Three scrolls of silk texts, according to Mei Qing’s annotations, were respectively titled “The Five Thunder Sacred Method: The Art of Cultivating Qi” and “The Divine Heavens: Authentic Interpretations,” with the latter divided into two volumes.
In fact, even before Mei Qing began his work, the correct titles of these three silk scrolls had already been noted on the original drafts. After all, those few characters weren’t particularly difficult.
But when it came to the content, that was a completely different story.
Annotating a Daoist secret manual might sound simple enough, but when Mei Qing actually began the task, he quickly realized how difficult it truly was.
Before he started, he had been quite confident, thanks to his extraordinary ability to recognize ancient characters—an ability he couldn’t quite explain. But once he began the annotations, he realized that this alone was far from sufficient.
Even in later eras, when the study of ancient scripts had become highly developed, the accuracy rate of deciphering ancient texts still fell far short of enabling a complete translation of all ancient writings. Considering the requirement of “understanding the meaning,” if one could interpret about eighty to ninety percent of the text, one could generally grasp the overall meaning.
However, Daoist cultivation methods were different. The vocabulary used in such texts was far rarer than in ordinary books, the language was archaic and difficult to understand, and the margin for error was extremely low—nobody could imagine the consequences of even a few mistakes in crucial passages when practicing a Daoist cultivation technique.
Therefore, after reading through the three silk scrolls several times, Mei Qing realized he had encountered a tough challenge. The ancient cloud-seal script on the silk scrolls wasn’t too different from the ancient seal script he already knew. Based on memory alone, he could interpret about seventy to eighty percent of it. That would have been sufficient for general academic purposes. But as a cultivation method, attempting to practice based on only seventy to eighty percent understanding was practically suicidal.
Thus, he had no choice but to painstakingly work through each word and sentence. Knowing how critical this was, he dared not make copies to take out, so he memorized all three silk scrolls. Fortunately, his abnormally sharp mind came through, making the task relatively easy. Later, he asked Bi Zhen to gather every Daoist scripture and manual she could find to use as references.
Mei Qing had already read all the Daoist scriptures stored in the Rensheng Palace. There were tens of thousands of scrolls spread across two floors, with nearly a thousand cases of books. After Bi Zhen heard this news, she wandered around the scripture pavilion for a long time, looking at the stacks of books and then at Mei Qing’s head, speechless.
After Bi Zhen examined the seventy to eighty percent of the text Mei Qing had annotated and compared it with the original drafts, she immediately concluded that Mei Qing had not been exaggerating. His current seventy to eighty percent translation was clearly far more reliable than the original drafts.
Mei Qing had always been curious about the identity of the previous scholar who had produced those earlier drafts. Although the earlier versions contained many errors, it was obvious that the person’s understanding of Daoist methods far surpassed Mei Qing’s amateurish grasp. Many passages had been guessed correctly through sheer effort. Despite Mei Qing’s vast knowledge of Daoist scriptures, he couldn’t even claim to match half of that person’s skill.
Being able to memorize was one thing; truly understanding the subtleties and applying them inwardly was another.
Although Mei Qing had asked Bi Zhen who that scholar might be, she avoided the question. She only said that the person was someone she could no longer contact, and even if they could meet, there was no possibility of exchanging notes on annotations. Therefore, there was no hope of seeking help.
“If you can’t rely on others, rely on yourself.” Mei Qing gave up all fantasies and buried himself in hard work.
The task of having Bi Zhen search for Daoist scriptures and methods soon bore fruit. Somehow, she managed to obtain several basic cultivation methods from other sects. These weren’t particularly profound Daoist methods, but they belonged to the same talisman sect and proved quite helpful for Mei Qing’s deeper understanding.
Mei Qing’s biggest problem, however, was his weak foundation. His cultivation and foundation had been acquired in a rather haphazard manner. By the time he truly understood them, he had already reached a relatively high level, so his grasp of the most fundamental theories was actually quite shaky. Even after receiving Bi Zhen’s guidance, he had only gained a basic understanding of the Nineteen Daoist Alchemy Formulae. His knowledge of talisman-related methods remained extremely limited.
Such knowledge could only be accumulated over time. In major sects, disciples were guided by their elders, who explained all kinds of basic knowledge, making it easier for them to understand Daoist matters. These were things one couldn’t learn merely by reading Daoist scriptures. They were usually passed down orally and taught directly from master to student.
With a weak foundation, Mei Qing naturally lacked depth in understanding matters beyond his own cultivation. Thus, while carefully analyzing the silk scroll texts, he also devoted himself to studying the limited number of manuals he had, seizing every opportunity to ask Bi Zhen for guidance.
One thing that somewhat discouraged Mei Qing was that, based on the portions already deciphered, the two or three scrolls of silk only described cultivation methods, with only a pitifully small number of practical Daoist techniques recorded.
Despite this, Mei Qing still held great expectations. A small number didn’t matter—after all, a single excellent technique could carry one through life. As long as one mastered it deeply, one refined move was better than a thousand superficial ones.
During this period, Mei Qing became almost obsessed. Whether in the temple or at home, he constantly muttered strange and difficult phrases. Even at the dinner table, while feeding himself, he would mutter, “Three-colored chaos, appearing and vanishing, the cycle reaches its extreme, three energies bring forth light… three-colored… three energies…”
“Master, you’ve got your chopsticks upside down!” Wu’er reminded him from the side.
“No, no, it’s just that three-colored comes first, three energies come later…” Mei Qing was still unaware.
“I mean you’re holding your chopsticks upside down…”
Old Zhong observed this with suspicion in his heart. After discussing with Master Liu, he still felt uneasy and dared not confront Mei Qing directly. Only after his facial wounds had healed did he begin to closely observe Mei Qing’s condition. At that time, Mei Qing had been driven nearly mad by desire under Bi Zhen’s methods. How could Old Zhong, a man of vast experience, fail to notice? But as days passed, he saw no sign of instability in Mei Qing’s Daoist foundation; instead, Mei Qing seemed to grow stronger. If it hadn’t been for Master Liu’s earlier remark that this method would take some time to show results, Old Zhong might have already gone back to confront Master Liu.
As time passed, Mei Qing’s eyes gradually lost their sharpness, and the purple aura between his brows also became less intense. Old Zhong thought the method had indeed worked, although he remained slightly doubtful because Mei Qing showed no sign of physical weakness.
Poor Old Zhong had no idea that Bi Zhen, the supposed spy, had already been turned by Mei Qing—she was practically in his bed now! He could never have imagined that Bi Zhen, in order to assist with the annotation of those silk scrolls, had actually begun guiding Mei Qing, leading to his further progress in Daoist cultivation. Mei Qing was now approaching the stage of returning to simplicity, nearing the formation of the elixir. Since Old Zhong himself was not a cultivator, although he had some observational skills, he could no longer accurately judge Mei Qing’s current level.
Seeing Mei Qing muttering Daoist phrases to himself these days, Old Zhong couldn’t help but wonder whether the young master had begun to suspect something. No, he decided, he should find an opportunity to visit Master Liu and ask what was going on.
Only Duoyun seemed unusually gloomy these days.
Indeed, since that incident, the young master had not touched her body again. Although he still acted affectionately as before, she couldn’t help wondering why he had completely stopped showing any interest in intimacy.
He claimed to be practicing some alchemical method, but she hadn’t seen any sign of him actually cultivating elixirs. Could it be that he was angry with her and was just making excuses? And now he was acting so strangely, completely absorbed in his own thoughts, barely noticing her existence. What was going on?
While tidying the bed and helping Mei Qing rest, seeing him so absorbed, Duoyun couldn’t help but show a hint of sadness in her eyes.
“Haha! That must be the right interpretation! Three-colored? Three glories? Hehe, it must be this!” Suddenly Mei Qing slapped his thigh in excitement, exclaiming joyfully.
Duoyun, lost in thought, was startled and dropped the silk handkerchief onto the bed. She quickly turned around and asked, “Master, what’s the matter?”
“Nothing, nothing,” Mei Qing smiled. “I just suddenly understood something. Duoyun, are you still busy with something?”
“No, not really, just tidying the bed,” Duoyun, seeing that Mei Qing was fine, felt reassured. Hesitating slightly, she spoke hesitantly, “Master, what’s been going on with you these days? You’re always lost in thought no matter what you’re doing. I’m useless and can’t help at all…”
“Cough, this is something you really can’t help with…” Mei Qing, returning from his deep contemplation of the text, finally noticed Duoyun’s expression and asked, “What’s wrong, Duoyun? Are you unhappy?”
“No, of course not. What reason would I have to be unhappy?” Duoyun shook her head. “It’s just… just that seeing you these days, not eating well or sleeping properly, I’m a bit worried.”
“You silly girl,” Mei Qing reached out and pulled Duoyun into his arms, gently tapping her straight nose. “I’m perfectly fine. It’s just that this recent task has been a bit mentally taxing. What’s wrong? Do you feel neglected by me?”
Duoyun’s face turned slightly red as she lowered her head and whispered, “How could I ever feel that way about Master? I’m just afraid… afraid that Master might be tired of me…”
Mei Qing’s heart stirred. He well understood Duoyun’s feelings. But recently, his mind had been entirely occupied with the annotations, and with Bi Zhen on his mind, he had inevitably neglected Duoyun a bit. Seeing Duoyun’s slightly resentful gaze, his heart softened, and he gently pulled her into his arms. “You silly girl, you’re my most precious treasure. Nothing will ever change that. I’ve just been preoccupied with some unresolved matters lately. Why are you worrying over nothing? Come, stop thinking so much. Let me pat you to sleep.”
Upon hearing Mei Qing’s words, Duoyun couldn’t help but giggle. “Oh please, Master, pat me to sleep? Do you think I’m a child? Do you really think I’ll fall asleep just because you pat me… Oh Master, where are you patting?”
While speaking, Mei Qing’s hands were already wandering across Duoyun’s chest. He replied, “Does it matter where I pat? Hmm, aren’t you feeling sleepy now?”
“…I was a little sleepy before, but now you’ve patted all the sleep away.”
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