Chapter Eighty-Eight: The White Jade Capital in the Heavens

On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Cheng Xinzhan set down his brush, blew dry the paper, and completed yet another painting of the New Year’s Daoist Demon-Subduing Chart.

He had promised that every year he would replace the door painting for Lixi Village in the great mountains of Miao territory. Last year he had painted so many in Miao lands that the supply for this year was still enough; there was no need to make a special trip. But he would have to begin saving for the years ahead.

Compared with last year, his brushwork had not improved much, but the solar fire in the painting burned more fiercely than before. The old village chief would surely be even more pleased to see it.

Snow was falling heavily outside the cave, and for the moment he had no desire to go out. It was the perfect season to sort out the road ahead.

Back when he was still far from the Fire-Cleaving Manor, he had already begun thinking of the inner spirit of the Metal Residence, and had long favored the golden corpse, even planning to go northwest in search of corpses.

Yet human calculations could not outrun Heaven’s. By a twist of fate, in Qingzhou he witnessed the ascent of the Golden Qilin Corpse Immortal, and thus forged the inner spirit of the Qilin Golden Corpse.

But if he had not planned ahead, then when he first saw the Qilin corpse, he would not have taken such care over it, much less asked the Corpse Immortal that question: What is the nature of metal?

Now the inner spirit of his Metal Residence had already been established, and all that remained was to wait for the thunderous slurry to dissolve the true baleful qi of the Metal Residence so it could be opened. Thus it was time to plan the next organ.

Fire is born in the heavens, gold is refined within fire; only earth, wood, and water remained. He thought for a moment and found the next order strikingly clear.

Metal generates water, earth generates metal, and metal cuts wood. Unlike fire refining true gold, which is mutually restraining yet also mutually beneficial, metal has no real claim to strengthen wood. So by the sequence of the five phases, the next would be either water or earth.

Then, looking again at the heavenly stems divided by yin and yang, he was presently at Fire of Bing and Metal of Xin. By the order of yin and yang, the next should again be of yang nature—that is, Earth of Wu or Water of Ren.

But if he reversed the thought and looked instead at the Heart Residence of Bing Fire, then within the five phases water and fire answer to yin and yang, while among the five organs heart and kidneys form the two poles. Since the yang fire was already fixed, it ought to be yin water.

If it were Bing Fire followed by Ren Water, then yang would flourish and yin would wither, upsetting the balance of yin and yang. That would be improper.

Thus after Xin Metal there could only be Wu Earth, then Gui Water, and finally Jia Wood.

Moreover, the Spleen Residence was the third to be opened, which also corresponded to earth among the five phases.

And when Jia Wood at last turned back to nourish the force of Bing Fire, the cycle of the five phases would be complete. With yin and yang generating one another, the five residences would be settled, and the Vermilion Palace could be expected in due time.

Wu Earth.

Cheng Xinzhan wrote those two characters on a fresh sheet of white paper.

In the sequence of his opening of the residences, Wu Earth lay between Xin Metal and Gui Water. If embodied in a person, this was an extraordinarily noble destiny.

And in the Daoist canon, the Scripture of the True Essence of the Dripping Heavenly Marrow said: Wu Earth is solid and weighty, centered and upright. Still, it gathers; in motion, it opens, and all things are entrusted with life and fate.

Taken together, the match for Cheng Xinzhan’s Spleen Residence was a rich and noble mountain, centered and upright, weighty as a mutual grasp upon life and death.

At once a name arose in his heart.

Mount Tai.

Mount Tai had served through the ages as the mountain where emperors performed the sacrificial rites to Heaven and Earth; its dignity was beyond words, and as the foremost of the Five Sacred Mountains, it was naturally centered and weighty.

Mount Tai decides life and death, and faces the Eastern Sea, which also fit the aspect of Xin Metal and Gui Water standing beside it.

Thinking more carefully, Mount Lao would also do.

Mount Lao was the foremost immortal mountain near the sea, and also carried the legends of the ancestor of sea dragons and the lord of ten thousand ghosts. It too possessed the qualities of nobility, weight, life and death, and proximity to water.

What was interesting, however, was that both of these immortal mountains lay in the land of Qi and Lu.

And there were simply too many true immortals and divine beings connected to those two mountains. As for which one to choose as the inner spirit, that would require careful thought; it would not be too late to decide after visiting in person.

He now had some idea for the Spleen Residence. What still needed consideration was the Wind Mansion.

He had already practiced the Wind Method for nine months. Wind has no form or shape, and when he first began learning it, he had found it even more difficult than thunder.

The language of the Heavenly Constancy, Earthly Gentle, Human Spirit Manifesting Divine Primordial Scripture was obscure and difficult to grasp, and it set the tone of wind at an exceedingly high level.

The scripture said that in the heavens, wind is the astral gale; the movement of all clouds, stars, and constellations is driven by that gale, a force on the same level as the river of time.

The turning of stars, the shifting of mountains and seas, the greying of youth into white hair—all of it is but the astral gale having blown a thousand and ten thousand times.

In the earth, wind is the gentle wind; all circulation of spiritual power, all life and death qi, is driven by it. When the gentle wind blows, spiritual power flows. When it ceases, miasma and poison gather.

In the tiny cosmos of the human body, wind is called inner wind, and inner wind is even more elusive. The scripture said that the pulsing of the viscera, the flow of blood, the circulation of magic power through the small heavenly circuit, even the disturbance of one’s thoughts, can all give rise to wind. This wind is divided into proper wind and evil wind. When proper wind rises, the mind is clear, and the body is healthy and whole. When evil wind rises, one grows muddled and tormented, plagued by a hundred illnesses.

Honestly, he did not understand much of it at all, and could only take time to slowly comprehend it.

Compared with this metaphysical scripture, the more practical Secret Manual of Summoning Wind and Conveying Fortune was much easier for him to understand. By now, he could perform many wind techniques, and some spells and talismans came to his hand as if by instinct.

As for the Wind Mansion, the scripture also said that wind may be stored in every one of the hundred apertures of the body, but it gives pride of place to the ear apertures and the Wind Pool: the ear apertures store outer wind, the Wind Pool stores inner wind.

Compared with inner wind, outer wind was easier to fathom, so he intended to open the ear apertures first. As for the inner spirit of the ear apertures, however, he had no real clue.

As for the Twelve Storeyed Tower, he drank the morning mist with his first meal each day and the twilight glow with his evening drink; by now he had opened six of its levels, yet still had not chosen a suitable inner spirit.

Thinking of this, he let out a long, slow sigh. The road ahead was indeed long and arduous.

"Xinzhan!"

"Xinzhan!"

Someone was calling from outside the cave.

He poked his head out and saw that it was the trumpet vine planted by the cave entrance, originally set there by Brother Jihu.

Though snow was falling, the trumpet vine still bloomed as always, never withering through the seasons, some blue, some purple, some yellow.

Now Brother Jihu’s voice came from one of the blossoms.

"Xinzhan, are you there?"

"I am here! What is it, Brother Dao?"

Cheng Xinzhan called back.

"Come now to the Fishing Stone at the Eastern Heaven Dao. We’re going on a long trip."

Cheng Xinzhan was a little surprised. Why were they suddenly setting out? He asked, "Where to?"

Laughter came from within the trumpet vine. "I don’t know either. You’ll know once you come. Brother Miaoshu organized the gathering and said it was a place for amusement. Right—Miaoyuan wants you to bring Sister Three along. He says he misses her."

"All right!"

He agreed. Since it was a gathering arranged by Brother Miaoshu, it had to be the same group from their trip to Yellow Mountain. After they returned, the relationship among them had clearly grown much closer, and they often met in private to discuss the Dao.

And because Cheng Xinzhan cultivated in the Proper Origin Manor, he frequently went down from office with He Jiyuan, so He Jiyuan later joined them as well.

Light and shadow once again flowed over his body as Spirit-Alert and Dark-Essence returned to the bamboo form.

Brother Deng immediately noticed and turned his gaze toward the bamboo body. Sister Three could not see it and reacted a little more slowly, only realizing what had happened when the hand stroking her suddenly went stiff.

He smiled. "This time, I’ll take you with me!"

With a meow, Sister Three leaped from the human body’s lap into the bamboo body’s arms. Brother Deng also began to wag his tail.

He cast a new illusion screen over them, and then set out.

Soon he arrived at the Fishing Stone of the Eastern Heaven Dao. Here a huge boulder jutted out into the sea of clouds, and atop it stood a low pine tree. From afar it looked like a fisherman in a bamboo rain hat and straw cloak casting a line, and that was how it got its name.

By now, Feng Jihu, He Jiyuan, and Wang Miaoyuan had all arrived.

As soon as Wang Miaoyuan saw Cheng Xinzhan, he immediately cried out, "Sister Three!"

Sister Three hid in her master’s embrace and pretended not to hear.

"Heh heh, Sister Three, look at this. Come quickly into my arms."

Wang Miaoyuan produced a handful of sweet grass. The fragrant smell instantly ruined Sister Three’s act, and she leaped from Cheng Xinzhan’s arms into Wang Miaoyuan’s, beginning to eat the grass.

Seizing the chance, Wang Miaoyuan hurriedly reached out, patting and rubbing her from left to right.

Very soon, Sister Three finished the sweet grass and leaped back into her master’s arms without a trace of attachment.

"Sister Three, oh Sister Three, your heart is made of stone!" Wang Miaoyuan wailed.

By this time, Sun Miaoshu, Xu Jishen, and Zhu Jianmo had also arrived.

"Miaoshu, where are we going?" Wang Miaoyuan asked, apparently as clueless as the rest.

"Just follow me for now. You’ll know when we get there," Sun Miaoshu said with a smile.

Then all six raised clouds together and flew straight up into the sky.

Zhu Jianmo drifted over to Cheng Xinzhan’s side.

"Little Daoist, have you heard?"

"Heard what?" Cheng Xinzhan was baffled.

Zhu Jianmo gave a mysterious smile. "I made a special inquiry. The emperor of our present dynasty has been plagued by illness for over ten years, and his health has grown worse year by year. Imperial physicians and alchemists have tried every prescription imaginable, but nothing worked. He hasn’t attended court in more than ten years. Yet after Senior Jin Mingzi ascended, the emperor’s illness suddenly and inexplicably vanished. The emperor thought it was the ancestors showing their power, so he ordered the imperial tombs to be restored and began devoting himself to governance. It seems he means to make up for all the court sessions he has missed over the past decade."

Hearing this, Cheng Xinzhan smiled. "That is a good thing for the common people."

Zhu Jianmo nodded, then said, "Little Daoist, have you never looked into your own origins...?"

He shook his head and said slowly:

"My father’s taboo name was Tingxian: the Ting of the court, the Xian of a worthy minister. He came from the Hanlin Academy, from a family of officials spanning many generations. My mother’s taboo name was Mingjun: the Ming of brightness, the Jun of a royal lord. She never told me her origins, but her surname was Zhu. As for me, I was named Yunqi—clouds and vapor, mist and haze, the free breath of drifting clouds."

Zhu Jianmo fell into thought.

"When I was young, the books my parents used to teach me my letters were Daoist texts, not the Confucian classics. When I grew older, they only taught me qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and never the eight-legged examination essays. I used to think they were simply weary of officialdom and of the whole business of ruler and subject, father and son. But after Senior Jin Mingzi exposed my identity that day, I naturally understood there was another reason."

"Before they left, my parents never told me the truth. They surely did not want me to know those things. Why should I trouble myself by seeking the matter out to the bitter end?"

Zhu Jianmo agreed and said that this was rare wisdom, and he also silently blamed himself for speaking out of turn.

The group flew over the Rainbow Sea, then over the Milk Sea, still continuing upward.

"Brother Dao, are we perhaps going to explore the end of the mountain-protecting array?" Xu Jishen asked with a smile.

To everyone’s surprise, Sun Miaoshu actually nodded. "Indeed."

Everyone was astonished. Feng Jihu then said, "The end of the mountain-protecting great array would probably be on the third heaven, wouldn’t it?"

Sun Miaoshu smiled. "We are going to the third heaven. The mountain-protecting array leads directly to the third heaven. It is, in any case, the easiest route for us to reach it. If we were outside the sect, we would still have to endure thunder and astral gales!"

"Oh!"

Xu Jishen cried out. "Miaoshu, you’ve broken into the second realm! You’re taking us to White Jade Capital, aren’t you?!"

At that, Sun Miaoshu laughed heartily. "Exactly. You’ve figured it out before I could tell you!"

At this, everyone congratulated him.

Cheng Xinzhan also offered congratulations, but he still did not understand, so he asked, "Brother Jishen, what does Brother Miaoshu breaking into the second realm have to do with us going to White Jade Capital? And what place is White Jade Capital?"

The others did not understand either, and all turned to Xu Jishen.

Xu Jishen explained, "The first heaven is the place where clouds, rain, thunder, and lightning are born. The second heaven is where astral gales rage. The third heaven has no rain and no wind; it is clear for ten thousand miles, with white clouds like snowy plains. White Jade Capital lies in the third heaven. And the third heaven is also a threshold: one must cross wind and thunder, and because it is so high up, an ordinary cloud-vehicle can no longer ascend. Only after breaking through the first realm and causing the five phases within the body to cycle unceasingly can one use the power of riding the wind to fly up."

"As for what White Jade Capital is... I’ve only been there once, and that was with my senior brother. You’ll see soon enough."

He kept them in suspense and refused to explain fully.

By now the sky was extremely cold. Cheng Xinzhan, being in a bamboo body, did not feel it much. Wang Miaoyuan, with his chest exposed, shivered in the cold but still gritted his teeth and endured. When Sun Miaoshu saw this, he activated his five-phase magic power and formed a bubble shimmering with multicolored brilliance to envelop them, and the others finally felt somewhat better.

Higher still, their cloud-vehicles slowed. Soon everyone simply withdrew their cloud rides and stood atop Sun Miaoshu’s protective barrier, their hearts growing ever more curious.

Only after passing through a thick layer of clouds that seemed to reach as high as the sky itself did their eyes suddenly open to a vast expanse. Here, indeed, the heavens stretched clear for thousands of miles; clouds lay beneath their feet, and above them there was neither wind nor cloud.

"Good thing we’re traveling inside the sect. It’s much more convenient. The last time I went up to White Jade Capital outside the mountain, I nearly drained myself of all my magic power. It scared me half to death."

Sun Miaoshu let out a breath of relief.

Then he led everyone farther east.

After flying for a while more through the boundless emptiness of the heavens, something different finally appeared before their eyes.

He Jiyuan rubbed his eyes, staring at the object that gradually enlarged in his vision. He said, with disbelief, "What is that?"

Cheng Xinzhan was stunned as well, staring at what lay before him, unsure whether it was an illusion or a mirage.

Was that... a city?

A city in the third heaven?

As they drew nearer, everyone finally confirmed that this was no illusion and no mirage. A city truly stood here.

It was built atop the clouds, five hundred li above the earth. Its walls were eighty feet high, and from afar one could make out the towers and eaves within, the broad streets filled with people coming and going. One could only wonder what sort of mighty force had made such a colossal city hover here.

"Is this the celestial realm?" Zhu Jianmo asked.

No one laughed at him. Cheng Xinzhan had had the same thought in his heart, and when Sun Miaoshu first came here, he had felt the same.

"White Jade Capital in the sky, twelve towers and five cities—this is one of the five cities, Peacock City in the southeast."

Sun Miaoshu murmured. This was his third visit, and it was still as breathtaking as the first.

Under Sun Miaoshu’s guidance, the group flew toward the nearest city gate.

"What exactly is White Jade Capital?" someone asked impatiently before they even entered the city.

Sun Miaoshu replied, "I haven’t been here many times either, so I can’t really explain it clearly. But I’ve heard it was built jointly by several of the wealthiest sects and clans in the cultivation world."

"When was that? Has it existed since ancient times?" Cheng Xinzhan asked.

Sun Miaoshu shook his head. "White Jade Capital was built during the Long-Fortune Dynasty. It is only four thousand years old."

"What is it used for, exactly?"

"To visit immortals, gather with friends, drink wine, listen to music, sing and dance, buy and sell, and spend money lavishly. It is a land of pleasure, a den where gold is burned away."

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