She rattled off a long passage in one breath, though in truth, she only half-understood the essence of the *Laozi*, a philosophical text regarded as the golden rule of conduct in the Qixian State.
Still, since the Sevenfold Killing Monarch had a penchant for this, why not put on a show and smooth his feathers?
"Laozi was among the Great Sages who attained the Great Dao. Upon ascending to the Heavenly Realm, he received the supreme mandate, bore the Heavenly Yellow Linglong Pagoda, and held the Taiji Diagram to stabilize the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind. Thus, the Primordial generated the Taiji, the Taiji generated the Two Forms, the Two Forms generated the Four Images, and the Four Images generated the Eight Trigrams, from which all things in the universe evolved. Simultaneously, he mastered the infinite laws, evolved the sun, moon, and stars, and delineated the mountains, rivers, and terrain."
Chapter 50