Within his mind, upon the lotus bloom, his hands moved in a strange mudra, and instantly a pillar of light descended vertically, bathing him and the lotus.
The column of light, condensed from moonlight, was milky-white; he seemed submerged in milk, his form flickering in and out of sight, his face ethereal, adorned with a beatific smile.
Outside his mind, in the room suffused with crimson glow, he sat cross-legged in the empty space above the couch, a beatific smile on his lips, his hands held in that same strange mudra—identical to the man upon the lotus.
This was precisely the reason he lived.
Back on the training grounds, when the Yaoguang Sword was drawn from his body, his lungs had instantly bled, choking his breath.
He inwardly cursed his misfortune—he was dying, with no other recourse than to place his hope entirely in the Gazing at Heaven and Man Divine Illumination Scripture (Guan Tian Ren Shen Zhao Jing).
Fortunately, his cultivation of Zen was profound, and he swiftly entered a state of deep meditation.
He had no time for deep contemplation; he could only follow his intuition.
His senses were far sharper than ordinary men, and he had always placed absolute trust in his gut feelings.
For most people, intuition was nebulous and untrustworthy, but for him, whose insight arose from precepts leading to stillness, and stillness leading to wisdom, as his Zen deepened, his intuition grew closer to a form of higher intelligence.
At the nexus of life and death, his spirit attained an unprecedented focus, and with a sudden leap, he plunged into the white light upon the lotus.
Instantly, his body warmed, as if he had changed shells.
Entering the white light, his thoughts became agile, swift as lightning.
For a moment, thousands of ideas surged forth, yet they flickered past like fish in a stream.
He focused his mind, and as one might fish in a river, he suddenly lunged, grasping a single thought.
This thought, like a perfect pearl, continuously circled in his mind, manifesting with sharp clarity.
He considered it, then within the white light, he visualized his body transferring into the diagram of the Guan Tian Ren Shen Zhao Jing.
A hazy figure appeared on the lotus, ethereal and flickering like a lamp flame, now visible, now concealed.
As he visualized, pouring his mental strength into it, the shadow slowly solidified, gaining texture, becoming almost real.
As the form solidified, a violent pain erupted, surging from his lungs to his brain—a catastrophic flood, striking violently at the spirit anchored within the white light.
Immediately, the white light shuddered, like a candle flame buffeted by the wind.
His spirit was now locked within the light; the pain arrived, and there was nowhere left to retreat.
The Guan Tian Ren Shen Zhao Jing seemed to lose its efficacy; not only did the pain not cease, it intensified, wave after crushing wave.
The agony stemmed from the physical body on the lotus; the white light could sever the connection between his spirit and the external body, but it could not block the connection to the form within the diagram.
Any ordinary person would have been crushed by this suffering, which surpassed all physiological limits—it was utterly unblockable.
At this critical juncture, his deep Zen cultivation proved its worth.
His spirit remained anchored in the white light, unshaken, allowing the torrents of pain to surge and crash over him; everything dissolved into emptiness.
With his spirit fixed, the white light stabilized once more.
This excruciating pain, where one second felt like a year, lasted an unknowable duration.
Finally, the white light, continually tempered by the fire of his spirit, suddenly contracted, transforming into a bead.
The size of a dragon's eye, crystalline and flawless, like a diamond, radiating brilliant light.
The bead descended slowly, settling into the Baihui acupoint, sinking away instantly like water into dry earth.
Simultaneously, his glabella flashed, revealing a vertical eye, reminiscent of Erlang Shen’s third eye.
In that single instant, a milky-white pillar of light descended from the heavens, shining directly upon him.
He felt a warmth suffuse his body, like being immersed in a hot spring, and the pain instantly lessened somewhat.
Though the agony remained, the difference was like that between heaven and hell.
He felt utterly satisfied and carefully savored the wonder of it.
The milky-white light, woven from moonlight, seemed to be the very essence of the moon, pouring inexhaustibly into his body, making him warm, then hot, then soft.
Especially his lungs—they felt pleasantly warm and tingly, like the mellow buzz of mild intoxication, indescribably wonderful, making him wish to drift off to sleep.
His will, however, remained firm, unmoved.
Under the light beam, his figure grew increasingly substantial, almost comparable to the lotus beneath him.
With the bead settled within, he felt his spirit fully integrated into this physical form.
He stretched his arms, rose from the lotus, and stamped his feet; the lotus felt as hard as jade.
His entire body responded to his will without the slightest resistance.
But with this movement, the pillar of light instantly shattered, dispersing into countless feather-like motes that drifted away, vanishing completely in the blink of an eye.
Startled, he quickly resumed his seated posture, forming the strange mudra with his hands.
The pillar of light immediately reformed, descending to illuminate and nourish this body, especially the pleasing numbness and warmth in his lungs, which felt exquisitely comfortable.
This hand seal was the one depicted in the Guan Tian Ren Shen Zhao Jing diagram.
He had memorized it well, only to realize how crucial it was: only by performing it did the pillar of light descend; otherwise, it would not manifest.
His thoughts moved with blinding speed, and in an instant, he understood.
It was similar to the principles of radio waves: the bead acted as the electromagnetic wave emitter, and the mudra as the frequency modulator; only when the two combined could the pillar of lunar essence be drawn down.
At this moment, he dimly touched upon the gateway to the Guan Tian Ren Shen Zhao Jing, glimpsing a corner of its profound mysteries.
As the sunset faded, dusk crept in, and the room grew dark.
In his mind, the vertical eye on his glabella flashed and vanished.
The milky-white bead suddenly shot out from the Baihui acupoint, suspending itself a foot above his head once more.
The bead, once crystal clear like a diamond, was now milky-white, with swirling mist within, its light internalized, no longer brilliant.
The milky-white pillar of light fragmented into feathers and dispersed, vanishing instantly.
His body also began to dissipate, returning to a shadow, and then disappearing altogether.
In the room, where he had been seated in the void, he slowly drifted down, like a feather returning to the couch, and opened his eyes.
His gaze was as clear as water in a placid lake.
The room momentarily brightened as his focus narrowed, then reverted to darkness.
He remained still, his thoughts churning.
He inspected himself silently: his body was healed, but disappointingly, it had only returned to its original state, nothing more.
He began to ponder the profound principles involved.
Taoism speaks of refining essence into Qi, refining Qi into Spirit, and refining Spirit to merge with the Void—a comprehensive explanation of life's mysteries.
Spirit transforms into Qi, Qi transforms into Essence, and Essence and Blood constitute the flesh and blood body.
Essence, Qi, and Spirit: each layer is higher than the last.
His recent cultivation was one of refining the Spirit to replenish the body.
The body on the lotus was not his true body, but one cast by his divine sense—a reflection of his true form, which he termed the 'Aspect Body' (Xiang Shen).
However, the movements of the divine sense could influence the actual physical body, repairing it.
The moonlight nourished the illusory body, the illusory body guided the divine sense, and the divine sense repaired the true body.
These three were linked, ultimately curing his injury, with the transformation of the bead serving as proof.
As for exactly how the divine sense repaired the body, that remained a mystery; his spirit was focused on the bead, so he could not know the specifics.
Regardless, he now possessed a method for survival.
He rose from the couch and pushed open the door to the courtyard, where lanterns were already lit.
Eight lanterns hung high, illuminating the small courtyard as if it were daytime.
Beside the flowerbeds, Li Mufeng and Li Zhuzi were deeply engrossed in a game of Go, fiddling with the stones and staring at the board, both with furrowed brows, deep in thought.
Madam Qin and Zhao Yiyi sat to one side, embroidering, their expressions relaxed and comfortable.
The cricket in the corner chirped softly.
The courtyard was quiet; none of the four spoke.
Hearing the door, all four turned to look.
Madam Qin smiled: "San'er, finished your studies?" Li Muzhan smiled and nodded: "Time to eat!" "Good, let's eat!" Li Zhuzi roared, casually sweeping the Go board aside and standing up. "Father, you...
you..." Li Mufeng pointed at the board, shaking his head repeatedly, heartbroken: "You played that move again! You were clearly about to lose!" "Nonsense! I think you are about to lose!" Li Zhuzi grumbled gruffly, hands behind his back, heading into the main room.
Madam Qin clapped him on the shoulder: "Alright, Eldest, why argue with your father!" Li Mufeng was unyielding: "I was finally about to win once, but Father always cheats!" Li Muzhan chuckled: "Big Brother, your chess skills have improved immensely!" Li Mufeng grinned proudly: "I studied a chess manual, and it's quite effective!" "What manual?" Li Zhuzi suddenly poked his head out.
Li Mufeng lowered his head to gather the stones, pretending not to hear.
Li Zhuzi stomped out, came up to him, and snorted: "Eldest, bring that manual over for me to see!" "...Fine, I'll bring it back next time I return." Li Mufeng nodded reluctantly.
Li Zhuzi huffed: "By the time you return, who knows when that will be! ...
Have San'er bring it back!" "Alright, alright." Li Mufeng said with impatience.
Li Zhuzi didn't care, chuckled, and smugly returned indoors with his hands clasped behind his back.
Madam Qin shook her head, turned, and smiled: "San'er, don't forget to bring it back.
Your old man is racking his brain just trying to beat you at chess! ...
Go check on Li Jian's place tonight." "Okay, I was planning to see the new bride anyway," Li Muzhan said with a smile.
In the time it took to speak, Zhao Yiyi had swiftly set out the dinner—steaming hot and richly fragrant.
After dinner, he left the house and headed to the main street in front.
Li Jian’s residence was the very first house on the east end, with two red lanterns hanging at the door, illuminating the two large "Double Happiness" characters on the lintel.
Even before entering, one could feel the palpable atmosphere of festivity.
The night sky held a waxing crescent moon, its silver glow softening and blurring the surroundings.
Li Muzhan knocked twice on the door knocker.
A dog barked from within, "Woof, woof, woof, woof..." incessantly.
Soon, Li Jian’s voice came from the courtyard: "Who is it?" "Li Jian, it's me!" Li Muzhan called out. "Muzhan?" The door opened, and Li Jian stood there, his face beaming.
Li Muzhan stepped forward, playfully knocked him on the shoulder socket, and laughed: "Heh heh, becoming a groom really changes a man; you’re glowing!" "Wooo..." A large black dog rushed out from beside Li Jian’s legs, circling Li Muzhan, wagging its head, and emitting soft, whimpering cries.
Li Muzhan squatted down, patted its head, and let it lick his hand; only then did it stop whimpering.
Li Muzhan stood up and smiled: "I was in seclusion last time and delayed your wedding; I've come to apologize!" Li Jian stepped aside, smiling: "Come in and sit.
I know about the Seven Courtyards Minor Competition...
Muzhan, you must be injured, aren't you?" Li Muzhan walked inside, chuckling: "Just a small injury; it’s fine now.
...
Don't tell my mother or the others." "I knew it!" Li Jian shook his head.
The two walked into the courtyard side-by-side.
Li Muzhan paused abruptly, then smiled: "You hurt your shoulder too.
What happened?" He had instinctively knocked Li Jian’s shoulder socket upon entering, and Li Jian had winced, revealing his injury. "Nothing," Li Jian quickly laughed.
Li Muzhan paused, frowning: "What exactly happened?" "Bumped into something accidentally," Li Jian said lightly, with an air of nonchalance.
Li Muzhan shook his head: "You think you can hide it from me? ...
I'll go ask around at the Chaoran Tower tomorrow!" Li Jian gave a helpless, wry smile and spread his hands: "Alright, alright...
it was a minor thing; some fellow from the Mei Estate was drunk and looking for trouble, and I took a punch." "Who was it?" Li Muzhan’s expression darkened.
P: Sincere apologies, everyone cast so many votes urging faster updates, but I couldn't deliver.
I went out over the weekend for a change of scenery and to join the fun, but the north wind was so fierce I nearly caught a cold.
Alas!