aircannonsinc Chapter 43 Heavenly Passage Man
Chapter 43 Heavenly Passage Man
At the entrance of the Lu Family Compound.
On the stage.
At this moment, the opera troupe hired by the Lu family had just finished performing "Heavenly Official Bestows Blessings," and they were now singing "Stealing Peaches and Stealing Elixir."
And watch from the stands.
As the drums and gongs began to beat, Sun Wukong somersaulted three times from backstage and landed steadily in the center of the stage.
He had a red face with gold eye circles painted on, and his dark eyes darted around.
One of them leaped onto the artificial hill, picked a peach, brought it to his nose to smell it, and began to sing, swaying his head.
"I'm so annoyed by the Queen Mother's poor work—she invited all those gods and immortals... but not me, Old Sun, to have a taste. If you won't invite me—I'll come myself! I'll eat my fill and be carefree..."
After singing, he ate the peach in two bites and casually tossed the pit behind him.
Then he picked up the wine jar with both hands, tilted his head back, and gulped it down.
As he drank, Sun Wukong staggered, his body swaying from side to side, his eyes half-open and half-closed, clearly intoxicated.
The actors' performance was actually quite brilliant, but most of the Lu family's guests had gone to watch the Celestial Master in the courtyard, so there were only one or two scattered audience members in the audience.
One of them was a tall, thin Taoist priest dressed in tattered clothes.
He glanced into the Lu family's courtyard and muttered something.
"It's a good thing I didn't go in with my master, otherwise it would have been such a hassle to greet each and every one of these people."
"But if I don't say a word, my master will definitely scold me."
"Hehe, luckily I'm smart. I just didn't go in. Let's watch the show!"
The Taoist priest turned back and looked at the stage.
He rested his chin on his hand, a flicker of interest in his eyes, then shook his head after watching for a while.
He noticed as soon as he arrived at the entrance of the Lu family compound that the person on the stage was not an ordinary actor, but a successor of the Wu Nuo sect.
Wunuo, also known as Changyou, is a type of witchcraft used to invoke spirits.
People of this school can communicate directly with legendary deities through song and dance, and even use their own lives to portray gods.
Finally, he acted until others believed him, and until he himself believed him, thus becoming a god through his own actions.
They can then draw upon the power of God.
At the same time, they will also steal people's worship power through unknown means, thereby generating a kind of power originating from faith.
Before descending the mountain, the Taoist priest was quite interested in this method that could borrow the power of gods and faith.
But now, after only a short while, he discovered several problems with this method.
First of all, although this witchcraft is ingenious, their power comes from their own will rather than their own life force.
No matter how well or realistically one acts, it has no effect on one's own spiritual practice.
Furthermore, because each performance of divine power consumes one's own life force, it also has side effects on cultivation.
Other sects all hone their skills to the point of immortality; while they may not become more powerful with age, they at least remain vigorous even in old age.
But this witchcraft is getting weaker and weaker.
The Taoist's assessment of this was...
It's not as good as a single Golden Light Mantra.
No wonder these things are called unorthodox or heretical practices.
After understanding the sorcery, the Taoist priest lost interest in watching the show. In addition, Zhang Jingqing had already gone into the inner room, and the courtyard became lively again.
He figured that going in now wouldn't attract attention.
So he flicked his sleeves, took a step, and prepared to sit in the yard.
But he had only taken a few steps when a young Taoist priest in a white robe suddenly appeared in front of him and called out to him.
"Excuse me, are you Master Zhang Zhiwei from the Celestial Master's Mansion?"
The Taoist priest was taken aback, then pointed to himself.
"Hey, you know me?"
Li Cunzhen looked at Zhang Zhiwei, who was half a head taller than him, and couldn't help but twitch his lips.
Lu Jin was a head shorter than him.
He was also half a head shorter than Zhang Zhiwei.
That is to say, Lu Jin could only reach Zhang Zhiwei's chest.
No wonder Lu Jin cried after being defeated in the original novel. These two standing together don't look like they're from the same generation at all!
Being bullied by the strong is something no one can tolerate!
However, despite his complaints, he still had the idea of getting to know Zhang Zhiwei.
Zhang Zhiwei, the 65th Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain.
His Taoist name is Tiantong Daoren.
He is the only character with the highest combat power in the original work, and he becomes invincible after the age of forty.
All those heroes, ten villains, and thirty-six thieves were utterly annihilated by him with a single slap.
Of course, Li Cunzhen didn't want to get to know him just because he was strong.
Rather, it's because this person is highly talented and has strong comprehension.
His cultivation beyond life and death has almost reached its peak.
Making friends with him, whether discussing philosophy or metaphysics, will be beneficial to one's own spiritual practice.
Besides that, there's also a curiosity about who's stronger between him and me.
In short, seven parts desire for enlightenment, two parts utilitarianism, and one part competitiveness.
Since these thoughts had already formed in his mind, and Li Cunzhen was honest and unwilling to deceive himself, he decided to put them aside.
So, although doing this might seem a bit strange.
But he still took the initiative to approach Zhang Zhiwei.
"Looks like I didn't mistake you for someone else."
Hearing Zhang Zhiwei's words, Li Cunzhen nodded and then asked, "Master Zhang, what do you think of this witchcraft?"
Zhang Zhiwei originally didn't want to pay any attention to Li Cunzhen.
Although he was surprised to be called by name by a stranger, he quickly realized what was happening.
Although he rarely goes down the mountain, he had fought with Li Jia from the Tang Clan before, so it's normal for outsiders to have heard of him.
Especially among peers.
After hearing about that incident, most people would probably feel the urge to challenge themselves.
Let's just exchange a few polite words. If we really had to fight them one by one, we'd exhaust ourselves.
Then, just as he had this thought, Li Cunzhen's words made him pause for a moment.
Zhang Zhiwei looked Li Cunzhen up and down.
At his age, to be able to tell that the person on stage is from the shamanistic tradition is quite remarkable.
And that white Taoist robe, it must belong to someone from the Sanyi Sect.
Thinking about this...
Zhang Zhiwei narrowed his eyes.
Zuo Ruotong, the leader of the Sanyi Sect, was as famous as his master.
Although he had never met Master Zuo, if someone of his generation were to come up who interested him, it was more likely that they would be a disciple of Master Zuo.
In addition, there's this keen eye.
interesting.
In my mind.
Zhang Zhiwei stopped walking towards the Lu family's courtyard.
He answered Li Cunzhen's question.
"To not cultivate one's own life force, but instead entrust one's power to ethereal gods and legends, is clever, but it is merely a heretical path."
Then he asked in return.
"Are you a fellow Daoist from the Sanyi Sect? And what about you? What are your thoughts on this witchcraft?"
Li Cunzhen nodded and cupped his hands in greeting.
"Sanyi Gate, Li Cunzhen."
Then he looked at the stage.
"My view is the same as yours, fellow Daoist: for those who cultivate the Dao, their own life is the most fundamental thing."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhiwei seemed somewhat disheartened.
While that's true, it only shows that Li Cunzhen is on the right path, not that he's particularly strong.
If that's all there is to it, he'll inevitably be disappointed.
But Li Cunzhen's next words gave him a pleasant surprise.
"However, I have a guess."
"If someone can mold their image into that of a god in the eyes of the world, then every move they make is an act of godhood. Not only will it not cost them their lives, but the power of faith can also directly bless them, without needing to rely on the gods."
"Perhaps there is a glimmer of hope for attaining enlightenment."
To regard oneself as a god, to play oneself.
Instead of relying on deities, they strengthen themselves through the power of faith.
Although it may sound like a fantasy, the person who came up with this idea must be extremely insightful!
This was the first time Zhang Zhiwei had been surprised by the words of his peers.
He was somewhat excited and gave a thumbs up.
"Fellow Daoist, what a thought!"
"Just rambling nonsense."
The two exchanged a glance, both sensing a strange aura emanating from the other.
It's hard to describe, yet it drew them to each other.
He was about to speak again.
Suddenly a voice came and spoke to Li Cunzhen.
"Brother, why are you outside? The banquet is about to start inside. If you don't come in soon, Lu Jin and I won't wait for you!"
At the same time, another voice rang out, its target Zhang Zhiwei.
"Senior Brother Zhiwei, stop watching the show! If you don't come in soon, Master will scold you again!"