It is said that Jiang Tong'er was unaware of the concept of 'jinliang,' so he asked the Grandmaster.
Upon hearing this, the Grandmaster smiled and said, "Tong'er, do you not realize that this jinliang refers to the weights and measures in the marketplace? No, no! This jinliang refers to time. Various schools of thought differ in their interpretations here; some say one liang equals a quarter of an hour, while others say one liang equals two quarters of an hour. In my teachings, one liang equals one year."
Jiang Yuan suddenly understood, realizing that this jinliang referred to time, with one liang equating to one year.
He said, "Thank you, Master, for clearing my confusion!"
The Grandmaster nodded and said, "For the four medicinal ingredients, take three liang of 'Wu Jing,' three liang of 'Tu Sui,' two liang of 'Mu Ye,' and then take two liang of 'Jin Jing,' totaling ten liang. Tong'er, remember, one year is counted from the beginning of the winter wind."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan understood that gathering the herbs required ten years to achieve success.
He suddenly thought of how the elixirs of heaven and earth were formed over several years.
How was that accomplished?
Seeing that Tong'er was troubled, the Grandmaster asked what was on his mind.
Jiang Yuan then expressed his doubts.
The Grandmaster laughed a few times and said, "Tong'er, the elixirs of heaven and earth are vastly different from your cultivation. If one were to cultivate the path of elixirs, it could take several years to succeed, but there would be shortcomings. You may spend many years refining your Golden Elixir, but if you were to compete, you would not be a match. Do not overthink it; every bite and every drink has its destined number."
Jiang Yuan bowed in submission and said, "Thank you, Master, for clearing my confusion."
The Grandmaster waved his hand, instructing Tong'er to continue his cultivation.
Jiang Yuan performed another bow before departing.
The Grandmaster watched as Tong'er left, stroking his beard in silence.
After a long while, he looked at the herbs in the Dan Pan and shook his head, saying, "For thirst, when I have leisure, I will exchange a miraculous elixir with the Old Lord. If I have a miraculous elixir, it would be of great use to Tong'er."
...
After leaving the pavilion, Jiang Yuan headed towards the quiet room, intending to rest for a bit before gathering herbs and proceeding to the second step of elixir creation.
Before he reached the quiet room, he encountered Zhen Jian, who stopped him.
Zhen Jian performed a grand salute and said, "Senior Brother, Master has not lectured on the Great Dao for over twenty years. Could it be that Master has made a mistake?"
Jiang Yuan returned the salute, lightly flicking the dust whisk and said, "Junior Brother, do not worry. Master has been discussing the Dao with a visiting friend, so he has not lectured on the Great Dao. There is no mistake."
Zhen Jian felt relieved and continued, "Senior Brother, you may not know, but the disciples in the mountain have not heard from Master, and some have gone down the mountain. I could not stop them."
Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "There are many paths ahead. You should rest assured; Master will not blame you."
Zhen Jian nodded and said, "I know well that Master treats us like travelers. Only you, Senior Brother, have the true transmission. This is because when Master entered the sect, he often tested us to understand our hearts. Apart from you, there is no one who has achieved success."
Jiang Yuan said, "Junior Brother, you must know that the Dao is always present. The Dao will not abandon anyone; it has always been there."
Zhen Jian smiled and said, "Senior Brother, I understand this principle. However, I am even more fond of the Zen writings you authored, which speak of all beings being Buddhas."
Jiang Yuan replied, "Since you enjoy Zen, why not seek enlightenment? When you achieve enlightenment, you will be a Buddha."
The Dao is the law, and Buddha is still the law.
If one does not cultivate the Golden Elixir, but can maintain their heart and cultivate the Dao, they may attain the right fruit in the years to come.
However, this Junior Brother is hindered by the desires of wine, wealth, and lust, making it even more difficult to attain the right fruit, yet the right fruit is still there.
Just like him, in the past, how difficult it was for him to cultivate the right path, yet he still had the opportunity to achieve success.
Today, the Golden Elixir is within reach.
Zhen Jian nodded, pondering for a while, and asked, "Senior Brother, what is enlightenment?"
Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "The term enlightenment cannot be fully expressed in words. Just know that when one 'wakes up,' that is the measure. Here, it is a matter of thick accumulation and thin release. One day, when the clouds part and the fog dissipates, you will naturally awaken."
Zhen Jian said, "I will take your teachings to heart," and did not dare to obstruct his Senior Brother any longer.
Jiang Yuan returned to the quiet room and rested for a long time.
...
Half a year later, Tong'er finally emerged from the Three Star Immortal Cave and walked to a moss-covered stone, where he sat cross-legged and called for five people to come.
This time, having listened to the Great Immortal and the Grandmaster expound on the Dao, he gained much benefit, and his primordial spirit was relaxed, making it a good time for cultivation.
The four medicinal ingredients required the Heart Monkey, Intent Horse, Wood Mother, and Gold Father to be gathered one by one, without any carelessness.
The Grandmaster had said that every detail must be precise, so the jinliang must not be more or less; the Heart Monkey and Intent Horse must gather three liang in three years, while the Wood Mother and Gold Father must gather two liang in two years.
However, he could not cultivate yet; he needed to wait for the gentle wind to rise before he could begin his cultivation, and until the winter wind ceased, that would count as one liang.
"First, gather herbs with the Heart Monkey, taking three liang of Wu Jing."
"Can the Heart Monkey be commanded?"
Jiang Yuan looked at the black and white fish that appeared around him.
The black and white fish swam around him, seemingly in agreement with him.
Tong'er gently stroked the two fish and smiled, "The Heart Monkey loves to be distracted the most. This time is crucial; it must be done perfectly, without a single error."
The two fish were delighted, swimming even more eagerly, as if they were playing and had received Tong'er’s command.
Jiang Tong'er understood that the Heart Monkey's abilities were remarkable; although it loved to be distracted, it could discern importance and had never hesitated.
He was concerned about gathering two liang of Wood Liquid, as the Wood Mother was unstable.
He hoped that the Wood Mother would not take the wrong path.
Jiang Yuan sat in quiet meditation on the moss-covered stone, waiting for the gentle wind to rise before he would cultivate the secret step of 'gathering herbs.'
He sat cross-legged, calming his mind, nurturing his nature, and cultivating his true self, unaware of the passage of time.
He only knew that the golden wind had just begun to rise, likely indicating that summer was ending and autumn was approaching.
He sat for a long time, and one day, a child approached in the mountains.
Jiang Yuan opened his eyes and looked into the distance, seeing a woodcutter bringing a young child into the mountains.
In the mountains, there were no woodcutters or travelers; only the Left family lived there.
He had not entered the Left family for many years, likely due to the critical nature of his cultivation.
Unknowingly, many years had passed, and the Left family might have changed several generations.
Jiang Yuan sighed inwardly and stood up to greet them, as they were the descendants of old acquaintances, and he could not be disrespectful.
The woodcutter brought his child and, upon seeing Jiang Yuan's hidden celestial demeanor, hurriedly bowed and said, "Old Immortal, I am your disciple!"
Jiang Yuan stepped down from the moss-covered stone and helped the woodcutter up, saying, "How do you recognize me?"
The Left family did not know how many generations had passed; how could this person recognize him?
The woodcutter shook his head and said, "My ancestors said that there is a celestial residence in the mountains, where many immortals reside. The old immortal has a celestial demeanor, sitting here, with flying birds not daring to pass overhead and wild beasts not daring to howl. You must be an immortal."
Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "I am not an immortal. Many generations ago, your ancestors were acquainted with me. Are you now the head of the Left family? How did you come to walk this path? I remember this path; few people tread it."
The woodcutter said, "Indeed! I am now honored to be the head of the Left family, as this path is closer to the old forest by two steps. However, many years ago, my father took me to walk this path, but it seemed shrouded in mist, and we could not enter, so we took a long detour. Recently, I found that this path is passable, so I walked it."
Jiang Yuan asked, "How could it be impassable and then passable? What do you mean?"
The woodcutter said, "Over twenty years ago, this path was impassable, but later it became passable; it is quite strange."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan understood.
He recalled that when he was cultivating, few people passed through, as it was protected by the Grandmaster, who isolated this path to allow him to cultivate in peace.
Over twenty years ago was precisely when he established the cauldron.
This was the Grandmaster's deep kindness.
Tong'er remembered the Grandmaster's kindness in his heart.
Jiang Yuan said, "Is your family well?"
The woodcutter replied that everything was fine; there were three or four people in the family, serving the elderly mother and the young child.
Their clothing and food were sufficient.
Although there were occasional worries, with the scriptures, there were no major issues.
Jiang Yuan nodded, smiling as he chatted with the woodcutter and played with the young child, completely without airs, making people feel at ease.
After the woodcutter and the child left, he then bowed towards the Three Star Immortal Cave and quietly awaited the gentle wind to come...
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(End of Chapter)