Heaven-Subduing Scripture

The Lady in Green’s gaze fixed on that gourd; she found she had still too low an estimate of this little Daoist.

To evade her spirit-sense, even shield her divine calculation — this gourd’s origin is surely no common thing.

Assuredly an immortal artifact — and not an ordinary one!

How could a mere early-Bigu cultivator come by an immortal artifact?

Know that even Longhu’s Celestial-Master-Dao supreme treasures, the Three-Wu Demon-Slaying Male-Female Sword and the Yangping-Zhi Du-Gong Seal, are but upper-grade spirit-treasures, not yet entered the rank of immortal artifacts.

An immortal artifact…

The Lady in Green gave a soft sigh; had she not held herself so high, and had Li Daoxuan not already been the Blue Netherworld Envoy, she might well have been unable to resist striking to seize it.

At the same time she knew that with an immortal artifact at his side, Li Daoxuan had already won this wager.

Li Daoxuan was now collecting karma-fire most happily; he naturally knew the saying ”the innocent man bears the guilt who keeps the jade” — but with danger at hand he could only gamble.

Fortunately the Lady in Green was, as his master said, true to her surface and within — a true immortal worthy of the name.

He collected karma-fire for a full half-hour; close to a tenth of the red lotuses in the pond were emptied before Li Daoxuan stopped.

”Lady, let us go to the Yellow Springs.”

The Lady in Green did not even look at him, but said flatly, ”This seat is weary; go yourself.”

So saying she stepped, lotuses bloomed, rosy light flashed, and her immortal trace was gone.

Leaving Li Daoxuan alone and forlorn by the pond, near to tears.

”How is it that, all of a sudden, she is angry…”

The Blue Netherworld was vast; with the phoenix jade pendant Li Daoxuan passed unhindered, and the ghost-officers along the way all clasped hands in salute, most respectful.

After an unknowable walk he at last came to the bank of the Yellow Springs.

Merely standing at the Yellow Springs’ edge sent a piercing cold at him; with Li Daoxuan’s cultivation he could not but shiver.

”I hear this is but a tributary of the Yellow Springs; the main flow is in the Hungry-Belly Ghost King’s Yellow-Springs Realm — no wonder it does not look so large.”

This river looked not big; its water was brown-yellow, somewhat like the waters of the Yellow River.

A half-hour later Li Daoxuan satisfied withdrew the Three-Realms Gourd.

The Yellow Springs’ water-level had visibly dropped some.

Li Daoxuan gazed toward Yanfu Mountain, where too was the Lady in Green’s bedchamber; she was surely there now.

He bowed in that direction.

”Lady, this poor Daoist must take leave; once gone, I know not what year or month I may meet the Lady again — thinking of it, this poor Daoist’s heart is most reluctant to part!”

A straightforward note: NovelPhoenix hosts the author’s posting, but this copy was taken without approval; the source chapter supports them.

A clear-cold voice sounded by Li Daoxuan’s ear, seeming to hold a trace of helplessness.

”What else do you want?”

Li Daoxuan heh-hehed, shameless. ”I hope the Lady will bestow on this poor Daoist some small thing, as a keepsake — need not be too precious; just that nectar, say ten jars… no, five jars will do!”

Yanfu Mountain trembled faintly, as if the Lady in Green’s rippling mood.

”Get out!”

Even the Lady in Green, of such good temper, was now angered by this rogue into uttering a vulgarity.

Li Daoxuan would have said more, but saw a divine light sweep past; the world spun before his eyes.

When he came to, wind stirred leaves about him, the woods were desolate, crows cawed, and before him stood rows of tombstones.

He had returned to the mortal world, appearing in a secluded graveyard within Yuzhang City.

As if all his experiences in the Blue Netherworld had been a dream.

Only when Li Daoxuan brushed the Three-Realms Gourd at his waist and felt the blazing karma-fire and the icy Yellow Springs within did he know it was no dream.

He took from his bosom the phoenix jade pendant, still bearing a faint fragrance — the scent of the Lady in Green.

”I have truly become the Blue Netherworld Envoy…”

Li Daoxuan was pensive; but a single night, and he felt as if a lifetime had passed.

In truth he was rather grateful to the Lady in Green; but for her valuation and tolerance, he could not have returned laden.

Sometimes he too wondered why the Lady in Green valued him so?

Merely because he thought up a way to punish a corrupt official?

”Enough — back to the Dacheng Temple.”

Li Daoxuan shook his head, put it from his mind, and worked the Shrinking-Earth to walk toward the Dacheng Temple.

…

The Blue Netherworld, Yanfu Mountain, the Lady in Green’s bedchamber.

She put away the divine light and revealed her peerless face, sitting before the bronze ancient mirror, pondering something.

The old woman behind her took off her golden lotus-crown and with a jade comb gently combed that silk-like dark hair.

”Young mistress — forgive this old one’s forwardness, but have you been too good to that Li Daoxuan?”

The old woman’s eyes held some puzzlement; she had followed the young mistress near a thousand years and knew her temper well.

The young mistress was kind, yet not without measure; compassionate, yet able to hold the line; with a bodhisattva’s heart she did not lack thunderbolt means — only thus had she stood firm a thousand years.

In the past the young mistress too had times of valuing talent — as with the Horse-Riding line’s old patriarch — but she had only bestowed slight favor, never indulged as today.

Were she not so well acquainted with the young mistress’s history, the old woman would even suspect Li Daoxuan was the young mistress’s kin reborn.

”Old woman — do you not find this Li Daoxuan rather interesting?”

A faint smile touched the Lady in Green’s lips. ”That unrestrained nature of his is the very image of that person.”

That person?

The old woman started. ”The Lady means Zhang Qianyang?”

The Lady in Green shook her head. ”Not Zhang Qianyang; Zhang Qianyang, though he acts wild, is still a little constrained before me.”

”Then whom does the Lady mean?”

The Lady in Green was silent.

The old woman knew the Lady would not say, and asked no more, but went on. ”Lady, why so special to Li Daoxuan?”

”To become the Blue Netherworld Envoy, one must pass three trials — testing character, potential, and adaptability. The first trial already began before they entered Yuzhang City, before the feast.”

”This pass, this old one transformed her form and appeared in the city, to test whether they had a compassionate heart; nine passed it.”

At this the old woman was utterly puzzled. ”But why only Li Daoxuan so special — you yourself became this old one’s form to test him, left the water-essence, and bade this old one cooperate at the feast, so he would not notice.”

The Lady in Green said flatly, ”He is, after all, Zhang Qianyang’s disciple; I wished to see for myself.”

The old woman asked again, ”But the karma-fire and Yellow Springs — how precious! And the Great Five-Elements Escape Art — you have not even taught little Que’er such!”

The Lady in Green remained calm. ”Lost the wager, one must keep one’s word.”

The old woman would have asked more, when the bronze ancient mirror suddenly showed misty vapor, faintly revealing a human figure.

”Old woman, I would be alone a while.”

The old woman looked oddly at the bronze ancient mirror; she knew someone was working a spell to reach the young mistress.

Lately the young mistress seemed to be in very frequent, very secret contact with someone, never allowing others present.

”Yes — then this old one takes leave!”

After the old woman left the bedchamber, the Lady in Green waved a hand and set a barrier, lest anyone spy; only then did she tap with her jade finger, the mirror’s mist dispersed, revealing a figure.