Spirit Refinement

Chapter 5: Spirit Refinement

The blind girl deftly felt her way to Lu Li's wrist, laid three fingers upon it, and began taking his pulse.

The entire sequence flowed like drifting clouds and running water. One look told him she had done this countless times, and her diagnosis came swiftly:

"Overworked mind, exhausted spirit? Strange, how did this suddenly..."

The girl was somewhat puzzled, but did not dwell on it. She merely said softly:

"My medical hall is nearby. Young Master, come with me. I'll take a careful look at you."

"Then thank you very much."

His head hurt terribly, so Lu Li naturally could not have wished for more.

Next, Lu Li walked ahead while the blind girl held onto his sleeve and gave directions:

"Walk past three utility poles... turn left at a scallion pancake stall... then go straight, and we'll be there~"

The girl had her own unique way of remembering routes. The two wound through streets and alleys, arriving before long at a quiet courtyard.

The courtyard walls were mottled with age and blanketed in climbing vines. A plaque hung above the gate, bearing four large characters: "Mo's Medical Hall."

When some neighbors saw the blind girl return, they warmly called out:

"Doctor Mo is back. Just tell us what you want to buy, and I'll run the errand for you."

"That's right. How could we let Miss Wan Qing go out by herself?"

Lu Li glanced at the girl beside him and thought, Her name is Mo Wanqing. She's held in high regard around here.

After entering the medical hall, Wan Qing led Lu Li straight to the west-side room.

The furnishings inside were old, but the room was spotless. There was even a heated brick bed.

Wan Qing raised a hand and pointed at the bed, saying gently, "Young Master, lie down first. I'll massage you a bit to ease it."

"Much obliged!" Lu Li was suffering badly, so he hurried over and lay down.

Wan Qing extended her fair, jade-like hands and began kneading along his head.

Her jade hands were fragrant and soft, accurately stimulating the acupoints on his head, quickening blood circulation and supplying his brain with more nourishment and oxygen.

In barely two minutes, Lu Li felt his head loosen considerably. The pain and dizziness were greatly reduced.

He had never expected such immediate results and quickly said, "The massage really works. I feel much better!"

Wan Qing smiled. "That's a good sign. It means there's no serious lesion."

The girl's hands did not stop moving, and Lu Li grew increasingly comfortable, almost feeling as though he might float away like an immortal.

But before long, he began to feel awkward...

Wan Qing had a pair of heavy pomelos tucked against her chest. Her coarse cloth clothes could scarcely contain them, and they bounced and swayed before his face, making his heart pound.

One must not look upon impropriety. With immense willpower, Lu Li forced himself to close his eyes.

Beauty was a feast for the eyes; beautiful things could nourish the soul in the first place.

His neurons transmitted excited electrical signals, transforming those "pomelos" into permanently preserved memories, deeply imprinted in his mind.

That burst of brain activity made his blood circulation even more vigorous, and the last trace of discomfort vanished without a ripple.

Five minutes later, Lu Li was fully revived.

Yet after getting through such a grueling day, his fatigue could not be dispelled.

Overcome by powerful drowsiness, he yawned several times in a row.

Wan Qing took his pulse for a while, and after ensuring there was no problem, she said softly:

"When the mind is overworked and the spirit exhausted, no miracle medicine can compare to sleep. Young Master, rest quickly."

The girl's voice was tender and melodious, softening one to the marrow.

Lu Li fell dead asleep in a single second, not even having time to say thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Early the next morning, warm summer sunlight spilled through the window lattice, and Lu Li woke up.

A bowl of porridge sat at the head of the bed. Wan Qing must have brought it.

Lu Li picked it up and wolfed it down in a few bites. At the same time, he caught sight of an almanac hanging on the wall—

"1905, Year of the Wood Snake, first day of the sixth month. Auspicious for: travel, trade."

This should have been the era he was in. Lu Li then checked on the Kunlun Mirror.

The Kunlun Mirror was still sleeping within his Sea of Consciousness. Though its condition had not worsened, it had not improved either.

Lu Li furrowed his brow. At this rate, what year would he be able to return home?

But then he recalled that old Devil also possessed a magical artifact. It seemed that if he wanted to resolve his current predicament, he would still have to rely on cultivation.

"The cultivation method of this world is called Spirit Refinement?"

"I should properly thank Miss Wan Qing, and ask her where I can learn it..."

Lu Li rubbed his face and walked out of the room.

The medical hall's courtyard was not large, yet it contained stone locks and other exercise equipment, which struck him as rather strange.

Wan Qing was sitting in the main hall, seeing patients.

She wore a faded coarse-cloth cross-collared dress, but it only made her skin appear even more tender and dewy.

The patients stepped forward one after another for treatment. Wan Qing merely had to place three fingers upon a wrist, and within a few breaths, she could diagnose the location of the ailment.

This was the "palpation" of the four diagnostic methods—observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. By sensing the meridians, one could grasp the condition of the entire body's organs, qi, and blood.

But to be more accurate than instruments like this was practically divine skill. Lu Li watched in awe!

Moreover, he noticed that most of the patients who came here were plainly dressed. Their "consultation fees" were things like steamed cornbread and flatbread, while some even brought bundles of firewood...

Wan Qing did not mind in the slightest, treating everyone with unfailing gentleness.

The room was full of grateful, ingratiating voices:

"Doctor Mo is kindhearted. Good people will surely be rewarded."

"Having Doctor Mo live here is truly a blessing for our Wopu Street!"

The blind girl's medical skills were superb, and the patients soon left one after another.

Lu Li stepped forward and said sincerely, "I am Lu Li. Thank you, Miss, for coming to my aid!"

Wan Qing's gentle, beautiful eyes gazed into empty space as she replied softly, "I am Mo Wanqing. It was merely a small effort, not worth mentioning. Does Young Master feel better now?"

"I'm completely well already. Right, about the consultation fee... I don't have a penny to my name right now, but it won't be long before I repay it."

Lu Li was extremely confident.

Having lived overseas for years, he had mastered the Anglo-Saxon language, Spanish, and the similar Italian language.

With proficiency in three foreign languages, finding a well-paying job should not be difficult.

But Wan Qing shook her head. "Young Master, let the consultation fee be waived. You helped me yesterday too."

"It cannot be waived. I'll certainly repay you."

Lu Li said no more. Anything he said now would be empty words.

Instead, he asked, "Yesterday, when I saw that old... ahem... Envoy of Izumo, I became very interested in Spirit Refinement cultivation. Do you know where I can learn it?"

At those words, Wan Qing's expression became exceedingly strange. After a while, she asked quietly, "How old are you this year, Young Master?"

"Seventeen. Why?"

"I'm seventeen too..." A melancholy look came over Wan Qing's face.

"To be honest, I also long to step onto the path of cultivation. Yesterday, I went out to purchase cultivation books."

The girl touched a book on the table and sighed.

"But we are too old. Spirit Refinement cultivation revolves around the Sea of Consciousness. At eighteen, the Sea of Consciousness closes, and cultivation becomes impossible. If Young Master is merely interested, it would be best not to waste your energy."

Sea of Consciousness... that was the Pineal Gland!

Lu Li's heart thudded. My Sea of Consciousness... has already been activated by the Kunlun Mirror!

With some urgency, he pressed, "I want to try! Where can I learn it?"

Wan Qing understood that feeling very well, because she herself had once longed for it so desperately, dreaming of restoring her sight through Spirit Refinement cultivation and seeing this world once more...

"If Young Master does not mind, I have some introductory books here. You may read them first."

"That's wonderful!"

Lu Li regarded them as priceless treasures. His gratitude toward the girl was truly beyond measure.

In all his life, he had never met anyone so gentle and kind. He absolutely had to repay her properly!

But just then, a sharp feminine cry suddenly came from outside:

"Wan Qing, you scrimped and saved to buy those books. Why should you let someone read them for free!"

As the words fell, a girl in a black patrol officer's uniform strode inside.