Wood Element Spiritual Charm

"Those who speak well of Heaven must ground their words in humanity. Those who speak well of humanity must base their words on Heaven."

In the Mountain Moving Hall of Floating Hill Temple, the old Taoist sat at the head of the room in his robes, while his two newly accepted disciples sat below him as he expounded the Dao.

The old Taoist's voice was unhurried.

Yet beneath that unhurried tone was a trace of weakness, quite unlike how he had seemed on the road before returning to the temple.

"Thus, Heaven has four seasons. The sun and moon take turns, and cold and heat alternate. They turn and transform: harmony becomes rain, anger becomes wind, dispersal becomes dew, disorder becomes mist, condensation becomes frost and snow, and standing firm becomes ants. These are the constant patterns of Heaven. Humans have four limbs and five organs; they wake and sleep, breathe in and out, and circulate their vital essence. It flows to become nourishment and defense, shows itself as complexion, and emerges as sound. These, too, are the constant patterns of humanity.

"What this means is that those who speak well of the Heavenly Dao must relate it to humanity, while those who speak well of human affairs must base them on the Heavenly Dao. Applied to cultivation, cultivators must use the changes within themselves and their thoughts to comprehend Heaven and Earth, while constantly relying on the laws and changes of Heaven and Earth to adjust themselves. Heaven and humanity respond to one another; the two have always been connected.

"Cough, cough..."

He was mostly speaking of how humanity corresponded with Heaven and Earth.

It was the Dao Cloud Crane Taoist was teaching them.

One of the foundational lessons in cultivation.

The old Taoist lectured slowly as the sun climbed higher.

His weariness was plain to see.

"That's all for today."

"Yes, Master."

"Was there anything you didn't understand?"

"I understood most of it. I just need to mull it over."

"Good."

The old Taoist nodded repeatedly, then said to them:

"By the way, I am advanced in years. Lately, I've been clear-headed less often than I've been muddled. Fortunately, during the Grand Ceremony, Immortal Source Temple also took in more than ten disciples. They'll have people specifically teach the disciples to read and write. The Patriarchs of our two temples were good friends to begin with, and later generations have maintained that friendship. Qing Yao, you can't read, so when the time comes, go to Immortal Source Temple and learn alongside their disciples. Make sure you apply yourself."

"I understand, Master."

Junior Sister nodded solemnly.

"Lin Jue, you know how to read, but you should also understand that learning the arts is easy, while learning the Dao is hard. When the Immortal Source Temple's abbot lectures his disciples on the Dao, I'll have you go and listen in, too. Don't be shy. The Dao means something different to everyone who speaks of it. If you want to go far, listening only to your Master will leave your path too narrow. Wang Ji Zi has some insight in this regard as well." Cloud Crane Taoist chuckled. "And if they teach spells, don't be too proud to listen. Take in whatever you can."

"I understand."

Lin Jue agreed as well.

On Floating Hill Peak.

The mountain woods often echoed with the chopping of branches and deadwood, as well as people talking. Up close, you could also hear the music of the zither and flute drifting from the temple. Farther away, only the flute was occasionally audible. It was Fourth Senior Brother, spending time among the birds and beasts in the mountains and playing his flute in his spare moments.

"Tree, dear tree, these branches of yours down below don't get any sunlight and are wasting your nutrients. I'll prune them for you and use them for firewood."

"Senior Brother, why are you talking to a tree while chopping wood?"

"Keeping myself amused..."

As Lin Jue spoke, he swung the blade in his hand.

Chopping wood had originally been Lin Jue's job, but Junior Sister refused to let him do it alone and insisted on coming along. Whenever he chopped down some wood, she carried it away and sorted it by how dry, damp, thick, or thin it was before tying it into bundles.

They also brought the firewood back to the temple together. One carried it on a carrying pole, while the other wore a back-basket.

The little fox followed behind them.

It had been like that for days.

Besides chopping wood, they had to fetch water.

The path from the temple to the spring was splashed with water countless times, yet the two of them still walked one after the other, carrying a mostly full bucket and a half-full one. Junior Sister followed whenever he set off. Even when she could barely carry her bucket, she gritted her teeth and waited for him to stop and rest before she would stop too. They walked and rested together, while the little fox continued running back and forth behind them, making countless trips.

Every morning, they also recited scriptures and cultivated their qi in the temple. At dusk, they went behind the mountain to breathe in and out. It was a leisurely routine. At those times, Junior Sister was either listening to Master's teachings or busy with some other chore.

At first, Lin Jue thought Junior Sister was trying to earn recognition. Then he thought she was close to him and insisted on accompanying him for that reason. He also thought she wanted to help him shoulder some of the hard work.

He even thought she didn't want him to seem diligent while she looked lazy and idle in the eyes of Master and the senior brothers.

Perhaps all of those things were true, yet somehow none of them quite captured the whole picture.

It wasn't until after several days that Lin Jue slowly began to see things more clearly and figure it out—

Junior Sister seemed to rather enjoy working.

Even when she came across Senior Brother digging in the dirt outside the temple or saw Third Senior Brother moving his wine jars, she would offer to help, even if she couldn't actually do anything and was only pretending to be busy.

It was rather amusing.

A few days later—

Second Senior Brother summoned Lin Jue to his alchemy chamber.

Second Senior Brother's alchemy chamber seemed to have been left behind by his predecessors. It stood behind and to one side of the temple, a small pavilion. As soon as Lin Jue stepped inside, a wave of heat washed over him.

The pavilion was about as tall as an ordinary two-story building, though it only had one floor. An Alchemy Furnace stood in the middle, and a yin-yang diagram was carved into the floor. Many bottles and jars sat on the shelves behind it. Second Senior Brother sat cross-legged, with a zither table and an ancient zither behind him. He probably played to pass the time while waiting for his pills to finish refining; the zither music often heard in the temple came from him.

"Little Junior Brother, you're here?"

"Senior Brother."

"I've extracted the Five Elements Spiritual Charm and separated it into earth and wood portions, which I've put into bottles." Second Senior Brother picked up two bottles. He had first extracted the Earth Wood Essence and dissolved it in Spiritual Water for safekeeping, then purified the spiritual liquid. Only then could he give form to the elusive Five Elements Spiritual Charm and condense it into pills. "It's a pity we don't cultivate the Five Elements Spiritual Law. Otherwise, swallowing the Spiritual Charm could also help our cultivation. As things stand, it can only deepen our understanding of the Five Elements."

"You just swallow it?"

Lin Jue took the two Porcelain Vases.

Though they called it the Five Elements, there were only earth and wood portions.

"You just swallow it, but it's best not to take both at the same time, lest their Spiritual Charms become mixed. And you can't store them for long. The water of the sacred spring can hold the Spiritual Charm of Heaven and Earth, but the Spiritual Charm itself is elusive and will keep dissipating." Second Senior Brother continued, "Besides, people can't actually absorb Spiritual Charm. Even after you swallow it, it'll simply remain inside you, making you feel as if you're in a place filled with abundant, wondrous Spiritual Charm. After taking it, you must focus your mind and comprehend it."

"I'll remember."

Lin Jue furrowed his brow. He decided he would swallow one of them as soon as he got back. Then he took two pieces of Peach Gum from his robes. "Second Senior Brother, do you know what these are for?"

"What are those?"

"Peach Gum."

"They're rich in Spiritual Resonance, so they must be extraordinary." Second Senior Brother said, "This sort of thing can also be used to refine pills, taken together with the Wood Element Spiritual Charm. But I don't have a pill recipe that suits it, so that would be a bit wasteful. Still, you can eat this sort of thing on its own, so just eat it directly."

"Eat it directly? Wouldn't that be even more wasteful?"

"Of course it's less effective, but that's not the whole story." Second Senior Brother spoke calmly. "It can be eaten on its own. If you insist on refining it into a pill, wouldn't that be another kind of waste?"

"..."

Lin Jue felt that something about that reasoning was off, yet he also felt that Second Senior Brother was right.

"I understand."

Lin Jue put the Peach Gum away, took the two little bottles, and returned to his room.

The little fox followed him, naturally.

"Creak~"

Lin Jue closed the door and bent down to pick it up.

"Fourth Senior Brother said you might be descended from a fox spirit. Is that true?"

"Mm-mm..."

It made a soft, muffled sound.

"True or not, it's been several days, and Fourth Senior Brother still hasn't found your parents. You'll just have to stay with me for now. When your parents come looking for you, you can go back."

"Mm-mm..."

After several days, it was already quite familiar with Lin Jue. It simply let him hold it without fuss, its tail raised to cover its vulnerable parts. Other than watching him and squirming from side to side in some confusion, it did nothing unusual.

Lin Jue couldn't help smiling at the sight. "But don't worry too much. This place is just as unfamiliar to me."

The little fox continued to make soft sounds, but didn't answer.

Lin Jue said nothing more.

Fourth Senior Brother was playing his flute somewhere. Its lilting notes drifted faintly into the room.

These Taoists had far too much leisure.

Lin Jue cleared his mind and sat cross-legged beside the bed, his back supported against it. Then he took out the two little bottles.

Although he hadn't opened them yet, he could already faintly sense the Spiritual Charm inside. One felt heavy and steady; it even seemed weighty in his hand. The other brimmed with vitality; even a single breath left him feeling refreshed.

He pulled out the stoppers.

Inside was an ethereal haze of qi and light.

It looked wondrous and dreamlike.

Lin Jue didn't dare keep looking. He took the bottle of Wood Element Spiritual Charm and put the other one away. He thought that if it took too long to digest the Wood Element Spiritual Charm, he would give the other one to Junior Sister rather than let it go to waste—

Since she had spent all that time helping him carry half a bucket of sacred spring water, what harm was there in giving her half of this Earth Element Spiritual Charm when he had no use for it yet?

Once that generous thought came to him, he stopped hesitating and swallowed it in one gulp.

His mind gave a sudden thrum.

Everything in the room, even the room itself, seemed to retreat farther and farther away. Lin Jue suddenly felt that he was no longer in his room, but in a dense forest. Abundant Spiritual Charm surrounded him. Though it was wondrous beyond words, it was also elusive and hard to grasp; he had to focus his mind and comprehend it.

Lin Jue closed his eyes and said nothing, merging with it.

This was the Spiritual Charm nurtured by the mountain forest.

The little fox curled up in a corner of the room. The cushion there was its nest. As it did every night, it lifted its head and stared straight at Lin Jue with its round, glossy eyes, watching him curiously.

At times, it tilted its head to one side, as if pondering something.

At some point, it began to rain outside.

That wasn't unusual.

They said Mount Yi had only one sunny day every three or four days. The rest of the time, it was either misty or rainy, and more often than not, both rain and mist came together.

Just like today.

The exposed granite on the mountain was instantly soaked by the rain. The rain stirred the mountain mist, which hid the temple below, leaving only a pitiful little corner visible. It also obscured the mountain's strange peaks and jagged rocks, as well as the ancient pines.

The wind swept the mist along, and distinct droplets could be seen in it. It was summer, and the ancient pines all over the mountain were covered in blossoms, their orange-red clusters shaped like grains of rice. They were easily soaked through by the rain and mist.

Yet most of these ancient pines had taken root in the cracks between rocks and had always lacked soil. Only the nourishment of rain and mist allowed them to survive.

So the ancient pines greedily drank in the moisture, sent it down through their leaves, and drove their roots deeper with even greater force, splitting the rocks apart. The wild grasses on the mountain drank their fill as well. The rain made the bellflowers look even more delicate, and some that had been buds opened their petals in the drifting rain and mist.

With the aid of this Spiritual Charm, this rain, and the mist drifting in, Lin Jue seemed able to sense it all.

He didn't know how long it had been before he finally opened his eyes.

Two pieces of Peach Gum lay in his hand.

Perhaps Second Senior Brother had a point. The Peach Gum could be eaten as it was. Turning it into yet another uniform pill to be swallowed in one gulp might make it more effective, but in some sense, that would also be a waste. Perhaps this, too, was a matter of perspective, a way of seeing things.

Lin Jue might have chosen a time to cook it into a bowl of tremella and Peach Gum soup, but he couldn't do that now.

He suddenly felt that he needed it.

So he swallowed it in one gulp.

Another Spiritual Charm blossomed inside him, like an old tree flowering, a peach branch bearing fruit, or a sprout breaking through in spring. It had no great effect; it simply let him inexplicably experience the process.

For a brief, hazy moment, he felt as if he had become a tree himself.

At last, he opened his eyes again.

The little fox had left its cushion and was crouched right in front of him, head tilted as it stared at him.

Lin Jue met its gaze, sitting motionless.

Perhaps he was still immersed in his earlier realization, or perhaps he was simply lost in thought.

"Dong..."

A bell rang.

Lin Jue rose and walked outside.

The little fox immediately followed him.

But just as he reached out to open the door, he stopped. After a moment's thought, he took another small step forward, until his forehead and nose were close to the door.

"..."

Lin Jue drew a deep breath, held it, stilled his mind, and cast aside distracting thoughts. He attuned himself to the door, silently reciting, "He who is in harmony is one with all things," then took another step forward.

"..."

There was no sound, no collision.

He felt a resistance, but it wasn't hard.

It was like taking a step forward against a curtain of water in a gale.

When Lin Jue turned around, he was already outside the door. The wooden door behind him remained firmly shut. Before long, he could hear the little fox cub, unable to see him, first making a puzzled "Mm?" and then beginning to whimper in a flustered, quiet voice.

The Wood Escape Method had actually worked.

He had really passed straight through the door.

Lin Jue stood outside, savoring the feeling.

It was truly intoxicating.