On the path of Mount Wanshou, a fierce battle unfolded.
Jiang Yuan clashed violently with the Black Bear Bandit, the tail of his whisk sweeping left and right, while the Red Blade displayed its ferocity, striking and cleaving.
One was a righteous cultivator, and the other was a great demon king of the mountains, with one devoted to guarding the Five Zhuang Temple, and the other seeking to seize the Grass Returning Pill.
With dual weapons showcasing divine might, they exchanged blows without yielding.
The child said, “Your Wood Mother will surely suffer misfortune.” The bandit retorted, “I, Changsheng, will take you down!”
As the hour of Hai approached the hour of Yin, the battle raged on until the dawn of the hour of Chen.
The eastern sky gradually brightened, and neither side knew how many exchanges had occurred.
The child displayed divine might and, with a sudden thought, feigned a strike with the Yu Ding, only to sweep horizontally with the whisk.
The Black Bear Bandit understood the weight of the Yu Ding; if he used his Red Copper Blade to block, he would surely be shaken to the point of weakness.
If he were struck, he would certainly perish.
He attempted to evade the Yu Ding, but unexpectedly, the whisk came at him, forcing him to hastily raise his blade in defense.
What a treasure this jade whisk was! The jade handle was born of the essence of Kun Yuan, and the tail was a treasure of the Old Lord.
The Black Bear Bandit was struck down, and fortunately, the Red Copper Blade managed to block part of the blow; otherwise, he would have met his end.
Even so, the Black Bear Bandit was left without any fighting strength and fled in panic.
In his heart, the bandit was greatly alarmed.
How could a mere little demon claim that only Daoist boys resided on Mount Wanshou? This person’s skills were formidable; how could he possibly contend? His body was filled with treasures, exuding an aura of immortality.
At this moment, he finally realized the great calamity he had brought upon himself.
Before the bandit could escape two steps, Jiang Yuan leaped up, bringing the Yu Ding down from above.
The Yu Ding struck the bandit’s heavenly spirit, causing him to reveal his true form, collapsing onto the ground as a black bear.
Jiang Yuan retrieved the ding, initially searching for the little demons, but to his surprise, those little demons had already scattered like birds and beasts.
He looked at the black bear and sighed inwardly, “This demon was the strongest I have ever encountered in my life of subduing demons and vanquishing evil. Alas, Wood Mother, you should suffer this calamity. Without proper cultivation under the Wood Mother, how can one progress in their practice?”
Not to mention the two divine beings, on the path of cultivation, five individuals must achieve stability.
If there are those who are unstable, calamities may arise.
Just like that restless heart monkey, its nature must be wild; if the will is unstable, it will be agitated, and if the Wood Mother is unstable, desires will arise in the heart.
As the great wisdom reveals, this black bear had been harmed by the Wood Mother within.
Just as he was about to return to observe, he suddenly saw the temple gate in the distance swing wide open, and two young boys emerged.
The boys had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, and upon seeing the black bear, they trembled in fear.
Jiang Yuan approached and said, “Do not be afraid! This is a chaotic demon, a habitual thief come to steal the Grass Returning Pill. I have slain him; you two should quickly tidy up, lest you disturb the blessed land of the immortals.”
The two boys, trembling, replied, “Brother Guangxin, you possess such magical power! It is our eyes that are dull. Our master has said that Brother Guangxin protects the mountain’s peace, and it is indeed the truth!”
Jiang Yuan twirled the whisk and smiled, “Do not speak of other matters. Since I guard the mountain, I will not allow demons and evil spirits to invade.”
The two boys bowed in gratitude, “Thank you, Brother Guangxin!”
After saying this, the two boys dealt with the black bear, and Jiang Yuan assisted them.
Once they had hastily dealt with it, he returned to his room to quietly cultivate and nourish his essence.
…
In the mountains, there were no cycles of the Jiazi, and the cold passed without notice of the years.
Unbeknownst to him, thirty years had slipped by.
Jiang Tong’er had guarded the mountain for thirty years, patrolling the Five Zhuang Temple before noon, ensuring its safety.
During his time guarding the mountain, he did not forget to cultivate and nourish himself, and after thirty years of diligent effort, he finally reaped some rewards.
On this particular day, as evening approached, Jiang Yuan sat cross-legged in his room.
He turned his gaze inward to the ding furnace, with his primordial spirit assisted by the five, ensuring that the gentle fire did not extinguish.
The golden ding and jade furnace had not yet been sealed, yet no medicinal qi leaked out, indicating that the nourishment of the ding furnace was successful, with the four great medicinal herbs fully storing their qi within.
The child assisted with true breath, allowing the primordial spirit and the five to rest.
He felt joy in his heart, secretly thinking, “The nourishment is halfway complete! Now, if the medicinal qi does not leak, I only need to wait for the great circulation within my body to be nourished, and then the results will be fully realized.”
Jiang Tong’er recalled the teachings of his master before his departure, that the step of nourishment involves storing medicinal qi and differentiating it from the great circulation points throughout the body.
Thus, the points throughout the body must be nourished with the primordial spirit and the five using gentle fire.
Whenever the points feel like they are being boiled in soup, then the work is complete.
The great circulation points within the body refer to the three hundred sixty points.
All three hundred sixty points require nourishment.
Jiang Yuan remembered what was said in the Three Star Immortal Cave’s collection of texts: a person encompasses the great circulation, with a round head touching the heavens and square feet on the ground, hence the three hundred sixty points.
In this path, a person’s head has seventy-two points, while the body has two hundred seven points, and the feet have eighty-one points, totaling three hundred sixty points, corresponding to the great circulation.
Jiang Tong’er thought to himself, “If I am to connect the great circulation points, I must start from the head and end at the feet. In the past, when I taught that Wood Mother to circulate the great circulation, I knew that the eighty-one points in the feet were the most difficult to traverse. The eighty-one points in the feet each have their own challenges.”
He understood clearly in his heart that nourishing the great circulation points begins at the head, with seventy-two points in the head, starting with the Fengchi Point, and first nourishing this point.
Jiang Yuan was not in a hurry; he waited until his primordial spirit was agile and his essence was full before allowing the primordial spirit and the five to nourish the Fengchi Point.
The primordial spirit and the five entered his Fengchi Point, using the wonders of the primordial spirit to raise the gentle fire for nourishment.
As the gentle fire rose, he felt warmth emanating from the lower part of his head, and clarity in his spirit.
This is because the Fengchi Point connects to the divine, having the effect of brightening the eyes and awakening the mind.
However, this point had not yet felt like it was being boiled in soup; nourishment still required time.
Jiang Yuan then exited the room, and before long, the two boys came to invite him to the hall for tea and food, presenting seasonal fruits.
He gladly accepted.
After the meal, the two boys stepped forward and asked, “Brother Guangxin, our master has been away for over thirty years and has yet to return, with no news at all. We are often worried.”
Jiang Yuan sat cross-legged on the mat and smiled, “You two junior brothers have only recently entered the sect and do not yet understand the nature of cultivation. Time passes like floating clouds; it cannot be counted, it cannot be counted!”
The two boys asked, “What do you mean?”
Jiang Yuan replied, “Junior brothers, during cultivation, it is common to lose track of time. Looking back, a hundred years may have passed, or even several hundred years. Often, during quiet cultivation, several generations may have passed in the mortal realm. Thirty years here is nothing significant.”
The two boys inquired, “Brother Guangxin, how many years have you cultivated until now?”
Jiang Yuan smiled, “Several hundred years, countless to count.”
The two boys were astonished, “Several hundred years indeed!”
Jiang Yuan said, “The Dao is hard to attain, and longevity is difficult to seek; several hundred years are not much at all.”
The two boys asked, “We have been in the sect for several decades and do not dare to foolishly think of several hundred years.”
Jiang Yuan smiled without speaking.
For these two boys, being disciples of the Zhenyuanzi Da Xian, living for ten thousand years is not a difficult matter, especially with the presence of the ginseng fruit tree as a spiritual root.
For them, attaining longevity is rare, but for Zhenyuanzi Da Xian, it is quite easy.
The two boys said, “Brother Guangxin, now that our master is far away, we have no clarity in our cultivation and cannot comprehend the teachings. What should we do?”
Jiang Yuan replied, “Do not be anxious.”
The two boys had no choice but to give up, bowing before leaving the hall to play, putting this matter aside and not letting it disturb their hearts.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuan secretly admired them.
These two boys had good character, able to cast aside various worries, which is also a skill.
If they possess such skills, the desires and the Wood Mother would find it difficult to invade them.
Jiang Yuan thought to himself, “To be able to be accepted as disciples by Zhenyuanzi Da Xian, they must have some ability, and with the affinity of fate within them, they have entered the sect.”
(End of Chapter)