novelapdf Chapter 8: Entering the Tao
Chapter 8: Entering the Tao
"Someone come here."
The Imperial Preceptor's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly. A young boy in blue robes, no more than twelve or thirteen years old, with delicate features and light, silent steps, quickly ran in through the courtyard gate. He stood respectfully beside the Imperial Preceptor, saying, "Uncle-Master."
"Take him to the west wing to settle in," the Imperial Preceptor said. "From today onwards, he will live in the courtyard."
The boy in blue glanced at Shen Moqi, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes, but he didn't ask any further questions, simply nodding and saying, "Yes."
Shen Moqi bowed to the Imperial Advisor again, then turned and followed the boy out of the courtyard.
As they walked through the corridor, the child led the way with light, quick steps. Shen Moqi followed behind, unable to resist looking around. This observatory was much larger than he had imagined, with winding corridors connecting courtyards. Some courtyards had their gates tightly closed, while others were half-open, revealing glimpses of unknown flowers and trees growing inside. A faint scent of herbs mingled with the aroma of earth in the air, creating a sense of inexplicable peace.
"What's your name?" the child suddenly asked, turning around.
"Shen Moqi".
"My name is Qingfeng." The little boy smiled, revealing a small tiger tooth. "My martial uncle rarely lets people stay overnight. Are you capable of cultivating immortality?"
Shen Moqi smiled wryly, "The Imperial Advisor said it's possible, but extremely difficult."
Xiao Tong looked at Shen Moqi with envy, her tone tinged with melancholy: "It's still better than me. The Imperial Preceptor said I can't cultivate immortality. Although he told me to call him 'Uncle-Master,' I know I'll still have to go home after he leaves."
Shen Moqi didn't know what to say for a moment, so she could only nod silently.
A gentle breeze led him to a small courtyard, where he pushed open the gate. Inside was a quiet room, simply furnished with a bed, a table, and a chair. An oil lamp sat on the table, and a potted plant whose name he didn't know sat by the window. Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling warmly on the blue brick floor.
"This is it," Qingfeng said. "You can tell me if you need anything. Meals will be delivered daily, and you can also find me in the main courtyard if you need anything."
Shen Moqi nodded: "Thank you."
Qingfeng waved his hand, turned around and left.
Shen Moqi stood in the courtyard for a while, looking around. The courtyard wasn't large, but it was very quiet. Separated by a wall, the noise outside seemed to be shut out. He looked up at the sky, where a few wisps of white clouds floated across the azure sky, and occasionally a bird would fly by and disappear behind the eaves in the distance.
He touched the booklet in his arms; the thin pages pressed against his heart, carrying a faint warmth.
From this day forward, he is a prospective monk.
Although it's still unknown whether this path will be successful, at least it has begun.
---
Day 1.
Shen Moqi sat cross-legged on the bed and opened the book "Luo Xiao Basic Breathing Method". The book explained in detail how to sit cross-legged, how to regulate breathing, and how to use intention to guide the energy in the body. Following the instructions in the book, he closed his eyes, relaxed his body, and tried to feel the so-called "spiritual energy".
There was nothing there.
After sitting for half an hour, my legs were numb and my back ached. My mind was filled with all sorts of random thoughts—what are Stone and the others doing now? How is Mom doing? What time is it in that world? —but I didn't sense any spiritual energy.
He opened his eyes and sighed.
Perhaps I was too impatient. The book says that it's normal not to sense spiritual energy when you first start cultivating; you need to calm your mind and take time.
The same thing happened on the second and third days.
Every morning when he wakes up, the first thing he does is sit cross-legged in meditation. During the day, except for meals, he spends almost all his time sitting on the bed. But no matter how hard he tries, his body remains completely still, and he can't feel any of the "warm current" or "qi sensation" described in the books.
He began to doubt whether he was really too incompetent to even get started.
On the morning of the fourth day, he finally couldn't sit still any longer and got up to go to the main courtyard.
Qingfeng was sweeping the courtyard when he saw him arrive. He pointed to the main hall and said, "My martial uncle is inside."
Shen Moqi walked into the main hall, where the Imperial Preceptor was sitting on a futon with a pot of tea in front of him, seemingly waiting for him.
"Sit down." The Imperial Advisor gestured to the prayer mat opposite him.
Shen Moqi sat down as instructed, but didn't know how to begin.
The Imperial Advisor glanced at him and said calmly, "Three days have passed, and you've gained nothing?"
Shen Moqi nodded, somewhat dejected: "I...can't sense any spiritual energy."
The Imperial Advisor offered neither mockery nor comfort; he simply picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip.
"Sensing spiritual energy isn't exactly difficult, but it's not easy either." He put down his teacup. "Do you know why one needs to enter a meditative state?"
Shen Moqi thought for a moment and quoted the book: "In order to calm the mind and eliminate distracting thoughts."
The Imperial Preceptor nodded slightly: "That's true, but not entirely true. Entering meditation isn't about eliminating distracting thoughts, but about letting them coexist with you without being swayed by them. The more you try to eliminate them, the more they will rise to the surface. What you need to do is to treat yourself as a pool of water, and distracting thoughts as fallen leaves on the surface. Let them come and go as they please, just stay deep inside and remain still."
Shen Moqi seemed to be deep in thought.
"There's one more thing," the Grand Preceptor continued. "To sense spiritual energy, you don't use your eyes, your ears, or even what you call 'intention.' What you need to do is relax your entire body, including your intention. When you are completely relaxed, spiritual energy will naturally come to you—not by trying to grasp it, but by coming to you."
He paused, then looked at Shen Moqi: "Try again when we get back. Don't rush, don't use too much force."
Shen Moqi nodded, stood up and took her leave.
---
Two more days passed.
On the sixth day at dusk, Shen Moqi sat cross-legged on the bed as usual. He no longer forced himself to "feel," but instead, as the Imperial Advisor had instructed, he treated himself like a pool of water, letting his thoughts come and go. He thought of his mother, of the stone, of the great fire, of the charred corpses—they came, and they went. He neither chased after them nor tried to catch them, but simply remained quietly in the depths.
He didn't know how much time had passed when suddenly he sensed something was amiss.
It felt like a tiny, gentle breeze brushing against his skin. No, not the wind, but something more subtle, like... like the air suddenly had a temperature, a weight, a texture he had never perceived before.
In that instant, he "saw" it.
Not with his eyes, but in another indescribable way—he "saw" countless tiny specks of light floating in the air, some warm, some cold, some heavy, some light. They drifted slowly like fireflies, some approaching him, some moving away.
Spiritual energy!
He was overjoyed, and the image vanished instantly.
But he already knew he had succeeded.
---
Next is guiding the Qi into the body.
With the foundation of perception, this step went much more smoothly. Following the method described in the book, he used his mind to guide the approaching points of light into his body through the Baihui acupoint, allowing them to slowly circulate along the meridians. After entering his body, the points of light transformed into wisps of warm current, flowing through his chest and lower abdomen, finally converging at the Dantian.
That night, he barely slept, repeating the process over and over again.
At dawn, he suddenly felt a slight tremor in his dantian, as if something was condensing and taking shape there. Immediately afterwards, an unprecedented sense of power rose from within him, sweeping away all his fatigue. He felt as if he had been washed clean, incredibly refreshed.
He reached the first level of Qi Refining.
In that instant, it suddenly got dark outside the window.
It wasn't that dark clouds were obscuring the sun, but a more eerie feeling—as if something had swept across the sky, casting an invisible shadow. The feeling came and went quickly, so quickly that he didn't even have time to look up. He thought it was his imagination and didn't pay it any mind.
He stood up and pushed open the door. Dawn was breaking outside, birds were chirping, and everything seemed normal.
He took a deep breath and strode towards the main courtyard.
---
"Imperial Advisor! I did it!"
Shen Moqi rushed into the main hall, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement. The Imperial Advisor was sitting on a futon, drinking tea. When he saw Shen Moqi enter, his gaze fell on him, and he nodded slightly.
"One level of Qi refinement. Not bad."
Shen Moqi was secretly delighted and was about to say something when the Imperial Advisor continued, "Do you know how long it takes for someone with exceptional talent to go from beginner to the first level of Qi Refining?"
Shen Moqi was stunned.
"Half an hour," the Imperial Preceptor said calmly. "Some people, on the very day they receive the cultivation technique, meditate for half an hour and enter the Qi Refining Realm. Even for those with average talent, half a day is enough. You took six days."
Shen Moqi's smile froze.
Six days. Half an hour. Half a day.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but found that he couldn't say anything at all.
The Imperial Advisor looked at him, his gaze devoid of mockery or pity, as calm as still water.
"Are you very upset?"
Shen Moqi nodded.
"That's right." The Imperial Advisor picked up his teacup. "The path of cultivation is inherently filled with setbacks. What you've suffered today is merely the first blow. There will be a second, a third, and a hundredth. If you can endure it, keep going; if you can't, turn back as soon as possible."
Shen Moqi fell silent.
The Imperial Preceptor put down his teacup and suddenly changed the subject: "From today onwards, you shall call me Senior Brother."
Shen Moqi was taken aback: "Senior brother?"
"In the cultivation world, seniority is not determined by age, but by cultivation level," the Imperial Preceptor explained. "Now that you have entered the Qi Refining stage, you are a fellow cultivator. I entered the sect more than ten years earlier than you, so it is perfectly reasonable for me to call you Senior Brother. In the future, when you enter the sect and meet other fellow disciples, it will be the same. Those with higher cultivation levels are Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters; those with lower cultivation levels are Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters. If one day your cultivation level surpasses mine, I will have to call you Senior Brother. Of course, those who are one major realm higher will be called Senior or Martial Uncle, two major realms higher will be Grandmaster, and so on."
Shen Moqi seemed to understand but not quite, but she still nodded: "Thank you... Senior Brother."
"No need to thank me." The Imperial Advisor waved his hand. "The path of mastering all five elements is inherently difficult. It's quite remarkable that you were able to grasp the basics within six days. It's normal for things to be slower in the future. You should be prepared."
Shen Moqi nodded again.
---
In the following days, Shen Moqi worked even harder.
He would rise before dawn every day to meditate and continue practicing until late at night. He thought that since his aptitude was lacking, he would make up for it with time. If others practiced for one hour, he would practice for two; if others practiced for two hours, he would practice for four. One day he would catch up.
But he soon discovered that things weren't that simple.
Absorbing spiritual energy was extremely difficult; he could only inhale it little by little. He remembered what the Imperial Preceptor had said: the grade of one's spiritual root determines one's affinity with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth—a mid-grade Yellow rank meant that he was naturally more difficult than others to draw spiritual energy closer. But the difficulty was yet to come: the spiritual energy he absorbed needed to be refined five times before it could be fully converted into his own. The five attributes—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—were all indispensable. Those with a single spiritual root, however, only needed one refinement.
Only then did he truly understand what the Imperial Preceptor meant by "What a single spiritual root can accomplish in one day, you need ten days"—it wasn't just that absorption was slow, but also that refining was slow, a double slowness.
He tried various methods, adjusting his breathing, changing his mindset, and even changing his posture several times, but nothing worked.
My mood is becoming increasingly impatient. The more impatient I am, the less calm I become; the less calm I become, the less I absorb and refine, creating a vicious cycle.
That day, Qingfeng came to call him, saying that the Imperial Advisor wanted him to come over.
"Junior brother, have you been cultivating diligently in your room these past few days?" the Imperial Preceptor asked directly upon seeing him.
Shen Moqi nodded.
The Imperial Preceptor glanced at him and sighed, "Your mind is restless and your spirit is unstable. If you continue to cultivate like this, you will not only fail to make progress, but you will also easily go astray and become possessed by demons."
Shen Moqi lowered her head, unsure of what to say.
"Go out for a walk," the Imperial Advisor said. "Get some fresh air and clear your mind. Come back in a few days to continue."
Shen Moqi was stunned for a moment, about to say something, when the Imperial Advisor picked up his teacup, waved his hand, and indicated that he could leave.
He had no choice but to get up and say goodbye.
---
Stepping out of the observatory, Shen Moqi was momentarily at a loss as to where to go.
The streets were bustling with people, a stark contrast to the deathly stillness of the days before the fighting. Shops were open, vendors were hawking their wares, and children were chasing and playing on street corners. He stood on the side of the street, watching all this, but felt an emptiness in his heart.
He wanted to find Shi Tou and the others, but he didn't know where they were. The dilapidated temple was definitely gone, but where had the imperial court placed them?
After thinking for a moment, he turned and walked towards the general's mansion.
Zhang Cheng was handling military affairs at his residence when he heard that Shen Moqi had arrived, so he personally came out to greet her. Upon seeing her, he looked her up and down and smiled, "I heard you've been cultivating with the Imperial Preceptor? What brings you out here?"
Shen Moqi bowed and explained her purpose.
Zhang Cheng nodded and beckoned to a guard: "Take this young gentleman to Anji Hall. It's the newly opened one on East Street, a place that specifically takes in orphans."
The guards obeyed the order and led Shen Moqi out of the general's mansion.
---
Anji Hall is located at the end of East Street. It is a newly renovated courtyard. The courtyard is not large, but it is very tidy. A new plaque hangs at the entrance with the three characters "Anji Hall" written on it.
As soon as Shen Moqi reached the door, she heard familiar laughter coming from inside.
He walked into the yard and saw Shi Tou squatting by the well washing clothes, his sleeves rolled up high, revealing his two thin, dark arms. Da Mao sat on a small stool nearby, holding a book and reciting something while swaying his head. Er Ya was hanging clothes to dry, and Xiao Shuanzi was chasing a tabby cat all over the yard.
Stone saw him first, paused for a moment, then suddenly stood up, not even bothering to wipe the water off his hands, and ran to him in a few steps.
"Brother Qi!" Stone's joy was palpable. "What brings you here?"
Shen Moqi felt a warmth in her heart and smiled, "I came to see you all."
Da Mao, Er Ya, and Xiao Shuanzi gathered around, chattering and asking him where he had been all this time, why he had changed his clothes, and whether he had really been learning immortal arts from the Imperial Preceptor. Shen Moqi answered them all, and the slight irritation in her heart gradually dissipated.
Shi Tou pulled him to sit down in the yard, poured him a bowl of water, and squatted down beside him. They chatted for a while, then Shi Tou suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, why is your name Shen Moqi? Are you the seventh child in your family?"
Shen Moqi was stunned for a moment, then smiled.
"My mother said that when I was first born, I didn't cry. The midwife spanked me for a long time, but I still didn't cry. The doctor who delivered me thought I wouldn't survive. But on the seventh day, I suddenly cried out for the first time, and the sound was very loud, which startled the whole family. My father said, 'This child has been silent for seven days, so let's name him "Moqi".'"
After hearing this, Shi Tou was stunned for a moment, then clutched his stomach and burst into laughter.
"Silence...seven days of silence! Hahaha! Were you especially lazy when you were little, too lazy even to cry?"
Although Da Mao, Er Ya, and Xiao Shuanzi didn't quite understand, they laughed along with Shi Tou when they saw him laughing happily.
Looking at them, Shen Moqi suddenly felt that the laughter had completely washed away her recent irritability, anxiety, and self-doubt.
Yes, what's so strange about someone who remained silent for seven days before bursting into tears and then cultivating more slowly? Others' speed is their fate, his slowness is his path. If absorption is slow, then absorb it longer; if refining is slow, then refine it more times. There will always be a day when he succeeds.
Perhaps, his path was destined to be different from others.