Yu Ziyu bypassed the back mountain and continued along the rugged stone path. After walking for a whole morning, she finally arrived at her destination, a dilapidated Taoist temple—Toutian Xuanguan.
Pushing open the walnut wood door that reeked of decay, one enters the front courtyard of the temple. A woman around thirty years old, dressed in a dark red Taoist robe, stands with her back to the gate, holding a whisk.
Yu Ziyu walked behind the Taoist priest, knelt down and bowed: “Disciple Yu Ziyu pays respects to the Ancestral Master!”
Ling Xuzi turned around leisurely and asked, “What are you doing up the mountain?”
“Grandmaster, I have recently encountered a problem in my cultivation, and I am very puzzled by it. I have come up the mountain to ask you for some guidance.” Yu Ziyu knelt on the rough floor, clasped her hands above her head, and said respectfully.
Lingxuzi gently waved her whisk: “Oh, tell me in detail, and let your master answer your questions.”
Yu Ziyu said, “Grandmaster, in recent days some people have been saying that there are no demons or immortals in the world. All cultivation methods are just tricks. They say that I don’t have the ability to see ghosts and demons, and that my ability to see them is just a hallucination caused by hysteria.”
Ling Xuzi gritted her teeth inwardly: “Which wretch told you this?”
“My parents, my eldest sister, and my second brother all said the same thing. They even wanted me to take medicine to treat my hysteria, but I secretly threw all the medicine away. Also, my fiancé from beyond the Great Wall, Li Jiyan, said the same thing.”
Lingxuzi closed her eyes and meditated for a long time.
Then she replied: “Cultivating the Tao is not easy, and being misunderstood by the world is common. You must hold fast to your original intention and not let those idle words disturb your Tao heart. Remember, you are the only one who is sober when everyone else is drunk. You are exceptionally talented, and as long as you cultivate diligently, attaining the Tao and becoming an immortal is only a matter of time.”
Yu Ziyu was still feeling uneasy. No one understood her, which made her start to waver.
”Grandmaster, my mind has been wavering lately. Please tell me where the immortals are! Only when I see their true forms can I cultivate in peace.”
”this……”
Ling Xuzi looked embarrassed, raised her hand and coughed twice under the cover of her wide sleeves, saying evasively, “Your cultivation is still shallow, how can you see the true face of an immortal? Focusing on cultivation is the right path, you must not be overly ambitious.”
”This disciple’s cultivation is still shallow, but the Ancestral Master’s power is profound, and she will surely be able to see the immortals. I beg the Ancestral Master to take this disciple to see the immortals, to fulfill this disciple’s wish, and so that this disciple can cultivate in peace!”
After speaking, Yu Ziyu kowtowed deeply.
Lingxuzi was caught in a dilemma. She looked around for a long time before finally replying, “Very well, since you are so sincere, I will give it a try.”
Having received her master’s permission, Yu Ziyu was overjoyed.
She kowtowed again with utmost sincerity: “Thank you, Ancestor! When Ziyu attains immortality in the future, I will definitely take Ancestor with me to ascend to heaven and enjoy ultimate bliss!”
”Please wait here while I prepare.”
Ling Xuzi held a whisk in her left hand and made a sword incantation with her right, then strode towards the dining hall with the speed of the wind. Upon entering the dining hall, she put down the whisk and paced back and forth, pondering how to deal with Yu Ziyu.
A moment later, Lingxuzi had a flash of inspiration.
She went to the alchemy room, first burning rice straw to make wood ash. After the wood ash cooled, she put it in a cloth bag. Then she poured the wood ash onto a clean gauze in a steamer, poured water on it, and thus filtered out the lye water.
Lingxuzi spent many years refining elixirs, but she failed to produce any immortal pills. However, she did discover many wondrous phenomena from the process. For example, alkaline water turns red when it meets turmeric juice, and cyanide turns into copper when it comes into contact with iron.
Although it is unknown how these phenomena actually occur, they can certainly fool people and swindle money.
It’s especially effective at fooling someone like Yu Ziyu who’s mentally unstable.
She was fiddling with turmeric juice in the alchemy room when Yu Ziyu’s head suddenly appeared at the back window and asked, “Grandmaster, are you ready? When will you take me to see the immortals?”
Ling Xuzi was startled and broke out in a cold sweat. She turned around and shouted, “It’s almost time! What are you doing leaning against the window? Don’t peek at me. It would be bad if you angered the immortal.”
”Oh, then hurry up.”
”I know, I know, stop arguing, you’re going to drive away even the immortals.”
Yu Ziyu climbed down from the windowsill, returned to the front courtyard of the Taoist temple, and jumped onto the millstone in the center of the courtyard to meditate.
She silently recited the Mind-Cleansing Mantra taught to her by Lingxuzi: “All things are in motion, but I alone am pure and still. Neither foolish nor mad, one cannot become an immortal. In the eternal cold night, mind and spirit are one…”
Lingxuzi found some ginger, put it in a mortar and pestle, and vigorously pounded it. She then wrapped the ginger powder in gauze, squeezed out the turmeric juice, and collected a small bottle of the liquid.
Find some yellow talisman paper, dip a brush in alkaline water, and draw a portrait of Laozi on the paper. After it dries, there is no trace left on the yellow talisman paper.
She carefully folded the yellow talisman paper and tucked the medicine containing turmeric juice into her bosom. Holding a whisk, she left the alchemy room and went to the center of the front courtyard.
She said to Yu Ziyu, who was still meditating, “Ziyu, let’s go. I just spoke with Laozi in secret and asked him to appear in your presence and open your eyes.”
Yu Ziyu beamed with joy, leaped down from the millstone, and bowed respectfully: “Thank you, Ancestral Master! Where is Laozi?”
”Come with me.”
Lingxuzi led Yu Ziyu away from the Taoist temple and walked up the mountain until they reached the summit. She had Yu Ziyu sit cross-legged on a large granite slab.
”Ziyu, when you see the true face of Laozi later, you must not shout or yell, but bow down and worship, do you understand?”
Yu Ziyu raised her right hand in a sword gesture: “Yes, the disciple has remembered.”
Ling Xuzi took out a yellow talisman from her robes and, with lightning speed, stuck it to the tree trunk in front of her. She put down her whisk, stretched out her hands, palms facing upwards, and formed the Seven-Petal Lotus Hand Seal.
She shouted in a majestic voice: “Laojun, display your great power! Open the road for joyous occasions by eight feet, and for funerals by seven feet! I beseech the Six Lords of the Southern Dipper and the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper to quickly manifest their power, so that Laojun may ride the clouds and mist on the immortal path!”
After saying that, she took out a medicine bottle containing turmeric juice and sprinkled the turmeric juice on the yellow talisman paper.
When the alkaline water and turmeric juice on the yellow talisman paper meet, they quickly turn red. The original image of Laozi drawn on the paper gradually appears.
Ling Xuzi smiled smugly, raised her chin and said to Yu Ziyu, “Disciple, look, this is the true face of the Supreme Lord Laozi. Hurry up and kowtow.”
Yu Ziyu quickly got off the rock and knelt down neatly before the yellow talisman: “Disciple Yu Ziyu pays respects to the Supreme Lord Laozi!”
She turned her head to look at Ling Xuzi, and then said, “Grandmaster, why don’t you kneel when you see Laozi?”
”Oh, I guess I’ll have to kneel.”
Ling Xuzi wiped away her cold sweat and knelt beside Yu Ziyu, saying solemnly, “My disciple Yu Ziyu is exceptionally talented, a genius in cultivation, a true dragon among dragons. Please, Lord Laozi, bestow your blessings upon her, so that Ziyu may attain immortality as soon as possible!”
Hearing Ling Xuzi’s words, Yu Ziyu was overjoyed. She secretly resolved that since her ancestral master was so considerate of her, she would definitely take her with her when she attained immortality!
After finishing her prayers, Lingxuzi put away the yellow talisman paper, folded it neatly, and placed it in her bosom.
”Ziyu, you’ve seen a deity today, so you can focus on your cultivation from now on?”
Yu Ziyu stood up, pursed her lips, and said, “I couldn’t see it very clearly; it felt too ethereal. Does the Ancestral Master have any other way to take me to the immortals and have a conversation with them?”
”Ahem, ahem, don’t be too ambitious. Laozi is only showing himself on this yellow talisman because you have the ability to see spirits. Others can’t even see it on this talisman. You should cultivate diligently, and once your skills have improved, I will take you to find other immortals so you can see as many as you like.”
Yu Ziyu cupped her hands and said, “Thank you, Ancestral Master.”
The master and her apprentice descended the mountain again.
After witnessing this, Yu Ziyu’s wavering Dao heart, which had been wavering these past few days, was finally settled.
Back at the Taoist temple, Lingxuzi cooked a meal and ate with Yu Ziyu.
During the meal.
Yu Ziyu said, “Grandmaster, I have recently gained some insights from studying the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic. I feel that cultivating the Tao requires both cultivating the mind and the body. Cultivating the body should focus on the balance of Yin and Yang between men and women. Therefore, I would like to try having sex with a man.”
Lingxuzi chuckled twice, then composed herself.
”That’s acceptable. All things carry yin and embrace yang, and harmony is achieved through the interaction of these energies. Ziyu is growing up now, and it’s time for her to experience the pleasures of the bedroom. However, have you found a suitable candidate?”
Yu Ziyu: “Hmm. That general Li Jiyan from beyond the Great Wall is quite handsome. However, he is of poor character and doesn’t listen to me. I’ve been studying husband-taming techniques recently, thinking of disciplining him properly.”
Lingxuzi also couldn’t figure out what the art of controlling one’s husband was.
However, she nodded in agreement and said, “Alright, it’s always the hardest part to get started. The art of controlling a husband is profound and difficult to understand in a day or two. You’ll have to figure it out on your own.”
”good.”
Then, Yu Ziyu asked what exactly the Dao was, what the inner elixir was, and what the Daoist escape techniques were.
Ling Xuzi couldn’t answer for a moment, so she put on a perfunctory expression and said, “Cultivation requires one to think and understand on one’s own. You ask your master about everything. Do you expect your master to help you cultivate to immortality?”
Yu Ziyu put down her chopsticks and bowl: “This disciple did not mean that. Please calm down, Ancestral Master.”
Ling Xuzi stroked Yu Ziyu’s long, black hair and sighed, “Alright, alright, your cultivation is not enough, so I won’t blame you. After you finish eating, go down the mountain and go back to cultivate properly.”
”Yes, Ancestral Master.”
Before leaving, Ling Xuzi handed her a bottle of pills.
”Ziyu, this medicine is a contraceptive pill for men. If you want to have sex with a man, you must first have him take this medicine before you can have sex. Do not get pregnant, so as not to delay your cultivation and disturb your Dao heart.”
Yu Ziyu was unaware that such a miraculous medicine existed, and happily accepted it, saying, “Thank you, Ancestral Master.”
Ling Xuzi continued, “You must use the art of Yin and Yang to regulate your body and mind, and you must find a man who suits your heart. You cannot compromise on either his character or his physical condition.”
Yu Ziyu bowed deeply: “Understood, Ancestral Master.”
Just as she was about to turn and leave, Ling Xuzi coughed lightly behind her again: “Ziyu, have you… forgotten something?”
Yu Ziyu then remembered and took out her wallet from her waist, handing a bag of loose silver to Ling Xuzi: “Grandmaster, this is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it.”
Ling Xuzi held the money pouch in her hand, weighed it a few times, and then reached out to wipe the fine sweat from her forehead with loving eyes: “Well, let’s go down the mountain. If there’s anything you don’t understand, come back up the mountain to find your master.”
”yes.”
Yu Ziyu carried a long sword on her back and gripped the curved knife at her waist. She walked along the stone path with practiced ease and left Jueyin Mountain.
As the sun set, she finally returned to the capital.
She went straight to the general’s mansion where Li Jiyan was.
Since the matriarch said that one should find a man to share a bed with, one must find someone whose body and character are compatible with one’s own. Li Jiyan’s appearance is pleasing to her eye, but she doesn’t know about his health. She needs to examine him thoroughly before deciding whether or not to marry Li Jiyan.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the General’s Mansion, she cut to the chase and said to the guards at the gate, “I am Yu Ziyu, the third young lady of the Yu family. I am currently discussing marriage with your General. I have urgent business with him. Please go and inform him.”
”Yes, Miss Yu.” The guard quickly turned and entered the mansion.
A moment later, a guard came out to greet her and said that Li Jiyan was waiting for her inside.
Yu Ziyu, carrying her sword, followed the guards into the mansion and soon arrived at Li Jiyan’s bedroom. The guards gently knocked on the door: “General, Miss Yu has arrived.”
A deep male voice came from inside the room: “Come in.”
The guard pushed open the door and leaned down to Yu Ziyu, saying, “Miss Yu, you may go in now.”
Yu Ziyu stepped inside, but quickly closed the door behind her as soon as she entered, looking at Li Jiyan sitting at the tea table.
He was dressed in casual clothes today, and the white robe with gold trim made his tall and slender figure look extremely handsome. His large hands were covered with a thin layer of calluses, and the prominent veins on the back of his hands showed his strong strength.
”What do you want?” Li Jiyan picked up the white jade teacup and began to savor tea like the dashing young men of the capital.
Yu Ziyu stood in front of him, her expression serious: “Li Jiyan, do you really like me and want to marry me?”
”Um.”
Yu Ziyu scrutinized him, not missing an inch, from his handsome face to his tall and muscular physique, and said, “Since that’s the case, will you listen to me or not?”
”Listen.”
”Then take off your clothes and let me see.” Yu Ziyu was upright and incorruptible, like a righteous and honest official interrogating a criminal.
Li Jiyan put down his teacup, looked up at her, and asked, “After you take your clothes off, what are you going to do?”
”What business is it of yours what I want to do? I’ve told you countless times, I am a Taoist immortal, and I have my own reasons for doing things. Stop giving me this nonsense; you have no manners.”
Li Jiyan felt that Yu Ziyu’s actions and words were insulting and refused to comply.
Yu Ziyu thought about it and felt extremely annoyed. She was busy with countless affairs of state, including cultivating immortality and subduing demons. She was constantly running around. She still had to squeeze out time to discipline this despicable man.
This bastard not only doesn’t understand her, but he also acts so coy and fussy, making him dawdle and waste her time taking off his clothes.
”I have the ability to see ghosts; it’s a blessing you earned in your past life to be able to see your body. Since you won’t let me see, then we don’t need to get entangled anymore. A husband who is so disobedient and ignorant is better off without!”
After hurling insults, she turned to leave.