Chapter 105: Teaching Dharma Again

Leaving Pingding Mountain, Cheng Xinzhan first returned to Mount Mingzhi.

Seeing his master, he briefly told her about the Qingzhou matter and mentioned that the sect master had suddenly kept him behind to talk.

Wen Sukong smiled, "He is the sect master. Naturally, cultivating disciples and finding successors are what he cares about most. Seeing a good seedling, he has to talk to him. Actually, Ancestor Tongxuan also told me about this. Before, I was afraid of affecting you, so I didn't tell you."

She paused and said again, "You found the source of the earth vein decay on this errand, which shows that you have read the part about searching for caves and corpses in the 'Qingfu Rebirth Scripture.' Then I ask you, have you read the part about raising corpses, refining corpses, and driving corpses? Can the insect corpse I gave you raise a corpse?"

Cheng Xinzhan shook his head and said:

"Master, I have read the content roughly, but I haven't started yet. I look at the method of raising corpses in the scripture. It mainly lies in nurturing vitality and the changes of life and death. And I understand that nurturing vitality should correspond to the Earth Element and Water Element, and the changes of life and death should be in the Wood Element."

"I first opened the Heart Mansion. Last night, after hearing Senior Jin Mingzi's words, I had some understanding of the Golden Immortal, so I decided to visualize the Qilin Golden Corpse as the inner landscape god, then open the Lung Mansion, and then talk about Earth, Water, and Wood."

"After the Five Mansions are opened, I will use the Xin-Metal insect corpse as the foundation, nurture it with the nature of Water and Earth, wake it up with the Wood nature, and then temper and beat it with thunder and fire. Only then can the corpse refined in this way be taken out. Now, I am not capable enough."

After he finished speaking, Wen Sukong didn't answer, but was silent for a while.

Cheng Xinzhan was somewhat uneasy. Could it be that he was lazy in the corpse-raising technique, and his master was a bit angry?

"Hahaha—"

Unexpectedly, after a while, he heard his master's loud laughter.

"Good, very good. It is good that you have your own arrangements. You thought more comprehensively than I did."

"Disciple dare not."

He quickly cupped his hands and shook his head.

"Not so."

Wen Sukong said seriously,

"There is a sage who said: 'A disciple does not have to be inferior to the master, and a master does not have to be wiser than the disciple. Hearing the Dao has sequence, and arts have specializations, that is all.' I pass the scripture to you, but it does not mean that my attainment in this Dao is necessarily stronger than yours."

"At most, hehe, it is just a longer time of practice and deeper magic power. I originally intended for you to raise the Golden Corpse with Yang Fire, so you could refine a good corpse, especially since you visualize the 'Mao' constellation, so you are not afraid of yin evil invading your body, and then realize the Five Elements in raising the corpse and feel the changes of generation and restriction. However, you think you should learn the Five Elements first, and then raise the corpse with the nature of the Five Elements and thunder, which is naturally better."

"You are a disciple for the first time, and I am a master for the first time. Sometimes I add my own ideas to you without thinking. In the future, if there are similar things, you should say it in time. We master and disciple will discuss it before deciding. This point of yours is very good, and I am very satisfied."

Cheng Xinzhan was also moved and encouraged after hearing this, and bowed to salute.

"Let's do this. Originally, I was afraid that you would learn too much and affect your practice, but now it seems you have your own plan. I will pass you two more arts, both of which are true Dharma methods of Mount Mingzhi."

"One is the Wind Law. Besides the Five Elements, you have already learned the Thunder Law, so the Wind Law cannot be left behind. Now I pass you the 'Heavenly Gang Earth Xun Human Spirit Manifestation Scripture' and the 'Summoning Wind and Transporting Luck Talisman Secret.' The former is to define the Wind Law, explaining the existence form and function of wind in the natural great heaven and earth and the human body's small heaven and earth. The latter is the specific application of the Wind Law. However, to understand the Wind Law, you still need to learn Wind Grass. Just like you must learn Thunder Seal before learning Thunder Law, these three books, 'Zhang Taidian Post,' 'Furious Wind Night Rain Post,' and 'Mount Mingzhi Generations of Explaining Zhang Taidian Post,' are given to you together. Study them carefully."

"The second is the Primordial Spirit Law. The Primordial Spirit is the entity condensed from the soul, thoughts, memories, and ideas of a person. When achieving the Primordial Spirit, one should consider merging with the Dao and becoming an immortal. Before, I let you build a visualization in your brain. You didn't drop it, did you?"

Cheng Xinzhan shook his head and said that the Brightness Palace had been built. Recently, he had been considering building the Thunder Palace, and his thoughts had never stopped.

"Hmm, that's good. This is the method of condensing thoughts. You just keep practicing it. Now I will teach you the method of driving and strengthening the three souls and seven spirits, named 'Secret Decree of Long Life Fetal Primordial Manifestation Spirit.' You practice it too."

"Essence, Qi, and Spirit should be practiced together. Don't drop any of them. If you don't understand, come and ask me."

Cheng Xinzhan took the golden books and jade slips handed over by Wen Sukong, nodded in agreement, and then took out the lotus seed bestowed by the sect master and asked Wen Sukong what it was.

Wen Sukong took a look and said,

"This is the lotus seed of the 'Nine-Hole Dustless Lotus.' The lotus root, stem, and seed pod of the Nine-Hole Dustless Lotus all have nine holes. It comes out of the mud without being stained, is straight inside and outside, and stands tall without being stained by dust. Raising it in the Daoist field can turn filth into nourishment, purify the water pool, and can also be regarded as a spiritual eye, used for setting up formations."

"However, this thing is very difficult to raise to bloom. It must be nourished with spiritual soil or spiritual water. But if it is raised to bloom, the whole lotus can be taken out and refined into a spiritual body incarnation. It's just that this kind of spiritual body incarnation is at most for the soul to inhabit

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, but of course, this could not be said to mean the Sect Master was stingy; a spiritual plant that could transform into a spiritual body was already very precious, but naturally, it could not compare to the bamboo staff passed down from generation to generation in Mount Mingyue.

He bowed to thank his master for teaching the Dharma and then took his leave.

As soon as he returned to Wuyou Cave, Bai Long immediately rushed up, threw himself onto him, and whined; having been out for a few days, he had neglected it.

Cheng Xinzhan glanced at the bowl on the ground; he had torn up some flatbread he had taken from the Kitchen Department to fill his stomach and put it in the bowl, but seeing it was almost untouched, this dog did not like rice or flour; it seemed it had been very hungry these past few days.

He comforted the dog for a while and then rode a cloud to the East Heaven Dao.

The East Heaven Dao was located at the top of East Ping Mountain, with clouds and smoke curling; the main road was extremely wide, no less than a hundred paces, so there were many buildings and shops on both sides of the road, as well as small stalls set up on the spot. Some of these were sect shops, such as branches of the Kitchen Department, the Danxia Mountain elixir workshop, the White Tiger Mountain mechanical puppets, the Cuckoo Valley green plants, the Ni Mountain spiritual grains, etc., while others were individual small shops of sect members, earning some money in their spare time from cultivation.

He came here to see if there were any spiritual objects suitable for the dog to eat and methods for beasts to consume Qi. He had never had much gold or silver on him, but many herbs sent by Hongmu Ridge earlier could be used for exchange.

He wandered around casually and suddenly discovered a shop in the distance called "Spiritual Pet Food Shop."

There was actually such a shop?

He felt very surprised and immediately walked over, only to find that there were a great many people surrounding it, and he had to queue up; it seemed that many people in the sect kept spiritual pets.

Cheng Xinzhan joined the queue, and only then did he see a line of small characters under "Spiritual Pet Food," which read, "The secret method of preparing spiritual food originates from the Wild Goose Betrothal Sect of Heluo."

He was a little curious, so he asked a person in front of him. This person's hair was all white; he didn't expect him to still be keeping a spiritual pet. He said,

"Dare I ask, Practitioner, what kind of sect is this Wild Goose Betrothal Sect? This younger brother is ignorant and has never heard of it."

The person in front of him turned his head; it was a very old man,

"Daoist Yao!"

Cheng Xinzhan shouted; it turned out to be the duty Daoist Yao of the Small Wan Mountain Affairs Department. At that time, when he first entered the sect, it was this Daoist Yao who was on duty. He suddenly remembered that Daoist Yao had a cat that slept on the counter of the Affairs Department every day.

Daoist Yao was also very surprised and said with a smiling face, "It's Yunqi, no, now I should call you Xinzhan. Xinzhan is amazing; in two years, you opened the Heart Mansion. The old Daoist said at the time that the person from Mount Mingyue would not stay in Small Wan Mountain for long."

Cheng Xinzhan smiled and said, "Daoist Yao can call me whatever he likes; Xinzhan or Yunqi, aren't they both just this little one?" Daoist Yao smiled and said,

"Xinzhan, since you came to buy pet food, how can you not even have heard of the Wild Goose Betrothal Sect?"

Cheng Xinzhan felt ashamed, "This little one acquired a spiritual pet while traveling abroad and really hadn't paid attention to this aspect before. Previously, when traveling abroad, I let it hunt rabbits and catch deer on its own and never managed it. Only after returning to the sect did I find it a bit inconvenient."

Daoist Yao smiled and explained, "The Wild Goose Betrothal Sect is a major sect in the Heluo area. This sect does not cultivate techniques, is not proficient in elixirs or artifacts, but is good at raising pets. Cats, dogs, birds, fish, thousands of kinds in total; people who love pets can find their beloved pets there. Their sect has a rule: coming to buy a spiritual pet cannot be called buying, it is called 'hiring.' In addition to the marked gold and silver, one must also bring a wild goose as a betrothal gift, which is why it is called the Wild Goose Betrothal Sect. Their sect's Yanqi Mountain releases wild geese every year, otherwise, the wild geese all over the mountain would have nowhere to land."

The young man gained knowledge; it turned out there was such a sect, and it turned out there were so many pet lovers in the cultivation world.

"The Wild Goose Betrothal Sect not only sells pets but also sells pet food. You see, this stall owner learned the Wild Goose Betrothal Sect's food-making craft by chance, and it is different. My cat now only eats her family's things; it is very picky. Besides that, the Wild Goose Betrothal Sect also does grooming, beauty treatments, etc. As long as it is related to spiritual pets, there is nothing you can't think of, nothing they don't do, and the business is booming."

Looking at the young man's surprised appearance, the old Daoist laughed even more heartily, "Haha, cultivation is a long road; raising a spiritual pet for company is also very good. My cat is my Daoist companion."

Cheng Xinzhan also smiled and nodded, but he had some doubts,

"With this stall owner's business being so good, where does she find the time to cultivate?"

The old Daoist replied, "This stall only opens on the ninth day of every month. You just happened to catch it, and I heard that the stall owner found a few cats with excellent appearance this time, and everyone is queuing up to see if they want to hire them, so there are a lot of people. I also got the news late, which is why I came over."

"So that's how it is."

=9+Shu_ba

The two chatted for a long time, and only then did he approach the stall. He saw some bags wrapped in tree leaves on the stall, and there were not many left. He didn't recognize them, so he asked Daoist Yao again. The old man explained,

"Those are cold-frost banana leaves. After being picked, they remain as cold as ice for several months, and the leaf surface is covered with frost. Using them to hold pet food ensures it will not rot. You see, the craft from the Wild Goose Betrothal Sect is very particular."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded. There were also words written on the cold-frost banana leaves, some for cats, some for dogs, some for birds, and some for snakes. There were twenty or thirty left, large and small, and he should still be able to get in line.

There were also two small cats placed on one side of the stall. He saw that three or four people had already walked away holding small cats, so it seemed these two were the ones left over.

As the queue moved forward a bit more, another cat was taken away, and the leaf bags of pet food were much fewer. Someone wanted to take a few more bags, which made Daoist Yao in front of him shout anxiously,

"Just because you have money, right? If you take too much and my cat has nothing to eat, this old man will carry it to your house to eat!"

Everyone burst into laughter. Daoist Yao was on duty at the Small Wan Mountain Affairs Department, and there was no newcomer in the sect in the last few decades who didn't know him. That person kept bowing and begging for mercy, then fled as if flying.

Finally, it was Daoist Yao's turn. The old Daoist carefully looked at the last remaining small cat, first with surprise, then shaking his head. Cheng Xinzhan asked why, and the old Daoist said,

"Look at this cat, long-haired calico, not often seen, but it looks nearly three or four months old, and the blue film hasn't faded yet; it's probably blind. I dare not hire it, dare not hire it. Jihan, get me two bags of cat food, the ones with added banana grass."

Daoist Yao handed over the silver.

The stall owner was a young woman in a floral dress. The dress had a green background, but it was embroidered with flowers of various colors, which was very colorful. However, such a floral dress could not take away from the woman's style, simply because her face was more beautiful than a hundred flowers, and her long black hair was braided into many small braids with tender green vines growing small flowers.

The woman was surrounded by many cats, and a colorful parrot stood on her shoulder. Hearing the Daoist's words, she nimbly picked up two grass bags and handed them to the old Daoist, saying crisply,

"Daoist Yao, are you not hiring this calico? The white hair is whiter than snow, the black hair is like ink, the yellow hair is like mist, and it is evenly distributed. Such a color is very rare."

The old Daoist shook his head repeatedly, "Jihan, don't try to fool me. This cat's eye film is blue with white, looking at least four months old, and it hasn't faded yet; it's likely to be blind. And I've been watching for so long, and I haven't heard it meow once. Even if it's not mute, it's weak."

The woman smiled mysteriously, "Daoist Yao, what you say is not necessarily true. Maybe after raising it well, everything will be fine. And, this calico has the bloodline of a Suanni!"

Daoist Yao's eyebrows jumped upon hearing this, and he touched it again, only then saying in a low voice, "How much is the hiring fee?"

The woman held up three fingers.

Daoist Yao immediately moved his hand away from the small cat's back, took the two bags of cat food, and left, also urging Xinzhan to return to Small Wan Mountain from time to time to take a look.

Cheng Xinzhan agreed, and finally, it was his turn, so he said,

"Greetings, Daoist friend. This poor Daoist keeps a dog, brought back from the Miao border. It's not yet a year old, but it's already very big, this tall."

He gestured to the position of his knees, "Please, Daoist friend, choose two bags of food for me."

The woman was a little surprised upon hearing this, "A dog not yet a year old is this big, and it's a dog from the Miao border. Could it be a White Dragon?"

Cheng Xinzhan was even more surprised upon hearing this; he didn't expect the woman to guess it so easily, so he nodded.

"That is rare! There are few White Dragons not in the Miao border. Daoist friend, you have good fortune."

The woman said, taking two large grass bags from the stall and handing them to him, "White Dragons are greedy and like to eat meat; feeding it this will do."

Cheng Xinzhan took them, "How much are they?"

"Four taels for two bags. If it's barter, I exchange this for herbs and elixirs. Daoist friend, you can take out your things. If there is anything I like, I will pick some of appropriate value."

Two taels of silver per bag was really not cheap, but fortunately, he could barter. He took out some herbs sent by Hongmu Ridge from his cave stone.

"This chicken-blood vine will do!"

The woman pointed to a red vine with nodes and said, "This is good stuff for making wooden bracelets and wooden hairpins."

"Then how to exchange?"

Cheng Xinzhan said.

"Four plants, how about it? Yours is old, but it's only the original plant and hasn't been processed."

He nodded, handed over four plants, and was about to put the others away.

"Daoist friend, wait!"

The woman shouted, stopping his movement, and pointed to a green orchid with soil clods still wrapped around its roots, "Can you let me see this?"

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(End of chapter)