Chapter 57, Wanderer’s Journey: The Mayfly Chapter

Translator: StarReader

 

One month went by, and, within the Han Mountain Daoist Temple’s grand hall, the lights remained blazing throughout the night without ever dimming.

 

The constables of Gusu County had long since abandoned their searches in Gusu City for the notorious outlaw, returning to their usual laziness. They could be found either idly passing time at the constable office or going door-to-door, ‘collecting taxes’ and indulging in hearty meals.

 

In the Wu Region, various martial groups stirred up a commotion for an entire month only to realize they were running in circles. Interest waned, and they quietly went home, no longer concerning themselves with the shocking incident at the Han Mountain Daoist Temple.

 

In the end, it was just a volume of a sacred text that had been lost—something that held little direct connection to the interests of the Gusu County constables or the major groups. While aiding in its recovery might earn them a favor from Daoist Han Shan, failing to do so didn’t warrant neglecting their own affairs. They couldn’t just abandon their responsibilities and spend every day assisting the Han Mountain Daoist Temple in tracking down this elusive, enigmatic river thief.

 

In the Wu Region’s martial world, things had settled into a quiet lull once more.

 

While others abandoned the search, the Daoists of Han Mountain Daoist Temple could not. This spiritual scripture was the prized treasure of Daoist Han Shan, something akin to his lifeblood. Its value far surpassed any worldly riches or jewels.

 

For the past month, led by his five direct disciples, the Daoists had been tirelessly pursuing the martial world and searching for the scripture. By day, they hunted down outlaws, while by night, they returned to Han Mountain Daoist Temple to gather and share intelligence.

 

Deep into the night, in the main hall…

 

The flickering candlelight illuminated the faces of Daoist Qinghe and the other four senior brothers. Each looked haggard and gaunt. They sat cross-legged on the floor, their brows furrowed in deep concern as they discussed strategies, yet hopelessness weighed heavily on their hearts.

 

A month had passed without a single lead.

 

Despite their efforts—using Daoist Han Shan’s influence to mobilize over a thousand constables from Gusu County and the Five Major Groups of the Wu Region, along with countless martial disciples over hundreds of miles—they found nothing: no trace of the thief or the scripture.

 

Their master, Daoist Han Shan, remained elusive, his whereabouts unknown. Should he return from his travels at any moment, how could they possibly face him?

 

Daoist Qingshi pondered for some time before coming up with an idea.

 

“Senior Brothers, here’s what I think. The thief must be a master criminal, making it practically impossible to track him down through traditional methods. Let’s take another approach.

 

“Since he went through the trouble of stealing the text, he would attempt to decipher its secrets. What if, and it’s a big if, he actually managed to crack its mysteries? You see, the text contains secret techniques for creating talismans. If he succeeds in figuring those out, he’d naturally try his hand at crafting them.

 

“Now, the materials are extremely rare. Even within the Wu Region, which spans thirteen counties, only a handful of places are known to have such materials. These locations were personally scouted by our revered master over many years, and this information is exclusive to us.

 

“If the thief wants to obtain the materials for making talismans, he’s sure to go to those very places. If we send our best experts to keep watch, maybe we can catch him in the act!”

 

His senior brothers fell silent, shaking their heads in unison.

 

This was essentially setting up an ambush, wasn’t it?

 

Daoist Han Shan, along with his five disciples, dedicated over a decade to unraveling the secrets of the spiritual text. Even then, they had only managed to uncover a small portion of its mysteries, revealing its script and attempting to replicate the creation of talismans from its instructions.

 

Despite their master being the best Grandmaster of the Wu Region and with the combined power of the entire Han Mountain Daoist Temple, they still faced such great difficulty. Would others fare any better?

 

How could that thief possibly crack the secrets of the sacred text in a short time? Even if he got lucky, it would take decades before he had the slightest hope of discovering the mysteries within. How long would they have to wait until the thief appeared? If the thief failed to unlock it, he wouldn’t have a reason to look for those spiritual materials.

 

Wouldn’t they be stuck waiting for eternity? Even if it didn’t take a lifetime, waiting for decades would make everything pointless. Their master was likely to return within months, discover the scripture was missing, and, in his anger, impose severe punishment on all five of them—by then, it would be too late.

 

“Alas, the chances of success are slim, but we cannot give up. Here’s what we’ll do: for each location that has a supply of spiritual materials, station at least one first-rate expert to guard it and see if there’s any progress.” After pondering for a while, Daoist Qinghe sighed deeply.

 

In this past month alone, they exhausted all possible strategies with no other options left. It was as if trying to fix a dead horse—it might just barely come back to life by some miracle.

 

…

 

Deep in the mountains, amidst rugged peaks.

 

Su Chen no longer bothered with the talisman in Daoist Qinghe’s room. His attention, however, was entirely consumed by the spiritual text in his hands—a rare treasure that could potentially lead him to become an immortal.

 

“Wanderer’s Journey!

 

“This is an ancient immortal art to ascend. It is said that there were eight chapters passed down in the world, but most have been lost. This scroll contains only the first chapter, detailing the cultivation method for the Qi Refining Stage.

 

“Wanderer’s Journey: The Mayfly Chapter’s outline.

 

“Mayfly, born at dawn, perishing by dusk—yet it lives out its joy!

 

“Born with a flutter upon the water, it drinks not, it eats not; it grows wings to adorn itself. Those wings are radiant and myriad, elegant as fine garb, and resplendent as freshly fallen snow.

 

“Vivid and distinct in appearance, abundant in number, gracefully arranged, and pure as snow.

 

“When evening comes, it perches upon the water’s surface, seeking death, drifting with the current away.

 

“Thus it is said: To live but a day is the fate of the mayfly. Nurtured with humble beginnings yet adorned in elegance, heedless of waxing moons or changing seasons. When a single day suffices, what else is there to seek? Resting calmly, yielding to the flow—what need is there of rivers or seas for wandering?

 

“The Mayfly Chapter is divided into three stages, namely, Dormancy, Metamorphosis, and Winged, as follows: …”

 

Su Chen held the jade slip scroll with both hands and silently recited the summary of The Mayfly Chapter word for word, feeling confused and a little enlightened at the same time.

 

The outline meant that the mayfly was born in the morning, grew a pair of wings, lived happily for a day, and died at night, drifting away with the water… drifting~~

 

[Lived for just one day?]

 

[This weak little creature had such a short life?]

 

Su Chen gasped at the thought. It was odd enough that ancient immortals had gained insights into the brief lives of the mayfly, those ephemeral creatures, but they had managed to glean three methods from them—ultimately paving their way to ascending to immortality.

 

“Well, I suppose if it’s an immortal art, then it’s bound to be cryptic. I’m just a lowly mortal anyway. It’s only natural that I can’t grasp the depths of such sacred knowledge. Never mind, though—I’ll keep practicing every day, delving deeper into this mysterious path of becoming an immortal.”

 

Su Chen suddenly slapped his head with a grin. He couldn’t make sense of the techniques, yet he didn’t let it bother him at all—on the contrary, it filled him with joy. If the martial arts of the mortal world were as straightforward as they came, that would’ve been an obvious sign of cheap imitation. Clearly, this was no fake; the cultivating methods for becoming an immortal were inherently difficult and took years to master—it wouldn’t be unusual if he didn’t see results until his early twenties.

 

At just fourteen, Su Chen wasn’t about to rush things.

 

Su Chen read through the other jade slips.

 

Among the eight jade slips, each contained a record of a spiritual art, powerful techniques of immortals. However, it also mentioned that to cultivate and perform any of these spiritual arts, one needed to reach the Qi Refining Stage and possess an immortal’s spiritual power.

 

“What’s the Qi Refining Stage or an immortal’s spiritual power?”

 

Su Chen was at a loss for understanding.

 

He pondered over it for quite some time, concluding that the Qi Refining Stage had to be a classification of immortal realms. He had no idea how powerful a Qi Refining Stage immortal would be, but it was definitely much stronger than a Grandmaster.

 

Clearly, he himself was still just an early second-rate practitioner, far from the realm of immortals and their Qi Refining Stage. Of course, achieving such a realm was out of the question for him.

 

As a martial practitioner, Su Chen had always known about True Qi, the strongest force that practitioners possessed. It could amplify the offensive and defensive capabilities of weapons and armor by several times.

 

But he had never heard of spiritual power.

 

This must be the extraordinary power that only immortals possessed; ordinary people and even practitioners did not have it.

 

“Cultivating Wanderer’s Journey: The Mayfly Chapter can take anywhere from a few years to several decades. It’s also impossible to use spiritual arts before mastering the immortal cultivation method and becoming an immortal with magical power.”

 

Su Chen pondered.

 

He could only regretfully put the spiritual arts aside and examined the other eight jade slips that recorded talismans.

 

“I hope these talismans will be of some use!”

 

Soon, Su Chen was pleasantly surprised to see that these talismans had no requirements regarding magical power; as long as they were made, even ordinary people could use them. Moreover, the method for making them was relatively simple, with no special requirements for the maker. The key was to gather spiritual materials.

 

Each jade slip contained detailed instructions on the materials, methods, and process of creating a talisman. To craft one, four essential materials were required: spiritual paper, spiritual ink, a spiritual brush, and a spiritual inkstone. These items were not ordinary scholar’s tools; they were specialized for inscribing talismans.

 

Different talismans demanded unique materials that weren’t interchangeable. Among these, spiritual ink and spiritual paper held the most significance.

 

Spiritual ink contained inherent spiritual energy, crafted from materials rich in energy. This ink largely determined the talisman’s power. Spiritual paper was the carrier for this energy; if it couldn’t withstand the ink’s potent energy, it might combust or explode, endangering the talisman maker. It set the maximum potential of a talisman.

 

The spiritual brush had a lesser impact on the process. A superior brush enhanced the success rate, though even an inferior one could be used, albeit with reduced efficiency.

 

Lastly, the spiritual inkstone played the smallest role in this process. While having a suitable inkstone was ideal, it was not necessary. Even a standard inkstone would suffice, although it slightly lowered the success rate.

 

All one needed was access to the four materials for making talismans, and crafting one would be a straightforward task. Those who crafted talismans had to follow the patterns on the jade slip, carving them out accordingly.

 

The difference between individuals in their ability to ‘copy the patterns’ was significant. Some were gifted with exceptional perception, able to flawlessly execute the designs in one go. Others, less fortunate, struggled endlessly, often producing subpar results.

 

The method for using them was even simpler: crush the paper and release the terrifying power within.

 

Su Chen recalled with a sense of excitement how he had once encountered a flame symbol on Daoist Qinghe’s desk. Just brushing against it had given him an intense sensation of searing heat, leaving no doubt about its dreadful might.

 

“Since these talismans are immortal arts in nature, their power is beyond comprehension, far superior to any mundane martial arts! Why bother cultivating those petty low-level techniques? I’ve made up my mind. I’ll go find the materials right away. Once I obtain them, who knows—maybe I can give it a try myself and craft one of these powerful talismans.”