On the third day of the third month, people would flock to the Temple of Mount Tai to offer incense and sacrifices, recite scriptures for longevity, and perform "punishment by shackles," confessing their wrongdoings and expressing repentance, while simultaneously praying for longevity and blessings. The sounds of ritual instruments would echo through the heavens, and prayers would not cease throughout the day.
Furthermore, the Temple of Mount Tai was repaired with funds from Empress Dowager Li. Empress Dowager Li, the mother of Emperor Wanli, was referred to by many as the "Nine-Lotus Bodhisattva." Emperor Wanli himself bestowed a divine title upon his mother and forcibly designated her as a disciple of Bi Xia Yuan Jun.
However, there was no divine tablet for her yet. Fortunately, Empress Dowager Li did not care for such things, as long as she had the title. Thus, she visited many temples, indirectly boosting the incense economy of the respective regions.
"Ji Xiang, what do you think?"
Hearing Emperor Wanli call his name, Ji Xiang thought to himself that he was looking with his eyes, and then turned his gaze to the temple priest.
Upon looking, he noticed something.
[Di Ming Shen (▊▋▊▋▊▋): A righteous god, from the Yin Department! Thirty-fifth rank of the Human Department's middle tier. According to Han Dynasty legends, he was an underworld clerk, who, along with the gods of the Earth Palace, received the mortal remains of the deceased, guided their souls into the underworld, conducted investigations and interrogations, separated the good and evil souls, calculated merits and demerits, and assigned them their respective destinations.]
[Di Ming Shen asks for names, and upon receiving them, begins to mark them. If you reveal your name, you will be punished. Recite "Three Rotations of the Wheel, there is coming and going, the people must have a master, can the name be known?" from the Taiping Jing Chao. You can refuse to reveal your name, and Di Ming Shen will not question you further.]
[When Di Ming Shen secretly observes you (which will cause physical problems to gradually appear, turning the body into a withered husk after three days), recite "Heaven and man are one, how can one not be cautious?" from the Taiping Jing Chao. You can refuse his observation, allowing the soul light of heaven to merge with the human form, and Di Ming Shen will lose his object of observation.]
[Practitioners of the Taiping Dao will not be harmed by Di Ming Shen's sorcery.]
In Ji Xiang's eyes, as he looked at the temple priest before him, the text within the inner vision felt strange.
Why were there blacked-out characters following Di Ming Shen?
Why was this deity different from us? Why did he have a payment code with stripes?
But it wasn't over yet. This time, the divine tablet actually displayed text belonging to the temple priest of the Temple of Mount Tai itself!
Within the inner vision, blank divine tablets suddenly displayed text, which startled Ji Xiang.
This was because the blank divine tablet was not a monster identification device, nor was it some strange ghost and god Pokémon encyclopedia. It was merely a guide. Only when the original form of an item was seen would it provide corresponding explanations. Previously, the A'lian in the palace had revealed themselves, and the blank divine tablet had reflected them, just as the White-Faced True Martial Ancestor's divine form was captured by the Tongtian Mingyan, causing the blank divine tablet to activate.
Even for "great figures" like Ling Xiao Nu and Huo Jun, the divine tablet only provided a guide to their "divine bodies." It would not reflect Huo Jun's state as a human or his name.
But this time, the blank divine tablet was providing a guide for someone who looked very ordinary, with a cultivation level of only the fourth realm?
The divine tablet reflected some information about the temple priest of the Temple of Mount Tai:
[Tian Fengyu (▊▋▊▋▊▋): Envoy of Longhu Mountain, Second Superintendent of the Divine Music Office of the Grand Court of the Ming Dynasty, a Daoist official with a red robe of the ninth rank, currently serving as the temple priest of the Temple of Mount Tai. His lineage traces back to Liu Shanggao, the Heavenly Lord who Slew Demons, and he is one of his many disciples.]
[Cultivation: Fourth Realm, Fetal Breath (▊▋▊▋▊▋). He gathers his own breath within his fists and palms and, with continuous full power, strikes his breath into the opponent's body in the order of "Yin Qiao Acupoint, Qi Hai Acupoint, Guan Yuan Acupoint, Shen Dao Acupoint, Feng Fu Acupoint," disrupting the Saint Fetus's vital energy within the body. The Saint Fetus will be temporarily dissolved.]
Ji Xiang was a bit bewildered. This fellow had two pieces of information, and both had blacked-out codes?
And both also had strategies for killing him? Especially the strategy for the fourth realm Fetal Breath stage, which Ji Xiang himself didn't know, or rather, many cultivators didn't know, that there was such a way of fighting?
Being able to temporarily dissolve the opponent's Saint Fetus... Without the Saint Fetus and its vital energy, a Fetal Breath cultivator would be like an immortal banished to the mortal world. All their wondrous techniques would be hindered, and they would simply be a third realm cultivator with slightly stronger strength.
This, this blank divine tablet, my friend Divine Tablet, aren't you instigating this divine being to kill someone?
It seems there really is something fishy going on! Otherwise, why would these two pieces of information be blacked out? However, to prevent any problems, even if I, Ji Xiang, were to act on behalf of heaven today, I must first confirm that I'm not killing the wrong person, so I need to "unmask" you first!
Ji Xiang made a sound asking to see.
So, Ji Xiang reported to Wanli Emperor, stating that he needed to ask this person a few questions first to see if there were any issues.
The Emperor asked Ji Xiang to step aside with the temple priest for a brief conversation, while he and a group of ministers watched from the entrance. The Imperial Guards were still conducting a thorough search inside, with Luo Sigong, the Commander of the Imperial Guards, reporting on the temple search nearby.
Tian Jiang stood not far away, his gaze fixed on the temple priest conversing with Ji Xiang, not shifting at all. After all, Tian Jiang felt that the temple priest was acting suspiciously.
In the past, the Imperial Guards would have simply arrested you without question. How could they have spoken to you so politely? But now, with the ministers present, they could only restrain their arrogance and follow proper procedures. Although the other party was a ninth-rank Daoist official and not highly regarded by Confucian officials, he was still part of the bureaucratic system.
Ji Xiang had already walked a few steps with the temple priest and began to converse:
"Esteemed senior brother, are you a master of the Zhengyi Longhu Mountain school?"
"Yes, may I ask which school junior brother hails from...?"
"Junior brother is from Wudang Mountain. My master is merely a recluse of Wudang, whose name cannot be spoken. He is currently serving as an official in the capital."
Many true cultivators did not reside in temples but in deep mountains and forests. This was to create a serene environment isolated from the outside world.
To further ensure this environment, it was said that "practitioners often conceal their names and hide their whereabouts, regretting that the mountains are not deep enough and the forests not dense enough, fearing that idle fame might reach others' ears."
Therefore, throughout history, those with great abilities were often "far removed from antiquity, their names mostly lost."
Tian Fengyu showed a look of surprise: "Serving as an official in the capital, and from Wudang Mountain, could junior brother be the Superintendent of Taihe Mountain? This humble one should address you as a subordinate official!"
"Wudang Mountain has over two hundred places, which are the residences of immortals. Since Huang Lao established his teachings, many divine immortals and transcendent beings have resided there."
Ji Xiang replied: "Senior brother has mistaken. Junior brother is not the Superintendent of Taihe Mountain, but a Secretary of the Imperial Academy."
"Fourth rank!"
Tian Fengyu was truly astonished this time. He had been feigning surprise earlier. This young Daoist before him had truly surprised him. Glancing at Emperor Wanli, he thought that the Daoist was truly handsome and had directly attained a fourth-rank official position in the capital. Could the Emperor have some peculiar preference?
Otherwise, how could someone from the external Daoist sect obtain a position as a capital official within the Confucian system?
Ji Xiang spoke again: "Senior brother, do you know why there are so many Imperial Guards suddenly inspecting the Temple of Mount Tai tonight?"
Tian Fengyu shook his head. Ji Xiang probed: "A few days ago, Yellow Heaven Cult followers and evil gods were causing chaos everywhere. His Majesty is thoroughly investigating the remnants of the Yellow Heaven Cult! Senior brother, do you truly not know?"
Tian Fengyu put on a panicked expression: "What does junior brother mean by that! Are you implying that senior brother harbors Yellow Heaven Cult followers! I haven't left the temple these past few days, and I've only heard from incense-givers that some major events have occurred outside."
Black light appeared in Tian Fengyu's eyes:
"Besides, wasn't the Yellow Heaven Cult a popular folk religious sect during Emperor Shizong's reign? What evil gods do they have that they dare to cause trouble in Shun Tian? Aren't they afraid of being dismembered and their souls scattered, torn apart by the national might?"