Volume 1: Forgetting Each Other in the Jianghu Chapter 348

Of course, the emergence of the realm of unity between heaven and man is not determined by the level of one’s cultivation. Sometimes, even someone who has just entered the first layer of Qi Refining might, by chance or coincidence, encounter it. Moreover, within this realm that cultivators dream of attaining, the amount of insight gained and the benefits received are likewise not dependent on one’s cultivation level. Two people at the same stage of cultivation may have vastly different outcomes; one may experience a breakthrough, while the other gains nothing at all.

Given Zhang Xiaohua’s current level, which was approaching the edge of the sixth layer of Qi Refining, it was truly rare for him to enter this realm by chance. Yet, precisely because his cultivation was still too shallow and he had never received any systematic guidance in this regard, as soon as he entered the realm of unity between heaven and man, he lost control and soared straight toward the sky, completely failing to savor the mysteries within the realm. As his consciousness drifted farther away, some insights he was unaware of were nevertheless deeply imprinted in his mind. However, the greater danger was that his consciousness might expand without limit, drawing closer and closer to the boundless Dao of Heaven, until it finally dissipated into the horizon. If that happened, his body sitting in the teahouse would become nothing more than an empty shell, a fool.

Therefore, although Zhang Xiaohua was unaware of the peril he was in, he could vaguely sense that Ji Xiaohua’s shout had helped him tremendously.

At that moment, Zhang Xiaohua’s consciousness had entered the realm of unity between heaven and man, and various profound mysteries of the Dao of Heaven opened a hazy door before him. Some inexplicable things were deeply engraved in his mind, but he had never taken the time to carefully comprehend them. Today, finally, in this small town, in a humble room, he had a moment of leisure and immersed his mind in the memories of that day, quietly contemplating the vast Dao of Heaven, as boundless as the starry sky.

Indeed, even if it was only a glimpse of the embryonic form of the Dao of Heaven, to Zhang Xiaohua, it was already as vast as the sea of clouds.

But now that he had a rough outline of this starry sky in his heart, didn’t that mean he had a direction to pursue in his comprehension? Wasn’t this countless times better than chasing after something illusory and intangible? As long as he persevered in his contemplation, like water dripping through stone, the mysteries of this starry sky would one day be fully understood. Wouldn’t that mean the Dao of Heaven was within reach?

At this moment, in Zhang Xiaohua’s upper dantian, his Pill Heart, like a droplet of water, suddenly trembled. Ripples spread out as if a drop had fallen onto the surface of water, and in the center of his Pill Heart, a faint black dot appeared. Then, the dan heart began to vibrate in a mysterious way and slowly started to rotate, so slowly it was almost imperceptible.

Perhaps, only in this nameless little town, in this inconspicuous little room, did Zhang Xiaohua truly see the essence of cultivation and take his very first step on the path of cultivation! And it was in the teahouse of Songning Town that the curtain was raised on Zhang Xiaohua’s journey of cultivation!

No one knew how much time had passed, perhaps just a moment, perhaps an entire afternoon, when, as Zhang Xiaohua was quietly comprehending, he suddenly felt the true qi in his meridians change, spinning rapidly and rushing toward the bottleneck of the sixth layer of Qi Refining. Zhang Xiaohua immediately paused his contemplation of the Dao and focused on absorbing more Yuan Qi from the world. After several powerful surges, the True Qi finally broke through the last barrier, opening up new meridians within his body. Zhang Xiaohua had finally advanced to the sixth layer of Qi Refining!

Suppressing the joy in his heart, Zhang Xiaohua followed the cultivation method of the sixth layer of the [Carefree Heart Sutra], slowly circulating his true qi, drawing in Yuan Qi from the yuan stone, tempering it in his new meridians, then sending it into his middle dantian, gradually stabilizing his new realm at the sixth layer of Qi Refining.

While Zhang Xiaohua was comprehending the Dao and cultivating the “Carefree Heart Sutra” to a new level, in the small room next door, Miss Nie also slowly opened her eyes.

As Miss Nie opened her eyes, she felt weak all over. With difficulty, she turned her neck and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. Only then did she notice Little Orange, who had fallen asleep beside her. Miss Nie was momentarily stunned, staring at Little Orange’s clothes for a long time. If not for the familiar hair of Little Orange resting on the kang, she would have thought this was a complete stranger.

She called out softly a few times, but her voice was weak and her throat hoarse. Little Orange didn’t stir at all, seemingly in a deep sleep. Miss Nie gave a bitter smile in her heart. Of course, after all that happened last night, and with her own high fever, Little Orange must have stayed up the entire night. Judging by the darkening sky outside, it was probably already the afternoon of the next day. For Little Orange to have driven the carriage alone, bringing her from the wilderness all the way here, must have taken every ounce of her strength. With her frail body, it would be a miracle if she could still hold out.

Looking at Little Orange’s clothes, Miss Nie then glanced down at herself, feeling a wave of comfort in her heart: “This careless girl actually knows how to change clothes and freshen up.”

Just then, a pain shot through her right wrist. Miss Nie glanced sideways at her arm resting on the kang and, to her surprise, found it had been splinted. Though the job looked rough and ready, at least the broken bone was stabilized. Last night, she had only managed some simple first aid herself and had no idea if the bones were properly aligned. Worried, Miss Nie tried to lift her arm to her chest. With just that slight movement, the seemingly sound asleep Little Orange shuddered, instantly raised her head, and opened her bleary eyes. “Miss.”

Seeing Miss Nie’s eyes open, Little Orange’s drowsiness vanished. She spoke with a trembling, tearful voice: “Miss, you scared me to death. You’re finally awake.”

With that, she reached out to feel Miss Nie’s forehead and said: “Miss, you still have a bit of a fever.”

Miss Nie, seeing Little Orange awake, managed a feeble smile and said: “Give me some water to drink.”

Little Orange quickly got up, poured water from the teapot on the table, gently lifted Miss Nie’s head, and helped her drink. Miss Nie gulped down a full bowl of water, then licked her lips and said: “What’s with this water? It doesn’t taste very good. By the way, Little Orange, where are we?”

Little Orange set the tea bowl back on the table, helped Miss Nie lie down comfortably, and then recounted everything that had happened that morning in detail.

When she heard about Zhang Xiaohua’s appearance, a spark flickered in Miss Nie’s dull eyes. She murmured softly: “An extraordinary person, truly an extraordinary person.”

“What?” Little Orange laughed. “Miss, you’ve misjudged this time. No matter how I look at him, he’s just an ordinary, couldn’t-be-more-ordinary country bumpkin.”

“How can you tell?” Miss Nie was puzzled.

“Oh, Miss, you didn’t see him. He’s stingy and rustic, tries to talk like a scholar but can’t pull it off at all, awkward and unnatural. I just don’t see anything extraordinary about him.”

“Oh? And after just half a day, you’ve already figured him out so thoroughly?”

“Well, you’ll see for yourself when you meet him in a bit. He’s definitely not one of those mysterious people from last night.”

“Sigh, I never said he was the one who saved us last night. The person from last night never showed their face and used the legendary flying sword technique to kill more than a dozen people. That kind of skill isn’t something you can achieve without decades of bitter cultivation and exceptional talent. I’d guess it was some senior expert passing through the mortal world, who happened to come across us and decided to lend a helping hand. As for this Ren Xiaoyao, though he’s tall, he looks only fourteen or fifteen at most. Even if he started training from birth, it’s unlikely he could possess such power.”

“Yes, Miss, I thought the same.”

“But, have you ever wondered? Why was he out in the wilderness so early in the morning? When he saw the corpses scattered everywhere, he wasn’t shocked or frightened, nor did he run away. Instead, he came over to ask you questions, and even helped drive the carriage to this town?”

“No, Miss, he actually wanted to leave, but… but in the end, maybe his conscience got the better of him, so he stayed to help.”

“Hmm, let’s put that aside for now. Then, he helped us change into country clothes, bought a shabby carriage, and let our original carriage and black horse go. Are these things an ordinary village boy would think of?”

“Why not? I think I could have come up with those ideas too, so it doesn’t prove he’s some extraordinary person.”

“All right, whether he’s extraordinary or not, I just feel he’s not a simple country boy.”

“Oh, right, Miss, look at this.”

With that, Little Orange took out a small brocade box from her bosom and handed it to Miss Nie. “I got this after distracting Ren Xiaoyao and taking it from one of the corpses. If he really was some extraordinary person, he’d have noticed for sure, how could he have fallen for my trick?”

Thinking of the way she had tricked Zhang Xiaohua, Little Orange’s face flushed a bit.

Miss Nie glanced at it and said indifferently: “Maybe.”

“Huh, Miss, you don’t seem very happy. Aren’t you excited that we managed to keep the treasure?”

“What’s there to be excited about? Didn’t I say before, treasures are dead, but people are alive. As long as we hold onto this treasure, sooner or later, trouble will come looking for us.”

“Sigh, yes, Miss. We’ll just take things one step at a time. You’d better keep the treasure yourself, it’s not safe with me.”

Miss Nie smiled and said: “What’s unsafe about it? You keep it. If trouble comes, they’ll be looking for me anyway.”

But Little Orange refused, placing the small brocade box in Miss Nie’s uninjured left hand. “Miss, you should really keep it. As long as we’re together, we’ll be safe enough.”

Miss Nie chuckled, then casually tucked the box into her bosom.

After that, she brought her right hand to her chest and carefully inspected it, smiling as she said: “The doctors here are average, but their fundamentals are solid. When they put on the splint, they didn’t even disturb the bone I’d set myself.”

“Yes, Miss, but you still have a fever. Should we get you some different medicine?”

“Mm, let me see the prescription the doctor gave you this morning.”

Little Orange thought for a moment, then went outside and rummaged around in the small carriage, bringing both the prescription and the herbs back into the room. Miss Nie looked them over and smiled: “This prescription is a bit lacking. It could even be harmful to the body and doesn’t really address my condition. Bring me a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. I’ll make some changes.”

Hearing this, Little Orange hesitated and said: “Miss, to avoid drawing attention, I stayed in the carriage the whole way here and don’t know my way around. I think I’d better go ask Ren Xiaoyao and have him help us with these errands.”