The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 106 - 95 Daoist Tiger_2

Chapter 106: Chapter 95 Daoist Tiger_2

No wonder the divine spirits in the temple would reveal themselves to seek help; the temple priest was related to the incense, and as for why he occupied the position of the Medicine King’s divine statue, it was estimated that finding him would reveal the reason.

Just as Wang Daoxuan had guessed, the location of the incident was not far, but it was exceedingly remote, having long since been abandoned by any mountain paths.

The group had to climb mountains and walk along steep slopes, crossing two mountain ridges before arriving next to a cliff.

The cliff was not very high but was exceptionally steep, and the mist wrapped around it, making it impossible to see the bottom clearly.

"Wait for my signal."

Li Yan instructed, then took the rough hemp rope from the Daoist boy’s hand, tied it to a sturdy pine tree, and began to slowly descend down the cliff face.

Although he could not leap across rooftops or walk up walls, he was still a martial artist; his vision and physical abilities far exceeded those of ordinary people. Finding footholds on the steep slopes of the cliff, he quickly reached the bottom.

This place was exactly as it had appeared in the illusion.

In the grass lay a Daoist, who still seemed to be alive.

However, Li Yan did not act rashly.

Next to the Daoist stood a wild animal.

It had a long face, a black nose, white fur with pointed horns, and deep black eyes that stared at him motionlessly, looking somewhat silly and dumb.

An antelope!

Of course, Li Yan recognized this creature.

The problem was that this antelope had a faint presence of Astral Bane Energy about it.

It was a creature that had become spiritually aware!

Wang Daoxuan had said before that in famous mountains and great rivers, in Cave Heaven Blessed Lands, there were often creatures born with spirituality that used the configuration of Innate Gang Sha to cultivate.

He had not expected to encounter one himself.

Although the antelope had spirituality, it remained simple and innocent, tilting its head, it looked at him as if it had no defenses and then dropped something from its mouth. After that, it shook its head, swaying back and forth, and disappeared into the forest not to be seen again.

Li Yan let out a sigh of relief and quickly went forward to find that what the antelope had dropped from its mouth was a half-chewed root of an herb, and some had been chewed into a paste and applied to the Daoist’s wounds.

"Indeed, it has some spirituality..."

Li Yan marveled, checked the Daoist’s pulse, and then slowly hoisted him on his back to the edge of the cliff, making a knot with the hemp rope.

With everyone’s help, the Daoist was quickly lifted up.

"Master!"

Both Daoist boys wore faces of panic.

"Don’t shout, first get him back."

Li Yan instructed, then took the root that the antelope had dropped, "Do you recognize what this is?"

"It’s pseudo-ginseng."

The Daoist boy replied, "Also known as Blood Mountain Grass, it disperses stasis, stops bleeding, calms the mind, pacifies the spirit, and detoxifies. The master came here in search of this herb..."

...

"Is there really a Spirit Beast saving people?"

Inside the room, Sha Lifei exclaimed in surprise.

By this time, night had fallen, and after rescuing the temple priest, it was already late, so the Daoist boys invited him to stay in the temple to express their gratitude.

Of course, the coffin and the carriage were left in the open space outside the temple.

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and laughed, "All beings are born with spirit, and not all those with spirit will cause mischief. This temple priest bears kindness in his heart, cures diseases and saves people; in the unseen world, even Ghost Gods and Spirit Beasts offer their protection..."

Sha Lifei scratched his head, "Is it still possible to become a good person now?"

While they were talking and laughing, a Daoist boy knocked on the door and entered, bowing respectfully, "Sirs, the master has awakened, please come."

Without asking more questions, the three followed the Daoist boy to an inner courtyard’s side room.

The candlelight flickered, and the Daoist on the bed had awoken. Although his lips were pale, his eyes had regained their vitality. Seeing the three enter, he mustered the strength to try to get up.

"Daoist friend, please rest," Wang Daoxuan hurriedly pressed him back down.

"Thank you all for saving me."

Chenyuan expressed his gratitude, "I thought for sure I was as good as dead this time. How did you find me?"

Li Yan smiled faintly, "Naturally, someone sought help, Daoist Hu..."

As the words were spoken, Chenyuan’s expression changed slightly, and he fell silent. "Si Kong, Si Xuan, you two go out first, I need to speak with our guests."

The two Daoist apprentices hurried out and closed the door behind them.

Only then did Chenyuan begin to speak, "My fellow Daoists, might any of you be living Yin messengers?"

Li Yan was a bit surprised, "How did you know?"

Chenyuan sighed, "Our ancestor has not shown himself for ten years. The last time was also when a living Yin messenger passed by, trying to capture a demon; only then did he appear to help."

"Ancestor?"

Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan were both somewhat surprised.

Chenyuan nodded, "You may also know about the fierce tiger beside the Medicine King. Our lineage’s ancestor was the Tiger Daoist."

"My mentor once followed the Medicine King in seclusion at the Xinglin Temple, leaving behind the legend of the tiger guarding Xinglin. Later on, he secluded himself with the Medicine King at Zhongnan Mountain. His Dao grew and prospered as he was personally taught medical spells by the Medicine King, accompanying him until the Medicine King’s ascension."

"Oh, no wonder..."

Suddenly, Li Yan remembered that Tiger Daoist was holding an iron hoop, which was the symbol of a gatekeeper healer known as "Tiger Support"!

Sha Lifei wondered, "Having such a connection, why then did you snatch the incense of the Medicine King?"

"There is another reason behind this."

Chenyuan shook his head, "According to the records of our sect, the ancestor missed the Medicine King day and night and, accompanied by a lofty Daoist, went to worship at the Medicine King Halls everywhere."

"However, even in the most thriving temples, they only had the form, and it was not the Medicine King’s true self."

Li Yan furrowed his brows, "What does this mean?"

Wang Daoxuan beside him said, "The matter is quite complicated and not easy to explain. Let me simply give you an example. If you envision a divine spirit, even if such a person truly exists, is the divine spirit conjured really the true self?"

The words were convoluted, but Li Yan instantly understood.

The deities in temples are much like envisioned deities, merely the aggregation of the wishes of sentient beings, combined with the power of incense, hence the concept of Divine Astral.

In a certain sense, they were man-made Gang Qi.

Thinking this, Li Yan became increasingly puzzled, "That’s not right. If it’s really like that, then how did those distinguished sages rumored to have ascended to heaven and obtained divine positions leave their lineages behind?"

"That’s the biggest secret of all sects."

Chenyuan, lying on the bed, suddenly said, "I don’t know much about this matter either, but there are indeed some who can respond to their disciples, and even the orthodox Lu Soldiers are summoned with their power."

"But the deeper secrets are beyond the reach of the likes of us."

"In any case, after the ancestor returned, he secluded himself on Zhongnan Mountain, recruiting disciples and teaching what he learned from the Medicine King. The grateful people built a temple for the Tiger Daoist."

"Later when the ancestor ascended, a true spirit rested upon the divine statue, becoming an Earth Spirit and Yin God, continuing to protect the region and passing down medical teachings."

"At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the world was in turmoil, the Dao waned, and evil spirits were rampant, with continuous wars. The Tiger Daoist’s temple, built by the ancestor, was also burned in the flames of war, and all his disciples died."

"The ancestor’s true spirit transformed into a wandering master, continuing to seek successors to carry on the incense, but the lineage was repeatedly disrupted by wars, causing severe damage to the true spirit, which rarely appeared again."

"By the time the Great Xuan Dynasty rose to peace, people rebuilt temples, but no one remembered the Tiger Daoist; they only knew of the Medicine King’s lineage and thus constructed the Medicine King Temple."

"My teacher returned to find things amiss and wanted to rebuild the temple but was stopped by the ancestor in a dream, leading to the current situation."

"I think, the ancestor has been enduring, perhaps waiting for a response from the Medicine King..."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, not speaking.

A thousand years have passed since the Tang Dynasty, how have they endured through the long years...

Seeing the mood was off, Sha Lifei quickly changed the topic, "Daoist Chenyuan, we see your wounds, they appear to be from a blade, could there be some hidden circumstances?"

"It was I who misplaced trust in a treacherous person."

Chenyuan gave a bitter smile, "Two years ago, a young man came to the temple, named Lin Hui, who professed admiration for my medical skills and wanted to become my disciple to learn the art."

"I saw his intelligence and took him in as a secular disciple, after all, the purpose of our lineage is to promote medical skills and heal the sick. Who knew that his heart’s real intention was to seek my Magic Veins treasure."

Sha Lifei’s eyes lit up, "What treasure?"

Chenyuan shook his head, "It’s nothing special, just a token made from the ancestral skull after his ascension, called the Divine Tiger Token."

"Do you gentlemen know the Baopu Mountain Climbing Skill?"