Honestly, Wu Tao didn't understand most of it.
But to save face, he had to pretend he did.
His expression remained one of rapt attention and deep agreement.
During the ceremony, there were various Daoist chants and dances.
Once the rituals concluded, it was time for everyone to present their congratulatory gifts to Emperor De Qing, and for the moment of generosity to arrive.
As Wu Tao had expected, the gifts from the Daoist sect leaders were rather ordinary. Most were rare Daoist texts, calligraphy, famous paintings, or antique bamboo slips and other cultural relics, all seemingly precious.
In reality, they were nothing special. Compared to the wealth of those present, they were but a drop in the ocean. Some were even more stingy.
One sect leader merely offered a poem written for Wu Tao's birthday.
In response to these gifts, the Qingyun Temple offered words of gratitude and comfort, but the process lacked surprise and was somewhat mundane.
Initially, everyone was quite enthusiastic, but as it progressed, their interest waned.
While everyone was feeling bored, a young Daoist disciple loudly announced, "His Majesty, the Emperor, presents his birthday gift!"
As the disciple's voice faded, all eyes in the hall turned towards the entrance. Even Wu Tao's spirit lifted.
It was clear that, without them realizing it, the Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang's gift had become the main event of the birthday celebration.
"Oh? His Majesty is sending a birthday gift?"
Wu Tao spoke before the gift even appeared, his face full of anticipation. "I heard that His Majesty has gone to great expense for my birthday, preparing gifts carried by a hundred carriages. Bring them forth quickly."
As Wu Tao finished speaking, the hall erupted in a buzz. Some who had arrived earlier were unaware that Zhu Yuanzhang's gift this year would require a hundred carriages.
Under everyone's gaze, a head eunuch, with a smile on his face, stepped forward and said, "National Master, His Majesty's gift this year is somewhat different from previous years. There are five items."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was stunned. Five items requiring a hundred carriages? How enormous must these five gifts be?
Wu Tao, seeing this, became even more interested.
He raised his voice and urged, "Oh? Five gifts? His Majesty has truly taken great pains. This humble monk is immensely grateful."
As Wu Tao's words urged them on, a group of soldiers quickly brought the gifts forward.
With the combined effort of dozens of people, the first gift from Zhu Yuanzhang to Wu Tao finally appeared before everyone's eyes.
It was a life-sized statue of Wu Tao's original self, Qingyunzi. It was not only as tall as a person but also exquisitely crafted and luxurious. It was adorned with dragon and phoenix carvings, with a base of gold and jade, intricately connected by silver threads.
"Is this a statue of myself? It looks so radiant. His Majesty is truly generous."
Seeing the statue carried by the eunuchs, Wu Tao seemed quite pleased and nodded repeatedly.
Wu Tao burst into laughter and said, "His Majesty has taken great pains, truly great pains. This humble monk is endlessly grateful."
After speaking, the anticipation in Wu Tao's eyes grew even stronger.
For everyone knew that gifts, like the saying goes, only got better as they progressed.
The head eunuch smiled and nodded, saying to Wu Tao, "This second gift is the 'Map of Heaven and Earth Stone Walls' painted by the late Huang Gongwang."
As a religious sect, text and painting held paramount importance within Daoism.
The characteristics of Daoist painting were dreamlike, grotesque, wild, and natural, primarily depicting mortals achieving immortality.
The main genres included landscape, magical diagrams, murals, and woodblock prints. Landscape paintings often showcased the beauty of blessed lands and heavenly realms, inspiring people to pursue immortal ascension.
Huang Gongwang, the most famous painter of the Yuan Dynasty, created the "Map of Heaven and Earth Stone Walls." The painting depicted layered peaks and myriad ravines, rising higher and higher; ancient pines and diverse trees, scattered in elegant patterns; and tranquil mountain villages, appearing natural and secluded.
It was not merely a masterpiece but also a painting that had exerted the greatest influence on Daoism over millennia.
This was because Huang Gongwang was not just a painter; he was also the foremost figure in Daoism during the late Song and Yuan dynasties, later referred to as Huang Gong.
Led by Wu Tao, the Daoist sect leaders personally examined the painting by Huang Gongwang with astonished appreciation.
This was their first time seeing a masterpiece with such profound Daoist significance with their own eyes.
The extraordinary painting technique, combined with the soul of Daoism, had already transcended the impact of a mere masterpiece.
The painting held immense significance for Daoism, and no one dared to offer casual commentary.
They felt their evaluative abilities were insufficient to properly critique it, so they chose to offer only praise.
The profound Daoist meanings conveyed by the painting were vaguely sensed by everyone, but they were unable to articulate them into words.
Wu Tao stood before the "Map of Heaven and Earth Stone Walls," his mouth slightly agape, gazing in a daze.
He could vaguely perceive the laws of time flowing within this painting.
In his awe, his entire being was absorbed into the artwork.
It was too powerful!
It was an ineffable artistic conception!
Wu Tao's vocabulary had become so impoverished that he could not find words to describe the painting's excellence!
Standing before this painting was like a thousand years passing in a single breath, the vicissitudes of time no longer returning.
As he painted mountains and flowing water with his brush and ink, Wu Tao felt his own spirit immersed within it, and many of his worries melted away!
What a magnificent painting, truly a magnificent painting! Wu Tao closed his eyes, savoring it all!
In his mind, an old man was furiously wielding a brush dipped in black ink onto the Xuan paper!
His movements were slow, yet extremely meticulous.
Landscapes quickly took shape on the Xuan paper. Though Wu Tao did not understand the painting techniques, the god-like skill was undeniably captivating!
Looking at this unfinished painting, Wu Tao even felt a majestic aura surging towards him!
This startled Wu Tao! It seemed that Huang Gongwang had grasped the essence of painting!
As time passed, Huang Gongwang's gaze became more resolute.
At this very moment, an aura emanated from him, an aura that encompassed heaven and earth!
This caused Wu Tao's eyes to widen almost to the point of falling out!
Such an aura was not something even cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage might possess!
And yet, it was appearing on the person of this seemingly ordinary old man. How was this possible?
Huang Gongwang's hand holding the brush was almost like a manifestation of the Dao itself.
The beauty of the mountains and rivers leaped onto the paper, so vivid, as if they were real mountains and water.
After painting for a quarter of an hour, Huang Gongwang still did not stop. He was completely immersed in the artistic conception, and his brush continued to move!
Huang Gongwang had cultivated his painting art to its peak, entering the realm of the "Heart Dao" and using it to communicate with the powers of heaven and earth!
In the cultivation world, geniuses were as numerous as grains of sand, but reaching the "Heart Dao" stage was extremely difficult!
Only a few individuals in each generation could reach this stage. To think that an ordinary mortal could also enter the "Heart Dao" and form his own Dao intention!
However, such individuals were exceedingly rare; otherwise, the status of mortals in the eyes of cultivators might have significantly increased.
The third birthday gift was even more significant to Daoism than the previous one.
This gift was named the "Shangqing Jingzhen Sword."
It was one of the few weighty artifacts in Daoism that represented authority.
The Shangqing Jingzhen Sword was a Daoist sword personally forged by Sima Chengzhen, a renowned high-level Daoist of the Shangqing School during the Tang Dynasty.
This sword had been lost in Daoism for a long time, but fortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang had found it and kept it in the imperial treasury.
The first owner of this sword, Sima Chengzhen, a Daoist patriarch of the Tang Dynasty, was not only a skilled Daoist but also a master metallurgist and sword-maker.
Sima Chengzhen lived in seclusion on Mount Tiantai for many years, where he built a grand alchemical furnace to forge mirrors and swords.
During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Sima Chengzhen was summoned to court twice to discuss Daoism. In the fifteenth year of Kaiyuan, Sima Chengzhen, during his second trip to the capital, presented a bronze mirror and a treasured sword he had designed and crafted, along with the "Shangqing Hanxiang Sword Mirror Diagram," explaining his forged sword and mirror through text and illustrations.
Sima Chengzhen named the presented bronze mirror "Hanxiang Mirror" and the treasured sword "Jingzhen Sword."
Tang Dynasty records described the Shangqing Jingzhen Sword: "It strikes thunder and lightning, commands the celestial stars. It destroys evil, brings prosperity and good fortune. It descends from Heaven, responds to Earth. It reflects the sun and moon, forms the shape of mountains and rivers."
After receiving these two treasures, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang personally inscribed a decree: "Having received the presented bright and shining treasured sword, etc., it embodies the radiance of the sun and moon, and the essence of the eight trigrams. It is sufficient to extend benevolent longevity and extinguish the darkness of the underworld. Wearing it with deep affection, I am humbled by its excellence." He also personally composed the poem "Reply to Sima Chengzhen's Offering of Sword and Mirror," which read: "The treasured mirror contains heaven and earth, the divine sword harmonizes yin and yang. The sun and moon adorn its radiance, the stars compose its artistry. The mirror reflects one's appearance, the sword protects the body. From now on, a moment of appreciation will ensure everlasting virtue and longevity."
For thousands of years, Daoism has been inextricably linked with the sword!
Zhuangzi, a Daoist philosopher, said: "The Emperor's sword has a sharp edge like Yanxi Stone City, a blade like Qi and Dai, a spine like Jin and Wei, a hilt like Zhou and Song, and grips like Han and Wei. It is encased by the four barbarians, wrapped by the four seasons, encircled by the Bohai Sea, bordered by Mount Chang, regulated by the five elements, governed by punishment and virtue, opened by yin and yang, wielded in spring and summer, and moved in autumn and winter."
"This sword is unstoppable when pointed forward, supreme when raised, bottomless when placed, and all-encompassing when moved. It pierces the floating clouds above and severs the earth's foundations below. With this sword, the lords are corrected, and all under heaven submit. This is the Emperor's sword."
The Daoist's sword lies in a good heart, a benevolent heart, hence it is said, "The ultimate Dao is invincible."
By the fourth birthday gift, the eunuch even invited everyone to the hall's exterior to view it.
Hearing the eunuch's words, Wu Tao and the others grew even more curious. Although the eunuch's request was somewhat unconventional.
(This new book is being updated continuously. Please collect, recommend, share, and subscribe. Support the genuine work. Come to Zongheng Chinese Network and help out with more clicks. Thank you, friends. Your support is my motivation!)