That night they came to a conclusion: modern Taoism is based on two classics as its theoretical foundation, and the sorcery of the Qiang people serves as the source of Taoist rituals, merging with each other.
As for the Qifeng Mountain, it was definitely from the descendants of the Qiang tribe who migrated out and defeated the Di people who were originally there. The transmitted witchcraft was preserved in three forms: pure Qiang witchcraft, improved versions such as "Ru Yi Ce" that integrated with Taoism, and another type that developed into the ghostly technique that both Cha Wenbin and Yun Da Si deeply despised.
Sorcery originates from the sensibility of divine power, this ancient and mysterious power should be closest to the original myths and legends that possess supernatural powers.
That night, Yun Dazong and Cha Wenbin had a candlelit conversation. Cha Wenbin told the Grand Master many of his understandings about Taoism, while Yun Dazong also taught Cha Wenbin many corrections on the drawing methods of talismans. As time passed by, those talismans that were written in ancient characters and handed down from generation to generation had many errors and mistakes.
It can be said that after the death of his master, this was the most rewarding experience for Cha Wenbin regarding Taoism. The appearance of the Yun Da Jisi made up for many symbols and incantations that had gradually lost their power in the past. Those ancient and difficult-to-understand spells were all restored one by one and received corresponding modifications.
On the second day, Cha Wenbin decided to venture into the mountains for a visit. The Cloud Great Priest's stance was not to stop him, as he believed that the gods would naturally be willing to receive those who were worthy of an audience, and if they were not received, they would definitely be punished. They were all children of God, and they believed that God had higher powers that no one could destroy.
After receiving the blessing of the Cloud Grand Priest, Zha Wenbin led the group towards that sacred mountain in people's hearts, known as the true Kunlun main peak, the "Source of Huaxia", where it was said to be the Daoist temple of the Queen Mother of the West, with countless records of immortals ascending and spiritual medicine everywhere, as well as the legendary Jade Pool Immortal Realm that had been passed down for thousands of years!
Behind this village, there is often a thick fog all year round. It's only on the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar that the sacred mountain will reveal itself from the clouds and mist. It's said that this day is also the birthday of the Queen Mother of the West. The Cloud Grand Master says he has never seen the top of this mountain, and even when it can be seen, it's only a vague outline.
The worship of the Queen of the West has a long history in China. The earliest "Shan Hai Jing · Xi Ci San Jing" records: The Queen of the West lives on the mountain of Yushan, with a human-like appearance, leopard tail and tiger teeth, good at whistling, with hair tied up, is in charge of heavenly disasters and five punishments.
Another book, "The Complete Biography of the Immortals", records that the Queen Mother of the West is also known as the Golden Mother of the Turtle Platform. She is the supreme deity of the Western Huashan, born in the divine land of Yichuan, with the surname Hou or Yang, and the name Hui, style name Yuanyi, and alias Taixu.
According to the Taoist scripture "Daozang Daoji Jing" studied by Wen Bin, it is recorded that: The Queen Mother sat on the throne in the east and west, wearing a golden cloak, with bright and beautiful clothes, dignified and elegant, with a spiritual flying ribbon, wearing a sword of distinction at her waist, with a crown of great splendor on her head, wearing a morning cloud coronet, and wearing black phoenix patterned shoes. Looking at her, she was only about thirty years old, with a slender and delicate figure, heavenly beauty, and an extraordinary face, truly a divine being. In this Taoist scripture, the Queen Mother has been humanized, not only is she exceptionally beautiful, but also appears to be only around thirty years old.
In short, this legendary goddess has always played a pivotal role in China's long and ancient mythological era. In Chinese Taoist classics, there are multiple records of the Queen Mother of the West sending her envoys to descend into the mortal world. She once dispatched her disciple, the Nine Heavens Xuan Nü, to help the Yellow Emperor defeat Chi You, granted the Emperor Shun a map of the heavens and earth to govern the country, and sent twenty-three female cloud spirits, including Yunhua Furen, to assist Da Yu in controlling the floods. Those who were fortunate enough to behold her sacred countenance include Emperor Shun, famous for his filial piety, King Mu of Zhou, who visited the Jade Pool to pay homage to the Golden Mother, and Emperor Wu of Han, who was fond of spiritual arts.
The most famous is her peaches, which bloom once every 3,000 years and produce fruit once every 3,000 years. Mortals who eat them can become immortals and live forever. In short, she is an existence that surpasses all the gods, because in all mythological stories, it has never been mentioned that even gods are not necessarily immortal! If we say that gods also have a lifespan, but only longer than mortals, then wouldn't the peaches in Queen Mother of the West's hands, which can prolong life and keep youth forever, become the most coveted treasure for everyone?
So about this true god, it has always been a legend of longevity, but Cha Wenbin did not believe that there would be such a thing as peaches of immortality. Because ancient people often created a figure based on their own aspirations to worship and whip themselves towards the direction of longevity. However, whether it was kings or commoners or Taoist priests, they all found that this pursuit of longevity seemed impossible, even Qin Shi Huang was no exception. Therefore, some people began to build another world: the underworld, which is a world after death, accompanied by people's hopes for reincarnation and protection of their children, religion truly began to rise!
When the perfect combination of witchcraft and Taoist theory made Taoism begin to flourish in China, under the guidance of the I Ching, Taoists began to use astronomical phenomena, the five elements, yin and yang, and Feng Shui to harness the mysterious natural power of ancient witchcraft. Then, with a large number of Taoist classics to cultivate their inner world, this Taoism, which occupied the first native religion in China's long history, began its glorious history.
Due to the limitations and perishability of written characters, the fluctuations and uncertainties of history, the authenticity of orally transmitted incantations, and the rise of other religions, Taoism eventually began to lose its former glory as the first major religion and showed signs of decline, along with those ancient witchcrafts, divination and physiognomy that began to disappear in wave after wave of great tides of the times.
On the way, Old Wang was also very interested in this sacred mountain, which is said to be the domain of the Queen Mother of the West. He said: "There was a very interesting thing that happened in Chinese history. A group of tomb robbers dug up the tomb of King Wei Xiang of the Warring States period. Among these guys, there was one who had some culture and liked collecting bamboo slips from the Warring States period. Among his bamboo slips, there was one that described a theme, which shocked later generations - the extraordinary book "Mu Tianzi Zhuan".
The Mu Tianzi Zhuan records the life of King Mu of Zhou, the fifth ruler of the Western Zhou dynasty. This book clearly describes how King Mu of Zhou sang with the Queen Mother of the West during his western expedition and presented her with gifts. This proves that King Mu of Zhou was a real historical figure, as evidenced by the bronze ritual vessels unearthed from the Western Zhou period, which confirm the existence of this person, who was the great-grandson of King Wu of Zhou and the son of King Zhao of Zhou, named Ji Man.
Since King Mu of Zhou is indeed a historical figure, then the Queen Mother of the West, hehe, has a very high possibility of existing. This book was at least written before the Warring States period. It's highly likely that it was written based on some unofficial histories and folk legends of the time. While its credibility can't be said to be particularly high, there is another historical record that also makes similar mention - in "Records of the Grand Historian: Annals of Zhou" it is recorded: "In the 17th year of King Mu's reign, he went on a western tour and met the Queen Mother of the West."
Chao Zi listened with great interest and thought that this was a good way to pass the time: "Didn't Wen Bin say that Xi Wangmu is a monster?"
Old Wang continued: "No, in my opinion, I agree more with what Wen Bin said earlier about the Taoist classics, rather than the Shan Hai Jing. I believe she was a beautiful woman with a rich and elegant appearance. Because in ancient China, they practiced matriarchal clans, and many ancient tribes used animals as totems, such as the dragon, which is now considered the totem of the descendants of Yan and Huang. However, Xi Wangmu was described as a monster with a leopard tail, tiger teeth, and a good howl, so it's highly likely that their tribe's totem was composed of tigers and leopards."
In order to increase the influence of the tribe and the leadership of the Western Queen Mother, people deified her into a half-human, half-beast monster. In ancient times, people revered witchcraft, and those who mastered witchcraft were often the highest rulers of their clans, such as Yun Dajisi, who became the leader of this forgotten Qiang tribe after losing his tribal chief.
So the Queen Mother of the West was likely deified. As for why she had eternal life, there are only two possibilities: one is that she possessed very powerful magic, able to remain youthful and live forever, don't you think?"
Cha Wenbin wasn't very sure: "I don't dare to say, the power of witchcraft is something I witnessed last night, and indeed there are some divine and magical techniques. But if you want to be immortal and indestructible, unless you can defy heaven, it's not ruled out that this Western Queen Mother has mastered powerful witchcraft, or even the origin of all witchcraft."
Old Wang nodded and said, "Then there's another thing. This Queen Mother of the West is just a code name, just like how we refer to the rulers of each dynasty in the Central Plains as emperors. Every emperor has a title called Emperor, but he's not a person, it's a symbol of identity. So, if this tribe still exists, wouldn't the Queen Mother of the West also exist?"
Zha Wenbin was a bit tired, the things he knew in the past two days could almost connect the entire development history of Taoism, including those spells and symbols that he originally didn't understand but only knew how to use, and now he had figured out part of their meanings. Just this alone was a huge gain, it can be said that if he could penetrate "Ru Yi Ce" one more day, then there would really be a possibility for him to become a master of the generation.
"Never mind, if there really is such a person, I believe they will also leave behind some clues. This place is rarely visited by people, even after thousands of years have passed, something must still be left behind. Since the sun and moon are coming out from here, it means we've at least come to the right place."
Just as Zhang Wenbin and Old Wang were chatting, Zhe Luo and Chaozi suddenly discovered a strange object in front of them. Two giant pillars rose from the ground on either side, leaving only a relatively flat path in between. Zhe Luo said: "The stone ahead is quite majestic, it really looks like a big gate!"
Cha Wenbin heard and looked up, but vaguely found that there was something wrong with the door inside. It seemed that a team was walking outside, and he saw that the leader of the team was actually Zhe Luo!
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