Seeing Them, Seeing Myself

Qi WuHuo asked curiously, "To meet the senior disciple brothers?"

The old man looked at him and shook his head, saying, "You, you're already looking forward to it? I'll have to let you meet them eventually."

"But it's only just nightfall now, and we can't waste this precious time. In the past, I told you that Gathering and Refining Primordial Essence and breathing exercises both have time limits. Exceeding them can harm the body. However, since you ate something good today, there are no restrictions."

"Let's see how long you can meditate."

Qi WuHuo nodded, suppressing his curiosity and anticipation. He then sat at the very front of the boat, facing the night breeze. He cupped his left hand with his right, lightly touched his thumbs together, held his breath, and focused his mind to gather Primordial Qi.

After just one session of breathing exercises, he felt a faint stream of light flow into his mouth.

It was like moonlight.

Gathering moonlight was not usually a problem.

But here, it seemed unusually potent.

Impossibly potent—

A mouthful of moonlight entered my belly.

The pure Qi generated from the food and drink inside his body suddenly began to circulate fiercely.

For cultivators just starting out, they need to perform breathing exercises and gather the surrounding Life Treasures and Primordial Essence to achieve perfection.

This step should normally be a gradual process, requiring patient effort. However, Qi WuHuo had experienced a calamity in his youth, which damaged his foundation. It was like a cracked water tank, causing his Primordial Qi to constantly dissipate. Now, an immense amount of Primordial Qi was converging. During his breathing exercises, it flowed through his body like a vast ocean, and the pure Qi within him rose to mend those cracks.

Coupled with the refining of moonlight and the gathering of Primordial Essence.

At this moment, Qi WuHuo's sensation was not the calm and unhurried feeling of ordinary cultivation. Instead, two streams of energy intertwined within and without, causing a feeling of fullness and pain. As the cracks in his foundation were repaired and mended, he also felt soreness and numbness, with many sensations occurring simultaneously. Yet, he had to maintain the stability of his own Qi, keeping it calm. The feeling was akin to falling off a cliff, with only one hand gripping the edge.

Supporting his entire body with one hand, he felt extreme soreness and sharp pain, as if he couldn't hold on and would fall from the cliff. He had a premonition that if that happened, the two streams of pure Qi would clash and naturally dissipate from his body.

Qi WuHuo closed his eyes and slowly exhaled and inhaled.

Although his body was in extreme pain and discomfort, he maintained the steadiness of his circulation and the calmness of his breathing.

The old man stroked his beard and nodded, chuckling to himself. He was already at the top of the boat.

"The sun rises and the moon sets. The sun represents the heart, nature, and the Primordial Spirit; the moon represents the kidneys, life, and the Primordial Qi."

"Dual cultivation of nature and life is the true path."

The young Daoist did not understand.

He simply continued his breathing exercises.

The vast, boundless, and magnificent river seemed endless. The ripples on its surface contained layers of starlight, as if reflecting the myriad stars in the sky. Yet, when he looked up, he saw no stars. All around was silent, with only this giant boat slowly moving forward, breaking through layers of water and ripples.

The night breeze blew gently, but there was no moon.

Looking down, alas, the moon was in the water.

A colossal, perfectly round moon hung beneath the giant boat. Its moonlight flowed, as if supporting the vessel.

On the boat, the young man's breathing was calm.

His entire body seemed to be enveloped in a faint layer of moonlight.

Qi WuHuo didn't know how long he had been practicing his breathing exercises. He only knew that the sensation was intensely painful and unbearable. He kept telling himself to endure a little longer, just a little longer. As time passed, the stinging sensation finally began to recede, and the feelings of soreness, pain, and itchiness also disappeared.

It was as if the cracks within his body were slowly being mended and gradually vanishing.

After an unknown amount of time, the young man's body shifted slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes.

What met his gaze was not the sky or the sun.

Only a sky full of purple mist reflected in his eyes.

When he had begun meditating and closed his eyes, he had been sitting on a colossal boat capable of holding thousands of people. Now, the boat had vanished. The sky was filled with a misty glow, like the heavens within water. The place where the young man sat was merely a tree branch, causing ripples to spread. His hands were in a mudra before him, his Daoist robes and cloud-like sleeves hanging down.

His mind was at peace, and he did not stir. He simply felt that the scene before him inexplicably calmed his heart.

A Daoist meditating amidst purple mist.

Oblivious to the world.

Forgetting himself.

After an unknown duration, as the purple mist gradually faded and the waves began to rise, a laugh suddenly echoed from afar. Qi WuHuo saw the old man standing on the riverbank, stroking his beard and smiling.

"Is WuHuo awake?"

"Come here."

Qi WuHuo's mind, which had been free of worldly concerns, now rippled with disturbance. This was [attachment to things].

This change immediately caused him to lose his ethereal and transcendent demeanor. He swayed, cried out "Ah!", and fell into the water.

The old man burst into laughter. It seemed rare to see his young and mature disciple in such a state, and his mood greatly improved.

He beckoned again, signaling the young man to come ashore. Qi WuHuo coughed and got up, his black hair soaked. He raised his hand to wipe his forehead with his sleeve.

The old man stroked his beard and smiled at him:

"Previously, your mind was unattached to anything, able to merge with all things, and that's why you could maintain that sliver of profound state of mind."

"Afterward, your thoughts stirred, and naturally you fell into the water, haha."

Qi WuHuo, showing a rare hint of defiance, said, "It's just that my cultivation is still a bit lacking right now."

"If my cultivation were a bit higher, it wouldn't be a problem."

The old man smiled, "Then I'll wait and see."

When Qi WuHuo turned to look, the branch in the water was still the same. It was completely soaked, tossed up and down by the undulating waves, hitting the shore and getting covered in fine sand and stones. Compared to its vibrant appearance yesterday, it looked somewhat desolate and pitiful. The young Daoist thought for a moment and picked up the branch.

The old man said, "What, are you reluctant to part with it now?"

Qi WuHuo replied, "I just suddenly feel it's a shame to leave it here."

The old man chuckled, speechless.

He watched as the child washed the branch with clean water, then wiped it dry. There was nowhere else to put it. Although the sword box could store things, it already held a zither, a sword, and several scrolls. There didn't seem to be much space left, and he worried about accidentally damaging the books. After thinking about it, He simply wore it at his waist, tucking it diagonally into the silk sash.

The elder looked at the young Daoist's appearance and shook his head, smiling, "Good."

Qi WuHuo asked, "Teacher, which senior disciple brother are we going to see?"

The old man stroked his beard and said, "First, we'll go to the first position. Follow me."

He walked forward, and Qi WuHuo, carrying the sword box on his back, followed behind, asking curiously:

"What kind of person is this senior disciple brother, Teacher?"

The old man's laughter reached the young man's ears as he said:

"Him? Let me think."

"His position is in the capital city, and his title is Venerable Celestial Master."

"He is revered by the Emperor, and all officials bow to him. He built the Ascension Platform to observe all things and all laws, and to record the movements of the stars."

As the old man murmured, the surrounding scenery swirled. The turbulent waves and the surging wind gradually faded, replaced by the bustling streets of the Capital City. He could hear the sounds of street vendors and the voices of people coming and going. A light snow had fallen in the Capital City. Red walls, glazed tiles, vermilion gates, and tall houses. Suddenly, it was the mortal world, yet also pure and tranquil. The old man led the boy forward, his footsteps crunching on the snow. He spoke in a calm tone:

"He established the Tongwen Hall, standing opposite the Tongwen Hall. All the pure streams in the world enter his tutelage."

Every thirty days, he opens a daoist altar to lecture on the Dao, discussing profound mysteries and the Dao. His words can foretell calamities and blessings of all ages, and know events a thousand miles away.

"He is known as the Profound True Master, with tens of thousands of disciples."

"He is called the First Patriarch, Daoist True Person Yi, yet he acts simply, disliking women and luxurious enjoyment, dedicating his heart solely to cultivating the Dao."

The old man took out some money and bought the boy a roasted sweet potato. The young Daoist, dressed in a blue robe, held it in both hands, eating small bites and exhaling warm air.

The old man led him forward, slowly introducing this senior disciple brother.

When their footsteps stopped, Qi WuHuo, holding the warm roasted sweet potato, looked up and saw a large, simple building. He could faintly hear the sounds of various magical instruments playing. People with some cultivation respectfully entered. Outside, the carriages of dignitaries stretched out, almost filling the entire Vermilion Bird Street.

Besides the dignitaries, ordinary people in plain clothes and straw shoes also came and went.

Scholars chatted, and commoners mingled.

Looking up, one could see pine and cypress trees growing extremely tall, so tall that even the high walls of the building could not hide their canopies. Faintly, one could hear the sound of lectures on the Dao.

The lecture was on the Daoist magic of Primordial Prenatal Qi.

It was profound and abstruce, already a complete system, far surpassing Qi WuHuo's own understanding.

The old man stroked his beard and said, "He is the first person you are to meet. I met him three hundred and seventy years ago. Even in a dilapidated temple on a rainy night, he could study diligently. He was knowledgeable, talented, could discuss world affairs, and also discuss profound mysteries. He said he wanted to benefit the world. In the time it takes to play a game of chess, he could discuss a five-hundred-year plan. And now, he has achieved it."

"I once bestowed upon him the Daoist title of [Jade Sun]. WuHuo, today you will meet him."

"And you will also [meet] yourself."

Qi WuHuo finished the roasted sweet potato in a few bites, steam rising from it. There was still a hint of joy in his eyes at the prospect of meeting a fellow disciple brother. He said, "Then what should I say?"

The old man replied, "Ask him if he is willing to accompany me on a journey of cultivation."

The old man's voice was as gentle and calm as ever:

"If not today, then he will come out with you."

"Otherwise, his Daoist title will be taken back."

Qi WuHuo's body stiffened. He felt the weight of those words, and a faint, calm chill. It wasn't a chill in his tone or demeanor, because the old man remained gentle. It was a chill of a greater existence that a boy of this age could not yet describe or articulate.

He suddenly understood that this journey today, this final lesson of parting, seemed different from what he had imagined.

Qi WuHuo subconsciously glanced at his teacher. This time, Qi WuHuo could not see the old man's eyes clearly.

In countless memories later, those eyes held no joy, no sorrow, only immense tolerance and peace.

He only felt a sense of the vast and boundless Great Dao, a feeling of calm and distant profundity.

The old man placed his hand on his hair and said gently:

"Go."