FVN Chapter 93 Cultivating Character, Flooding
Chapter 93 Cultivating Character, Flooding
The pages of that book, "Nourishing Life Through Breathing," were yellowed and the ink was old. Song Quyou stroked it with his fingertips, slightly lost in thought.
He looked up at Mei Yingxue: "Thank you, young lady. I don't understand why I was so fixated on the cultivation method in my past life?"
Mei Yingxue picked up her teacup and gently blew away the foam on the surface:
"Because those who cultivate their nature to become immortals are in accordance with the way of heaven and earth, they do not need to undergo the trials of the three calamities and six tribulations of the celestial court; nor do they seek the protection of the celestial court in order to weaken the celestial tribulation that occurs every five hundred years, unlike those who become immortals through other means."
However, the only downside is that it will offend other immortals.
"Offended other immortals?"
Mei Yingxue took a sip of tea and continued:
"You are not on the same path as other immortals, so naturally others will not recognize you, will not like you, and will ostracize you. Therefore, conflicts often occur. And the number of immortals produced by the Nourishing Nature Method is not as high as those produced by other methods, resulting in a bad reputation. So, will you still cultivate?"
Song Quyou put the book into his sleeve.
"Why not fix it?"
"Aren't you afraid of offending the entire Celestial Court?"
Song Quyou shook his head and smiled helplessly:
"He's going to kill me anyway, why should I be afraid of offending him? Of course I should quickly become an immortal and turn the tables on him."
Upon hearing this, Mei Yingxue put down her teacup, her eyes quietly gazing at Song Quyou, reminding her of that arrogant and reckless old friend in his green robe with wide sleeves.
A slight smile played on her lips as she rose and walked to the window.
"In that case, you should cultivate diligently."
Furthermore, regarding the Kun Yuan Heavy Turbid Qi and Qian Yuan Pure Yang Qi required for this cultivation method, I have only found information about these two Qi for you. The former is located beneath the abyss of the Yin realm, while the latter is in the Kunlun Ruins. To obtain these two Qi, you will have to go and retrieve them yourself.
Although Song Quyou hadn't read the book yet, he still asked:
"May I ask, Miss Yingxue, where is that Abyss? And how do I get there?"
Mei Yingxue pushed open the wooden window.
Outside the window, a hazy, low-hanging sky obscured the sun and moon.
In the distance, low-lying mountains lie darkly on the earth, and a surging river meanders around them, with faint green lights visible on its surface, drifting slowly downstream.
Mei Yingxue pointed to the great river outside the window and said, "That abyss is where the River of Oblivion flows to; the living cannot go there."
Song Quyou walked to the window, and a cold wind rushed towards him. The eerie green lamplight swayed gently on the River of Oblivion.
"but……"
Mei Yingxue looked Song Quyou up and down and said, "You are now a soul, not a living person. You can go there, but you will almost certainly die."
"Please, Miss Yingxue, show me the way."
Mei Yingxue stretched out her delicate hand, and a long, azure sword appeared in her grasp.
"This sword contains a technique. If you can learn it, you will have a better chance of survival. Also, there are too many incomplete celestial books in your Heavenly Pot. I advise you to calm down and cultivate for a while, and master these techniques. There's no need to rush."
Song Quyou frowned as he took the longsword, which was naturally his own Cangtian.
"You are now a poor ghost lying on a mountain of treasure. You have so many good techniques, but you only know the basics. You have wasted your plans from a hundred years ago."
Upon hearing this, Song Quyou ran his fingertips along the cold spine of the Azure Sky Sword without saying a word.
Indeed, as Mei Yingxue said, since obtaining that incomplete scroll of the Heavenly Book, he had indeed learned a lot of techniques in a haphazard manner, but he had not truly mastered any of them.
"Thank you for reminding me, Miss Mei."
Song Quyou cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask, Miss Yingxue, how long can I stay in the Nine Netherworld?"
"I have found a total of sixty-five special longevity pills for you. The number of longevity pills you have left will determine how many years you can stay in this underworld."
As she spoke, Yun Que, who had been standing behind, took out a small cloth bag and handed it to Song Quyou.
After Song Quyou took it and opened it, he counted the coins and found that there were still fifty-three coins left inside.
Yun Que said, "I gave one to the Earth God, spent ten to forge the sword embryo, and one to feed you the physical body in the Pot Heaven. I have fifty-three left in total."
Song Quyou gripped the small cloth bag tightly, the fifty-three longevity pills making a soft clinking sound in his palm.
Fifty-three years.
It's already the short life of an ordinary person.
Mei Yingxue put down her teacup: "In that case, you can settle down here in Meishan and not worry about worldly affairs. After all, worldly affairs are for people to manage. You are now practically a dead person, so it's not your place to think about them."
……
Since we're here, let's make the best of it. Song Quyou settled down here.
These past few days he has been studying "Cultivating Qi and Nourishing Nature" and has gained a general understanding of it.
The steps to establishing oneself are: First, borrow the pulse of the earth to draw in the earth's energy, opening up the body's meridians and drawing in the pure energy of the heavens to counteract the earth's energy, thus forming the great primordial energy and opening up all the acupoints in the body; second, cleanse the mind, eliminating distracting thoughts and allowing the mind to radiate light; third, listen to the sound of thunder to awaken the spirits within the body. When all three are accomplished, this state is perfected.
Earthly Harmony: The heavy and turbid, stagnant, become the earth. Refining the heavy and turbid Qi of Kunyuan, one can achieve sinking, descending, gathering, and concealment.
Sensing Heaven: Pure Yang is thin and ethereal, thus becoming Heaven. Refining the pure Yang Qi of Qian Yuan yields lightness, ascension, dispersion, and clarity.
The Tao manifests itself in the cycle of sinking and lightness, descent and ascent, gathering and scattering, concealment and illumination, all of which evolve and circulate within the body, endlessly repeating like the Tao itself.
Return to One: The universe evolves within the human body, that is, the three powers of heaven, earth and man return to one, and the universe exists within oneself. From this point on, every move one makes carries the great power of heaven and earth.
Unfortunately, while he possessed the Heavenly Connection Technique, he lacked the Kun Yuan Heavy Turbid Qi, preventing him from cultivating. He could only refine his techniques little by little to prepare for venturing into the Abyss.
……
North of Qiantang County, below Lingfo Temple, lies a residence.
Mr. Wu was pale and bowed his head, remaining silent as he faced the two Taoist priests, a man and a woman.
Wang Xuan's expression was solemn as he gripped the Dragon-Tiger Sword tightly. "Mr. Wu, please leave. My junior brother's disappearance has nothing to do with you."
Mr. Wu's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he hesitated. Finally, he sighed, cupped his hands in greeting, and staggered away.
Su Tang, her face cold, looked at Wang Xuan, who had rushed back that day, and asked, "Senior brother, where do you think junior brother went?"
Wang Xuan hesitated, wanting to reveal that Song Quyou was likely dead, since the jade leaf that belonged to his junior brother had been destroyed.
But before he could finish speaking, Wang Xuanqiang laughed and said, "Junior sister, don't worry. Junior brother is a lucky man, he must have lost track of time while searching for demons and exorcising evil spirits."
……
The weather is getting warmer, and there are more clouds and rain.
Fishermen, caravans, and even tourists who make a living on the river have all noticed something strange lately—many large snakes are flying in the sky.
These large snakes were quite strange; some were as thin as ropes, stretching for miles, while others were short and thick like wooden stakes, jet black and gleaming. Some even had multiple heads, twisting and coiling together.
Upon seeing this strange phenomenon, the officials stepped forward first, saying that a dragon was about to swim in the river and that no one was allowed to move around on the riverbank.
The local officials along the Yangtze River, who used to be ruthless and exploitative, are now doing human affairs.
People were stationed day and night to guard the water monument, and people were sent to inspect and reinforce the river embankments along the Yangtze River. Even the poor, who were considered lowly by these officials, were driven away from the riverbank by the constables in recent days with a combination of deception, intimidation and persuasion.
If we move away from the riverbank, where can we go?
The government, which is stingy with the people, is willing to go all the way to help them.
In recent days, various counties have been clearing silt and reinforcing dikes along the Yangtze River. These people are doing these jobs and earn a few copper coins a day, enough for a hot meal.
What no one noticed was that among the laborers urgently conscripted by local governments, there were some strange individuals.
It's not that these people are strange, but rather that they are "human-like".
Among these humanoids, some have thick hair and manes, working naked, and if they brush against someone, the person will cry out from the prickles; some have long, pointed mouths, and their sharp teeth make people frown when they chew hard rice cakes; and some have huge nostrils, which can easily hold five or six chopsticks in one nostril...
These humanoids are all taciturn and rarely utter a sound.
Fortunately, the other people working with them did not reject them. They simply considered them as having congenital defects and strange appearances, and enjoyed chatting with them about everyday matters. They also shared good food with them.
These humanoids responded with simple smiles, and unknowingly worked even harder.
……
The source of the great river is in the far west, at the foot of a towering mountain, at a spring.
The spring gushes forth water, flowing ceaselessly throughout the year, and no one knows where such a large amount of water comes from.
The mountain people living here often fetch water from here for their daily lives.
On this day, dark clouds covered the sky, and a giant snake was hidden in the clouds.
Before long, a torrential downpour began, washing away the sand and gravel and flowing into the riverbed.
A shepherd boy living here, rushing home in the rain, witnessed the most unforgettable scene of his life.
The mountains trembled as if cleaved by an axe, and house-sized blue stones rolled away as if by magic. After the stones landed, a vast expanse of lush greenery appeared on the mountaintop, cascading down. A black-scaled dragon stood atop the emerald tide, then plunged into the great river with the surging waves, rushing eastward.
……
With the government's propaganda, the news of the dragon swimming in the river spread like wildfire, and the people along the river initially did not believe that the government would be so kind.
But when the laborers working on the dike discovered that the water level of the river had indeed risen sharply in recent days, with the muddy water carrying mud, sand and vegetation surging downstream and the current becoming more and more rapid each day, the people along the river began to panic.
News of the flood spread slowly, first affecting several counties in the west, and then major towns in the middle reaches. The river overflowed its banks into tributaries, breaching seven or eight small dikes, but fortunately the government had made preparations in advance, so there were no major casualties.
However, those people living in low-lying areas have now completely lost their possessions.
Strangely, in some areas where there were more "humanoid" creatures, they started fighting amongst themselves and started brawling on the riverbank.
After their coworkers pulled them apart, the animals angrily ran into the forest.
In a forest by the river, the "humanoids" who were fighting amongst themselves turned into monsters and stared at each other.
The first to speak was a wild boar spirit with green bristles; its tusks protruded, and its body was as large as a small mountain.
"Liu Jiu, as long as we breach the riverbank and pour the water from these dragon scales into the river, letting the flood swallow up all the people of this city, you and I will have accumulated tremendous merit in the Western Sect. At that time, not only will our status in the sect rise, but we might even receive the Buddha's teachings."
Are you really going to give up this opportunity to achieve immortality?
The other demon was a white-scaled water snake, coiled on an old tree, its scales gleaming eerily in the rain.
It remained silent for a long time before speaking, its voice hoarse and low: "I originally thought the same as you, to attain immortality, but these past few days, working alongside them, I can't bring myself to do it."
"If you can't do it, I will. We brothers will share the immortality."
"No, this cannot be done. I don't know why, but I should stop you. If I don't, I will regret it."
The wild boar spirit, indignant, spewed out scalding white steam from its large nostrils:
"Stop me? Don't forget who rescued you when you were caught by the snake catcher, the one who overturned the bamboo basket. Now, after spending a few days with those hairless monkeys, you've forgotten who you are?"
As he spoke, the wild boar demon turned and ran wildly, knocking down one after another thick log that was about two people's arms in its way, and rushed towards the dam.
The white snake rushed forward to try and stop it, but the wild boar demon had already rushed out of the forest and was about to reach the dam.
Suddenly, a whistling sound broke through the air.
A cyan arrow pierced through the boar demon's mountain-like body, leaving a hole the size of a bowl from which scalding demon blood flowed.
The white snake's eyes reddened, and it pounced on the attack without hesitation.
It was greeted by a white mark, and what it left behind were two writhing, swaying bodies lying in a pool of blood.
This is not an isolated case; it happens frequently in various places.
The evil spirits that tried to destroy the dam were killed and subdued by the demon-slaying guards who had been lying in wait.
……
On the great river, there are many disciples of the Pai Sect. In each section of the river, there are always one or two bamboo rafts. No matter how turbulent the river is, the bamboo rafts remain motionless on the water.
The disciples of the Pai Sect on the bamboo raft placed three incense sticks and a porcelain bowl at the head of the raft. This was the greatest deterrent against any demons who might try to take advantage of the situation.
Chen Pai Tou was located at a section of the river where tributaries converged.
He squatted on the bamboo raft, oblivious to the torrential rain and howling wind. The three incense sticks at the head of the raft were still burning perfectly in the wind and rain, and the grayish-blue smoke lingered on the river surface, undispersed by the wind.
Chen Pai Tou held a bright green bamboo pole and gazed at the turbulent water upstream in front of him.
suddenly.
The massive flood peak curved past the towering cliffs on both sides, and floating inside was a dark, smoky object.
Chen Pai Tou saw it clearly; it was a section of a spine, with scales as big as millstones, shiny black, and it was inching forward inch by inch along the water's surface.
"Brother Wang Xuan is right, something can transform from a dragon into a dragon."
As he spoke, he reached for his waist and touched a peach wood nail covered with talismans.
This peach wood nail is an important magical tool for performing the technique of nailing the dragon into the sand.
Chen Paitou traced the talisman's patterns inch by inch with his fingertips.
The nail was seven inches long, dark black in color, and covered with thirty-six runes, exuding righteousness and yang energy.
In their religion, these items are sold in sets of seven, but when used, each item is typically used to suppress a dragon, ensuring that the attack never fails.
But Chen Pai Tou had only prepared one nail, and his palms were sweaty as he held it.
It wasn't that they were afraid, but rather that this serpent was too strange. Not only was its whole body emitting black smoke in the shape of a human face, but there were also pale gold swastikas on its black scales.
"That's it. No matter what your background is, if you want to rise up in the great river, you have to stay at the bottom of the river and sink into the sand and mud."
Dark clouds loomed overhead, and thunder rumbled.
Chen Pai Tou brushed the last talisman on the peach wood nail with his fingertips, bit his tongue, and used his blood to infuse the incantation.
The peach wood nail immediately glowed red, and the thirty-six talismans on it flowed endlessly, carrying the peach wood nail into the turbid river water, where it was driven into the seven-inch spot of the black-scaled dragon.
The serpent, writhing in pain, raised its dragon-like head and hissed at the sky, its angry, fiery vertical pupils glaring menacingly at Chen Pai Tou.
The swastikas on the snake scales on his body suddenly shone with a brilliant Buddhist light, and bursts of Buddhist chants resounded.
Chen Pai Tou's pupils suddenly contracted.
The nail-headed dragon is inlaid with thirty-six supreme yang talismans, which are specifically designed to subdue all aquatic creatures in the world. Even an old dragon that has cultivated for a thousand years will have its bones and muscles soften and sink to the bottom of the river if it is hit by a nail.
But this thing in front of me didn't move an inch.