Chapter 819

Hu Xiaotian's hand floating in the void seemed not to belong to him at all; he watched his five fingers move in turn, like a dancing octopus—even when he played guitar before, his fingers had never been that nimble. Suddenly the levitating force vanished without a trace, and Hu Xiaotian's hand dropped heavily again.

The old monk asked, "What exactly is the internal energy you cultivate?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "It was passed down by a senior eunuch in the palace, who said it is the Uninterrupted Technique."

The old monk said, "Strange? This aura is somewhat like it, yet somewhat not!"

Hu Xiaotian cautiously asked, "What do you mean, Master? I don't understand at all."

The old monk said, "What is the name of the senior eunuch who transmitted your internal energy?"

"Ji Feihua!" Hu Xiaotian had wanted to say Li Yuncong, but then he thought Li Yuncong was merely a eunuch hiding in the Imperial Palace Library—if he said it, others might not know, so it wouldn't be very credible. Ji Feihua, however, is different; his fame in Dakang is known to everyone, and moreover Ji Feihua's martial arts is superb. If I said he taught me this internal energy, no one would doubt it.

Upon hearing the name Ji Feihua, the old monk's eyebrows twitched; evidently he had no doubt about Hu Xiaotian's words, and he said softly, "I never expected you, so young, to have reached the stage of emitting sword qi."

Hu Xiaotian answered truthfully, "I, the junior, also don't know exactly why; in my haste, a single swing actually produced such great power."

"A single sword repelled the Sword Palace Elder Qi Changguang; looking across the younger generation of the world, few can achieve that."

Upon hearing the two words 'Sword Palace,' Hu Xiaotian instantly understood; the green-robed old man was the Sword Palace Elder, no wonder he sought him out, and moreover he recognized from that very sword strike just now that Hu Xiaotian's sword technique came from the Seven Swords of Slaying Heaven.

The old monk said softly, "Dongfang Wuwo created the Seven Swords of Slaying Heaven; loving the sword to the point of obsession, for the sword he became a demon. Had it not been for the death of his disciple stimulating him, he would not have comprehended the heavenly Dao, and would surely have sunk forever into the demonic path."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Seven Swords of Slaying Heaven? What Seven Swords of Slaying Heaven?" This guy feigns ignorance while understanding perfectly.

The old monk looked at him meaningfully and said: "Young man, your scheming is deep, but you need not fear; I, the old monk, have already seen through life and death. Even if you possessed the supreme martial arts of the world, what use would it be to me? I am detached from the world, and my days in this world are already numbered."

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said: "I, the junior, am not playing tricks on you, senior. I truly don't know what sword technique I used; I swung it in a daze, with no discernible form, and I never expected that the man in the blue robe would think I was using the Seven Slays of Heaven Sword."

The old monk smiled and said: "No discernible form? Heh, I never expected you to utter the highest profundity of the sword way in a single sentence—so many swordsmen spend their whole lives and cannot grasp this principle." After saying that, he shook his head and added: "Although you have spoken the truth, you yourself do not understand it at all; otherwise, how could you have become like this?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Master, out of compassion, could you give me a pointer?" He had already realized that the monk before him, Master Yuanmu, was absolutely an unparalleled expert; his current condition was entirely due to a deviation in his cultivation. If the master were willing to extend a helping hand, the problem would naturally be resolved.

The old monk, pretending not to know, asked: "What do you want me to point out?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I, the junior, suddenly became like this while sitting in meditation and regulating my breath; I hope the master can help me."

The old monk smiled and said: "Your cultivation deviation is your own affair; how could I help you?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "If the master can help me regain my freedom, I will surely repay your kindness with gratitude!"

The old monk laughed and said: "Those words have moved me somewhat; since you are an official of the court, then agree to one condition for me."

Upon hearing the monk's condition, Hu Xiaotian's heart leapt with joy, fearing that the old monk would not propose a condition; as long as there was a condition, it proved that he had a chance of being cured.

The old monk said: "In the Cangshuge of the Dakang imperial palace there is a copy of the Heart Sutra of Prajnaparamita hand-copied by Emperor Taizong; could you obtain it for me and send it back to Tianlong Temple?"

Upon hearing his request, Hu Xiaotian suddenly recalled that when he had been eavesdropping in the secret passage, he had overheard Li Yuncong and others talking about this sutra; perhaps the sutra concealed some secret? Hu Xiaotian said: "Master, I am merely a minor figure in the palace."

The old monk said: "For Ji Feihua to value you so highly and personally transmit her martial arts to you, you must be no minor figure."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I am not refusing you, Master; I merely worry that even if I speak of it, the Emperor may not agree."

The old monk said: "Things depend on human effort; if the Emperor is unwilling to agree, I will not force the matter."

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought, having nothing to lose, that Master Yuanmu seemed reasonable and was not forcing him to steal or rob; even if he had to use any means, he wanted to obtain this sutra, so he nodded and said: "Very well, I will certainly do my utmost in this matter."

Upon hearing his agreement, the old monk curled the corner of his mouth in a faint smile and said softly: "As a monk, I do not tell falsehoods; I cannot help you with your condition."

This remark truly exceeded Hu Xiaotian's expectations; he had thought that after agreeing to Master Yuanmu's condition, the monk would come to his aid, but instead hearing these words left him greatly disappointed. Since the monk could not help, how could he feel justified in making a request? Hu Xiaotian secretly sighed, thinking that the monk had, after all, saved his and Huo Shengnan's lives, and for that he ought to do something in return; thus he sighed and said: "Then thank you, Master."

Seeing Hu Xiaotian's dejected expression, Master Yuanmu knew his mood must be utterly despondent, and he smiled: "Although I cannot help you, that does not mean your ailment is incurable; to untie the bell, one must find the one who tied it— in the world, the only one who can save you is yourself."

Hu Xiaotian's heart stirred, and he whispered: "I hope the master can give me some guidance."

Master Yuanmu said: "You should have the passage between your Dantian Qi Sea and your meridians blocked; if you can reopen that passage, all problems will naturally be resolved."

"How do we open it?"

Master Yuanmu said: "One must truly achieve a mind free of distraction, with body and mind relaxed; a person living in the world should at all times be able to sense his own life, sense the presence of others, sense the growth and change of all things around him. Keen sensitivity is certainly a good thing, but often it becomes a burden, for as the saying goes, water can carry a boat as well as capsize it. Take, for example, a person with keen feeling experiences pain deeply, while a numb person enjoys a considerable advantage in that regard. When a person accumulates too many sensations in his heart, it is as if shackles form in his mind, piling up like sand into a tower, like fur from armpits into a garment; ultimately these shackles enclose him, and to regain freedom he must break them, the only way being to forget the self."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Forget the self?"

Master Yuanmu nodded and said: "Only when there is no self in the heart and no self in the mind can one act naturally and spontaneously."

Hu Xiaotian pondered for a long time, furrowed his brow, and said: "Master, your words are profoundly deep; I fear I could never achieve them no matter what."

Master Yuanmu smiled and said: "If you cannot do it, why force yourself to do so?"

At this moment Hu Xiaotian furrowed his brow again, not because he couldn't understand but because he felt a sudden urge to urinate; with that thought, his mind quickly became impatient, but Huo Shengnan had fainted, and only Master Yuanmu was around, so Hu Xiaotian put on a bitter face and said: "Master, could you do me a small favor? I have an urgent need to urinate."

Master Yuanmu said: "I cannot help you; actually, you should just let things take their natural course."

Hu Xiaotian stared, mouth agape, as Master Yuanmu, after saying that, turned and walked away.

"Let nature take its course? I can't possibly wet the kang at my age! If this got out, what face would I, Hu Xiaotian, have to show as a person?"

Hu Xiaotian called out "Shengnan," but Huo Shengnan remained lying motionless on the ground; Hu Xiaotian's situation was truly one of calling to heaven with no answer and to earth with no response, his bladder swelling ever more, the pain threatening to burst, and if he didn't resolve this, his bladder might rupture. Hu Xiaotian gritted his teeth, thinking, "Let nature take its course? A living person cannot be held to death by urine; I'll just wet the kang— it's also because you, old monk, forced me to."

He prepared to relieve himself on the spot, but when he actually tried to do so, he discovered that wetting the kang was not easy either; although his body urgently needed relief, a thread of self-esteem and sense of honor in his mind kept tugging at him, and several times he felt the urge to urinate, a voice in his heart repeatedly reminded him not to do such an embarrassing thing; Hu Xiaotian agonized for a while, yet still failed to release that urine, and this helpless frustration let his mind wander.

At that moment Hu Xiaotian suddenly realized how similar his Dantian Qi Sea and his overfull bladder were— both wanting to discharge but unable! If one were to point out a difference, one would say the urethral sphincter is at work while the other is restrained by an invisible barrier; no! The true shackle is his own intention. Suddenly a flash of clarity struck his mind: the reason he cannot urinate is because he is wearing clothes and lying in bed, because he is too concerned with his image; when he first came into this world, naked and without attachments, he naturally felt no shame, nor did he have so many scruples. Likewise, when he did not know martial arts, he never thought of the Dantian Qi Sea and the extraordinary meridians; he only knew that cerebral infarction and hemorrhage could cause hemiplegia, never imagining that deviant true qi could also cause hemiplegia. If he were merely a person who did not practice martial arts, he would never have such a risk. If he were merely a naked infant, he would be utterly uninhibited, wanting to defecate or urinate whenever the urge struck.

At that thought, the sensation of Hu Xiaotian's Dantian Qi Sea suddenly vanished; while he could no longer perceive his Dantian Qi Sea, a tremendous surge of inner energy rushed along his meridians, sweeping through his entire body in an instant. His right arm and leg, long deprived of feeling, suddenly felt a tearing pain, and then he felt an urgent need to urinate. Hu Xiaotian shouted, leapt up from the bed like a bone, shot out the door like a rabbit with its tail on fire, and as soon as he stepped outside, he could not wait to loosen his belt, and a bright jet of water spurted from between his legs! (To be continued~^~)