Chapter 10: Claiming the Reward

Cheng Yunqi bowed farewell to Daoist Sukong, turned, and walked back along the original path out of the bamboo grove.

Just as he emerged from the grove, a flock of silver pheasants flew from its depths into the sky; faintly, he seemed to hear laughter coming from within the bamboo.

The bamboo grove was cool and shaded; stepping out into the sunlight, he felt its warmth on his body. Glancing at the sky, he saw the sun in the southeast, indicating it was still the hour of Si.

Cheng Yunqi recalled his master's teaching that absorbing Qi must align with heavenly timing and earthly conditions. Standing now at a high place under a cloudless sky with the great sun overhead and yang energy flourishing, he should absorb fire Qi.

Thinking thus, Cheng Yunqi immediately assumed a stance right where he stood and began absorbing Qi using the 【He】 character incantation.

Indeed, Cheng Yunqi now felt the warm current he absorbed was stronger than it had been inside the cool bamboo pavilion. Thus, Cheng Yunqi felt no rush; he decided simply to absorb Qi here until He He Bingkun finished his evening lessons, then return together.

During intervals between breathing exercises and rest, Cheng Yunqi also pondered the matter of condensing thoughts. Creating a temple complex within the mind was no easy task; mere superficial imagery would not suffice. His master had spoken of constructing it brick by brick, and once formed, it must be maintained, never forgotten after merely two or three days.

Though a temple complex is intricate, its core must be the Divine Hall, the place of worship within any temple. Outside the mountain, Rain-Lin Temple possessed many divine halls: the Wang Lingguan Hall, the Four Deities Hall, the Xuandu Great Dharma Master Hall, the Guangcheng Daojun Hall, the Doumu Mother of the Dipper Hall, as well as the Hall of the Three Pure Ones and the Ge Lei Immortal Hall.

Within the mountains, atop Mount Mount Pingding at the Lotus Blessed Land, there also stood a Hall of the Three Pure Ones enshrining the Three Pure Daoist Ancestors, a Fuxi Hall enshrining the Human Ancestor, and two halls of Yin and Yang enshrining the even more ethereal and elusive forces of Yin and Yang.

Cheng Yunqi first had to decide clearly what the first hall he would construct should be. His master had just said it would be best if it connected with visualization methods, inner landscape deities, opening the mansion, and the like, so as to achieve twice the result with half the effort...

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"What are you daydreaming about!"

Cheng Yunqi was startled by a pat on the shoulder; it was He He Bingkun.

"How are you finished so quickly... Eh, it's gotten dark."

He He Bingkun laughed, saying, "You enter meditative stability quite easily; that is a good thing. Let's go back."

The Thunder Sparrow delivered the two of them to their courtyard quarters.

"How did today go?"

"It felt alright; I absorbed Qi."

"Eh? You learned how to absorb Qi, or you actually absorbed Qi?"

He He Bingkun's tone suddenly rose significantly.

"I learned how to absorb Qi, and I also absorbed Qi."

"One day, you absorbed Qi in just one day?!"

He He Bingkun grabbed Cheng Yunqi's head with both hands, examining him vigorously from top to bottom, left and right, "What kind of monster are you?"

Cheng Yunqi smiled, then pulled a slip of green paper from his robe. The slip was very thin, as if planed from bamboo, bearing a line of slender, elegant handwriting:

"Cheng Cheng Yunqi achieved the method and absorbed Qi within six breaths, witnessed by Wen Daoist Sukong. Dated the ninth day of the fourth month, year 404 of the Mount Mingzhi era, at Mount Mount Mingzhi."

"My master said that with this slip, I should be able to go to the Capital Teaching Academy to claim my reward."

He He Bingkun's eyes nearly pressed against the slip, "Six breaths? You absorbed Qi in six breaths?"

Having spent half a month together, He He Bingkun could sense that Cheng Yunqi was no ordinary person, yet he had not expected him to be so extraordinary.

"It's not 'should be able to,' it's 'definitely can.' Come, let's go right now!"

He He Bingkun laughed loudly, firmly grasped Cheng Yunqi's wrist, strode out of the courtyard, and headed straight for the Capital Teaching Academy.

Along both sides of the street, lanterns hung beneath eaves of houses and on the walls of cave dwellings; some glowed fiery red, others orange-yellow, merging into two bands of light that illuminated the mountain path quite clearly.

He He Bingkun's voice was famously loud; laughing loudly as he walked now, how could he fail to attract attention? Doors on both sides of the mountain path kept opening, and owners poked their heads out one after another.

"Has Old He perhaps opened his mansion?"

"Has the Resounding King opened his mansion?"

"He He Bingkun has opened his mansion!"

"..."

Congratulations spread even faster than He He Bingkun's laughter; for a moment, sounds of congratulation filled the ears incessantly.

He He Bingkun's face flushed red, though under the lantern light it was imperceptible. "My opening of the mansion is a matter of water flowing naturally to form a channel; the time has not yet arrived, so what is there to congratulate?"

"Brat, your wild laughter at night ruins people's quiet cultivation!"

"Perhaps drawing lightning every day has addled his brains."

"All bulk and muscle, sinews but no brain."

In an instant, sounds of congratulation turned into curses.

"My roommate Cheng Cheng Yunqi learned the method today and absorbed Qi in six breaths; we are now going to the Capital Teaching Academy to claim his reward. Is that worth a laugh?"

The small mountain street instantly fell silent.

The next moment, dozens of people suddenly emerged from both sides of the street, surrounding He He Bingkun and Cheng Yunqi all at once.

No one paid attention to He He Bingkun's proud expression; they only scrutinized Cheng Cheng Yunqi carefully.

"Six breaths to absorb Qi!"

"He looks quite handsome." "Eh, is he the one from Mount Mount Mingzhi?"

"Oh, I remember now, the new little Daoist lord!"

Everyone spoke over one another; Cheng Yunqi himself was startled. Was absorbing Qi in six breaths really that astonishing?

"We'll go together!"

Someone shouted.

"Naturally we'll go together!"

"Of course we'll go together!"

Thus, the loud laughter and shouting grew from one person into a crowd.

Cheng Yunqi felt uneasy; this was truly too ostentatious. He did not know how things had turned out this way.

"Haha, Cheng Yunqi, pay no mind. Our Lantern Street has not seen someone like you in ages; this time we must let out some steam. You don't know, two years ago a newcomer arrived at Ancient Vine Street, learned the method in the morning and absorbed Qi by evening; they bragged about him to the heavens. Although the Capital Teaching Academy was clearly above him, when that group went to claim their reward, they deliberately walked down our mountain first, made a show of it, and then went back up. Now heaven has granted us a fine opportunity; how could we let this pass?"

With that said, the crowd escorted Cheng Yunqi up the mountain.

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Cheng Cheng Yunqi had hidden in his room reading books for half a month, knowing none of his neighbors; now, escorted by the crowd, before even reaching the Capital Teaching Academy, he had already been recognized by everyone.

"Brother Jiabao, I truly come from an ordinary mortal background; I am no Daoist child. You have asked me this all along the way."

Cheng Yunqi helplessly repeated his answer once more.

The questioner was a man who looked somewhat blessed, with a large belly, a chubby face, and a constant smile.

"If you are not a Daoist child, then this is truly astonishing."

"What exactly is a Daoist child?"

Cheng Yunqi became curious due to his words.

"The child of a Golden Core Daoist partner."

Cheng Yunqi nodded; that was indeed formidable, and presumably quite rare.

Upon reaching a certain street, the crowd's shouting suddenly grew louder. Cheng Yunqi quickly tugged He He Bingkun, "Brother He, please ask our fellow Daoists to lower their voices; this is not good."

He He Bingkun laughed loudly, "This is Ancient Vine Street!"

Cheng Yunqi looked around; both sides of this mountain path were lined with thick ancient vines. The people here lived in huts woven from vines, creating a unique atmosphere.

However, what should have been a quiet and secluded place was now tumultuous; Cheng Yunqi worried somewhat whether a conflict might arise.

The vine huts on both sides of Ancient Vine Street remained utterly silent.

"Something is wrong."

He He Bingkun finally dropped his rascally expression, replacing it with a serious, scrutinizing look. At this moment, the phrases 'tiger's back and bear's waist' and 'hawk's gaze and wolf's glance' described him perfectly.

"These brats from Ancient Vine Street are definitely plotting something malicious!"

He He Bingkun was not mistaken.

Under the cover of night, Ancient Vine Street came alive; countless vines silently crept up to the feet of the crowd.

"What is that!"

Someone cried out in alarm.

This seemed like a signal; the discovered vines moved swiftly, like snakes or lightning, quickly encircling and trapping the people from Lantern Street. Except for the few who had cultivated body movement techniques and escape arts and were still dodging, most were bound tightly.

"Tian Tian Lingzhi, you are shameless!"

He He Bingkun, whose movement technique was quite impressive, was still dodging the binding vines while shouting out a name. He knew Tian Tian Lingzhi was the leader of Ancient Vine Street; this scheme must have been his idea.

As soon as he finished speaking, a rustling sound of breaking air arose.

"Haha, you brainless fools, all of you are brainless! Wang Wang Xianyou is in closed-door cultivation, yet you follow He He Bingkun in this madness, hahaha."

Instantly, many figures appeared on Ancient Vine Street. Moving with extreme speed, they rushed toward the trapped crowd; aided by the cover of ancient vines and night, they were almost indistinguishable.

"By the decree of the Mother of Lightning: electric light flows like molten gold, leaving nowhere to hide. Reveal!"

Cheng Yunqi saw He He Bingkun form a hand seal and burst forth with an incantation. A ball of blazing white light ignited at his fingertips; under its illumination, the entire Ancient Vine Street became as bright as day, revealing those clusters of figures clearly.

That group squinted under the electric light, their footsteps slowing down.

Cheng Yunqi looked toward their leader, a young man in white robes and a jade-green crown. The youth also saw Cheng Yunqi; he actually smiled at him. After smiling, he too began performing an incantation:

"By the decree of the Duke of Wood: let all things sprout and grow. Bind!"

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(End of Chapter)