Observing Qi in the mortal world: the urban sage

Xu Yanci, a reclusive Taoist who had lived for two hundred years, had his soul shattered by the turbulent currents of space and was reborn into the body of a homeless young man in Jiangcheng. His cultivation was gone, but the Tao Eye remained—still able to perceive the flow of qi and discern the murky thoughts stirring in people’s minds. Beneath the city’s glittering surface, the earth’s veins had been blocked, and invisible currents of thought were spreading quietly. The evil cultivator Gu Xuan lurked in the shadows, feeding on the anxiety, fear, and resentment of countless ordinary people to grow his dark power and wreak havoc across the city, all while leaving no trace that could be condemned by law. With no money and nothing but his own wits, Xu Yanci began by setting up a stall in the market, using feng shui arrangements to steady the local atmosphere and relying on human decency to suppress evil. One by one, others entered the fray: a criminal investigation captain who pursued the truth through legal principles, a female doctor who sought the hidden cause of a mysterious illness, and a business CEO who held the fate of the city’s construction sites in his hands. Mysticism collided with science, and human hearts clashed with obsession. Standing in the midst of the bustling mortal world, Xu Yanci watched the situation with a cold eye, silently guarding the city and its people.