563: Chapter 100 Practice_2 563: Chapter 100 Practice_2 “It’s both coincidence and destiny,”
Meng Kejian said with a hint of sarcasm in his smile.
“If my understanding of the ‘Karma Principle’ is correct, then by first investigating the three counties near Yuan Ning…
we will discover that Xie Zhen has actually been hiding in ‘Anyang’, right under our noses.”
“This…”
Du Yunzhong was at a loss for words for a moment.
He widened his eyes.
How can we continue the investigation?
“Realizing this is actually a good thing,”
Meng Kejian took a deep breath and said, “Yuan Ning.
They must be in Yuan Ning…
After all, the Mi Yun is a group from the Buddhist community, and the Karma Principle involving the hiding place of Xie Zhen makes it hard to escape the connection.
Yunzhong, there must be some omission among the temples we overturned the other day.”
“Shall I lead a team and check again now?”
Du Yunzhong also calmed down: “As long as you’re sure they are in Yuan Ning, I’ll dismantle every temple myself!”
“No, there’s no rush,”
“You go report to the Great General; the lockdown in Yuanzhou needs to persist for a while longer.
Under the protection of the Karma Principle, finding them might require more time.”
“Also,”
Meng Kejian paused, looking at the map in front of him, and said expressionlessly, “Call over scouts from two camps for me.
I need to gather as many maps of Yuan Ning County as possible…
ones from this year and even earlier years.
I want to see just how many temples there are in Yuan Ning County, how many were dismantled by the Iron Cavalry, and how many simply perished to the passing years.”
…
…
“It’s been 15 days since leaving Qixia Mountain, and lately, it seems the Yuanzhou Iron Cavalry has quieted down…”
“A prelude to a storm is often a silent pressure.”
Xie Xuanyi sat in a wheelchair, quietly clenching his fists.
He said softly, “The absence of noise is more frightening than the noise itself.”
Countless eyes are watching everything happening in Yuanzhou.
In recent days,
The Yuanzhou Iron Cavalry has been smashing Buddhist Temples, carrying out a plan to Destroy Buddha.
With great vigor.
And causing a stir.
Every time Xie Xuanyi heard such news, a bit of unease in his heart would dissipate.
The protection provided by the Karma Principle was extremely secure; after deliberately toppling Yuan Guang Temple, the Iron Cavalry led by Meng Kejian went further and searched more erratically, which should count as escaping a disaster.
For a while, the sense of danger in his Heart Lake almost disappeared.
But in recent days, that sense of danger has begun to concentrate again.
A faint uneasiness was lingering over the Heart Lake.
He knew that what was meant to come would eventually arrive.
“How is your injury recovering?”
Deng Baiyi spoke with concern, pushing the wheelchair along a mountain path strewn with falling leaves rustling in the wind.
The setting sun was about to settle below the horizon.
During this time, the two of them kept each other company, walking this path every day.
Such days seemed uneventful.
But for Deng Baiyi, this was a rare “happiness.”
Since arriving in Taoyuan, her cultivation had been progressing smoother than ever before.
Simply by breathing in silence, she had ascended two minor realms within fifteen days…
Perhaps, this was what was called a blessing in disguise.
Having survived a deathtrap at Qixia Mountain, her mindset had changed.
Deng Baiyi never understood what the Pavilion Master meant by “embracing the world,” as she was the newest Cultivator in the Taoist sect, with one foot in the Cultivation World and one in the secular world.
She was not even out of the secular world yet, so how could she talk about embracing it?
Only at this moment did she truly understand.
It’s not only Cultivators who need to embrace the world.
This vast world is so great; everyone is in the world, yet nobody has embraced it.
Those who embrace the world unify their mindset with heaven and earth.
Not seeking Perfection is itself Perfection.
Not knowing the Daoist Skill, the Dao applies naturally.
“It’s still the same,”
Xie Xuanyi shook his head, somewhat regretfully saying, “The Primordial Fire in my meridians is unlit.”
In recent days, the Undying Spring had completely dispersed the Bone-dissolving Powder and Cold Blood Poison that Meng Kejian had planted.
However, the Primordial Fire in his energy points had yet to be kindled.
The cultivation of the Principle of Life was stuck at the final stage of attaining Dao.
To save others, to save oneself.
No matter how you save, it’s never enough.
Xie Xuanyi did not understand the “reason”; perhaps Taoyuan was too small, and he needed to save more people to comprehend the Principle of Life.
“Is it the same routine today, should I come to pick you up at the end of the next two hours?”
Deng Baiyi was pushing Xie Xuanyi, entering into the forest of the Taoyuan Back Mountain.
The accumulated fallen leaves made a rustling sound as they were crushed under the wheels of the wheelchair.
“We can start an hour early today.”
Xie Xuanyi said, “He’s almost learned everything he needs to at this point.”
“It seems that the young Doctor Chu has quite the aptitude?”
Deng Baiyi smiled.
She looked at the swirl of fallen leaves deep in the dense forest with a hint of gratification in her eyes.
There, a slender figure was stubbornly brandishing a wooden sword.
“Do you want to hear the truth?”
Xie Xuanyi calmly replied, “His aptitude is not as good as yours.
If he were to continue cultivating like this, it might take several years for him to achieve Foundation Establishment.”
Ever since the phrase “then cultivate” was uttered,
Xie Xuanyi truly started to teach Chu Guo how to cultivate.
Taoyuan is actually a place with sparse spiritual energy, making cultivation a challenge.
However,
Xie Xuanyi was an extraordinary figure.
It would be really shameful if he couldn’t even teach Qi Refinement.
Moreover…
The person in question was the son of Emperor Chu.
The direct bloodline of the Dachu Imperial Family is extremely powerful; it is the purest and most yang “Dragon Vein” sacred body of the Human Race.
Even when Emperor Chu was distracted with state affairs, he still quickly cultivated to become a Yin God!
“His aptitude is not as good as mine?”
Deng Baiyi had not quite expected this.
She never inquired about Chu Guo’s identity.
But she had a hunch about it…
Xie Zhen agreed to this diplomatic mission because of the Book Tower, because of teacher Chen Jingxuan.
If Xie Zhen’s mission was to bring back this youth, then surely he must be an extremely important person to the Book Tower, and such a youth should naturally be a fine seedling for cultivation.
“Don’t belittle yourself; your aptitude has always been good,”
Xie Xuanyi earnestly said, “What did I say before…
Above average talent is already very good.”
In Xie Xuanyi’s opinion, Deng Baiyi is someone who will certainly become a Great Array Master in the future.
As for other achievements, he dares not say more.
But this was already quite remarkable.
As for Chu Guo…
Perhaps it is because his bloodline is still locked.
This youngster truly lacks talent.
Xie Xuanyi has always disdained teaching the most basic methods of cultivation.
This time, he did not directly have Chu Guo start Qi Refinement.
In the dense forest of Taoyuan Back Mountain, he found an open space at random and filled it with crude wooden man dummies.
Xie Xuanyi only taught Chu Guo to do one thing.
Thrusting with a sword.
Using a wooden sword to strike at the wooden dummies!
Without adhering to specific sword moves, without learning forms, just follow one’s desires…
Strike with the sword in whatever way feels most comfortable.
The great Tao under heaven has always been formless.
It is only with many cultivators that it has taken shape.
The sword is the king of all weapons, whether it is holding the sword, thrusting with the sword, or even retracting the sword, there are countless rules and principles summarized by the predecessors.
However, at the beginning, the sword is just a sword, and the one holding the sword only needs to grasp it without overthinking.
In theory, this is a very simple task.
But Chu Guo just couldn’t do it right.
He was chopping at the wooden dummy.
It took him a long time just to chop it down.
“These past few days, Mi Yun has been following Zheng Fengsheng to learn medical skills, and it’s said that Mi Yun has great aptitude.”
Deng Baiyi chuckled softly, “I thought Doctor Chu would also be making rapid progress.”
“He’s learning cultivation from the wrong person,”
Xie Xuanyi sighed helplessly, “This young man should learn to save people.
A sword…
is meant to kill.”
Chu Guo was born with a pair of skilled hands.
On a normal day in Taoyuan, it would only take him a quarter of an hour to heal someone.
Yet now he needed an entire night just to barely manage to chop down one dummy.
However…
This young man indeed has quite the perseverance.
Every night he carries his wooden sword, persisting tirelessly, which is the only thing that made Xie Xuanyi feel gratified.
“Killing, saving lives…”
Deng Baiyi looked at Xie Xuanyi, tilting her head curiously, and smiled, “So, could it be said that this is actually a good thing?”
“A good thing?” Xie Xuanyi was taken aback.
“You only know how to kill, not to save,”
Deng Baiyi smiled, “He learns to kill from you, you learn to save from him, isn’t that the best of both worlds?
In the end…
it’s all cultivation.”