Chapter 305: with translation of chapter title

The Thousand-Jin Drop is a superior martial art of the Daoist Sect; speaking of this, many may mistake it for the Thousand-Jin Drop in martial arts.

The Thousand-Jin Drop in martial arts is a plum-blossom pile technique, emphasizing the unity of inner and outer qi; once the horse stance is opened, even if struck and kicked by several strong men, one's posture is hard to shake.

The Thousand-Jin Drop of Daoist martial arts, however, is far more miraculous than that of ordinary martial arts; not only can it bear a thousand jin to stabilize the posture, it can also bind ghosts and drop objects, having many uses. Drawing flower characters on the hand and lightly patting them on a person's body, the victim feels as if a thousand-jin boulder presses down, unable to move; severe cases may have their five viscera and six entrails crushed. Using the sword finger to draw flower characters within an object, each circle drawn adds a weight of a hundred jin; ten circles make a thousand jin. Even an ordinary stone, if a Thousand-Jin Drop is placed within it, ten strong men cannot lift it.

The Thousand-Jin Drop that Yang Qiye currently uses is similar to the second type of dropping objects; he draws flower characters on beer with his sword finger, placing the spell in the liquor. Even if a person who can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk drinks this half‑cup of beer bearing the Thousand‑Jin Drop, his face will turn bluish‑green. Hence the Thousand-Jin Drop is also called Bamboo Leaf Green. Previously, Daoist masters often used this method to test disciples' cultivation, seeing how much weight they could bear.

To be honest, as soon as I learned that I had been afflicted with a Thousand‑Jin Drop, I was greatly startled. Especially when that sudden sensation of my whole body feeling as if crushed by stone arose, I was indeed frightened.

However, I am not merely a frightened simpleton; it was only a momentary lapse, and I quickly reacted.

What's more, coincidentally I happen to know how to dispel the Thousand‑Jin Drop, but I am not in a hurry to do so. First, I want to test how long I can withstand it with my current cultivation. Second, I cannot simply collapse; if a minor spell could instantly fell me, what face would I have as a disciple of the Yinshan Sect, and how could I face my master Li Feng, who taught me with painstaking effort?

The Yinshan Sect's law, which makes many sects tremble at the mere mention, could not have a worthless disciple; even in death I must not lose face for the Yinshan Sect.

Relying on this conviction, I gritted my teeth and endured. As time passed, I could no longer tell whether the fluid on my body was blood or sweat. Even though my whole body felt as if bones were about to split, I bore it silently, not uttering a sound.

A living person must have conviction and faith; before conviction, suffering is merely an insignificant ant.

I showed no weakness, locking eyes with Yang Qiye. This time it was not a clash of senior and junior, but a standoff between two different sects.

At first, Yang Qiye merely glanced at me with a half‑smile, but as time went on, his eyes could not hide a hint of surprise.

A cracking sound came from my shoulder; I knew it was my clavicle unable to bear the weight, already displaced.

"Hai Sheng, are you alright?" Pangzi rushed over anxiously to support me. Yang Qiye also rose, forming a sword seal with his hand, apparently preparing to dispel the spell.

But he was fast, and I was faster.

"Heavenly Emperor, Earthly Emperor, women come to the master's chamber… I obey the decree of the Supreme Old Lord." With a single decree and a stomp of the foot, I felt the pressure on my body ease; repeating this more than twenty times, I finally dispelled the Thousand‑Jin Drop placed upon me.

Once the Thousand-Jin Drop was broken, I instantly went limp, all strength vanished from my body; speaking was difficult, I could only gasp heavily.

More than twenty dispellings do not mean Yang Qiye had placed two thousand jin on me; rather, our magical powers differ greatly, requiring many times the effort to undo his simple spell.

"Good… this youngster is not bad, actually withstanding my three‑hundred‑jin for five minutes. And even with a wounded collarbone he could still chant to dispel my spell—good, really good." Yang Qiye's words concealed no praise for me, yet they filled my heart with bitterness.

It was only three hundred jin, yet I spent nearly ten times the time to break it; solving a single spell is so troublesome—how then can I defeat Xuan Ku?

"Is this the disciple of that rotten‑bark tree? That rotten‑bark tree is nothing special, yet it has taken in a decent disciple with some backbone." Yang Qiye grunted in approval, very pleased with me.

"No, he is not my father's disciple; he is my brother, a disciple of my foster father Li Feng." Pangzi proudly put his arm around me.

I gave a hollow laugh, forced my posture steady, and said in a low voice: "Disciple of Li Feng of the Yinshan Sect, Chen Hai Sheng."

I hadn't expected Yang Qiye to be startled, his eyes wide as he asked in astonishment: "Are you the disciple of that madman from the Yinshan Sect?"

I looked at him puzzled, wondering what madman he meant—was he referring to Master Li Feng? Yang Qiye seems acquainted with Master Li Feng and QingSongShu, yet what is their relation? Just now he called QingSongShu 'rotten bark.' This nickname I had never heard before, and it was the first time I knew someone dared to address QingSongShu that way.

"Now I understand; no wonder I felt as soon as you entered that your aura clashed with my Huaguang cultivation method, yet I never imagined you were that madman's disciple."

Yang Qiye stared at me for a long time, then patted my shoulder and said earnestly: "Hai Sheng, if you can put the arts you have cultivated to proper use, your future attainment will surely not fall short of mine. I hope you keep in mind the karma of good and evil, and do not stray onto the wrong path into heresy. Otherwise, you will only harm yourself for life, and it will become a calamity for my Xuanmen."

I took a deep breath, stared straight at Yang Qiye, and said word by word: "Your teachings, Qiye, I will keep in mind. But the good and evil of this world are not for me alone to decide, nor for you alone. Since ancient times, good and evil have been turned upside down by the gossip of the masses. I dare not claim that my deeds are seen as good by everyone, but I act only seeking a clear conscience."

"Good… good, a clear conscience." After hearing my words, Yang Qiye burst into loud laughter: "Do you know? In my lifetime I have seen many fools who spend their whole lives defeated by the two words 'foolish goodness,' believing that Daoists are born to renounce anger and fury, not to kill ghosts nor punish evil people. They do not realize that cultivating the Dao is a gradual process; one must have wept and laughed, scolded and hated before seeing through. They constantly babble about 'going with nature,' but in reality it is just encountering trouble and doing nothing, using 'going with nature' as an excuse. Moreover, how many people cloak themselves in the guise of leading others to goodness while committing beastly deeds? The former cultivates appearance, not mind, stubbornly twisting their thoughts into the will of deities and wandering off the path all their lives; the latter cultivates the Dao only asking for desire, never asking for a clear conscience. That you, at such a young age, could have such insight is truly rare, truly rare!"

Yang Qiye laughed heartily, greeted me and Pangzi to sit down, and poured us two fresh cups of wine.

Pangzi looked at the two cups on the table and still felt a bit afraid.

Later, Yang Qiye said, "Don't worry, Xiaoqiang, this is ordinary beer, without a Thousand‑Jin Drop."

After hearing Yang Qiye's words, Pangzi hehe‑laughed and half‑coquettishly said, "Uncle Seven, I know you treat me best; how could you possibly bear to use a Thousand‑Jin Drop on me?"

A person weighing one hundred fifty jin acting coquettishly in front of me almost made me unable to hold back the beer I had drunk.

I quickly changed the subject and told Yang Qiye about Li Xun's matter.

Who would have thought that after hearing it, Yang Qiye stared blankly for a moment, then looked suspiciously at the two of us.

"You two, you can't even solve such a simple problem, can you?"

"Um…" we were at a loss for words; is this problem really that simple?

"Of course it's simple," Yang Qiye slapped his thigh: "I merely gave that swindler a minor punishment, sealing his qi apertures for a while; just take a dose of medicine that invigorates blood and dispels stasis, clears the meridians, and the qi will vent out—so simple a problem that even street‑side herbal tea sellers know it."

I: "…" Pangzi: "…"

This means, are you saying we're not even as good as the street‑side herbal tea sellers?

Yang Qiye looked at our dazed expressions and laughed heartily: "Don't blame yourselves; physiognomy, medicine, and divination—you at this age cannot possibly master everything."

Having said that, Yang Qiye ran to the room where medicinal herbs were kept, wrapped two doses in yellow paper and handed them to us, saying that as long as Li Xun took these two doses and vented the stagnant qi in his body, he would be fine.

I took the medicine and handed him the money.

Who would have thought Yang Qiye would wave his hand: "Like this, I won't take the money; you and Xiaoqiang go buy me a fine piece of jade to bring back, as long as it doesn't delay my granddaughter's birthday."

I and Pangzi agreed, but then I could not suppress my doubt and asked Yang Qiye: "Uncle Seven, frankly speaking, with your abilities you shouldn't be short of money, so why do you live in…?" Having said that, I glanced at the dilapidated surroundings of the house; the meaning was self‑evident.

Yang Qiye gave a slight smile, clasped his hands behind his back and gazed at the door, as if asking himself, or as if speaking to us.

"You say, how big a house does one occupy in a lifetime, and how much space does one take after death? Even if one possesses great wealth in life, how much can be spent in the netherworld after death?" Having said that, he chuckled, pointed at the medicinal herbs in the house and told us: "I have liked this profession all my life; don't look at each herb as dead matter—they actually possess spiritual qi; every herb is my child, and together they wholeheartedly follow me to save people. The joy therein far surpasses the pleasure of money."

Yang Qiye's words instantly made me understand that he is not poor; rather, he holds an indifferent attitude toward wealth and a carefree outlook on life—a state of mind that ordinary people simply cannot achieve.

As we were about to leave, Pangzi again wore a strange expression, turned his body, scratched his head and asked Yang Qiye: "Well… Uncle Seven, are you really married? You even have a granddaughter?"

Who would have thought that upon hearing this, Yang Qiye's face flushed red, and he hurriedly explained to Pangzi: "Uncle Seven, I am not married; I have merely taken on a dry kinship—that is my adopted granddaughter. You know, Uncle Seven, my heart has always only…"

Mid‑sentence, Yang Qiye seemed to realize he had let something slip, and he swallowed back the words he had just spoken.

"Get lost, why does a child bother with so much? If you have the will, whenever you have time just come see me with Hai Sheng; don't meddle in all this nonsense." Yang Qiye waved his hand, impatiently issuing Pangzi an order to leave.

Pangzi hehe‑laughed, pulled me along, and we ran out of Yang Qiye's room.

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