The Heart Was No Longer Here

"Lin Jue, out cutting grass so early?"

On his way down the mountain, Lin Jue had cut a basketful of grass. Just as he returned to the village, he happened to meet the village elder who loved telling stories.

So he quickly stopped and answered:

"Yes."

"Didn't you used to go to the academy to study and attend lectures in the morning, then cut grass in the afternoon?" The village elder had originally been taking a morning stroll, taking pleasure in looking over the crops. He stopped and looked at him, his expression somewhat stern. "Only yesterday, I heard the teacher say you hadn't gone to the academy much these past few days. You should understand: the village has you cut grass to feed the cattle both to give you something to do and to avoid delaying your studies. You must not let your schooling fall by the wayside."

"Grandpa Shu is right," Lin Jue said honestly. "It's just that on that night at Heng Village Ancestral Hall, I breathed in the smoke that Monster spat out. These past few days, my head has still felt muddled and dazed. Even now, just thinking of studying leaves me weak all over, so I've temporarily stopped."

"Then you must rest well."

"I know." Lin Jue paused. "The Luo Xian Temple Fair is being held in town these three days. Why don't you go have a look, Grandpa Shu?"

"How could I walk that far? Besides, it's only a temple fair. It's not as if I didn't see enough of them when I was young. Once you reach my age, you'll find there's nothing worth looking at either." The village elder paused. "You went?"

"I made a trip to buy medicine for Uncle."

"What was there to see?"

"I saw some performers doing tricks. They could chop off a hand and reattach it—it was truly marvelous."

"Some of them really do have their wondrous aspects."

"Grandpa Shu, do you know Mount Qi Yun?"

"How could I not know Mount Qi Yun? It's not as though this old man has never left the village."

"May I ask where Mount Qi Yun is, Grandpa Shu? And what kind of place is it? I heard people at the temple fair say that Mount Qi Yun is holding a Daoist gathering?"

"Mount Qi Yun is a highly renowned Daoist Immortal Mountain. They say the temples atop it are exceedingly efficacious, and the Taoist Priests who live and cultivate there are all Masters." As the village elder spoke, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. "As for where it is... I remember it's in the direction opposite He County Town, perhaps four or five hundred li away. Tsk, calling it far wouldn't quite be right. If you can leave this village, walking at an unhurried pace, you'll get there in seven or eight days. If you can't leave this village, you'll never reach it in a lifetime—you might never even hear of it in your lifetime."

"And the Daoist gathering?"

"What Daoist gathering?"

"The Daoist gathering at Mount Qi Yun."

"I haven't heard of that. Where did you hear it?"

"From those performers."

"Young man, you must know that among the three teachings, Confucianism is honored above all. The foremost character beneath heaven lies in studying. Studying is the first and most important matter; don't set your mind on those things. Study well, and once you ascend to the Hall of the Son of Heaven, no matter which famous mountain temple or immortal land cave-dwelling you visit, you'll be an honored guest."

"I shall heed your teaching."

The village elder went back, leaning on his cane.

Lin Jue also left with the grass on his back.

"Mount Qi Yun..."

It truly did seem to be a renowned place.

Beneath great fame, he did not know whether it was true or false, nor whether reality could live up to it. Yet if even performers who traveled north and south were willing to head to Mount Qi Yun just to join the excitement, it surely possessed some real ability, more or less.

It was just that places with such great fame, whether they had genuine substance or not, would surely have no shortage of people at their gates. If he went openly to seek instruction, it would most likely not be easy.

And the Grand Ceremony called a Daoist gathering could draw performers to travel thousands of li merely to join the spectacle. There were likely no shortage of Extraordinary People there.

Sadly, for one thing, Uncle was still bedridden. According to the rites of this era and this world, as a nephew, he ought not travel far lightly no matter what. Aunt certainly would not be at ease letting him go. For another, he did not know the exact date, much less how much travel money a round trip of at least half a month would require.

He would likely miss this opportunity.

Still, a gathering of this sort surely was not held only once. It must have some cycle and pattern.

Lin Jue returned home and began decocting medicine for Uncle.

He moved the small brazier outside, put in firewood and kindling, then slowly and patiently lit it.

Lin Jue focused intently. Watching thick smoke rise from the stove, he gently blew a breath. The thick smoke scattered, revealing the blazing fire within, and a few sparks flew out as well. Soon, the thick smoke returned and covered the firelight once more, though a faint glimmer still seeped through the smoke, as if power lay brewing inside, eagerly awaiting release.

"Hoo..."

The gathered firelight burst forth with a roar and blazed fiercely.

Lin Jue watched carefully. He even stretched out a hand above the flames, feeling the heat.

On mornings in mid-spring, wearing so little always left Lin Jue feeling somewhat cold. Lighting a fire at such a time was also a kind of pleasure.

Yet beyond enjoying its warmth, as he stared so intently at the flames, he was also following the Ancient Book's teachings and carefully sensing the fire in the stove—watching it brighten and dim, sway and flicker, rise and fall, feeling the Spiritual Resonance of fire.

Suddenly, he bent down, opened his mouth, and drew in a fierce breath.

"Shhh..."

Just like that old man yesterday.

Naturally, nothing happened.

He had merely inhaled a mouthful of hot air.

"Ha ha..."

Lin Jue laughed, then turned to fetch the pot.

White steam gradually rose, and the scent of medicine drifted through the house.

Day after day, life was largely like this—

He rose before dawn, carrying a basket to the mountain stream. At the moment when night and day exchanged places, he sat cross-legged to practice Breathing and Exhaling, then cut grass and returned. He would always run into one or two fellow villagers and exchange a few words with them.

After returning for breakfast, he decocted medicine for Uncle and contemplated the Spiritual Resonance of fire. By the time the medicine was ready, Cousin would more or less be back, and he would feed it to Uncle. Lin Jue would then go help Aunt tend the fire and cook lunch. It was even more convenient then to contemplate fire's Spiritual Resonance. In the afternoon, he did miscellaneous chores, then sat cross-legged to practice Breathing and Exhaling again at dusk.

At first, Lin Jue had not been used to these days of waking before daylight, sleeping after dark, and having tasks from morning to night. Once he adapted, however, he found them quite full and satisfying.

But gradually, things began to change.

Several days later, when Lin Jue practiced Breathing and Exhaling, he could already clearly feel the process of drawing in the Five Qi of heaven and earth. At this season, mornings should not have been foggy, yet a trace of white appeared with every inhalation and exhalation.

When he returned to decoct medicine and drew in a breath, he could sometimes actually pull the flames upward, nearly burning himself.

Another half month passed.

While Lin Jue sat in meditation in a mountain stream valley, he could unexpectedly and clearly sense the Spiritual Resonance of all things between heaven and earth around him.

Now, when he decocted medicine alone each day, after lighting the fire, he only needed to take a deep breath to draw the flames into his mouth and nose, turning them into Fire Qi and storing it in his belly, where it could remain for several quarter-hours.

When he Exhaled Qi, it became a burst of bright flame.

Though he had long expected it in his heart, when he succeeded for the first time, Lin Jue was still deeply shaken—

A burst of flame had spouted from his mouth. This sensation of wielding a spell and being extraordinary still created within him an ultimate kind of wonder, hazy as an illusion, dreamlike as though he had just awakened.

Such a feeling was undoubtedly difficult to resist.

Without realizing it, two months passed.

This world had moved from mid-spring into early summer.

The medicine prescribed by that divine physician had been expensive, but it was truly effective. Uncle's illness was visibly improving. He could already get out of bed, and these past few days he had even stubbornly insisted on going out to do some farm work.

But for the Lin Family, this merely relieved the urgent crisis before their eyes.

Lin Jue was a scholar, and studying had always required considerable expense. Before Uncle fell ill, the household had only barely managed to get by. Even if Uncle fully recovered, they would merely return to their former circumstances.

Yet the filial and fraternal rites prevalent here restrained not only the younger generation, but the elders as well. As long as Lin Jue remained in the village, Uncle and Aunt had to support him. They could neither make him give up studying nor allow him to do much farm work, or else in Shu Village there would be criticism and gossip.

Of course, beyond filial and fraternal rites, familial affection also exerted no small restraint.

This was also a matter Lin Jue had often been pondering recently.

Life still went on.

"Rush, rush..."

The brook flowed ceaselessly. The youth let Green Ox graze nearby while he caught several small fish, threaded them onto bamboo twigs, and gathered a pile of firewood.

Facing the firewood, Lin Jue did not take out a tinderbox. He merely raised his head and glanced around, then lowered it and breathed out.

"Hoo~~~"

A stream of flame poured from his mouth without stopping.

Before long, it had set the firewood alight.

Lin Jue placed the fish over the fire to roast, staring at the flames until he gradually drifted into thought.

Green Ox beside him was somewhat startled and looked at him several more times.

Practicing as the Ancient Book described, his progress had not reached the utmost limit, but it was still quite fast.

Though Lin Jue had not yet reached the point of generating Fire Qi by himself, with one breath he could now absorb a large amount of Fire Qi and store it within his body for a full day and night without it dispersing. In terms of the distance and number of times he could Spit Fire, he already surpassed that old man from that day by a little.

Lin Jue more or less understood. Perhaps that old man was one of those Jianghu People described in the book who lacked the talent to cultivate Spiritual Methods. Thus, he could only painstakingly practice the Breathing and Exhaling Method. After cultivating for most of his life, his attainments remained limited.

As for himself, he ought to be capable of cultivating Spiritual Methods, and his talent was likely quite good.

Being young was an advantage as well.

He simply did not know what Spiritual Methods truly were.

At the same time, he discovered the Ancient Book's limitations—

Thus far, whether it was Exhale Qi, the Fire-Repelling Technique, or the Qi Nourishing Method, the Ancient Book explained them thoroughly and clearly. But it was, after all, an inanimate thing.

If Lin Jue could fully understand what it taught, there was no problem. But whenever he encountered something he did not understand, or had another related question that required an answer, it could not respond.

Therefore, Lin Jue sometimes needed to seek someone out to ask where a certain acupoint was, or what a certain term meant. At other times, he had to grope his way forward, always worried that a wrong turn in his practice might make him lose control and fall into deviation. He was especially cautious.

If not for that, his progress should have been even faster.

"Heh..."

Lin Jue suddenly thought that if he went out now, he probably would not starve to death even if he performed tricks on the streets.

If he understood the trade's inner workings—knew where temple fairs were held and how to stir the audience's emotions—he might even earn quite a lot.

At that thought, his heart sank once more.

His desire to leave this little mountain village and see the vast world outside grew ever stronger.

Gradually, he caught the scent of roasting fish.

Once he finished the skewer, Green Ox beside him had more or less eaten its fill as well. Lin Jue let it play in the river for a while before leading it back.

As it happened, at the dinner table, he heard Cousin ask, "Have you seen Shu Datou lately?"

"I saw him a few days ago."

"He left today. We probably won't see him for quite a long time."

"Where did he go?"

"He went to study in a neighboring county."

"Why study in a neighboring county?"

"They say our village lacks literary fortune. In all these years, only a few have earned scholarly honors. A few days ago, an important man from the neighboring county retired and returned home, and he was taking students. So Shu Datou went there to become his disciple."

"Going out to seek learning..."

Shu Datou was a descendant of the Shu Clan in the village. His family was relatively well-off, and he was about the same age as Lin Jue and Cousin. Since they were from the same village, they often played together as children, though their contact gradually dwindled as they grew older. There had been something strange in Cousin's tone when he told him this—likely the wistful sigh of a young man.

Yet Lin Jue suddenly felt that this gave him exactly the reason Uncle and Aunt would find easier to accept.

"I want to go out and seek learning too."

"You too? Why? Where?"

Lin Jue put down his chopsticks and explained seriously:

"First, the family is poor. Cousin has not yet married, and Uncle has only just recovered from a long illness. Continuing to support my studies is truly becoming impossible.

"Second, perhaps the village really does lack literary fortune. In recent years, few have passed the examinations; there are not even many who have passed the Provincial Qualifying Examination. We are not like the great Shu Family, with connections in the county. If this continues, I fear it will be difficult to make anything of my studies. It would be better to go elsewhere.

"Lastly, after thinking it over for a long time, I believe what that person said that night at the Wang Family Ancestral Hall in Heng Village was not a lie. I fell into the water and escaped death, so it is only reasonable that my soul is unstable. If I do not go out, I will not be able to find my Soul-Calming Method."

Where there was seeking learning abroad, there was naturally also travel for study.

Since ancient times, many famous people had traveled for study. Some already possessed profound learning and traveled everywhere to seek renowned teachers and enrich themselves. Some used travel for study as a pretext to tour mountains and rivers and make friends. Others simply traveled everywhere in search of renowned teachers, hoping to receive instruction or gain help through their connections in passing examinations and entering official service.

Lin Jue no longer had the heart for study. His mind was filled with the immortal Dao and eternal life, with seeing the wondrous and unique side of this world. Staying in the village was both torment for himself and a burden for Uncle and Aunt.

What was more, there were those words from that person that night:

His soul was unstable, and he had to seek a Soul-Calming Method.

That was indeed an excellent reason.

And someone from the same village had just gone ahead to blaze the trail.

Yet the clan rites of this time, especially in this place, were truly too strict. Doing this would not be so simple.

At the very least, he had to explain clearly to the Shu Clan elders in the village and to familiar neighbors that he was voluntarily leaving to travel for study. Otherwise, once he left, Uncle and Aunt might suffer gossip.

He also needed to obtain travel papers.

Once Lin Jue made up his mind, he acted with great decisiveness.

Over several days, he first laid out the advantages and disadvantages, citing Shu Datou from the same village as a recent example and the ancient precedents of traveling for study as distant examples, persuading Uncle, Aunt, and Cousin. Then he went door to door, thanking and bidding farewell to neighboring households, carefully telling them his thoughts and his reasons for doing this, while avoiding matters such as the family burden.

He also had to return any books he had borrowed.