirled in his mind, making his voice more intense.

"Yes, the word 'empty' alone is not enough. But the final line of this character chart is 'in the midst of change between appearance and concealment'."

The middle-aged man nodded, but his expression remained unchanged. He continued speaking calmly, yet an invisible aura of superiority overwhelmed Jiang Songjing, leaving him speechless despite his throat bobbing.

"...'To appear and disappear,' to hide, to change one's appearance, to transform oneself—it's all the same thing. Speaking of this, I can't help but think of a case from decades ago."

The middle-aged man continued speaking, but there was an indescribable magic in his words, which involuntarily led Jiang Songjing to recall that "case" from decades ago.

"Decades ago, the country was beset by internal and external troubles and was engulfed in war, but there were already signs of peace and unification. At that time, Xuanzhen Dao was a prominent school of thought, and many of its Celestial Masters contributed to the country's affairs and were highly regarded by the people. Thus, while Xuanzhen Dao was deeply respected by the world, it also had the vision of unifying the lineage of Daoist teachings."

Jiang Songjing's thoughts followed the middle-aged man's words back to that era. The historical evolution of the Xuanzhen Tianyi and Liangdao that he had once witnessed naturally appeared in his mind. However, he still only had a vague understanding and did not understand why the middle-aged man wanted to talk about such past events.

"Many members of the Tianyi lineage enter the secular world, start families, and have children, their Daoist resolve is not firm. They usually live as ordinary people, only donning Daoist robes to avoid disaster during times of war, which is not appreciated by the world. Therefore, the Xuanzhen lineage's desire to clarify its lineage, re-establish its Daoist standards, and enable Daoists to transcend worldly concerns was very popular. Thus, temples and monasteries were renovated, books were burned and destroyed... This led to many disasters and even the killing of people. Although the conflict between the two paths is now insignificant, at that time, it truly caused many Tianyi disciples to be scattered and even lose their fundamental lineage. It is not inconceivable that the Tianyi lineage was transferred to the Xuanzhen lineage."

Jiang Songjing's mouth was half-open and half-closed as she listened blankly to the middle-aged man's voice.

He finally understood what the middle-aged man was trying to say, but he dared not believe it or listen to it, and wanted to speak up to stop him from saying what he was about to say.

But the blood flowing in Jiang Songjing's veins no longer seemed warm; instead, it felt like clumps of ice, chilling him to the bone and rendering him speechless. He could only let the middle-aged man continue speaking:

"...From this perspective, the Baiyang Temple is probably one of its lineages. It was originally a legitimate branch of the Heavenly Dao, but it was affected by the Xuanzhen Dao. The lineage was severed, and the master's lineage was dissolved. They had to hide in the Xuanzhen Dao to resolve their calamities and doubts. They even had to change the name of the lineage they originally belonged to, using a fictitious Xuanzhen Dao called the Jinling Sect as their ancestral lineage."

"...However, although the orthodox lineage of Baiyang Temple was forcibly reversed, the unwilling disciples and descendants still left many traces—the generational genealogy is one, the simplified plaque outside is another, and this book, 'The Essentials of Enlightenment and Co-existence with the White Elixir, Holding the Mystery,' which requires talismans and rituals to interpret, is yet another... However, as Baiyang Temple gradually declined, the later generations forgot their original lineage—this is an inexplicable coincidence."

The middle-aged man's words were like a demonic chant, a persistent refrain that Jiang Songjing couldn't resist even when he didn't want to hear them. But there was a flaw in his words, and the moment Jiang Songjing caught it, he seized the opportunity and loudly retorted:

"...Wait! If Baiyang Temple has a lineage of Tianyi Dao, where is that lineage? Could it be that Baiyang Temple didn't originally belong to the Tianyi Orthodox Sect? But if Baiyang Temple doesn't belong to the Tianyi Orthodox Sect, and is just a small, mixed-up temple...why would Xuanzhen Dao go to such lengths to sever its own ties?!"

Jiang Songjing had thought that these words would surely stop the middle-aged man from spouting his fallacies. But to her surprise, he simply stood there and chuckled lightly before saying:

"Even though the whole picture is unknown, what's so difficult about deducing something from these clues?"

"The last generation in the genealogy of Baiyang Temple is 'Xianyin Bianhua Zhong', so we use 'Xianyin Bianhua' as the starting point."

"'Jinling' means that when gold is visible, trees are hidden, and when the ridge appears, clouds disperse. 'Yin Jue' means that when yin is born, yang declines, and 'jue' signifies 'extinction.' Therefore, it is not 'jue' but 'ming' (brightness). Thus, the two characters 'Yangming' can be established—therefore, the true lineage of [Baiyang Temple] should be the [Muyun Palace] built by Master Yangming!"

...[Muyun Palace]?

...The Master of Yangming?!

Those were names that Jiang Songjing, though working for the Xuanzhen Sect, still knew by heart!

Master Yangming was a grandmaster of the Heavenly Dao Sect two hundred years ago, and was once revered as the National Preceptor and Chief Priest by the previous dynasty!

Although the [Muyun Palace] he built has encountered many twists and turns in the past two hundred years, it has still become the most prominent palace in the Tianyi Sect, and even the most popular and famous sect in the entire Taoist sect!

Such a great Taoist master, such a distinguished family, is actually the legitimate lineage of this now dilapidated Baiyang Temple?

The Baiyang Temple, which originally upheld the Xuanzhen way of cultivating one's nature and took Xuanzhen as the orthodox method of internal alchemy, was actually rooted in the Tianyi Dao, which practiced talismans and rituals.

Jiang Songjing looked at the middle-aged man bathed in the glow of the setting sun, her mind a complete mess, unable to tell whether what he said was true or false.

He could only stare blankly, his pupils slightly constricted, unable to utter a single word.

But the middle-aged man's words did not end there.

He picked up the book "The Essentials of Enlightenment and Co-existence with the White Elixir" again, closed the book, and flicked the words on the cover with his finger.

"Is this book really called 'The Essential Guide to Enlightening the True Self and Holding the Mysterious White Elixir'? If it takes the method of internal alchemy as its guide and the principle of grasping Kan and filling Li as its aim, then the name of this book is really hard to understand."

"However, if we look at it from a different angle, considering the current name as a falsified copy... and then clarify its origins, then the essence of this name will become completely different."

"Back then, the Baiyang Temple was forced to change its lineage due to the oppression of the Xuanzhen Dao. Presumably, the Daoist books originally used to teach talismanic rituals were also altered to be alchemical texts, both in name and content."

"But alterations will always leave traces... I see that the character '白' (white) on the cover of this copy is slightly off, which must be one of the traces of the original alteration. If we remove one of its dots and add the character '聿' (yu), then it becomes..."

"—It's just the character 'book'!? The ancient 'book'!?"

Jiang Songjing finally reacted at this moment, her lips trembling uncontrollably, and interrupted the middle-aged man's words.

But the middle-aged man was neither angry nor annoyed. He simply stood quietly in place, looking at Jiang Songjing, seemingly smiling.

At this point, Jiang Songjing no longer cared about politeness. The middle-aged man had "preached" to this point, and Jiang Songjing had fully understood his theory. She even went a step further and deduced the things that the middle-aged man had said but had not said!

"...The character '书' (shū, book) is composed of '聿' (yù, mortise). Removing '聿' results in '曰' (yuē, to say), and adding a dot makes it '白' (bái, meaning white)... Therefore, the original name of this Daoist book should be '悟真同参书丹持玄指要' (Wùzhēn Tóngcān Shūdān Chíxuán Zhǐyào

"Shu Dan, Shu Dan... refers to writing in vermilion ink, its meaning being to draw talismans with cinnabar; and Chi Xuan is not some vague and ethereal cultivation of the mind and nature... This clearly refers to holding a black ink brush, in preparation for writing cinnabar talismans..."

"...Therefore, 'writing in cinnabar' and 'holding the mystery' are essentially two verbs!"

"No wonder, no wonder... Although most Taoist texts use technical terms, one can understand the whole text simply by grasping the meaning of the words. But this Taoist book is difficult to understand even from its title alone—because it has been altered, turning two such vivid verbs into incomprehensible characters!"

"I see, I see..."

The words, like crows circling in the sky, hovered on Jiang Songjing's lips, unable to be uttered, swirling rapidly. The words accumulated between his lips and tongue, as if weaving a gloomy mist, giving him a sense of foreboding; yet, within that swirling cloud, a glimmer of gold would appear, flickering and brightening his mind with unprecedented liveliness and agility!

—Taoist books, [Baiyang Temple], Master Yunfu, the college years from arrogance to shattered self-esteem, the 30,000 yuan on the desk in the dormitory, that disheartened moonlit night, being teased and ridiculed by classmates in junior and senior high school, standing quietly by the side as a child holding a ritual implement while watching the old Taoist priest perform a ritual...

All sorts of past events, transformed into scenes from memories, surged into my mind, and all these past events were connected by one thing throughout.

—"Xuanzhen!"

"Sigh... Xuanzhen!"

"We, the Xuanzhen School, cultivate our true nature..."

"Xuanzhen is the true successor of the Xuanmen sect..."

Accompanied by a faint, lingering fragrance, the flickering images and the old Taoist's distinct, aged voice pieced together in Jiang Songjing's mind, only to scatter into countless fragments. Finally, all other scenes vanished like smoke, leaving only the image of the old Taoist's dying moments—

"...I have cultivated the profound truth my whole life...and maintained my integrity...but at the end, I still did something that violated the teachings of the patriarchs and brought shame to the Baiyang Temple."

"Xuanzhen... is wrong."

"...Master!"

Jiang Songjing felt as if he had returned to the moment when he witnessed the passing of the old Taoist Yunfu. The words that had been accumulating in his mouth poured out along with the boiling emotions in his chest, causing him to cry uncontrollably, just like back then!

"Master, you've cultivated a false nature your whole life... yet you've also been a true cultivator your whole life!"