"Greetings, Daoist Master!" Song Hao stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Oh!" Xiao Boran glanced at Song Hao, paused for a moment, then sat down and said, "Since you are a member of the Luo family who is fond of learning and reading, why not let him stay? Our temple's scripture room is always open to him. He can leave whenever he gets tired of reading. Books are only good if they are read by useful people; otherwise, they are just a pile of waste paper."
"Thank you for your kindness, Daoist Master!" Song Hao said happily upon hearing this. He knew that this old Daoist Xiao was also a magnanimous and open-minded person.
Xiao Boran then instructed, "If there's no result, take this young layman to visit the temple's scripture room. Try your best to find him any books he wants to read. Prepare a separate guest room, and don't neglect his food and drink."
A Taoist priest stepped forward respectfully and said, "This disciple obeys your command!" Then he led Song Hao away.
"Thank you, Daoist Xiao, for granting my request!" Luo Beichen said gratefully to Xiao Boran.
"Brother Luo, why are you being so polite to me? It's nothing, not worth mentioning!" Xiao Boran waved his hand and said.
Na Guo first led Song Hao to a guest room to familiarize himself with it, and then led him towards the scripture room.
“Layman Song Xin, you are really lucky! The library of our temple has never been open to outsiders. Even the Master’s friends are restricted from borrowing books. I don’t know why the Master allowed you to come alone.” Wu Guo said as he walked, clearly puzzled.
"Oh!" Song Hao thought to himself in surprise, "It seems that Luo Beichen still has a lot of influence."
Upon reaching the door of the scripture room, Wuli opened it and let Song Hao in. The room was very large, with bookshelves displaying no fewer than ten thousand books, all of them ancient thread-bound texts. Song Hao exclaimed in amazement at the sight.
The person next to it explained, "All the books in our temple are ancient books from before the Qing Dynasty, collected by the patriarchs of Shangqing Temple. Look carefully here; they are arranged according to categories such as astronomy, geography, agriculture, industry, and medicine. After you have looked at them, you must put them back in their original places. Do not put them in a mess, and do not damage them, otherwise the master will punish us."
Song Hao said happily, "Don't worry, I'll be careful."
"That's good. You can check it yourself. Just call me if you need anything." After saying this, Wuguo gave a slight bow and left.
Song Hao looked around and found himself in a sea of books. He was overjoyed. He had been running around all the time, but he never expected to encounter such a wonderful place. He would be willing to live here for ten years.
Chapter 54 Shangqing Temple (3)
(My computer malfunctioned, causing a few days' delay. Please forgive me. I will continue now.)
Song Hao first searched for the medical category and surprisingly found several rare and unique books. He had seen their names in previous books, but they were marked as lost. He was overjoyed and excited.
"This Taoist temple has such a large collection of ancient books, so Old Taoist Xiao must be very knowledgeable. Once I get to know him better, I'll have many questions to ask him! Although Luo Feiying has ulterior motives towards me, it was her uncle who brought me here, which is fortunate. Let's not worry about anything else for now and focus on reading the useful ancient books here first." Thinking of this, Song Hao felt somewhat at ease.
After a quick glance, I heard footsteps outside the door, and Luo Beichen walked in.
"Senior, this is indeed a wonderful place!" Song Hao happily stepped forward to greet him.
"I'm glad you're happy! It's fortunate that you can live and read in this Taoist temple; otherwise, very few books here would be available for borrowing. Old Taoist Xiao has already given me a lot of face. You can rest assured and study here from now on; no one will bother you. Let's avoid the outside world for a while," Luo Beichen said with a smile.
"Oh, right, I've come to say goodbye. I'll come visit you when I have time. Remember what I told you when I came," Luo Beichen added.
The two chatted for a few more minutes before Luo Beichen left. Song Hao tried to see him off, but Luo Beichen waved him off.
In the days that followed, Song Hao began to devour the books in the Shangqing Temple's collection, and also practiced the "Ice and Fire Divine Needle" technique taught by Wu Qiguang. Occasionally, he encountered Xiao Boran in the temple. Song Hao bowed and gave way, and Xiao Boran nodded and left. They didn't exchange more than a few words.
More than half a month passed in this way. Song Hao read books and practiced acupuncture, enjoying a leisurely and peaceful life. Once, he went to the main hall and listened to Xiao Boran lecturing on the Tao Te Ching to his disciples. He stood outside the door for a while, gained some insights, nodded, and left.
One day, Song Hao, tired of reading, went to the main hall to listen to Xiao Boran's lecture to his disciples. However, the lecture was on medicine, so Song Hao quietly went behind the seated Taoist priests and sat down to listen. The others were already used to Song Hao as a guest and let him do as he pleased.
Xiao Boran then said, "The theory of my Taoist acupuncture is essentially the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, but it focuses more on Taiji Yin and Yang, the Five Elements and Six Qi, and studies the application of Hetu, Luoshu, the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, and the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches in acupuncture. The Worldly Meridian Flow Acupuncture Method, the Eight Methods of the Spiritual Turtle, and the Eight Methods of Flying are all derived from this."
"At the beginning of the world, the Tao was created. From the Wuji (limitless) came the Taiji (supreme ultimate), from the Taiji came the Yin and Yang (two forms), from the Yin and Yang came the Four Symbols, from the Four Symbols came the Eight Trigrams, and from the Eight Trigrams all things came into being. The Eight Trigrams govern the whole body. Ancient and modern physicians have used the Eight Trigrams as a guide and created the Eight Trigrams Acupuncture Method, which applies to all parts of the body. For example, the eyes, ears, navel, hands, and feet can all be divided into areas according to the Eight Trigrams and correspond to the five internal organs and six bowels, allowing for diagnosis and treatment with rapid results. This is an integration of time and space under the correspondence between heaven and man."
"The essence of acupuncture lies in regulating and stimulating the Qi and blood of the twelve meridians, ensuring their smooth flow. This is the most direct approach, which is why the ancients valued acupuncture the most. In fact, whether it is acupuncture or herbal medicine, the goal is simply to maintain the Yin-Yang balance of the human body. Herbal medicines have meridian tropism and use their cold and hot properties to harmonize Yin and Yang and balance the internal and external, which is also the principle."
"Following the principles of Yin and Yang, and harmonizing with numerology! The generation, restraint, and transformation of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, along with the calculations of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, reveal the laws governing the operation and changes of all things. This allows us to determine life and death, good and bad fortune, seek advantage and avoid harm, and follow the natural order and the times. The essence of Traditional Chinese Medicine is all contained within this. This is an essential course for those who study medicine. Otherwise, merely knowing acupuncture and the properties of medicine is insufficient to make one a great physician; one is merely a quack doctor begging for food in the world."
"Medicine is a benevolent art, the foundation for saving lives and helping the world, and the gateway to the Great Way! The path of Traditional Chinese Medicine can truly be described as discerning the secrets of heaven and earth, understanding the essence of life, and the ladder to the Great Way."
"Well said!" Upon hearing this, Song Hao couldn't help but clap his hands in praise.
Xiao Boran paused, and all the Taoist priests in the hall looked towards Song Hao. Song Hao immediately realized his rudeness and hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry. I was listening to the Taoist priest's explanation of medicine and couldn't help myself. I've disturbed you. Please forgive me, Taoist priest."
Xiao Boran nodded slightly and said, "The Luo family is a famous medical family, and the Luo Family Magic Needle is renowned throughout the world. Since you are a relative of the Luo family, you must be familiar with some medical knowledge. Tell me, what is so wonderful about what I just said?"
Song Hao said, “The principles of Yin and Yang, and the harmony of numerology! The generation, restraint, and transformation of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, along with the calculations of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, reveal the laws governing the operation and changes of all things. This allows us to determine life and death, good and bad fortune, seek advantage and avoid harm, and follow the natural order. The essence of Traditional Chinese Medicine is all contained within this. This is the simplest yet most incomprehensible principle. Those who study Traditional Chinese Medicine must first understand what Yin and Yang are, and what their operation and changes are, so that they can have a method to follow when applying acupuncture and medicine. Unfortunately, in modern society, people do not fully understand the meaning of Yin and Yang, thinking it is the ancient people's illusory and fantastical knowledge, merely used to add mystery to medicine. They do not know that the meaning of Yin and Yang is the foundation of medicine. Only by understanding the operation and changes of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements can we understand the principle of ‘correspondence between heaven and man,’ and reveal the essence and nature of Traditional Chinese Medicine.”
“Hmm!” Xiao Boran nodded and said, “The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. They come from the same source but have different names. They are both called profound. Profound and yet more profound, the gateway to all wonders. Layman Song Xin, it is truly fortunate that you can understand the meaning of Yin and Yang in this way! I have a copy of the Yin Explanation Classic and the Yang Explanation Classic here, which explain the profound principles of Yin and Yang. Please take a look. Perhaps it will help you to understand the great meaning of Yin and Yang more deeply.”
As he spoke, Xiao Boran took out two ancient books from under his seat and placed them in front of him. Upon seeing this, the Taoist priests in the hall all showed expressions of envy, indicating that they usually could not see these two volumes of scriptures.
Upon hearing this, Song Hao was taken aback at first, then hurriedly stepped forward, bent down to pick up the two ancient books, and said gratefully, "Thank you for your kindness, Daoist Master. I will read them carefully."
Xiao Boran said calmly, "This book is a compilation of the ancient sages' theories on Yin and Yang, directly pointing to the true meaning of Yin and Yang. Its principles are profound, and those without such enlightenment cannot understand it. Therefore, I have never shown it to anyone. If you can gain some insights, then the book's legacy will not have been in vain. If you have any insights, please come directly to my residence to find me. I am willing to hear the details."
"Thank you for your kindness, Daoist Master. I will do my best." Song Hao bowed and turned to leave.
Xiao Boran watched Song Hao's departing figure, lost in thought.
Song Hao returned to his room, initially assuming that the *Yin Jie Jing* and *Yang Jie Jing* were Taoist texts. However, upon closer inspection, he discovered they were not entirely so; they were scriptures specifically discussing the relationship between humanity and the universe. Some passages were expositions of Yin and Yang from the *Huangdi Neijing*, but many more were elaborations on the fundamental meanings of Yin and Yang by earlier scholars.
"Yin and Yang refer to Heaven and Earth, and male and female."
"All things carry yin and embrace yang; they have the same function but different names!"
"Subtle and insidious, seemingly close yet distant; the God of Fate remains unmoved, for this is the work of things!"
"The light shines brightly and deeply, reaching up and down; the spirit seems to be in a daze, and the matter is unclear!"
...
Song Hao had some basic knowledge of classical Chinese, but some sentences were even more obscure and difficult to understand. It took him several readings to finally grasp their meaning.
"Heaven and earth were in chaos, and one breath was born. Understanding one thing allows one to know all things, and I am the master of it. In the midst of change, the five elements separate, and the great cycle is endless, nothing is more so than this..." Some of these sentences, when read aloud, made Song Hao feel as if he were intoxicated.