A day had passed. Night changed onto morning, and morning changed fast onto night.
But if yesterday they studied with sitting cross-legged at Gao Qing's backyard, and the way they studied was memorizing the theory in the book, now the way they studied was by standing on a hill. No books, no writing brushes. And they did not even learn by memorizing or listening to the explanation of any theory.
But, from direct practice, which Gao Qing said as "feeling the sensation."
"It's useless to explain at length about the theory of Twelve Meridians. Many people try to memorize the lung meridian or the stomach's, but they can never memorize it. I will use another way. After you memorize and understand it, let's do the practice, by feeling the sensations."
"Feeling the sensation? Are we going to insert acupuncture needles into our own bodies?" asked Zhu Youdun.
Gao Qing shook his head. "We will practice it by feeling the flow of Qi moving in our meridians."
"Are... we going to practice Qigong?" Now it was Hu Nayin who asked.
"Yes, something like that. You have memorized all the names of the meridians and the channels they go through?"
"Yes... we have!..."
"Then, what is Kidney Meridian of Foot-Shaoyin?"
No one answered. Gao Qing smiled wryly at the gape faces of his three disciples.
"Yesterday you said you've memorized it?" Gao Qing's eyes narrowed.
"Not so much, Sir... The names are too strange and fancy to be memorized just within a few moments," Zhu Youdun finally chose to tell the truth.
"Hoo? Today your answer is different?"
The three of them were soon acting awkwardly, unable to hide the lies they had made - they had made lie by saying that they had memorized the theory in order to get Gao Qing explain the Theory of Meridian as soon as possible.
"But that's okay. This situation is like what I've expected. And, indeed, this is also being my hope."
They all were dumbfounded. "What?! Why?..."
"If you have memorized it, you'll say what you feel next is no more than a suggestion. Because I want you to prove the truth of the Theory of Meridian. Alright! Come on, let's start! First of all, stand straight, and slightly open your legs...."
Following the instruction, they stood straight, facing the tip of the hilltop. Facing directly towards the vast night sky.
"Keep your palm facing up, the inner side in the front, and the outer side behind. Straighten up your body, look straight ahead. Then, inhale deeply."
A strange whish suddenly struck Zhu Su's body as he followed Gao Qing's instructions. It was strange, since no wind blew at that time.
"Do you feel something?" As if being able to find out what Zhu Su felt, Gao Qing asked.
"Yes... a strange whish..." Zhu Youdun answered. Zhu Su looked at his son. It turned out that not only he who felt the strange sensation.
"What kind of whish do you feel?"
"Like... err... it's hard to explain... what is it like, anyway?..."
"Like a kind of energy is rising from the stomach to the body." This time it was Zhu Su who answered.
"Only that?"
"Hm... it seemingly flows to the other body parts... but I'm not so sure about that..."
"Then observe it more thoroughly. You have been a step closer to observing the Movement of Energy. Focus more, and you will recognize where the meridian flows." Gao Qing turned his gaze to Zhu Youdun and Hu Nayin. "The same with both of you. Don't just feel the sensation you get, more than that, you have to observe it. To be precise, observe from where the Energy comes from, and where it goes to."
"Alright!" Zhu Youdun and Hu Nayin answered together.
Once again, the three of them fell silent. Each of them was busy focusing their concentration as fervent as possible so as to get the essence of Gao Qing's teaching. Actually, it was quite difficult for them to study the Theory of Meridian in this way. Even the practitioners of Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and tuina mostly study the Theory of Meridian by memorizing the theory. Now Gao Qing taught them by using methods that were uncommon for beginners. However, since Gao Qing was basically a scholar who had a different mindset with ordinary people, he did not care even if the method he used was unusual or tended to make his disciples fail. Thank God, the three of them had learned meditation as the basis. But their level of the meditation was still at beginner level, they had not even reached the level of Qigong Meditation - a type of meditation to observe the Movement of Energy. But apparently, Gao Qing did not even care about it. He was totally sure that "Observing The Movement of Energy" was the best way - and also the only way - to study the Theory of Meridian, that was it. It was not negotiable.
"Don't say what you are thinking. Just keep it for yourself." Gao Qing said sharply as he saw Zhu Youdun opened his eyes and began to move his lips, fully understood that Zhu Youdun was impatient. "There will be a discussion session later, but not now."
"Al... alright, Sir!" Ashamed, Zhu Youdun closed his eyes and continued his observation again.
Zhu Su himself, did not hear what Gao Qing said, even for a word. To tell the truth, he was not in this world right now. He had departed from this world. His soul was free, jumping over the boundaries of mortal body that had locked him up all this time. His soul had united with nature. He was Nature, Nature was him. His breathing was very stable, he felt perfectly calm and peaceful.
Everything moved in a slow, organized, and stable way.
Without hurry. No compulsion. Just the way it was, as it should be.
Breathed in, breathed out.
The lungs took the Energy of Nature, passed it down to the stomach, then to the energy center below the navel - Dantian.
And slowly... very slowly... he felt it.
Pulsations at specific locations.
Starting at the center of the axilla * .
That weak pulse thus ran along the inside of the hands. Like hot lava flowing down from a volcano, this pulse also gave a heated sensation. Slowly it flowed downward... to the medial side of the elbow... to the wrist... and finally, to the end of the little finger.
And, he did not only feel the flow of energy in one area.
Not only on the hands. He also felt the same on his feet.
Beginning from the big toe, the inner part of it.
This beat had a different form. It was like a sting. Its flowing speed was also very fast, like a monkey jumping from a tree to another. Jumping from the big toe... to the heel... walking along the inner leg... to the knee... to the groin... then to the lower abdomen.
The pulsation, the flow of heat energy, and the stings, all moved in his body one after another. Little by little, everything which was vague before, now became much clearer. Even more, sometimes the energy flowed so immensely it made his body twitch.
...
* Axilla = the space below the shoulder through which vessels and nerves enter and leave the upper arm; a person's armpit.