“Who am I? Who is it?” Mei Qing cried out hoarsely, sitting upright in one motion.
“Master has woken up, you’ve finally woken up,” came the familiar voice of Duo Yun by his ear. Struggling to open his eyes, he saw Duo Yun sitting at the bedside, supporting him with both hands, her eyes swollen and red like ripe peaches.
Seeing Mei Qing regain consciousness, Duo Yun’s anxious heart finally steadied a little. Gently helping him lie back down, she softly said, “How are you feeling now? Any discomfort left? Lie down first, don’t rush to get up.”
Mei Qing exhaled deeply, only now realizing he had returned home and was lying in his own bed. Turning his head toward Duo Yun, he asked, “Duo Yun, how did I get back here?”
Upon hearing this, tears immediately welled up in Duo Yun’s eyes as she replied, “Not long after you left for the Guard Station today, several of your colleagues brought you back, saying you had suddenly fallen ill and fainted. I didn’t know what to do, so Uncle Zhong hurriedly called a doctor. They all said your body was weak but otherwise fine. Just now when you woke up, Uncle Zhong went to rest, and Xiao Wu has already gone to prepare something for you to eat.”
Only then did Mei Qing realize it was already deep into the night. Gradually recalling the many hallucinations he had seen before fainting, which made absolutely no sense, he felt deeply perplexed. Remembering the strange sensations in his body right before collapsing, he quickly turned his attention inward for inspection. What he saw filled him with joy.
The grayish oppressive energy that had plagued him day and night for so long had vanished without a trace, unknown when. Inside him was a clear, fresh, and smooth golden elixir, although somewhat weak in vitality, it was completely unobstructed. At a mere thought, his true energy flowed, and within moments, he felt refreshed and invigorated, his whole being revitalized.
Duo Yun also sensed Mei Qing’s transformation, and with tears still clinging to her face, she smiled: “Although you still seem a bit weak, I feel you’re much more spirited now. I just sent Wu’er to get some porridge for you. Let’s start with something light, and if you’re still hungry afterward, we can add something more, okay?”
Looking at Duo Yun’s red-rimmed eyes and tear-streaked smile, Mei Qing’s heart swelled with tenderness. Thinking of the years she had spent worrying for him, always devoted entirely to his well-being, he realized he had indeed neglected her lately. With these thoughts, Mei Qing reached out, wrapped his arm around Duo Yun’s slender waist, turned her face toward him, and said, “You silly girl, I’ll be fine. I’ll always be fine from now on. No more crying, okay?”
Duo Yun nodded, softly murmuring “Mm,” suddenly covering her face and saying, “Don’t look at me, I’m so ugly right now. I’ll go wash my face first.”
Mei Qing chuckled lightly, saying, “How could my Duo Yun ever be ugly? I like you very much.” With that, he gently pulled her hands away and kissed her swollen eyelids. He felt her body soften, her eyelashes fluttering. And on his lips, the salty taste of her tears filled his mouth.
“Master, please have some porridge now… Oh…” Just as they were lost in their tender moment, Wu’er’s voice suddenly interrupted, startling them apart. They saw Wu’er entering with a bowl of porridge, witnessing the intimate scene, her face blushing bright red, her eyes sparkling even more brightly.
Mei Qing slowly rotated the golden elixir, a thread of spiritual awareness hovering lightly, almost casually resting upon it.
Now that the elixir had formed, he had entered the stage of refining essence into energy. Regarding this process, there were slight differences between the Nineteen Dao Elixirs and the Divine Thunder Method. The Nineteen Dao Elixirs followed orthodox elixir techniques, not drawing energy from the heavens, earth, sun, or moon. As the saying goes, “All things are within me” and “The body itself contains sun and moon.” The method relied entirely on the internal intermingling of sun and moon to generate essence and transform it into energy. In contrast, the Divine Thunder Method continued the traditional talisman school’s approach of drawing energy from the sun and moon. It collected the essence of the sun and the brilliance of the moon, introducing them into the body, and then, like the elixir method, used internal sun and moon to refine and transform the energy into vital energy.
At this moment, Mei Qing’s body had achieved a state of simultaneous rising of sun and moon. Above the dark, vast kidney water, the heart fire burned like the sun, casting a purple glow across the entire vital energy sea. A crescent golden moon floated serenely to one side, its moonlight flowing. Under the sun’s illumination, it slowly condensed into dewdrops, like a gentle rain nourishing and irrigating, dripping down drop by drop. Between the heart fire and kidney water, a radiant golden elixir spun steadily, continuously growing stronger, wrapped in a swirling purple aura.
According to the Nineteen Dao Elixir method, after the elixir forms, one must not rush forward for ten months. The elixir must be nurtured with the internal sun and moon’s essence for ten months, known as the “Ten-Month Fetal Nurturing.” However, the Divine Thunder Method had its own subtleties. It did not deliberately nurture the elixir but instead drew upon the sun and moon’s energy, introducing it into the body to condense essence into energy. Using this condensed energy to warm and nourish the elixir allowed simultaneous progress and nurturing.
At this moment, Mei Qing was taking the moonlight he had gathered, refining it again with his internal sun and moon into dew, and rather than deliberately refining it, he simply used it to nourish the golden elixir. Indeed, he could see the elixir’s purple aura swirling, gradually growing stronger.
After completing the nine transformations in the elixir chamber and withdrawing his focus, Mei Qing indeed felt his mind calm and his spirit clear. His internal golden elixir felt lively and vibrant, bringing indescribable comfort. At a mere thought, his spiritual awareness extended outward, and using this method of observation, he surprisingly discovered that the entire courtyard was within his awareness.
Outside, moonlight quietly fell upon the pond, the water still and ripple-free, reflecting the moonlight onto the nearby bamboo grove, casting a greenish glow over the quiet bamboo. Mei Qing’s spiritual awareness was as calm as an ancient well, clearly reflecting every detail of the courtyard. He could see the small grass by the pond gently and slowly growing, the tiny insects resting quietly on the roots, even sensing the cool chill in the shadow beneath the banana tree where moonlight filtered through, and the subtle air movements caused by the banana leaves’ delicate swaying.
The world had never felt so vivid and clear before. At this moment, Mei Qing suddenly gained a slight understanding of the Dao. He had spent his days cultivating the Dao, yet never really pondered what the Dao truly was. Now, in this sudden clarity, the Dao seemed so simple—it was the natural things all around him. Like the moonlight’s reflection on the water, like the gentle breeze rustling the banana leaves—so simple, so natural.
His spiritual awareness spread outward like an ever-extending spider’s web, gradually expanding to cover the entire mansion. Mei Qing’s heart immersed itself in this stillness, the heavens and earth silent, the moonlight cool as water.
Suddenly, like a tiny insect brushing against the web, a faint external spiritual awareness touched Mei Qing’s extended awareness. It was like a small stone dropping into a still pond, sending ripples outward, instantly creating a storm in Mei Qing’s heart!
Like a silver vase shattering, Mei Qing’s calm, still heart shattered into countless fragments, flying apart in an instant. Overwhelmed with emotion, he could no longer sustain his spiritual awareness, which withdrew like a tidal wave, instantly receding.
It was Bi Zhen! There was no more familiar feeling. Although their minds had only briefly touched, it felt like an eternity of waiting. Mei Qing sat there, dazed and stunned, momentarily unable to believe it. When the moment he had longed for finally arrived, he found himself doubting, unable to believe it was real.
Repeatedly calming his heart and focusing his mind, the once-familiar process now felt awkward. Mei Qing tried several times before finally calming his wildly beating heart. He re-entered the state of extending his spiritual awareness, spreading out his observational method, but could find no trace of Bi Zhen’s spiritual presence.
It was as if that thread of awareness had never existed at all.
He sat there, waiting in stunned silence, not knowing how long passed, until a sudden flicker of spiritual energy brought that familiar sensation back. In an instant, the two threads of awareness entwined like flowing streams merging, pouring out their deep emotions without reservation. After their painful separation, this reunion felt especially precious, as if they wished to merge into one another completely, never to be parted again.
It felt like waiting a thousand years, yet also like only an instant. Never before had such joy and sorrow, happiness and sadness, surged forth like a volcanic eruption, yet also flowed as gently as silent water. In this complex yet simple intertwining, no words could capture the moment.
Happiness is always fleeting. Before Mei Qing could even greet her, he felt Bi Zhen’s spiritual presence rapidly fading. Before she left, she sent only one hurried message—”Same time tomorrow night.”
It was not a spoken phrase, nor did it carry sound or form, yet Mei Qing understood it was Bi Zhen’s message to him. Indeed, the immortal techniques of Daoism had their wonders.
Though she came and went like moonlight on water, leaving no trace, Mei Qing was filled with hope and happiness. This feeling of joy overflowed every corner of his heart and soul, leaving him as if intoxicated. Only after a long while did he slowly return to his senses.
As he awoke, Mei Qing felt a coolness on his face. Raising his hand to touch it, he discovered he had unknowingly been crying, his face soaked with tears.
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