The illustrations in the book were clear, too. With only a few strokes, they brought the human body to life. Looking at the organs depicted, Hong Yi felt as though he were comparing them directly with his own, as if he were right there in the picture.
A rumble! As he flipped through the pages, each image and line of text seemed to sweep past and then imprint itself deep in his mind, as though carved there. He could almost remember everything after a single glance. His soul had left his body, yet he felt no discomfort at all.
Hong Yi looked up at the window. Sure enough, darkness had fallen outside.
"I've mastered the Ox Demon Great Strength Fist, and my training in muscle and sinew has reached a certain level. I've attained the Martial Disciple realm, and I have the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist, which can take me all the way to the Martial Master realm. I don't need to worry about finding techniques for those. But to enter the Xiantian realm, I'll need breathing and energy-circulation exercises. And those can be trained alongside my muscles, bones, and skin."
As he read and memorized the book, Hong Yi felt fortunate. Thank goodness I used Princess Zhennan's influence to get into Father's study today. I got to see these books for myself. Now I've made a breakthrough, so it's the perfect time to commit these manuals to memory.
The Night Roaming realm!
Even the most peerless martial arts would lead a practitioner astray if the author's wording was imprecise, the illustrations vague, and the instructions impossible to understand. Many of the boxing techniques recorded in the Martial Classic, for example, were written in obscure language and accompanied by crude illustrations. They were impossible to practice.
Who knew how much time had passed?
"The Spirit Turtle Breathing Technique. This is a profound Taoist breathing exercise, meant to cultivate enduring stamina from within. The Taoist breathing methods are more profound than the Buddhist ones practiced at the Great Zen Temple; the Martial Classic makes a detailed comparison, so that should be reliable. But the Great Zen Temple's Ox Demon Great Strength Fist and Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist, which train the muscles, bones, and skin, are superior to most Taoist boxing techniques. Buddhist martial arts emphasize the muscles and bones, while Taoist martial arts emphasize breathing. Each has its strengths."
As they talked, the two walked out.
"Huh! This painting..."
Luo Yun's smile eased Hong Yi's worries. What was done was done. When the soldiers came, he would meet them with his own weapons; when the water came, he would dam it with earth. He would find a way to face Hong Xuanji when the time came.
It was not that he feared being unable to recognize something valuable. He feared having nothing to compare it with.
"I can't believe how quickly the time passed while we were reading. Where's the princess? Princess..."
As Hong Yi compared the Amitabha image in the Amitabha Sutra with the figures in the Spirit Turtle Breathing Formula, his gaze fell on a painting hanging on the wall.
Only then did he notice Luo Yun, absorbed in a book in the far corner on the other side of the shelves. She sat on the floor with her legs spread, utterly unconcerned and without a trace of a princess's decorum.
"We both got caught up in our books. We can talk another time." Hong Yi managed a smile, still thinking about the consequences of angering Hong Xuanji.
A large part of a boxing manual's value depended on this. Hong Yi immediately recognized the worth of the Spirit Turtle Breathing Formula.
"Whose painting is this? It has such spirit—is it a celestial masterpiece?"
Hong Yi stepped closer and saw the inscription: "First month of the fortieth year of Dagan. Qian Daozi presents this to Brother Xuanji. Meng Bingyun."
"You mentioned Consort Yuan just now. What did you mean?"
"No. Yujing Temple is enormous. I got so dizzy walking around, but even after asking for ages, I couldn't find a single Taoist who knew anything about Blood Patterned Steel."
When an author wrote with graceful prose and vivid illustrations, practitioners could make twice the progress with half the effort, without going astray. Comparing this painting with those of the Painting Saint, Hong Yi began to grasp some deeper meaning. He understood the Buddhist principles within the images in the scripture more profoundly. A feeling that could only be understood, not described in words, rippled through his heart.
"Still, though these figures are so lifelike they make you feel you're there, they're nowhere near the Amitabha Sutra. They don't have its distinctive resonance."
Ever since reaching the Night Roaming realm, Hong Yi had followed the Amitabha Sutra's methods and practiced for over a month. He had made no breakthrough, only slight progress. But now he had understood and broken through.
"This is a rare manual..."
"So this is a painting by the Painting Saint, Qian Daozi? Xuanji must be Father. Who is Meng Bingyun? Seems like a woman. This painting... She stands proudly in the snow, her bones like jade and her skin like ice... It truly is a masterpiece by the Painting Saint. But on closer inspection, it still can't compare to the Amitabha Sutra."
Hong Yi's soul remained still as it emerged through the crown of his head. He looked around, feeling no discomfort at all.
After his soul left his body, Hong Yi did not wander outside. He returned to his body and looked at the book in his hands.
Only after Hong Yi called several times did Luo Yun finally look up in a daze and let out an "Ah!" as she stood.
Hearing Luo Yun call him an honest, decent man, Hong Yi suddenly felt that the two of them had grown much closer.
Beside the painting was a small inscription. At a glance, Hong Yi could tell that its prose was elegant and its wording precise, making its meaning easy to grasp.
The painting depicted plum blossoms.
Hong Yi compared the manual's illustrations and text with those in the Amitabha Sutra and saw the difference.
"By the way, did you manage to buy any Blood Patterned Steel at the Taoist temple?" Hong Yi asked.
This was broad daylight.
Hong Yi naturally envisioned the Buddha's image in his mind. He seemed to merge with the Buddha, feeling the vast, boundless Void around him. He sat motionless at its center, his mind unmoving, seeing a thousand lifetimes pass in an instant. Every experience was an illusion, flashing away like a dream, a bubble, a shadow—leaving no trace.
"Yes, we both got absorbed in our books." Luo Yun suddenly looked at Hong Yi and smiled. "You're a proper, decent man."
"I'm going into the palace. It's a pity we didn't get to talk today. If you didn't live on the estate, I could come visit you often. But coming here means dealing with all these formalities. It's no fun," Luo Yun said.
The icy snow lay thick, and several plum blossoms bloomed among it, their jade-like bones and ice-like skin vivid and lovely.
Chan is a seal of the heart; Tao is passed from heart to heart; the soul is the mind.
Hong Yi thought of this, and his realization was so startling that a cold sweat broke out across his back.
The last time he had left his body to roam at night, he had injured his soul. He didn't dare wander carelessly now; he needed to study the matter more carefully.
Hong Yi's gaze fell on the Spirit Turtle Breathing Formula on the desk, and thoughts about martial arts came naturally to him.
"Is it dark already?"
The book wasn't thick, only eighteen thin pages. The first nine showed a human figure, along with diagrams of breathing patterns and how the internal organs moved with each breath.
Clearly, the entire Martial Classic contained only this one volume of the Amitabha Sutra. He had no idea where the other two volumes, the Present Tathagata Sutra and the Future Non-Birth Sutra, were hidden.
The last nine pages listed medicinal recipes, all for cleansing the intestines and stomach, killing parasites, and expelling impurities.
When they had visited the Langhuan Library, the two of them had hardly spoken. They had simply read in silence, yet somehow that felt more intimate than a thousand words.
"Princess, you have excellent martial skills," Hong Yi thought admiringly. Though they had sat reading for so long, Luo Yun had stood up without the slightest stiffness or numbness.
"Oh, it's dark!"
Luo Yun cried out, slid the book back onto the shelf, and patted her legs. Smiling at Hong Yi, she said, "Hong Yi, you didn't talk to me at all just now!"
Hong Yi looked at the plum blossoms in the snow. At first, he thought they were simply vivid. But the longer he looked, the more a bone-deep chill crept over him. He could almost smell their proud fragrance, defiantly blooming in the snow.
Hong Yi's soul stirred and surged, growing rapidly. He felt as though it were about to leave his body.
"Oh no! Father forbids me from practicing martial arts. Sneaking in a little practice would be one thing, but I even used Princess Zhennan's influence to get into his study and look through his books. Haven't I provoked him past all reason?"
Just as Hong Yi was growing alarmed, a senior maid entered with four maids.
"The princess, it's dark. The First Madam has asked you to join the banquet."
Before you continue