I have an obsession. As long as a thought exists within me, my true consciousness will never fade. The moment a thought arises, the body and soul are separated. This is when I begin to recognize the universe...
The next morning, my uncle's family was all surprised when they saw me. I was a little confused, but in the end, it was my cousin, Zhang Fuhong, who asked me with a dark expression on his way to school: "Are you dating Wu Xiaoman?"
"What? What are you talking about?" I burst out laughing, then asked, "Why do you think that?"
"Didn't you? Then why do you look so energetic?" Zhang Fuhong asked skeptically.
"Damn! What does my good energy have to do with her? Are you overthinking things?" After a pause, I asked him, "So, do I seem different from before?"
"Um! … Ah! Same, same." When my cousin heard that I wasn't seeing Wu Xiaoman, he became absent-minded in the conversation.
I sighed, feeling silent. I thought maybe it was because I had begun my cultivation. Perhaps my aura had changed, as they say, "the face reflects the heart." My mind was clear, my mood was pleasant, and I felt full of energy, so it was normal for me to appear different from before.
I hadn't slept all night, I had been busy cultivating and solidifying my foundation. I was consolidating my progress. As I walked to school, I heard the birds chirping and felt the vitality of the grass by the roadside. I couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful the world was!
When I arrived at class and saw Wu Xiaoman, I made an exception and smiled at her, which confused her. Inside, I laughed heartily.
During morning study, Wu Xiaoman asked me, "What are you eating today?"
"Fried dough sticks and milk? Why?" I asked, puzzled.
Wu Xiaoman seemed to have an epiphany and said, "I thought you took the wrong medicine. You don't seem like the same person as before."
I was frustrated! This girl really knows how to talk! I couldn't be bothered to reply and closed my eyes to experience the changes cultivation had brought to me.
"Essence," "Qi," and "Spirit" are known as the Three Treasures in ancient cultivation practices. In alchemy, they are referred to as the Three Pills. I believe that "Essence" is the life force, "Qi" is the source of power, and "Spirit" is the light—the essence of life. If any of these three functions are lost, it is a symbol of death.
I quietly felt the existence of "Essence," "Qi," and "Spirit" in my body. I cultivated my "Essence," "stored my Spirit," and "absorbed Qi." Slowly, the Three Treasures merged into one, becoming a profound and indistinguishable whole. I deeply experienced the joy of life.
When I focused my mind, I felt the cool sensation of the small flag floating in my Sea of Consciousness, circulating through my veins. Unknowingly, I had focused on my Sea of Consciousness, instead of following the common practice of focusing on the lower Dantian.
Essence, Qi, and Spirit interact. When they flow smoothly, one becomes a person; when they reverse, one becomes a Daoist. The Three become one through reversal, and when separated, they flow naturally.
I calmed my mind, drew my Spirit to the Heavenly Heart, and then to my Sea of Consciousness. The small flag was still, my thoughts remained in this moment.
I absorbed Qi, gathered it from my limbs into my Sea of Consciousness, exhaled, and then scattered it back to my limbs, drawing it again to my Sea of Consciousness. I focused only on this single thought—this thought was tied to the small flag.
In that moment, I deeply experienced the pleasure of life. My will was firm, my determination was bright, my mind clear, and my wisdom sharp.
"Hey...! Zhang Santuo."
I was meditating when I vaguely heard someone calling me. I exhaled, gathered my mind, and opened my eyes to find that my deskmate, Wu Xiaoman, was calling me.
I asked, "What's up?"
Wu Xiaoman said, "What were you dreaming about just now! The first class is about to start, it's English class."
Oh my god, damn English! I hated English. Every time before English class, the teacher would have a spelling test. If you misspelled even one word, you'd have to write it five hundred times. Spelling tests were my nightmare.
I had been too busy with my cultivation these past few days and had no time to memorize the vocabulary. In a panic, I took out my English textbook and asked Wu Xiaoman, "What lesson are we on? What words are we spelling today?"
"...You really are hopeless," Wu Xiaoman sighed. Her voice was soft and pleasant. "Lesson three's words. Hurry up and take a look."
I was sweating! It had been more than a week of classes, and I didn't even know which lesson we were on. Thinking about it, it was really embarrassing. Even someone as thick-skinned as me felt a little ashamed when Wu Xiaoman pointed it out.
I flipped to lesson three and quickly wrote down the words that were going to be tested on my hands. In case I was called on to spell them on the board, I couldn't afford to make a fool of myself. Even though I was always making a fool of myself, writing on my hands to cheat had become my habit.
Just as the class bell rang, I had just finished writing the twenty or so words in a dense block on my palms. Hehe, I thought, this should be fine.
Sure enough, being prepared made all the difference! The beautiful English teacher called on me. Two other classmates, Cheng Fan and Cao Kui, who were also the worst students, stood beside me. They were my closest friends because we were all in the same boat.
I went up to the podium, standing far on the right. The tall and burly Cao Kui stood in the middle, and the skinny Cheng Fan, nicknamed "Skinny Monkey," stood on the left. The teacher stood beside me, her large, beautiful eyes fixed on me as if she had a grudge against me. I thought, oh no, this was going to be embarrassing for sure.
When we had our spelling test, the teacher would call out the Chinese word, and the students would write the English translation.
The teacher said a Chinese word, and immediately turned her gaze to me—sweat!
I used my thumb and index fingers to hold the chalk, glancing at my palm, and quickly wrote the word on the blackboard. My movements, my eyes, it was all practiced to perfection.
"Zhang Santuo!!!!"
"Huh?"
I turned around, only to find the teacher staring at me angrily. The young, beautiful teacher's angry gaze was as captivating as ever!
She pointed at me and said, "Put your hand out, what's written on your palm?"
How did she know I had something written on my palm? How did she spot my trick? I was confident in my method, but I thought someone must have tattled on me. My mind raced, and I answered, "Teacher, I wrote the words at home this morning and used them to review on my way to school."
"Good! Good! Good!"
The teacher said three "goods" in a row and then asked, "Then you don't need to write. Just say it directly. How do you spell 'snake'?"
"S—n—a—k—e." Huh? I actually spelled it correctly. When had my memory gotten so good? I had only written the words on my palm before class, but now I couldn't explain why I remembered them so clearly. Before I could think too much, the teacher asked, "How do you pronounce it?"
"…"
"…"
The teacher continued to ask me to spell seven or eight more words, and I spelled them all correctly. The classmates below were all amazed, especially my cousin and Wu Xiaoman. Honestly, I was surprised too. I hadn't expected my mind to open up so much after starting cultivation. Looks like cultivating really does work!
I didn't know which of the guys had sold me out, and I cursed them inwardly. Suddenly, I thought to myself: Now that I've started cultivating, maybe it's time to learn some small spells, draw some talismans... If anyone crosses me, I'll... hehe! Unlimited thin Buddha!