Chapter Ninety-One: The Jade Tablet of Dao Arts

Second Green hesitated for a moment, then said to Wang Yuanfeng, “Young Master Wang, is your injury really all right? Why not let Little Green stay by your side? Her magic is not deep, but she is very quick, and you have lost your cultivation.”

Little Green also widened her eyes and looked at him; she, too, wanted to follow Wang Yuanfeng.

Wang Yuanfeng was about to agree, but then he thought better of it. Little Green’s fate was entangled with many of the stars and divine spirits within his Armillary Sphere, as well as with the ordained positions of heaven and earth. If she stayed at his side, and his own influence remained upon her, it would surely be difficult to draw out those star-spirits. After all, every person has his or her own karmic affinity; if one forces an interference, it may well have the opposite effect. He shook his head and said, “My injuries are already healed. I originally cultivated the sword path, and not having brought that path to its utmost perfection, I find it somewhat unwise to focus instead on alchemical methods.”

As he spoke, Wang Yuanfeng patted the sword at his waist and went on, “My swordsmanship is already quite good, and I can protect myself. There is no need for either of you to worry.”

Second Green thought it over and found that this was indeed so. Wang Yuanfeng had lost his cultivation, but his offensive power was greater than before; that much was plain to see. Moreover, he was a mysterious man, both bold and resourceful, and there was no need to worry on his account. So she said, “Then let us part here.”

Wang Yuanfeng was just about to offer his farewells when he suddenly remembered that he had promised to teach Little Green some spells. He then took a jade tablet from his robe and handed it to her, saying, “Little Green, I have also observed you. Though your nature is a little lacking, it is still passable. These are a few spells I fashioned overnight.”

The moment Little Green saw the jade tablet offered to her, her downcast spirits brightened at once. She reached out and took it, saying, “Brother Yuanfeng, what kind of spells are these? Why are they sealed inside this? Do I need to smash it open to look?”

As she asked, she turned the tablet over and over, unable to tell how she might see the spells hidden within. Even Second Green looked puzzled; she could not understand what purpose such a thing served, and her eyes on Wang Yuanfeng were full of questions.

Only then did Wang Yuanfeng realize that the method of imparting teachings through a jade tablet belonged only to sects of long standing, and even then only among human cultivators. Little Green and Second Green were both demons; they cultivated by instinct alone. Though demon lore spoke of bloodline inheritance, no one had ever truly witnessed it.

Innate gifts did exist, though many demonfolk might not even be able to develop them. Only those blessed with exceptional endowment had such powers: Little Green’s poisonous mist, the Fragrant Maiden’s scent, the Star Wolf’s divine form, the Golden Dog’s armor. Even Second Green, Zhang Xiangzi, and Zhang Sangu were rather ordinary in that respect, with nothing especially outstanding.

So Wang Yuanfeng explained, “This method is actually quite simple. One carves the spell into the jade tablet with talismanic script and seals it with prohibitions. It is generally used by celestial immortals who are about to ascend to the Immortal Realm, or by cultivators whose lifespan is running short. This is because, when they cannot find a suitable disciple in the mortal world to inherit their path, they leave their tradition in the jade tablet and abandon it among men. Only when a fitting disciple appears in later generations will the tablet reveal itself.”

“Ah.” Second Green nodded, finally understanding. After a moment’s thought, she said, “So that is why the Great Emperor of Mount Tai has never taken a disciple, yet from time to time disciples who have cultivated his arts appear in the mortal world. Is it the same principle?”

“Yes,” Wang Yuanfeng replied with a nod.

He did not think to say more. After all, they had both cultivated for many years, and their comprehension was not poor. Besides, there was no need for elaborate explanation; the ways of inheritance were manifold, and even Wang Yuanfeng knew only a little of them.

He had reason, too, to suspect that the Armillary Sphere’s origins were peculiar. Though it seemed to enjoy heaven’s timing, earth’s advantage, and human support, Wang Yuanfeng could not, no matter how he calculated, discern the crucial final step.

“Brother Yuanfeng, does that mean I must also have some method before I can open it?” Little Green had understood Wang Yuanfeng’s meaning as well. The Dao cannot be passed lightly; without testing, or without meeting the proper conditions, it is not taught.

Wang Yuanfeng glanced at her and said with a smile, “Of course. There must be conditions. Otherwise it certainly could not be opened.”

“Then how do I open it?” Little Green asked, still turning the jade tablet over and over.

Since it had come into her hands, she had tried many methods and thought of many more, yet she still could not see what lay within.

Wang Yuanfeng said, “Didn’t I already tell you that you must go out and take a walk in the mortal world?”

“Mm.” Little Green nodded. He had told her that the opportunity to attain the Dao required a journey through the mortal world, and she had already considered it and intended to do so.

“When you go into the mortal world, that will be your destined moment. At that time the jade tablet will give you a sign, and that will be the time to open it,” Wang Yuanfeng continued.

He had not intended to tell her this at first. In truth, she needed that chance; and moreover, this was also a kind of test. If Little Green studied it for a long while and still found nothing, then grew impatient, began to doubt, and threw the tablet away or destroyed it, she would lose this opportunity.

Only when her character reached a certain stage would she understand it. Otherwise she would never discover the secret at all. It was like already possessing a vast fortune, yet being unable to withdraw a single coin until the proper conditions were met.

After thinking it over, Little Green wrapped the jade tablet carefully and tucked it into her robe. She showed no impatience, nor did she cling to Wang Yuanfeng and demand the method of opening it.

Seeing this, Wang Yuanfeng quietly nodded to himself. He thought her reasonably sensible, with a good nature after all.

He mused inwardly, If she had pestered me for the opening method, then she would be nothing more than a snake demon. Even if she is female, she would still be only a pet, and could never become a companion on the path. I did not expect Little Green, for all her carefree appearance, to be so steady at a critical moment. She truly does understand what matters.

Watching Little Green and Second Green depart in the direction of Mysterious Lake, Wang Yuanfeng did not know whether their alliance would truly be secure.

Just after the two of them left, he took a look at their fortunes. Little Green’s had risen slightly, but Second Green’s had increased by a great deal.

He could analyze the reason well enough. When he had first met Second Green, her fortune had been depressed, tinged with ashen decline, and wrapped in threads of calamity qi. At a glance, she seemed fated to meet a great disaster, perhaps even death. But now her fortune was flourishing; after the bitter came the sweet.

Wang Yuanfeng guessed that, without him, Second Green would probably have died at Axe-and-Awl Mountain this time. Fragrant Maiden and Anyou Yu seemed, on the surface, to share a love story, but in truth it was a tragedy; the one who benefited was only Zhang Xiangzi.

The difficulty of cultivation lies in character. If one’s character is not sound, then cultivating the Dao is as hard as climbing to heaven. Wang Yuanfeng sighed once, then prepared to fly toward the mouth of Dongting Lake.

Then he suddenly thought of the tale of the White Snake. There was Little Green, a maid by fate; then what of her elder brother? If he were still alive, she would not have gone wandering to the region of Hangzhou, would she?

Wang Yuanfeng muttered to himself that this was bad. He had forgotten about it and failed to warn them. Perhaps, if not for him, that flood dragon would have died after all.

A flood dragon?

The very instant that thought arose, the Armillary Sphere reacted. The position of the Azure Dragon of the East, one of the ruling stars, suddenly blazed with light. A clear understanding rose in Wang Yuanfeng’s heart, and he sensed the direction at once: still toward the region governed by Dongting Lake.

“So Little Green’s elder brother has also come to Dongting Lake,” he thought. “He was probably involved in some mischief, but that makes him a little dangerous.”

Combining this with the matter of Little Green later becoming a maid, Wang Yuanfeng reasoned that if events unfolded according to their original course, that elder flood dragon might well perish this time. But now that he knew of it, there was a chance to spare him this calamity. And since that flood dragon corresponded with one of the positions within the East Azure Dragon of his Armillary Sphere, he could not allow him to die.

With his mind made up, Wang Yuanfeng fixed on the direction of Dongting Lake, circulated his sword qi, and rose into the air, skimming three feet above the ground as he flew toward the lake.