How deep is the water in the Yinren Inn?
On the way back, I asked this question more than once.
Unfortunately, no one can tell clearly, not even my master. I only know that if that place is in chaos, it will not be far from the chaos of Yin and Yang.
Later, Brother Yaozi interrupted and made me understand roughly.
He said that it is not that there are no rules below, on the contrary, the rules are very strict. In fact, these practitioners in the Yang world have some skills and occasionally intervene in the affairs of the Yin and Yang worlds. The below will not be too taboo, and even give some face. After all, fists are the kingly way. But if you keep doing this kind of thing every now and then, you will inevitably be torn apart!
Like the Yinren Inn, it is specially used to accommodate things that do not want to go below. It is said that the Ten Kings of Hell would have sent the Yin soldiers to attack you with a wave of their hands, but this place has been in the Yin and Yang worlds for so many years, and there is nothing wrong. Isn't it enough to explain the problem?
It is indeed quite telling...
I was still thinking about what my master said. After hearing what Brother Yaozi said, I roughly understood what I would face in the future.
When we walked out of the mountains and returned to my home, it was already noon the next day.
My master took me to the ancestral temple and found the secret chamber on the statue of Shengwu Tianguan. Then, I wrote a note and stuffed it inside. It had the address of Zhenwu Temple. I didn't know if it was useful, but I was thinking that if my father came back, I had to let him know where I was so that he could find me if he wanted to.
Then, I sent an address to Lao An and Xiao Liu, told them my new mobile phone number, and told them to contact me immediately if they had any information from the investigation.
In fact, in the final analysis, I still couldn't let go of my parents. If they didn't show up one day, I would feel uneasy.
After doing these things, I followed my master back to Zhenwu Temple without stopping.
It was already three or four in the afternoon. After my master went back to his room, I saw Zhang Xinya and Brother Yaozi being called into the room in turn. There must be something to arrange. It was probably about opening the mountain gate. In the end, even Lao Bai went in, but I had nothing to do.
I was free, so I went back to my room, tidied it up, took out the painting of Zhiniang, spread it out on the bed, stared at the smile between her eyebrows, and was lost in thought.
Some people say that after experiencing great storms, you can see the ups and downs of the world, and from then on, you can watch the flowers bloom and fall in front of the courtyard, and follow the clouds rolling and unfolding in the sky, and you can be free and easy.
But after experiencing these things, I lost my smile. When the brothers got together, they were happy and lively, but when the door was closed, my heart was full of things, and I always felt that something was wrong.
"Oh, you're thinking about someone else now?"
A teasing voice suddenly sounded from the wind chime at the head of the bed. It was the living ancestor of Cang Yao: "I'm not dead yet? You're drooling over someone else's body? What's wrong? Is it because I'm not pretty enough, or is it because you have a mental problem and don't love young girls but married women?"
I was shocked. The original bleak thoughts disappeared without a trace. I snorted and muttered that I really thought of myself as a wife. A woman who I dare not look at or touch is a landmine next to me, sharper than a knife on my neck.
Who knew that as soon as these words came out, a long leg came out of the wind chime and was placed in front of me.
That's right, it was a leg.
It had no head or face, just one leg, and it looked creepy.
Cang Yao had no idea how scary this scene was. Instead, she said, "Who said you can't touch it? If you want to, just touch it. It's long, white and straight. If you don't believe me, take a look for yourself."
I thought to myself, you're wearing such a fat pair of pants, how can I see what you look like? However, I dare not say this, I can only beg her not to play tricks on me.
"That's right, there's a big beauty at home, don't look at others every day, be careful I'll dig out your eyes."
Cang Yao smiled and warned me, and then said, "If you really want a woman, you can find me. If you are not afraid of being separated by yin and yang and losing your energy if you touch it, I'll wait for you anytime."
I thought about the foxy look of this woman, and I thought to myself that I didn't want to die yet.
But I can see clearly that she is just idle, very ghostly, and likes to play tricks on people.
While we were arguing, the door opened and Lao Bai's head came in through the crack. This guy had sharp eyes and saw the legs sticking out of the wind chime and the painting I spread out. His eyes were instantly attracted by the painting and became cross-eyed. He rushed in like a gust of wind.
Fortunately, I was quick-witted and quickly rolled up the painting.
"Not enough brothers!"
Lao Bai was disappointed and shook his head and said, "If you don't share good things, you are useless as a friend!"
I said to fuck you, if you don't want to be a friend, then don't be a friend. This guy said with a dark face that my master was looking for me.
I was embarrassed by Cang Yao's teasing and immediately ran away like a gust of wind.
When we got out of the door, Lao Bai put his arm around my shoulder and asked me with a lewd look if my wife was jealous.
I said I didn't have a wife, and that woman was very naughty and was deliberately teasing me.
Lao Bai shook his head and said with a smile: "Do you think she is really joking with you? I tell you, if you continue to look at that painting, she will definitely dig out your eyes. If you don't believe me, try it!"
I saw that he didn't seem to be faking it, and was stunned for a while, saying that what did my looking at that painting have to do with her?
"If one day she flirts with a male ghost in front of you, I guess you will immediately wake up the Tianguan Blade, take out the Baipi Knife, and chop the fucking couple. You can't control it at all! What is the same blood? It means that you are in love and commit suicide after breaking up. Do you understand? You are still too naive. I have been lying at the door and listening for a long time. Didn't you hear that Yao Yao was smiling on the surface just now, but was mad in his heart?"
Lao Bai shook his head. While talking, we had already reached the door of my master. He patted my shoulder and said, "Okay, buddy, your master is determined to open the mountain gate this time. He also ordered me to do something. I have to go out for a walk. Pay more attention to the female ghost next to you in the future. Don't wait for me to come back. You won't be able to drink the welcoming wine, but you have to collect your body."
It was obvious that he was not joking with me in the following words, but was really worried about me. I couldn't help but think of the time when he carried me out of the tomb. My throat seemed to be blocked by something, and I felt very uncomfortable. I gave him a hug and said that we should live a long life. We should be careful on this trip and be a coward. It's not shameful. He didn't want to collect my body, and I didn't want to go to the Black Miao village to help him collect the body one day.
Lao Bai pushed me into the house and scolded me with a smile: "Fuck you, I don't like men. If we are really brothers, take out the painting and let everyone look at it together."
I closed the door with a "bang", but when I saw my master, I was shocked by him.
He sat cross-legged on the futon, his body hunched, his black hair hanging down, covering half of his cheek, his face like gold paper. After seeing me, he smiled and waved, but immediately coughed, and a trickle of blood came out from the corner of his mouth.
I subconsciously ran out to call Brother Yaozi and the others. I didn't know what happened. He was fine when I came back, but he became like this in the blink of an eye.
"They all know my situation, so there's no need to call anyone. It's just that Master has been injured, and we are worried that something will follow us outside. We can only hold on if they see our weakness and attack us."
My Master stopped me, took my hand, and chuckled, "These are all minor injuries. Come here. Master has something to tell you."
It turned out that his injury had not healed.
But for my parents' affairs, he ran around for several days.
I wanted to say something, but I couldn't say a word. Tears came down. Even I despised myself for being a coward. Why did I cry?
"Master is going to retreat, and this time he may have to retreat for a very long time."
My master pondered for a moment, then took out a book from the cushion. It was a very old thread-bound book with the words "Qingwei Neidan Shu" written in traditional Chinese characters. He handed the book to me and sighed, "You can read this book more often, but you don't need to learn the methods of Neidan Shu. You should still read the Ten Thousand Burial Sutra more. That is the foundation of your ritual officials, do you understand? During the period of Master's retreat, you should learn boxing and kicking from your brother Yaozi every day. Although you are old, it is always good to learn. In the future, there will be bloody storms, and more skills will never be a burden. You must be diligent, learn more, and don't fall behind in cultivation."
Cultivation?
This is the first time my master talked about this concept with me.
I was puzzled, and after a moment of hesitation, I said, "What is cultivation? Is it what you told me, waking up in a dream is cultivation?"
Unexpectedly, my master laughed up his head after hearing it, and only stopped when he coughed repeatedly. He poked my heart with his slender fingers and said that waking up in a dream was for me to cultivate here. If I understood this sentence one day, he would let me go out and make my own way. But the cultivation he was talking about now was to cultivate my skills. As the saying goes, ten minutes on stage, ten years of hard work off stage. How can it be so easy to subdue demons? Without some skills, is it you who subdues demons, or is it the demons who subdue you?
I understood, and was overjoyed for a moment. Is it the same as in novels, the kind of flying and hiding skills?
My master laughed again, shook his head, and said, "Don't be too ambitious. Our practice is not the kind of skill in novels, but it is also a real skill. You are only in the early stage of fetal breathing now. Learn to walk first and then run."
I didn't quite understand what he said, but my master said that I would understand it after reading this book "Qingwei Neidanshu" more, so I nodded.
It was already late at night when I came out of my master's room. He talked to me for a long time, but he only told me to work hard and didn't say anything else.
That night, I held the book he gave me and didn't fall asleep all night. Later, I gradually realized that this practice is indeed different from the fantasy novels. My master is talking about the serious practice of Taoism.
The so-called fetal breathing, "Baopuzi" said that those who can breathe in and out without mouth and nose, as if in the womb, to put it bluntly, is a highly gentle abdominal breathing method induced by thoughts.
However, later on, this gradually became a level of Taoist practice. The earliest stage was this fetal breathing. The "Qingwei Neidan Shu" said that the so-called fetal breathing was the beginning of the division of yin and yang, and could communicate with the five elements. It was just the earliest to know how to breathe in and out the essence of the sun and the moon and use the power of yin and yang.
I thought about it, I don't know how to use the power of yin and yang, how can I have fetal breathing?
Later, I figured out that it should be because of the Earth Spirit Pearl. If I awaken the Heavenly Official Blade, it will touch the Earth Spirit Pearl, and the Earth Spirit Pearl will attract the Qi of the dragon vein. Although it is not quite the same as the fetal breathing that can use yin and yang, the principle is similar.
I was tossing until dawn, and I finally felt a little sleepy. As a result, Brother Yaozi came to knock on the door, and pulled me up, dragged me to the back mountain, handed me a rusty knife, and asked me to chop trees, saying that this is my practice. If I can't chop this tree, I'm not allowed to eat dinner.
I was dumbfounded. I didn't sleep for two days. I rushed back to Zhenwu Temple from the deep mountains and old forests of my hometown. I was so dizzy when I walked that how could I chop trees? I had heard of chopping trees with axes, but I had never heard of chopping trees with knives. Moreover, this knife was rusty and the blade was curled. I didn't know where Brother Yaozi found it.
I looked at the tree in front of me that one person could just hug, and said, isn't this just to torture me? And now it is illegal to chop trees.
Brother Yaozi said, don't worry, he will take care of the illegality.
I also said that I heard that Lao Bai was leaving at eight o'clock, so I had to see him off. Seeing Brother Yaozi slapping me with a big palm fan, I didn't say a word.
Later, I was really taken away and detained for several days. But after I came out, Brother Yaozi asked me to continue chopping trees...
At the beginning, I was tormented with back and legs every day, and I couldn't chop trees all the time. I was hungry every day and wanted to sleep when I saw the bed.
The days passed one by one, and in the blink of an eye it was already autumn. A coffin shop opened at the foot of the mountain, which was converted from a private house. The owner was Zhang Xinya. He said that he opened this shop to take on some business after the mountain gate was opened. In fact, nothing happened for such a long time, which made me extremely suspicious that my master was exaggerating about the matter of the Yinren Inn. On the contrary, Zhang Xinya seemed to be leisurely and carefree every day.
My eyes were bleeding. During dinner, I couldn't help but say, why should I learn to cut trees with a broken knife, while she didn't have to do anything.
Zhang Xinya said, if I don't cut trees, where will the wood for coffins come from? Although I didn't receive any strange things, I sold a lot of coffins. If I didn't sell coffins, how would we feed three or four mouths?
Brother Yaozi said again, Zhang Xinya has no family hatred, but I do, which is why Zhang Xinya doesn't need training.
So, I had nothing to say. Although I really wanted to say that cutting trees was useless, Brother Yaozi looked at me with a dark face and held it back.
However, cutting trees is not all bad. At least, my body is gradually getting stronger.
It's cool in autumn, and it's fun to work with bare chest every day. Slowly, I actually like this peaceful life a little bit.
One day, I was working in the back mountain with a broken knife, and a person walked up the steep mountain road leisurely.
On weekdays, you can't even see a ghost in this mountain. Suddenly, someone came, which naturally attracted my attention. What's more, the other party's dress was so unique?
This was a woman, but she was dressed in white. To be precise, she was wearing an extremely wide Hanfu, with fluttering sleeves, very fairy-like, and her black hair fell behind her like a waterfall. Unfortunately, there was a veil on her face, so I couldn't see her face clearly.
The weirdest thing was that she was holding a gourd in her hand.
At first, I thought she was a Hanfu enthusiast who came to the mountain to collect folk songs and take pictures.
Who knew that after walking along the mountain road to my side, she actually chose a stump left by the tree I felled, sat down by herself, and looked at me in a daze.
I could only see her eyes, which were a pair of very beautiful eyes, with eyebrows like distant black, and eyes that were bright and spirited, but I didn't dare to look at them for too long, because this woman had a kind of otherworldly aura, very cold, and people didn't dare to approach her, as if she was a superior, looking down on all living things.
She just sat there quietly looking at me, slightly lost in thought, for more than half an hour, and finally made me feel embarrassed, so I couldn't help but put on my clothes, otherwise people would think I was a shank seller.
"Why don't you work, young man?"
The woman suddenly spoke, her voice was pleasant, but even colder than her temperament, keeping people away from her.
"This..."
I was speechless for a moment, looked at the rusty and broken knife in my hand, and said helplessly: "It's a bit embarrassing."
The woman's eyes moved, as if she smiled, and waved at me. After I passed by, she handed me the gourd in her hand and said softly: "Drink a sip if you are tired, sit down and rest."
I subconsciously took the gourd, and I felt a little regretful. This woman's temperament and appearance did not seem like she was taking pictures, and she was definitely not an ordinary person. I want what she gave me? Who knows what she does?
But this woman has a magical power. She said nothing, just sat there and looked at me quietly, but I couldn't have any thoughts of refusing. I subconsciously unscrewed the lid of the gourd, and a clear wine aroma came to my nose. If nothing unexpected happened, it should be the famous Shanxi wine Zhuyeqing.
I noticed that there was a faint lip print on the gourd, which was the wine gourd she used.
Although I am a bit of a loser, I am not so much of a loser that I don't mind seeing a beautiful woman. The main reason is that this woman's background is too strange. She gave her things to a strange man for no reason. Anyway, I dare not use it.
So, I took a look and screwed the bottle cap on. I smiled very honestly and scratched my head: "It turned out to be wine. I thought it was water. I can't drink. Thank you."
Then I handed the wine gourd over, but the woman didn't take it.
"It's not that you can't drink, it's that you don't dare to drink, right?"
The woman said lightly, as if she didn't understand the worldly affairs of seeing through but not speaking out, which made me very embarrassed. But before I could say anything, she changed the subject and asked: "Is there a Taoist temple on the mountain called Zhenwu Temple? There is a Taoist priest in the temple called Zhang Daoxuan?"
I hesitated for a moment and said, "That's my master."
The woman nodded: "Go and help me call your master out, I have something to ask him."
At this point, I finally understood that this woman came for us, and she was probably the same person as my master!
I said: "Tell me what's going on, I will notify my master, he is in seclusion now, and he won't see anyone."
"If it's me, he will see him."
The woman said softly: "I'll wait here, you go and tell him, you can just say eight words to him-dragons fight in the wild, their blood is dark yellow!"
Dragons fight in the wild, their blood is dark yellow.
I repeated it and saw that she didn't seem to be pretending. She must have something important to say, so I responded and asked her to wait a while. Then I left. But after walking a few steps, I found that the wine gourd was still in my hand, so I turned back to return it to her.
Unexpectedly, the woman waved her hand and said, "I'm giving it to you. Don't lose it. It's very important."
It's very important, but you still give it to me casually?
Weird!
I muttered to myself, shook my head, and turned away holding the gourd.
"Your name is Wei Jingzhe, right?"
The woman's cold voice came from behind.
I almost fell to the ground. I asked myself that I was not a famous actor. When did I become so famous? I subconsciously looked back and found that the woman had her back to me, and her dress fluttered in the mountain breeze.
At that moment, I really thought that the goddess of the nine heavens had fallen to the human world.
Then, I heard the woman talking to herself: "Jingzhe, what a good name. It's the time when the weather gets colder and warmer. I'll remember it. My name is Qingzhu, remember it too."