[To Become a River of Stars] Dong Xiange - Chapter 1

The present Emperor reveres the Dao.

As a result, many in the world now wear blue robes with wide sleeves, eloquently discuss the arts of healing and yin-yang, and numerous sects have emerged—among them, the Zhenyi and Tiangang sects are the most powerful.

The Zhenyi Sect practices talisman writing, drawing symbols as spells to ward off evil, subdue ghosts, and liberate lost souls. The Tiangang Sect, on the other hand, emphasizes the dual cultivation of nature and life, nurturing qi, refining elixirs, and ascending to immortality. The core teachings and taboos of the two sects differ.

After years of rivalry, the position of State Preceptor finally went to the Zhenyi Sect, bringing the struggle to a temporary halt.

They sought the simplicity of the Great Dao, but fought with the scheming of human hearts.

Yet, this had little to do with Tang Shiliu. She was merely a minor Taoist under the Zhenyi Sect—the most insignificant kind.

The only somewhat remarkable thing about her was that her master, Tang Yuan, was quite formidable.

Her master was the closed-door disciple of his own master, and that master was a highly accomplished Taoist. Thus, although her master was not yet old enough to sport a white beard, his seniority within the sect was considerable.

All her senior brothers were talented—skilled at drawing talismans and wielding swords. She was different: she excelled at cooking and, even more, at eating.

Tang Shiliu was not actually the sixteenth child; she ranked seventh among her martial siblings. She had been picked up by her master during a trip down the mountain. When he found her, she was clutching a pomegranate in her swaddling clothes, so he gave her the surname Tang and named her Shiliu (“Sixteen”).

Perhaps influenced by the name, Tang Shiliu had a formidable appetite. She was useless in other areas—her talismans were scribbles, her horse stance wobbled, and her peachwood sword dances looked like she was having a stroke, earning her the disdain of her senior brothers.

The only thing she was good at was cooking.

Since she ate often, she had to guard her words carefully. She was a girl, but girls were not allowed to remain in the Zhenyi Sect. If discovered, she would be expelled from the mountain, and her master and senior brothers would be implicated.

It was manageable before, but after the Zhenyi Sect gained the Emperor’s favor and secured the position of State Preceptor, it effectively became the state religion. With the Tiangang Sect watching closely, regulations tightened further. Any deception or betrayal was no longer a matter of simple expulsion.

She had worried about this since she was old enough to understand. After fretting alone for a long time with no solution, her master noticed and patted her head, putting on an air of immortal wisdom while spouting nonsense, “Then speak less, draw less attention. More words mean more mistakes—staying alive is what matters.”

So, to outsiders, Tang Shiliu appeared as an exceptionally fair-faced, ice-cold young Taoist, rigid in every word and action, earning her a reputation for simplicity, humility, and devout dedication to the Dao.

When Tang Shiliu turned sixteen, an incident occurred in the north.

First, the Emperor dreamed of a beast with a white head resembling a civet cat. It landed at his feet, bit him, and fled north.

That night, a great fire broke out in Chang’an, lighting the night sky over Tongshan Ward in flames. Fortunately, Tongshan was near the Qujiang Pool, preventing the fire from spreading and burning down the entire city.

The State Preceptor hurried to the palace that night, declaring that a star had recently fallen in the north, possibly heralding the descent of a celestial dog.

“It appears like a great meteor, with a sound. Where it falls, it resembles a dog. Where it lands, it looks like flames, roaring skyward, breaking armies and killing generals across a thousand li.”

This was an ill omen.

Moreover, the north was also the domain of that young prince.

Prince Ding, Li Xuanci, the Emperor’s nephew—both supremely noble and utterly base.

Supremely noble because his father was the former Crown Prince Li Tong, who was named heir at birth as the legitimate son of the previous Emperor but passed away before ascending the throne. Li Xuanci was his only surviving bloodline.

Utterly base because his mother’s identity was unknown. Rumors abounded—some said she was a lowly Hu barbarian woman, some said she was a sorceress practicing dark arts, some said she was a courtesan from the pleasure quarters. Though never openly discussed, it was true that his mother’s background was obscure.

Thus, although the previous Emperor deeply favored the former Crown Prince, he passed the throne to the present Emperor.

Yet the previous Emperor exceptionally ennobled Li Xuanci as Prince Ding, sent him to the north with a generous fief, and even granted him a private army.

Among the common people, Prince Ding had another name: the Jade-Faced King of Hell.

He possessed extraordinary looks but was said to feast on blood and bones. This was considered a heavy karmic sin, demonic and short-lived. Above, he could cause chaos of heaven and earth, acting like a savage beast at the nine gates—unacceptable even to the Son of Heaven. Below, he could slaughter the unborn and burn the innocent, silencing crying children at night and boiling public resentment.

Yet he showed no remorse, reveling in it all.

Such a person was naturally a concern for the Emperor—and thus, also for the State Preceptor.

Coinciding with these strange events, rumors soon spread of monstrous beasts appearing in the north. As the state religion, the Zhenyi Sect took up the responsibility without hesitation.

The State Preceptor selected elite disciples from the sect, led by elders from the clan, to head north and subdue the beasts—and, incidentally, to sound out Prince Ding.

Shiliu was among them.

At first, she was utterly confused. How could she be considered an elite disciple? If the competition were about cooking or appetite, she might stand a chance. But in terms of spells and cultivation, she confidently admitted she was hopeless—“as bad as it gets at Grandma’s house.”

Though she had no idea what her grandma’s house was like, the meaning was clear.

A senior brother selected for the mission rapped her on the head and scolded, “Fool! Elite disciples are naturally chosen from under the leading uncles and masters. Those who’ve reached that level—how could their disciples be weak?”

Shiliu rubbed her head, pulled out a walnut cookie she had made from her robe, and nibbled on it while crumbs fell, silently basking in the minor joy of suddenly being promoted to senior disciple.

“Of course, the Grand Master probably didn’t expect a loophole like you to slip in,” her senior brother added bluntly, as cookie crumbs still hung in the air. “Originally, they didn’t want to send you, but from First Brother to Fifth Brother, they’ve all gone south to subdue demons. So, we had to make do with you.”

Shiliu felt a little hurt. As she wallowed in sadness, she hesitated over whether to pick up the large cookie crumb that had fallen on her lap—it hadn’t touched the ground, and it’d be a waste not to eat it.

Her hand darted out, tossing the crumb into her mouth. Chewing mournfully, she asked, “What should I do then? I don’t want to shame Master.”

Sixth Brother stroked his non-existent beard with an air of profundity and advised, “Just act as you always do: don’t speak, don’t move recklessly.” Then he glanced at her and added, “One more thing—stop eating all the time. It’s undignified.”

Shiliu pitifully muttered an “oh,” then packed her bags full of snacks and cooking utensils and set off with her senior brother.