"Eating alone is forbidden; leaving unfinished food is also forbidden." ??
The little fox thought: "Then how do I avoid being punished?" ??
Noe walked toward the door to greet a visitor. A larger, shapeshifted Spirit Beast—a black turtle who transformed into a Half-human, Half-turtle (Bán nhan n?a rùa) ??—said to the small fox:
"Our Master's intention is that we eat together; we should not eat alone. If you eat, you must finish everything; leaving leftovers is forbidden. Our Master is very economical; after all, we are eating Spirit Herbs (Linh Th?o)." ??
Noe opened the door and saw Hàn Th??ng ???♂? accompanied by another person. The newcomer immediately introduced himself:
Ly B?ng: "Greetings, sir. I am Ly B?ng (Ly B?ng), from the 'Ten Thousand Ancient Hundred Spirit Beasts' Sect (V?n C? Bách Linh Thú), which is one of the top 10 great sects. I heard you sell Spirit Beasts at cheap prices?" ??
Noe nodded and immediately opened his "Merit Eye" (C?ng ??c chi nh?n) ?? to examine Ly B?ng. The Merit was quite good; he was a good person. Noe invited Ly B?ng in and showed him his Spirit Beasts. He saw the Old Turtle Immortal (Quy L?o Tiên) ?? and was very pleased, approaching him immediately. After about a day of chatting, the Old Turtle Immortal agreed to follow Ly B?ng. Noe supervised the establishment of the covenant between the two. When everything was in order, Noe accepted a small payment and allowed them to leave.
Noe wondered about the comparison method used for the two subjects when establishing a Blood Pact (Kh? ??c máu). He had previously tried to sign a covenant with the Old Turtle Immortal. The Old Turtle Immortal was already at the Core Formation (K?t ?an) level, yet compared to Noe (who was only at Qi Cultivation), the contract was one of Master and Slave ??. However, with Ly B?ng, who was at Foundation Building (Trúc C?) level but close to Core Formation, the contract was a Balanced Pact—truly difficult to comprehend. Noe considered finding a book on this topic, which required a significant amount of Divine Merit (Th?n ??c) because it was a secret of the Celestial Dao, but his Divine Merit was too low, so he gave up. ??
----
Noe lay down and drifted off to sleep, when he was pulled into a discussion among the Gods ??, in a white space with clouds beneath his feet. Inside the discussion area were many deities, their bodies glowing like the sun ?? but not harshly, giving a pleasant sensation. There were gods with three heads and six arms, some with a hundred arms, some with a thousand heads, some with a thousand wings, some with a thousand eyes—all shapes and forms. All of them were glowing, except for Noe, who was like a black dot on a white page.
They were talking to each other like old, close friends, using a very strange language, similar to the Pegasi's language, though strange, it was easily understood. Noe tried to participate but couldn't make a sound. After a while, they all vanished, leaving only one person, who looked ordinary, with a glow much weaker than the others. The woman stepped closer to Noe and said: "I am Thiên N? (The Heavenly Maiden) ??, the Great Prophet (??i Tiên Tri). I am here to guide you, Noe, the new, apprentice Prophet."
Noe: "Who were those people, Heavenly Maiden?"
Thiên N?: (With a joyful, friendly smile) "They are like us; they are also prophets, but at higher tiers. They are also gods in the Celestial Realm (Thiên Khu) and Immortal Realm (Tiên Khu)."
Thiên N? (Still smiling kindly, motioning for Noe to follow) "So, how is your time as an apprentice prophet? Share with me. Is it fun or sad?" ??
Noe: (Scratching his head) "More sad than fun. I feel like the Celestial Dao doesn't care about my feelings, only focusing on performance or results." ??
Thiên N? (Laughing): "That's right. The Celestial Dao is purely Divine Intellect (Th?n Trí) ??—supreme wisdom but emotionless. He doesn't understand feelings. When you receive a task, just try to complete it."
Noe: (Surprised) "That's strange, I saw the Celestial Dao get angry before?" ??
Thiên N?: "The Celestial Dao can act that way, but it's simply a matter of right and wrong, nothing more. The Celestial Dao injects that emotional aspect into its actions so that everyone can see it, but it's nothing more. Emotions belong to us, not the Celestial Dao." ??
Noe: (Surprised) "I saw the Celestial Dao punish the Golden Dragon for speaking disrespectfully." ?? Thiên N?: "This is still the Celestial Dao's programmed mechanism, designed to ensure all beings respect the Dao's decisions. If they bothered to ask the true reason, the Celestial Dao would explain, but most beings are not wise enough to understand the Dao's explanations. Therefore, the fastest and best way is to make beings fear and obey." ??
Noe: "Then why, when I refused to deliver the Prophecy, did the Celestial Dao not deduct my Merit or strike me with Heavenly Fire, but used strange punishments like birds defecating on my head or trees blocking my path?" ??
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Thiên N?: (Smiling) "At that time, you were the Celestial Dao's emissary.
To kill you would be for the Dao to admit its own mistake. Besides, punishments come in severe and light forms, with warnings and reminders. You still don't understand?
Why did the Celestial Dao need you to be a Prophet to warn Lang V??ng Thành?
If it wanted, the Dao could destroy that city immediately, without needing anyone to announce it.
The Dao's purpose is to warn; if they repent, they will be forgiven." ??
Thiên N? (Solemnly): "The Celestial Dao is originally emotionless, but Pangu (Bàn C?) who created the Dao, is not." ??
Noe: "I still don't understand; please explain further."
Thiên N? (Patiently): "Consider the emotionless Celestial Dao as the military forces and warrior generals who carry out orders—they receive commands and execute.
The Gods are the civil officials who specialize in judging right from wrong and passing sentences.
The higher Celestial Tiers are the Elder Council who establish the entire legal code.
The government on earth is merely a flawed copy of the system in the heavens." ???
Noe: "So what exactly is Merit (C?ng ??c), and why is it so important?" ??
Thiên N? (sighs): "I know you are very curious, but it cannot be fully explained in one sitting. You should seek out Merit yourself and inquire within the Heavenly Scroll (Thiên th?) for a more precise answer."
"In the early period when the world was formed, all resources were distributed haphazardly, leading to endless contention and unfair exchange. ?? This primal chaos was the biggest threat to the new creation.
Therefore, Pangu (Bàn C?) created the common, public resources ??—like air, earth, fire, and water—that everyone could use, forming the foundation for basic life and existence."
"But to create an incentive for all beings to advance, instead of resorting to robbery and murder to claim the remaining finite resources, the Celestial Dao (Thiên ??o) issued a Merit currency ??. This currency is for the use of Gods and Spirits (Th?n và Linh). Anyone who assists the Celestial Dao in maintaining order and balance is granted Merit. They use this Merit to exchange for those remaining scarce resources. This effectively forces all Gods and Spirits who desire higher development to submit to the authority of the Celestial Dao." ??
Thiên N? continued: "Try to complete the main tasks of the Celestial Dao; do not resist. But the Celestial Dao rarely assigns tasks, so the lack of Divine Merit is completely normal. Would you like to earn more Divine Merit? I have a God Conferment Mission (Nhi?m v? Phong th?n) perfectly suited for you."
Noe: "Tell me more."
Thiên N?: "This matter involves Ly B?ng ??, the person you just met. You just need to invite Aeris ???♂? to a designated location and stay there for 10 days. Just proceed naturally." ???
Noe was about to ask more when the dream ended. Noe thought: "A side quest?"
?? Heavenly Scroll Records Update
?? Merit Update (C?ng ??c)
- Curiosity and Aspiration (Positive): Noe's curiosity about the difference in Blood Pacts between himself and Ly B?ng shows his thirst for knowledge.
[Divine Merit Resonance (Th?n ??c c?ng h??ng)]: +1
- Curiosity and Aspiration (tích c?c): Noe constantly asked the Great Prophet (Thiên N?), his guide, for instruction regarding the Celestial Dao (Thiên ??o). Both were rewarded.
[Divine Merit Resonance (Th?n ??c c?ng h??ng)]: +1
?? Character File Update