Yu Cheng Taoist took the bamboo slip.
After tossing the slip, Elder Wu cupped his fist toward Yu Cheng Taoist. "Fellow Daoists, I hope we'll have the chance to brew tea and discuss the Dao again in the future!" With that, he turned and left without a second glance.
The master and disciple, Wang Ping and Yu Cheng Taoist, watched Elder Wu's retreating figure until he vanished from sight.
"It's the Mountain Suppressing Technique of the Earth Cave Sect," Yu Cheng Taoist said, handing the bamboo slip to Wang Ping.
Wang Ping took the slip. Just as he was about to examine it, the densely packed characters on it flashed with an earthen-yellow light. In the blink of an eye, the light shot into the space between his eyebrows. The slumbering Yu Lian, coiled around Wang Ping's left arm, suddenly opened her eyes. She glanced around in confusion, but finding nothing amiss, she returned to his wrist and went back to sleep.
As the earthen-yellow light entered the space between his brows, a memory of the Mountain Suppressing Technique was etched into his Spirit Sea. Yu Cheng Taoist, standing beside him, warned, "In the future, when you're out and about, don't carelessly inspect the belongings of other Cultivators. It's an easy way to fall into a trap."
"Yes, Master!"
Wang Ping snapped out of his excitement over the new magic, breaking into a cold sweat. 'If Elder Wu had meant to harm me and carved some crazed memories into the slip, I might have gone insane just now.'
"Take your time to comprehend the Mountain Suppressing Technique. It is a Mystic Sect Orthodox Technique, perfect for suppressing demonic creatures." After saying this, Yu Cheng Taoist turned and walked toward his room.
Wang Ping stepped back and sat on the stone stool. He carefully tucked the bamboo slip inside his robes and called up the memory of the Mountain Suppressing Technique. As expected, a new status panel appeared:
[Mountain Suppressing Technique: A Mystic Sect Orthodox Technique that mobilizes the power of the Earth Vein to suppress all things. Requires a mark from the Earth Vein Spirit to be used. You have been marked by the Earth Vein Spirit. This magic requires no practice; you only need to think of it while setting a Casting Hand Technique.]
[Note: At your current level, you can only cast this technique twice per day.]
The information in this walkthrough was a lot to take in. However, Wang Ping currently knew very little about this world, so it was pointless to overthink it. After a moment of thought, he put his index and middle fingers together, pointed at an empty patch of ground outside the courtyard gate, and uttered a single command: "Suppress!"
A sharp crack echoed where Wang Ping pointed. A wave of air materialized from above, slamming down and blasting a shallow pit over ten feet in diameter into the ground.
'It's that simple?' he thought, subconsciously taking out the bamboo slip Elder Wu had given him.
CRACK.
A fissure appeared down the middle of the bamboo slip. Before Wang Ping could react, it split in two. With a faint sound, it crumbled into a pile of splinters.
Wang Ping's brow furrowed as questions flooded his mind. Just as he was about to get bogged down in his spiraling thoughts, a slight sting on his left thumb jolted him back to his senses. He looked down to see Yu Lian gently nibbling his finger.
"What are you doing?" Yu Lian's voice echoed in Wang Ping's Spirit Sea.
"Nothing."
Wang Ping stood up, gathered the shattered bamboo splinters, and tossed them into a nearby brazier. He then walked out of the small courtyard to look at the pit he had created with the Mountain Suppressing Technique.
'If this magic were used on an ordinary person, they'd be instantly crushed into paste!'
A chill ran down Wang Ping's spine at the gruesome thought. Yu Lian, who had wrapped herself around his wrist again, gave him a curious look. Seeing that nothing was wrong, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
…
After Yu Cheng Taoist returned, Wang Ping's life fell back into its simple, monotonous routine.
「Three months passed in a flash.」
Last month, Liu Zixiu, who was responsible for the affairs of the front hall, submitted a proposal to Yu Cheng Taoist. He suggested formally dividing the Daoist Temple into a front hall and an Inner Sect, rather than letting the distinction remain purely nominal. Yu Cheng Taoist agreed without giving it much thought.
Three days ago, the temple was officially divided into a front hall and the Inner Sect. The front hall was put under the management of three Hanging Daoists who had agreed to join Qianmu Temple, and they became responsible for preaching and recruiting new disciples.
The Inner Sect, meanwhile, was to be completely dedicated to cultivation. Three Steward positions were created: one to manage the Daoist Temple's assets, one for internal affairs, and one for teaching and resolving disciples' questions.
Currently, the three Stewards were Li Tian'an, Liu Zixiu, and Mao Yulong themselves.
This winter seemed colder than the last, and many regions were hit by disasters. The Yongshan County Magistrate's Office didn't even dare to conscript labor during the agricultural off-season, fearing that pushing the people too hard would incite a riot.
During the agricultural slack season in winter, many people from the nearby villages flocked to Qianmu Temple. For the price of a single stick of incense, they could spend the entire day in a warm courtyard and sometimes even get a bowl of dried vegetable soup for lunch.
An official from the County Government had a notice board specially built in one of the temple's small courtyards and would occasionally post announcements. The most important notice this winter was that starting next year, planting wheat would be prohibited in the south. Instead, everyone was to switch to cultivating rice, with three harvests a year.
To that end, the Court had specifically issued a new almanac to guide the southern provinces on when to plant their rice crops.
The announcement sparked widespread discussion.
None of this had much to do with Wang Ping, who was dedicated to his Pure Cultivation. His Qi Cultivation had reached a critical stage, and he felt he could form his Qi Sea at any moment.
As the Lunar New Year approached, Yu Cheng Taoist told Wang Ping to pause his training and focus on calming his energy and cultivating his disposition.
Wang Ping followed his master's advice. Ever since his progress on the Qi Cultivation manual had reached (99/100), he'd found it impossible to quiet his mind during his sessions.
「The twenty-fifth of the twelfth lunar month.」
When Wang Ping woke up that morning, he felt a premonition and decided to perform a divination for himself.
As noon approached, the sound of heavy footsteps startled Wang Ping from his meditation. Yu Lian, who had now grown to about a foot long, also opened her eyes and poked her head out of his warm sleeve.
"What a strange smell!" she asked in his mind.
"It's the aroma of wine!"
Wang Ping rose and pushed open his door, looking out beyond the courtyard. His three senior brothers led the way, followed by Su Dun and Wang Kang. Behind them, several burly men carried a massive wine jar nearly six feet tall.
"Haha, Senior Brother, I'm here to make good on my promise!" Su Dun said, pointing to the vat behind him as if presenting a priceless treasure, a sly grin on his face.
"I did a divination this morning that foretold a happy event. So this is what it meant!" A smile spread across Wang Ping's face.
"Come on, my dad is keeping your master busy in the front hall. We're not leaving until we're all drunk tonight!" As Su Dun spoke, Wang Ping's three senior brothers pushed open the gate to his courtyard.
In the blink of an eye, the Stone Table was laden with food, most of it meat.
"I'm hungry..."
Yu Lian's voice echoed in Wang Ping's Spirit Sea. Her little head poked out from his sleeve again, though she didn't dare to emerge completely. Her cultivation was still shallow, and she was afraid of the cold.
Wang Ping picked up a piece of roasted lamb and offered it to Yu Lian, startling Su Dun, who was standing nearby. Of all things, he was most terrified of snakes.
Su Dun's gasp drew Yu Lian's attention. She deliberately flicked her forked tongue in his direction before saying in Wang Ping's Spirit Sea, "He's afraid of me. How interesting!"
"What is that thing..."
"Don't be alarmed. Her name is Yu Lian, and she's a Spirit Snake," Wang Ping explained to Su Dun.
"The legendary Spirit Snake that can tell good from evil?" Su Dun's eyes went wide with disbelief.
The three senior brothers, who knew the real story, all looked at Yu Lian with envy. Their gazes then shifted to the giant wine vat, and finally, Mao Yulong stood up to pour everyone a drink.