Yu Shibao is the third teacher of Yu Wang. He is waiting for Yu Wang fanning his face with his mysterious fan, his right hand holding a Golden Lotus.
Of the three teachers, Shibao is the most casual. Tianzun is always curt and calm, his word is concise and short, he speaks only when needed.
Lingbao on the other hand is very boisterous, he always leap to action first before thinking, like to talk, like to boast, but he is the strongest in weapon.
Shibao is different. He is moderate. He likes to talk but he doesn’t talk too much, he jokes but he does not joke excessively.
Of all the three teachers of Yu Wang, his third teacher is one that he could find a little sense of moderation.
From the distance he could see Yu Wang is running towards him. Reaching him Yu Wang kneels and pay his obeisance.
‘Rise Yu er’ he said.
Shibao could see that Tianzun and Lingbao have given their gift and now it is his turn. Of the three brothers Shibao is the most talkative one but he is also the smartest one.
Not book smart like his brother Tianzun but life smarts. Or street smart.
He could not give test like Lingbao or give Yu Wang insight to the heaven realm, but he could teach Yu Wang the Way of the world, while his brothers could teach Yu Wang the Way of Heaven.
‘Snow lotus’ he suddenly said to Yu Wang. Yu Wang is startled. But he quickly recited from his memories.
‘Snow lotus. It can increase spiritual energy levels and is also used to make longevity pills. Can ease poisons venoms, give stamina and strength if taken in small doses.’
Then his third teacher toss to him something from his sleeve.
Yu Wang grabbed it. It is Snow lotus! He screamed in his mind.
‘Store it in your bag of holding.’ His third teacher said nonchalantly.
Yu Wang nodded and quickly he stores it inside.
‘Hmmm’ his third teacher said and then he said again.
‘Thousand Years Lingzhi’
Yu Wang begins to understand what his third teacher is doing. His third teacher is testing his knowledge about the herbs in the Herb Compendium of Thousands Healing Medicine compiled by his third teacher.
This time he answers it.
‘Like the Snow Lotus, it promises to boost spiritual and internal energy. It is also a vital medicine in many of the life threatening diseases or longevity pills. It has no known side effects when consumed. Lingzhi is rare in the wild as it will only grow on two or three of the stumps of 100,000 deciduous trees or some trees that absorbs heaven energy. It helps stops internal injuries, soul injuries and stop bleeding of even the acutest kind if grinded into powder in a furnace.’
And the thousand year lingzi flew to Yu Wang hand and Yu Wang grabbed it. This is a test. If he could answer it correctly he will get it.
Knowing this Yu Wang face lights up. After all he learns many things with his third teacher. Herbs, poisons, social etiquette, and many more.
‘How about Thousand-Years Ginseng?’ His teacher asked him this time his teacher showing a proud expression on his face, clearly proud of Yu Wang achievement.
Yu Wang coughed a little before answering.
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‘Usually the key ingredient in a prescription for life-threatening illness, or as part of an elixir for spiritual energy pills. It opens the mind, strengthen the body, improving memory, increasing vitality, extending endurance, cleansing the body of stress, fighting fatigue, resisting disease, bolstering immunity, balancing metabolism, preventing headaches, treating sleep disorders-’
‘Good , good’ his third teacher said and another flew to Yu Wang hand. And he grabbed it and quickly store it.
‘And now this is my gift to you’ and a golden lotus shot of to Yu Wang.
‘It is a young lotus of Senior Xi. Your Second teacher gets it for you, begging Senior Xi to give him the lotus. He is too shy to give it to you and tell the story. You know that he hates owing anything to anyone. Eat it when it blossom and you will reach enlightenment. Use it in times of distress and your power will multiply. Use it when your heart and mind in a calm place, the benefit would be wondrous. Eat it, grind it to make pills, give it to another, it is yours to make what you will.’
Yu Wang nodded and looking in awe of the golden lotus he shakes his heart and tries to calm his heart and quickly he stores the lotus.
‘Now, let me ask you about the rules of the cultivators world.’ His Third teacher said and Yu Wang like always nodded in respect.
‘What is the Empress?’
‘The Empress is usually evil’ Yu Wang reply quickly and as quickly he answers his third teacher ask another question
‘What you have to look when travelling with a companion?’
‘Check if he is not a she.’ Yu Wang reply
His third teacher nodded.
‘What is a common soldier, guards, bandits have to do with twigs and branches?’
‘They are useless.’
‘How about eunuchs?’
‘Evil’ Yu Wang said and his third teacher chuckles.
‘Yes, good, you learn well my disciple. This is all because of my experience in the outside world. The Empress is usually evil, none of them have kind heart, plotting and poisoning concubine, destroying kingdoms and states. Check the gender of your companion above all else or you will be forced to enter into a battle of honour with people yelling accusing you to not know propriety. Eunuch? Well, they look evil, they spread evil and they have no balls. What an odd half man. They participate in the covering of secrets, cowards and have no spine, speak lies to their superior and engage in licentious activities in the palace. All of this I have seen happens. Of course there is always an exception to this people but rarely will you meet a kind empress, or a good eunuch. It is good if you remember my advice Yu er’
Yu Wang nodded.
‘Third teacher advice, this disciple will never forget.’ His third teacher nodded in satisfaction.
Then he approached Yu Wang and give him two books.
‘This is Qi Jing Ba Mai, the Eight Extraordinary Channels, and this is the Jing Bie, the Five Divergent channel. Learn this and you can save lives, garner good deeds and become respectable.’
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Yu Wang respectfully accepts it and bow to his third teacher.
Now go and let me tend to my sorrow his third teacher said and after Yu Wang hugged him he returns back to his room.
He already informed his First Teacher that he will depart tomorrow.
His first teacher would accompany him down the mountain and send him to Shang kingdom instead of Zhou. In Shang Kingdom there is his Senior brother.
Lu Shang.
Yu Wang first teacher once tells him the story of Lu Shang to him. His ancestral name is Jiang, his clan name is Lu, given name Shang and courtesy name Ziya.
First teacher always called him Jiang Ziya.
He served Di Yi , father of the crown Prince Di Xin sometimes called Zhou Xin. Teacher always said that Senior Brother Jiang is not talented in the spirits arts but very intelligent in strategy and very enlightened.
The Dayi Shang, the great settlements of Shang. The predynastic founder of Shang is Xie conceived by Lady Jiandi, wife of emperor Ku after she swallowed an egg dropped by a black bird.
Xie is also a great cultivator and helped Yu the Great to control the Flood and for his service he has been granted a place called Shang as a fief.
Xie descendant 13 generations later, Tang of Shang fight the cruel ruler of Xia and gain independence from Xia and creat his own kingdoms.
His senior Brother, Jiang Ziya worked in the palace of the Shang serving Di Yi as his strategist fighting the Zhou and Xia.
His teacher will send him to his senior brother residence and for him to gain some knowledge about the outside world.
He could even join the sect and school if he wanted to. After all his teacher wanted him to learn many more things in the world.
Why not join the sects?
But ultimately the choice is Yu Wang. Whether to join a sect or not it is his choice. To train in seclusion alone or to ask help it is his choice.
After that he closes his eyes and went to sleep.
In his sleep he dreams of a woman, a woman first with freckles and suddenly from this innocence appearance it turns into a godly beauty, but he could see blood in her hands and slowly the white robe of the woman turns red and her face turns into a perverted expression of ecstasy.
He then saw a place with hundreds of animals, heard hard nauseating music, a music of evil, sees bawdy dances performed by naked men and woman all showing a solemn expression, some are crying while some are faking a smile, all looked unnatural, not in balance with the Way, the Ying and Yang unbalance.
Then in a vast plain of grass, blood rain from the open blue sky forming rivers, dying the green grass red, skeletons mound into hills and hills, forming hundreds of skeletons hill with blood rivers around them, 4 rivers with four beast looking furious, a tiger roaring to people with distinguished clothes, a dragon that soars through the clouds bringing storms and hurricanes, a large tortoise that steps onto soldiers and grind them into meat paste and a flying bird with flames covering every inch of its body with each swipes of its wings people turns to ash and dust.
The common people cry and scream echoes from Di Yu, screaming of the injustice and pray to the Heavens for justice.
Sweat formed in the heads of Yu Wang, for he is now struggling inside his own dreams.
This is one of the curse of Golden Spirit, to see the flow of time that the Heaven has described, seeing futures and past, seeing the threads of destiny, a glimpse of either the past or the future and what Yu Wang is seeing now, is not one would call a good dream.
It is a nightmare, glimpses of a terrifying imagery of allusion to events that have either come to pass or will come to pass.
He has this dream before, each time a different dream. Sometime he dream a good dream, sometimes a bad dream but never this intense.
His hand is shaking, his throats become parched, his heartbeat increased, and sweats filled the back of his clothes making it wet.
All this time Yu Wang never wanted to leave or forced to leave the Primal Chaos Mountain but now he is leaving, destiny hands took notice and because the path will be made, the thread first shows its Way.
This is his destiny, his blessing and curse.
Now another scene appear in Yu Wang dream, in a palace like-scene as he hovers inside the dream looking it like he is looking through a clear lake, seeing a reflection of other people below him.
Yu Wang sees in his dream, a bronze cylinder covered with oil and is heated like a furnace with charcoal beneath until its sides became extremely hot, red with heat while the soldiers look in fear of the bronze cylinder, some showing a nauseated expression
Yu Wang could hear people yelling Mercy! Mercy!, as an old man is dragged to the bronze cylinder with his young daughter
An old man hugging her young daughter is made to walk on top of the slowly heating cylinder and he is forced to shift his feet to avoid the burning and the heat.
The oily surface made it difficult for the old man to maintain his position and balance not to mention he is holding his daughter.
And then accidentally because of the slippery surface he dropped his daughter while his daughter scream in agony and pain, crying a shriek unheard before in Yu Wang life, yelling Father, father save me!.
The old man cried in grief , his heart is clearly torn with sorrows while trying to balance himself.
If the old man fell into the charcoal below, he would be burnt to death in pain and agony.
He is forced to dance and scream in agony before dying in hopelessness, his cursing can be heard from Di Yu cursing the nobles and the King, all the while two people are observing the old man laughing in delight.
The faces of those two people are blurring and Yu Wang could not see clearly but Yu Wang tries to peer through the plan of destiny and thunder strikes him in the dream, a thunder of tribulations from Heaven and suddenly Yu Wang wakes up from his dream in shock.
He takes his breath and sucks the cool breath air, calming his heart, wiping his sweat, relaxing his contracting muscles but then he realizes something is amiss.
He looks up and he could see the stars. And he asks himself.
‘Where is the roof?’
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Edited