He Xiaoyao said solemnly, "Teacher has shown me profound kindness, raising and teaching me. He gave me food, the warmth of a home, and poured out his knowledge of both culture and medicine without holding anything back. Such great kindness cannot be repaid with mere words, and while I may not know what to say, I have kept every bit of it in my heart. Though I never formally performed the master-apprentice ceremony to study medicine, in reality, I have been learning every single day. As for why I never took that final step, even I find it a bit hard to explain; perhaps I had other thoughts in mind."
When He Xiaoyao was five years old, a wandering old Daoist priest had once told the villagers, "When He Xiaoyao grows up, he will become a great, immortal-like figure who will draw the eyes of the entire world and sway the mortal realm."
Many villagers thought the Daoist was a fraud, but He Xiaoyao's grandmother believed him and gave him some eggs and food. Although He Xiaoyao had never found himself any different from his peers over the years, he was still willing to trust his grandmother's judgment—just as his grandmother believed in the existence of immortals in this world.
And look at that: in just two days, immortals would be coming to the village, and he would get to see them with his own eyes.
Perhaps this was why he had never formally become an apprentice—because a seed had been planted deep inside He Xiaoyao's heart?
A seed of immortality, and in his heart, that seed took precedence over the study of medicine.
He Xiaoyao cleared his throat and said, "Teacher, given all the care and upbringing you've given me, I've always wanted to acknowledge you as my adoptive father. The reason I never formally apprenticed to study medicine has to do with my pursuit of immortality, and perhaps the influence Grandma had on me when I was little. Deep down, I've always dreamed of becoming a formal cultivator—even though I have no clue how to achieve it to this day, and I know the difficulties are countless, I could never bring myself to give up."
Ye Tangshi thought for a moment and replied, "There's no need for you to call me adoptive father; we both know how we feel in our hearts. I've always looked upon you as my own flesh and blood anyway. Whether you call me adoptive father, teacher, or master, it's all the same—it's just a form of address. As for you and Shi'an, I've always treated you both equally well. It's just that because you never formally apprenticed in medicine, I may have leaned a bit more toward Shi'an in medical skill. Having a dream is always a good thing; even if you might not reach it right away, if you keep persisting, perhaps you'll eventually find a way through."
He Xiaoyao let out an "hmph" and said with a laugh, "Teacher, just how many layers of your medical skills have you actually taught me, anyway? Haha."
Ye Tangshi chuckled along and said, "Since you asked, I have no fear of telling the two of you. As for Shi'an, I poured out everything to him without holding anything back—whether it's medicine, herbal decoctions, acupuncture, tuina massage, or Zhuwu arts, I taught him all of it. It's just that my own Zhuwu arts never reached a high level, so I couldn't teach him much. As for you, I suppose I taught you ninety percent, but your own capacity for self-study is formidable. Especially your acupuncture technique, which is already on par with mine; you have a unique insight into the meridians. On top of that, you only learned a tiny fraction of the Zhuwu arts, and I hope you'll study those more seriously on your own. As for tuina massage, well, you're pretty mediocre at that."
He Xiaoyao protested with dissatisfaction, "As for the Zhuwu arts, I've only learned a few tricks like drawing flower talismans and setting fish bones—that doesn't even scratch the surface!"
The group burst into laughter once more.
Growing up in this warm extended family, both Li Shi'an and He Xiaoyao were very happy, and their hearts were bright and optimistic. Even though their past lives had been hard and unprosperous, it could not stop them from yearning for the light, filled as they were with positive energy and hope.
Li Shi'an spoke up again, "Xiaoyao, how is your cultivation coming along? I just can't seem to get the hang of it at all. Master, do you have any techniques you can teach me?"
Ye Tangshi said, "Well, when I first learned the Five Animals Frolic and the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic, for the first three months I couldn't feel a thing—I was like a rat trying to pull a turtle, completely at a loss for where to start. But after three months passed, I suddenly felt a warm current inside my meridians, crawling around like little ants. After that, I could slowly guide it according to my own will. My thoughts are this: first, you must persevere. Even if you don't feel anything right now, don't stop. Keep at it for a while and you will definitely see progress. Second, you can coordinate your physical body with your internal energy. For example, if you want to cultivate the Hand Shaoyang Meridian, you can move your hand along with it, matching it with certain movements. That way, you'll get twice the result with half the effort."
He Xiaoyao nodded and said, "That makes sense; I figure it's the exact same principle. Furthermore, I've found that soaking in the water from our ancient well, or heating it up to take a bath in, might be helpful. Also, since both of us already have one or two meridians cleared, we should start by focusing on the ones that are already open—those are much easier to practice with."
Li Shi'an nodded. "Oh, so that's how it is. It seems the two of you are much smarter than I am."
Ye Tangshi urged, "Get practicing then! The day after tomorrow is the immortal sect's recruitment assembly—see if you have a chance to meet their requirements."
Li Shi'an sighed. "There's no way we can meet their recruitment requirements. I heard from the village chief that the Zhudi Mountain Sect requires five cleared meridians, but right now I've only cleared one, and Xiaoyao has only cleared two. We're miles away. Even if the two of us redouble our efforts, Hero Zhang Bolun said this cultivation manual can only let us clear a single meridian, so we still won't reach the requirement."
He Xiaoyao said, "Where there's a will, there's a way. How will we know if we don't practice and give it a try? Besides, even if we can't go cultivate as immortals, clearing another meridian should still be good for the body. Even if we just end up practicing martial arts instead, that's fine too."
Ye Tangshi said, "Well said! You must always strive to progress and never lose hope. If you can't be an immortal cultivator, going to the immortal sect to do odd jobs is fine too. I hear you only need three cleared meridians for that."
He Xiaoyao exclaimed, "What? You need three cleared meridians even just to do odd jobs? I thought there were no requirements for doing chores—aren't young, strong guys like us who know how to work enough? Sigh, looks like I'll have to practice bitterly; even doing odd jobs isn't easy."
Li Shi'an asked, "Xiaoyao, do you really want to go to the immortal sect to do chores?"
He Xiaoyao replied, "Entering the immortal sect to cultivate is my dream; doing chores is not. But at least by doing chores I can get inside the immortal sect, and then figure out other ways from there. My goal remains unchanged, the path is just a bit tortuous. Whether I can ultimately achieve it or not—man proposes, heaven disposes, that's all."
Ye Tangshi said, "Xiaoyao, you'd better think this through. Once you go, you won't be able to come back easily."
He Xiaoyao said, "Mm, I've already thought about it. It's just that even for odd jobs, I might not necessarily get picked, so I'll see how things look when the time comes."
Ye Tangshi said, "Very well. Anyway, you've already cleared two meridians now. Even if this cultivation manual can only clear one meridian like Hero Zhang said, you've still reached the requirement of three. Spend these next two days practicing hard, and don't worry about cleaning up anymore. As long as you've thought it through and made your decision, I will support you."
He Xiaoyao said, "Teacher, you can't just say you support me with mere words; you've got to have some practical action. For instance, given your relationship with the village chief, can you go talk to the immortal sect and pull some strings to accept someone like me who has two cleared meridians? Or do you have some thousand-year-old ginseng, polygonum multiflorum, or reishi mushrooms you can give me to eat, so I can hurry up and clear another one or two meridians?"
Ye Tangshi scoffed, "Shoo, shoo, shoo! Where on earth am I supposed to find a thousand-year-old ginseng, a thousand-year-old reishi, or polygonum multiflorum? If I had any, wouldn't I eat it myself? You should be grateful just to have something a few decades or a hundred years old."
He Xiaoyao complained, "You don't care about me anymore! Just a minute ago you said you treated Shi'an and me the same, and now you won't even spare a decades-old ginseng root for me. Are you saving it to give to your wife so she can maintain her youthful looks? Don't worry, I'll pay you back double in the future."
Ye Tangshi relented, "All right, all right, I'll go get it for you. I actually do have a ginseng root that's close to a hundred years old—hopefully it can help you clear your meridians!"
He Xiaoyao felt a wave of emotion and said, "Teacher, you truly are a good teacher to me. Forget it, forget it, I was just joking. I reckon this ginseng has great use; even if you gave it to me, it might not guarantee I can clear my meridians. Better keep it for treating illnesses and emergencies in the future. In that case, I won't come over to clean or help out these past two days—I need to focus entirely on my cultivation."
Li Shi'an joked, "Xiaoyao, after you get into the immortal sect, even if you're just doing odd jobs, if you marry a pretty little fairy maiden, you might just officially become a cultivator after all! Hahahaha!"
He Xiaoyao retorted, "I never expected you to be so unserious, Shi'an. I always thought you were an honest, down-to-earth guy."
Li Shi'an laughed, "It's because I'm happy today and feeling light at heart that I'm speaking a bit more freely. Don't take offense. When you go become an immortal, remember to throw some benefits my way—get me some ten-thousand-year-old ginseng to eat so I can achieve eternal life, or at least live for a few hundred years, that wouldn't be bad either."
He Xiaoyao asked, "Should I bring back a little fairy maiden from the immortal sect to marry you, then?"
Li Shi'an replied, "That would be best of all, but she mustn't be too fierce."
He Xiaoyao smiled and said, "Sigh, do you really think you could manage to marry someone who isn't fierce? I reckon the wife you marry in the future will definitely be a fierce shrew. After all, you're just too honest; whichever woman marries you is bound to bully you."
Li Shi'an retorted, "You say that, but what about you? You look pretty honest yourself. Don't look at how you run your mouth here in our clinic every day; the moment you go outside and see a stranger, you don't dare utter a peep. Not a single word, proper, well-behaved, and so nervous—sigh, you're like a completely different person. I reckon your situation won't be any better than mine; you're definitely going to be bullied by your wife too."
Ye Tangshi joined in with a hearty laugh and said, "Being afraid of the missus is a good thing—it means you'll strike it rich, strike it rich!"
He Xiaoyao and Li Shi'an exchanged a glance, instantly caught the meaning, and then said in unison, "No wonder Doctor Ye struck it rich today!"
The night passed in this kind of cheerful banter.
After returning home, He Xiaoyao still didn't go straight to sleep. Instead, he went back to the ancient well to draw several buckets of water. Then he heated the water, immersed his body in the wooden tub, and began to practice. With two meridians already cleared, coupled with the pointers Ye Tangshi had given him—slightly coordinating his limbs and the parts of his body where the meridians were located with slight movements—the flow of True Qi indeed transformed from a thin, slow thread into a slightly thicker line.
Next, he gathered the True Qi of the two cleared meridians and directed it toward his Dantian. The Dantian was not an acupuncture point in traditional medicine, but rather a term used by cultivators for a region used to practice and store Qi, located below the navel.
After practicing for another hour, the True Qi surged toward the Dantian like waves, gathering thicker and denser by the moment. With these wave-like undulations, He Xiaoyao found that his meridians seemed to be growing wider; more True Qi could enter them simultaneously, and the meridians themselves seemed to have thickened.
After finishing a total of six tubs of hot water, dawn broke once again. He Xiaoyao slept for only two hours before heading right back to the ancient well to draw water, heat it, and resume his cultivation.
A century-old ginseng might be useful, but He Xiaoyao could not keep it for himself. In a mountain village like this, such rare ginseng was all the more precious; in the event of some sudden emergency, it could potentially save a human life and preserve a family.
More importantly, He Xiaoyao did not want to rely on medicinal herbs, treasures, or magical artifacts to gain even more external power for his cultivation at this stage. Using this well water was already wonderful enough—this almost inexhaustible resource was something that would never turn him away. On the other hand, thousand-year or hundred-year magical treasures and rare heavenly materials were far too scarce and lay completely beyond his control. Once you used them up, what would you rely on to cultivate the next time?
By dusk, He Xiaoyao could feel that the two already-cleared meridians were drawing a continuous, subtle current of breath from between heaven and earth and from the ancient well water. It poured into his body, surged straight along the two cleared meridians into his Dantian, and tumbled around inside before finally settling down, treating the Dantian as if it were home and preparing to settle in for good.
Then, He Xiaoyao thought to himself, "Even if I train until I'm extremely powerful, with my True Qi constantly increasing and the spiritual qi of heaven and earth pouring in endlessly—even if my True Qi becomes immense, it's useless if I'm still restricted to just two cleared meridians. I still won't even meet the minimum requirement to be an odd-job worker at the immortal sect. Therefore, I must think of some other way to force open the third meridian."
Thus, He Xiaoyao did the exact opposite: he guided the True Qi stored in his Dantian, letting it flow outward thread by thread along the two already-cleared meridians, slowly pressing forward.
Sure enough, the True Qi surged outward according to his will, growing smoother and faster with every repetition. He then drew the outgoing True Qi back into his Dantian, running through the cycle several times until he grew somewhat proficient at it.
Next, he directed the True Qi stored in his Dantian to assault the as-yet-uncleared Yinqiao Vessel. Breaking it down into fine threads, he forced it through the meridian step by step, inch by inch, moving forward.
He could feel that this was indeed a method capable of clearing a meridian. Although it might not be the exact method described in the cultivation manual, the method he had figured out on his own should at least be viable. As for whether he could successfully blast open a meridian before tomorrow evening, it would all depend on whether Heaven favored the endeavor.
After all, there was now only a single day and night left. Having figured out a method, He Xiaoyao actually felt a sense of relief. He put on his clothes, grabbed a bite to eat, and headed over to the medical clinic to bum a cup of tea.
Seeing the increasingly severe dark circles under He Xiaoyao's eyes, Li Shi'an couldn't help asking, "Did you figure out how to clear the meridians?"
He Xiaoyao sighed. "To clear the meridians—how could it possibly be that easy? What about you? Did you manage to clear any?"
Li Shi'an replied, "I practiced for a few hours too, and I didn't clear anything, but I did make progress. I can actually sense my meridians now; there's a tiny trace of breath moving inside my Yinqiao Vessel. Given enough time, I'm bound to become a qigong master! But as for clearing meridians in time to participate in the immortal sect selection assembly, there's just no way we'll make the deadline. I can only pin all my hopes on you, my good brother. When you ascend to immortality and strike it rich, don't forget about your brother here!"
He Xiaoyao scoffed, "Psh, you're just thinking about your little fairy maiden of a wife; morning and night, you never have anything else on your mind. So full of youthful vigor! Teacher, you'd better find him a wife quickly, or else this kid is going to start bleeding from the nose sooner or later."
Ye Tangshi smiled faintly and said, "No worries, I have a secret recipe for nosebleeds: just mash up some garlic and put it on the soles of his feet to stop the bleeding. Focus on the matter at hand—has your cultivation made any progress? Make sure you don't drive yourself to Qi deviation; you need to balance work and rest and take care of your health. Don't end up wrecking your body before you even step foot into the immortal sect."
He Xiaoyao said, "I know, I know. I just got tired from practicing, so I came over to chat and rest for a bit. See if there are any chicken legs left over and give me one to eat."
Ye Tangshi said, "Shi'an ate the chicken legs long ago, as if there'd be any left for you. It's not time for a meal yet, but there are a couple of cold steamed buns over there—take those and eat them. However, I did ponder something: for example, if you want to clear a new meridian, but the meridian is relatively long and you just keep slowly pushing through it bit by bit, if you have plenty of time, clearing a meridian in three to two months might be possible. But if you want to clear this meridian in a day or two, you have to find a way to speed it up. For instance, by using my century-old ginseng. Alternatively, I was thinking you could break it down stage by stage. There are many acupuncture points along a meridian; if you stimulate them using acupuncture, perhaps that section of the meridian will open up, and then you can move on to the next section and the next point, and so on. That should speed things up."
He Xiaoyao gave the table a fierce slap with a loud *bang* and exclaimed, "That's it! Teacher, you're truly a genius! It's a total waste for you to be a doctor; you should go be an elder of an immortal sect! I knew coming over to chat with you guys was the right move. Hand over those steamed buns—I'm going to eat them and head back to practice. Time is running out!"