Chapter 9
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Two rounds of questioning and answering.
The responses became increasingly concise.
Qi Wuhuo then stood up, clasped his hands together, and bowed, saying:
“Please, old sir, teach me.”
The old man accepted his bow, then lifted him up with a smile, saying:
“It seems this dream has been quite beneficial to you, so I accept your bow.”
“However, what you seek, I cannot teach you.”
“The Great Way of Immortality is something you have to seek and search for; it’s not like how a teacher teaches a student in the mortal world, where you can just be given knowledge if you desire it. It’s not like a book that you can simply obtain and learn from just by seeing it.”
“The fate between you and me does not align here.”
Afterward, the old man refused to discuss these matters any further. Qi Wuhuo, being of a principled nature, did not press the issue and accepted the refusal.
After finishing his meal, the old man went to the courtyard to brew tea.
Qi Wuhuo closed his eyes and reflected on his experiences in the dream.
Specific events from certain years and months had faded, but the self-understanding gained from significant events remained. In the dream, there were conflicts among various nations and the tyranny of the demon clan, but upon careful reflection, it seems that in the dream world, there were no cultivation methods. It seems unreasonable—how could ordinary mortals battle demons?
It seems that it was a dream after all. The world within the dream might have some connection to the world as he perceives it. Qi Wuhuo had seen the demons transformed from wild beasts through spiritual means, so the Demon Kingdom still existed. He knew there were imperial examination examination books, so those existed as well. However, he did not believe in immortals or Daoist methods at the time, so the dream was especially vague regarding these aspects.
But what about the Mountain God Qiong Yu?
Qi Wuhuo did not know.
What was the connection between the dream and the real world?
Qi Wuhuo also did not know.
He simply sat with closed eyes, his mind peaceful and his breath long.
It felt as if he could sense the sound of the wind rustling through the bamboo forest, the sound of the snowflakes slowly melting outside, and the feeling of the wind sweeping through the mountain paths outside the town from eight hundred miles away. He seemed to see the demon kingdom of his childhood, the tragedies of the human world, and his own seventy years of tumult, realizing in the end that he was merely a pawn, unable to truly make a difference.
Yet, if one path is blocked, there is always another.
Gradually, Qi Wuhuo’s brow relaxed, his expression calm.
From between his eyebrows, a spiritual light seemed to arise.
The old man, who was brewing tea, glanced over and nodded slightly:
“Cultivating the spirit to nourish the soul, which seems to reflect around fifty years of cultivation; now it can operate spontaneously. It seems that even without encountering me, with his level of insight, he would eventually come into contact with the practice of cultivation.”
“However, among Essence, Qi, and Spirit, one is strong, while the other two are weak.”
“Although he has the heart to pursue the Dao, there are hidden dangers, which is not a good thing.”
“If not careful, he might end up being taken away by the City God and become a Yin God.”
“In this case, before leaving, I should give him another opportunity…”
The old man, who wandered the world and enlightened the masses, was satisfied to see Qi Wuhuo break free from his worldly attachments within the grand dream. The old man is now satisfied and will no longer engage in actions like ‘pulling up seedlings to help them grow’, as his mission has reached its end and he was originally meant to depart.
However, Qi Wuhuo’s performance exceeded his expectations.
The actions in the dream were in line with his true self.
The good remained good, and the evil would not change; it was a form of enlightenment and seeing one’s true nature. After receiving the cultivation method from the goddess, Qi Wuhuo’s fifty years of spiritual cultivation in the dream were nearly equivalent to truly enduring fifty years of hard practice.
However, what normally takes a person fifty years to nurture the spirit.
Was achieved in a single dream.
No wonder this pillow would shatter immediately.
The old man nodded.
Qi Wuhuo, seated with peace of mind, unknowingly entered a state that was like a dream but not a dream. His consciousness seemed to rise, and he ‘saw’ the surroundings of his home, ‘saw’ the passersby and the sky was clear with sparse clouds. He suddenly ‘saw’ a carriage stopping outside the alley.
Then a person got out of the carriage and was walking towards his home.
Despite being at least five hundred steps away, Qi Wuhuo recognized the person immediately.
“Is that Li Puyu?”
Li Puyu was Teacher Su’s disciple.
The Li family is the wealthiest household in the city. A few years ago, they suddenly arrived here, bringing with them a fortune worth thousands. They quickly acquired a large property and sent their children to study under famous scholars. Their comings and goings are protected by skilled warriors from the martial world, presenting a strong and powerful appearance.
Although Qi Wuhuo never had much interaction with them.
Given that the visitor is Teacher Su’s disciple and seems to be directly seeking him out, he could not afford to be impolite. Thus, he planned to open the door. As his mind stirred, it felt as though he were falling into a dream, and his body instinctively responded, moving naturally.
Li Puyu trudged through the dirty snow, stepping heavily with each footfall.
“How annoying…”
“It’s so difficult to walk.”
This was on the outskirts of the town, where the population was considerable. The dirt paths were perpetually dusty and never fully cleaned. As the snow melted, it mixed with the soil and turned black, becoming filthy and hard to walk through.
Li Puyu looked at the blackened snow on his boots with irritation, his eyes twitching.
These were custom-made boots from Tianzhi Workshop in the capital.
Currently, the price of ten catties of white flour is ten coins.
In winter, seven small carts of coal cost only two coins and one penny.
Just this one pair of boots alone already costs three taels of silver.
Equivalent to the annual salary of a granary keeper!
At this moment, Li Puyu envied the hired martial artists from the neighboring household. Their boots, despite treading on the dirty snow, remained clean, and their clothes were pristine.
“Ha…”
Li Puyu withdrew his gaze and exhaled deeply to calm his irritation.
He lifted his eyes to the dilapidated house a few hundred meters away.
Today, his second uncle returned from his business trip to the capital. A grand feast would be held at home in a few days. Yet his father insisted on inviting this impoverished person, who hadn’t even managed to step inside his teacher’s door. Not only did he have to extend the invitation, but he also had to visit in person.
What is my status, and what is this poor fellow’s?
Any servant could handle this, and this poor boy would likely show great respect.
Why should he come in person?
But his father held significant influence at home, and Li Puyu dared not disobey. Though reluctant, he still came obediently. The five hundred steps he had walked seemed more arduous than five miles on the main road. Finally, he stopped. Exhaling, his forehead already damp with sweat.
He patted his face to bring forth a friendly and approachable smile.
One hand lifted to knock on the door while the other held the sleeve of his other arm.
Before his fingers could touch the door,
With a creak, the wooden door opened inward, as if the person inside had anticipated his arrival. Li Puyu’s fingers just brushed the door as it swung open. In the courtyard, the flower swayed in the wind, and petals mixed with the falling white snow, landing on the shoulders of the young man who opened the door. Dressed in simple cloth garments, his black hair neatly arranged, his eyes calm and as dark as stars, he gazed quietly at Li Puyu.
Waiting to receive guests for a long time.
Li Puyu was stunned.
After a while, he came to his senses.
Is, is this Qi Wuhuo?
At that moment, he felt as if he were seeing Teacher Su, as if he were a young man entering the capital city years ago, witnessing the majestic and serene calmness of the city. For a moment, he even felt a bit intimidated, his body seeming to stiffen.
“Brother Li, what brings you here?”
Qi Wuhuo spoke.
Li Puyu finally remembered his purpose. He instinctively raised his hand, paused, and then, reflexively, cupped his hands in a bow and stammered: “Senior Brother Qi, my, my father sent me to invite you to our home for a meal.”
“Just, just that.”
“My uncle has returned from the capital, and we can also discuss the customs of the capital.”
Qi Wuhuo had originally planned to decline politely, but upon hearing this, he hesitated, recalling the capital he had seen in his dream. He was unsure of its authenticity and saw this as an opportunity to inquire further. After a moment, he accepted with a polite reply:
“…Then, I will take you up on the offer.”
Li Puyu let out a sigh of relief:
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. Not a bit of trouble.”
“On the contrary, it’s I who am troubling Senior Brother Qi.”
Qi Wuhuo stepped aside, offering: “Would you like to come in and sit for a while?”
“No, no, I have other matters to attend to.”
“I won’t trouble you any further today, Senior Brother”
“Senior Brother, you don’t need to see me off any further.”
“Senior Brother, please stay.”
“Senior Brother, I bid you farewell!”
Li Puyu could barely handle the inexplicable pressure, and he hurriedly fled. Qi Wuhuo was still a bit puzzled when suddenly he felt a dizzying sensation and almost fell.
A gust of wind seemed to catch him, guiding QI Wuhuo back to the stone table. The old man who was making tea shook his head: “Good talent and even better comprehension, but you are too reckless in projecting your [Spirit] outside.”
Qi Wuhuo felt a sharp pain in his forehead and asked in confusion: “Spirit?”
The old man pointed to the center of Qi Wuhuo’s forehead and explained directly: “You just projected your spirit outward, enveloping the area for several miles. This is a result of the accumulation from that dream, but your body is still weak and cannot sustain such expenditure.”
“All things possess a trace of true spirit”
“One gives birth to two, which are yin and yang, nature and life.”
“Nature refers to the mind and spirit; Life refers to breath and flesh.”
“The path of the Great Dao lies in the cultivation of both nature and life.”
“Your Spirit is currently strong, but your body is weak. Although you may have abilities beyond the average person, I still need to tell you something.”
“If life ceases to exist, how can nature survive?!”
“Only when your body is strong enough can it support your Spirit; otherwise, your Spirit might become so powerful that it forcibly overwhelms your body, ultimately killing you.”
“This is the reason behind what is called [Heaven’s Jealousy of Genius] in the mortal world, and so-called ‘deep affection does not last’ and ‘extreme wisdom leads to harm’. You need to resolve this issue; otherwise, you are likely to meet an early death.”
The old man furrowed his brow, looking at Qi Wuhuo, and then shook his head with a self-deprecating smile:
“Well, I said earlier I couldn’t teach you.”
“But now, if I pass on a single technique, it wouldn’t be breaking my word.”
“It doesn’t count as breaking my word.”
“Come here.”
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