Chapter 244

After receiving the Master's teachings, Cheng Xinzhan had some insights, believing that cultivation was nothing more than the two words "movement" and "stillness."

To him, eliminating demons and defending the Dao outside the mountain was movement, and practicing peacefully on the mountain was stillness.

This could also be called 【tension and relaxation】, 【labor and leisure】, 【work and rest】, 【civil and martial】, and in the final analysis, it was 【yin and yang】.

There is a saying in yin and yang theory: "Isolated yang does not grow, solitary yin does not last." When applied to the movement and stillness of cultivation, Cheng Xinzhan also had an insight, which was the so-called:

"Movement without stillness leads to exhaustion, stillness without movement leads to emptiness."

If one only knows movement and not stillness, one will be exhausted; if one only knows stillness and not movement, one will fall into emptiness.

And yin and yang can be divided infinitely. He believed that stillness could be divided into 【yin stillness】 and 【yang stillness】.

【Yin stillness】 is the state of heart fasting and entering meditation, the realm of the sage Laozi: "Reach the extreme of emptiness, guard stillness firmly. All things arise together, I observe their return," which is the extreme state of stillness where one watches the operation of all things in the world without one's original heart being shaken.

【Yang stillness】 is walking in a leisurely courtyard, the realm of the sage Zhuangzi: "Heaven and earth are born with me, and all things are one with me," which is the state where my heart is serene, but not separated from all things in the world, but influencing each other and being born as one.

Yin and yang are born together, not in opposition. Cheng Xinzhan believed that when in the stillness of cultivation, one must grasp the two states of 【yin stillness】 and 【yang stillness】. Sitting for a long time leads to emptiness, and walking for a long time leads to floating; neither can be dispensed with.

In terms of time arrangement, everyone's choice might be different, which must be in accordance with one's original heart. And Cheng Xinzhan practiced the path of yin and yang, the technique of inner alchemy, and the method of storing spirits, so he naturally focused on 【yang stillness】 and supplemented it with 【yin stillness】.

Although most of his time every day was busy with cultivation, he believed more that the small heaven and earth of the human body and the great heaven and earth of nature could not be separated, so he rarely went into closed-door meditation. Even for time-consuming things like refining pills and treasures, he would let his avatar and inner landscape god assist him, trying his best not to let himself be trapped and immobile for ten days or half a month.

He believed that the five senses of a person could not be disconnected from heaven and earth. Therefore, if it was a sunny day, he would take time to watch the sunrise and sunset, ingest purple energy and eat clouds; if it was a rainy day, he would sit and watch the wind and clouds, listening to the rain and picking thunder.

If the season arrived, he would have to taste the spring bamboo shoots and summer pears.

Since the two children successively opened their heart mansions and were promoted from registered disciples to true disciples, they moved from Xiaowan Mountain to live on Lixue Mountain. Cheng Xinzhan also adjusted his living and traveling, choosing to live on Mount Meizhi and Lixue Mountain for half a year each.

In the first month on Bamboo Mountain, the winter bamboo shoots were delicious; in the second month on Pear Mountain, the pear blossoms bloomed; in the third month back on Bamboo Mountain, the spring bamboo shoots had already come out; in the fourth month on Pear Mountain, the falling flowers were colorful.

In the fifth month on Bamboo Mountain to avoid the heat, in the sixth month on Pear Mountain to bear fruit. In the seventh month in the bamboo forest to enjoy the cool, in the eighth month in the pear garden to enjoy the moon.

In the ninth and tenth months, there was nothing to do, so he practiced peacefully and could enter the realm of 【yin stillness】.

In the eleventh month, the winter bamboo shoots sprouted, naturally on Mount Meizhi, and at this time, the persimmons in front of the cave were the reddest, like fire.

In the twelfth month, he returned to Lixue Mountain. At this time, heavy snow covered the branches, as if a spring breeze had struck overnight, and pear blossoms were blooming all over the mountains and plains.

The years in the mountain were quiet and good. In the blink of an eye, it was the summer of the 456th year of the Ming era. It had been two years since the idea of a Xikang trip arose in his heart, but he still hadn't set off.

There were reasons for his insight into the changes of movement and stillness, which made him no longer act in a hurry, and there were also external influences.

In these two years, some things happened.

Zhu Jianrong was gone. When forming the core, yin and yang were unbalanced, and the gang fire burned his body, burning him clean from inside to outside.

The old Temple Master Zhenwei of Yulin Temple was gone. He lived a life without illness or disaster for 128 years and died peacefully, being buried in the earth. For someone who had only practiced the Qi-eating method and had not even opened the mansion, this could be said to be a very high lifespan.

And if Jianrong did not form the core, relying on the longevity of opening five mansions and two palaces, he should have had a lifespan of two or three hundred years.

Worldly affairs were impermanent to this extent, and seeking the Great Dao was difficult to this extent.

Jianrong's funeral was handled simply. Everyone drew crane talismans and released them, implying that he had ascended as a Golden Core Feather Master.

Miaoyuan died in West Kunlun, Miaoyin died in the East Sea, and Jianrong passed away on the mountain. This was already the third close friend he had lost since entering the mountain.

The old Temple Master's funeral was handled grandly. This grand handling was not handled by the Three Pure Mountains, but by the Yulin Temple in the world and the Guangxin Prefecture.

The old Temple Master actually had a last wish to be buried with only one bead and everything should be simple. However, his group of disciples and the local officials and gentry of Guangxin Prefecture disagreed, so it was still a grand funeral.

Cheng Xinzhan attended the old Temple Master's funeral as an immortal of the Three Pure Mountains. Although he only appeared for a short time, it was enough to make the old Temple Master's name written in the local records of the world.

Today was the fourth day of the sixth month, suitable for traveling and crowning.

Cheng Xinzhan was on Lixue Mountain. He tasted a green pear, which was still a bit astringent in the mouth, but the aftertaste was already sweet. He felt it was time to set off.

"Master, are you there?"

At this time, a voice came from outside the hall.

"I am, come in."

Cheng Xinzhan replied.

Thus, a young boy and a young girl walked in together.

Both looked to be in their prime, the boy was about the same height as Cheng Xinzhan, looking very sturdy, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and his figure and appearance were somewhat similar to Bai Longnai.

However, Bai Longnai was more lively and jumping, enthusiastic like the summer wind. But this boy looked much calmer and steadier, as calm as a mountain on the northern plains in winter.

But this child's eyes were very bright, like spring pines containing dew.

Since this mountain had fresh green pines, it didn't make the mountain look dull and lonely, but instead showed a warm and sunny atmosphere like the winter sun.

And Cheng Xinzhan originally thought that this child's skin color would slowly turn white after entering the mountain to practice, but he didn't expect that after so many years, it hadn't changed at all, still the same as when he was a child. But that was fine, skin like wheat brown, making his body look even more healthy and sunny.

The girl was slightly shorter than the boy, but she was already very tall among women.

The girl looked bright and brilliant, confident and decisive, which was completely different from when she first entered the mountain, and this was also the change that Cheng Xinzhan was most satisfied with.

The girl was born into a wealthy family in the world, was well-read and reasonable, and had an elegant, dignified, gentle, and quiet temperament at a young age. However, Cheng Xinzhan could naturally see at a glance that this was the result of following the rules and feudal ethics.

The girl had excellent talent, but she had been in a wealthy family for a long time, so the bright pearl was covered in dust.

So since the girl entered the mountain, Cheng Xinzhan had always repeatedly instructed her that "acting according to one's nature is called the Dao, and obtaining one's natural nature is called virtue." Regarding the feudal ethics of the world, one should take its essence and discard its dross. Since she entered the mountain to practice the Dao, she should pay attention to "the Dao follows nature."

What made him gratified was that both children did very well. The boy's humble origin did not become his obsession, and the girl's noble origin did not become her shackles.

So when these two children opened their heart mansions, he gave them the Dao names "Xu" and "Yue" respectively.

The seniority of Lixue Mountain was not taken according to Mount Meizhi, but followed the latest generation in the mountain, currently the "Ming" generation passed down by the Three Pure Mountains.

So the visitors were the boy Lin Mingxu and the girl Zhu Mingyue.

"Greetings, Master."

The two young people saluted Cheng Xinzhan.

"What is the matter?"

Cheng Xinzhan asked kindly. He looked directly at the girl, because Mingxu was taciturn and Mingyue was talkative, so whenever these two were together, it must be Mingxu not making a sound and Mingyue doing the talking.

Zhu Mingyue said,

"Master, the Senior Brother and I want to go to the Haoran Alliance to practice and do things, so we specifically came to ask for your instructions."

The girl was actually slightly older than the boy, but because of the initial Dharma test, the boy passed first, so they set the title of Senior Brother and Junior Sister.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded upon hearing this; so it was for this matter.

These two children had been practicing the Dao for eight years and were both people who had opened four mansions, and they would soon enter the Second Realm. It was only right for them to go to the alliance to practice at this moment.

This was not the first time the two children had gone out to practice. Previously, under Cheng Xinzhan's arrangement, both of them had gone to Yu Yang to eliminate water monsters. At that time, Cheng Xinzhan secretly watched over them with the Dustless Lotus avatar. The performance of the two children in battle and fighting was also commendable. Now that they were going to the alliance, Cheng Xinzhan was not very worried.

"That's fine."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded.

Both children were happy.

"Thank you, Master!"

Cheng Xinzhan looked at the two children's happiness, and a smile appeared on his own face. The things he had prepared for the two children long ago were then taken out.

He first took out a giant bow, a horn bow.

"Mingxu, come forward."

The boy stepped forward a few steps.

"Come, the Master knows that your family has been hunting for generations, and you have loved bows and arrows since you were young. Even after entering the Immortal Gate, you haven't changed this path. Since you have decided to go out and roam, the Master will give you a bow."

Cheng Xinzhan handed the bow to Lin Mingxu.

The boy was very happy and took the big bow with both hands.

The boy was tall and strong, like a mountain or a pine, and this bow was huge, but it was just right in his hands. This was clearly something Cheng Xinzhan had carefully considered and refined.

"The horn and tendon of this bow are taken from the Yu Yang water dragon, and the Zhe wood of the bow tire was found by Yongliang in the Taihang Mountains. You have to go and thank him. I drew the string with red copper silk and refined it into Yang fire, which can be considered as having all five elements. As for the name, leave it to yourself to take."

Lin Mingxu looked down at the bow in his hand. The bow body was black, and the arc was very beautiful, like a swimming ink dragon. The string was golden, as if it had captured a ray of morning light as a string.

He was extremely happy; this was much better than the bow he had made himself.

"Thank you, Master!"

Cheng Xinzhan nodded with a smile and said again,

"The bow is prepared for you, you can refine the arrows yourself. Since you chose the bow as your weapon, you can study the way of talisman arrows well. There is a lot of mystery in this.

"Back then, the Master was very interested in the way of talisman arrows, but later he had a flying sword as a weapon, so the way of talisman arrows was shelved. This is a regret of the Master. By the way, if you lack materials for refining talisman arrows in the future, you can go to the Jiang family of the Jinxiang Sect at Poyang Lake. The Master has a friendship there; you can just report the Master's name."

"Disciple obeys."

Lin Mingxu held the long bow and stepped back, as if he couldn't bear to let go for a moment.

"Mingyue, come forward."

The girl stepped forward with a smile and asked,

"What treasure does the Master have to bestow upon me?"

Cheng Xinzhan was about to take the things out, but seeing the disciple ask, he stopped his movements and asked with a smile,

"Then you guess?"

The girl said without hesitation,

"The Master knows that the disciple likes fire fans. Did the Master prepare a fire fan for the disciple?"

Cheng Xinzhan shook his head with a smile.

The girl was surprised,

"Is it a bell?"

Cheng Xinzhan still shook his head.

"Then the disciple can't guess. Master, take it out quickly."

The girl said.

Cheng Xinzhan smiled and conjured an object.

It was a string of fiery red flowing beads.

"Take it."

Cheng Xinzhan reached out and handed it over.

This was a string of eighty-one flowing beads, about the size of a paulownia seed. The main beads were red, the spacer beads were amber, and the mother beads were golden. The colors were very bright and rich, and they were very good-looking.

The girl's eyes glowed. She took it with both hands, held it in her palm for a good while, and then wrapped it around her left wrist, exactly four times. It was neither tight nor loose, clearly something Cheng Xinzhan had put his heart into.

"The main beads of this flowing bead string are made of cinnabar from Chenzhou in Xiangxi, which I collected while traveling in Xiangxi. The spacer beads are made of sulfur beeswax, taken from overseas immortal islands. The mother beads are made of Yinghuo meteorite iron, which is a treasure material given to me by Temple Master Hong of Fuxia Lake in the Miao region.

"This is a treasure that is both offensive and defensive. When used for attack, it can strike, pull, entangle, and bind. When used for defense, it can turn into a fire river smoke screen to help you escape with fire. And with sulfur beeswax, you can say that you are immune to all poisons by wearing this.

"Of course, bestowing this flowing bead string upon you is even more for you to hold and recite, to pay attention to the cultivation of the inner alchemy fire, which you are always a bit lazy about."

Zhu Mingyue was still raising her hand to show Lin Mingxu. At this time, after hearing what Cheng Xinzhan said, she understood the preciousness of this treasure and the Master's good intentions, and hurriedly straightened her expression and replied respectfully,

"The disciple will keep the Master's teachings in mind."

"Hmm."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded with satisfaction.

The magic treasures he prepared for the two disciples were indeed carefully considered.

Mingxu's temperament was steady, he did things reliably, and he practiced hard, but he lacked a bit of edge, so he made a bow for him.

The bow was a sharp weapon for attack, intended to let him reveal his edge, and at the same time, it was telling him that cultivation was like drawing a bow and string, which should be relaxed and moderate.

Mingyue's temperament was lively and decisive, and she was active and enterprising in both doing things and practicing, but she also lacked a bit of steadiness, and sometimes she would go too far in her cultivation, so he gave her a string of flowing beads.

The flowing beads could be offensive and defensive, intended to protect this child, and also to remind this child to be moderate in advancing and retreating when doing things and practicing, and to look at the retreat and the way back while walking forward with big steps.

The flowing beads were originally inner alchemy Dharma tools used for counting inner alchemy fire, breathing and Qi circulation, and Zhou Tian operation. This child's foundation in this aspect was not solid, and she needed to strengthen her cultivation in the future.

In general, both children had high talent, the flaws did not hide the virtues, and they were both smart children. After he gave out the magic treasures, they naturally understood the expectations within them.

"You are going out to take risks after all. Eliminating demons and defending the Dao is certainly important, but your own life is the first priority. As long as the green hills remain, there is no need to worry about firewood. Remember this. In addition, the three prohibitions and two inappropriates must not be forgotten."

Cheng Xinzhan instructed.

"Disciple obeys."

The two children bowed.

"The Master has refined protective talismans for you. Keep them close to your body. For people on the demonic path, it should not be a problem to save your life once under the third washing of the Golden Core. You are only in the First Realm, so don't be too jumping when you go out."

Cheng Xinzhan handed over two talismans again.

The two children naturally thanked him repeatedly and took them.

"Enough, go. Ge Hong ancestor once said: 'If you don't try, you won't know if it's sharp or dull; if you don't grind, you won't know good from evil.' It's time for you to be tempered. Likewise, this is also the time for you to make a name for yourselves."

Cheng Xinzhan said with a smile.

The two children also smiled and agreed, then saluted and withdrew.

Cheng Xinzhan watched the two children leave, and until he could no longer see their figures, he also got up himself.

(End of chapter)