Li Fu was shocked. Her skill in controlling fire to brew tea was extraordinary. According to what she knew, even those cultivators at the advanced stage of refining essence into qi would find it extremely difficult to do.
However, most of the Qi cultivators she encountered were martial arts practitioners who had entered the Dao through martial arts. Their physical bodies were extremely powerful, but they lacked some control over the release of their Yuan Qi, which is why she felt that Jiang Liu was exceptionally powerful.
She wasn't too concerned about the Flame Heart Stone. Although it was precious, she was born into a wealthy family and frequently visited the palace. She had played with treasures far more valuable than the Flame Heart Stone since childhood, so she wasn't surprised.
The aroma of this tea was beyond her expectations, unlike any other famous teas in the world.
Even the rare Xiaotuanlong tea, which is only available to royalty, she had tried, but she couldn't find a tea similar to it no matter how hard she tried.
Jiang Liu had been observing her. From her demeanor and speech, he knew that she came from a wealthy and noble family, was surnamed Li, and was known as Hong Fu Nu. If she was not a member of the royal family, then she must be the daughter of Li Jing and Zhang Chuchen, the "Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust".
"What is Li Jing's daughter doing in Jinling City? With the islands of the East China Sea invading, what use is a duke's daughter like her? Is Li Jing going to personally lead the army? That's even more impossible. He still needs to be in charge in the north, and he won't leave easily. There must be something I don't know... Let's wait and see! Things will work out in the end, and he'll eventually reveal his true colors!"
Smelling the aroma of the tea, Xie Hong, rather impolitely, sniffed and said, "Master, how fragrant! This fragrance is subtle and barely perceptible, yet it lingers in the nose, as if it contains a myriad of flavors!"
Xie Chou and Bai He also came over, staring at the copper kettle with their ox-like eyes: "Master, I've lived for two hundred years, and this tea is very different, truly different! I'm even a little thirsty."
Li Fu glanced at Xie Chou but said nothing. This was a demon, a demon that had already taken human form. She had seen such demons before while cultivating with her master in the mountains, so there was nothing surprising about it. Moreover, the generals in the court all had mounts, most of which were demons who had achieved cultivation. Her father had a lion-like demon horse, though it couldn't take human form yet.
For a demon to transform into human form, it must have reached at least the fifth level of the Refining Essence into Qi realm. The fact that someone with such strength would follow this young Taoist's lead made Li Fu even more curious.
A cup of tea is poured out; the soup is clear and bright, emitting a delicate fragrance.
It makes your mouth water at first glance.
Five cups of tea, even the egrets held them with their wings and took a small sip.
The tea has distinct layers of flavor upon first sip, slightly bitter, then turning into a delicate sweetness, and leaving a lingering fragrance in the mouth. Unlike the tea brewed in this world, it contains no ginger, red date powder, cinnamon powder, or even salt.
The unique aroma of tea!
After each sip of tea, Jiang Liu poured himself another cup, and after three cups, the flavor of the tea in the pot had faded. Xie Hong smiled and said, "Such tea cannot be without poetry. Let me think..."
"Mr. Xie is very talented. I am all ears!" Li Fu smiled gently, her smile captivating.
"I've got it... Half a mountain retreat awaits the bright moon, a cup of clear tea to reward a kindred spirit. Its taste is sweeter than nectar, and drinking it instantly revives one from a deep ailment."
The people of the Tang Dynasty were fond of martial arts, carrying swords to slay demons. They were also fond of literature, especially poetry, which was used to express their aspirations, and the imperial examinations included poetry and prose. Xie Hong was a man of great talent, and poetry and lyrics were naturally within his grasp.
Li Fu slowly drank the tea in her cup. She was appreciating the poem and the tea, and also the person. She said, "What a fine line, 'A cup of tea to reward a kindred spirit.' I have no poetic talent, so I will not embarrass myself by offering my own. The abbot is truly talented. If you have any new poems, I am all ears."
"A masterpiece is born of nature, and a stroke of genius is often found by chance! Since you wish to hear poetry, I have a pagoda poem I wrote last month..."
Jiang Liu pointed at the iron kettle and uttered a single word: "Tea."
"Fragrant leaves and tender buds."
He admired poetry and loved Taoism.
Carved white jade, woven red gauze.
The yellow stamens simmer in the pot, and the dust and flowers swirl in the bowl.
Inviting the bright moon to accompany me at night, and facing the morning glow before dawn.
"Having washed away the weariness of people past and present, what praise can one offer after becoming drunk?"
After reading the poem, everyone fell silent. They realized that poetry could be written in such a way. It wasn't from the Book of Songs, nor from folk songs, nor from five- or seven-character quatrains, but rather shaped like a pagoda; calling it a pagoda poem would be quite fitting.
Seeing the astonished looks on everyone's faces, Jiang Liu laughed inwardly. He felt no remorse whatsoever for plagiarism: When it comes to poetic talent, who in the world can surpass me! From the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, I can conjure up three poems of any kind you desire! Are you all dumbfounded? Little girl, are you shocked?
As the sun set and darkness fell, with the moon rising above the willow branches, Li Fu rose to take her leave: "I am truly grateful for the abbot's fine tea. Thank you, sir, uncle, and Miss Bailu. Night has fallen, and I should return now. I will come again to chat next time I have the chance. Farewell."
A small boat drifted away on the waves, gradually disappearing into the night.
Jiang Liu stood on the riverbank, staring blankly in the direction Li Fu had left, lost in thought for a long time.
What is the purpose of a duke's daughter who travels thousands of miles to Jinling City?
Jiang Liu never assumes the worst about others. Why would a cultivator who has reached the edge of refining essence into qi go into seclusion and strive to become a qi refiner as soon as possible, but instead travel thousands of miles to come here? Is he just sightseeing?
"Red-Robed Lady! I hope you won't drag me into some inexplicable conspiracy!"
Jiang Liu looked up and saw the moon rising above the willow branches. A jumble of thoughts swirled within him, a tangled mess he couldn't unravel.
"No wonder Qi cultivators are detached from worldly affairs, closing their mountain gates to focus solely on cultivation, ignoring worldly matters. With all these entanglements of cause and effect, how can they possibly concentrate on cultivation... But while secluded cultivation is desirable, it also has its drawbacks. If I hadn't come to Jinling City, how could I have obtained the fragment of the Yangzhou Cauldron, how could I have known about the conspiracy of the City God of Huaiyin City? I might not even have known that great calamity was about to befall me..."
"The mortal world is a test of the heart! This is a great spiritual practice!"
After that day, Li Fu never came again, and Jiang Liu also stayed away from worldly affairs, focusing on his cultivation in Wuyi Lane, cleansing his body by day and refining his form by month. However, the cultivation method of the "Purification Mantra" was indeed too poor, and the accumulation of vital energy was very slow. He could not break through the second level of refining essence into qi for a long time.
This made Jiang Liu somewhat agitated.
Chapter Sixty-Five: The Xie Family's Treasure
I'm restless and agitated!
This is a major taboo for Qi cultivators.
If this were Jiang Liu in this world, this situation would never have occurred. His decades of dedicated cultivation had already allowed him to master the methods of entering a meditative state and purifying his mind.
However, it should be noted that the other half of Jiang Liu's soul came from that materialistic and extremely restless world, and it occupied the majority of his body, which instantly lowered his moral compass by more than half.
Without the help of that "one who escaped," he would never have been able to become an Earth Immortal in his lifetime.
Standing once again on the banks of the Qinhuai River, Jiang Liu felt his heart, like the river itself, being stirred by the wind.
“Cultivating step by step is far too time-consuming. Even my master, a genius among mortals, took a hundred years to reach the peak of Refining Essence into Qi. I don’t have that kind of time. I must find a way to improve quickly. I have a way to escape, so resources are not an obstacle for me. This Journey to the West is a world of immortals and Buddhas, and the cultivation techniques are far more advanced than those in other worlds…”
Jiang Liu couldn't help but think of worlds like "Covering the Sky," "Tomb of the Gods," and "Zhu Xian," and thought to himself, "...At least that's how it is at this stage! In low-level worlds, the cultivation techniques in this Journey to the West world are still quite advanced. So I still need to find my natal cultivation method in the Journey to the West world."
Xie Chou couldn't help in this situation either, as he only practiced the ordinary demon race's "Demon Transformation Technique".
"A cultivation technique! A top-grade cultivation technique! The cultivation techniques sold in those shops are not even as good as my Cleansing Mantra. Top-grade cultivation techniques are secrets passed down by each sect. Unless you become an apprentice, how can you obtain them! How can you obtain them!"
Jiang Liu sat there in vain. As soon as he returned, he saw that the yard was full of books, many of which were yellowed and riddled with holes by insects.
"Where did these books come from? They look quite old!"
Xie Hong was engrossed in reading a book and didn't hear Jiang Liu's question. Bai Lu flew over, flapping her wings, and said, "These were all found in the ruins of the Xie family mansion. Ah Chou and I were just wandering around the ruins when we stumbled upon these books. There's a whole bunch more, and Ah Chou went to move them."
As the river flowed by, one could see Confucian classics and Daoist metaphysics. The Eastern Jin Dynasty favored the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi, so naturally there were many such books. The Xie family also passed down their knowledge of poetry and literature, and they had a considerable collection of the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as various other Confucian classics.
Xie Hong was intently reading a handwritten note.
Xie Chou then brought over a number of old books, many of which were rotten and the writing was illegible.
As evening approached, Xie Hong finally finished reading the notebook. He rubbed his temples and said, "This notebook was handwritten by our ancestor, Master Anshi. It records the various events, big and small, that occurred during his seclusion in Dongshan. There should be more later, but this one only records three years... Abbot, it records some stories of Qi cultivators. Look, here it says: 'In spring, the Taoist priest Zhichuan visited. We had a very pleasant conversation and became close friends. He taught me the secret formula of the Cloud Light Stone Flow. I am dull-witted and only gained a small amount!'"
Xie Hong flipped to the back and said, "This alchemy manual appears again here, which reads: 'I have cultivated this alchemy manual for three years, and all my chronic illnesses have disappeared. Clouds and light flow like stone, this is the magic of immortals!' And here it is: 'The method of the alchemy cauldron leads directly to the Great Dao. I am dull-witted, and I will never be able to glimpse the Great Dao in my remaining years!'"
"The Elixir Formula: Cloud Light Flowing Stone? The Taoist Priest Zhichuan?"
Jiang Liu murmured to himself, then his eyes flashed with excitement as he exclaimed, "Master Fangshi Zhichuan, is that Ge Hong, the alchemist also known as Baopuzi! It's him, it's him! I remember him. My master told me that he was the number one alchemist in the Southern Continent in the last five hundred years, and he has now attained immortality. Baopu Mountain was founded by him. He was a great alchemist of his generation!"
Xie Chou scratched his head, rolled his eyes and thought for a while before saying, "Now that you mention it, I do have some recollection. Master Lingyun also recited it many times, saying that although Uncle's alchemy technique is good, it requires immense resources and talent. In the past three hundred years, the Xie family has only produced one person, An Shi, and the rest cannot cultivate it!"
"So this alchemy technique has been lost?" A thought flashed through Jiang Liu's mind; perhaps his cultivation method had finally been found.
Xie Hong nodded and said, "It may have been lost, at least I haven't heard of it. However, our ancestors had the habit of writing notes, so we might be able to find some clues in these books."
After a sleepless night, the group tidied up the mountain of books, including more than a hundred letters, mostly written by Xie family ancestors. After another day of reading, they finally made a discovery.
"You mean, the secret formula for alchemy is hidden in this jade pendant of mine?"
Xie Hong took off a piece of jade of poor quality from his neck; it looked unremarkable.
“I have worn this around my neck since I was born. My father said it was the symbol of the Xie family. As long as the jade is there, the person is there; if the jade is destroyed, the person dies! An ordinary piece of green jade wouldn’t get much money even if you pawned it at a shop.”
I've seen this piece of jade before. Back then, Master Lingyun wore this ordinary piece of green jade. That Wang family brat even mocked him for only being worthy of a piece of green jade. I remember it very clearly.
Jiang Liu played with it for a while, using his vital energy and divine sense, but gained nothing; it was just an ordinary piece of green jade.
"Perhaps it requires bloodline to unlock! Try it, use your divine sense, or the qi in your body. If you have mastered qi cultivation, you should be able to do it."
"I'll give it a try!"
Xie Hong closed his eyes to sense, but since he had not yet entered the Dao, his spiritual sense was very weak, relying only on the Confucian practice of cultivating qi.
Three to five seconds later, Xie Hong was covered in sweat, but he was still struggling to hold on. After seven seconds, a white light flashed in the jade, and Xie Hong immediately screamed, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
"He's just been suffering from excessive mental strain, so he might be in some pain these past few days, but there are no lasting effects." Jiang Liu examined Xie Hong and found nothing seriously wrong.
Xie Chou moved Xie Hong to the bed and asked Jiang Liu, who was deep in thought by the window, "Was that really a pill-making technique?"
"I don't know if it's a pill-refining technique, but it's definitely extraordinary. Neither you nor I, as Qi cultivators, can detect it. Only Xie Hong, a descendant of the Xie family, can react to it. There must be some hidden secret! Let's wait until he wakes up to discuss everything!"
This was an agonizing night. Jiang Liu hoped to obtain the unknown elixir formula, hoping it was a better technique than the "Purification Mantra".
Xie Hong was also suffering. The excessive consumption of his spiritual energy quickly manifested itself. His skull felt like it was about to split open, as if a worm had burrowed into his brain and was constantly gnawing at his brain matter.
Xie Chou watched Xie Hong groaning in pain on the bed, feeling the torment himself. He had experienced this state of mental exhaustion before, as if his head had been split open and a knife was slowly churning it apart.
After tossing and turning all night, Xie Hong finally drifted off to sleep, and his relaxed brows showed that he was recovering quickly.
"His spirit is damaged, but the other six spirits are strong, especially the Heavenly Rush Spirit, which is stronger than ordinary people!" Recalling the words of the white-bearded old alchemist, Jiang Liu nodded to himself. The recovery of his spiritual sense was indeed extraordinary, not much different from that of an enlightened cultivator.
PS: Clouds and light flow, elixir flies, elixir cascades! A tribute to Luo Shui's "Journey to the North"! A fragment of the Great Dao emerged from Luo Shui, half a heavenly book, "Journey to the North." Back then, I saved my breakfast money to buy "Fantasy" and followed it obsessively; ten years have passed in the blink of an eye! Looking back now, it feels like a lifetime ago! Luo Shui has started a new book, "Records of Mountains and Seas," if you don't mind the slow pace, you can jump in!
Chapter Sixty-Six: Cloud Light Stone Flow
Clouds and light flow, stone streams and flying cinnabar!
The full name of Danjue comes from the ancient Danding school, also known as Danding School.
The Dan Ding School is a school of alchemy. One of the incarnations of the Supreme Lord Laozi resided in the Tushita Palace of the Thirty-Three Heavens, where he practiced the Dao of Alchemy.
The Daoist scriptures say: The superior ones take Heaven and Earth as the cauldron, the sun and moon as water and fire, Yin and Yang as the mechanism of transformation, the various spiritual energies as the Five Elements, temperament as the dragon and tiger, and thoughts as the true seed. Refining thoughts with the mind is the timing of the fire, calming thoughts is nourishing the fire, containing the past is consolidating the foundation, subduing inner demons is the battle, body, mind, and intention are the three essentials, the Heavenly Heart is the mysterious gate, and when emotions return to nature, the elixir is formed.
This is the superior way to achieve longevity!
Those at the intermediate level use their physical body as a cauldron, their spirit as water, their primordial energy as fire, and the spiritual essence of heaven and earth as medicine. They employ their spirit, blood, and qi to refine and condense essence, qi, and spirit, seizing the creation of the spiritual essence of heaven and earth to generate the true seed, breaking through the mysterious barrier, and seizing the secrets of heaven. When the elixir is completed, their strength greatly increases. The so-called unification of the three elements is called the sacred embryo; the merging of nature and life is called the completion of the elixir; having a body outside the body is called rebirth; breaking through the void is called becoming one.
This is the middle way to seize the secrets of heaven!
Those of lower level use metal and stone as cauldrons and furnaces, adding water and fire, and the five elements of lead, mercury, silver, sand, and earth to refine spiritual substances into elixirs. These elixirs are then consumed to heal injuries, restore vitality, and prolong life.
This kind of alchemy is of the lowest rank, and nine out of ten alchemists in the world are like this.
The "Cloud Light Stone Flow Flying Elixir" of the Dan Ding School is a middle-level alchemical method that uses the body as a cauldron to seize the creation of heaven and earth.