Chapter 933: [Benefit Exchange] (Part 1)

Hu Xiaotian gave a hehe laugh, his gaze intertwining with Li Yuncong's; Li Yuncong's lips curled with a faint, meaningful smile. Though they had never been enemies, they were certainly not friends either— merely a relationship of mutual use. Offering to take Hu Xiaotian's pulse served two purposes: first, to probe his true internal condition; second, to test his courage.

Hu Xiaotian still hesitated a moment in his heart— handing over his pulse point would be like placing his life in the other's hands; what if this senior eunuch harbored ill intentions toward him? But after a second thought, Li Yuncong wouldn't be so brazen as to act so openly; he thus turned his left hand palm-up on the tea table and smiled, saying, "Please, Senior Eunuch Li."

Li Yuncong secretly admired Hu Xiaotian's courage; this kid must have figured he wouldn't harm him. Li Yuncong rolled up his sleeve, lightly placing his right middle finger on Hu Xiaotian's pulse point. He did not, like others, use internal energy to probe Hu Xiaotian's meridian condition—for no one knew better than Li Yuncong how terrifying the Void Grand Law could be; a slight misstep might cost him decades of cultivation. Judging solely from Hu Xiaotian's pulse, the boy's state seemed even more complicated than before, causing Li Yuncong to furrow his brows, his white eyebrows twitching.

Hu Xiaotian said, "A high monk at Heaven Dragon Temple once told me I can live at most half a year."

Li Yuncong's finger slowly withdrew from Hu Xiaotian's pulse point, and he whispered, "What else did he say?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "He said the more foreign true qi I have inside me, the greater the risk of qi deviation; unless I cultivate the Formless Divine Skill, there's probably no way left in the world to save me."

Li Yuncong said, "He only knows half the truth; the Formless Divine Skill is powerful, but it cannot solve all problems. The real trouble is that when foreign true qi accumulates, they repel each other, and your meridians cannot withstand their constant bombardment; once your tolerance exceeds its limit, qi deviation will occur."

How should we resolve it then?

Li Yuncong said, "There are three methods: first, use some method to tame these foreign true qi and make them your own; second, use some method to gradually dissipate the internal energy in your body; third, constantly temper your meridians so they become strong enough to withstand the pressure from foreign true qi." The three methods he mentioned boil down to two points: relieve pressure and strengthen one's own meridians, which coincides with Bu Wu's earlier analysis.

Hu Xiaotian asked, "Which of these three methods is most feasible?"

Li Yuncong said, "You have accumulated a considerable amount of foreign true qi. Taming them is no overnight task; it cannot be done quickly. If you wish to dispel the internal energy in your body, the most direct method is to abolish your martial arts, which works for ordinary martial artists. Even abolishing his internal energy would not endanger his life, but for a practitioner of the Void Grand Law, there is no possibility at all, because the founders of this technique had already considered this: attempts to abolish or counter the absorption of internal energy naturally generate a resisting force. This is where the Void Grand Law's greatest strength lies— a weak master of it can even draw the internal energy of a strong expert many times his superior. Similar arts like the Whale Swallowing Grand Law cannot achieve victory through weakness."

Hu Xiaotian said, "So you're saying I'm beyond cure?" He thought to himself, "You've been talking for ages, amounting to nothing."

Li Yuncong said, "The most feasible and secure method is to temper your meridians, increasing their ability to withstand pressure so they can resist the impact of foreign true qi; if your meridians could be trained to be as impregnable as copper walls and iron bars, then no matter how powerful the true qi, it cannot rupture your meridians or cause qi deviation."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, "That does make sense, but how should I train to strengthen my meridians?"

Li Yuncong gave a hehe laugh, a hint of satisfaction appearing on his face— his expression clearly told Hu Xiaotian that he had a solution.

Hu Xiaotian said, "To untie the bell, one must find the one who tied it—I knew Senior Eunuch Li had a way."

Li Yuncong said, "There are indeed some methods, but the Zajia now hesitates, wondering if we are raising a tiger to our own detriment."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Senior Eunuch Li, you're already so old; you should let go of worldly affairs. This time, my visit to Heaven Dragon Temple has given me quite a few insights."

"Oh?" Li Yuncong said with interest.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Even the Buddha has the spirit of cutting flesh to feed an eagle, sacrificing life for righteousness— don't you, Senior Eunuch Li, have the courage to offer your body to feed a tiger?"

Li Yuncong couldn't help but chuckle: "The Zajia now feels like we're riding a tiger and can't get off."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Actually, in my eyes, you, Senior Eunuch, are the tiger."

Li Yuncong said, "The Zajia has no grand ambitions, nor any desire to harm others— where in the world would you find such a tiger?"

"Do you think Hong Beimo is a tiger, Senior Eunuch Li?"

Li Yuncong sighed and said, "One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers."

Hu Xiaotian said, "I also lack grand ambitions and have never thought of harming others; frankly, I share quite a few traits with Senior Eunuch Li. If we want to avoid being devoured by a tiger, we ought to cooperate well."

Li Yuncong said, "You've finally come to your senses."

Hu Xiaotian said, "One learns from a pitfall; having been tricked so many times, I really need to sharpen my memory, don't you think?"

Li Yuncong smiled with brows unfurled: "Yes, yes."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Anyway, I have nothing else to do today; why don't you, Senior Eunuch Li, teach me some methods to strengthen my meridians, and I'll also tell you what happened at Heaven Dragon Temple— what do you think, Elder?"

Li Yuncong laughed, "Good, good!" Not wanting to sacrifice the child to catch the wolf, this brat is becoming increasingly hard to deal with; to obtain information from him, we'll likely have to invest some resources— at present, Hu Xiaotian remains greatly useful to him, and letting this scoundrel waste away would indeed be a pity.

Li Yuncong said, "Let me teach you a seated meditation method."

Hu Xiaotian asked, "Can relying solely on seated meditation strengthen my meridians?"

Li Yuncong said, "The seated meditation contemplation method I, Zajia, teach you is a Heaven Dragon Temple secret not passed down; even among the temple's monks, few truly master this dharma. One could say this seated meditation is the foundation of all Heaven Dragon Temple martial arts."

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but recall the three books lost from the Scripture Storage Pavilion: the 'Great Hand Seal', the 'Void Grand Law', and the 'Bodhi No-Mind Zen'. Could it be that what Li Yuncong is teaching me is precisely the last one? He secretly rejoiced, for regardless, he had again learned a skill from this fellow.

Li Yuncong said, "Zajia can teach you this set of techniques, but you must first agree to a condition from Zajia."

"What condition?"

"Become my disciple!"

Hu Xiaotian's heart skipped a beat; Li Yuncong was still the first to mention taking him as a disciple. He and those two brothers indeed share a fate— Bu Wu first accepted him as a disciple, and now Li Yuncong also wants to take him on; it seems he truly is a rare piece of uncarved jade, with these masters vying to become his teacher.

Hu Xiaotian said, "If I become your disciple, you must not harm me in the future."

Li Yuncong laughed, "When has Zajia ever harmed you?"

"'You must pass on everything you've learned in martial arts without reservation, holding nothing back; otherwise, may you be struck by lightning and die a terrible death!'"

Li Yuncong not only furrowed his brows— this kid is downright vicious, actually cursing him with such malice— he gave a hehe cold laugh: 'Zajia is helping you, not harming you; in the world, there's no disciple like you who curses his master before learning arts.'

Hu Xiaotian said, "You're not teaching me martial arts for nothing; between us, it's actually an exchange."

Li Yuncong said, "If you become my disciple, you must not harbor any harmful intent toward me, or else you will be cut off from descendants and die alone."

Hu Xiaotian sucked in a breath of cold air: "You're vicious!"

Li Yuncong smiled: "Same to you!"

Hu Xiaotian asked, "Do I need to kowtow to you?"

Li Yuncong said, "Since you say we're exchanging benefits, there's no need for this formality; Zajia has changed his mind— you don't need to become my disciple, I'll just teach you the seated meditation method, but you must promise me not to divulge it to anyone, as this technique is what I learned from him." Thereupon he taught Hu Xiaotian the Bodhi No-Mind Zen.

Hu Xiaotian listened attentively; after studying for an hour, he had already mastered the seated meditation method. In truth, the most important aspect of the Bodhi No-Mind Zen lies in comprehension during practice; Li Yuncong taught him the dharma, but how far he can cultivate in the future depends on Hu Xiaotian himself.

Hu Xiaotian also hadn't wasted his learning; he whispered, "Actually, something major happened at Heaven Dragon Temple this time."

Li Yuncong's brow twitched: "What major affair?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "The false emperor's true purpose in going to Heaven Dragon Temple was to seek the Opening Heaven and Earth." He downplayed the events at Heaven Dragon Temple, glossing over details, telling a half-true, half-false account— of course it didn't involve him and Bu Wu, merely depicting Bu Wu as a madman who had seized the false emperor as a hostage.

As Li Yuncong listened, his expression grew graver; upon hearing that Bu Wu had taken the false emperor hostage to pressure the abbot of Heaven Dragon Temple, he couldn't help but exclaim, "What did he ask?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "He asked what books were lost when the Scripture Storage Pavilion was robbed thirty years ago."

Li Yuncong said, "How exactly did Abbot Tongyuan respond?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I recall clearly: one volume of the Great Hand Seal, one of the Bodhi No-Mind Zen, and the upper half of the Void Grand Law."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuncong's heart sank: "And then?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Then that monster slapped the false emperor to death with a single palm and flew away like a bird." He deliberately said to Li Yuncong, "Could the Void Grand Law they lost be the very one you taught me?"

Li Yuncong's face darkened, his lone eye fixed steadily on Hu Xiaotian, a faint chill flickering within.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "You old man, aren't you trying to kill me to silence me?"

Li Yuncong said, "In this world, there's nothing secret that can remain hidden forever; the Zajia have long since let go of everything." He pressed his right hand over his mouth and let out a series of dry coughs.

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