Although Mei Qing had little contact with women, he seemed to possess an innate talent for charming them. Since they had already agreed to face their emotional tribulation together, Bi Zhen had already become an inseparable Dao companion—according to Mei Qing’s understanding, a Dao companion was essentially a publicly acknowledged lover, someone with whom one shared intimacy without formal marriage. Naturally, this freed his heart and loosened his hands. With just a few well-placed words, he made Bi Zhen both delighted and annoyed, and with a few more clever moves, he completely disrupted her Dao cultivation mindset. It seemed that all those grand techniques like Guan Zhi Da Fa (Ultimate Observation Method) were no match for the straightforward effectiveness of a rogue’s touch.
“Go to hell,” Bi Zhen shot back with a flirtatious glance, suddenly realizing her manner was somewhat immodest, and quickly straightened her posture. “The Guan Zhi method is profound and vast—it’s a heart-cultivation technique for Dao cultivators. How could it be used as a vulgar trick by shameless rakes like you?”
“Hehe, whatever works, right?” Mei Qing showed no remorse for his underhanded tactics, proudly declaring, “What? Seeing my true colors now, regretting it?”
Looking at Mei Qing’s deliberately mischievous expression, Bi Zhen giggled, “I never thought you’d be this bad. But I know you’re not one of those superficial, promiscuous playboys. Do you think my taste is for nothing?”
“If that’s the case, can I go even further?” Mei Qing grinned wickedly, “My dear lady, why don’t you just surrender to your husband already?”
Bi Zhen laughed sweetly, “Where did this pervert come from? Careful, or I’ll recite a Dao spell and reduce you to nothingness… Oh no, stop it, I can’t take it anymore. Let Bi Zhen go.”
Mei Qing, not wanting to push too far, gave her a light punishment before letting go. Looking at Bi Zhen’s charming face, now flushed with both joy and irritation, he suddenly felt a bit dazed. Just yesterday, Bi Zhen had been solemn and dignified, and now she was a laughing, affectionate beauty in his arms. The transformation had happened so quickly it was hard to believe.
Seeing Mei Qing suddenly become quiet, Bi Zhen thought she had upset him by refusing earlier. She quickly leaned into him and softly said, “What’s wrong? Are you angry? Bi Zhen has already given you her heart and pledged herself to you as your Dao companion. It’s just… the dual cultivation technique requires preparation before we can proceed. Besides, we still have to pass our emotional tribulation… if you really can’t wait…”
Her voice dropped lower, almost like a mosquito’s hum, barely audible.
“Dual cultivation?!”
Too tempting. Mei Qing, seeing Bi Zhen’s coy demeanor and hearing her mention the dual cultivation technique, was instantly stirred. He swept her into his arms, kissed her gently, and said, “Of course I’m eager, but what exactly is this dual cultivation method? Don’t keep me waiting—spill the beans now!”
Bi Zhen laughed, “Not today. Your technique is even more effective than Guan Zhi. How can I possibly focus on teaching you now?”
Looking at the lovely Bi Zhen in his arms, Mei Qing felt deeply satisfied but still teased, “If you won’t teach me dual cultivation, then at least explain this Guan Zhi method. Tell me why my technique works sometimes and not others—how can I show my face to others like this?”
Dao is the essence, Fa (method) is its function. Dao is the ultimate truth of emptiness, while Shu (technique) is the mysterious skill of transformation. These statements broadly explain the relationship between Dao, Fa, and Shu.
Though Guan Zhi was called a Fa, it was actually closer to a Shu. More specifically, it was a technique of cultivating the mind—what was known as Xing Gong (Nature Cultivation).
“The Guan Zhi method is something cultivated through experience. Only when your heart has truly gone through it can you wield it as effortlessly as moving your arm. If you, who have never practiced before, just randomly use it without understanding, it’s only natural that it works sometimes and not others,” Bi Zhen explained.
“So what should I do? According to what you said, your sect’s cultivation methods can’t be passed to me, and I don’t have a master. Does that mean I’ll never be able to cultivate it?” Mei Qing asked, sounding dejected.
“That’s not necessarily true. In fact, dual cultivation also starts with this technique. Besides… there’s something I didn’t tell you before. Although I come from the Qing Jing sect, my true cultivation techniques come from elsewhere. My actual cultivation path originates from the Southern School of Dual Cultivation,” Bi Zhen said softly, her beautiful eyes watching Mei Qing with concern.
Dual cultivation originally stemmed from the ancient sexual techniques of the Immortal sects. After the Song Dynasty, with the rise of Neo-Confucianism, these techniques were often seen as licentious and deviant. In the Ming Dynasty, the idea of “preserving heavenly principles and eliminating human desires” had deeply rooted itself in society. Naturally, for a scholar like Mei Qing, it was hard to avoid having some prejudice against the dual cultivation sects.
Precisely because of this, Bi Zhen felt uneasy when revealing her background, fearing Mei Qing might look down on her.
But Mei Qing was no ordinary scholar. He didn’t seem to care at all. Upon hearing Bi Zhen’s words, instead of being shocked or angry, he happily said, “Oh ho, so my wife has been hiding things from her husband? You deserve a spanking! Now quickly tell me all the secrets.”
With that, he actually raised his hand and gave Bi Zhen a gentle slap on the bottom.
Bi Zhen yelped in surprise, though the slap was light, it sent a tingling sensation through her like an electric shock. Seeing that Mei Qing showed no sign of disapproval, her anxious expression vanished, replaced by joy. She said, “Forgive Bi Zhen this time. I had my reasons before, but now why would I dare hide anything? I originally inherited the dual cultivation Dao from an elder, but later joined the Qing Jing sect to gain legitimacy and cultivate its pure Dao elixir techniques. The Guan Zhi method isn’t from the Qing Jing sect. According to dual cultivation rules, since we have become Dao companions, although I cannot teach you other techniques, teaching you Guan Zhi, which relates to dual cultivation, is perfectly fine.”
Delighted, Mei Qing said, “That settles it! Now hurry up and teach me the method so I can cultivate it and charm my wife to death every day.”
Bi Zhen couldn’t help but shoot him a sideways glance as he kept calling her “wife” and “husband,” though her heart was filled with sweetness. Finally, under Mei Qing’s persistent urging, she began explaining the cultivation method to him.
The Guan Zhi method, originally derived from Buddhist facial expression techniques, was passed down from the lineage of Liu Yongnian in the Southern School. Inspired by the Huayan sect’s “Six Aspects” philosophy, it eventually evolved into the Guan Zhi method practiced today. In fact, most sects had similar techniques, differing only in name and minor details, most of which originated from the Huayan sect’s “Six Aspects” cultivation method.
“The ‘Six Aspects’ are not literal—they’re just general terms. Many later practitioners tried to name six specific aspects, which actually made it dull and rigid. There’s no need to be so strict. You could even call it the Eight Aspects or Nine Aspects, and it would still work. In Buddhism, this method is usually cultivated through meditation. Some sit facing a Buddha image, experiencing emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, sadness, solemnity, and fear, then gradually letting them go, achieving inner clarity by externalizing these feelings, allowing others to perceive different emotions. However, Daoism’s approach is mostly internal-to-external, so it includes both inner and outer aspects.”
Bi Zhen finally sat upright and began explaining the Guan Zhi method to Mei Qing.
The difficulty of this method lay in the fact that it had no specific cultivation verses or energy flow guidance—it was purely generated and attained from within the heart. Bi Zhen mentioned that many sects in the Dan School, being close to Buddhist methods, focused on Xing Gong, and this technique was a prime example. Cultivating such techniques required a teacher’s guidance, and many sects even used magical artifacts to aid the process.
“Although this method has many outer appearances, the external forms aren’t its essence—they are secondary. Buddhism uses this method to eliminate appearances and clarify the mind; Daoism uses it to experience appearances and purify the will. Therefore, showing it to others is only a practical application—you must not lose sight of the essence. However, the actual cultivation method presents some challenges.”
Bi Zhen had originally used a magical mirror passed down by a senior to cultivate this method. Otherwise, how could a young person like her, with limited life experience, possibly understand the many emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and melancholy, and generate corresponding appearances?
But now, Bi Zhen had no such magical item to assist her, and Mei Qing had already practiced a half-baked version of the method. This made finding a proper starting point quite difficult. After explaining all this to Mei Qing, both of them felt at a loss.
“Forget it!” Bi Zhen finally decided after a long pause. “Since this method originally comes from Buddhism, why don’t you go straight to the source? Don’t rely on external objects—just seek inner clarity. Since I’ve already cultivated this Dao, I can serve as your guide. Let’s try a different path.”
Bi Zhen’s idea was that since Mei Qing had previously seen her use the “love” aspect in battle, he could use that as a starting point to cultivate the “love” appearance. If this method worked, perhaps the other aspects could be cultivated similarly. Since this method emphasized inner experience, Bi Zhen could demonstrate various appearances to Mei Qing. Once he had practiced all of them, the technique would naturally be mastered.
“Brilliant!” Mei Qing laughed. “Bi Zhen, you’re so smart—this could even be considered creating a new method. How about we give my version a new name? Let’s call it… Ru Shi Guan (Thusness Observation).”
“Teachable indeed,” Bi Zhen nodded approvingly. “All external appearances should be viewed thus. Perhaps you’re more suited for Buddhist cultivation.”
“If I become a Buddhist, what will happen to us? We still need to cultivate together.”
“No problem. Buddhism also has the Joyful Meditation technique.”
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