CHAPTER 578: CHAPTER 294: THE SUTRA OF LIVING BEINGS AND THE LITTLE MONK

It is rumored that in the world there exists a Cyan Dragon, its body resembles a long serpent, with a kirin’s head and a carp’s tail; its face has long whiskers, antlers like a deer, five claws, and is covered in blue scales.

This Cyan Dragon is the leader of the four divine creatures, represents the wood element of the Five Elements, bears the color cyan, appears at the Spring Equinox, and disappears at the Autumn Equinox, commands wind and thunder, and brings forth all living things...

The Huainanzi says: Among heavenly deities, none is more esteemed than the Cyan Dragon!

The characteristics of the dispersing and merging wind refined by Xu Qing coincidentally align with the Cyan Dragon.

The dragon, leader of a hundred scales, holds the Cyan Dragon in esteem.

Its form is extraordinary, its blue scales shimmering in the sky, its eyes containing stars.

Its solemn dignity causes rain when pleased, and stirs thunder when angered.

Its nature is noble and pure, cherishing righteousness and justice, detesting filth to ward off evil.

Its power is boundless, pacifying the eastern extremity and controlling the eight wildernesses, overseeing the spring wood and managing growth and blossoming...

When Xu Qing went to the Imperial Mausoleum of Dayong early in his life to deal with a thunder disaster, it was widely rumored in the Jin Sect that a Cyan Dragon was seen falling from the sky over the Baisha River.

At the time, Xu Qing dismissed it as mere rumor; how could the magical power and divine techniques of the legendary Cyan Dragon be so vast and yet fall to the mortal world?

Until later, when Xu Qing by chance picked up five or six blue-gold scales, his beliefs began to shake.

"It is said that the Cyan Dragon loves purity and detests turbidity, showing its presence in prosperous ages to stabilize the nation’s destiny, while hiding in the oceans in chaotic times to avoid being tainted."

"Now that it is indeed the era of the Five Filthy Evil Worlds, with yin and yang out of balance, worse than even chaotic times, can such a holy beast as the Cyan Dragon, hiding deep in rivers, lakes, and seas, truly escape the fate of pollution?"

Xu Qing had twice encountered golden carps facing the ’tribulation of humans’.

Once, Xu Qing obtained a drop of dragon blood; another time, it was the blue scales in Chen Liu’Er’s hands.

These two encounters instead reminded Xu Qing of an ancient folklore widely spread in the Jin Sect.

Old folk in Jin Sect relay that a live carp, when caught by people thrice but fortunate enough to be released each time, can accumulate celestial fortune and gain the chance to soar over the dragon gate.

However, if it fails to be rescued and released even once, it signifies the carp does not have the fate to transform into a dragon and can only become a dish on the table.

This is why dragons despise the chaos of troubled years and favor peaceful prosperous times.

During years of war, people’s hearts are anxious, corpses lie everywhere, individuals barely able to fend for themselves, who would have the kindness to rescue a carp?

If fish bones are not swallowed, it is already considered as possessing kindness at heart!

Only in peaceful prosperous times, with fortune abounding and people having an ’excess’ in their hearts, can the carp in the river receive more opportunities.

It is unknown when the practice of carp release began, only that even a thousand years ago or earlier, Jin Sect had such a custom.

Every New Year’s day, there would surely be someone choosing to release a live carp into the water, hoping to pray for a share of good fortune.

Yet, the saying of saving carps and praying for blessings is not achieved overnight.

Only live carps that have gone through three captures and releases with extremely strong fortune can bring good fortune to the person who releases them.

People with determination devised a method, tying a small red string around the dorsal fin on the back of the carp as a marker.

What they hoped for was nothing less than when a fisherman or wandering bystander caught this fish by mistake one day, upon seeing the red string, they would recognize this fish as a destined spiritual creature, then release it to help it continue its celestial fortunes.

Yet, time flowed on like a residence, and generations passed.

Throughout the generations of Jin Sect, people stood by the water, gazing longingly, exploring rivers, streams, and wild marshes, seeing various swimming scales and water plants drifting and bobbing, but they have never once witnessed the wondrous sight of a red-string spirit carp leaping from the water.

Xu Qing faintly felt that this custom might not be entirely without basis, if the rumors were true, had those two golden carp children already surpassed three human tribulations?

"With the Heaven-Reaching Road cut off, daring to undergo tribulation at the very onset of chaotic times; truly audacious!"

Xu Qing calculated, considering his and Chen Liu’Er’s two instances of rescue, that pair of ’golden boy and jade girl’ were still one tribulation short from achieving the standard of leaping through the dragon gate.

If there really was one final tribulation, would they truly be able to pass it?

Back then, Xu Qing was blinded by the generosity and openness of the two golden carps, but even more so by his kind heart and love for doing good deeds, so he set a new hall rule in the Cat Immortal Hall—that is, if one encountered a golden carp, release it if possible.

"That drop of dragon blood helped me refine a hand bone; the blue scale in Chen Liu’Er’s hand is also no ordinary thing..."

When possessioning Lady Bao Sheng through the Dharma Realm of the Blood Lake, Xu Qing saw Chen Liu’Er flaunting the blue scale before little Shiyue.

The magical power contained in that blue scale was far more powerful than the scales he picked up in the Baisha River!

"This mischievous child flaunting such a scale is indeed unsafe; being a deity of Bao Sheng Temple, I must help this child resolve this security concern!"

Xu Qing stood in the guest reception hall of the County Magistrate’s residence, listening to the sounds from deep within the courtyard, and made up his mind.

At dusk, after working at the Government Office all day, Chen Guangrui finally returned.

County Magistrate Chen had just entered the front hall when he saw Xu Qing.

After the two exchanged greetings, Chen Guangrui curiously asked, "Has Shopkeeper Xu come to see me for some important matter?"

Xu Qing smiled and said, "It’s nothing really important. A few years ago, Sister Liu... oh, the midwife who delivered the young master of the County Magistrate’s family."

"Sister Liu once borrowed a childcare manual from me, had it copied for the County Magistrate to spread to the world."

"That booklet was written by a friend of mine, and now it is time to return it, so I have come with a thick face to the lord to retrieve it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Guangrui laughed and said, "Since the booklet was written by Shopkeeper Xu’s friend, I should certainly return it."

"Shopkeeper Xu need not feel embarrassed, if anyone should feel guilty, it should be me. Back then, I vainly boasted, promising Shopkeeper Xu to spread the booklet throughout the world so that everyone in Dayong would know about safe childbirth and parenting, but who knew..."

Chen Guangrui shook his head with a bitter smile; his words were full of helplessness.

Xu Qing understood the situation; the Bao Sheng manual was tied to the battle for incense offerings, and the Celestial Master’s Mansion would never sit by and watch the manual reach the imperial desk. Even if it did, the Emperor Jingxing might not value it given his nature.