Pure Serenity Scripture

Qin Sang had gone into the city several times to make inquiries and discovered that Bai Jianglan truly had not deceived him. Tiger Subduing Long Fist was indeed common stock, and several major escort agencies in the city, including the Wuwei Escort Agency, all taught this fist art.

Learning the fist art did not necessarily require joining an escort agency; silver would do as well. But merely learning Tiger Subduing Long Fist cost forty or fifty taels of silver, immediately deflating more than half of Qin Sang's money pouch.

Still, the future of the Netherworld Scripture remained uncertain. He had to learn this fist art to protect himself.

Seeing that the old Daoist said nothing, Qin Sang secretly found it strange and asked, "Daoist, you don't want Mingyue to learn martial arts, do you?"

"He has trained with you for two months. Have I ever stopped either of you?"

The old Daoist stopped, turned around, and asked in return. He sat down on a bluestone by the roadside, took a sip of water, gazed at the vast heavens, and sighed. "This year's snow came so much earlier than usual. In these troubled times, natural disasters and human calamities come one after another, and the affairs of the world are impossible to predict. It is a good thing for Mingyue to have some Martial Arts to defend himself."

Qin Sang sat beside him and smiled. "What are you afraid of? Green Goat Temple is not some ancestral estate passed down through your family. Even if Great Sui Kingdom falls into chaos, you can simply pack your bags and flee to another country. With the skills you have passed on to Mingyue, he will be able to earn a meal wherever he goes."

Only after befriending several traveling merchants did Qin Sang learn just how vast this world was. South of Great Sui lay more than a dozen small kingdoms like Ning Country, and farther south stretched boundless lands.

Bordering Great Sui to the north was the great Heng Kingdom. Its territory was said to be extraordinarily vast; compared to Heng Kingdom, Great Sui could only be called a tiny kingdom no bigger than a pellet.

And north of Heng Kingdom, legend had it that there were even greater kingdoms, stronger than Heng Kingdom.

An ordinary person could travel from south to north, from east to west, until death and still never reach the edge.

Qin Sang also helped gather the medicinal herbs he recognized. The old man and the youth worked without pause, filling an entire basket in one afternoon. As night approached, the two found a cave to rest in, made a fire, and cooked.

Though he had temporarily set aside his thoughts of seeking immortals, whenever Qin Sang came across a cave or spring while gathering herbs, he could never resist craning his head in for a look.

The old Daoist said helplessly, "You still refuse to give up. I told you long ago that I have traversed every mountain within a hundred li of here and stayed in every cave on those mountains. Never once have I seen an immortal. I have, however, seen quite a few corpses left behind by immortal seekers—and personally laid several of them to rest."

Qin Sang could only give an embarrassed laugh. As he turned the flatbread roasting over the fire, he saw the old Daoist sitting cross-legged nearby, eyes closed in meditation, unmoving for a long while. A thought suddenly struck him. Could Daoist Jixin have already attained the state of a heart still as water?

A living example stood right before his eyes, yet he had failed to see it all this time. He truly had been blind.

Filled with regret, Qin Sang hurriedly asked for guidance. "Daoist, how do you cast aside distracting thoughts and calm your heart and spirit?"

Daoist Jixin asked with his eyes closed, "Of all the Daoist scriptures you have read, how much do you remember?"

Qin Sang felt ashamed. His heart was set on the immortal Dao, and he looked down on the scriptures of ordinary Daoists. He had only flipped through them to learn characters so that he could ask the old Daoist for instruction, reading a line here and a line there, never properly reading one from beginning to end.

"Eat first."

The old Daoist offered no judgment. He picked up a flatbread and chewed it slowly and carefully.

Qin Sang watched anxiously.

The old Daoist glanced at him. "Calming the heart, steadying the spirit, practicing calligraphy, eating—all are cultivation."

Qin Sang forcibly suppressed the restlessness in his heart and finished his meal. He found that his heart had truly calmed considerably.

Only after Daoist Jixin had washed up did he speak. "Do you still remember the Pure Serenity Scripture?"

Qin Sang hurriedly nodded. "I remember part of it."

"Recite after me... Observe inwardly the heart, and there is no heart within the heart; observe outwardly the form, and there is no form within the form; observe afar all things, and there are no things within all things..."

The voices of an old man and a youth chanting scripture echoed through the cave. After they finished one recitation of the Pure Serenity Scripture, Qin Sang opened his eyes and was about to speak when he saw the old Daoist immediately begin a second recitation. He hurriedly followed along.

After reciting the Pure Serenity Scripture several times, Qin Sang seemed to gain some insight. He sat blankly for a while, then rose and gave the old Daoist a deep bow. "Daoist, from now on, may I join you for evening prayers?"

Daoist Jixin laughed. "Whether you recite scriptures or not, what has that to do with me?"

That night, with the old Daoist sleeping beside him, Qin Sang did not cultivate the Netherworld Scripture. Yet his heart was unusually stirred. He might have found the right path.

From then on, Qin Sang rose early and slept late every day, joining the old Daoist and Mingyue for morning and evening prayers. In the blink of an eye, the year's end drew near.

This was Qin Sang's first New Year festival in this world. He had countless feelings in his heart, yet no one with whom to share them.

The festival at the Daoist temple was ordinary enough. The one notable thing was that Daoist Jixin brought out a portrait of his master, Yunyouzi, to offer sacrifices to. Qin Sang saw an even more immortal-bearing, bone-of-the-Dao old ox-nosed Daoist.

Though refugees surged like a tide, Three Witches City remained as bustling as ever. Qin Sang followed the Daoist master and disciple into the city for the market.

Qin Sang still had not cultivated that strand of "qi," but two months of persistence had not been without progress. His ability to enter meditation had improved greatly. Sometimes, without realizing it, he would sit in meditation for an entire night. The next day, not only would he not feel tired, but he would instead be refreshed and clear-headed. This gave him ever-growing confidence.

Three Witches City stood at a crossroads connecting north and south, its trade routes flourishing and escort agencies standing shoulder to shoulder.

The Wuwei Escort Agency could not be considered the largest escort agency in Three Witches City, but it had an excellent reputation. After making inquiries for a long time, Qin Sang learned that the agency had a chief escort, Yang Zhen, whose Martial Arts were formidable and whose character was upright. The disciples he trained were all skilled fighters.

With the year's end at hand, most escorts who had been traveling outside had already returned to the city. Yang Zhen's latest assignment had taken him all the way to the Capital City, and he had only returned after more than three months. The moment Qin Sang heard the news, he bought gifts and went to call upon him.

Fifty taels of silver in exchange for Tiger Subduing Long Fist was considered expensive among the major escort agencies of Three Witches City. After the Wuwei Escort Agency's accountant accepted the money, he ordered a clerk to take Qin Sang to see Yang Zhen.

Following the clerk into a small courtyard, Qin Sang saw dozens of youths already waiting inside. He asked quietly, "Are they all Chief Escort Yang's disciples?"

The clerk nodded. "Chief Escort Yang's Martial Arts are excellent, and his reputation is well known. He never holds back when teaching his disciples. If someone's talent is good enough, Chief Escort Yang will even take him as a formal disciple. Plenty of people in the city want to study Martial Arts under Chief Escort Yang. From now on, Young Master Qin will train alongside them. Chief Escort Yang is speaking with the head escort right now, so please wait in the courtyard for a while. I will first deliver your name card and gifts."

The clerk entered the inner hall. Standing in the courtyard, Qin Sang observed Yang Zhen's disciples and could see that the dozens of youths had formed several groups.

More than a dozen wore identical fitted cotton garments, with waist sashes and leg bindings. Their bodies were especially sturdy, and from the way they played around and exchanged moves, it was obvious that their foundations were not weak. They were likely the formal disciples the clerk had just mentioned.

There were also richly dressed sons of wealthy families with unsteady footsteps, clearly there to idle away their days.

Others stood alone in corners, appearing exceedingly constrained. They had perhaps just begun studying under a master, like Qin Sang.

After thinking it over, Qin Sang also walked to a corner and waited quietly.

Before long, the central doors swung wide, and a burly man emerged. The youths in the courtyard immediately stopped laughing and playing, raising their voices to greet their master.

Upon seeing Yang Zhen in person, Qin Sang felt a heavy pressure emanating from him.

The man was around fifty, bearded, and dressed in the fitted uniform of the Wuwei Escort Agency. He was tall and broad, a full head taller than Qin Sang—the most powerfully built person Qin Sang had seen in this life.

Bai Jianglan's subordinates were all brawny men, yet even they were a size smaller than Yang Zhen.