Chapter 79: Inner Landscape Method

After consuming the Ink Pill, Xu Fu purged the sour, putrid air from his stomach, and he already possessed a certain clarity regarding worldly affairs; his vision was already much higher than before.

He thought about things more long-term, and after his mind cleared, the books he had read in the past turned into wisdom, rather than being the bookworm-eaten scrolls of rote memorization.

If it were before, he might have been exasperated and insisted on forcing Xu Jia to marry and have children, pinning all the family's hopes, pressures, and glory onto his son.

Now he saw clearly that perhaps he was not of the same path as these clansmen and kin; he was destined to stand further away, seeing the imperial court and the long, flowing history.

This state is called enlightenment or awakening in later generations.

Xu Mu was stunned when she heard Xu Fu actually say, "Actually, having children isn't that important, right?"

Carrying on the family line is the number one priority in a feudal dynasty. In the past, Xu Fu had wanted to try for another child with Xu Mu more than once, but they only had Xu Jia as a son, and no matter what they did afterward, she could not conceive.

Seeing that Xu Fu's temperament was much colder, like a proud plum blossom in the cold, Xu Jia secretly thought, "Does the essence of the Ink Plum have such a great influence?"

Xu Fu added, "Since the clan side has already agreed, it just needs to be reported to the imperial court. I plan to go to the county office again. This time, I will still write an essay to pass the examination. Are you certain that those three essays by the Great Worthy Han Yu that you copied were written by someone from the Nine Continents overseas?"

"Mhm." Xu Jia secretly thought, "The Nine Continents of a parallel universe."

After all, history had changed since the Qin dynasty; a butterfly flapping its wings changes everything. Perhaps there are similarities, but there is absolutely nothing identical.

Xu Fu said, " 'On Dragons', 'On Teachers'—these are not suitable to be released now. Only 'On the Steed' has the intention of self-recommendation. I plan to adapt it, how about that? To seek to startle everyone with a single cry."

Xu Jia:... Fine, fine, fine. I didn't intend to plagiarize literature, but you intend to do it! Aren't you aspiring to become a Great Worthy?

"I am over forty years old, and my age is not an advantage. I can only show others that a thousand-li steed does not meet its Bo Le. Jiang Taigong met Wen Wang at eighty; Shun was raised from the fields; Fu Shuo was raised from the building of walls; Jiao Ge was raised from fish and salt; Guan Yiwu was raised from the ranks of scholars; Sun Shuao was raised from the sea; Baili Xi was raised from the market."

"I am far inferior to those child prodigies; I can only find another way. Although it is easy to obtain the status of a Provincial Graduate, after eating that Ink Pill, my mind has become increasingly clear, as if I had lived in ignorance and in vain all these years."

"Yesterday you said you wanted to plan for the future, and only spoke of local reputation and local sycophancy, but I have thought of more. The likes of local reputation, local sycophancy, and local worthies are only the first step; one must not be content with this."

"Take Scholar Lu for example. I used to envy him. When he said my writing had greatly improved, I was so happy I couldn't sleep, thinking he was the expectation of my life. Now that I think about it again, it was actually nothing more than that."

Xu Jia was also surprised. It is the most difficult thing for a person's thinking to undergo a transformation, because everyone is wrapped and besieged by past experiences, lessons, and the people or things around them. It is very difficult to break through this layer and think about problems from a higher perspective.

Could it be...

First fate, second luck, third feng shui, fourth accumulating Merit, fifth reading books.

Could it be that Xu Fu really changed his destiny through knowledge? This Ink Pill could not possibly have the ability to "turn over a new leaf"; at most, it could purge some sour, putrid air.

Or perhaps the Wenchang feng shui array catalyzed a miraculous effect? Xu Jia observed Xu Fu's physiognomy and found a trace of "noble aura." Noble aura is difficult to generate; it can only be born by "transforming a tribulation."

What kind of tribulation did Xu Fu overcome? Or is it really just that he lacks the status of a Provincial Graduate? Or could it be these three essays by the Great Worthy Han Yu? Xu Fu went to the study in high spirits. Xu Jia had no choice but to tell Xu Mu about the two hundred taels of silver the Earth Deity mentioned last night.

Xu Mu was surprised when she heard this: "The Earth Deity told you this in a dream?"

"That's right. As soon as he heard us say we wanted to help build the temple, he immediately sent a dream, willing to take out two hundred taels. With these two hundred taels, the subsequent classrooms for the children's private school can be built larger. Adding the one hundred taels we contribute and some donations from the clan, we can also buy twenty mu of fertile land, and use the annual harvest to hire teachers and buy paper, brushes, and ink."

Xu Jia said, "This matter can boost the family's literary luck for at least thirty years. If it goes smoothly, it might even be a century-long plan. However, this has nothing to do with us; it's just spending money to buy a reputation."

"Can your father really pass the exam this time?" Xu Mu truly felt that this was different from the past. Before, she was always anxious and uneasy, but now she was as certain as could be.

"Just wait and see." Xu Jia was still very confident in Xu Fu's current state. If he could maintain it, becoming a Provincial Graduate would be no problem.

Xu Mu chanted a sutra: "I can't help with anything. You men are the ones who make the decisions. I can only chant the Buddha's name."

Xu Mu had been chanting the Heart Sutra for many years. Under Xu Jia's guidance, she had gathered her past Buddha affinity and Buddha causes. Gradually, the Buddha hall had been chanted by her to have Buddha Nature, and the statue of Guanyin had even produced spiritual light. She could already be considered a resident Biquni.

Xu Jia returned to his room and proceeded to circulate his Yin Spirit to wash and refine his physical body.

Xu Jia's Yin Spirit had first been cultivated for many years in his previous life, and then he had cultivated for many years in the underworld with the body of a Ghost Immortal. It was very condensed, and a portion had even become Yang-natured. Although not much, just dots and specks, it was still much higher than the level of his current physical body.

Because he had to re-cultivate, the Yin Spirit regressed, needing to return to the appearance of his original Soul, and with the cultivation of this life, reach the goal again, until he reached a higher level of merit than his previous life.

How did Xu Jia wash and refine his physical body? It was nothing more than "Inner Landscape." Inner Landscape is a level that must be experienced in cultivation, which is to look inside the physical body—the five viscera and six bowels, bones, flesh, skin, meridians, and blood vessels—observing them one by one. By observing the human body and sensing the movement of Qi, one can know whether one's own practice is correct, and whether the body is becoming better or worse through training.

During the Inner Landscape, the power of the Yin Spirit is used to nourish the physical body, achieving the effects of "cleansing" and "expanding," which is the so-called effect of "Primordial Spirit washing and refining."

This process improves one's natural endowment and aptitude, nurtures the foundation, and builds a solid base.

The "Inner Landscape" method Xu Jia used was obtained from the essential inner-refining techniques taught by an old Daoist he met at Qingcheng Mountain back then.

What the old Daoist taught was the "Inner Landscape Method," that is, the Method of the Twenty-Four Inner Landscape Deities, also known as the "Running Deity Method."

That is, the human body is a small universe; the Primordial Spirit resides in the Zi Fu, which is the location of Dong Wanggong; the Sun Deity resides in the left eye, the Moon Deity resides in the right eye, and the three courts on the face are where the San Guan Da Di reside...

The entire physical body is the Heavenly Court, the human world, and the underworld—a complete system. Ultimately, it is "Ten Thousand Deities Paying Homage to the Truth." Once the inner refining is completed and one ascends to the Heavenly Realm, one directly attains the merit of an "Emperor" class. Even though many Emperors in Taoism are very mediocre, the lowest Emperor only has "Fifth Rank merit," but they are still middle-level leaders in the Heavenly Court and exist as local main deities.

Xu Jia is currently refining his spirit and washing his body; he is not storing the deities yet, but only laying the foundation and building the palaces. When the time is right, he will invite the deities to reside.

For example, now, Xu Jia wants to refine his heart, so he focuses on washing and refining the heart, visualizing the heart as a Cave Heaven with seven apertures, constructed for the residence of his original Soul.

The stronger the heart's function, the more vigorous the person's vitality and Yang Qi will be.

(End of chapter)