Chapter 47 Chapter Forty-Seven — Gazing Upon the Divine

Because he practiced the Purple-Qi Nourishing-Yuan Art, Li Daoxuan's hearing far exceeded the common; after the farmer entered the Green-Robe Temple, he faintly heard some sounds.

They seemed to be of drought, of praying for rain…

At the last came heavy kowtows, nine in all.

A moment later he walked out; Li Daoxuan saw his forehead bore a bruise, yet the man looked much relieved.

As if some heavy thing had at last been set down.

Though the Lady in Green had not manifested to answer his prayer, after devout worship he was unburdened, seeming to believe all would resolve.

Li Daoxuan mused — perhaps this was the power of faith.

His turn came; Li Daoxuan tidied his sleeves and slowly entered the Green-Robe Temple, closing the door.

The temple was plain and tidy; only a redwood table, a censer, and a statue — and a faint sandalwood scent that calmed the heart and emptied troubles.

Li Daoxuan looked first to the statue, for he was much curious about the Lady in Green.

He saw a deity standing upon a lotus, ribbons dancing, long hair like a waterfall, forming an orchid-gesture with one hand, upon which perched a little skylark.

Her eyes held a compassionate hue, as if gazing upon all living things.

Though but a sculpture, it was plainly the work of a master — lifelike, elegant and otherworldly, with an awe-inspiring, untouchable holiness.

Seeing Her, Li Daoxuan felt as if before a Guanyin or a Nüwa.

Facing this ghost-immortal, Li Daoxuan dared not presume; respectfully he took out the black jars holding the ghosts and set them on the redwood table.

Then he took the three sticks of incense his master had given him, lit them, and planted them in the censer.

"Reporting to the Lady in Green: I am Longhu's ninth-generation personal disciple Li Daoxuan; by my master Zhang Qianyang's command I come to the banquet and to send these souls to the Blue Netherworld for rebirth. May the Lady know."

Having spoken, Li Daoxuan bowed.

But all around was still.

Li Daoxuan was a little puzzled; he lifted his head to the statue — was the Lady not here today, but gone out?

But the next moment a wondrous thing happened.

The smoke of those three sticks of incense condensed and would not scatter, faintly gathering into a portal; dense yin-qi rose, and through this portal Li Daoxuan seemed to see another world.

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There was no sunlight, only yin-qi thick, with a faint blue light.

The Blue Netherworld!

Li Daoxuan widened his eyes; that within should be the Blue Netherworld — what a marvelous method, to be in the mortal realm yet forcibly open the yin-yang divide and join two worlds!

The black jars seemed to sense something and jumped; as Li Daoxuan unsealed the talismans, figures leapt from the jars — old and young, men and women; among them one Li Daoxuan knew: Wang Chunsheng.

That was the medicine merchant who had strayed into Li Family Village and died under the ghosts, becoming an earth-bound spirit.

Now their gazes were clear; they bowed to Li Daoxuan, then flew into that portal and entered the Blue Netherworld.

After all the ghosts had entered, the smoke slowly dispersed.

Li Daoxuan looked to the Lady in Green's statue; whether illusion or not, he felt the statue had grown more alive, those deep eyes seeming to be watching him?

After a hesitation he could not help it; he opened his Dharma eye and looked at the statue.

Boom!

Endless light blazed; Li Daoxuan saw a green-robed figure, the face unclear, only faintly a spirit-pattern between the brows like a night-blooming flower, wreathed in parting-reunion divine light, holy and untouchable.

Li Daoxuan cried out; his eyes were in agony, as if blinded by countless silver needles, and lines of blood ran down.

He did not know that none but the deeply cultivated may gaze upon a god's true form.

As Li Daoxuan thought himself blind, a fingertip seemed to touch his brow; a cool, warm feeling filled his eyes, and the pain was swept away.

When he opened his eyes again, all around was as before — the statue still the statue, the three sticks of incense still burning quietly.

Li Daoxuan was now full of awe; he bowed deeply to the statue and said, "Many thanks, Lady!"

He had nearly been blinded; fortunate that the Lady in Green was magnanimous — not only did she not blame, she healed his eye-wound.

He even felt his sight strengthened; the world before him seemed clearer.

Just then a chirping sounded by his ear, and a little skylark lit upon his head.

And the stone-carved skylark on the statue's hand had vanished.

"Hee-hee, what great gall you have…"

The voice was clear as a bell, like a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl.

The skylark flapped its wings and circled Li Daoxuan, chattering on.

"You are Li Daoxuan, yes? I am Little Sparrow; just now the Lady was very angry — this sparrow pled for you with countless good words before she forgave you, oh!"

It puffed its chest, proud as could be, as if to say see how mighty this sparrow is — quick, praise me, praise me!

Li Daoxuan laughed; he offered his hand and let Little Sparrow perch.

He did not believe the Lady in Green's temper so small, but he did not expose it; instead he played along and smiled. "Then many thanks, Fairy Que."

Little Sparrow started, then its eyes lit and it happily flipped a somersault on Li Daoxuan's hand.

"Hee, Fairy Que — little Daoist, your words are sweet, far better than your master's!"

It chattered like a machine-gun, praising Li Daoxuan up and down, then said somewhat shyly, "Since you thank this immortal so… this immortal shall reluctantly accept your gift."

Li Daoxuan started — a gift? What gift?

Little Sparrow turned its head and muttered, "I certainly won't tell you that what I love most is the bugs in the south orchard…"

Li Daoxuan laughed aloud. "Rest assured, Fairy Que; I shall go to the south orchard at once to find your gift."

Little Sparrow extended a wing and stroked his head, as if to say you are sensible — this sparrow's heart is much comforted.

"The Lady's banquet is at night; someone will come fetch you then — only do not leave Yuzhang City."

Having said this it flapped its wings, flew back to the statue's finger, and swiftly petrified into a little stone sparrow.

Li Daoxuan shook his head with a smile — this skylark was rather cute, with a child's temper.

At last he bowed again to the Lady in Green, put away the black jars, and withdrew.

Leaving the Green-Robe Temple, he felt relieved.

Not from fear, but that before a great one, one is inevitably constrained.

He recalled the figure he had risked blindness to see, yet found the memory fading; clearly he remembered all that had happened, yet simply could not recall what he had seen.

He only faintly remembered that the figure was exceedingly holy — and seemed, very beautiful…