At the four-way intersection in Village Y, Xu Ruoping’s single apartment was only two streets away from Xiaoqian's.
No need to guess; just going by the name, anyone would know it was just another cheap rental in an urban village. Fortunately, although the place she rented was a bit pricier, at least it wasn't tucked away deep inside narrow alleys. You stepped out of the subway exit, turned a corner, and you were there. It was noisy, true, but through the window, she could at least look up and catch a glimpse of the starry sky.
Xu Ruoping unlocked the door absentmindedly. The moment the door swung open, her entire body froze in place, stiffening from the hairs on her head down to her toenails as if pulled taut by a thin wire.
Her apartment consisted of a single room and a living room with no balcony. The door opened straight into the living area, where a small row of sofas sat pressed against the wall. Right in front of them was a low glass coffee table, and two steps further ahead stood a fourteen-inch second-hand television.
An elderly man as thin as a bamboo pole, with a head of completely white hair and a white beard, sat in a rigid posture tucked into the corner of the sofa. Seen in the pitch-darkness of the night, he looked downright like a zombie, sipping tea with his lips pursed in a leisurely manner—using Xu Ruoping’s own cup, no less.
"G-Grandfather!"
Xu Ruoping let out a low cry.
A chilling wave of cold air shot straight up her spine from her tailbone. Without moving a muscle, her eyes swept over the old man up and down, left and right. Confirming that the Precept Whip—which always followed him like a shadow—had not come along, she finally let out a heavy sigh of relief.
That Precept Whip possessed spiritual sentience and was no longer than a foot. In her grandfather's hands, when unfolded, it looked like a folding fan, but when extended, it became a whip. Striking the palm of the hand without leaving a trace, the pain could drill straight into your scalp.
As bad luck would have it, when Xu Ruoping was seven years old, she had been rummaging through boxes and cabinets in her mother's room and found a one-centimeter-sized Jade Gourd. She hung it around her neck to show off, and within half a day, the spiritual sentience suddenly awakened. Immediately afterward out popped this grandfather of hers—long since passed away, invisible to everyone else but visible to her alone—who forced her to study Taoism. That Precept Whip became her personal, dedicated instrument of corporal punishment. From time to time, she would be beaten until tears streamed down her face, yet she wasn't even allowed to wail to her heart's content for fear of people mistaking her for mentally ill.
The bitterness of that process was enough to break one's heart just thinking about it!
"Well! Come over here and sit down!"
The old man showed not a shred of shame at occupying the magpie's nest. He raised a hand, poured a cup of tea, and pushed it gently toward Xu Ruoping.
With no Precept Whip in sight, a massive stone dropped from Xu Ruoping's heart. Calculating that she hadn't let her academic studies slip lately, nor had she neglected her Taoist cultivation, she relaxed entirely. Softly, she shuffled over to sit beside her grandfather, downed the cup of tea in a single breath, and then satisfied, she rubbed her nose and grunted, "Seriously, what day is it today? It can't be time for an inspection yet, so how is it that Your Venerable Elder has graced me with your presence?"
The old man chuckled twice, two rows of wrinkles spreading across the corners of his eyes. One hand tapped rhythmically against the coffee table as he asked a question, seemingly casual yet deliberate: "Has your talisman carving reached the point of complete freedom and spontaneity yet?"
This was the signal for potential punishment at any moment. Xu Ruoping instantly snapped into a carp-like leap, straightened her posture into a proper, solemn sitting position, and answered with utmost seriousness: "It has!"
"Can you recite the *Maiyi Shenxiang* proverbs backward?"
"I can!"
"How do you read facial legal lines?"
"Distinct and clear legal lines bring wealth and prestige. Short and sharp legal lines lead to poverty and an early, lowly death. Extending down to the earth court ensures blessed longevity. Short lines cutting into the mouth guarantee death by starvation. Broken legal lines mean a shortage of firewood and rice, while long, rounded lines ensure abundance and fine clothes."
"Have you studied the Six Jia Divine Book?"
"I have!"
"What is the incantation for the Reappearance of Chasing Moon?"
"Face true toward the Eastern Magnificent Great Sovereign, command me to receive the Six Jia Heavenly Book, hold the Six Jia Divine Seal in hand, and stand at a certain place waiting for the moon. When the lunar wheel appears, present it forth with all haste. Swiftly, swiftly, obey this law!"
The grandfather and granddaughter went back and forth, question and answer. The questioner reeled them off casually as if plucking them from thin air, while the respondent flowed like moving clouds and running water. The old man nodded slightly as he listened. The atmosphere gradually shifted from tense to relaxed, and finally into a state of indifference. Xu Ruoping grew more and more pleased with herself, secretly thinking that she had managed to stride safely past this sudden spot check!
She smacked her lips, leaned in gently, and cupped her chin in one hand like an eager, starving little schoolchild. Leisurely, she asked, "Grandfather, you always say that cultivating immortality can grant longevity, and that after ascension one can enter the Heavenly Realm to hold office, living a life of utter freedom and carefree joy. But I always feel like this whole thing is too ethereal. Just out of curiosity, in all your long years alive, have you ever actually seen a real Divine Immortal?"
The old man thought for a moment and replied with complete earnestness: "No!"
Xu Ruoping was bitterly disappointed!
As if pondering something, the old man spoke in a soft, gentle tone of patient guidance: "That doesn't mean there are no immortals in this world, however. The matter requires further investigation!
The notion of Divine Immortals originated in ancient mythology. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, immortals were gradually written into the books of the Hundred Schools of Thought. For instance, Nüwa, Kuafu, Houyi, Gonggong, Xiangliu, Jingwei, and the Queen Mother of the West are recorded in the *Mountains and Seas*; Guangchengzi, Pengzu, Kunpeng, the River Earl, and the Sea God are recorded in *Zhuangzi*.
The Qin and Han dynasties saw further development, with more immortal figures and legends appearing in the *Huainanzi*, *Records of the Grand Historian*, *Biographies of Immortals*, and *Biographies of Divine Immortals*.
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, *Records of the Multitude of Immortals of the Primordial Beginning Supreme Truth* even systematically introduced major Taoist deities such as the Primordial Heavenly Lord, the Grand Sovereign of Fusang East King, and the Queen Mother of the West!
What do you say? Has your awareness improved? Are you ready to come back with me and cultivate with single-minded devotion?"
Xu Ruoping smiled with narrowed eyes, waved her hand, and said, "Nope! It's just that I've been having all sorts of weird dreams lately, so I was just curious and asked!"
This time, the disappointment shifted to the old man. Imitating Xu Ruoping’s expression, he narrowed his eyes in silent contemplation for a moment before abruptly sharpening his tone with a touch of stern reproach: "Have you broken any precepts recently?"
Hearing those words, Xu Ruoping’s little heart fluttered wildly, but her mouth gave a resolute answer: "I've been strictly keeping to my duty lately and haven't broken any precepts!"
The old man lifted the teacup with both hands, took a slow sip, and swept a knife-like gaze across Xu Ruoping. With a solemn expression, he said, "No precepts broken? Then why did you give your protective talisman to someone else?"
"My best friend just had a baby. I'm all grown up now, so when I go visit, I can't possibly show up empty-handed, right?"
Xu Ruoping adopted the attitude of a hardened deadbeat whose skin was impervious to boiling water, stubbornly sticking to the story that she knew absolutely nothing!
"Still arguing craftily? A ghost officer's face was beaten into the shape of a pig's head by your gourd! If I hadn't just happened to be passing by and this matter had been reported upward, I think you can forget about cultivating immortality—you might as well just go collect your own corpse and report to Meng Po!"
The more the old man spoke, the more agitated he became. By the end, even his lips were trembling. "A human stands between heaven and earth, and everything is fate. Those who know fate and follow fate win; those who do not know fate and try to be clever lose; those who disbelieve fate and act against the heavenly mandate will end in a miserable defeat!
I have warned you again and again: you cannot use your own cultivation to help others defy and alter their heavenly fate, or sooner or later you will suffer heavenly retribution. You're so grown up, yet you still act as willfully and recklessly as a child! Since ancient times, Heaven has its heavenly rules, and Earth has its earthly statutes. You repeat your offenses and never change. Ah, you, when will you ever learn a lesson that sticks?!"
Xu Ruoping made no comment. Knowing she was in the wrong, she wilted like an eggplant beaten by frost. Lowering her eyelids, two teardrops welled up in her eye sockets, and with a gentle squeeze of her long eyelashes, they fell silently.
Seeing this, the old man felt a pang of heartache. Realizing he had scolded her too harshly, his tone softened and he sighed, "Fortunately, that ghost officer and I are old acquaintances. As for what you did today, he turned a blind eye, closed one eye, and let it pass!"
Xu Ruoping: "..."
This was utterly contradictory!
Who was it just a moment ago holding forth with an eloquent stream of grand principles to lecture people, and who was it immediately afterward pulling strings through the back door and calling in favors to smooth things over?
"Then my best friend's baby..."
Xu Ruoping asked eagerly, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly into a most endearing smile.
Xu Ruoping's smile was supremely enchanting. Whether she was laughing heartily, smiling gently, offering a slight smile, or faking a smile, the moment she smiled, a sharp, pointed chin immediately revealed itself, forming the standard melon-seed face cherished in the hearts of her compatriots. Paired with her exquisite facial features, she looked simply like the Goddess of the Luo River reborn or a celestial maiden descended to earth.
Seeing not a shred of remorse in her, the old man gritted his teeth for a good long while, his beard nearly curling upward in anger. With a heavy huff, after a long pause, he answered ungraciously, "He's fine!"
Xu Ruoping broke into a radiant smile, leaned over once more, and coaxed playfully, "I knew Grandfather loved me best!"
"Affection is affection, but punishment is unavoidable!"
At the old man's casual remark, the color drained completely from Xu Ruoping's face, turning it as pale as gold foil. Meeting his gaze, which had abruptly grown stern once more, she had no choice but to obediently stretch out both hands, bite her teeth shut, and close her eyes, unable to bear the sight!
The old man narrowed his eyes into slits and said briskly, "Don't be nervous. Manzi has some matters to attend to and isn't around right now, so your punishment will be changed to a different method. After all, you're so grown up that constantly beating your palms looks ridiculous!"
Manzi was the name of his Precept Whip. The whip lived up to its name: when it struck people, it didn't spare an ounce of force—brutal and completely unreasonable.
Xu Ruoping froze abruptly. A moment later, coming back to her senses, she asked tentatively, "If you don't beat me, what other forms of punishment could there be?"
The old man said leisurely, "Silence for seven days!"
"What?!" Xu Ruoping choked on her own saliva, suddenly feeling a burning, painful sensation in her throat. "I have to go for a trial shift tomorrow! If you don't let me speak, how is a medical intern supposed to get through the probation period? I don't care, you might as well just beat my palms! If I can't find a job soon, in a little while I really won't even have enough to eat."
"Is eating important, or is cultivating immortality important?"
"Eating is important!"
Driven nearly to the point of apoplexy by Xu Ruoping, the old man shouted loudly at her, "If you have nothing to eat, can't you practice penance by fasting? I told you not to enter the mortal world and to come with me to cultivate with single-minded devotion, but you refused. Look at you now, mingling at the very bottom of society—I simply can't bear to look!"
With that, the old man stamped his foot, flung open the ajar door, and stormed out.
Xu Ruoping had no choice but to honestly remind him: "Grandfather, you haven't punished me yet!"
"I've punished you!"
"Where?"
"That cup of tea you drank was the punishment!"
The old man's voice, ringing like a great bronze bell, faded gradually into the distance.
Xu Ruoping wanted to say something more, but her throat felt burning hot, and try as she might to force it out, she couldn't squeak out a single word. Staring at the teacup on the coffee table that she had drunk down to the very last drop, she could only curse inwardly: "Damn it, ginger really does get hotter the older it is! The next time I see him, I should just make a run for it in a flash!"
She fell backward onto the sofa. A cockroach scurried out in a panic, and she casually snatched up a nearby book and smashed it dead, thinking with a lingering grievance in her heart: "There are six billion people on Earth, so why on earth did this immortal cultivation have to pick me?"