Chapter Thirteen: The Taoist with a Dog

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Wu Zisheng stepped forward slowly, speaking as he walked:

“The essence of the Qimen magic array lies in the eight gates: Rest, Life, Injury, Closure, View, Death, Alarm, and Opening. With the Nine Heels and One Foot, three to the left and seven to the right, four and two as shoulders, six and eight as feet, they are arranged across the eight palaces. The Five Yellow occupies the center, holding the banner to coordinate the formation. This array, originally with forty-five men, could only face eleven enemies on each side. After adjustment, horizontally, vertically, and diagonally, the count is fifteen. This way, even if attacked from all directions, the forces combine to repel the enemy. Unfortunately, Lu Wenyu has yet to grasp the principles of change and constancy, unable to tell when to shift or remain fixed. What looks unbreakable can crumble within three moves and ten strikes! Watch as I break it and teach you along the way.”

With that, Wu Zisheng flicked his sleeve and charged into the formation.

“First, break through the Rest Gate at the Kan Palace, the weakest point. The lone defender can only block and wait for reinforcements, not counterattack. A feint will suffice—no need to strike!” He dashed toward where Lu Chengzong stood at the Rest Gate, who raised his sword to block.

“Now, the Life Gate at the Gen Palace with eight men and the Opening Gate at the Qian Palace with six men will surely attempt to flank. The eight are strong, the six less so, forcing the enemy to enter the Dui Palace’s Alarm Gate from the Qian Palace side,” Wu Zisheng explained, moving in perfect synchrony with the formation.

“To break the enemy, one must not attack the Dui Palace Alarm Gate but turn to attack the three men at the Zhen Palace Injury Gate. The eight men from Gen Palace Life Gate have already rushed to the Qian Palace Opening Gate, which is weak and unable to support,” he continued. Leaping into the Zhen Palace Injury Gate, he struck three men flying with three palm strikes.

“Defeating the three at Zhen Palace Injury Gate causes the Li Palace View Gate and Gen Palace Life Gate to reinforce it, while the Dui Palace Alarm Gate shifts toward the Qian Palace Opening Gate. This is the perfect moment to strike the central Five Yellow, seize the banner, and command the formation!” He then moved into the central palace, sending five men flying with a single slap.

“Finally, turn to the Kun Palace and break into the Death Gate. The Li Palace View Gate and Dui Palace Alarm Gate can no longer support,” he declared, rushing to the Kun Palace Death Gate, knocking down two men with two palm strikes before stepping out. The formation collapsed; everyone lay sprawled on the ground.

Looking at the stunned crowd lying defeated, Wu Zisheng said, “You have forty-five men, yet I broke the formation fighting just ten. Better not to bother with formations at all. Take the essence and comprehend it yourself!”

“You—who are you? The Qimen Dunjia magic formation created by our ancestors is the grand defensive array of our sect. For decades, not even those at the Vajra Realm have broken it. How could you, with just Lingkong Realm cultivation, break it in three moves?” Lu Chengzong stared in disbelief.

“Hahaha! This formation only captures the appearance, not the essence. Not just me, but even disciples several generations down from me could easily shatter it,” Wu Zisheng said, stroking his beard as he approached the black-robed figure, who was dumbfounded.

“Did you put on this golden bell yourself, or shall I place it on you?” Wu Zisheng smiled.

The black-robed man muttered nonsensically, “You have seen the stature of an immortal, yet as the saying goes, there is always a higher heaven. No shortage of fuel for fire. If our sect holds no grudge, we will spare you…”

“Hahaha, it seems you’re about to reveal your true form,” Wu Zisheng chuckled.

“Chirp chirp chirp! You forced me! You forced me! Today, I will not rest until we fight to the death!” The black-robed man’s face twisted monstrously. His body slowly expanded, shedding flesh and bone, revealing something else underneath.

“Father! Master!” the nearby onlookers gasped.

“He’s neither your father nor your master. Your true sect master died three years ago. This is a beast disguised for three years,” Wu Zisheng said coldly, then turned to the dazed Lu Chengzong. “No one knows a father better than his son. You knew the truth all along but refused to accept it, deceiving yourself. It’s time to awaken. This sect must not be harmed by him.”

“Chirp chirp chirp! I’ve had enough of this filthy shell. It suppresses my true nature. Today, I, the Divine Phoenix, will show you the might of a divine beast!” With a cry, a great beast with a rooster’s head, crane’s wings, and peacock’s tail appeared in the sky, its golden eyes flashing as it cried out.

“Mortal, one last warning—leave now! I, the Divine Phoenix, spare your life, or else—gah!”

Before the so-called Divine Phoenix could finish, a shadow of Wu Zisheng appeared. The Wu Zisheng on the ground smiled, stroking his beard, while another Wu Zisheng appeared in the air and grabbed the beast’s neck. The phoenix struggled feebly, its eyes rolling back as it flapped its wings.

In desperation, the phoenix raised its claw to scratch Wu Zisheng, who instantly created two more shadows, grabbing each claw. The phoenix flapped wildly, trying to shake off the three Wu Zisheng figures, but they each split again to seize the tips of its wings. Including the one on the ground, five Wu Zishengs were holding the beast.

Suddenly, the Wu Zisheng on the ground teleported in front of the phoenix, grabbing its comb and furiously slapping its face while muttering:

“Lu Dawei, I’ve tolerated you long enough! You think you can mock me? Make faces at me? Play dumb to trick the master’s sympathy? You’re at the Immortal Realm?”

The savage beating was so brutal that years later, Lu Chengzong’s grandson recalled the story and grimaced: “It was pitiful. That little chicken’s beak was beaten into a pelican’s, the pouch hanging all the way to its feet.”

When finished, Wu Zisheng tossed the phoenix onto the ground with such force it sank hundreds of meters deep.

Silence! The entire Xuanming Sect was eerily quiet; no one dared to breathe, fearing suffocation more than death.

Wu Zisheng’s five images merged into one. He glanced at the sect disciples, including Lu Chengzong, all of whom had wet pants, water pooling at their feet flowing like rivers into the phoenix pit.

After a while, the phoenix stirred, weak and soaked, flapping its wings as it struggled out of the pit, leaving feathers, blood, and excrement behind. It crawled toward the illusionary divine whip, trembling as it tried to hook the bell back around its neck but failed.

“Go, help that beast put it on. It’s too crippled to manage by itself,” Wu Zisheng said, folding his arms as he looked at Lu Chengzong.

Startled, Lu Chengzong shivered and shakily moved forward to assist.

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“Your father wasn’t killed by it; it merely found your father’s corpse. As for who killed him, you cannot avenge it. The one lying inside will help you,” Wu Zisheng said calmly, stroking his beard.

Lu Chengzong trembled, bowed, and did not dare look up at Wu Zisheng.

He finally approached the phoenix and gently placed the bell on its neck. A flash of light occurred, the phoenix’s dilated pupils gradually contracting, its eyes regaining life. Its massive body shrank into a juvenile phoenix, its colorful feathers growing glossy once more.

“Hmph, a fledgling phoenix. Even fully grown outside that immortal palace, I wouldn’t fear you. Dare to bare your teeth at me like Lu Dawei?” Wu Zisheng’s voice carried authority without anger.

The youthful phoenix blinked, scanned its surroundings, and upon locking eyes with Wu Zisheng, smartly flapped its wings then cowered in the corner of the hall, trembling and covering its head.

“Beast, haven’t you picked up the divine whip yet? How many times must I teach you?” Wu Zisheng scolded sharply.

“Chirp chirp chirp!” The fledgling phoenix quickly grabbed the divine whip and dashed toward the sect master’s mansion.

Wu Zisheng’s figure flickered and vanished, his voice lingering: “Go apologize to your future benefactor yourselves!” No one dared move or breathe for a quarter hour until a low-level disciple finally gasped, breaking the tension. Others then collapsed, gasping for air.

“Chirp chirp chirp! Chirp chirp chirp!” The sound came from afar, startling Li Xiaoxue.

“Oh no, the beast is back!” she whispered.

Li Xiaoxue, having recovered some true energy, rose but remained lying down as the door was still locked. Hearing the sound so close, she found it strange—she heard it right at her ear, yet the door didn’t open.

“Chirp chirp chirp! Chirp chirp chirp!” Suddenly, a small chicken carrying a whip flew onto the bed, frightening Li Xiaoxue, who sat up, grabbing the bird’s neck. “Gah~!”

“Ah! Ah! Ah!” Li Xiaoxue screamed, eyes shut tight, afraid to look. She felt something furry in one hand and slapped wildly with the other, shouting, “Chu Linfeng! Chu Linfeng!”

From then on, Fengya had no love left, afraid to hear the names Dawei and Linfeng.

After the beating, feathers lay scattered. Her once furry hand now felt bare, so she quickly tossed the feathers under the bed. Li Xiaoxue’s modestly restored cultivation caused a shallow pit about several dozen centimeters wide.

After shaking free, Li Xiaoxue slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the white chicken before her. It flapped its smooth white wings, trembling in the corner with teary eyes.

“What is this?” Li Xiaoxue was still confused. Voices outside said, “Xuanming Sect disciples have come to apologize to their benefactor!”

“Your sect master isn’t here!” Li Xiaoxue puzzled, thinking they came for the sect master.

“No, no, benefactor, we’ve come for you!” they said. “The stubborn sect master has been subdued by an immortal and transformed into a little phoenix. He is inside. You must have seen him.”

“小 phoenix?” Li Xiaoxue was doubtful.

“Chirp chirp chirp! Chirp chirp chirp!” The aggrieved white chicken chirped and its fallen feathers regrew, soon becoming glossy and colorful again. Li Xiaoxue finally understood.

“Chirp chirp chirp! Chirp chirp chirp!” The fledgling phoenix flapped toward Li Xiaoxue, who shouted, “Ah! Don’t come closer!” She grabbed the divine whip it had brought onto the bed and whipped under the bed.

Boom! An explosion rocked the sect master’s mansion, causing all outside to leap back. The house split in two and collapsed, leaving only a bed, a table, and a few pieces of furniture standing. The little phoenix quickly hid under the table, narrowly escaping.

Li Xiaoxue stared blankly at the divine artifact in her hands. The crowd knelt far away, unwilling to approach.

She gestured to the kneeling disciples several hundred meters away, “Someone come speak!”

After a moment, Lu Chengzong was pushed forward, face downcast, kneeling before her.

“Speak! Tell me everything you saw and heard, every word exactly.”

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Lu Chengzong obediently recounted everything from start to finish.

“Disguise? Shadow Realm!” Li Xiaoxue exclaimed. “Only seven or eight Shadow Realm experts are known in all of China. From your description, it sounds a bit like the director, but the director is a mighty figure my father barely dared summon. Why would he help me tame a beast and gift me such a divine artifact?”

“That, I do not know,” Lu Chengzong said, kowtowing. “We were all coerced by this demon beast to commit those despicable acts. Please forgive us, benefactor.”

“You must apologize for your misdeeds, make amends, and compensate where due. Those deceived like me by your conspirators shall not be spared,” Li Xiaoxue admonished.

“Yes, yes, we will comply fully without deceit!” Lu Chengzong bowed deeply.

“And if anyone was truly harmed or killed, you must pay with your lives!” Li Xiaoxue’s tone hardened.

“Benefactor, rest assured! Though the demon beast molested women, based on my secret observations and victim accounts, it mostly used words, occasionally touched lightly, at worst brushed against them. It exposed itself willingly and never committed worse acts. Thus, no woman has taken her life because of defilement,” Lu Chengzong explained.

“Is that so?” Li Xiaoxue doubted, the beast’s lewd laughter still echoing in her mind, nearly driving her mad.

“No lies! My disciples can testify,” Lu Chengzong hesitated, unsure how much to reveal.

“Then speak! Or I’ll whip you!” Li Xiaoxue threatened.

Frightened, Lu Chengzong blurted out: “It seems the demon beast is neither male nor female, or was originally female without male organs. It merely mimicked men after learning from wicked people when disguised as a human.”

Hearing this, Li Xiaoxue recalled the scene of the Nine Dragons Playing with a Pearl and finally believed it. She blushed and looked at the fledgling phoenix under the table.

“Lift your tail so I can see! If you don’t, I’ll whip you!”

(Comment from Yan Yu Lou Ge: “Xue’er, you’re dirty!”)

“What are the plans for the Xuanming Sect going forward?” Li Xiaoxue asked inside the hall.

Lu Chengzong stepped forward, kneeling: “We wish to endorse you as the new盟主, sect leader!”

“Oh? Why choose me?” Li Xiaoxue was puzzled.

“First, the immortal said you will avenge my father and the sect; you are the benefactor of all of Xuanming. Second, with father gone, the sect is leaderless. I know my limited cultivation cannot inherit the position. If I did, internal strife would cause the sect’s collapse within three to five years. Third, your celestial beauty alone commands respect; combined with your young age, high cultivation, the divine whip, and divine beast, the sect will surely flourish under you. Fourth, since the immortal watches over you and allows your troubles without immediate rescue, it must be to let you rule with both benevolence and might. We dare not oppose the immortal’s will!”

At Lu Chengzong’s fourth reason, the crowd knelt faster than rabbits. Joking aside, it was the immortal’s will—who wouldn’t kneel? Were they to insult their ancestors’ graves?

“Long live the sect leader!” they shouted in unison. “Chirp chirp chirp chirp!” The little phoenix joined the chorus.

“I’ve told you many times—I hate that sound!” Li Xiaoxue frowned, then smiled. “Isn’t this Illusory Divine Whip supposed to let pets change form at will? If you won’t change, I’ll have to do it for you.”

“Suddenly thought of Liu Haizhu. Let’s turn you into a dog! I think a female Taoist with a dog is very cool—sure to outshine professional magicians!”

The little phoenix panicked, flapping and screeching against a hall pillar. Being turned into a dog was a disgrace far worse than any other—better to die than suffer such humiliation!

“Chirp chirp chirp—woof woof~” “Bang!” “Howl! Howl! Howl!…”

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