Chapter 40: Internal Elixir Method

Although the effect was a bit worse, the Tang Gui world did indeed have heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

Besides the strange flowers and herbs and the nine great strange pearls that appeared in the TV series, there were some that only existed in the mouths of plot characters.

Tianshan Rare Orchids was a typical example.

It is said that an assassin once plotted against Di Renjie. Su Wuming tested the medicine for Di Renjie and was unfortunately poisoned, falling into a coma for seven days and seven nights.

To save his beloved disciple's life, Di Renjie invited several famous doctors from the Divine Capital to take action, and used the Tianshan Rare Orchids stored in the palace to boil into a soup, bathing Su Wuming's whole body, which successfully detoxified him.

Because this matter was only Su Wuming's one-sided statement, many viewers thought he was talking nonsense.

But after Lin Yu personally went to Tianshan, he did indeed find the so-called Tianshan Rare Orchids there.

This object is extremely yin in nature and belongs to a type of tea leaf. After brewing and drinking, it can nourish yin and replenish yang, eliminate diseases and detoxify, and prolong life.

However, from Lin Yu's personal experience, this thing really couldn't be called delicious, but the effect was indeed quite good for mortals.

If it could be watered with magic power of the same nature, perhaps it could produce higher quality Tianshan Rare Orchids.

Besides this, Lin Yu also found a Da Hong Pao mother tree with excellent taste, a green date tree that could nourish vitality and prolong life, a green bamboo with hardness comparable to steel, a lotus flower with three colors, and many ordinary spiritual objects such as ginseng and ganoderma over a thousand years old.

All things that could barely be called heavenly materials and earthly treasures were taken away by him with the Sacred Scripture magic 【Universe in the Sleeve】, ready to be brought back to the Frieren world to be cultivated well, trying to evolve them into spiritual seeds.

In fact, Lin Yu had already experimented, and the green dates produced by that date tree could indeed resonate with magic power.

The four green dates he gave to the Four Sons of Nanzhou were products strengthened by magic power. The four sons ate them, and the effect was indeed greatly increased. The tea master Zhong Boqi thus eliminated his hidden diseases, and it is thought he would no longer commit crimes like in the original work.

……

……

The next morning, there were three hours left until the return.

Lin Yu came to Tongbai Mountain in the Tiantai Mountain range.

This mountain has been known as the residence of immortals since ancient times, with nine peaks lined up and a clear stream flowing in front.

To the north are Yuxiao and Xianglin, belonging to Huading, with a thick and long pulse and complete five elements. To the east, Wolong and Hualin peaks soar to the sky. To the west, Zixiao, Lianhua, and Cuiwei bow their heads. To the south, Yunu and Yuquan are beautiful and strange.

These nine peaks rise and fall, shrouded in clouds and mist, looking truly as distant and ethereal as the residence of immortals.

In the heyday of later generations, thirty-six palaces and seventy-two temples were built in Tongbai Mountain, totaling one hundred and eight large and small Daoist temples. Many famous scholars and poets who left their names in history stopped here and left countless poems.

But in this era, Tongbai Mountain was far from reaching its historical peak.

Even the Tongbai Palace on Yuxiao Peak had not yet been built. Only the predecessor of Tongbai Palace, the Falun Temple built by the high Daoist Ge Xuan in the first year of the Wu Dynasty of the Three Kingdoms, stood here.

Of course, this does not mean that there were no famous Daoist temples on Yuxiao Peak yet.

In fact, since thirty years ago, one person had been living in a thatched cottage here to practice Dao, attracting many Daoist disciples to gather.

The residence where this person lived in seclusion was called Yuxiao Mountain Residence, which was the prototype of the later Dongtian Palace.

The Yuxiao Mountain Residence in the morning was quite quiet, with green tiles and flying eaves half-hidden in the mist that never dissipated all year round.

The stone steps were mottled with moss, and a lush paulownia tree stood in the courtyard. Under the tree, an old Daoist with a spirited appearance was sitting cross-legged on a cushion, quietly meditating facing the morning light and mist.

Unlike his peers who liked to refine elixirs, although the old Daoist was of orthodox lineage, he was not keen on the art of external elixirs.

On the contrary, he believed that the state of mind is created by the heart, and practicing Dao is practicing the heart. Only by sitting and forgetting to collect the heart, focusing on stillness and removing desires, and achieving a state of being spotless and not attached to anything, can one transcend the mundane...

Shortly after, the old Daoist finished his morning exercise and slowly opened his eyes under the paulownia tree.

Suddenly, his expression was stunned, and he found that a white-clad youth had appeared in the courtyard at some point.

This person had a tall posture, handsome appearance, a head of black hair swaying slightly in the breeze, and pitch-black eyes lowered quietly, reading the scroll of Daoist scripture in his hand.

Just from his temperament, this person was like the clouds and mist in the mountains, quite ethereal and transcendent.

The old Daoist was lost in thought for a while, then woke up, looking at the youth with bright eyes.

"This Yuxiao Mountain Residence is a place for the old Daoist to practice in purity. Who are you, and why did you enter without invitation?"

"……"

The white-clad youth raised his eyes, looked at the old Daoist carefully, and then raised the Daoist scripture in his hand.

"Is this 'Treatise on Sitting and Forgetting' written by you?"

"……Exactly the old Daoist."

The white-clad youth smiled slightly, cast his gaze on the Daoist scripture, and said slowly: "Faith and respect, severing conditions, collecting the heart, simplifying affairs, true observation, great stillness, attaining the Dao—these seven stages of sitting and forgetting are indeed close to the art of internal elixirs!"

Art of internal elixirs?

The old Daoist was stunned, then his eyes shone with brilliance, his face showing excitement, as if he had grasped some mystery.

Seeing this scene, the white-clad youth, or rather Lin Yu, couldn't help but curl his lips.

External elixirs and internal elixirs are two different cultivation methods in Daoism. External elixirs originate from alchemy, referring to refining external objects into elixirs to achieve longevity, while internal elixirs treat the human body as a furnace, refining the essence, Qi, and spirit within the body to condense into an elixir.

In the period of the second year of Jingyun of the Tang Dynasty, what was popular in the world was still the harmful art of external elixirs.

As for the art of internal elixirs, it was currently just a prototype, and the person who promoted the formation of the internal elixir art and had an important influence on the internal elixir theory of later generations was the old Daoist before Lin Yu—Sima Chengzhen!

This person was a descendant of Sima Kui, the Taichang of Cao Wei, and a great-grandson of Sima Yi, the Duke of Langya in Northern Zhou.

He came from a great family but had no intention of being an official. Very early on, he studied under the Daoist Pan Shizheng of Mount Song, learning the Shangqing scripture method and talismans.

After completing his studies, he bid farewell to his mentor, traveled across famous mountains, and finally stopped at Tiantai Mountain, living in seclusion on Yuxiao Peak. During this period, he wrote countless Daoist scriptures, founded the Shangqing Tiantai School, and was revered by later generations of Daoism as the twelfth-generation master of the Shangqing School.

The "Treatise on Sitting and Forgetting" in Lin Yu's hand was one of Sima Chengzhen's most representative works and also a milestone work for Daoism's transition from external elixir art to internal elixir art.

"May I ask Your Excellency, what is the art of internal elixirs?"

Sima Chengzhen ignored the age gap, bowed, and looked at Lin Yu with bright eyes.

Lin Yu smiled slightly and said in a ghostly tone: "What you have written is called sitting and forgetting, but it is actually sitting and galloping. Although it already has the prototype of internal elixirs, it can only be considered the primary stage on the road to longevity. The true method of longevity should be complete in form and spirit, treating the human body as a furnace, condensing essence, Qi, and spirit. Only by condensing into an elixir in this way can one achieve the unity of form and spirit and long-term vision!"

"Complete in form and spirit, condensing into an elixir……"

Sima Chengzhen muttered to himself, seemingly having some realization in his heart.

A moment later, he came back to his senses and said excitedly: "'Lingbao Scripture' says, body and spirit are one, then it is the true body. 'Xisheng Scripture' also describes, form and spirit are united, so it can last long!"

"However, the Dao of emptying the heart has deep and shallow power. If deep, it covers the form; if shallow, it only reaches the heart. Those who cover the form only get the body; those who reach the heart only get the wisdom. The old Daoist has practiced for many years, but only got the heart..."

"May I ask fellow Daoist, is there a method for both?"

Facing the old Daoist's excited and expectant gaze, the smile on Lin Yu's face stiffened slightly.

He came to find Sima Chengzhen today, first to show off, second to give pointers, and third to leave some backhands in this world.

In his expectation, facing an expert like Sima Chengzhen with deep Daoist knowledge, simply describing the internal elixir method that had not yet appeared should be enough for him to deduce it himself.

Who would have thought that this guy would be so pushy, asking him directly when he couldn't think of it.

How could he answer this?

Lin Yu had a headache. He collected Daoist scriptures only today, and he didn't really understand them, so how could he answer?

……No choice, have to fool him first!

Lin Yu thought this in his heart, but on the surface, he smiled without speaking.

Sima Chengzhen was puzzled, then realized, and said seriously: "It is said that the law should not be passed on lightly, and the Dao should not be sold cheaply. However, fellow Daoist came uninvited today, which is already rude. Reading the temple's Daoist scriptures privately can be called stealing a teacher. The old Daoist will not care, and is even willing to put aside past grievances and sit and discuss the Dao with fellow Daoist. Is this also not allowed?"

"Haha!"

Lin Yu laughed dumbly: "You old Daoist, truly interesting... well, since I was rude first, let me tell you about it!"

As he spoke, he waved his sleeve, and a steaming teapot and two jade teacups suddenly appeared on the stone table in the courtyard.

(End of chapter)