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  Some things don't need to be explained, and some things don't need to be pursued. As for what kind of person Gu Qing is, it's probably impossible to figure out. To say that he is well-versed in Chinese culture and has a good understanding of Taoism would also be difficult to know about so many spells and incantations.

  The two major Taoist schools in China, namely the Orthodox Unity and Complete Reality, have spawned dozens of mainstream sects. Each of these sects has its own unique methods of cultivation, making them distinct from one another. During their heyday, Chinese Taoism was no less vibrant than the Hundred Schools of Thought during the Spring and Autumn period. Although time has passed and Taoism has declined, the incantations, talismans, and rituals that have been handed down through the ages number in the thousands. Chen Wenbin considers himself to have merely scratched the surface of this vast subject. How could a foreign professor who loves Chinese culture possibly dismiss his obscure "Tianzheng Dao" school?

  "The Scripture of the Innumerable Divine Talismans of the Upper Section" Volume 36 says: "The essential points have three divisions. The first is to recite incantations, the second is to use talismans, and the third is to perform rituals. Incantations are the secret language of Heaven, and all spirits and divine beings respond to the call of the incantation and descend with the energy. Talismans are the heavenly contract, and all spirits respond to the talisman and descend. Rituals are in charge of the celestial bureaucracy, and there are naturally many spirits and divine beings who each perform their duties. They must rely on talismans and incantations, and when called, they come; when dismissed, they leave. This is called the three divisions."

  The names of incantations are varied, some come from ancient witchcraft, such as blessings, curses, and forbidden language; some come from traditional rituals, such as jade sound, spirit sound, and song sound; others were created by Taoist teachings, such as hidden language, jade secrets, inner sound, secret sound, heavenly sound, flying empty sound, and natural sound.

  As Wen Bin's last endless golden sword ritual, if it could all be seen through by Gu Qinghe, then it would naturally have a different interpretation.

  The chanting method of Taoist priests can be broadly divided into three categories: the first is "spoken incantations", which refers to loud and clear chanting that ordinary people can understand; the second is "whispered incantations", which refers to soft and quiet chanting that cannot be loudly proclaimed, most of which are rapid incantations that are difficult to understand, relying on oral transmission from master to apprentice, requiring extremely fast pronunciation and accurate enunciation, usually only after three years of practice can one begin to cultivate; the third is "heart incantations", also known as "yin incantations" or "secret incantations", this type of silent chanting method is mainly used for cultivating internal mental powers, being highly valued in Taoism as the "way of refining the spirit, the first priority of quiet cultivation", especially emphasized, every day at dawn, noon and dusk, Taoist priests will sit in meditation, appearing to be in a state of stillness, but actually continuously chanting incantations in their hearts.

  Gu Qing was able to read through Cha Wenbin's three moves, and the "Endless Golden Seal" technique was even more astonishing as he recited it in a low voice. If it were not for someone who is well-versed in this field, they would have no idea what kind of magic he was casting. The Heavenly Gaze and Earthly Executioner, a total of 108 linked moves, require the practitioner to coordinate their hand seals, footsteps, and incantations within a short period of time. Being able to recognize Cha Wenbin's changes one by one, his eyesight, hearing, and understanding of Taoist magic are all far beyond what an ordinary scholar can easily grasp.

  Cha Wenbin was supported by me to sit beside Ye Qiu, he looked very weak, I wanted to ask several times but closed my mouth, seeing him like that really didn't want to distract him.

  Ye Qiu's body was already at its limit, and the few mouthfuls of water that Gu Qing gave him were all spat out. With his mortal body trying to withstand the power of the heavenly thunder, it was a miracle that he could still breathe at this point.

  Tonight, going down the mountain is naturally a pipe dream. All we can do is wait. However, Ye Qiu has always been very lucky, and I secretly pray that this time, you will also get through it.

  Zha Wenbin weakly said to me: "Xiao Yi, I think it's going to rain soon. Can you help find a house and move him inside? Also, gather some moss, wet it with water, and apply it to his wounds."

  "Good!" My voice was also trembling, and I hastily beckoned to Old Gu to help lift Ye Qiu. Behind us was a house, and in these abandoned stone houses, the one thing that was not lacking was moss. This stuff had the greatest effect of having high water content, which could clear heat and remove fire. At present, there was no other good method, and the lightning had struck Ye Qiu's left scapula and exited from the palm of his right hand, clearly leaving two burn marks that went in and out, essentially penetrating his entire five organs and six viscera. Whether he would be able to see tomorrow's sun, nobody's heart was at ease.

  I collected as much moss as possible, and those plants that were originally full of water were placed on his body and quickly withered away in an instant, enough to see how high the temperature inside his body is now.

  "This can't go on." I looked at the two of them, one seemed like he hadn't slept for days and nights, aging ten years overnight, while the other was on the verge of life and death. Yuan Xiaobai kept using a towel to wet and wipe Ye Qiu's body, removing the dark stains, revealing his true skin tone, which also shocked me. The current Ye Qiu was completely red all over, just like a lobster that had just been put on the grill, his body temperature was so high that even his hands were scalding hot, those bandages were far from enough.

  "Rumble, rumble..." The thunder started again outside, and the strong winds howled in from all directions. The stone roof of this house was made of slate tiles, which had long since rotted away. Before long, a "ding-dong-dong" sound began to rage on, and the heavy rain finally arrived.

  The rain came suddenly, and in an instant the room was wet and soggy. Water flowed in from all sides of the stone house, and soon the place became a muddy mess. I had to try my best to huddle them together in a dry spot, but unfortunately more than half of the house was damaged, leaving only a small corner that could fit just a few people. Xiaobai was a girl, there were two patients, an old man, and I could only do my best to satisfy their needs. At this time, I had no choice but to shoulder the responsibilities that a man should bear.

  Looking up at the heavy rain pouring down from above, Gu Qing said suddenly: "Got it, Little Yi, go find some mud, the more rotten the better. The moss evaporates too quickly, use the moss to cover his body and then wrap it with this wet and slippery mud paste. Maybe it can help lower his temperature. With such a high fever, even if he doesn't die, his brain will definitely be damaged by tomorrow morning."

  "It's all ruined, a hundred times over! It's just a piece of junk!" I said with my mouth, but that wasn't what I was thinking in my heart. I immediately rushed out of the house, took off my clothes and put them on the ground. Without tools, I used my hands to dig; without a bag, I used my clothes to carry it. I didn't even notice how many times my fingers were cut by stones. The rain hit my face, mixing with mud, and at that moment, I really cried.

  Cry, men also need to vent, I've already lost a brother, I don't want to lose another one...

  One by one, I carried back the clothes filled with mud, and one by one, I personally applied them to Ye Qiu's scalding body. By the time he became a "beggar chicken", I had thoroughly become a bricklayer. Like this, I leaned against the wall, getting rained on, and fell asleep dazedly.

  That night, I had a dream. In the dream, Fatso was standing next to me, laughing and smoking. I said, "You two are almost dead, what's there to be happy about?"

  Fatso said, "I'm quite lonely by myself. I've been thinking of you guys coming together to keep me company." I said, "Fatso, go to hell! I still want to live a few more years. The three unfilial acts are: having no offspring is the worst. When I've managed to raise a decent one, you can come back and be my son!"

  I don't know why I said that, in my mind, Fatso is still alive, and I've always thought so. But Fatso said he wouldn't be reborn as my son, he said something that has left me puzzled to this day: "In the future, you will have to be your own son!"

  I said you're talking nonsense, the fatty didn't say a word and then he walked out of the house. I chased after him as soon as I got out of the house, and I saw the fatty standing on the cliff. He turned around and smiled at me with a "heh heh".

  "I said: 'Fatty, what are you laughing at again? It's raining heavily outside, hurry back.'"

  Fatso said: "I should go home now. You guys never come visit me either. Every time I have to be the one to find you, it's so annoying."

  Then I asked, "Fatty, where the hell are you now?"

  The fatty shook his stout body and smiled with a grin: "Guess!"

  I guess? I... I still wanted to ask something, but the fatty suddenly turned around and jumped down, leaving me alone desperately chasing after him. Desperately chasing after him, until we reached the edge of the cliff, I saw the fatty constantly falling down, constantly falling down, as if it was a bottomless abyss, and he was getting farther and farther away from me, more and more blurry.

  "Fatty!" I was lying on the cliff, I wanted to stretch out my hand to pull him back, but I didn't have the courage to jump down with him...

  "Wake up! Wake up, Xiao Yi..." I heard someone calling me, and my face still felt a burning pain. Dazed, I opened my eyes, and the outside light was too dazzling.

  I heard Gu Qing say: "This child has been rained on all night, if he wasn't physically strong, he would have collapsed by now. Let him sleep for a while."

  "Wen Bin?" I struggled to open my eyes and found myself lying in a corner of the room, with clothes still under me.

  "Awake?" Cha Wenbin hastily came over and touched my head, saying: "It's okay, the fever has gone down, sleep a bit more."

  "Who?" I looked at him, his anxious appearance was completely different from the weakness of last night, but his beard had already grown all over his mouth, and his cheeks seemed to be even more sunken than before. He looked spirited, but that sense of vicissitude seemed to have increased by ten years overnight. Looking at him still being okay for now, I glanced around again, only to see mud everywhere on the ground, and Ye Qiu was nowhere to be found.

  "You're looking for him, right?" Cha Wenbin said with a smile: "He's fine, he just went out to get you something to eat."

  "Get me something to eat? He's been struck by lightning and looks like that."

  "Come on, don't worry about it," said Gu Qing, walking over with a steaming teapot. "He's a miracle, and if I get the chance, I really want to invite him to America. I'll find the best team in the world to study this guy - he's just too incredible."

  "What's wrong?" I asked.

  "The butterfly emerges from the cocoon." Gu Qinghe continued, "This idiom couldn't be more fitting for him. This morning when he woke up, he broke off the mud on his body by himself, revealing smooth skin underneath, just like a newborn baby. I asked him how he felt, and he only said that he was hungry, then went out to find something to eat, saying that he would bring some back for me too, since I had worked hard last night..."

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