Chapter 28: Hearts Growing Restless, Monsters Dancing (Please bookmark, please vote monthly!)

“Layman Huang, what is there to regret?”

“There will be plenty of opportunities in the future!”

Thinking of Tian Ming'an's words, Huang Shiren hurried down the mountain and rushed back to the county town.

Tian Ming'an's words could not be dwelled upon; the more he thought about them, the more something felt wrong!

What did he mean by "plenty of opportunities in the future"?

Why was Jiang Sheng currently in quiet meditation to cultivate his sword?

Was he preparing to strike at the River God during the Great River God Sacrifice?!

Did that so-called "future" refer to the Great River God Sacrifice?!

After much deliberation, Huang Shiren reached a conclusion: Jiang Sheng was gathering his strength to summon a fire dragon during the Great River God Sacrifice to deal with the River God!

Water and fire are incompatible; Jiang Sheng's heart was truly sinister!

At this thought, Huang Shiren wished he could fly back to Qingshan County immediately to report to the River God. Seeing the sun rising higher, Huang Shiren grew restless in the carriage: "Faster! Move faster!"

"Master, if we go any faster, the carriage will become too bumpy. How will you endure it?" the driver advised.

Huang Shiren snapped angrily, "I say it is so, and so it shall be! Why haven't you sped up yet!"

Helpless, the driver lashed the whip, forcing the horses to gallop.

The steeds let out a long neigh in pain and raced down the road, the carriage jolting violently. Inside, Huang Shiren was tossed about so much he felt nauseous.

But thinking of the River God's grand plan, Huang Shiren endured it: "Damn driver, I told you to speed up, and this is how you treat me! Once we return to the county, I'll deal with you!"

Meanwhile, in the Qingxuan Temple.

After seeing Huang Shiren off, Tian Ming'an went to the rear hall.

Inside the rear hall of the Qingxuan Temple, Jiang Sheng was dressed in green robes, his hair tied casually in a Taoist bun, his posture as straight as bamboo.

With his left hand behind his back, Jiang Sheng held a brush in his right hand, dipping it in ink. As he swept the brush across the paper, the ink bled into the Xuan paper, forming a landscape painting.

"Master," Tian Ming'an called softly.

Jiang Sheng's brushstrokes did not falter, and his expression remained calm and indifferent. "Has he left?"

"Yes," Tian Ming'an replied.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Jiang Sheng's mouth. "In the depths of winter, coming up the mountain to burn incense and seek talismans... that Layman Huang is truly sincere."

Tian Ming'an recalled Huang Shiren's behavior. "Once that Master Huang entered the front hall and saw the portrait of the Ancestor, he was clearly filled with fear and guilt. After offering incense, he hurried out immediately."

"That portrait was brought from Penglai by your teacher. Although it possesses not even a ten-thousandth of the Ancestor's divine splendor, it can still perceive one's nature and discern right from wrong," Jiang Sheng explained.

Tian Ming'an nodded thoughtfully. Seeing that Jiang Sheng did not wish to speak further, he stood quietly to the side, watching him paint the landscape.

As Jiang Sheng laid down his final stroke and exhaled a breath of pure qi, the entire painting instantly gained a sense of spiritual vitality.

Looking at it, the mountains rose and fell like dragons, with peaks layered upon peaks, amidst green pines and emerald bamboo; below the mountains, the river flowed eastward, with white waves crashing and carp leaping, possessing a majestic momentum.

The fusion of mountain and water was extraordinary.

Looking at this ink wash painting, Tian Ming'an felt that it was far from ordinary.

Jiang Sheng tilted his head to look at his work, let out a soft chuckle, and rolled up the scroll. "The Taoists say: If one harbors evil thoughts, no amount of incense will help; if one's heart is upright, what does it matter if they do not bow to me?"

"That Layman Huang is full of filth, yet he dared to come and test this poor Taoist. Does he not realize he has delivered himself right to my door?"

Tian Ming'an said, "Master, that Master Huang must have already been enticed by the demon in the river, which is why he came to probe your situation."

"But I do not understand. Master Huang is already a renowned gentleman in Qingshan County, with vast fertile lands and countless servants. It is said that every successive County Magistrate has treated the Huang family with great respect."

"Why would he choose to worship a demon?"

Jiang Sheng smiled. "The human heart is a pit that can never be filled. You, who have not yet succeeded in martial arts, are also thinking of cultivating qi, are you not?"

"The destitute hope for food and clothing; once they have food and clothing, they hope for wedding nights; after the wedding nights, they dream of passing the imperial examinations. And if they truly pass, they hope for high office and great wealth."

"Even a mere servant hopes his master attains the Tao so that he might rise along with him. Layman Huang possesses immense wealth; naturally, he craves more."

"I suspect it is nothing more than that demon promising him wealth for ten thousand generations, promising him immortality, or promising him ascension to godhood."

As he spoke, Jiang Sheng could not help but shake his head. "Greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. The more Layman Huang wants, the more the demon will devour him."

"In the end, he will inevitably be skinned and deboned, eaten clean, and left with nothing."

Having said that, Jiang Sheng looked out through the windows toward the mountains outside the temple. "There is not much time left before the Great River God Sacrifice."

"For the next few days, I must focus my mind and calm my spirit to draw a Fire Talisman using the essence of the Great Sun. You shall recite scriptures and practice your martial arts on your own; do not let outsiders disturb me again."

Tian Ming'an hurriedly complied, but felt a surge of curiosity. "Master, why must you suddenly expend such great effort to draw a single talisman?"

Jiang Sheng laughed. "Currently, everyone in Qingshan County says this poor Taoist is proficient in fire arts. Perhaps the demon in the Taiping River believes my fire arts are divine. If I cannot produce some profound fire magic, would that not be embarrassing?"

Tian Mingan was stunned. "Master, do you mean you are not proficient in fire arts? But that day, you summoned a sky of raging fire to transform into a dragon..."

As he spoke, Tian Ming'an suddenly froze.

He thought about how Jiang Sheng never forbade outside discussions, even allowing rumors to fly wildly. Then he thought about today's situation, and he suddenly understood why Jiang Sheng had allowed him to be completely honest with Huang Shiren.

Everyone in Qingshan County said Daoist Jiang possessed divine fire arts.

But if Daoist Jiang were to use a different kind of technique...

Tian Ming'an looked at Jiang Sheng in astonishment. This master, who seemed to sit in silent meditation in the mountains, had already perceived the entire situation and possessed strategic foresight. He was truly awe-inspiring!

Jiang Sheng smiled and waved his hand, signaling Tian Ming'an to leave. He sat alone in the hall, looking at a yellow talisman before him, his expression calm and his heart as still as water.

The sun rose higher, centered in the sky, casting down streaks of golden light. Although it was the dead of winter, the midday sun still brought a sense of warmth.

Jiang Sheng mobilized his qi, drawing in wisps of the most intense and yang essence of the midday sun. Simultaneously, his right hand moved the vermilion brush, injecting his internal dharma power into it, drawing profound traces upon the talisman paper...

As the time for the Great River God Sacrifice drew closer, several more waves of visitors arrived at the Qingxuan Temple.

First were the local gentry of Qingshan County, pleading with Daoist Jiang to change his mind and stop the County Magistrate from acting rashly, so as to save the people of Qingshan County from disaster.

Then came large crowds of commoners, begging Daoist Jiang not to leave the mountain. They feared that if the River God grew angry, the resulting floods would devastate Qingshan County and bring misery to the people.

These people naturally could not enter the temple; they were stopped halfway up the mountain by Tian Guofu and his men. He would not allow these people to disturb his grandson's studies of the Tao under Daoist Jiang.

However, their wailing and clamor still reached the temple, which was quite irritating.

Next, County Magistrate Zhang Qingyun sent messengers with letters, requesting Daoist Jiang to descend the mountain to discuss the matter of slaying the demon. But since Jiang Sheng had not emerged from seclusion, Tian Ming'an could only explain the situation.

Zhang Qingyun even personally went up the mountain in an attempt to see Jiang Sheng, but was once again blocked outside the temple by Tian Ming'an.

Tian Ming'an still could not forget Zhang Qingyun's expression of stunned indignation.

If it were just these matters, it would be one thing, but the Void Prince and Fairy Xu Xiao also came up the mountain wanting to meet Jiang Sheng.

After testing the waters, the Void Prince considered forcing his way in, but deterred by Jiang Sheng's reputation, he left—though his face was full of malice when he departed.

He felt more and more that Jiang Sheng was arrogant. Now, even when he came personally, he could not secure a meeting, being blocked by a mere twelve-year-old mortal boy with no cultivation. What contempt!

If Jiang Sheng were not in the temple, he truly wanted to end the boy with a single sword strike and then refine his soul for a hundred years of torment!

Fairy Xu Xiao, on the other hand, explicitly stated she must meet Jiang Sheng to discuss important matters, but she was also turned away by Tian Ming'an.

Fairy Xu Xiao tried several times to persuade Tian Ming'an, but he remained steadfast at the temple gates, even adopting a stance of "you'll have to step over my corpse to get in."

Finally, Xu Xiao left with a furious snort, clearly harboring resentment.

With so many people unable to see Jiang Sheng, rumors began to spread throughout Qingshan County, saying that Daoist Jiang was self-important and looked down upon common mortals.

Others said Daoist Jiang was indifferent, treating the gentry and commoners of Qingshan County like straw dogs, caring nothing for their lives.

There were even rumors that Jiang Sheng was sitting idly by while Magistrate Zhang caused disasters, merely waiting for the chance to collect incense and merit.

Ultimately, it turned into a general sentiment that all cultivators were no good—that they did not treat humans as humans, and acted willfully, taking and giving as they pleased.

As the Great River God Sacrifice approached, various rumors mixed with recent reports of the County Magistrate attempting to slay the River God through the sacrifice to become a god himself, turning the two hundred thousand people of Qingshan County into his slaves, and so on.

Panic continued to spread, hearts grew restless, and demons began to dance.

Jiang Sheng knew of all this, but he did not care at all; he was immersed in the drawing of his talisman.

Although Jiang Sheng could only draw a few strokes each day at noon, as time passed, the vermilion traces on the yellow talisman became clearer and gradually took shape.

On another day, Jiang Sheng once again drew in the essence of the Great Sun, merging it with his own dharma power into the talisman paper. As the final strokes were completed, the aura within the paper connected, and a spiritual vitality was triggered; a cloud-seal pattern, resembling both fire and dragon, danced upon it.

Just a single glance gave one the feeling of raging fire crossing the sky, possessing an unparalleled and domineering essence of supreme Yang.

Though Jiang Sheng looked somewhat fatigued, a faint smile lingered in his eyes. Looking at the six-inch yellow talisman before him, he recited softly

"The river flows east beneath the Green Screen Mountain, while the mortal world stirs with the western winds."

"Though frost and northern snow may descend, the southern light shall shine bright and burn the river dragon!"