Chapter 41: The Sun is fierce, the world is pure

A chick broke out of its shell, and darkness filled the surroundings.

The chicks pecked at the insects on the ground and grew up to become chickens.

The chick grew a comb as red as blood, its claws became as bright as gold and could cut through iron like mud, and it changed into a coat of green feathers.

The chick wandered through the dark forest, pecking at insects and snakes, fighting wild beasts, bravely battling evil spirits, and driving away zombies, growing up in blood.

The chick grew into a rooster. In order to see clearly in the darkness, it developed double golden eyes, making it more courageous in the dark. Insects and snakes dared not approach it. Wild beasts were its blood food. Evil ghosts and zombies would be burned to death if they were stared at by it.

The rooster was no longer afraid of the dark, but he hated it.

Finally one day, it couldn't bear it anymore. The rooster, which had not made a sound since birth, crowed with all its might. The cry shattered the evil spirits and made the insects and beasts bow their heads. But this was not enough. It continued to crow, becoming louder and louder, as if even the darkness was retreating.

Suddenly, brilliant golden light descended from the sky, sweeping away all the darkness.

The sun is out.

It brought the sun's light to this land.

The rooster left the land bathed in the golden light.

It wandered around the world and found that many people grew up in darkness, so wherever it went, it would clear out the poisonous insects and ghosts there, and then cry to call for light.

So people called it the Sun Spirit, the Fire Spirit, the Yangzi, the Songbird, the Dawn Master, the Hanyin, the Time of Night, the Candle Night, the Red-Clothed Man, the Red-Crowned Mr., the Ghost Catcher General, and the Insect Catcher General.

Later people discovered that the rooster's blood was so powerful that it could melt all evil spirits, not only poisonous insects, evil spirits, and zombies, but also those of a liar who drank it would have his intestines pierced and his stomach rotted. So they also called it the Lord of Faith, the Prince of Lie, and the Prince of Five Virtues.

People also discovered that the crowing of a rooster can not only bring light, but also call back lost souls, so they also called it the soul-calling god and the soul-calling god.

Everyone hoped that the rooster could stay in his own village, but there were too many places in the world that needed roosters, so the rooster pecked its own body and let the hot blood flow out. The blood turned into eggs under the sunlight. This is the origin of the chicken clan in the world.

"Oh! So that's how it is!"

"That's right!"

"..."

In the darkness of night, old and young people sat in front of the Yunqi House, listening to Yunqi telling stories.

The old village chief nodded seriously, "Then where did the first divine chicken go?"

The cloud continued:
"The divine chicken later learned Taoism and became an immortal. It transformed into a human form and named itself "Yuan Dan". Look at the word "Dan". Let me write it for you. A sun rises from the ground. Look, this is the word "Dan". Does it look like it? What does "Yuan" mean? It means that everything has just begun. "Yuan Dan" means that the sun rises, sweeping away ghosts and monsters, and a new life begins. Taoist Yuan Dan is the one posted on everyone's doors and windows."

Yunqi pointed at the newly posted door god pictures on every household in the village and said.

Everyone looked at the picture and couldn't help nodding their heads. The Taoist priest in the picture was so tall and mighty, he really looked like a big rooster.

A child said, "New Year's Day is the day after Chinese New Year! It's also the first day of the New Year!"

Yunqi smiled and nodded, then patted the child's head. "Yes, this day has the same name as Taoist Yuandan. If you put up Taoist Yuandan's portrait on this day, Taoist Yuandan will bless you."

The child nodded and said yes.

"Later, Taoist Yuandan became very powerful. One night, he saw a dark patch in the sky, and the stars there were not shining. So he simply flew up to the sky and lived there. Then the stars in that patch became bright. That starry area was called the Pleiades, so he was also called the Pleiades Star Lord, and the place where he lived was called the Palace of Brightness.

"Look, it's right there!"

Yunqi pointed to a cluster of stars in the western sky and said.

"I see!"

The children clapped their hands. The stars in that area were indeed brighter than those elsewhere.

"But sometimes, it's too cold to live on a star, so the star official sometimes lives in the sun, which is the warmest. So you should pay attention in the future. If the Pleiades are bright, it means the star official is at home. If the Pleiades are not bright, it means the star official has hidden in the sun again."

"Oh——" The children looked at the stars and kept the words of the clouds in their hearts.

"Alright, alright, Master Yun needs to rest. We'll come back tomorrow night."

The old village chief asked the children to leave. These days, Taoist Yun would tell the story of Taoist Yuandan slaying demons and monsters every night. The children were reluctant to leave after listening to them.

Yunqi smiled and sent the child away.

The villagers did not know that while the clouds were constantly telling the story of Taoist Yuandan and painting the door paintings to protect the house, Taoist Yuandan, who was born from the Pleiades but had never actually appeared in this world, was also slowly taking shape on the top floor of his twelve-story building.

----

September 19th, the eleventh day since arriving at the village, is also Yunqi’s birthday.

Early that morning, after watching the Red Crown General crowing, he went to the mountains. When he came back, he was carrying two bundles of firewood and a wild boar.

He placed the things in the middle of the village and said to the villagers who came over,

"Let's have a bonfire tonight!"

Everybody applauded.

Everyone is looking forward to it. After eating such a big wild boar once, they won’t have to eat meat for several months!
That night, the fire was bright, the smell of meat was everywhere, and the aroma of wine filled the village.

Yunqi held a few children and a few white dragons and fell asleep warmly beside the campfire.

----

September 29th, the 21st day since arriving at the village.

In the early morning, there were few stars, the sky was blue-gray, and the eastern sky was pale.

Sit in meditation in the cloud, with your five hearts facing the sky and your face towards the east.

"Oh-oh-oh--"

Mr. Redcrest began crowing again.

Then there was great light.

The clouds were breathing naturally. In the twelfth-story building, Taoist Yuandan, dressed in a red robe, was also meditating.

In the bright sunlight, wisps of golden smoke were inhaled into the mouth and nose by the clouds, fell into the twelve-story building, and swirled around Taoist Yuandan. The golden smoke looked light and luxurious, like gold threads on the most beautiful brocade.

A slight smile appeared on Yunqi's face.

He flipped his palm and a golden flame danced in his palm. As the flames danced, the void was twisted into the shape of water waves. Feeling the extremely terrifying temperature and the domineering meaning, he whispered softly:

"The visualization method is complete. This is the Sun Bing Fire?"

That day and night.

Yunqi was still meditating in front of the house, facing the village.

The lights in every house are like the stars in the sky, but the starlight is cold, while the lights are warm.

Taoist Yuandan is sitting in the twelve-story building.

As the clouds breathed, imperceptibly, wisps of almost transparent but warm ginger-colored fire floated out from the lights of every house, gathered into strands, penetrated into the mouths and noses of the clouds, and flowed into the Twelve-story Building, clearly separated from the sun's fire, and together they surrounded the red-robed Taoist priest, swirling in a circle like two dragons.

Yunqi sighed, this is the method of visualization, if the mind is sincere then the spirit will be achieved, and if the spirit is achieved then one can do whatever the heart desires. At this moment, he absorbed a kind of flame that had never been seen in words.

"The ancients took the essence, energy and spirit and combined them into the Three Samadhi True Fire. I will take the world, human habitation and human feelings and combine them into the Three Samadhi True Fire."

　I'm on the late night shift today, so I'll post a short chapter for you all to read first. The second chapter will be very late.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)

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