Daoist Mi
In empty mountains, falling blossoms sound, A flute's soft notes reveal homes around. Wearing masks that obscures false and true, They borrow forms to seek cinnabars' hue.
Long ago, a young man ventured alone to Webbed Ridge seeking vengeance. However, he was captured by yaoguais and endured many hardships in their lair before narrowly escaping. Upon his return to the Kingdom of Zhuzi, numerous weavers approached him, hoping he would lead them to the Estate of Zhu on the ridge to find the legendary jade shuttle.
The young man, overwhelmed, shut his doors to visitors, but his mother couldn't understand his reluctance and pressured him to lead the weavers to the ridge to slay the yaoguais and rescue his father. Yet, human nature is unpredictable, and the weavers, each with their own agendas, failed to unite in the face of danger. They quarreled incessantly and were
ultimately wiped out by a giant green spider in the Estate. The young man, cowering in fear, was shocked to see the spider transform into the green- clad maiden he had once encountered in the cave. Disillusioned with humanity, he tearfully begged the fairy to let him stay on the ridge and cultivate. The green-clad maiden scolded him harshly and expelled him from the Estate.
The young man wandered to an abandoned village on the ridge. The insect guais, having heard of his plight, took pity on him. A dragonfly guai introduced him to her master, the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master, at the Temple of Yellow Flowers.
At the temple, all the Daoists wore stone masks. The Daoist Master told the young man that to achieve the Dao, he must sever all worldly ties and don a stone mask to cut off his mortal connections. The young man hesitated and wandered around the temple. Unexpectedly, an elderly woman in red arrived with a group of beautiful maidens, including the green-clad maiden and the girl in yellow.
Later, the temple hosted a banquet for the maidens. The young man, spying from the side, saw the table laden with dishes: human oil stir-fried, fresh human meat cooked and roasted, tofu blocks made from human brains, and meat buns filled with human flesh. The stench was nauseating, and he could only watch as the yaoguais feasted on humans. The Daoist Master, noticing his shock, remarked indifferently, "It is in a yaoguai's nature to eat humans. Mortal lives are short; even if we consume them, it only shortens their lifespan by a few decades, a mere blink of an eye."
That night, the young man felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness. Under the moonlight, he played a tune from his homeland, feeling utterly lost. He realized that if he didn't become a yaoguai, he might be eaten by his fellow disciples. Reflecting deeply, he questioned how he had ended up in such a predicament. After a long night of tears, he resolved to become a disciple and pursue the Dao. Since he couldn't change his fate, he decided go with it. Determined, he asked his master for the quickest path to becoming a yaoguai. The master told him, "In the Purple Cloud Mountain, there is a rare insect called the Amourworm. Consuming its eggs will allow you to ascend and become a yaoguai..."
