Chapter 62: Heavenly Talisman Miscellaneous Writings

Hearing Jiyuan's request, the City God and his chief subordinates exchanged glances, genuinely perplexed.

"This... Mr. Ji, what do you need these for?"

"For reference and study, of course! I am also one who seeks immortality and the Way, but I suffer from a lack of established methods. I hope Lord City God can assist me. Jiyuan will never forget this kindness!"

This time was different from the last in Ning'an County. That time, even if by chance, Jiyuan truly provided great help.

This time, however, it was merely a snake spirit with shallow cultivation, and there had even been a slight misunderstanding between them initially. Nevertheless, all who attain the position of City God were individuals of great virtue and talent in their past lives, accumulating merits from incense offerings. They possessed the magnanimity to overlook such a minor issue after a sincere apology.

Jiyuan had done everything he could, his sincerity unwavering. After all, he had rendered a small favor. Whether his request would be granted was now up to the City God, and Jiyuan wouldn't press the matter if it wasn't.

The City God of Suiyuan County and his subordinates were somewhat bewildered. The request itself was not excessive—merely to consult some insignificant ancient texts. However, they had already formed a strong impression that Jiyuan held a high status, which naturally made them puzzled by his request.

"Could it be that this person genuinely lacks these magical formulas?"

Although this thought seemed a bit absurd, Jiyuan's request could indeed be granted.

The City God of Suiyuan County observed Jiyuan carefully for a moment. Jiyuan did not evade his gaze; his already vacant, pale eyes were as still as an ancient well.

"Very well, we shall do our best to fulfill Mr. Ji's request. This county does not possess any profound immortal cultivation texts. However, we do have one old miscellaneous volume of *Records of External Paths* and one volume of *Enlightenment Stratagem*. We shall present these to you, sir!"

*Records of External Paths*? *Enlightenment Stratagem*?

These were clearly names that gradually heightened Jiyuan's excitement. Although he didn't know what they were, at least they weren't the minor fire-control or water-avoidance spells he already possessed.

Earth Deities, while benefiting from their position, also bear its burdens. City Gods, especially those heavily reliant on incense, rarely step outside their jurisdiction. Even if they cultivate to a certain realm, venturing outside their domain significantly diminishes their power; for those of lower cultivation, the reduction is even more drastic.

For remote small counties like Ning'an and Suiyuan, being relatively secluded, Jiyuan was already very surprised and pleased to have such a gain.

Just as Jiyuan thought he would need to follow the City God of Suiyuan County back to Suiyuan County, the City God unexpectedly pulled out two thick books directly from his sleeve, which startled Jiyuan. *He carries these around?*

"'Records of External Paths' and 'Enlightenment Stratagem' happen to be with me. I occasionally use them to relieve boredom. Though not valuable, they are rare nowadays. I shall present them to Mr. Ji today!"

The City God handed over the books. Jiyuan quickly recovered his senses and took them with both hands. The books felt cool to the touch. Jiyuan noticed that he could clearly see the titles, *Records of External Paths* and *Enlightenment Stratagem*, on their blue covers, and he immediately felt that these books must not be ordinary.

"Many thanks, Lord City God, for the books!"

What was Jiyuan feeling right now?

He recalled his high school days in his previous life, when web novels first became popular. There were many pirated, extra-thick A4-sized books, each one considered a divine text. Jiyuan felt exactly as he did back then when, bored, he would get a new thick novel: excited and happy!

While thanking him, he couldn't resist flipping through *Records of External Paths*. However, upon opening it, he found that the slightly yellowed pages inside were completely blank—not a single word.

The books he had encountered before, even if blurry, at least had words. What was this situation now? Was it a wordless heavenly book?

He focused his gaze and looked closely again. Changes appeared on the book: words gradually became clear, allowing Jiyuan to read the content distinctly. He happened to see a line of small characters: "Among water spirits and demons, the most unpredictable are the dragon-jiao. When malevolent, they can flood hundreds of miles; when benevolent, they bring clouds and rain..."

Jiyuan's smile grew, unable to contain his joy. Then he suddenly realized it wasn't the time to read. He quickly embraced the books and thanked the City God of Suiyuan County once more.

"Many thanks, Lord City God, for the books! These are exactly what I urgently need. I thank you again!"

"Hmm, as long as Mr. Ji likes them, that's good. I wish you a very pleasant journey, and we shall meet again someday. Farewell!"

After saying this, the City God of Suiyuan County bowed. Just as Jiyuan hastily returned the bow, the City God, in his earthly deity form, activated his magic and, along with his underworld subordinates, vanished.

Now Jiyuan was truly bewildered. Although the City God had tried to conceal it, Jiyuan still perceived a subtle change in his emotions. Primarily, his departure had been rather abrupt. But what exactly happened? What went wrong? Wasn't their interaction quite harmonious just now? He didn't even know the name of this Lord City God of Suiyuan County.

A gentle breeze swept by, rustling Jiyuan's sleeves and sideburns. He scratched his head, feeling somewhat baffled.

'Uh... Could it be that the City God actually really liked these two books?'

Since he couldn't figure it out, Jiyuan stopped thinking about it. To be honest, he was reluctant to return the books; at worst, he could repay the kindness later.

With that thought, Jiyuan turned to the first page after the cover of *Records of External Paths*.

On the first page, words appeared: "*Records of External Paths* is also a Heavenly Record. Those with spiritual insight can read it at a glance, those with profound understanding can read it in meditation, those with wisdom and destiny may occasionally see its words, but crude mortals are fated never to see it."

Jiyuan's mouth twitched. A misunderstanding, it truly was a misunderstanding... He must be one of those "wise and destined" people, and his eyes were problematic!

Now he truly couldn't clear his name. He estimated that the City God of Suiyuan County must have thought he was playing a trick, and his departure had already shown considerable magnanimity.

'I'll explain next time. For now... this is not a place to linger!'

Although he hadn't done anything wrong, feeling inexplicably guilty, Jiyuan channeled his spiritual energy, creating a breeze beneath his feet. He transformed into a blur of green and darted out of Suiyuan County's territory, heading into the distance.

As Jiyuan fled, behind a distant mound, the City God of Suiyuan County's spiritual form reappeared, his brow furrowed in thought.

'Just who is this Jiyuan? Does he truly not recognize a Heavenly Record?'

***

A joyful occasion lifts the spirits. Even though there had been a minor misunderstanding in Suiyuan County earlier, once he left its territory, Jiyuan felt more relaxed and was filled only with joy.

Instead of walking and resting intermittently, he ran for tens of miles without stopping until he was exhausted before slowing down. He even deliberately ran towards a slightly remote area, instinctively wanting to find a quiet place to properly read his books.

The southern part of Qizhou mostly consisted of hilly terrain, with mounds, slopes, small hills, and cliffs being common.

In the distance lay an earthen slope, several meters high and tens of meters long. Its sides were gently sloped, with the highest point in the middle. The side facing Jiyuan was a large rock face, slightly tilted outwards.

Perhaps due to nature's marvel, the rock face had a natural concave recess, forming a large, lentil-shaped cave. It was only a few feet deep but extended over five zhang in length, and its height was slightly less than a typical person's.

"Hahaha... What a great spot!"

Jiyuan laughed heartily, his speed increasing once more as he eagerly rushed forward.

Reaching the base of the rock face, he looked up. Due to its tilt, the spot seemed to offer good shelter from rain.

He walked to the northern end of the winding cave wall, vigorously swept his sleeve, and the powerful wind pressure it generated instantly cleared away all the dust and small stones from the ground.

He propped his umbrella against the side and used his satchel as a pillow. Jiyuan casually and uninhibitedly lay down on the ground and took out *Records of External Paths*, which he had been holding close.

He immediately became absorbed. Some content in the book overlapped with what he had learned from conversations with the old City God Song and the bamboo slips he had been given, but most of it was novel. Even familiar topics were presented in greater detail or led to intriguing stories.

Jiyuan had realized early on that this was not a serious immortal cultivation secret manual, but it was captivating—extremely captivating, the kind he couldn't put down!

The sky changed from light to dark, then from dark to light. Unconsciously, a full day and night had passed, yet Jiyuan remained full of energy. At the moment of sunrise, he activated the Heaven-and-Earth Creation technique to draw in spiritual energy, but even then, he didn't take his eyes off *Records of External Paths*.

The text on each page of the book was small, but the content was incredibly rich. Some parts, even for Jiyuan now, required careful deliberation to understand what the author truly intended to convey. It seemed the author wrote quite casually, and many sections offered different insights when viewed repeatedly from various angles.

Due to his experiences in his previous life, Jiyuan's imagination was also extremely vivid. Some stories, though only brief passages, were so richly detailed and accompanied by subtle yet profound illustrations that could be revealed with focus, that Jiyuan was willing to spend a long time mentally constructing a complete narrative.

Jiyuan read so intently that he forgot about eating and sleeping. When genuinely hungry, he would only take a few dates from his satchel to stave off hunger and thirst. When tired, he would simply take a short nap. Surprisingly, his spirits remained good, but his body suffered; after several days, he was covered in dust and grime, looking very disheveled.

"Boom..."

Thunder rumbled in the distance, interrupting Jiyuan's engrossed thoughts. Feeling something, he looked towards the horizon, where dark clouds had already obscured the sun.

He had just read about dragon-jiao bringing rain to aid abundant harvests, and moved by the passage, he blurted out,

"A good rain for Mangzhong!"