Dao Equaling the Heavens

Boom!

Suddenly, a thunderous sound from nowhere erupted within the Wang residence, startling everyone to look up. A giant cloud of dust inexplicably rose, and debris began pummeling the rooftops.

Zhao Feng stood outside the courtyard as a black shadow sped past him with incredible speed. The wild wind tousled his hair, and immediately after, a loud boom resonated in his ears, causing his eardrums to ache painfully.

He instinctively closed his eyes and then heard the sound of someone coughing up blood.

"Kid, if you don't want to die...run."

A donkey was embedded in the wall, with a spiderweb of cracks spreading out from it.

Zhao Feng was thoroughly stunned, remaining still. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew away the dust, revealing a figure in plain white who stepped forward lightly, each step seeming as heavy as that of a giant.

"Protect His Majesty! Protect His Majesty!"

A shrill cry echoed; the eunuch Feng Xiang proved his loyalty by positioning himself in front of Zhao Feng.

Yu Hua didn't bother looking at them until the cry drew her attention, reminding her that it was this eunuch who had usurped someone's opportunity earlier.

She raised her hand and pointed, releasing an invisible sword. A head fell to the ground.

Blood splattered before Zhao Feng's eyes, blooming like a macabre flower and staining half of his body as he fell to the ground with a thud, his trousers dampened.

Yu Hua didn't even glance at him. By that time, the old donkey had already stood up, its fur starting to turn white as specks of spirit light radiated from it, and its form underwent slight transformations.

"I am Qingcang, and even I do not have to respect the mandates of Heaven."

The old donkey looked at the figure of Yu Hua in front of him. To the ordinary eye, nothing was amiss, but to him, she appeared like a colossal dharma form.

All living beings lay beneath her feet, her shoulders were flanked by mountains, and she looked down upon the world, shoulder to shoulder with the bright moon.

There was once a Daoist in this world who could support the heavens and the earth, unmatched by anyone. His name was He Who Supports the Heavens.

Afterward, He died, leaving only a small temple on the Three Pure Mountain, leaving the world to wonder if His return was possible. Only a heritage was known to be passed down, hence emerged a Taoist Heavenly Girl, placed at the top of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion's hierarchy by destiny.

"It seems that He truly hasn't died. Girl, what do you intend to do?"

"The strong are respected. How much you heed my words depends on how much power I possess."

Yu Hua's voice was ethereal, her thoughts unavoidably entering one's ears, and any previous contempt faded away.

"The matter of the treasure ship, I shall personally enter the palace and negotiate with the Emperor of the Zhao family."

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

The imperial palace, with its red walls and glazed tiles, was now scattering with guards, one after another, unconscious but not dead.

Yu Hua looked up and her spiritual eyes perceived a dragon as massive as a mountain range, sprawled above the Three Palaces and Six Courtyards.

Its golden scales reflecting the blazing sun, its divine form shrouded the populace, and a mere breath from it could sweep across the realm.

To embody Heaven and Earth, that is the fortune of the dynasty.

Dragon.

Yu Hua walked into the deserted great hall, where a Daoist in yellow robes sat in front of a huge pill furnace, his back to her.

"Lord Emperor, I need to borrow one of your treasure ships."

Her voice was calm as she flicked a copper coin onto the furnace with a clink.

"That's your compensation."

And the other simply nodded his head slightly.

"The Sanqing Taoist Sect truly has produced a Heavenly Girl."

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

In the dead of night, the door creaked open silently as moonlight squeezed through the gap and crept into the room.

Gu Wen opened his eyes to find his hand already clutching the dagger hidden beneath his pillow. The sight of the ethereal white silhouette in the moonlight appeared dreamlike, like a fairy from the wide cold Palace, forever untainted by dust and all the more striking for its lack of adornment.

What truly caught his attention was that her aura seemed different from before, indescribable yet unmistakably altered.

Gu Wen put down the dagger, and Yu Hua, with a slight tilt of her head, asked, "Do you always live so cautiously?"

"One should not harbor ill intentions, but it is necessary to guard against them," he replied.

Yu Hua paused, reflecting on his words. Then she nodded in acknowledgement, "Your saying makes sense. The Cultivation World debates endlessly between goodwill and ill will, but your words surpass those of most."

Gu Wen rose to light a lamp and asked, "What brings the immortal here tonight?"

"Same as usual, teaching you cultivation," Yu Hua responded without hesitation. "You've already acquired external cultivation and inner method. I assumed it would take a long time to assimilate, so I gave you few cultivation techniques. Once I leave Bianjing, you'll have no idea where to find new ones, and I can't be sure the techniques you find won't be harmful."

"Accidentally practicing an evil skill could damage your foundations and bring calamity."

Grasping her implication, Gu Wen asked, "Is the immortal leaving Bianjing?"

"Perhaps. Fate is uncertain, and I do not know where I will go."

Yu Hua shook her head, then suddenly covered her mouth as a violent cough erupted. Her form wavered, but thankfully, Gu Wen was there to steady her, preventing her from falling.

Gu Wen helped the person onto a chair and then poured a cup of water for them. After a while, Yu Hua gradually calmed down.

"Is the immortal injured?"

"Just some minor injuries. I'll pass on the cultivation technique to you first."

Yu Hua reached out and grabbed Gu Wen's right hand. As she spoke, streams of Divine Thought flowed into his Qi Sea, and two cultivation techniques appeared before his eyes.

"Moonset Step" and "Spiritual Jade Body Protection Skill"

Both were Qi Cultivation Stage techniques, and were considered half martial arts and half spell, fundamentally utilizing the framework of martial arts, based on the physical body, with the aid of mana for effects hard to achieve through martial arts alone.

"Movement techniques and body protection spells are essential techniques. However, the laws of Daqian are obscure, and escape skills and body protection Daoist Skills that consume lots of mana are not suitable, cough cough cough..."

Yu Hua coughed twice more, but Gu Wen didn't focus on the cultivation techniques and softly said instead, "Immortal, your body is unwell. Perhaps you should rest for a while today."

He could sense that something had happened to Yu Hua, but since she was unwilling to talk about it, Gu Wen refrained from asking further. However, at the very least, he felt he should offer basic advice and concern. Otherwise, it would be too cold-hearted—Gu Wen was profit-minded, but he was not an animal.

Yu Hua's heart warmed, and she was taken aback by the concern shown by Gu Wen, who himself was standing on the edge of a cliff.

She said, "Practice the movement technique often, but the Spiritual Jade Body Protection Skill is an inner method that's easy to learn. I'll pass on the mnemonic to you before we talk about cultivation."

"If I learn it, will the immortal rest?"

"Of course."

Gu Wen sat cross-legged on the floor, and Yu Hua lightly touched various acupoints along his meridians with her fingertips, guiding his circulation of qi.

Although he had entered meditation, coughing sounds still intermittently reached his ears.

The Spiritual Jade Body Protection Skill was an internal refining technique. The First Level involved condensing a cluster of True Qi at the chest to protect the internal organs. The Second Level allowed Qi to enter the bones and muscles, making them as hard as iron.

There were only two levels, similar to hard qi skills.

Good stuff!

Gu Wen couldn't help but admire it. He now had a Spiritual Treasure for protection, but the essence of his body was still mortal. If his organs were truly pierced, with the current medical conditions, death was certain.

Means of preserving one's life could never be too many.

Yu Hua repeated the mnemonic once more and said, "Begin."

With a year's worth of Heavenly Marrow surging and refining Spirit Jade, he reached the Second Level in an instant.

Gu Wen opened his eyes and said, "I have successfully cultivated it. Can the immortal rest for a while?"

Yu Hua blinked in confusion.

Though the Spiritual Jade Body Protection Skill was not a profound cultivation technique, and it didn't require a specific realm—only the replication of its effects according to the mnemonic spell—the quality of its effect entirely depended on the practitioner's proficiency.

Such simple and profound techniques had always been popular among cultivators and had become one of the essential techniques taught to young disciples of major sects.

Doesn't talent need to make sense?

Yu Hua wanted to say more but was already being pressed down into the chair by Gu Wen, who said, "Immortal, let's not talk about cultivation tonight. I won't ask further, but please do take care of your health."

She remained silent for a moment then asked, "Do you have any food here?"

"Just a moment."

Gu Wen left the room, and about an hour later, he returned with a food box, from which he took out a bowl of shrimp rice soup.

"Life at the residence is not as good as at the restaurant, sorry for the delay."

Yu Hua touched the porcelain bowl, felt it was hot, and retracted her hand. Seeing her struggle, Gu Wen took it upon himself to demonstrate the correct way to hold it. As she held the protruding base, she couldn't help but exclaim, "This is marvelous."

Considering her special status, Gu Wen merely tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Yu Hua finished the bowl of shrimp rice soup without a hitch, and Gu Wen took care of the cleanup. Suddenly, he heard her ask, "Have you ever had disputes with others in business?"

"Yes."

"How major were they?"

"I killed him."

Gu Wen said casually, as if making small talk, "The ultimate business tactic is always physical destruction—the debts are cleared when a person dies. Fellow Daoist from a major sect might not face this often, but if you have conflicts with others, fists are always the best way to make sense."

Yu Hua fell silent again, and just as Gu Wen was about to take the food box and go out, she asked, "What if it involves an elder?"

"Just beat them up, some people just need a beating. Give them a break just because they're older."

Gu Wen's response was unexpected and made Yu Hua freeze, it was somewhat defiant against the Confucian society that valued filial piety.

"I don't know about the Immortal Sect, but among mortals, it's inevitable that the elders will bully and belittle the younger ones. Fellow Daoist, do you know that young people can avoid being educated by sticks and fists only if they beat their own fathers, or let their fathers know that they could possibly be beaten?"

"You are part of a family, too, and rightfully should have the power to choose your direction—the strongest lead. The Immortal Sect doesn't pass down righteousness by lineage, does it?"

"Of course not."

Yu Hua couldn't help but chuckle softly, a sound she usually did not care much for, but she always found herself amused by his odd and quirky justifications.

At the same time, her mood gradually eased.

Is the growth of the young all about beating their elders?