Chapter 386: State of Mind

The doubts regarding the [Big Dipper Divine Fist], as well as suspicions about Ou Peng, were actually just a faint trace. After all, Sect Master Ou wasn’t exactly shortchanging him—wasn’t he still willing to exchange three thousand taels of gold? It wasn’t as if he was being treated unfairly.

This sliver of doubt was nothing at first. But later, after witnessing the devious schemes of the Heaven’s Way Alliance aboard the sea vessel, and seeing numerous robberies and vendettas along the way—especially after Zhang Xiaohua twice entered the state of unity between man and heaven in such a short time, each time narrowly brushing against the Heavenly Dao—things began to change.

What is the Heavenly Dao? No one can say for certain.

But “Heaven and Earth are unkind, treating all things as straw dogs!”

The Heavenly Dao is the most ruthless of all.

Having glimpsed the Heavenly Dao at such close range, Zhang Xiaohua inevitably became tainted by its consciousness.

This was an exceedingly rare opportunity on his path of cultivation, but it had a rather adverse effect on the growth of his character.

Thus, when Nie Qianyu was attacked, he almost didn’t want to intervene. He just wanted to quickly send her and Little Orange to the escort agency, have the escorts return them to Mochou City, and deliberately pushed aside the possibility that the villains might continue to pursue them.

Because of this, he also unconsciously magnified his slight suspicion of Ou Peng, wishing only to extricate himself from the whirlpool of worldly affairs, intentionally forgetting the kindness shown to him by the disciples of the Piaomiao Sect.

Similarly, this led him to sharply point out the “pettiness” hidden in ordinary people’s hearts, as well as the “evil” in human nature, while deliberately casting aside the “truth, kindness, and beauty” that also reside within humanity.

Although Zhang Cai was uneducated, he could genuinely see the positive side of life, recognize his own shortcomings in doting on his son, and it was precisely his timely admonition that awakened Zhang Xiaohua, like a sudden enlightenment, making him realize his own misguided path.

“Yes, Hero Wen and Heroine Xue, upon seeing our family bullied by a tyrant in Lu Town, acted out of compassion, helping us without regard for the consequences. That’s how eldest brother and sister-in-law came to be.”

“Outside Guo Village, Hero Lu, upon seeing the bandits of West Cui Mountain bullying me and my eldest brother, also acted with a chivalrous heart, saving us and slaying the three wolves of West Cui Mountain, bringing peace to the region.”

“The righteous path in the human world is full of hardship; to do evil is all too easy. But if there were no righteous path, where would fairness and justice come from in this world? Of course, this so-called righteous path is not the same as that of the Heaven’s Way Alliance. Just look at the heroes of the Piaomiao Sect compared to the Heaven’s Way Alliance—it’s the very definition of selling dog meat under the guise of selling mutton.”

“Since I possess the means of the Immortal Dao, I should act with a chivalrous heart, doing deeds worthy of Heaven and Earth. My previous avoidance was lacking. But why did such thoughts suddenly arise within me? Alas! Alas!!”

“Hehe, thinking back on my actions in the village just a few days ago, I can’t help but find it a little amusing.”

Once Zhang Xiaohua had sorted out his thoughts, his heart instantly felt lively and clear, no longer weighed down by the heavy sense of avoidance that had plagued him in recent days. This improvement in his state of mind had nothing to do with cultivation, nor was it related to his Dao heart. Even having witnessed the evolution of the Heavenly Dao over millions of years was of no use here.

This was the inner cultivation of one who walked the Immortal Path—there could be no shortcuts.

He respectfully kowtowed several times before his grandmother’s grave and said: “Grandmother, please watch over me from the heavens. I will certainly become an upright and honorable man, and I will never ‘neglect to do good because it seems insignificant, nor commit evil because it seems trivial.’”

After finishing his kowtows, he dusted the dirt from his knees and stood up. Guo Sufei, who had been waiting by the side for some time, immediately hurried over and asked: “Xiaohua, are you tired? Are you cold?”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled and replied: “Mother, with my current physique, I’m not afraid of heat or cold at all. It’s nothing.”

Seeing the warm smile on her son’s face, Guo Sufei was naturally delighted and said: “Good, good, as long as you’re not cold. You’ve been kneeling all afternoon—come, I’ve made braised pork for you. Let’s go eat.”

“Alright,” Zhang Xiaohua agreed without hesitation.

Guo Sufei was overjoyed.

Zhang Cai, who had been pacing anxiously in the courtyard, finally relaxed when he saw Zhang Xiaohua return with a calm expression.

After dinner, the family didn’t stay in their own small courtyard, but all gathered at Zhang Xiaolong’s place.

Liu Qian had already gotten out of bed, but due to village customs, she did not leave her room. She simply welcomed the family inside and brewed tea for them.

Zhang Jian was still clutching those two yuan stones, sound asleep.

Zhang Xiaohua swept his divine sense over the two yuan stones and found that the Yuan Qi within had not diminished. Likewise, there was no sign of Yuan Qi circulating within Zhang Jian’s body.

Zhang Xiaohua found it rather strange. With such a powerful omen, why was there no reaction from Jian’er? That golden formation and the swirling purple qi from that day had clearly been absorbed into his body.

“Could it be that it still requires cultivation with an immortal Dao technique?”

He pondered this over and over, then quietly took out the Carefree Heart Sutra cultivation method. Finding an opportunity, he called Zhang Xiaolong and Liu Qian aside and spoke in a low voice: “Big brother, sister-in-law, do you still have the gift I gave Jian’er last time—that fist manual?”

Liu Qian replied in surprise: “Yes, Xiaohua, it’s at the very bottom of my chest. Do you need it now? I can go get it.”

Zhang Xiaohua waved his hand. “No need. I’ve already memorized the fist technique, so I won’t need it again.”

Then he turned to Zhang Xiaolong. “Big brother, what do you think of my strength?”

“It’s frightening—you’re a born farmer.”

“Big brother, can we not talk about farming? Anyway, do you know where my strength comes from?”

Zhang Xiaolong was taken aback. “Isn’t strength something you’re born with? Or did you get it from martial arts training?”

Liu Qian, ever perceptive, immediately guessed: “Could it be… that fist manual?”

Zhang Xiaohua grinned. “Sister-in-law, you’re sharp. That’s exactly it.”

“Wonderful! When Jian’er grows up, I can finally rest. He can handle all the farm work.”

Zhang Xiaohua nearly fainted. “Big brother, is that all you aspire to?”

Liu Qian glared, her almond-shaped eyes wide. “Enough! If you don’t want to kneel on the washboard tonight, don’t say another word.”

Zhang Xiaolong instinctively shut his mouth, a look of terror in his eyes.

With a change of expression, Liu Qian smiled at Zhang Xiaohua. “Xiaohua, please continue.”

Suppressing his laughter, Zhang Xiaohua said: “About that fist manual—when Bairen is five or six years old, or maybe even earlier, you can decide. Just let him look at the diagrams inside and practice the forms on his own.”

“Huh? Don’t we need someone who understands martial arts to teach him?”

Zhang Xiaohua shook his head solemnly. “Remember, sister-in-law, never let anyone else teach Bairen the fist technique, and don’t let anyone else see the manual! Only let Bairen figure it out for himself.”

Seeing his serious expression, Liu Qian nodded earnestly.

“And one more thing, sister-in-law. Based on my experience, in the beginning, the fist technique should be practiced in sets of nine—nine times makes one complete set, and at most eighty-one sets a day. Any more is useless. Once he reaches a certain level, he’ll move to the second stage, practicing in sets of eight, and so on, until eventually, he only needs to practice it once, nine times a day.”

Liu Qian was taken aback and asked in confusion: “Then, what does it mean to reach ‘a certain level’? Is it about proficiency, or just time?”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled: “That’s something Bairen will naturally understand when the time comes. There’s no point in explaining it now.”

After all, immortal Dao techniques are truly unfathomable; trying to explain them to Liu Qian now would only leave her more confused, so it was better left unsaid.

“And another thing—when he reaches the point where he only needs to practice nine times a day and there’s no further improvement, he should start practicing the fist technique in reverse. This will bring new gains. However, I don’t have a manual for the reversed form, so, sister-in-law, just let Bairen follow his own understanding, or use the original manual, and practice all 108 moves in reverse order.” As he mentioned the fist manual, Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but think of Zhang Chengyue, who drew the manual, a true man who resolutely took his own life atop Piaomiao Peak.

With a sigh, seeing Liu Qian still a bit puzzled, Zhang Xiaohua explained: “It’s not like reciting a book. It just means performing all the moves in the manual completely in reverse.”

At this moment, Zhang Xiaolong raised his hand, opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something.

Liu Qian, annoyed, said: “Go on, what do you want to say?”

Zhang Xiaolong smiled ingratiatingly: “Xiaohua, can I practice this fist technique too? If I gain strength from it, wouldn’t I be able to work even better in the fields?”

Liu Qian was furious. “You, shut up!”

Zhang Xiaohua slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing: “Big brother, you’re right! I was only thinking about Bairen and completely forgot about you two. But honestly, I’m not sure if it’ll work for you. How about this: I’ll demonstrate the Big Dipper Divine Fist from beginning to end, and you can watch.”

With that, he walked to the center of the courtyard and performed the Big Dipper Divine Fist from start to finish, then from finish to start, a total of 216 moves. Zhang Xiaolong watched until he was dizzy, unable to make sense of it all.

Then, Zhang Xiaohua demonstrated the transition between the forward and reverse forms, and only then did Liu Qian fully understand.

Seeing his elder brother looking a bit dejected, Zhang Xiaohua laughed and said: “Big brother, it took me a long time to master the Big Dipper Divine Fist. You’ve just had a look—learning it right away isn’t realistic.”

Zhang Xiaolong thought about it and agreed: “Anyway, you’ll be at home from now on, so you can teach me later.”

But as soon as he finished speaking, he remembered that at noon Zhang Xiaohua had already told Zhang Cai he would soon set out to search for Zhang Xiaohu, so he said awkwardly: “No rush, I’ll practice slowly. Just teach me one move for now, and I’ll work it out myself.”

Zhang Xiaohua thought about it and realized that was the only way. If he were to truly teach Zhang Xiaolong, it would probably take at least a year or two before there was any real progress. But first, with no news of Zhang Xiaohu, the family couldn’t be at ease. Second, Nie Qianyu was still waiting in Pingyang City. He was unwilling to drag his family into the entanglements of the Jianghu, so naturally, he couldn’t bring them along. Besides, wasn’t Nie Qianyu’s family also anxiously waiting for her? Putting himself in their shoes, he knew he had to hurry and send her back.

After this, the three of them went inside. Zhang Xiaohua took out the Carefree Heart Sutra from his robe and said: “Sister-in-law, this is another internal cultivation method. But unlike the fist manual, this one must be returned to the Piaomiao Sect, so please don’t lose it.”

Liu Qian reached out to take it, smiling: “Then I’ll hide it at the bottom of the chest as well.”