《Be God》 Chapter 1: Providence and Public Opinion After the late autumn, although there is no snow, the cold is getting heavier and heavier day by day. This long line under the eaves of every household in the Jade Capital City is as thick as a child''s arm, glittering and translucent.The sharp edge of ice like a sword is enough to feel the harshness of winter. Yujing was the capital of the Dagan Dynasty. The Dagan Dynasty was prosperous, vast in territory and abundant in resources, vast and broad, with a population of tens of millions, and was a state of the Celestial Empire. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People''s Republic. Set the world for 60 years! In the past sixty years, the four emperors of the Dagan Dynasty have made great efforts to make the country prosperous, and have reached a flourishing age of flowers and cooking oil. "Wu Wen Hou" Mansion is located in the southeast of Yujing City, covering an area of 100 mu, with an open terrain.A pair of three-man-high red lacquer stone unicorns, vermilion gates, shining copper nails, copper rings, and bright clothes at the gate.Full of gas, sharp eyes of the servants and so on, can show the status of Wu Wenhou. "Marquis Wu Wen" was a prominent figure in the Dagan Dynasty. His surname was Hong and his given name was Xuanji. This person is not only a grand title, but also a great minister, an official in the cabinet Grand Maester, Prince Taibao.Both civil and military. When he was young, he was able to open a nine-stone strong bow and shoot continuously. He rode a big horse to kill hundreds of people. If the enemy took a leisurely walk in the courtyard.In the Dagan Dynasty, one stone was one hundred catties, and nine stones were nine hundred catties. At the age of 22, after making great military exploits, he gave up martial arts to practice literature, passed the exam, and became a flower in high school. Confer official positions and participate in government.He once received four emperors of the Dagan Dynasty, saying that "mounting a horse can govern the army, and dismounting a horse can pacify the people." Cross the highest evaluation. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ "The sky sees me and the people see me, the sky listens to me and the people listen to me." Early in the morning, the sound of reading came from the remote courtyard in the northwest corner of the mansion of the Marquis of Wu Wen. Hong Yi opened half of the window, lit a charcoal fire in the room, and was reading at the table, preparing for the scientific examination.Try to figure out the meaning of the Sutra. He was wearing a green shirt, with beautiful features. He was between fifteen and sixteen years old, and his body was a little thin. The room was very simple, the fire basin was an iron basin, the charcoal was ordinary charcoal, and it was not a delicate tripod copper basin used by Hou''s big family to make a fire."Animal Charcoal" carved in the shape of various wild animals. When he was reading, there was no bookboy around him, and the maidservant grinded ink and laid paper.All this shows that Hong Yi''s position in Hou Fu is not high, but he still has time to study, not the kind of servant. "Whether we can rectify the status of the dead mother depends on the Enke in the spring and the general examination in the autumn.".Take an examination of Zhongjuren first, pass a successful candidate in the imperial examinations again, win the imperial examinations, and seal three generations.. The court will decree that my mother be conferred the title of lady.Mother''s grave can be brought into the ancestral grave of the Hong family, and the spirit tablets can also be worshipped in the ancestral hall. Hong Yi opened a book and read two sentences, but in his heart he remembered his mother who died at the age of seven. Before Hong Yi''s mother married "Wu Wenhou", she was a famous talented woman in Yujing City, who was proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting.Poems and songs are full of literary grace, busking does not sell themselves, and Wu Wenhou in a hall meeting, singing poems and understanding.Later, she married into Hou Men. Said to be a talented woman, in fact, is a brothel "cheap". After joining the rich and powerful family, the status is very low. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. What''s more, when Hong Yi''s mother married into the Hou family, Wu Wen Hou already had a wife, and she was a concubine. Dagan Dynasty law, one wife, two wives, four concubines.The status of concubines was very low, and some rich and powerful families, nobles, and scholar-officials gave concubines to each other for fun. Concubines were not allowed to sit down when they were eating, but had to stand like maidservants. As the son of a concubine, Hong Yi had no right to inherit the title and property at all. The only way out is to pass the imperial examination. Hong Yi also knew very well in his heart that if he could pass the Jinshi examination, he could not only break away from the Hou Fu and become an official.The most important thing is to add a "lady" status to the mother. The Dagan Dynasty attached great importance to the imperial examination, and once it passed the imperial examination, it was possible to add three generations of titles. The title of "Madam" is not simple. Now there are three ladies in Hou Fu.Hong Xuanji, the Marquis of Wenwu, made many great contributions, which was a special gift from the imperial court. In general, among the rich and powerful nobles, only the first wife is the "lady". Among the high officials and dignitaries, the court rewarded his wife as his wife, but the great honor was more benevolent than the promotion of rank. "If I win the Jinshi, if I win the Jinshi, the court will give my mother the title of wife.".When the time comes, I don''t know what kind of expression Mrs. Zhao will have in the main room? Hong Yi murmured two sentences, "Mrs. Zhao, Mrs. Zhao.." There was a twinkle of hatred in his eyes. Hong Yi will never forget the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet held in Hou Fu when he was just seven years old.When they were gathering together, their father and the guests read poems, and because their mother had spoken to each other, they were immediately scolded by Mrs. Zheng in public."They behave frivolously, do not observe women''s morality, and do not change their brothel habits." After returning that night, his mother was so angry that her blood stagnated, she vomited blood and hurt her body, and died of illness two months later.When she died of anger, her mother was only twenty-five years old. "I''m almost ready for the exam after the spring, but I still have to figure it out." Hong Yi thought in his heart, closed the theory of Jing Yi Ce, and opened a copy of Notes on the Thatched Cottage. The cover of this book is very new, but the paper is very old. It is obviously an old book that no one reads.Because "Caotang Notes" is not the meaning of the classics, etiquette and law, policy theory of the scholar''s scientific examination, but belongs to the absurd and uninhibited notes of gods and spirits. Scholars do not say strange, force, chaos, God. This kind of book is not read by people who are preparing for the scientific examination. But Hong Yi looked at it just to prepare for the scientific examination. Because this book is a notebook of Li Yan, the former prime minister, which is about demons and ghosts, Taoists and immortals, gifted scholars and beauties, female immortals and fox immortals. "Although this book is full of stories about gods, foxes, ghosts, gifted scholars, beauties, fairies and foxes, each of them is actually a fable."He was the prime minister of the last Dynasty and the founder of Li''s school. "Although Li Yan is now an ancient man, most of the officials born in the imperial examination are his students."The chief examiner who presided over the examination this time must also be a member of Li''s school.Try to figure out the fable thought expressed by Li Yan with the help of foxes and ghosts, and cater to the taste of his disciples, it is bound to be high school. "Those Zongxue scholars, even if they are excellent, only know how to study hard, but do not know that human feelings are sophisticated, that is, articles."Even if your paper is brilliant and out of step with the school of the examiner, it will certainly brush you down. Before the examination, it is extremely important to try to figure out the school, ideas and preferences of the examiner.Although Hong Yi is young, his heart is bright. "A good providence is the will of the people, so there is such an explanation." Hong Yi suddenly saw a story, read it carefully, and was surprised. The story goes like this: When a daughter-in-law and mother-in-law were sleeping at night, the wall suddenly collapsed and the daughter-in-law slept inside.She supported the collapsed wall and let her mother-in-law escape, and she was crushed to death. After the daughter-in-law died, the mother-in-law was very sad.So the people in the village comforted her, saying that she had a dream that her daughter-in-law was named the city God by heaven. At that time, Li Yan and a group of scholar-officials discussed this matter, and a group of scholar-officials thought that the filial piety of the daughter-in-law was good, but the language of the gods.It''s all village talk. However, Li Yan tried his best to overcome the public opinion, saying that the daughter-in-law was a deity, because in the book of sages and sages, there is a saying that "Heaven sees itself as the people see it."The people think that the daughter-in-law has become a God, that is, the will of heaven, so she has become a God. The literati and officialdom all laughed at Li Yan for reading too much, but Li Yan said a great truth: "In fact, God is only the idea of human beings."The reason why the gods and Buddhas in the temple can appear repeatedly is that they have received people''s incense offerings and beliefs.Originally, there were no gods in this world, but when more people believed in them, people''s thoughts gathered together, and gods and Buddhas were born.It is also very simple to destroy the gods and Buddhas, as long as its temples are demolished so that people no longer believe in it and worship it with incense.It will disappear naturally. One of the scholar-officials nodded his head and asked, "Destroy the temple of the gods and Buddhas so that people will no longer believe in it."What if the gods and Buddhas come down with retribution? Li Yan added, "The sages and sages say that integrity and intelligence are gods, and that a scholar should be upright and strict in heart."Thoughts are naturally as powerful as gods. How can gods and Buddhas repay you? "The scholar is upright and strict, and his thoughts are strong and pure, and he is close to the God of Yang in Taoism.".It is much more powerful than those Yin gods who can not appear, but can only rely on dreams and retribution. When the literati and officialdom heard Li Yan speak with fervor and assurance, they all admired him, so they asked him about the Taoist practice of Tianxian Yangshen. Li Yan said, "The spirit of Yin can shed its shell and travel. People can''t see it. It''s invisible and has no quality. It''s a mass of souls. It can only rely on external objects to show the supernatural."Yang Shen, on the other hand, is no different from a living person. He manifests all kinds of Dharma forms, flies to heaven and escapes from the earth, and lives forever. When the scholar-officials were about to ask further questions, Li Yan said with a straight face, "Scholars only talk about people''s livelihood and government, benevolence, righteousness, propriety and law."The matter of gods and ghosts has been completely abandoned, and today has gone too far. "There are no gods and Buddhas, but they are born out of people''s thoughts and beliefs."?The book says, ''Heaven sees the people, Heaven listens to the people, and Heaven''s will is the people''s will.'' Is there such an explanation?Upright and wise for God? Yin Shen and Yang Shen? Hong Yi felt refreshed, and the story seemed to open a mysterious door for him. Bang, bang, bang! While Hong Yi was meditating, suddenly there was a knocking sound outside the door. There was a knock on the door, but it was very loud, and it was kicking. Hong Yi frowned and got up to open the door. Chapter 2: The Petty Person Is Like a Ghost
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¸´ÖÆ Chapter 6: The Secret Collection of the Great Zen Temple The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Chapter 7: The Military Classic and The Taoist Classic "Turns out these foxes invited me here not only for teaching but mainly for classifying the books. For future ease of reading. Who would have thought that coming to the Western Mountain to keep vigil for my mother and study for peace, I''d encounter such a thing. That woman Yuanfei actually took out the red gold coins from the imperial palace. What''s the relationship between her and the foxes? This matter is so mysterious and confusing. I don''t know if it''s a blessing or a curse." Classifying the collection of books is a huge task. Many wealthy families with thousands of volumes of books often invite experienced scholars to categorize them. Although Hong Yi has read many tales of fox spirits, most of them were about passionate fox maidens and talented scholars. But when he actually encountered such a thing himself, he felt that these foxes were not as simple as just reading and cultivating. The not-so-simple thought originated directly from the red gold coins from the imperial palace that Yuanfei had. However, these were all aimless speculations. The most urgent thing at present was to study. So many books really excited Hong Yi, who relied on borrowing and copying books to read. "Sir, have a good rest. These days, if there''s nothing else, you can stay in the secluded valley. All the tea and meals will be provided by me." Elder Tu saw Hong Yi flipping through the books one after another and nodded in satisfaction. "Then I''ll start classifying and organizing the books tonight," Hong Yi said. "Alright, Xiao Sang, Xiao Fei, Xiao Shu, prepare supper and tea for the sir." "Chirp, chirp." Several cheerful fox cries came from outside. "I need to go do my meditation and cultivation practice. If sir needs anything, just give an order. Although the children outside can''t speak yet, they can understand the language." After giving this reminder, Elder Tu staggered out. Hong Yi''s attention was now fully on the books in the stone chamber. As soon as Elder Tu the fox left, he immediately walked around the room, his eyes scanning for the books that interested him. "There are really all kinds of books in this stone chamber, especially those on martial arts and Taoist cultivation." About half an hour later, Hong Yi roughly walked around the entire stone chamber and discovered that a large part of the collection in this stone chamber was on martial arts and the rest were Taoist cultivation books. It was truly a vast sea of knowledge. "Eh? There are even the two major books, The Military Classic and The Taoist Classic. I have long desired these two books and have always wanted to read them, but I could never find them or borrow them." While Hong Yi was browsing, suddenly, he saw two large books prominently placed on the bookshelf in the center. One was The Military Classic and the other was The Taoist Classic. Both books were large volumes, each consisting of dozens of volumes. When Hong Yi saw them, he pounced on them like finding a treasure. He had long wanted to see these two major books. Both of these books were compiled at the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty. The Military Classic is a book that collects martial arts from all over the world. The Taoist Classic is a cultivation book that collects Taoist works from all over the world. Hong Yi had read many scholars'' notes and had once described in detail the circumstances when these two books were compiled: The Great Qian Dynasty collected books from all over the world, filling the entire national library. At the same time, tens of thousands of people were involved in compiling the books, including many famous martial arts experts, leaders of the Supreme Taoism, Orthodox Taoism, Fangxian Taoism, and some heads of Buddhism. Unfortunately, just a few years after these two books were compiled, the Great Qian Dynasty immediately prohibited their engraving and printing. At the same time, the already printed books were collected from the people and burned all at once. Anyone found in possession of these books would be severely punished. After that, the Great Qian Dynasty, under the slogan of "rectifying people''s hearts and discarding heresies," repeatedly collected books from temples and revised the classics many times. But they never compiled books like The Military Classic and The Taoist Classic again. Instead, they all focused on books about righteousness, loyalty, and etiquette. And all the collected Taoist books and martial arts books in the folk were burned to ashes. Moreover, the Great Qian Dynasty issued an order strictly prohibiting private practice of martial arts in the folk and strictly controlling temples and Taoist abbeys across the country. Up until twenty years ago, after the army wiped out the Great Chan Monastery, the control of folk military force by the Great Qian Dynasty reached its peak. Although the Great Qian Dynasty prohibited private practice of martial arts, it encouraged the nobility and the imperial family to practice martial arts and horseback archery. At the same time, a "Martial Arts Hall" was established in the army. In the "Martial Arts Hall," there was a strict hierarchical division of martial arts, even more rigorous than the imperial examination. It was a way for martial artists to advance. Hong Yi had read a little about this series of measures in some reading notes, but he was not clear about the specific matters of the "Martial Arts Hall" in the army. "Suppressing military officers with scholar-bureaucrats, yet secretly cultivating military officers to preserve the national military force, collecting books from all over the world, revising the classics, controlling the military force in their own hands, prohibiting folk military force, and developing official military force. Such means are truly unpredictable." Hong Yi looked at the two books and felt extremely emotional. These two were not so easy to see. According to the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, anyone who copied or engraved The Military Classic and The Taoist Classic would be punished. At the lightest, the entire family would be sent into exile for three thousand miles. At the worst, they would lose their heads. Hong Yi had long desired these two books, but with his status, it was impossible for him to see them. If he had collected these two books in the marquis''s residence, he would immediately be caught by Lady Zhao and get into trouble. "Scholars can''t be weak and powerless. Since there is The Military Classic here, I have to have a good read and find one or two sets of boxing techniques for self-cultivation." With such thoughts, Hong Yi opened The Military Classic. The beginning of The Military Classic stated: The ultimate goal of martial arts is to strengthen the physical body and transcend life and death, not for killing and showing off strength. The world is like a sea of bitterness, and the physical body is like a raft crossing the sea. If the physical body is strong, it can carry people safely to the other side of the sea of bitterness. "Eh? If martial arts is for transcending life and death, then what is the purpose of immortal arts?" Hong Yi thought to himself and opened The Taoist Classic. The beginning of The Taoist Classic stated: The world is like a sea of bitterness, and the human physical body is like a raft crossing the sea. However, the sea of bitterness has no bounds, and the raft will eventually decay. Only when the spirit is strong can one abandon the raft and swim to the other side of the sea of bitterness with one''s own strength. "So that''s it. Two different cultivation principles. But both make sense." Hong Yi was a scholar and naturally could easily understand the meaning of the words in the books. After reading the beginnings of martial arts and Taoist classics, he finally had a clear understanding of the two cultivation methods of martial arts and immortal arts. The ultimate goal of both is to transcend life and death. The world is like a vast ocean. People living in the world are like ships crossing the sea, and the spirit and thoughts are the people inside the ships. Martial arts focus on cultivating the physical body. A strong physical body can carry people safely across the sea of bitterness. While immortal arts focus on the fact that the sea of bitterness is boundless and the physical body of the ship will eventually decay. It''s better to directly cultivate the spirit, just like making a person proficient in swimming. Even if the ship is destroyed, the person won''t drown. Hong Yi continued to read and compared the two. He found that the cultivation of martial arts was divided into seven levels: training the muscles, training the tendons, training the membranes, training the bones, training the internal organs, training the marrow, and changing the blood. In The Military Classic, detailed descriptions were given for these seven levels. Training the muscles: It is the foundation of martial arts. By exercising the whole body, the muscles become firm, full, and responsive, capable of resisting the attack of two or three people. The "Martial Arts Hall" in the army of the Great Qian Dynasty calls this level "Martial Student". Training the tendons: The tendons of the whole body become strong and flexible, with fierce explosive power and agility, capable of resisting the attack of six or seven people. Such people in the army are called "Martial Apprentices". Training the membranes: The skin membranes of the whole body become firm and can resist attacks. When exerting force, the human skin becomes as tough as cowhide and can defeat more than ten people when surrounded. Such people are called "Martial Warriors". Training the bones: The bones of the whole body become hard, with strong penetrating power, and the body becomes more agile and has stronger resistance to attacks, capable of resisting dozens of people. Such people are called "Martial Masters". Training the internal organs: By breathing and exhaling, the internal organs become strong, the breathing is continuous and far-reaching, and the physical strength is long-lasting. One can almost resist a hundred people. One can walk as fast as a galloping horse and jump as nimbly as a flying bird. Such people are called "Innate Martial Masters". Training the marrow: The cultivation of boxing and martial arts has reached deep into the marrow. Such people are called "Grand Masters". Changing the blood: After the marrow becomes strong, through cultivation, the blood in the whole body is renewed. It is said that training the marrow is like frost and training the blood is like mercury. One undergoes a complete transformation and washes away the impurities. Such people can resist hundreds of people. They are the saints in martial arts. "Martial Student, Martial Apprentice, Martial Warrior, Martial Master, Innate, Grand Master, Martial Saint! Such detailed divisions. I wonder if they are the same as the divisions in the imperial examination, such as student scholar, provincial graduate, and metropolitan graduate? The Great Qian Dynasty was founded on martial arts, but they have really put in a lot of effort. This is unknown to scholars. Even the number of people one can resist is estimated. It seems that they have been strictly practiced in the army. But even the saints in martial arts still seem unable to transcend life and death. There seems to be a feeling of unfinished business." Hong Yi couldn''t get enough of reading. At the same time, a strange fear arose in his heart. It was the fear caused by the precise control of human martial power by the Great Qian Dynasty. Such a powerful martial power control system. A promotion path that is even more rigorous than the imperial examination. Hong Yi knew that the ten-person and hundred-person enemies mentioned were not ordinary civilians but trained soldiers. After reading the beginning of The Military Classic, Hong Yi finally understood how strict the control of martial power by the Great Qian Dynasty was and how much effort they had put in! "Eh?" While reading, Hong Yi suddenly discovered that there were annotations in the interline of the main text of The Military Classic. Apparently, they were added by the reader himself. "Those who practice martial arts without understanding the key points cannot ultimately achieve sainthood in the physical body nor understand the mysteries of the physical body. The acupoints and orifices of the human body are like the stars in the sky, where the gods of heaven dwell. If someone can understand and cultivate these acupoints and orifices to correspond with the stars in the sky, then with a simple gesture, they will have boundless power. They can capture dragons and throw elephants, just like the fusion and transcendence of the Yang Spirit in Taoism, reaching the realm of human immortality. Annotated by Master Yin Yue on the Mid-Autumn Festival in the thirtieth year of the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty." Apparently, this paragraph of text was annotated by a monk named Master Yin Yue from the Great Chan Monastery. The meaning of this paragraph of text is not profound. It means that apart from the muscles, tendons, membranes, bones, internal organs, marrow, and blood of the human body, there are many acupoints and orifices, like the stars in the sky, where the gods dwell. After cultivating these acupoints and orifices, one can have boundless power with a simple gesture. The physical body becomes immortal, which is called human immortality! "Human immortality!" "The highest realm of martial arts is human immortality?" Looking at this annotation, Hong Yi thought to himself, "My father, Marquis Wu Wen, was once able to shoot consecutive arrows with a nine-stone bow when he was young. I wonder what level that was?" "It seems that I need to practice martial arts. A scholar without the strength to even hold a chicken is not a good situation. Although civil officials control the government in our Great Qian Dynasty, to truly receive a title of nobility, one still has to rely on military achievements. If I learn martial arts, pass the metropolitan examination, and enter the army, my status will be high. If I make military achievements and receive a title of nobility, then my mother''s status will not only be that of a lady but that of a noble... The status will be much higher than that of Lady Zhao..." After reading the beginning of The Military Classic, Hong Yi thought of practicing martial arts again. In fact, Hong Yi did not not want to practice martial arts, but he really did not have the conditions. He could not afford to hire a martial arts teacher and did not have the money to buy bows and horses for practicing horseback archery. Fortunately, the imperial examination has now abolished horseback archery. Otherwise, he would have no chance to succeed in his entire life. However, he did know that if he practiced martial arts well, passed the metropolitan examination, and was both literary and martial, his status would be very high after entering the army system of the Great Qian Dynasty. If he made military achievements, he would receive a title of nobility. If he was lucky, his mother''s status would be conferred as "noble" by the imperial court. The status of "noble" is much higher than that of "lady". It is the highest title of honor bestowed by the imperial court to noble families. In the residence of Marquis Wu Wen, only the late Lady Hong, the mother of Hong Xuanji, was "Lady Cian". "I must strive for the highest title for my mother. However, the cultivation of martial arts is not something that can be achieved overnight. It''s not urgent for now. Let''s first look at the cultivation of the spirit and soul of immortal arts. I wonder what the difference is?" Hong Yi opened The Taoist Classic again. Sure enough, just as the fox Elder Tu said, the cultivation in The Taoist Classic was divided into ten levels: calming the mind, leaving the body, night wandering, day wandering, manipulating objects, manifesting form, possessing, seizing the body, thunder tribulation, and Yang Spirit. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Chapter 8: Soul Leaving the Body Compared to the "Martial Classics", the book "Taoist Scriptures" is much more mysterious. The entire text is filled with abstruse and profound principles, and most of them are about morality and commandments. It warns that if one is a Taoist practitioner, how to have a pure mind without evil thoughts, and to abide by various commandments, such as being loyal to the monarch, patriotic, not spreading the dharma indiscriminately, not revealing immortal arts, not committing evil deeds, and there are many things about karma and retribution. Hong Yi skipped all these. Because he knew that the ancient Taoist immortal arts did not have these things. These commandments and moralities were all incorporated by the Taoist sects to attach themselves to the imperial power and mixed with the principles of scholars. The principles of scholars were so familiar to Hong Yi that he didn''t need to review them. What he wanted to see now was the essence of the ancient Taoist immortal arts cultivation. In his opinion, these moralities and commandments were ambiguous and different from the orthodox scriptures. Reading them would have no effect. After all, they were a mishmash. When one reads a lot of books, one will naturally discard the rough parts. So Hong Yi read books very quickly. "Hey, the ''Pagoda Visualization Method for Soul Leaving the Body''? Bathing, hand gestures, reciting scriptures? Incantations? Hand gestures? These methods can stabilize the mind? And then the soul leaves the body?" Just as Hong Yi was skimming through the book at a rapid pace, suddenly, a long cultivation method caught his eye. The cultivation method recorded in the text was very complex. It was called the "Pagoda Visualization Method for Soul Leaving the Body". The method of soul leaving the body was to first take a bath, clean the body, then sit still, recite incantations, make hand gestures. After one''s heart was completely calm, one was to visualize a seven-story extremely tall pagoda, and step up step by step. At the top floor, one would suddenly leap upwards. Then the soul would leave the body. The incantations above were very complicated, and the hand gestures were also very complex. Just looking at them made one dizzy and confused. One could imagine that it would take a long time to cultivate. "So complicated incantations and hand gestures. However...." Even Hong Yi felt headache when seeing these hand gestures and incantations, and among those incantations, there were also some principles of commandments. Just thinking about them made him feel overwhelmed. It was simply impossible to remember and cultivate. "Um?" Hong Yi suddenly remembered a discussion in the "Notes of Thatched Hut". "The great Tao is simple. Those Taoists insist on creating complicated hand gestures and incantations. In fact, bathing, reciting incantations, and hand gestures are all methods to calm the mind. When a scholar sits down, his mind naturally becomes as calm as water. There is no need for those things at all." After remembering this, Hong Yi had a sudden realization in his heart. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. There was a table beside the stone room, and on the table were ink, brush, paper, and inkstone. Hong Yi sat on the stool in front of the table, poured water to grind the ink, and listened to the "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..." sound of grinding the ink. His mood gradually stabilized. After stabilizing, Hong Yi spread out the paper and wrote three "calm" characters in a row on the paper. While writing, his expression was peaceful. Although Hong Yi could not reach the state where those great scholars could have a calm mind as soon as they sat down, he could calm his mood through a series of actions such as grinding the ink and writing. After calming down. Hong Yi closed his eyes and visualized that there was a seven-story pagoda above his head. When he reached the top floor and suddenly made a vigorous leap! "Hey? The soul did not leave the body? Everything is still fine?" After imagining the leap and opening his eyes, Hong Yi did not find any abnormalities. He was still himself. He pinched his hand and still felt it. The surrounding environment did not change because of this. "Why couldn''t the soul leave the body? Is there any key point? Could it be..." Hong Yi calmed down again, concentrated his mind, and tried once more, but it still didn''t work. So he fell into deep thought. "Stepping up the pagoda and leaping out... The key point should be here..." Hong Yi contemplated this exercise method. "Got it...." Suddenly, a realization flashed in Hong Yi''s heart. He closed his eyes and recalled a scene when he was a child following his mother to climb the "Precious Moon Pagoda", the first pagoda in Yujing City. The "Precious Moon Pagoda" had thirteen floors. Going up layer by layer, one could almost overlook Yujing. At that time, his mother held his hand. When they reached the top floor, the wind blew. Looking down, the pedestrians were only as big as fists. He felt dizzy and his legs became weak. "This is the feeling..." Hong Yi thought: "Leap out, leap out..." Although it was an imagination, when Hong Yi recalled the situation in his childhood, he still shivered. Suddenly, he made up his mind and made a fierce leap upwards! The whole person leaped into the downstairs! Boom! Heaven and earth were no longer heaven and earth! With this leap of thought, imagining jumping off a cliff, Hong Yi suddenly felt his body become light, as if floating airy. The scenery in front of him was still the scenery, surrounded by books and stone caves. But, the only difference was! Hong Yi saw his own body! To be precise, he was floating airyabove his head without any weight and saw his own body. His own body was breathing weakly, his eyes were closed tightly, as if he was asleep or passed out. "My soul has left the body!" A thought rose in Hong Yi''s heart. Hong Yi was not panicked. His thought turned: "It is rumored that people with weak bodies can have their souls leave their bodies during sleep at night. It''s not a big deal." Looking around, the scenery was as usual. He tried to flip the book with his hand, but found that his soul could not flip the book at all. Obviously, the soul was an intangible and formless thought. Look again. There was no shadow under the lamp either, as if it did not exist at all. Intangible and formless. "Is this a dream or is the soul really out of the body?" Hong Yi doubted again whether he was dreaming and asleep. Because sometimes in dreams, such things happen and one sees one''s own body. However, in dreams, it is involuntary, just for an instant, and there is no time to experience it. But now it is artificial. One can experience the feeling of jumping the thought and soul out of the body. This feeling is very mysterious and unbelievable. Whoosh! Whoosh! Suddenly, a gust of strong cold wind blew in from outside the stone room. When the wind blew on him, Hong Yi felt as if he was standing naked in the ice and snow. He shivered with cold and was about to freeze to death at any moment! At the same time, he was also like a drowning person who couldn''t swim and fell into the vast ocean, about to be submerged at any moment. Helpless and powerless. The feeling was very uncomfortable and terrifying. "No wonder the scriptures say that the physical body is the precious raft to cross the sea of suffering. It turns out that when the soul leaves the physical body, it is like a person who has fallen into the sea from a ship. How terrifying!" At this time, there was only this thought in Hong Yi''s head, eager to return to his own body. Soul leaving the body is not a simple thing. It is so dangerous outside! However, he couldn''t move at all, as if frozen, drowning and being swept into a vortex, exhausted. His consciousness gradually blurred. "Soul leaving the body is so dangerous...." Hong Yi felt that his soul was about to disperse. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Chapter 9: Incense Protecting the Soul "Why has your soul come out..." Just when Hong Yi felt that his soul could not return to his body and was about to disperse, suddenly, a little girl dressed all in white ran in, hugged him and pushed him towards his body. Then, Hong Yi felt relaxed all over and sat up suddenly. There was no little girl dressed in white in front of him, but a little white fox. On the stone table was a fruit bowl with several snacks and a cup of steaming hot tea. The little white fox''s eyes were looking at him, blinking. "Was it you who saved me just now?" Hong Yi asked the little white fox. "Chirp, chirp." The little white fox nodded. Hong Yi knew that his soul had left his body just now and could not return. It was extremely dangerous. Fortunately, the soul of this little white fox gave him a push. The little girl dressed all in white was the soul of the little white fox out of its body. "No wonder the world is like a sea of bitterness, and the physical body is the precious raft to cross the world. When a person''s soul leaves the body, it is like jumping naked into the sea and will be finished in an instant." Hong Yi finally knew the danger of the soul leaving the body. "Chirp, chirp, chirp..." The little white fox happily circled around Hong Yi and pointed to the tea and snacks on the ground with its paws. "What''s this?" Hong Yi found the dried fruits in the plate very strange. There was a kind of fruit larger than beans, with a layer of red outer membrane on the outside of the fruit. And there was a large fruit piece, which was roasted until charred. When the shell was peeled off, it was golden inside and emitted a sweet smell, which greatly increased one''s appetite. Hong Yi had never seen these two things before and didn''t know what they were. The little white fox chirped again, answering Hong Yi''s question, but the two couldn''t understand each other''s language. Hong Yi looked puzzled. The little white fox chirped for a while. It seemed to know that the explanation didn''t work. It pattered out and came back with a long incense stick in its mouth. It lit it and inserted it on the ground. Soon, Hong Yi was surrounded by smoke. "Chirp, chirp." The little white fox pointed to its head with its front paws and squatted on the ground. At the same time, it pointed to Hong Yi, asking him to learn from it. "Do you mean you want me to have my soul out of my body again? Let''s communicate? But." Hong Yi had just experienced the danger of the soul leaving the body and was a little hesitant. "Chirp, chirp." The little white fox pointed to the burning incense on the ground with its paws again, meaning that there was no need to be afraid with the incense. "OK." Hong Yi sat well, closed his eyes, practiced the "Pagoda Visualization Method", and suddenly jumped. Boom! He saw his body again and his soul left the body. "Have you practiced before? How could you have your soul out of your body so quickly?" Hong Yi heard a voice. At the same time, he saw a girl of twelve or thirteen years old standingÐ黯 on the top of the little white fox''s head. Dressed all in white, with flowing sleeves, her eyebrows and eyes were delicately depicted, showing spirituality among the delicacy. "My name is Hong Yi. What''s your name?" Hong Yi saw the smoke around him and felt as if he was soaking in a hot spring. There was no coldness like the first time his soul left the body. "All of us in the Pure Fox Clan are surnamed Tushan. I''m Tushan Sang. You can call me Xiaosang. So your name is Hong Yi. Then I''ll call you Brother Xiaoyi from now on." Xiaosang was innocent and romantic. "My body hasn''t learned to speak human language yet. I can only communicate with you through the soul. This is sandalwood. It can protect the soul and is not afraid of the wind blowing the soul away. The incense offered in the temples is this kind." "No wonder gods all like incense..." Hong Yi smiled. "Brother Xiaoyi... Did you just call me Brother Xiaoyi?" Surprise flashed in Hong Yi''s eyes. No one had ever called him such an affectionate name. Although Xiaosang was a fox, when her soul left the body, she was no different from a human. She was a lovely little girl. "You haven''t told me why you can have your soul out of your body so quickly? Was the method you practiced just now the Pagoda Visualization Method? When I practiced this method, it took me a full month to have my soul out of my body." Xiaosang fiddled with her head. "There''s nothing strange about this method. It''s just to have the thought of jumping after climbing high. When people climb mountains and jump off cliffs, before they reach the ground, they are already dead, which means the soul has left the body. When practicing this visualization method, just imagine yourself jumping from a height and the soul will leave the body." Hong Yi thought. "I just read the methods of Taoist soul cultivation recorded in the Taoist Scriptures: ''Calming the mind, leaving the body, night wandering, day wandering, driving objects, showing form, possession, seizing a body, thunder tribulation, and yang god. The principle of this Taoist method of soul cultivation is simple, but it''s difficult to start. Fortunately, I''m a scholar and can calm my mind. Ordinary people have restless minds. How can they calm their minds? If they can''t calm their minds, let alone have their souls out of their bodies. Sure enough, the great Tao is simple. The cultivation of immortal arts is much simpler than the cultivation of martial arts." "Xiaosang, what are these foods? Why haven''t I seen them before? Are they for foxes to eat?" Hong Yi pointed to the two things on the ground. "This is the seed brought by the monks of the Great Zen Temple from overseas. The one with red clothes is called peanuts, also known as groundnuts. The one that is roasted fragrant and soft is called sweet potatoes. After the Great Zen Temple was burned, we brought some seeds and sowed them in the mountains ourselves. These two things are easy to grow, have a high yield, and are very delicious." Xiaosang giggled. "Peanuts, sweet potatoes?" Hong Yi looked at them, reached out to pinch them, but pinched nothing. "Giggle, giggle, Brother Xiaoyi, how can you be so stupid? The soul can''t pick up things and people can''t see it either. Only when you reach the realm of driving objects can you pick up things. But Brother Xiaoyi, you can practice having your soul out of your body so quickly. Driving objects should come soon. Sure enough, humans are the spirits of all things. The cultivation is much faster than us foxes." "Xiaofei, Xiaoshu, come here quickly. Brother Xiaoyi can have his soul out of his body and talk to us." Xiaosang suddenly shouted. At this time, two more little white foxes came in at the door. Seeing the sandalwood burning in the stone room, they all made chirping sounds. Their bodies crouched and curled up on the ground and didn''t move. At the same time, Hong Yi saw two little girls still dressed all in white. "Really. This is so much fun. Staying in the mountains every day is so boring. Unfortunately, Sister Yuanfei said we can''t go outside. People will kill us if we go." "Last time, Sister Yuanfei also brought a few scholars and said she wanted to teach us to read, speak and write. But as soon as they saw us, they fainted." "I really don''t understand. What are we foxes afraid of? Those people want to kill us on the one hand but are afraid of us on the other. How strange." "Brother Xiaoyi, is your name Brother Xiaoyi? It''s nice to have a person. We can play together in the future. I''ve long wanted to go out of the mountains and find someone to play with." The two little girls chattered non-stop, surrounding Hong Yi and making him feel that little girls could be so lovely. Unlike the maids in the residence of "Marquis Wu Wen", even if they were young, they were all shrewd and wanted to strive upwards by all means. "People in the world say that foxes are cunning, but they don''t know that human beings'' cunning is ten thousand times worse than foxes." Hong Yi sighed. "By the way, what realm have you three cultivated to?" "Xiaosang and I have only cultivated to the stage of having the soul out of the body. Xiaoshu is a little more powerful and can travel at night. But she hasn''t reached the stage of traveling during the day. She can''t be too far away from her body. Sister Yuanfei said that if we haven''t practiced to the realm of the yin god of driving objects, we can''t use flying needles and flying swords. Then we can''t go out. Otherwise, those people outside the mountains with vigorous blood essence, we can''t confuse them and will be easily harmed." Xiaofei shook her head. "Flying swords and flying needles?" Hong Yi was puzzled. "Yes. After reaching the realm of driving objects, you can drive swords and needles to kill and also drive stones to hit people. Then you can protect yourself." Xiaosang said. "Then before reaching the realm of driving objects, what self-protection ability do you have?" Hong Yi asked. "Before the soul can drive objects, we can only confuse others to protect ourselves. But it''s a little difficult to confuse those who are physically strong and have a firm will. Like Brother Yi, a sensible person like you, we can''t confuse at all. Last time, a group of people came hunting in the mountains. Among them, there were several who were particularly physically strong. My soul saw from afar that their blood essence was vigorous like fire and I didn''t dare to approach. Fortunately, we hid and weren''t found by them." Among the three girls, Xiaoshu seemed a little more mature. Her speech was also logical and clear. "Well? Demons and ghosts want to confuse people. First, people''s hearts must be not right or their bodies are weak and their blood essence is not vigorous." Hong Yi remembered some things recorded in the "Notes of Thatched Hut". Demons and ghosts confuse people. First, people''s hearts are not right and they are suspicious and their souls will be weak. Second, those who are physically weak and have weak blood essence can also be taken advantage of. For example, people who are dying can always see demons and ghosts. This principle, Hong Yi also understood. "No wonder the way of gods and ghosts is not considered elegant. It turns out there are so many taboos." Hong Yi heard these conversations and had a deeper understanding of the immortal way of cultivating the soul. "The immortal way of cultivating the soul has too many restrictions and is difficult to start. Moreover, it is too dangerous. No wonder it is not popular in the world, while the way of martial arts is flourishing." Originally, to cultivate the soul, the first step is to calm the mind, stabilize the mind, and drive away all distractions. Then, one can have the soul out of the body through visualization. First, calming the mind, stabilizing the mind, and driving away all distractions. Such conditions are not achievable for ordinary people. Even if one can do it and have the soul out of the body, it is like a person who doesn''t know how to swim jumping into the sea from a boat and immediately suffers a disaster. Hong Yi estimated that many practitioners would have their souls disperse during the cultivation when having the soul out of the body. And even if the soul is out of the body, there is still no self-protection ability. It is not until one can drive objects that one gradually has the ability to protect oneself. This is much different from practicing martial arts. One can easily knock down one or two people after practicing martial arts for one or two months. "No wonder when the Taoist Scriptures recorded the visualization methods, they didn''t mention lighting an incense stick. It turns out there was a malicious meaning hidden, which was to let the practitioners die." Hong Yi again figured out the drawbacks and even the deliberate malice of some cultivation methods recorded in the Taoist Scriptures. The Taoist Scriptures were compiled by the Great Qian Dynasty by collecting all the classics in the world. The Great Qian Dynasty did not want people to cultivate immortal arts, as it would disrupt the rule of the dynasty. "As a result, there may also be many deliberate omissions in the Martial Classics. But I think there should be two versions of the Martial Classics and the Taoist Scriptures. One version is in the royal library, and the other is the one circulated among the people. Moreover, the emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty probably thought this was still not appropriate, so he ordered a ban." Hong Yi did not read books blindly but tried to figure out the thoughts of the authors, even their life experiences. Even more, he had to figure out the time when the book was written, investigate what kind of environment the author was in when writing the book, what state he was in, and what his mentality was like. Only in this way could he thoroughly understand a book and communicate with the author spiritually. Now, with a little thought, he understood that although the two books, the Martial Classics and the Taoist Scriptures of the Great Qian Dynasty, were profound and extensive, there were also many inappropriate places, and even places that deliberately led people to death. "No wonder in the Martial Classics, the highest realm only reaches the Martial Saint, but there is no Human Immortal!" Having figured out the problem, Hong Yi''s heart was clear. "Xiaosang, Xiaoshu, Xiaofei, do all of you in the Pure Fox Clan cultivate according to the methods in this Taoist Scriptures?" Hong Yi suddenly asked. "Yes. At first, it was like this. But several elders died due to going astray in their cultivation. Later, Mr. Bai came once and said there was a problem with this Taoist Scriptures. So he gave some instructions to Mr. Tu." Xiaoshu replied. "Mr. Bai? Who is Mr. Bai?" This was the first time Hong Yi heard of Mr. Bai. "Mr. Bai is called Bai Ziyue. He is very famous. He is one of the eight great demon immortals in the world." "What are the eight great demon immortals in the world?" Hong Yi asked. "They are the eight most outstanding and powerful ones besides humans. But I don''t know either. I just overheard Mr. Bai and Sister Yuanfei''s conversation by chance last time." Xiaoshu shook her head again. "Hey, the incense is about to burn out. Brother Xiaoyi, it''s better to have your soul back in your body. Otherwise, you won''t be able to bear it. When your soul becomes stronger, Brother Xiaoyi can also go out and play with us. Later, Brother Xiaoyi, you can also go to the towns and buy some things for us to play with, okay? I really want to go to the towns to buy things." The souls of the three foxes and one person returned to their bodies. Hong Yi opened his eyes. There was nothing in front of him except three little white foxes looking at him, blinking. The conversation of the three little girls just now seemed like a dream. "Chirp, chirp." The three little white foxes chirped again and held up the dried fruits on the stone table and sent them to Hong Yi. Hong Yi cracked open a peanut and it was indeed crispy and fragrant. Peeling the sweet potato, it was also sweet in the mouth. He had never eaten such good things before. Taking a sip of the steaming hot tea, Hong Yi looked at the three little foxes jumping around and thought of the three girls calling him Brother Xiaoyi when his soul was out of his body. A warm feeling welled up in his heart. Such warmth could not be felt in the residence of the marquis, where human feelings were as cold as swords and frost. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Chapter 10: Perilous Fox Hunting These days, Hong Yi has been living in this valley deep in the Western Mountains, playing with tens of thousands of volumes of classics, with a mind to forget all the troubles in the world. The collection of classics and books in the stone room of the valley is richer than that of any wealthy and noble family. Except for the imperial palace''s library, almost none can compare. Poor Hong Yi has been studying for more than ten years, borrowing and copying books to read. How could he have encountered such a situation? There is a room full of books for him to read at will. "Did you empty the library of the Great Zen Temple? How did you bring out so many books?" After reading for three days and finally classifying a small half of the books one by one, taking advantage of the leisure break, Hong Yi once again sent his soul out of his body and chatted with the three little white foxes. The three little white foxes, Xiao Sang, Xiao Shu, and Xiao Fei, had a great time chatting with Hong Yi, shouting "Brother" long and short every day. They were more intimate than real siblings. The simplicity and innocence of the foxes made Hong Yi deeply feel it. "There are many books in the Great Zen Temple. We only brought out a small half. But I also heard from my parents. But they were caught by someone on the way when they moved from Zhongzhou." Xiao Shu was very sad when she mentioned her parents. "From Zhongzhou to Yujing, it''s a long and arduous journey. A nest of foxes moved here, and the dangers they encountered along the way were not just a little. Especially Xiao Sang, Xiao Shu, and Xiao Fei, they are pure white foxes. The fur on their bodies has no variegation. Such foxes, even just the fur, is worth a hundred gold." Hong Yi was certainly clear in his heart. The pure white fox fur is of very high value in the market. "Heaven has bestowed noble fur on the foxes but not given them the means to protect themselves. Alas, but fortunately, Xiao Sang, Xiao Shu, and Xiao Fei finally have some means to protect themselves. Unlike me, I am powerless. It''s time to practice martial arts. For the soul to leave the body and reach the stage of manipulating objects, it''s definitely not an overnight thing. According to the records in the Taoist scriptures, for Taoists with a shallow foundation or without advanced methods of training the soul, they cannot reach the realm of manipulating objects throughout their entire lives." In these three days, Hong Yi has read the classics thoroughly and understood many ghost and god matters that scholars "outside the **" do not discuss. The ten levels of soul cultivation are stabilizing the mind, leaving the body, night wandering, day wandering, manipulating objects, manifesting form, possession, seizing the body, thunder tribulation, and attaining the Yang God. Hong Yi also has a rough idea. He can now stabilize his mind and leave his body, but this is only the beginning of his cultivation and not even considered entering the door. After the soul leaves the body, the next step is to wander away from the body. It''s like a person leaving the ship and getting into the water, gradually getting familiar with the water. Night wandering also has many restrictions. For example, at the beginning, it can only be done on a dark and windless night. Only after the soul becomes stronger step by step can it gradually wander in the moonlight and night wind. After wandering at night, it''s day wandering. However, day wandering is much more dangerous than night wandering. The sunlight is intense, and ordinary souls cannot withstand the baptism of sunlight. It can be said that they die upon seeing the light. Wandering outside the body during the day is like swimming in the sea when strong winds and waves come. This is also the reason why there are generally no ghosts and evil spirits in broad daylight. When the soul can wander during the day and is not afraid of sunlight, it has already become strong to a certain extent. When it becomes strong enough to wander during the day, the soul further grows and can manipulate objects. At such a stage, practitioners can manipulate swords to assassinate or shoot like crossbows. With this, they can protect themselves. Before this, those who cultivate have to rely on fists and kicks to protect themselves. Moreover, the stronger the body, the longer the soul can leave the body. For someone like Hong Yi himself, if the soul leaves the body for a long time, the body will gradually weaken. If it leaves for one or two days, the body will either die of thirst or hunger. If not dead, it will also fall seriously ill. After reading the Taoist scriptures for three days, Hong Yi has understood the art of cultivating immortality to the extent of manipulating objects. As for the later stages of manifesting form, possession, seizing the body, thunder tribulation, and attaining the Yang God, there are no records in the Taoist scriptures. However, it is recorded that many people who cultivate immortality cannot reach the stage of manipulating the soul with their spirits throughout their lives. "There are several initial methods of exercising the muscles and tendons in the ''Military Classic''. I still need to find time to practice. If I can train my body to be strong, the soul can leave the body for a longer time." Hong Yi has made up his mind to start practicing martial arts. The Great Qian Dynasty was founded on martial arts and governed by literature. Literature can lead to official positions, and martial arts can lead to titles. Both are indispensable for Hong Yi, who wants to fight for his mother''s dignity. Moreover, both cultivating immortality and practicing martial arts are closely related. After reading the Taoist scriptures for three days, Hong Yi knows that the hand gestures and movements before the soul leaves the body are not useless. They are actually some complex things for exercising the body and breathing methods. They are also used to exercise the body. In the marquis''s residence, he had no opportunity to practice martial arts. Now here, there is finally an opportunity. Although practicing martial arts is not such a simple thing, Hong Yi does not want to learn advanced martial arts but wants to train his body to be stronger step by step. Hong Yi knows that he is still young and has enough time. "Take the imperial examination, gain fame, achieve military exploits, and receive titles. These are all things to be done step by step. In short, I must first make my body strong and change the state of being powerless." ...................................... The first heavy snow of the sixtieth year of the Great Qian Dynasty finally fell in a flurry. The snow was very heavy, spreading like goose feathers and pulling cotton wool, in clusters and cakes. The Western Mountains of Yujing City were even more blown by the "white hair wind", and the weather was terrifyingly cold. However, in such weather, there is a special quiet flavor in the deep mountains, old forests, and secluded valleys. It is most suitable for reading, writing, and playing with knowledge. It was cold outside, and water turned into ice, but inside the stone room where the foxes lived in the secluded valley, it was warm. Because several large copper basins of charcoal fire were burning. Cotton curtains were also hung at the entrance of the stone room to block the cold wind. There are several small, fist-sized openings on both sides of the entire stone room, seemingly artificially chiseled. The chiseling was very ingenious, just allowing the light to shine in and allowing ventilation without letting in the wind. Hong Yi was sitting in front of the stone room, studying and contemplating the "Military Classic". On the other side, Xiao Shu, Xiao Sang, and Xiao Fei, the three little white foxes, were busy around a large pottery jar. A chicken fragrance emanated from the pottery jar. They were stewing chicken. The chicken was a fine mountain chicken that ate pine nuts and fruits in the mountains. The stewed fragrance carried the fragrance of pine nuts. This was a wild chicken caught by the foxes in the mountains during the snowfall. They said it was to add a meal for Hong Yi. There were grains, oil, salt, firewood, rice, soy sauce, vinegar and other seasonings stored in the stone room. They were not afraid of the mountains being blocked by heavy snow. After living in the valley for a few days, Hong Yi knew that this group of foxes had completely left the beastly life of eating raw meat and drinking blood. Not only did they read and write, but they also learned human language, human planting, cooking, eating oil and salt, sleeping on the neatly laid beds in the cave, and cleaning and bathing every day. Everything was neatly arranged. There were several smaller rooms at the other end of the stone room. Inside the rooms, some foxes were lying on the ground and sleeping lazily, looking very laid-back. Although there was a nest of foxes, there was not the slightest fishy or foul smell, which did not affect Hong Yi''s reading. Old Fox Tu, although in the stone room, remained motionless. Apparently, his soul had left the body and wandered off. In such a heavy snowy day, this old fox, whose cultivation was quite profound, was going out to patrol. One was to guard against hunters coming to hunt in the snow, and the other was to exercise the power of the soul. This old fox has cultivated to the stage of day wandering. "It''s very difficult to practice martial arts. There are so many taboos. Without a teacher''s guidance and self-exploration, it''s very easy to make mistakes." Hong Yi looked and looked, closed the "Military Classic", and a sense of loss welled up in his heart. After reading and contemplating these days, he has roughly understood some principles of martial arts. Cultivating martial arts is not an easy thing. First of all, in terms of diet, there are many particulars. Not to mention that the structure of a person''s body is complex and delicate. With a little carelessness, something will go wrong. The first step of training the muscles. In the Military Classic, there are approximately hundreds of methods and dozens of martial arts recorded. It''s also unknown which is better or worse, and whether there will be deformity after practicing. And Hong Yi also understands that the "Military Classic" compiled by the Great Qian Dynasty probably has many insubstantial parts. After thinking about it, Hong Yi did not dare to practice randomly. "It seems that the path of martial arts is really difficult to start. No wonder the imperial examination of our Great Qian Dynasty has cancelled the archery and horsemanship skills. Ordinary people, where do they have the opportunity to practice? I still have to wait for Miss Yuan Fei to appear and ask her in detail. A scholar is not ashamed to ask questions." This group of foxes does not know martial arts. Martial arts is the cultivation aimed at the human body. They are foxes and cannot cultivate it. In the Western Mountains. Amidst the chaotic snowfall, a group of people on horseback, with hunting dogs, carrying bows, and wearing luxurious fur capes entered the mountains. This group of people is clearly of extremely high status and wealth among the nobility. This can be seen from the horses they ride. Among these horses, the smallest ones are more than ten feet long and eight feet tall. In the wind and snow, they are breathing out strong white steam, and their eyes are wide open against the wind and snow, without the slightest fear or coldness. Their strong and powerful bodies, slender hooves, and no variegation on their entire bodies, and shiny oily fur all show that these horses are not of ordinary breeds. If it were someone in the Great Qian Dynasty who is good at raising horses, they could tell that these horses are all "Fiery Cloud Horses" from the Fire Luo Country outside the territory. Because their entire bodies are dark red and they run like fiery clouds, they are thus named. These horses do not eat forage. They need to be fed with eggs mixed with soybeans every meal, and there are many particulars. In the Great Qian Dynasty, each of these horses requires three to four grooms to take care of them day and night. They are simply not affordable for ordinary people. But these horses run extremely fast, have strong endurance, can carry people for a thousand miles a day, and are also intelligent and do not abandon their masters. They are treasures that wealthy noblemen, marquises, earls, and barons'' families are willing to spend thousands of gold to obtain. Among the group of people entering the mountains, there are two men and two women on horseback. There are also several people wearing thin clothes but not afraid of the cold at all following behind the horses. These people have cold and haughty eyes and walk like the wind, not lagging behind the horses at all. Obviously, these people are all expert guards raised by noblemen''s mansions. "Princess, the day before yesterday, I heard news from the palace. Lady Yuan has somehow been promoted to Imperial Noble Consort." Among these four people, one of the teenagers is precisely "Young Duke of Xiaoli", Jing Yuxing. And another woman is Hong Xuejiao. The other pair of men and women are even more noble and graceful. Both men and women are wearing large pure white fox fur capes. When the snow falls on the capes, it automatically rolls off with a gentle shake, as if it were the skin of a lotus leaf that does not absorb water. This woman is the princess of Prince Rong of Yujing City, and the emperor has bestowed the title Yongchun. Princess Yongchun. And that man is extremely tall, with a high nose and hawk-like eyes. Although he is not as elegant as Jing Yuxing, he has an intimidating aura all over his body. This is the son of Prince Cheng, Yang Tong. "I heard the news from the eunuchs in the palace that the emperor casually asked the concubines, saying what is the greatest thing in the world. None of the concubines gave a satisfactory answer. As a result, Lady Yuan said that reason is the greatest, which greatly pleased the emperor''s heart and she was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort." Princess Yongchun answered Jing Yuxing''s question. Woof, woof, woof Just then, more than ten hunting dogs running in front barked fiercely. At the same time, while barking, these hunting dogs arched their bodies, and their fur stood up straight like that of porcupines. Each of these hunting dogs is as big as a calf, with sharp teeth and fierce looks, as if they were lions. These are "mastiffs". Three or four mastiffs can tear apart a tiger! Now, the four pairs of men and women have come hunting and brought more than ten mastiffs, showing their determination to obtain the prey. "Have they discovered the pure fox den?" Prince Cheng''s son Yang Tong waved his hand on the horse and took a long bow in his hand. "Pure foxes have spirituality and may have some means. But this time, they still can''t escape from our palms. These mastiffs have the ability to see through ghosts and monsters." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Chapter 11: The Eight Great Monster Immortals, Bai Ziyue Woof, woof, woof... "Eh? What''s that sound?" Hong Yi raised his head. He heard the faint barking of dogs coming from afar outside. "Chirp, chirp! Chirp!" The three little white foxes were more sensitive than Hong Yi. As soon as they heard the intermittent barking of dogs in the wind and snow outside, they immediately jumped up, chirping frantically, appearing extremely panicked. "Not good? There are hunters in the mountains." Hong Yi immediately understood. In such a snowy day, deep in the mountains and old forests, there couldn''t be barking of dogs. The only explanation was that hunters had entered the mountains. "What to do, what to do. Brother Yi, what to do? This is the sound of mastiffs. Mastiffs are the thing we fear the most. They can even tear tigers to pieces..." At this moment, Xiao Shu, Xiao Fei, and Xiao Sang, the three white foxes, were running around in confusion. Among them, Xiao Shu was slightly calmer and scratched crooked characters on the ground with her paws. It was broad daylight, and the three couldn''t send their souls out to communicate. Not having reached the realm of day wandering, their souls simply couldn''t withstand the daylight. Even in a snowy day without sunlight, they couldn''t. But Hong Yi could tell from the panicked eyes of the three little foxes that they were extremely frightened. He also saw the characters on the ground clearly. "Mastiffs!" Seeing the words scratched by Xiao Shu on the ground, Hong Yi''s hair stood on end all over his body. He was born into a noble family. Although his status was low, he still knew about mastiffs. Each one was as big as a calf and extremely fierce. They were divine creatures for guarding the house and the courtyard. Moreover, these creatures were extremely sensitive and inherently spiritual, able to see invisible ghosts. In other words, if Hong Yi''s soul left his body, it would be seen through in front of the mastiffs. In noble and wealthy families, raising a mastiff could suppress evil spirits. "What to do? What to do?" Seeing the panicked appearance of the three little white foxes, Hong Yi''s heart was also slightly panicked. After getting along for so many days, he already knew the details of this group of foxes. Although they had begun to cultivate, they had no ability to protect themselves. They could deal with ordinary hunters, but when encountering hunters with mastiffs like this, they simply had no chance to fight back. They would definitely be torn to pieces and wouldn''t be able to escape. When mastiffs go wild, they are more powerful than lions and tigers. Even three or four strong and vigorous men are no match for them, not to mention their ability to see souls? "Even Old Tu might not be the match for these things. I''ll go out and lead them away, saying that I''m a scholar who got lost in the deep mountains and ask them to send me back. This way, those hunters will be led away." The barking of dogs was getting closer and closer, and the situation was becoming increasingly urgent. Hong Yi slapped the table, stood up tall, took several large steps, forcefully lifted the cotton curtain, and walked out of the stone room. "Whoosh, it''s so cold." As soon as he left the stone room, the cold wind blew in his face, and Hong Yi shivered. The snow on the ground was already two feet deep, and as soon as he stepped on it, he sank in. Hong Yi followed the sound and walked with difficulty, step by step towards the outside of the valley. Outside the valley was a small hillside with a relatively high terrain. There were woods on the hillside, which could hide the body and also overlook a long path outside the valley from a higher position. "Oh my god..." As soon as Hong Yi climbed up the hillside, he saw more than a dozen black dots appear at the far end of the path from afar. The barking sounds from those black dots were precisely the barking of mastiffs. "More than a dozen mastiffs!" Hong Yi felt dizzy and his heart was pounding. He felt that the foxes were doomed. "Hong Xuejiao?... And those people?" The galloping horses followed behind the mastiffs. When they were still several thousand steps away, Hong Yi hid behind the woods and barely saw Hong Xuejiao''s figure. "Bad. It''s actually these people hunting in the mountains..." Hong Yi felt even worse in his heart. These people were not easy to deal with. Even if he went out now and met them, he definitely couldn''t lead them away. He was afraid it would cause even greater suspicion. "Run up and reason with them? I''m afraid it won''t work? Hatefully, if I were a grand master of martial arts..." Hong Yi thought and thought, but couldn''t think of a good way to stop this group of people. There was a sense of powerlessness deep in his heart. "Princess! There''s something alive hidden in the woods on that small hillside ahead!" "How? Are the pure foxes hidden in the mountains? If the mastiffs go up first, they might tear the foxes to pieces. That wouldn''t be good. I want undamaged furs. Xuejiao, your archery skills are good. Wait for the mastiffs to go up and drive the foxes out. Then you shoot their eyes and don''t damage the furs." "Princess, no problem." This group of people driving the mastiffs and galloping on horses was precisely Princess Yongchun, Hong Xuejiao, as well as Prince Cheng''s son Yang Tong and Jing Yuxing. Just now on the snow, the mastiffs kept barking and tracking fiercely, finally leading them here. "What? They discovered me?" When Hong Yi heard a guard expert shout that there was something hidden in the woods, his heart tightened. "No matter what, I can''t let Xiao Shu, Xiao Fei, and Xiao Sang suffer. Since they call me brother, I naturally have to treat them as my sisters. If someone treats me as a noble person, I will repay them as a martyr." Hong Yi straightened his clothes and was about to walk out calmly. Just at this moment, the mastiffs that were rushing towards the small hillside suddenly stopped as if they sensed a strong threat. "What''s going on?" In the eyes of Jing Yuxing, Yang Tong, Hong Xuejiao, and Princess Yongchun, the two men and two women, at the same time, flashed intimidating lights. At the same time, the accompanying guard experts all stepped forward forcefully. Just at this instant, suddenly, a song came from afar. At the same time, in the wind and snow, there was a faint aroma of wine. "Good wine... Good wine comes from our hands... After drinking our wine, you''ll have smooth breathing and no cough... After drinking our wine, you''ll be invigorated and have no bad breath... After drinking our wine, one dares to walk through Qingshakou alone... After drinking our wine, you won''t kowtow before the emperor..." "This song is so bold. Where did it come from? One dares to walk through Qingshakou alone and doesn''t kowtow before the emperor..." Listening to this song, although there were no literary poems, it was full of boldness and had an overwhelming momentum. Qingshakou was a border between the Great Qian Dynasty and the Yunmeng Empire. There were years of battles there, countless deaths, and mountains of corpses. It was said that every inch of soil was mixed with blood and flesh. That place was also extremely terrifying. It was rumored that ghosts could be seen attacking people during the day, and no one dared to walk there. As soon as this song started and the aroma of wine spread. Suddenly, a sudden change occurred. Among the more than ten mastiffs, suddenly the largest one turned its head as if possessed by something. Its eyes flashed with fierce light, roared, and fiercely pounced towards Jing Yuxing and the group. The loyal mastiff actually turned against its owner! "Eh?" Facing such a situation suddenly, Jing Yuxing remained calm. The whole person jumped off the horse in an instant, moved as fast as lightning, and punched like a leopard and tiger hunting, hitting the skull of the pouncing big mastiff. The big mastiff flew three to five steps away. When it was about to struggle to get up, Jing Yuxing stepped forward and trampled the mastiff to death directly! These consecutive actions were clean, powerful, fierce, and as fast as lightning, showing the extraordinary skills of this "Young Duke of Xiaoli". "This is the means of a ghost immortal possessing! There''s actually such a powerful monster! Who! Show yourself!" Jing Yuxing killed his own mastiff, but there was no smile on his face. He suddenly shouted. When the soul is cultivated to the level of possession and seizing the body, it can be called a ghost immortal! With this level of supernatural power, the soul can fly out and possess and seize the body. Just now, the big mastiff was possessed and thus turned against its owner. "Good! You can actually see the means of a ghost immortal possessing! But for me to show myself, you are still a little short. It would be about right if Hong Xuanji and Yang Tuo, these two martial saints, came." Suddenly, among the dozen or so big mastiffs, another big mastiff spoke. Snap! An arrow was shot, hitting the eye of this big mastiff right in the center. The big mastiff rolled over and lay motionless on the ground. The one who shot the arrow was precisely Hong Xuejiao. "It''s no use. Your arrow, how could it be useful?" As soon as this big mastiff died, another big mastiff immediately spoke human language again. The scene became extremely strange. "Who are you?" Hearing the two names Hong Xuanji and Yang Tuo. The faces of the four people all changed, and Prince Cheng''s son Yang Tong stepped forward forcefully and asked. "You have the surname Yang, right? Are you from the royal family? Go back and tell Yang Tuo that sooner or later I, Bai Ziyue, will compete with him. Tell him to wait." "Bai Ziyue!" As soon as this name was mentioned, Yang Tong was suddenly startled. It seemed that he sensed something terrifying and stared fixedly at the big mastiff that was speaking in front of him. "Let''s go!" Suddenly, Yang Tong turned his horse and galloped away. Seeing Yang Tong like this, the others were all startled and immediately turned their horses around. For a moment, the horses galloped and the mastiffs ran, returning along the way. In less than half an incense stick''s time, they all left completely. Only two mastiff corpses and one big mastiff remained. "Hong Yi?" Just when Hong Yi let out a sigh of relief, this big mastiff slowly walked up the hillside and spoke, with a questioning tone. "Who are you?" Hong Yi looked at this talking big mastiff and asked. "I am Mr. Bai. It''s cold outside. You''d better come with me to the stone room." The big mastiff said. "OK." Hong Yi followed this big mastiff down the hillside and returned to the stone room in the secluded valley. He saw a young man sitting in the middle of the stone room. He was wearing moon-white clothes, with long hair tied in braids and scattered on his temples. This young man had his eyes closed tightly. As soon as Hong Yi entered, he opened them, and his eyes emitted a soft light, just like warm jade. Beside him was a purple wine gourd more than two feet long, and he carried a long sword on his back. The whole person appeared otherworldly and refined. "Sir, please sit down. Yuan Fei mentioned you. This is my decades-old monkey wine. It can invigorate the blood and qi, prolong life. Have a sip." The young man laughed heartily and invited Hong Yi to sit down. "Are you one of the Eight Great Monster Immortals, Mr. Bai Ziyue?" Hong Yi asked and also walked over, took the wine gourd, and took a sip. As soon as it reached his stomach, a warm and cozy feeling rose, as if a fragrant aroma emanated from all 48,000 pores of his body. "Good wine, immortal wine. The song is also a good song. One dares to walk through Qingshakou alone and doesn''t kowtow before the emperor. Scaring away those experts without showing up, you truly deserve to be called a hero." After taking a sip of wine, Hong Yi''s whole body heated up. "Having drunk Mr. Bai''s wine, of course I won''t drink it for nothing. I''ll present a poem to you." Saying this, Hong Yi stood up, took a few steps, and recited loudly: "The long sword stretches across the nine wilds, the tall hat brushes the mysterious firmament. Alone striding in this enlightened world, known as a hero throughout the four seas." If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Chapter 12: The Bovine Demon Mighty Fist "Long sword across the nine fields, tall crown touching the dark dome. Alone in the enlightened world, hailed as a hero in all directions? Good, good, good... Hailed as a hero in all directions. Among the world, who is the hero?" Hearing Hong Yi''s four lines of poetry, Bai Ziyue trembled all over, savoring them carefully, feeling an endless heroic spirit. This young man, one of the mysterious Eight Great Demon Immortals of the world, stood up abruptly and laughed three times loudly, "Drink, drink. Just for your poem, it strikes a chord with me. It can be said that we are bosom friends meeting at the ends of the earth." Saying this, Bai Ziyue handed the wine gourd to Hong Yi again. Gulp gulp gulp, Hong Yi drank three consecutive mouthfuls, still not satisfied. He only felt that the more he drank this wine, the warmer his body became, as if he were airly and about to fly. However, his mind became clearer and clearer, without the slightest sign of intoxication. Obviously, this wine was extraordinary. Hong Yi felt very comfortable in his heart, simply because of Bai Ziyue''s appearance and display of extraordinary powers, scaring away those fierce and evil people hunting foxes. If Bai Ziyue hadn''t appeared today, a group of foxes would have been in great danger. "Alone in the enlightened world, hailed as a hero in all directions..." After Hong Yi drank the wine, Bai Ziyue took his large gourd and drank continuously. With each mouthful, he recited a line of the poem, as if using the poem as a side dish for the wine. "A great sage uses history books as a side dish for wine. Today, your poem, Hong Yi, can also be used as a side dish for wine. It''s been a long time since I''ve been this carefree." After drinking more than ten mouthfuls, Bai Ziyue seemed to have a slight tipsiness and sang loudly again, "After drinking our wine... One can breathe freely and not cough... After drinking our wine, one doesn''t need to kowtow when seeing the emperor..." "What kind of song is this?" Hong Yi asked. "I composed a song about wine." Bai Ziyue laughed again. "What a wild and unrestrained young man, with supernatural powers and such carefreeness." Seeing Bai Ziyue''s wild and unrestrained yet composed demeanor, and thinking of his extraordinary powers just now, Hong Yi couldn''t help secretly envying him. "Mr. Bai is known as one of the Eight Great Demon Immortals in the world? May I ask what a demon immortal is?" Hong Yi asked. He had read "The Book of Martial Arts" and "The Book of Tao" in the past two days. He knew that those who practiced martial arts and reached the realm of human immortals, and those who cultivated their souls to the stage of possessing and seizing a body and transferring the physical body could be called ghost immortals. After achieving the Yang God, they could be called immortal gods. As for demon immortals, he had never heard of them. "Call me Ziyue. Mr. Bai is too formal. Just because of the poem you gave me, you are my bosom friend, Bai Ziyue." Bai Ziyue took another mouthful of wine, with a slight blush on his face, but the divine light in his eyes remained as gentle as jade. "A demon immortal is the same as a ghost immortal. Anyone who is not human and has cultivated the Yin God to possess and seize a body to become a ghost immortal. I spent sixty years cultivating hard in the mountains and became a ghost immortal. I reincarnated and attached myself to a fetus. Now I am fifteen. How old are you, Brother Yi?" "So Ziyue is over fifteen. I am also exactly fifteen. I have read the Book of Tao. There are demons and ghosts who forcibly seize human bodies and destroy human souls. Ziyue reincarnated and grew in a fetus. You are indeed a righteous demon immortal." Hong Yi said. Originally, whenever an animal gained spirituality and its soul emerged and gradually cultivated to the realm of ghost immortal, it could possess and seize a body, transfer to a human body, or even forcibly seize a human body and destroy the human soul to occupy the physical body. Similarly, after those who practice immortal arts have their physical bodies decayed, they can also have their souls emerge and seize a human body. "It''s not being righteous, but forcibly occupying a human body and destroying a human soul would consume one''s own soul, harming others without benefiting oneself. Moreover, an adult''s body has already formed and cannot be shaped. If one practices martial arts, they must not be able to reach a profound level. A fetus is just a lump of flesh and blood, without a soul or spirit, and is extremely pure. Only after birth does one gradually develop thoughts and have intelligence to be considered a human." Bai Ziyue said. "So that''s the case." Hong Yi understood. "But do those who cultivate immortality also need to practice martial arts?" "Practicing only the nature and not the life is the first illness of practice. Practicing only the soul and not the spirit cannot cross the sea of suffering to the other shore." Bai Ziyue said, "A person''s mental thoughts are the soul, and a person''s physical form is the spirit. One nature and one life require dual cultivation. Otherwise, empty talk about rationality and not cultivating the physical body is also not feasible." "No wonder! Scholars all need to focus on archery to strengthen their bodies. That''s the reason." Hong Yi said. "Dual cultivation of nature and life may still not lead to transcendence!" Bai Ziyue shook his head. "Eh?" Hong Yi asked doubtfully. "Don''t ask me. I don''t know either. My soul has only cultivated to the realm of ghost immortal and has not experienced the thunder tribulation. And my martial arts have only reached the realm of the Martial Saint who has refined the marrow and exchanged the blood, and have not become a human immortal. This time I came to Yujing to seek answers." Bai Ziyue said. "What answers are you seeking?" "It is rumored that there are three volumes of books in the Great Zen Temple. One volume is ''The Sutra of Maitreya in the Past'', one volume is ''The Sutra of Tathagata in the Present'', and one volume is ''The Sutra of Non-Birth in the Future''. They are the supreme methods for transcendence. ''The Sutra of Maitreya in the Past'' is the supreme secret for cultivating the soul. ''The Sutra of Tathagata in the Present'' is the supreme fist technique for achieving the realm of human immortals. As for ''The Sutra of Non-Birth in the Future'', I don''t know. However, it is rumored that to truly achieve transcendence, one needs to study all three volumes together. The Great Zen Temple was destroyed, and the whereabouts of the three volumes are unknown. They may be collected in the royal library. This time I came to Yujing to look for these three books." "''The Sutra of Maitreya in the Past'', ''The Sutra of Tathagata in the Present'', ''The Sutra of Non-Birth in the Future''." Hearing these three names, Hong Yi''s eyelids twitched. He had heard these three names before. It was recorded in Li Yan''s thatched cottage notes as follows: "The Great Zen Temple has three sutras, namely the past, the present, and the future. Just like a scholar establishing virtue, achieving merit, and expressing his ideas. Unfortunately, I have not witnessed them personally. What a pity, what a pity." However, this single note contains no other information. "No wonder you are a demon immortal. Your words are not as evasive as those of humans. If it were an ordinary person, how could they speak out so straightforwardly about looking for secret volumes in the royal library of Yujing?" Hearing Bai Ziyue''s candidness and openness, with a flavor of "Nothing is impossible to tell others", Hong Yi felt an additional sense of closeness in his heart. "However, Ziyue is also a great expert in martial arts and has actually cultivated to the realm of the Martial Saint. If I want to practice martial arts, I have to ask him for advice." Hong Yi thought to himself. The Great Qian Dynasty has a strict examination system for classifying martial strength: martial student, martial apprentice, martial warrior, martial master, congenital martial master, grand master, and martial saint. Although the classification is very detailed, the experts in the army are mostly only martial warriors and martial masters. There are very few who have reached the congenital realm with a strong internal organs and long-lasting physical strength, let alone grand masters and martial saints. As for human immortals, they have never even heard of them. "I have been reading ''The Book of Martial Arts'' intensively these days and also want to practice, but I lack guidance. Among three people, there must be one who can be my teacher. Today, I met Ziyue and need to seek your advice." Hong Yi said to Bai Ziyue. "Hong Yi, you want to practice martial arts?" Bai Ziyue looked at Hong Yi and then at "The Book of Martial Arts" on the table. "This ''Book of Martial Arts'' has many deleted parts, and the things recorded in it are mostly rough. Your skin is flabby, your tendons are weak, and you have no martial strength. It''s like a blank slate without a foundation. It''s very difficult to cultivate strong martial strength in a short period of time." "Let''s take it one step at a time." Hong Yi smiled. "To practice martial arts, the first step is to cultivate the flesh, tendons, and skin membranes. In the ''Hall of Martial Arts'' of the Great Qian Dynasty, those who have cultivated the skin membranes are designated as martial warriors and are also considered students in the imperial examination. They can easily hold the position of a military officer commanding a hundred men in the army." Bai Ziyue said, seeming to be very familiar with the system in the army. In the army of the Great Qian Dynasty, five people form a "unit", and the military officer is called the "unit leader". A hundred people form a "company", and the military officer is called the "company leader". Five hundred people form a battalion, and the military officer is called the "commanding officer". A thousand people form an "army", and the military officer is called the "general". Ten thousand people form a "command", and the military officer is called the "commander". Everything is strictly hierarchical, far surpassing the imperial court. All positions are held based on martial strength and military achievements. "Among all the martial arts in the world that focus on cultivating the flesh, tendons, and skin, none surpass the ''Bovine Demon Mighty Method'' and ''Tiger Demon Bone-Training Fist'' of the Great Zen Temple. After practicing these two sets of fists, the bones, tendons, flesh, and skin become strong, and the external skills are mastered, reaching the level of a martial master. As for entering the congenital realm, there are various breathing and meditation methods for cultivating the internal organs, with a wide variety. I''ll teach you the Bovine Demon Mighty Method first." Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Chapter 13 Farewell For three to five consecutive days, the heavy snow had just cleared. In the mountain forest and secluded valley, the snow reflected the sunlight, making everything bright, with almost no shady corners. Hong Yi stood in the snow with his legs, under Bai Ziyue''s guidance, gesturing and moving his limbs with each punch and kick. Whenever there was a mistake, Bai Ziyue would immediately correct it, being meticulous. "The ''Ox-Demon Mighty Method'' consists of three forms: ''Ox-Demon Butting Horns'', ''Ox-Demon Stamping Hooves'', and ''Ox-Demon Moving Skin''. Each form has a hundred variations, complex and diverse. But as long as you master the method, from shallow to deep, training the flesh, tendons, and membranes step by step. If you succeed, you will have the strength of an ox in your entire body, be able to draw a 120-jin bowstring continuously, be able to withstand a hundred-jin punch, and be agile in rising and falling. Basically, you''ll be a genuine warrior capable of defeating dozens of people." Bai Ziyue sipped his wine while watching Hong Yi gesture slowly, and spoke at the same time. "This is the essence of the thousand-year-old martial arts of the Great Zen Temple. Especially the foundation-building skills. So among the thousands of martial arts in the world, none can compare to this ''Ox-Demon Mighty Method''. When the Great Qian Dynasty eradicated the Great Zen Temple, they didn''t obtain this set of fist techniques. Otherwise, the current strength of the Great Qian army would probably increase even more." Bai Ziyue seemed to remember something, speaking while his eyes were like smoke and clouds. "The punches currently practiced by the Great Qian army should be the ''Minor Heavenly Cycle Training Force Fist''... Unfortunately, a copy of the ''Tiger-Demon Training Bone Fist'' was confiscated. I didn''t manage to obtain it. Otherwise, I would have told you, Hong Yi, and you wouldn''t have to search everywhere for the method of training the bones when you practice by yourself in the future." Hush, hush, hush... Hong Yi finally managed to complete the three forms with difficulty, panting heavily, his face pale, and out of breath. This set of ''Ox-Demon Mighty Fist'' had an extremely large amount of exercise. His body was originally rather weak and had little physical strength. Practicing martial arts, of course, was very strenuous. "Come, drink some wine." Bai Ziyue threw the wine gourd over. Hong Yi caught it with both hands, took a few sips, felt warm all over, and the fragrance in his throat reached his nostrils, making him feel much more comfortable throughout his body. Bai Ziyue''s wine was a magical wine. It was brewed using an unknown number of medicinal herbs through a special method. Every time Hong Yi panted and turned pale from exercise, as soon as he drank this wine, he felt very comfortable. If it weren''t for this wine to support him, with Hong Yi''s weak body, he wouldn''t be able to continue practicing at all. "Ziyue, what kind of wine is this exactly?" Hong Yi''s complexion improved a little. "This wine was brewed by me when I was practicing in the mountains. I collected hundreds of medicinal herbs. It greatly boosts physical strength, kills the nine worms in the body, cleanses the intestines and stomach, nourishes the liver and spleen. The wine is called ''Nectar''. Unfortunately, there''s only this one gourd left now." Bai Ziyue smiled, his temples'' hair fluttering. "Oh no, if I finish drinking it, Ziyue, you won''t have any left." Hong Yi quickly handed the wine gourd back to Bai Ziyue. "Ha ha, good wine tastes better when shared with a bosom friend. Just for the poem you presented to me, it''s worth ten gourds of ''Nectar''." Bai Ziyue didn''t take the wine gourd but held his long hanging hair at the temples with his hands and looked forward. This top expert, one of the eight great demon immortals in the world at the age of fifteen, now seemed like an elegant young man. A young man who likes to hold his long hanging temples in his spare time. "Those four lines of poetry were just something I composed temporarily. They aren''t enough to describe your temperament, Ziyue. If I have time, I''ll have to rack my brains to compose a long poem for you." Hong Yi seemed not satisfied with his own four lines. "Really?" Bai Ziyue''s eyes sparkled with surprise. "Long sword spanning the nine fields, tall crown supporting the mysterious firmament. Alone striding in this enlightened world, hailed as a hero across the four seas. These four lines of poetry are originally vigorous and heroic. Can you still compose a more heroic poem than this?" "Poetry is naturally formed, obtained by chance with a deft hand. If there''s a sudden inspiration, of course I can." Hong Yi pressed his temples with his fingers. "Right, Ziyue, you just said there''s no Tiger-Demon Training Bone Fist. Then how did you train your bones?" When Bai Ziyue heard about martial arts, he seemed to change into a different person, with endless confidence, lofty and commanding: "I practiced the ''Flying Spirit Training Bone Fist'' of the Taoist True One Sect. However, it only has a hundred and thirty moves, not as many as the two hundred and six moves of the Tiger-Demon Training Bone Fist. The effect is a bit worse. But I spent three years taking tiger bone paste and still reached the realm of ''Training Bones as Hard as Steel''. Unfortunately, too much time and effort were spent." "Flying Spirit Training Bone Fist." Hong Yi seemed to have seen this section in the Martial Arts Classics. "Originally, with Hong Yi''s body, even after three years of hard training, you might not reach the level of a warrior. But after drinking my wine, it has laid a foundation for you, giving you the basis for self-training. Unfortunately, after spending several days together, we must part eventually." Bai Ziyue''s expression was somewhat desolate. "Are you leaving?" Hong Yi was stunned. Just at this moment, three little foxes jumped out of the snow. "Xiao Shu, Xiao Sang, Xiao Fei, why did you come out?" Hong Yi asked. "Brother Xiao Yi, we''re moving. Mr. Bai and Elder Tu said that this place might be discovered and is no longer habitable. We have to move to a faraway place." Xiao Shu spoke. These few days, the bone joints in Xiao Shu''s throat had loosened, and she could already speak human language. "Where are you moving to? There are so many books and many things in the stone room. How will you transport them out?" "With Mr. Bai helping us, there won''t be a problem." Xiao Shu jumped. "Well? With the soul reaching the realm of manipulating objects, can it actually move nearly a hundred thousand volumes of books?" Hong Yi was stunned. Bai Ziyue shook his head: "How is that possible? Unless one achieves the Yang God realm, perhaps there would be such ability. But in this world, I haven''t heard of anyone achieving the Yang God realm. Even Meng Shenji, the leader of the most mysterious Supreme Dao Sect of the Great Qian Daoist Sect, hasn''t been heard to have achieved the Yang God realm." "Then among those who practice martial arts, has anyone reached the realm of the Human Immortal?" Hong Yi asked. Bai Ziyue thought for a moment: "I haven''t heard of it. But twenty years ago, Elder Yin Yue, a senior of the Great Zen Temple, seemed to have glimpsed the realm of the Human Immortal. Unfortunately, he was besieged and killed. Currently, the two martial saints of the Great Qian Dynasty, Yang Tuo and Hong Xuanji, are renowned in all directions. They are at my level. To take a step forward is probably as difficult as reaching the sky." "Becoming enlightened is difficult, as difficult as reaching the sky." Hong Yi sighed. Practicing both life and soul, achieving the Yang God and Human Immortal realms. According to Bai Ziyue''s meaning, none can transcend. Not to mention in this world, it seems that no one has achieved the Yang God or Human Immortal realms. "So my father, Marquis Wu Wen, is at the realm of the Martial Saint!" He thought in his heart. "Then how will you help them move these collections of books, Ziyue?" Hong Yi asked again. "Although I am one of the eight great demon immortals in the world, I am now an upright person. My Bai family also has considerable influence. It''s possible to cover the relocation of the pure foxes." Bai Ziyue smiled and said. "The Bai family?" Hong Yi was stunned again. "There isn''t a Bai family in the Jade Capital City?" "I live in the north. The Bai family of the Yuan Tu Dynasty." Bai Ziyue looked into the distance. "Brother Xiao Yi, this is the book Elder Tu gave you. And the gold cakes Sister Yuan Fei gave you. We were all very happy these days. But we have to go now. It''s a thousand miles away. I really wish Brother Xiao Yi could come with us." Xiao Shu''s eyes showed sadness. Beside her, she was dragging a large cloth bag, which contained several books. There was also a small brocade pouch, from which the sound of gold coins colliding could be heard. "Are you going to Yuan Tu? Then I can''t follow. "Hong Yi said without regret: "But we spent time together, and you call me brother. How can I accept your money?" "Accept it. They have no use for the money either." Bai Ziyue waved his hand: "There''s also a Martial Arts Classic inside. Although it can''t be practiced, it can be used for reference. These days you practiced the Ox-Demon Mighty Fist and have already laid the foundation for self-study. There are some annotations by the monks in this Martial Arts Classic. You can still take a look." "Then I won''t decline anymore." This Martial Arts Classic consisted of dozens of volumes. Hong Yi hadn''t finished reading them one by one these days. However, although this book had many incomplete parts, it was after all a comprehensive collection of martial arts. Moreover, in the hands of the monks of the Great Zen Temple, many annotations were made. This also has research value. "It''s getting late. When it gets dark, you won''t be able to leave the mountain. After parting today, there will be a day when we meet again. At that time, we''ll drink wine, discuss literature, and talk about martial arts." Bai Ziyue suddenly laughed loudly, sang the Wine God Song, and walked step by step into the forest. "Brother Xiao Yi, we''re leaving. You have to remember us." The three little white foxes followed behind Bai Ziyue, looking back at each step. Hong Yi waved his hand, then turned his head and wiped the corner of his eye. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Chapter 14: Mysterious Scriptures The heavy snow had just stopped, and Yujing City regained its hustle and bustle. The streets were filled with people coming and going, and various large shops were especially lively. For instance, the "Juyuan Lou" for wine, banquets, and food; the "Sanhua Lou" for girls; the "Songzhu Xuan" for writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones; the "Songjiang Pu" for silk and satin; the "Yigu Lou" for antiques and second-hand goods; the "Jinyu Tang" for jewels, etc. These were all the liveliest places in Yujing. Those who patronized these large shops included noble sons in fine clothes and on galloping horses, scholars in blue gowns, wealthy merchants, and a group of idle officials and scholars in the capital. Especially, it was already the twelfth lunar month and approaching the end of the year. The emperor was going to offer sacrifices to Heaven and receive envoys from various countries. The envoys from countries such as the Huoluo Kingdom in the Western Regions, the Yunmeng Kingdom in the East, the Yuantu Kingdom in the North, and the island countries like Shenfeng and Liuzhu in the South all stayed in the guesthouses of Yujing City. These people in strange and exotic clothes often came out to stroll and admire the prosperity of Yujing, the largest city of the Great Qian, adding even more excitement to the city. Twenty years ago, the Great Qian defeated the sudden attack of the cavalry of Yunmeng and counterattacked. Both sides made a covenant at the Qingsha Pass on the border and promised never to go to war again. Since then, the Great Qian Dynasty has been in a prosperous period and has become the largest dynasty and empire on the entire land. In the sixtieth year at the end of the year, the prosperous age of the Great Qian has reached its peak. Not to mention the hustle and bustle throughout Yujing City, the residence of the Marquis of Wuwen has also become lively. The servants began to clean, making every corner spotless, decorating with lanterns and streamers, and preparing for the New Year. However, regardless of the excitement both inside and outside the entire residence and the city, it had nothing to do with Hong Yi. Hong Yi had returned from Xishan, but his mind remained in the secluded valley there. In these ten-odd days, encountering the fox, teaching, organizing books, cultivating the soul and practicing martial arts, meeting Bai Ziyue, drinking and chatting for four or five days, it was all like a clear dream. When he returned to the marquis''s residence at this time, he had a feeling as if he had been away for a lifetime. The marquis''s residence was still the marquis''s residence and had not changed because of his absence. The seven or eight hundred people in the entire residence were busy and enthusiastic, preparing for the New Year. Only his small room was cold and quiet, and no one came to visit, as if he was excluded. Those servants, stewards, maids, and guards would all be given rewards of some clothes and silver during the New Year, but it was not his turn. But now he had money and did not lack those. When Chunhu moved, she gave him ten red gold coins. Eighty percent gold could be exchanged for fifteen, let alone ten percent pure red gold. Ten red gold coins, if exchanged for silver at the "Jinyu Tang", could be exchanged for at least two hundred taels of silver. It was enough for Hong Yi to spend for a long time. "It''s best that these people don''t disturb me. I can close the door to practice martial arts and study. Besides, I''ve felt very comfortable recently, and my limbs feel much stronger." In the small room, Hong Yi stood with one leg in front and one behind, bent down, grabbed the tendons of his two thighs with both hands, and shook vigorously. With strength running through his thighs, suddenly, the two tendons of his thighs made a soft snapping sound. Then, he quickly changed hands and grabbed the muscles of his lower legs. With the same shake and release, he pressed his hand on his stomach and took a step forward. This movement, grabbing the thighs, grabbing the lower legs, pressing the stomach, and taking a step forward was like a big bull charging forward, not a simple step. This was precisely a movement in the "Ox Demon Headbutting" of the Ox Demon Strong Force Fist. Hong Yi performed several movements in a row and felt that the large tendons on his limbs, abdomen, chest, and back were obviously heating up and filled with a sense of strength. So he held his voice, rolled his tongue, pushed against his teeth, held his breath, concentrated his spirit on his arm and fist, and punched forward in the air. Hey! The large muscles of his whole body trembled at this punch. It seemed that some of their strength had gathered in his fist, giving him an indescribable numb and comfortable feeling of strength. "I''m no longer a scholar without the strength to truss a chicken. As long as I keep practicing like this, I''ll become stronger and stronger." Hong Yi noticed the strength of his body and felt a sense of satisfaction and contentment in his heart, becoming more steadfast. "No wonder scholars practice archery and martial arts to strengthen their bodies, which can also strengthen their minds and enhance their self-confidence." Hong Yi finally understood why scholars also regarded riding and archery skills as important. It turned out that a strong body could also strengthen one''s mind. When the body was strong, the mind would be at ease. Just like sailing in the sea, if the ship was extremely sturdy, the mind would naturally be at ease, allowing one to sit calmly and fish despite the rising waves. If the ship was not sturdy and the stable mind had no support, it would be afraid when the waves came. With a heart full of joy, Hong Yi sat in front of the table and opened a martial arts classic to continue reading and pondering. This martial arts classic was a collection of the Great Zen Temple and was annotated by a monk named Master Yinyue. Although many parts were incomplete and could not be practiced, some of the principles were very thorough, which could give Hong Yi a deeper understanding of the "Ox Demon Strong Force Fist". Not to mention, Hong Yi himself was a shrewd scholar and was best at inferring the author''s meaning from the text. "I wonder if I have reached the level of a martial student? But I''m afraid not. I''ve only practiced for half a month. Although Ziyu''s ''nectar'' wine has nourished my body for four or five days and he has given me careful instructions, I still lack some proficiency." Hong Yi wondered in his heart if he had practiced to the point where the large muscles of his whole body were firm and full, reaching the level of a martial student set in the "Lecture Hall on Martial Arts" of the army. Suddenly, a steady footsteps were heard at the entrance of the small courtyard. "Who else would come to my small courtyard? Could it be the maid Xiaoning again?" Hong Yi pushed open the paper-pasted window and looked over, immediately shocked. "Old Steward?" The person who came was a white-haired old man dressed in black. Hong Yi recognized that this old man was the chief steward of the entire marquis''s residence. He was neither from the First Madam Zhao''s side, nor from the "Yunting Zhai" of the Second Madam, nor from the Third Madam''s side. Instead, he was directly responsible to his father, Marquis Wuwen. Whenever Hong Xuanji dealt with government affairs in the imperial cabinet of the Forbidden City very late, it was this person who delivered clothes and food boxes. When Hong Yi opened the window with a creak, the old steward''s eyes also looked over in an instant, seemingly synchronizing with the time Hong Yi opened the window, giving a sense of prescience. Seeing Hong Yi, the old steward stopped, nodded, and showed a smile: "Young Master Yi, the Marquis has returned and asks you to come over. He has something to say." Among the entire marquis''s residence, the only person who was polite to him was this old steward. Of course, the old steward was polite to everyone. It was rumored that for so many years, no one had seen him get angry. "What? Father is back? Why did he call me? What does he have to say?" Hong Yi was very shocked in his heart. Although Marquis Wuwen was his father, he had met him only a few times. Among his more than ten siblings, he was the most insignificant and had the lowest status. It was impossible for Hong Xuanji to call him to speak. Sometimes Hong Yi even doubted if Hong Xuanji knew he had such a son. "Bad, this martial arts classic is prohibited. And it has the seal of the Great Zen Temple. If my father finds out... Fortunately, the others are well hidden, but it''s too late to hide this one." Hong Yi suddenly thought of something and immediately decided to throw this martial arts classic into the brazier and set it on fire. He didn''t trust leaving this book in the study. If he went out and someone came in and discovered this prohibited book, the trouble would be huge. And now it was too late to hide it properly. Marquis Wuwen Hong Xuanji governed the family with strict etiquette and laws, and the rules were very strict. One must arrive immediately when summoned, otherwise one would be punished by the family rules. Hong Yi knew that once, Hong Gui, the son of the Third Madam, got drunk. Coincidentally, Hong Xuanji returned and wanted to test his studies. The person sent to call him was late for a long time. As a result, he was punished by the family rules later, and his leg was broken. He lay in bed for half a year before recovering. Seeing the book burn out in the brazier, Hong Yi set his mind at ease. He got up, straightened his clothes, opened the door, and followed the old steward to see his father. Just as he went out, in the ashes of the martial arts classic that had been burned in the brazier, a slightly dark golden paper suddenly appeared. It was densely covered with small scriptures and pictures, seemingly like gold foil, but it was not burned by the fire. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Chapter 15 The Amitabha Sutra After passing through several long corridors and steps. Walking through several large gardens, several large ponds, and more than ten round-doored and walled entrances, following behind the old chief steward, Hong Yi spent the time of a meal before arriving at the main residence in the center of the Marquis of Wu Wen''s residence. The saying "Once entering the noble''s residence, it''s as deep as the sea" has been best verified in the residence of the Marquis of Wu Wen. Even for Hong Yi, after this random wandering, if it weren''t for the old chief steward leading the way, he would surely get lost and not know his directions. Of course, this was because he had long lived in a corner and hadn''t moved around in the residence. With his status, he couldn''t walk around too much in the residence. In his memory, only when he was a child did he come to the main residence with his mother. In this residence of the Marquis, where human feelings were as cold as swords and frost, it wasn''t his home. "Why can''t my heart be calm?" Before arriving at the main residence, Hong Yi suddenly felt a little nervous and uneasy. He knew that it was because the majesty of his father, the Marquis of Wu Wen, was too heavy. This sudden summons, he didn''t know what was going to be said. "A scholar should calm his mind and not change his expression even when a mountain collapses in front of him." Hong Yi thought in his heart, calming his nervous thoughts, and followed the old chief steward into the main residence. The main residence of the Marquis'' residence was built magnificently and mightily. The ground was paved with large slabs of Artemisia stone, smooth as a mirror and hard as iron. In the main hall of the main residence, there was a row of large, simple and ancient redwood chairs. In the center was a huge character. The font was upright and proper, giving a sense of compelling people to be well-behaved and orderly. It was the character "Ritual". Under the character "Ritual" was a large rosewood tribute table that was large enough for four or five people to lie down on. There were many items placed on the tribute table, all covered with bright yellow satin. Apparently, they were items bestowed by the emperor and were all offered with incense. On the large chair on the left of the tribute table sat a person in splendid and luxurious clothes, wearing a purple-gold crown. This person had slightly gray temples, and his hands were placed on the armrests of the large chair, as white as jade and spotless, giving people a feeling of grasping infinite power. Wherever this person sat, there was an awe-inspiring majesty that made people unable to look directly and could only obediently lower their heads. He was the true master of the entire Marquis of Wu Wen''s residence, the Marquis of Wu Wen, Hong Xuanji, the pillar of the state in the court, and the martial sage of the Great Qian Dynasty. "Hong Yi, stand on the right. I have something to say to you." Seeing the old chief steward bring Hong Yi in, the Marquis of Wu Wen pointed with his hand. Hong Yi responded and walked to the right of the hall and stood still, saying loudly, "Father, what instructions do you have?" "Hmm?" Just as Hong Yi was speaking, the old chief steward, who had retreated to the corner of the door, looked puzzled for a moment. It seemed that he was a little surprised by Hong Yi''s composure. Even the eldest son of the Marquis'' residence who was already married, in front of Hong Xuanji, all trembled and didn''t dare to breathe loudly. "I heard that you replied to Princess Yongchun with a line of cursive script? Why not use regular script? Flaunting your literary talent and poetic ability? Instead of reading the righteous doctrines and principles, you do these deviant things?" The Marquis of Wu Wen said lightly, his tone was cold, making people shiver involuntarily. Even though Hong Yi firmly held in his heart the principle that a scholar should not change his expression even when a mountain collapses in front of him, he still felt a chill on his back and broke out in a cold sweat. "Hmm?" Seeing that Hong Yi didn''t answer him, the Marquis of Wu Wen gave a cold "hmm". As soon as this cold "hmm" came out, the temperature in the entire hall seemed to drop significantly. Hong Yi felt his calf muscles go weak and almost collapsed. If it weren''t for the fact that he had practiced the Bull Demon''s Mighty Fist and his body was stronger, this moment of the Marquis'' majesty, he felt that he might very well have collapsed. "Father is right. I won''t dare in the future." Hong Yi lowered his head. He knew that in front of Hong Xuanji, there was no chance to refute. Even if your reasoning was correct, you still had to submit. The Marquis of Wu Wen emphasized rules the most. Hong Yi knew that if he were to refute, it wouldn''t be strange to be either having his legs broken for a minor offense or being beaten to death by family rules for a major one. This rule applied not only to him but also to the eldest son of the legitimate wife. The strict and rule-abiding governance of the Marquis of Wu Wen''s residence was renowned throughout the entire court and was also appreciated by some scholar-officials. "Hmm." The Marquis of Wu Wen gave another "hmm", but this time it wasn''t cold. His tone eased somewhat, and Hong Yi immediately felt that the temperature in the entire hall rose a little and his calf muscles stopped cramping. "You violated the family rules in this matter. Originally, you were supposed to be beaten with twenty sticks, but you have a scholarly title and the imperial examination for the provincial level is coming up in the spring after the new year. You are going to participate, so I''ll let you off for now. If you pass the examination and become a provincial scholar, this matter will be written off. If you fail, the family rules will still be implemented." The Marquis of Wu Wen said with no expression on his face. "Yes, Father." Hong Yi lowered his head again. "Although poetry is not formal righteousness, it can still show one''s agility in literary thinking. Your poem was quite decent." The Marquis of Wu Wen said again, "You are already fifteen this year. According to the laws of our Great Qian Dynasty, you have reached adulthood. What are your plans?" "Father, I want to learn archery and horseback riding skills. I hope Father will³ÉÈ« me." Seeing that the atmosphere was a little more relaxed, Hong Yi boldly presented his plan. Archery and horseback riding skills were beyond Hong Yi''s affordability. Although he had ten red gold coins, he couldn''t afford a good horse or a good bow. Not to mention, to keep a horse, one needed a groom to take care of it. Hong Yi couldn''t possibly take care of it himself. One was the issue of status. It wouldn''t sound good if a scholar were to act as a groom. The second was that taking care of a horse was hard work. One needed to get up at night to feed it, and there were many particulars. It was too time-consuming and energy-consuming. "You haven''t mastered the righteous doctrines yet. What are you learning archery and horseback riding skills for!" Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Wu Wen slightly frowned. It seemed that he strongly disagreed with Hong Yi''s desire to learn archery and horseback riding skills and flatly refused, "First master the righteous doctrines. If you haven''t mastered them and learn martial skills, you''ll just be a rash fellow. Don''t mention this matter again. Do you understand?" "Yes." Hong Yi still didn''t refute. "Alright, you may go. Chief Steward Wu, take him to the accounting room to withdraw one hundred taels of silver for him to prepare for the imperial examination." After saying this, the Marquis of Wu Wen waved his hand, "Go." ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ "Why won''t you let me learn martial arts? Could it be that you''re afraid that after I pass the imperial examination for the provincial level and enter the military, gain military achievements, and possibly be awarded a title? My mother might be granted a title, disrupting the rules of the Marquis'' residence." Walking on the way back to his own courtyard, Hong Yi closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. If he were to pass the imperial examination for the provincial level, enter the military, gain military achievements, and be awarded a title, and his mother were to be granted a title, then his mother''s memorial tablet would immediately be placed side by side with "Lady Ci''an". Even his father would have to offer incense during every family sacrifice. This would be too much of a disruption to the rules of the Marquis'' residence. It would be a complete upheaval. This was something that the rule-abiding Marquis of Wu Wen couldn''t tolerate. Hong Yi guessed in his heart that this was the fundamental reason why his father opposed his learning of martial arts. Although Hong Yi himself was only a scholar and was still a long way from passing the imperial examination for the provincial level and achieving military achievements, he was very confident of achieving it. "I must do it myself, fight for my mother to be granted a title and let the entire Marquis'' residence have a look!" Hong Yi clenched his fist and secretly said. "But then again, Zi Yue is also a martial sage and even a ghost immortal. But when facing him, why didn''t I feel such great pressure? Could it be because of the accumulated majesty? Sure enough, without strength and confidence, these principles of scholars remaining calm when a mountain collapses in front of them are somewhat insubstantial!" When facing the majesty of his father, Hong Yi finally understood that without strength, the composure and righteousness of scholars were somewhat insubstantial. "If I were a martial sage, I would definitely dare to argue based on reason in front of my father. What is the greatest in the world? It''s reason. Even father and son can argue based on reason! Even monarch and subject can argue based on reason!" "If the monarch has major faults, scholars should advise. If the monarch repeatedly refuses to listen, then he should be replaced! Father''s reasoning of submission has deviated from the original meaning of scholars. However, how can I argue about these principles?" Hong Yi thought in his heart. If the emperor has major faults, scholars should advise. If the emperor repeatedly refuses to listen and insists on his own way, then you should abdicate! This is the principle of scholars! Unfortunately, without strength, these principles cannot be upheld. Thinking and thinking, Hong Yi walked back to his own small courtyard, closed the door, and thought quietly. Looking at the table, he suddenly felt a little regretful about the burned "Martial Arts Classic". Hong Yi''s gaze involuntarily turned to the brazier where the Martial Arts Classic was burned. "Hey? What''s that!" It was better not to look. As soon as he looked, he discovered the dark golden scripture in the ashes of the brazier. Hong Yi walked over and picked up this scripture with the fire tongs. He discovered that this scripture was like a silk scroll. When lifted, it was a large piece! Extremely thin, it was densely covered with characters. In the middle was a golden Buddha statue, sitting in the void, surrounded by countless suns, moons, and stars rotating around it. This scripture was made of some unknown material and couldn''t be burned by fire. Hong Yi saw the name of the scripture as soon as he looked. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Chapter 16: Supreme Dharma Secret "Gatha of Maitreya in the Past? This... In the rumors, it is one of the three shockingly important scriptures of the Great Zen Temple, mysterious and unfathomable, the supreme technique for cultivating the spirit soul? Zi Yue, being one of the eight great demon immortals in the world, also came from afar to search for it. How could it be mixed in this martial scripture engraved by the imperial court?" Hong Yi looked at the scripture scroll in his hand, as thin as a cicada''s wing, square, dark gold, and as soft as water when touched. Looking at the bright golden small characters on it, the shock in his heart was simply beyond description. The Great Zen Temple was an ancient temple that had stood for a thousand years. When it was still prosperous, with countless experts, before it was eradicated, all sects in the world had to admit that it was the number one temple and the sacred place of the highest achievement in cultivation. And the highest secrets of cultivation of the Great Zen Temple were recorded in the three scriptures of the past, present, and future. The past was the "Gatha of Maitreya", the present was the "Sutra of Tathagata", and the future was the "Sutra of Non-Birth". The "Gatha of Maitreya" is the supreme technique for cultivating the spirit soul, the present "Sutra of Tathagata" is the path of martial arts and human immortality, and the "Sutra of Non-Birth" is the most mysterious. In the rumors, if the three books were combined and comprehended thoroughly, one could transcend the sea of suffering in the world and truly reach the other shore. Moreover, even Li Yan, who among the scholars most despised gods and Buddhas and always used the great way of scholars to explain them, the founder of the Li School, expressed regret in his notes for not having seen these three books with his own eyes. From this point of view, Hong Yi, who is best at reading and inferring the thoughts of the authors, is sufficient to draw a conclusion. That is: These three scriptures are indeed genuine supreme secrets. Such books are much more powerful than the rough and full of loopholes martial and Taoist scriptures. The difference between pearls and dung is not enough to describe the disparity between the two. "Perhaps when the Great Zen Temple was on the verge of destruction, the monks were afraid that this scripture would be taken away, so they hid it in one of the most ordinary martial scriptures. Also, the imperial court would definitely not seize the martial scriptures they engraved themselves. Unfortunately, what Zi Yue was looking for was actually so close at hand..." Hong Yi held the "Gatha of Maitreya", took several deep breaths, and calmed his mind. The principle of scholars is to not be moved by beauty and not be disturbed by treasures. Hong Yi knew that he had almost lost control just now. Not being disturbed by treasures does not mean disregarding them, but warns people not to be carried away when obtaining treasures and to maintain a calm state of mind. Otherwise, various flaws will be exposed, allowing the vigilant to notice and easily leading to fatal disasters. This kind of scripture is as soft as silk but does not burn when exposed to fire. Not to mention someone like Hong Yi who understands the principle, even an idiot would know that this is a treasure. "However, although this Gatha of Maitreya is rumored to be the supreme secret for cultivating the spirit soul, there were so many monks in the Great Zen Temple, among whom there were no shortage of extremely talented and brilliant ones, but it seems that none of them cultivated into the Yang God. Otherwise, they would not have been completely wiped out by the large army. It seems that this scroll is not so easy to practice and comprehend. I only have a rough understanding of the method of the spirit soul leaving the body and cannot comprehend it yet. It would be great if Zi Yue were here, and we could comprehend it together. Unfortunately..." After calming his mind, Hong Yi neatly folded this silk-like scripture into a handkerchief-sized piece, kept it close to his body and did not rush to read it. After storing it properly and being confident that there were no flaws, Hong Yi sat upright, lit an incense stick, then gently ground the ink and wrote the character "Quiet" on the paper. He wrote more than ten "Quiet" characters in a row, and his mind completely calmed down. After calming down, Hong Yi got up, washed his hands, then closed his eyes and sat in meditation until the incense burned out. He was extremely stable and suddenly opened his eyes. His eyes swept around and his ears listened. After confirming that there was no one around, he carefully took out the scripture from his bosom, opened it and read it carefully. A serious scholar has this set of rules. Before reading, one should calm the mind, burn incense, wash hands, and do a set of preparations. These are not useless rituals but means of adjusting the body and mind to enable oneself to concentrate fully. Only in this way can one read well. How could Hong Yi not be cautious? Especially when reading this legendary "Gatha of Maitreya". When the scripture was taken out from the place close to the body, the silky smooth feeling made Hong Yi very comfortable. The scripture was spread on the table, square, three feet long and wide, like a large calligraphy and painting. The characters on it were very small, like tiny regular script, but also very clear, as if engraved by a knife, without any blurriness. Moreover, the font had a power that reached deep into the bone marrow, giving people a feeling that these small characters would move and fly. The characters already had spirituality. "Excellent calligraphy!" Seeing these characters, Hong Yi couldn''t help but shout out in his heart. He was confident that his own calligraphy was good, but compared to the characters in this scripture, it was simply unremarkable. In the middle of the scripture was a golden Buddha, sitting in the void, with countless suns, moons, and stars surrounding it, bestowing their radiance upon this golden Buddha. This golden Buddha''s eyes were slightly closed, sitting cross-legged, with hands forming seals, and a serene expression. Unlike the majesty of the Buddha statues in other temples, it exuded a kind and familiar atmosphere. Even, even Hong Yi had a feeling that this Buddha was the previous life of his countless past lives. "This is the true Buddha statue. This expression and this temperament can resonate with people. It has the artistic conception of one''s own enlightenment." The teachings of Buddhism emphasize the equality of all sentient beings, and everyone can become a Buddha. A true Buddha statue is neither majestic nor huge. Instead, when one looks at it, one feels that this Buddha is one''s own past life. It evokes the Buddha nature and the heart of the Tao in people. Unfortunately, a person capable of drawing such a Buddha statue cannot appear once in five hundred years. Just in terms of painting, it is a saint among paintings. Not to mention whether this volume of the "Gatha of Maitreya" is a supreme scripture or not, at the first glance, Hong Yi saw that it was the supreme art of painting. Hong Yi looked at this Buddha statue and was shocked in his heart. He had read widely in his studies and had the ability to appreciate calligraphy and paintings, and also knew some of the essence of Buddhism. "Not to mention anything else, just these characters and this painting, if sold, would be priceless treasures." Hong Yi sighed and then began to read the main text of the scripture. This article begins with four characters, "Thus Have I Heard........." "Thus Have I Heard? Was this scripture recorded after personally hearing the Buddha''s teachings?" Hong Yi wondered. Originally, Buddhist scriptures that begin with "Thus Have I Heard" were all left behind after truly hearing the Buddha''s teachings in ancient times. These four characters are the difference between heterodox scriptures and genuine ones. Logically, if it is a cultivation method, these four characters would not appear because the Buddha did not teach the cultivation method at all, but only told people to understand their hearts and see their nature. It is somewhat similar to the ancient sages only instructing scholars to cultivate righteousness. It is a general direction. The specific ways of understanding one''s heart and seeing one''s nature, and how to cultivate righteousness, are all for one to explore on their own. Each has its own achievements and principles. Whether it is the Buddha or the ancient sages, they only pointed out a clear path and direction. As for the specific way to walk, perhaps even those sages did not know. It depends on the gradual exploration of later generations. Whether it is martial arts or the immortal path of cultivating the spirit soul, they were all refined by the Great Zen Temple after absorbing the essence of various sects over thousands of years. "Regardless of him, perhaps the author wanted to make the scripture more formal. Let''s look at the specific cultivation method." Hong Yi certainly would not dwell too much on this issue but continued reading. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Chapter 17 The Realm of Night Wandering After the heavy snowfall, there were several sunny days. The overcast clouds dispersed, and the night sky revealed sparse stars, but it was far from the brilliant Milky Way on summer nights. "The spirit and soul should be imagined in the Heavenly Court. The Heavenly Court is where all gods return and where all Buddhas'' spiritual platforms exist. Imagine the qi of the celestial stars penetrating the top of the head and entering inch by inch, combining with the spirit and soul. Visions are reborn. The spirit and soul can feel cool, hot, sour, and spicy. One can also see the jade maidens in the celestial palaces, the asuras and evil ghosts, the celestial maidens and Bodhisattvas, the gods of heaven and earth, the ancient sages, and feel oneself falling into the cycle of rebirth, or engaged in battle, or embraced by soft and gentle beauties, or experiencing strict fatherly and kind motherly love, or feeling oneself possessing overwhelming power, capable of overturning rivers and seas, or seeing one''s body rotting all over with bones exposed. Regardless of all these visions, one must keep the mind steady and imagine there is a Buddha in the void, named Amitabha, and form the Amitabha Dharma Seal. This Buddha represents the true nature of all beings in heaven and earth. Guard the original thought and remain unmoved by everything to avoid disasters. Suddenly, one feels that the qi of the celestial stars has touched the spirit and soul, pulling it upward with great force, giving one the intention of ascending to heaven during the day. At this time, one must use great determination to stabilize the mind and float within the body. One must not let the true intention leave the body. All of these are illusions......" At midnight, when there was no one around and everything was silent, Hong Yi stood in the middle of his courtyard, looked up at the sparse stars in the sky, took a few deep glances, then closed his eyes and recited the cultivation method described in the scriptures. After studying intensively for a day, he had roughly understood the original method for strengthening the spirit and soul in one of the scriptures of the "Amitabha Sutra". After silently reciting it once and feeling that he had completely comprehended the meaning of this scripture. There was a simple cushion laid on the ground. Hong Yi sat cross-legged on it, looked up at the sky again, stared and memorized. After half an incense stick''s time, it seemed that he had memorized the entire starry sky in his mind. Suddenly, he closed his eyes again, imitating the sitting position of the Buddha in the "Amitabha Sutra", held his hands in front of his abdomen, with the thumbs facing each other, and formed the Amitabha Seal. After imagining the starry sky in his head and closing his eyes, Hong Yi sat quietly, imagining the starlight in the sky shooting down and entering the top of his head, inch by inch. Because Hong Yi had the experience of cultivating the "Pagoda Meditation Method" and was able to stabilize his spirit and calm his mind. When he was calm, he had no distractions. Cultivating this method of strengthening the spirit and soul in the Amitabha Sutra was not very difficult. At the same time, he was well-versed in Taoist scriptures and also knew that the methods of cultivating the spirit and soul were basically through visualization, treating the false as the real. Although visualizing the starlight pouring down on the top of the head was like imagining there was a plum in one''s mouth and saliva would fill the mouth. In fact, there was no plum in the mouth. It was just an illusion. However, this illusion could trigger various reactions in the spirit and soul, and even the body. Hong Yi sat for an incense stick''s time and visualized. Gradually, he entered a state. In the imagination of his mind, all the stars in the sky flickered from the extremely distant void and shot down endless rays of light, all landing on the top of his head and penetrating inch by inch. As soon as the illusory starlight entered his brain and reached the skin membrane, Hong Yi suddenly felt a coolness throughout his body, as if bathing in a gentle breeze. The pores of his entire body were breathing in the pure qi, and the entire person felt as if he were about to ascend to immortality, extremely comfortable. This comfortable feeling made Hong Yi have a feeling of moaning with pleasure. This comfort penetrated deep into the bone marrow, similar to the "Longevity Ointment" that some noblemen of the previous Zhou Dynasty described in the "Notes of Thatched Cottage". This comfortable feeling was irresistible even for warriors, martial masters, and even congenital martial masters and grandmasters with firm minds. Hong Yi also had a feeling of indulgence. Fortunately, he had read the scriptures and knew that visualizing the starlight entering the brain would produce many illusions. The gentle breeze touching the body and the feeling of being about to ascend to immortality was the first level of sensation. Just when he was about to indulge, Hong Yi became alert in his heart and suddenly visualized a golden Buddha emerging in the starry sky. This Buddha was kind and amiable, as if it were his previous life from countless generations ago. This Buddha was the one depicted in the "Amitabha Sutra". The scripture stated that visualizing this Amitabha Buddha could suppress all kinds of inner demons and understand one''s true nature from countless past lives. Hong Yi knew that what was said in the scripture was not an exaggeration. Because the artistry of this Buddha painting concentrated all the Buddhist doctrines within it. Not to mention the Buddha, just the characters depicted had reached the peak of painting. This realm could rival the Human Immortal in martial arts and the Yang God in immortal arts. Hong Yi had a feeling that if Bai Zixue saw this Buddha, he might be able to make further progress without even practicing the methods described in the scripture. As soon as this Buddha appeared in the starry sky in his mind, immediately! All the comfortable feelings of Hong Yi disappeared, replaced by regaining his senses. The heaven and earth remained the same. There was no starlight entering the body either. Everything was an illusion. "What a powerful illusion...Fortunately, I was able to visualize the Amitabha Buddha. Otherwise, I would have indulged in it. It''s extremely dangerous." Hong Yi knew that if he hadn''t visualized the Amitabha Buddha in time just now, he might have truly indulged in the feeling of the gentle breeze entering the body and been unable to protect himself. Chances were that he would have gone crazy in the future. Cultivating the spirit and soul through visualization, stillness, and total immersion, treating the false as the real and the real as the false. A moment of loss of mind would lead to eternal damnation. The danger of cultivation was even greater than that of martial arts. "With the experience just now, I won''t be afraid to try again." Hong Yi focused his mind again, sat still, formed the seal, and visualized the starlight entering his brain internally. Sure enough, when he visualized the starlight reaching the skin membrane, his entire body was once again surrounded by the gentle breeze, and he felt comfortable again. Having gained experience, Hong Yi ignored it and did his best to stabilize his mind. Continuing the visualization step by step, sure enough, when the starlight entered his brain and penetrated through the skin membrane, the illusion changed again. Instead, his entire body ached, his head throbbed with pain, and then all kinds of tastes, sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy, welled up in his heart. Hong Yi still held his mind firmly. Suddenly, there was another feeling. Evil ghosts were everywhere in front of him. Asuras and yakshas surrounded him from all sides, as if each one wanted to pounce on him to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Hong Yi seemed to have fallen into the Asura Hell, and all kinds of shrill cries seemed to ring in his ears continuously. He ignored them and held his mind firmly. Suddenly, it changed again. It was as if he had fallen into a land of tenderness, surrounded by beautiful women, with their charms partly hidden and partly visible, gentle and charming, singing and dancing. Hong Yi withstood the temptation. Suddenly, it changed again. There was fierce fighting on all sides, a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, as if he were in the midst of a battlefield among knives and spears. Hong Yi held on firmly again. Suddenly, his entire body rotted, covered with flies, mosquitoes, and maggots, and bones exposed section by section. Hong Yi still held on firmly, and in an instant, he understood what was meant by the impermanence of life and death, and the terrifying heart dissipated. The illusions changed in various ways. Suddenly: Boom! The visualized starlight seemed to combine with his spirit and soul. Hong Yi felt that in the void above, an irresistible force came from nowhere, pulling his spirit and soul out of his body and floating upward towards the sky. This feeling was very real and very good, just like a seeker of the Dao who had gone through countless hardships and overcome eighty-one difficulties, finally passing the last hurdle and ascending to immortality. Hong Yi''s spirit and soul couldn''t resist being pulled away from his body by this force and wanted to float towards the sky. At this critical moment, suddenly, the Amitabha Buddha, which seemed to be his previous life, appeared again in the starry sky. The spirit and soul that was about to leave the body and ascend to heaven immediately steadied. After regaining consciousness, Hong Yi broke out in a cold sweat. "The illusion of the last hurdle was so powerful! Indeed, after going through all kinds of hardships and difficulties and finally reaching the goal, no one can control the desire to ascend to heaven. Not even a sage." Hong Yi knew that if his spirit and soul had really left the shell and floated up to the sky just now, he would have already lost his soul. Even if one cultivated to the level of a Ghost Immortal and the soul floated up to the extremely high sky, it would be blown away by the wind in an instant. The feeling of ascending to heaven at the end was just the illusion of the last hurdle. Hong Yi sat down again and attempted this visualization method once more. This time, with more experience, he easily overcame all kinds of illusions again. Hong Yi once again experienced the feeling that a great force from the sky was pulling his spirit and soul to leave the body and ascend. So he struggled to resist this force. It felt like the soul was sinking and floating within the body, like a drowning person struggling. Finally, Hong Yi was exhausted. With a crash, all his thoughts scattered, and his entire body had a feeling of wanting to sleep immediately. He knew that his spirit and soul had consumed too much, just like excessive thinking while studying. "I can''t sleep in the courtyard, or I''ll freeze to death." Forcing himself to support his body, Hong Yi almost crawled into the room, lay on the bed, covered himself with the quilt, and immediately fell asleep. Entering a deep sleep. A virtuous person has no dreams. When he woke up, it was already broad daylight. The bright sunlight came in through the window. Hong Yi only felt that his mind was quick and his entire body was so refreshed that he wanted to sing loudly. For four or five consecutive nights, Hong Yi cultivated the visualization method in the "Amitabha Sutra". Suddenly, this night, Hong Yi lit an incense stick in the room and occasionally tried to let his spirit and soul leave the body. As soon as it left the body and came into contact with the outside world, Hong Yi had a feeling like a person who had just learned how to swim seeing water and having a strong urge to swim freely. It was recorded in the Taoist scriptures and Bai Zixue had also said that this urge after the spirit and soul leaving the body indicated reaching the realm of night wandering. Hong Yi tried to let the spirit and soul leave the range of the incense. Sure enough, there was no longer the feeling of weakness and coldness as before. Instead, there was a comfortable feeling of swimming freely. With his interest aroused, Hong Yi''s spirit and soul drifted out of the door. Wandering at night! Finally, he reached the realm of night wandering. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.