Chapter 81: Wudang Heart Method's Minor Accomplishment (Part 2)

  Following the arrangement of Kong Shou, I did not get a second chance to obtain the true energy canister, so I could only forget my own self-cultivation Wu Dang heart method in order to gain more true energy.

  Kong Shou and Yi Chen left the sect less than a month after they came out, saying they had something to attend to. I lived and cultivated alone here, and before I knew it, more than three months had passed again.

  Nowadays, I spend half a day cultivating the first layer of heart method, gathering true energy into my body. Half a day is spent cultivating the second layer of heart method, trying to use true energy to increase my attack and defense power. In the evening, I usually cultivate the first layer of heart method or practice some moves and techniques.

  I don't know when Kong Shou and Yi Chen will be back, but I know the things they went to do won't be easy. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been gone for so long.

  From the moment I arrived here to follow Kongshou's martial arts training, it has been almost a year now. I have not contacted any relatives or friends, nor have I thought of contacting them.

  Cultivation requires focus and determination, otherwise it can be very dangerous. I cannot afford to be distracted, nor do I want to be distracted. Although sometimes I will unconsciously suddenly think of some people and things, but I will quickly throw these people and things out of my mind and enter the cultivation state.

  The seemingly dull and tasteless cultivation had been going on continuously. Until one day, I felt a chill, only to find that the courtyard was already covered in a blanket of snow without me noticing when it started.

  I haven't left my room since last night before it got dark, so I didn't get to see the snow. This year's heavy snowfall came very early and this place is close to the north, so the snowfall was also big. So, the whole yard is covered with accumulated snow.

  It's already 12 o'clock now, if I wasn't hungry and didn't come out to cook and eat, I still wouldn't know it's snowing. Being alone here makes me a bit lazy. Usually, I only cook when I feel hungry, not at regular times every day.

  Looking at the snow-filled courtyard, I suddenly remembered last winter when Li Huanhuan and others spent New Year's Eve with me at my home. I miss those days when I was with my parents and friends, but I'm even more aware that such days are gone forever, and it's hard for me to have them again in this lifetime.

  Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, a year has passed. My cultivation still hasn't made any obvious progress, as if I've hit a bottleneck, always feeling like I can't gather more true energy in my dantian.

  My circumstances do not allow me to be lazy, nor do they allow me to have a calm and peaceful day again. So I withdrew my thoughts, hastily made dinner, and after eating, I started my usual cultivation practice.

  My practice has formed a habit, every moment of every day I have already formed a habit. Habits become natural, many things I am already doing very naturally, it doesn't seem like I'm doing it on purpose anymore.

  When I was cultivating, I had to focus my mind and forget about everything else, so when I was cultivating, I didn't know anything about the outside world. It wasn't until after I finished cultivating and opened my eyes that I realized there was someone standing next to me.

  I didn't show surprise but calmly said: "Who are you?"

  I don't know this person, but he doesn't seem to have any malicious intentions. Otherwise, just now when I was cultivating, he could have taken the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on me.

  He smiled, with a handsome face that had some girly charm: "My name is Yifan, I'm your junior."

  I let out an "oh" and smiled: "Was it your master or mistress who took you in?"

  "This young man who called himself 'Yi Fan' had a very mature temperament and smiled as he said, 'It was Master's senior brother who took me in.'"

  I stood up: "No food? I'll cook!"

  Yi Fan smiled and said: "It's already done. We just have to wait for Shixiong to finish his cultivation, then we can start eating."

  I turned around and looked outside the house, and a familiar scent wafted into my nostrils: "Did you cook soup?"

  Yi Fan nodded: "Kelp and pork ribs soup. Master will drink a bowl later."

  I nodded: "Have Master and Mistress returned?"

  Yi Fan shook his head: "They still have things to attend to and might only return a month later."

  I slightly furrowed my brow and said: "How did you come back first? Why didn't you stay with Master and the others?"

  Yi Fan smiled: "Master Shu said that Master Brother, you are alone here and will be lonely, so I let me come back to accompany Master Brother first." After a pause, he continued: "By the way, we also have a Master Sister, who is now accompanying Master Shu and Master Father."

  I was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing: "It seems that our masters have gained a lot from this trip, and the Wudang Sect is about to rise to greatness..."

  Yi Fan also smiled: "Shixiong is right! Shixiong, my heart method cultivation has encountered a bottleneck, and I always can't correctly guide the true energy out of the body. Can shixiong help me guide it?"

  I forced a smile: "Don't be deceived, my junior brother, this senior brother of yours is far from qualified. So far, I can only temporarily store a small amount of true energy in my dantian, let alone guide it out of the body."

  Yifan was taken aback, and immediately furrowed his brow, saying: "Master Shu once told me about this matter, I don't know if Master has found the reason now?"

  I shook my head: "My daily cultivation is almost all in vain, the true energy as soon as it enters the dantian will disappear for no reason, and so far I have not been able to find the cause."

  Yifan's eyebrows furrowed even tighter: "The things Shifu and the others went to do should be related to what happened to Shixiong, I hope they can help Shixiong find a solution."

  I nodded slightly and smiled: "Never mind, the soup made by my junior brother is really fragrant, I can't wait to go and have a taste..."

  Yi Fan immediately smiled and said: "Please, senior brother!"

  Then there was a young man named Yifan who was about three or four years younger than me. Yifan is only seventeen or eighteen years old, but he's very mature. Yifan isn't his real name, it's the name given to him by his master Yichun.

  Yi Fan, although a boy, is very skilled at cooking. According to himself, he originally worked in a hotel and only quit his job to follow his master Yideng after meeting him by chance to practice Wudang Kung Fu.

  So from now on, I just need to focus on my cultivation, and the miscellaneous tasks such as cooking will be taken care of by Yifan.

  It's been two months since Yifan arrived, but my cultivation hasn't made any progress. However, Yifan's heart method cultivation has made astonishing progress. Although he followed his master Yichen for less than a month before coming here, it was all due to his own efforts. But in just three months, he successfully opened up the three meridians in his body, which is a terrifying degree.

  Moreover, the bottleneck that he couldn't guide the true energy out of his body was also solved by himself. Although it is said that at the beginning of practicing Wudang Heart Method, wanting to guide the true energy out of the body is originally a must. However, I have never heard of anyone who can solve the bottleneck on their own.

  What is being discussed here about the second stage of true energy application and the heart method are two different things. For now, guiding the true energy out of the body is just one step in the process of true energy circulating within the body. Here, "out of the body" means to let the true energy come out from the dan tian, flow into the various meridians of the body, and then expand or repair the meridians to achieve the effect of unblocking all the meridians in the body.

  I can now say that all the meridians in my body have been opened, but this was achieved with the help of Kongmen and Yichen, and has little to do with my own cultivation. If one can open three meridians within three months through their own efforts, it's already a remarkable achievement.

  So I had to look at this very mature and friendly junior brother in a different way.

  Yi Fan usually wouldn't disturb my cultivation, I know this might be the order of Kong Xuan and Yi Chen. So I also try not to disturb Yi Fan's cultivation, letting him focus more on his practice.

  However, within two months, we would meet every day during meals or when practicing moves, so we became more and more familiar with each other, and our coordination also improved.

  Many times, a single glance from us can let the other person know what we're thinking. Just like when I help Yifan pick up firewood and she slightly furrows her brow, then I know that the firewood I picked is damp and not suitable for starting a fire to cook with.

  Sometimes I'm afraid of spicy food, so I think some dishes made by Yifan are a bit spicy. At this time, my slight pursing of the lips will also be noticed by Yifan, and he will immediately say: "Next time I won't put chili peppers..."

  Generally speaking, I was still very happy with Yifan together.

  The heavy snow in the courtyard has started to melt, but the accumulated snow is too deep and it's estimated that it won't be completely melted within half a month. The winter in the north is particularly long, with more time for snowfall, and the accumulated snow gets thicker and thicker, making it very difficult to melt all at once.

  Yi Fan was very meticulous, he slowly cleared a lot of snow from the yard, clearing out a patch of empty space for me and him to practice our moves. After seeing him busy, I also helped clear up a bit, it's cooperation after all.

  Time never stays still, and just like that, another month has slowly passed. Now it's already spring, the sunshine is slowly melting all the snow on the ground, and some small grasses are gradually poking their heads out of the mud.

  I stood in the yard looking at the sky's proud sun, and couldn't help but ask Yifan who was practicing moves with me: "Do you think Master will be back soon?"

  Yi Fan smiled and said, "Do you miss your Shifu and Shi Bo? I think they must still be helping you find a way to solve the problem on your body, so they're delayed. Don't worry, Brother, they should be back soon."

  I nodded slightly, calculated in my heart for a moment, and then said: "I've been here for over a year now. I really hope I can solve my own problems quickly and cultivate the inner skills of our Wudang."

  Yi Fan lightly sighed: "There will always be a way to solve it, don't worry, Shixiong."

  I knew he was consoling me, so I smiled slightly and didn't say anything more. We continued practicing the moves in silence together.

  Yi Fan suddenly looked at me and said: "Someone is coming."

  I had actually noticed the footsteps earlier because my hearing is fine. The person coming should be alone, with very light footsteps but a strong sense of rhythm.

  Yifan listened with a tilted ear for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said: "We have guests coming!"

  I also heard the footsteps stop outside our yard, and it seemed to be heading straight for us.

  Then I exchanged a glance with Yifan, and he understood what I meant. He walked over to open the door.

  When the door opened, I just saw a yellow figure flash in front of me, and then I saw a girl standing in front of me.

  The girl in yellow clothes had a smile on her face, with a faint blush on her delicate cheeks, probably because she was tired from walking earlier.

  I took a step back and kept a distance from her: "May I ask who you are?"

  The girl giggled and said: "My name is Huang Yier, a girl who wears yellow clothes, got it?"

  I smiled slightly and looked at the girl in front of me: "You're the new disciple that Master has just taken on?"

  The girl was taken aback, then immediately raised her thumb and sighed: "Brother is indeed clever! I am the new disciple that Master has just accepted, my name is Huang Yier. Nice to meet you, Brother, please accept my bow."

  The girl called "Huang Yier" said as she spoke, and really knelt down. I hastily stretched out my hand to pull her up: "Don't, there's no need for this."

  Huang Yier took advantage of the momentum to stand up and smiled: "Good brother." Turning around, he also smiled at Yifan beside him: "Good brother!"

  Yifan smiled and said: "Junior sister has finally returned. What about Master and the others?"

  The little boy in yellow blinked his eyes and said: "Guess what."

  "How could I have guessed this?"

  "The yellow-clothed youngster chuckled and said, 'They'll be here soon. On our way back just now, Master suddenly remembered his daughter and said he wanted to go see her, telling me to come back first. I think they should be right back.'"

  I remembered Kong Shou's daughter, Kong Lin'er, and nodded slightly: "It was Nan Gong Qianlan's mother, I've seen her."

  Huang Yier smiled and said: "Yes yes. I also saw the Nan Gong Qianlan you mentioned, I heard she's your fiancée and senior fellow disciple, very beautiful!"

  I was taken aback and then smiled wryly: "Who told you?"

  Huang Yi'er frowned and said: "It was Nan Gong Qianlan herself who told me, she even asked me about your current situation. However, I didn't know anything about you, so I couldn't tell her anything."

  I recalled the day I was with Nan Gong Qian Lan over a year ago and couldn't help but say, "The people of the Nan Gong family are really strange..."

  No sooner had I finished speaking than I heard Kong Shou's voice coming over: "Don't you dare speak ill of my son-in-law and granddaughter behind their backs!"

  I heard the voice of Kong Shou, and smiled: "Master, you two can be considered back!" When I looked up, I saw Kong Shou and Yi Chen walking in shoulder to shoulder, each with a bag on their shoulders.

  I and Yifan actively went up to receive them, and in unison said: "You two can be considered back..."

  Kong Shou and Yi Chen also laughed in unison: "Welcome back!"

  Kong Shou and Yi Fan put down their bags, then hastily grabbed my hand to examine the inner energy within me. After a moment, Kong Shou sighed, "It seems there's still no progress, but don't worry, this time when I went out with your Master, we've already found a solution to your problem."

  I was overjoyed and hastily asked: "What method?"

  Yi Chen smiled and said, "The solution is in those two bags you brought into the house earlier. This time we went out, we found a lot of precious medicinal materials, which can produce enough energy to allow your body to fully absorb it once, and also repair the old injuries of the human body, that is, what people often call 'washing the marrow and cutting the bones'. I believe that from now on, when you practice your skills, you won't have any more true energy loss."

  I was overjoyed and laughed, saying: "Thank you, Master and Mistress."

  Kong Shou furrowed his brow and said, "Now we will go prepare the medicinal ingredients. When the time is ripe, I'll help you wash your marrow and change your bones. By the way, we've already obtained the true 'Washing Marrow Scripture' from Shaolin Temple. You should practice it for a while, then combine it with the medicinal soup we're preparing, and I believe it will thoroughly transform your body."

  I nodded and took over the thread-bound ancient book handed over by Kong Shu, turned around and entered the house, immediately opening it to take a look.

  Shaolin Kung Fu is the orthodox school of the world, and even Wudang Kung Fu evolved from Shaolin Kung Fu. Therefore, this original Shaolin Xi Sui Jing is extraordinary. I read a few pages and could only basically understand its meaning.

  Fortunately, Kong Shou and Yi Chen knew early on that I couldn't fully understand the connotation of Xi Mi Jing, so they would come over from time to time to point it out, allowing me to gain a lot.

  From then on, I stayed in my room to study the Xǐ Móu Jīng. After studying it thoroughly, I began to practice under the guidance of Kōng Shǒu and Yì Chén.

  Cultivating the Marrow Washing Classic is a very painful thing, no matter what kind of marrow washing and bone cutting technique or medicine is used, it will bring great pain to the person undergoing marrow washing and bone cutting. This is an unavoidable thing and must be experienced.

  So I gritted my teeth and persisted, not daring to give up my practice because of the pain.

  The process of cultivation is very painful and slow. After almost half a month of cultivation, I barely managed to get started.

  Kong Shou and Yi Chen have been busy preparing medicine for me during this time. I heard from Yifan, who brought me food, that there is already a rough outline, but they are still waiting for one person. This person is the key to my marrow washing and bone cutting this time. According to Yifan, this person is a high-ranking monk from Shaolin Temple and is also the most proficient in the Marrow Washing Sutra. This Shaolin high-ranking monk was invited by Kong Shou and Yi Chen and will come to assist me.

  I've been working hard on practicing the Xiāo Mài Jīng myself, and I'm already considered a beginner, so this Shaolin monk's visit is just to be on the safe side.

  Yi Fan and Huang Yier's cultivation speed is much faster than mine, they started later than me, the speed of opening up their meridians is not as fast as mine, but their ability to store true energy is many times higher than mine. It's also because of this that Yi Fan and Huang Yier have recently opened up multiple meridians with the help of Kong Shou and Yi Chen.

  My meridians were opened up, to a certain extent it's a miracle. But Yifan and Huang Yier are actually relying on their cultivation to open up their meridians, so they have a much higher level of cultivation than me. They are simply geniuses at practicing qigong.