The next day, it was still early.
The big rooster raised in the Taoist temple "cock-a-doodle-dooed" loudly.
As if it was predicting the arrival of a new day.
Chen Yun was pulled out of the warm quilt by Wang Zixi.
At this moment, the sky was just beginning to show a pale yolk, with the clouds gathered like a market at the horizon, resembling blood and displaying a faint red hue.
As the cold wind blew in, Chen Yun shivered from the cold standing in front of the empty stone ground in front of the hut.
Wang Zixi said in a faceless manner, "Master has entrusted me with the task of teaching you the Five Elements Fist. This martial art is designed to enhance physical fitness. Once mastered, it will not only aid in the completion of the hundred-day foundation but also assist in refining essence and cultivating qi in the future."
Chen Yun asked curiously, "Is the Five Elements Fist powerful?"
Wang Zixi furrowed his brow and said, "What do you mean?"
Chen Yun said, "Is it effective in combat after learning?"
Wang Zixi's brow furrowed even deeper, "The Five Elements Fist is a martial art for cultivating health. How can it be used in fierce combat with others?"
Alright.
Chen Yun had originally thought that the martial arts of Daoism, once learned, would possess immense power akin to those depicted in novels of wuxia, only to find that they were merely for health and cultivation.
Wang Zixi looked at him and said coldly, "Come and practice with me."
"Alright, senior brother."
Chen Yun put away his distracting thoughts and focused his attention.
Wang Zixi slowly performed the martial arts, and kept introducing them in his mouth: "The 'Neijing' organizes the five zang (viscera) and six fu organs (organs associated with viscera) according to the five element characteristics, such as lungs belong to gold, kidneys to water, heart to fire, liver to wood, and spleen to soil. The six fu organs are also organized in a table-ri relationship respectively contained in the five zang organs, which is used to expound the different characteristics of five zang organs and six fu organs, as well as their mutual relationships. This is a system of generation, restriction, transformation and transformation which leads to an orderly whole. The Five Elements Fist has five styles of chui (split), zuan (drill), beng (explosion), paos (firework), and heng (cross). These five styles correspond respectively to gold wood water fire earth five elements. Practicing these five styles can benefit respectively for lungs kidneys liver heart spleen five viscera."
As he spoke, he raised his head upwards, kept his hands steady, and his tongue pressed upwards.
"This is known as the 'Three Ins.' Wang Zixi explained in detail: "The head-top has the arrogance of reaching for the heavens; the hand-top has the power to push mountains; and the tongue-top has the appearance of swallowing lions and tigers. Try it for me."
Chen Yun followed Wang Zixi's instructions and performed the actions.
"Not right, tilt your head back a bit more."
Wang Zixi taught him hand in hand, "Push your hands out a bit further, and your tongue-top was done correctly. You have some natural talent."
"Thank you, senior brother."
Chen Yun was surprised that Wang Zixi, despite his cold exterior, was so serious about teaching.
A few minutes later.
He was probably familiar with the "Three Ins".
Following that, Wang Zixi began to teach the "Three Clasps" and "Three Circles" and other martial arts postures.
This teaching lasted the entire morning hour.
While practicing martial arts, Chen Yun thought to himself: "I guess this counts as wakening up to the rooster's crow too?"
One cannot help but say that Daoist martial arts are exquisite.
After practicing martial arts for half an hour, Chen Yun was drenched in sweat but felt relaxed and agile all over.
Afterward, he took a bath and went to the dining hall for a meal.
...
After breakfast.
Chen Yun went to the herbal garden to learn about herbs from Li Si.
As soon as he entered the herbal garden, he didn't see Li Si and saw a woman holding a lotus flower, seemingly sneaking around in the garden, possibly looking for some herbs.
The woman was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, wearing a long dress with alternating red and green colors, and she was exceptionally beautiful.
Chen Yun looked at her delicate profile, stunned for a moment, like an artwork.
To be honest, neither in this life nor in the past life has he ever seen such a beautiful and captivating woman.
He just hesitated for a moment, then quickly regained his composure and said softly, "Madam, what business do you have in our Taoist temple's herbal garden?"
"Newcomer?"
The woman turned her head and smiled.
It was better that she did not smile.
As soon as she smiled, Chen Yun could only think of one line from a poem to describe her beauty, "It seems like a celestial being has descended from the heavens, and her glance is more beautiful than the stars."
So beautiful.
Chen Yun felt as if he had seen a beautiful landscape of green mountains and clear waters.
Chen Yun could not help but look at her a few more times, "Madam, you are the……brother of my temple?"
The woman looked down again, searching for something in the ground, her voice as clear and sweet as a yellow warbler, "You can count as my brother, but you are not from this Taoist temple."
Chen Yun was confused and asked, "May I ask your name, Madam?"
The woman answered, "Her name is He Qiong."
He Qiong?
This name sounds so familiar?
Chen Yun always felt like he had heard this name somewhere before, but just couldn't remember at the moment.
Just wanted to ask her what she was looking for in the herb garden.
Suddenly, He Qiong exclaimed excitedly like a young girl, "Found it!"
Chen Yun looked in the direction of her voice and saw that she was holding a "dry grass" with alternating black and white colors in her hand.
At this moment, another sound of footsteps was heard outside the herb garden.
Li Si's voice came from outside, "Chen junior, you are really... ah..."
Chen Yun turned to look and saw that Li Si had suddenly fallen down and kowtowed.
"Greeting the Xian gu true being."
Li Si kowtowed solidly three times.
"Ah?"
Xian gu true being?
The stunningly beautiful woman in front of him was actually a legendary Taoist sage?
Chen Yun dared not believe it and looked at He Qiong again.
He Qiong seemed to have many personalities; she was just acting like a young girl before, but now she was very cold. "Get up, there's no need for such formalities. Tell Wang Laozhi that I've picked a plant called the Yin-Yang Star Herb."
After saying that, He Qiong's figure suddenly shattered, and she transformed into a scattering of stars that dissipated in the air.
Chen Yun was completely stunned.
Li Si finally stood up, drenched in sweat, and he heaved a sigh of relief, "The Xian gu is really something. Every time she's short on herbs, she comes for a windfall. This time, she picked the Yin-Yang Star Herb for her new disciple."
Although Chen Yun had already guessed her true identity in his heart, he still asked in a straightforward manner, "Li senior brother, who was that Xian gu?"
"She was, like our ancestor, one of the Eight Immortals, the Shuangci MiaoFa YuanJun, a disciple of the Pure Yang True Man, and hence our ancestor's great-grandson. He became a Taoist master and reached true enlightenment. She is a true godly being. We don't just have to kneel and show respect to her; even Master Wang LaoZhi would have to do so as well. Just now, it was not her true form but one of her myriad manifestations." Li Si explained in detail.
It turns out she is truly He Xian Gu!
Chen Yun never expected that the first true immortal he encountered in this world was not Zhongli Yuanquan, but He Xian Gu.
What amazed him most was that He Xian Gu was so beautiful.
"Alright," Li Si said, seeing Chen Yun staring blankly, "Let's start getting familiar with the herbs."
Chen Yun put aside his thoughts and said, "Okay, thank you, senior brother."
"It's nothing," Li Si said, walking over to the field and pointing at a few "dry grass" plants identical to the one He Xian Gu had picked up, "Now that Xian gu has taken the Yin-Yang Star Herb, I'll start teaching you from there."
Chen Yun's heart stirred.
Chen Yun remembered that the core ingredient of the first set of "100 days to build foundation" spiritual elixir in the "Great Array Spiritual Soup" was the Yin-Yang Star Herb.
So, he went forward to listen carefully.
Li Si gave a brief account of the benefits of the Yin-Yang Star Herb.
The main function of this herb is to help people open the Ren and Dui meridians.
Additionally, it has remarkable effects on treating blocked meridians.
Chen Yun silently memorized it in his heart.
After that, Li Si went through a series of other herbs one by one.
It's not surprising that there are so many medicinal materials in the herbal garden. The variety alone is over a thousand.
That's not the issue.
The issue is that after listening to Li Si's introduction, Chen Yun found that all the herbs needed for brewing the two types of elixirs— "100 Days to Build Foundation" and "Refining Rice into Essence"—were available here.
Chen Yun secretly pondered, "Is this destiny helping me?"
Of course, he couldn't commit theft.
But it didn't stop Chen Yun from contemplating whether he could ask Master Wang Laozhi for some herbs to brew the elixir "100 Days to Build Foundation" if he performed well here.
Hey, he hasn't even learned the method for "100 Days to Build Foundation" yet, let alone brewing the elixir.
Just as he was thinking in his mind.
As he was thinking that, Li Si finished his introduction of the herbs, clapped his hands, and stood up. "Let's start watering the herbs; it's best to be quick. I just heard from Senior Brother Wang Zixi that he will be teaching you the method for '100 Days to Build Foundation' during lunch. Don't let us fall behind in our work and delay Master Wang from passing on his cultivation to you."
"Ah?"
Will the "100 Days to Build Foundation" method be passed on to me in the afternoon?
Chen Yun was overjoyed; he was finally going to start cultivation!
