plumnovel Chapter 11 Laying a Solid Foundation
Chapter 11 Laying a Solid Foundation
Three days have passed since the incident in Qingshan Town.
After Zhou Ning returned to Lanruo Temple, Yan Chixia did not immediately teach him new material. Instead, he asked Zhou Ning to recount the entire incident in detail, including every aspect, every action, and every decision.
Inside the main hall, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.
Zhou Ning sat cross-legged on the futon and recounted to his master everything he had seen and heard since descending the mountain, including his encounter with Liu Niang and his fierce battle with the demonic cultivator.
He described it in great detail, down to how fast his heart was beating, the angle of his wrist when he drew his sword, and every point in the circulation of his internal energy.
Yan Chixia sat at the head of the table, listening with his eyes closed, without saying a word.
He slowly opened his eyes only after Zhou Ning finished speaking.
"Where do you think your biggest mistake was?" Yan Chixia asked.
Zhou Ning pondered for a moment and said:
"This disciple should not have acted rashly, like an egg striking a rock. If it weren't for Master's talisman, this disciple would already be dead."
Yan Chixia shook his head:
"This is not the biggest mistake."
Zhou Ning was taken aback.
"Your biggest mistake was wavering when you fought Liu Niang." Yan Chixia's gaze was piercing.
"You clearly had the chance to completely purify her with talismans, but you hesitated because of a moment of weakness. If that evil Taoist hadn't underestimated you, your hesitation that night would have cost you your life."
Zhou Ning lowered his head, speechless.
He knew his master was right.
At that moment, he did soften his heart.
Seeing Liu Niang's pitiful state, he couldn't bring himself to kill her, forgetting that she was no longer human, but a vengeful ghost stained with blood.
"Those who cultivate themselves must have a compassionate heart, but even more so, they must have ruthless methods." Yan Chixia stood up, hands behind his back, and paced back and forth.
"To be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to oneself, and even more so to be irresponsible to the innocent. If you had killed him sooner, Manager Wang might not have died."
Zhou Ning's heart skipped a beat.
The death of Manager Wang has always been a thorn in his side.
Although the evil Taoist was the real culprit, if he had completely purified Liu Niang that night, the evil Taoist would have lost his pawn and might not have acted against Manager Wang so quickly.
"This disciple knows his mistake." Zhou Ning bowed deeply.
Yan Chixia looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then softened her tone:
"To err is human, to forgive divine. But remember, never repeat the same mistake."
He paused, then continued:
"When you fought the demonic cultivator, the flow of your internal energy became stagnant three times. Do you know why?"
Zhou Ning recalled the scene at that time, and there were indeed a few times when his Qi suddenly couldn't keep up, and he was almost hit by the black Qi of the demon.
"This disciple...does not know."
"Because your understanding of 'Innate Qi' is still superficial," Yan Chixia said.
"You're just mechanically reciting the mantras without truly understanding the meaning of 'righteous energy'."
He walked up to Zhou Ning, stretched out his finger, and touched his chest.
"This is your Qi Sea. When you circulate your Qi, your mind only moves back and forth between your Dantian and meridians, but you don't let the righteous Qi fill your whole body."
"Righteousness is not a line, but an ocean. What you need to do is make it omnipresent in your body."
Zhou Ning seemed to be deep in thought.
"Starting tomorrow, you should temporarily refrain from sword practice and focus on comprehending the essence of 'righteous energy'," Yan Chixia said.
"When you can spread your inner energy throughout your body and form a protective aura, then you can move on to the next step."
"Disciple understands."
-
In the days that followed, Zhou Ning's life became extremely simple.
I get up at 5 a.m. every day, meditate and regulate my breathing, and feel the positive energy.
In the afternoon, I studied "The True Explanation of Talismans," and in the evening, I continued meditating.
There was no sword practice, no new techniques, only monotonous sitting and contemplation.
On the first day, he sat on a huge rock on the back mountain from sunrise to sunset, but he didn't understand anything.
The next day, he went to the depths of the pine forest, listening to the wind and birdsong, trying to spread his thoughts throughout his body, but he was always interrupted by distracting thoughts.
On the third day, he began to doubt whether he was too stupid.
Day ...
Seventh day.
On this day, a heavy rain fell.
Zhou Ning did not go back to the house, but continued to sit on the boulder on the back mountain, letting the rain soak his whole body.
The icy rain lashed my face, trickling down my neck and into my collar, bringing a chill to my bones.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Rain, wind, thunder...
Everything is in motion and changing.
However, the internal energy within him was like a stagnant pool, circulating only within fixed meridians and never truly "living".
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, followed by a deafening roar of thunder.
In that instant, Zhou Ning seemed to sense something.
The righteous energy of heaven and earth is not confined to the human body.
It is everywhere, in the wind and rain, in the thunder and lightning, in the mountains and rivers, and in the birth and death of all things.
The wisp of energy within him was but a drop of water in the vast and righteous energy of heaven and earth.
How can a drop of water avoid drying up?
Merge into the sea.
Zhou Ning suddenly opened his eyes, and the internal energy within his body suddenly accelerated its circulation.
It no longer follows fixed meridian routes, but rather surges like a flood bursting its banks, rushing into every part of the body, into every inch of skin, and into every pore.
"boom!"
An invisible wave of energy erupted from his body, shaking off the rain that was falling on him.
The rainwater slid off automatically to both sides three feet above his head, and not a single drop managed to get on him.
Yan Chixia had been standing by the pine forest at some point, watching this scene and nodding slightly.
"It's done."
Zhou Ning stood up from the boulder and looked down at his hands.
The internal energy flows like an arm or finger; with a thought, it can spread throughout the entire body.
The pervasive warmth made him feel full of energy.
"Master, your disciple... has understood."
He turned around and bowed deeply to Yan Chixia.
Yan Chixia stepped forward and said calmly:
"You've barely passed the initial stage of your protective qi. But this is just the beginning; you're still far from achieving true 'innate qi'."
He paused, then continued:
"Starting tomorrow, resume sword practice. At the same time, I will begin teaching you how to draw talismans."
Zhou Ning was overjoyed: "Thank you, Master."
Yan Chixia waved his hand and turned to leave.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and said without turning his head:
"What did you call that realization you had just had?"
Zhou Ning was taken aback, thought for a moment, and said:
"I believe that the righteous energy of heaven and earth is everywhere, and my own qi is but a drop of water within it. If a drop of water does not want to dry up, it must merge into the ocean."
Yan Chixia remained silent for a moment, then said calmly:
"Remember this feeling. It will be of great use in your future practice."
His figure disappeared into the rain.
Zhou Ning stood there, letting the rain wash over him, but his heart was clear.
After seven days of quiet contemplation, he finally overcame that hurdle.
From this day forward, he can be considered to have truly stepped into the gate of cultivation.
-
That evening, Zhou Ning returned to his residence and found a stack of yellow paper, a box of cinnabar, and several new pens on the table.
These are the talisman materials prepared for him by his master.
He opened the book "True Explanation of Talismans," found the "Exorcising Talisman" on the first page, and began to study it carefully.
Drawing talismans without knowing the tricks will only invite ridicule from ghosts and gods.
If one knows the secret to drawing talismans, even ghosts and gods will cry out in alarm.
This opening sentence made Zhou Ning smile slightly.
Following the instructions in the book, he ground cinnabar, spread out yellow paper, picked up his pen, and concentrated.
With the first stroke, a slight tremor of the wrist caused the spiritual energy to flow unevenly, and the talisman spontaneously combusted with a "hiss" and turned to ashes.
Zhou Ning was not discouraged and laid out the paper again.
The second one was so powerful that the talisman exploded.
The third one lacked spiritual power and showed no reaction.
The fourth one...
The fifth one...
After failing more than ten times in a row, beads of sweat appeared on Zhou Ning's forehead.
He put down his pen, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and recalled the key points described in the book.
"The way of talismans lies in the unity of mind, intention, qi, and spirit. If the mind is not settled, the intention will not be focused; if the intention is not focused, the qi will not flow smoothly; if the qi does not flow smoothly, the spirit will not be concentrated; if the spirit is not concentrated, the talisman cannot be made."
He adjusted his breathing, cleared his mind of distractions, and picked up his pen again.
This time, his movements were much slower.
Each stroke was made with utmost care, the inner energy being evenly channeled into the tip of the brush, flowing with the brushstrokes.
As the last stroke was made, the talisman paper glowed slightly, and a faint golden light flashed across the rune before disappearing.
Successful.
Although the aura on the talisman was faint and its power was certainly not as great as that drawn by his master, it was, after all, the first "exorcising talisman" he had personally hand-drawn.
Holding the talisman, Zhou Ning felt an indescribable sense of accomplishment welling up inside him.
Just then, Yan Chixia's voice came from outside the door.
"Is it finished?"
Zhou Ning quickly got up and opened the door, only to see his master standing outside, holding a pot of wine in his hand.
"I managed to get one by sheer luck."
Zhou Ning handed over the talisman.
Yan Chixia took it, glanced at it, and nodded slightly:
"It's barely usable. Keep practicing. You'll only be considered a beginner when you can draw ten in one go."
He handed the wine jug to Zhou Ning:
"Tonight, I'll make an exception and have a drink. Consider it a celebration of your initial formation of protective qi."
Zhou Ning was flattered and quickly accepted the wine pot.
The master and apprentice sat on the stone steps in front of the door, drinking wine by the moonlight.
Yan Chixia didn't talk much, only occasionally asking a few questions about cultivation.
Zhou Ning took the opportunity to ask some questions about talisman drawing.
Before we knew it, the wine was gone.
Yan Chixia stood up, patted his robes, and said calmly:
"Tomorrow at dawn, practice swordsmanship as usual. No slacking off."
Zhou Ning respectfully said:
"Your disciple obeys."
Yan Chixia turned and left, his figure disappearing into the night.
Zhou Ning looked at the empty wine jug in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips.
The path of cultivation is arduous, but with a master by my side, it doesn't seem so difficult to endure.
He stood up, went back inside, and continued practicing his talisman-making.
One, two, three...
Failure, failure, success.
Fail again, succeed again.
Before we knew it, dawn was breaking.
Zhou Ning looked at the stack of yellow papers on the table; most of them had turned to ashes, leaving only a few successful samples.
But he did not get discouraged.