Deception

"Humanity Is Supreme?" Ding Songyan repeated Yan Changqing's words.

Yan Changqing nodded solemnly.

"Humans are the foremost of all living beings, the head of the Hundred Tribes. How could they have nothing special about them?

"You must understand: after Emperor Xuanyuan merged with the Dao and before Qi of Xia, the Celestial Emperor was always also the Human Emperor. Surely there was a reason for that?

"To forget humanity's strengths and know only how to imitate Mythical Beasts is to abandon the root and chase the branches!"

Ding Songyan dared believe at most three out of every ten things Yan Changqing said, but he felt this argument was quite consistent with the man's own logic. He obligingly asked:

"Then where do humanity's strengths lie?"

Yan Changqing walked with his hands behind his back, then raised one to point at his head.

"In wisdom, in the mind, in the spirit platform.

"Use body and mind well, resonate with heaven and earth, summon gods and command ghosts!

"If one day you can reach the threshold of the Celestial-Human Realm and glimpse the Spirit Platform Realm, you will discover that with your foundation intact, you can achieve twice the results with half the effort. To practice martial arts, first train the spirit; to cultivate, first cultivate the self. Thus the spirit platform lies within your heart, and even Daluo becomes a gateway to the mysteries."

You're going straight to the Celestial-Human Realm and the Spirit Platform Realm to explain humanity's strengths. Why do I feel like you're fooling me again... In the past, if someone discussed a deal worth tens of millions with me, I'd have been overjoyed. But if they started talking about billions, I'd have considered calling the police... As Ding Songyan listened, doubts began to stir.

Yan Changqing stopped and turned his gaze toward Ding Songyan, smiling faintly.

"Since the end of Han, consuming Mythical Beasts has only allowed one to reach the Law Realm, not attain the Celestial-Human Realm. Their pure supernatural power has diminished and can no longer make up for weaknesses in one's foundation. Have you not seen? Over the past thousand years, seven or eight out of ten Martial Grandmasters who followed this path were trapped in the Law Realm, unable to advance another step."

Is that why Feng Yining of the Five Saints Sect chose to enter a life-or-death seclusion to seek the Celestial-Human Realm when she was only twenty? Ding Songyan made a few connections.

The Five Saints Sect was also one of Great Zhao's Six Sects and Four Factions. Its cultivation methods originated from the Phoenix and had the special property of enhancing one's looks-that is, one's beauty. Naturally, Ding Songyan yearned to join, but it was simply beyond his reach.

Yan Changqing, whose temples were streaked with gray, abruptly changed the subject and asked with a smile:

"Have you ever deceived anyone about something important?"

"Never." Ding Songyan shook his head instinctively.

What I did with investors was called a win-win!

Yan Changqing laughed heartily.

"It seems you're very well suited to this secret art."

He elaborated no further and returned to the matter at hand.

"The secret art I intend to teach you also emphasizes the foundation. Its foremost principle is a single word:

"Deception!"

Deception? Ding Songyan felt the turn had been so sharp that he had nearly wrenched his back.

So your foundation is deception, then?

Yan Changqing glanced at his expression and said with a half-smile:

"Do you know why, when training qi, you must focus your spirit and concentrate your thoughts to guide true qi? Or why refining apertures requires the corresponding visualization?

"A strong body gives rise to qi; that needs no explanation. When you quiet your mind and focus your spirit, imagining wisps of qi gathering and circulating through your meridians, the thought comes first, and only afterward does it become real. Intention precedes qi.

"When you visualize different diagrams, it is as though you stand before a blazing sun, fall into an icy cavern, or behold ghosts and gods. Your soul is stimulated and naturally undergoes the corresponding changes. Those changes then alter your body in turn. True qi circulates accordingly, and the apertures take shape.

"What does this mean? First deceive your own divine soul, placing it in the state you desire, then let it drive your body to produce the changes you desire. This is the first key to cultivation."

So, roughly speaking, whether it's focusing the spirit to guide qi or visualizing diagrams, the essence is to trick the brain into secreting the corresponding hormones and directing the body to make the changes the cultivator wants. Over time, those changes permanently affect the body and divine soul? Drawing on his own knowledge, Ding Songyan came up with an approximate explanation he could understand.

Seeing his thoughtful expression, Yan Changqing smiled.

"If you can trick your divine soul and body into tempering themselves faster, trick them into recovering more quickly, and trick your true qi into circulating without pause, then you cultivate while walking and cultivate while lying down. Three double-hours of rest can equal another person's six. Why worry about failing to complete body tempering and qi training within a year, or failing to break through the Initial Realm?"

Then what's the price? Ding Songyan muttered inwardly, then chose his words carefully.

"Within good fortune lurks disaster. Nothing in this world is purely good or purely bad. What hidden dangers does this secret art have?"

"It will consume your vital essence and shorten your lifespan," Yan Changqing said calmly. "You are only twenty. You can bear it. Later, once you successfully open your orifices and enter the Dayan Realm, you will naturally recover what you lost. Not to mention the many miraculous medicines and treasures that can replenish vital essence and extend your life."

Ding Songyan gave a slight nod.

Yan Changqing turned squarely toward him.

"I will first recite the secret art's formula:

"To deceive others, first deceive yourself. Falsehood can become truth; believe, and it exists..."

Though Ding Songyan felt this sounded like self-hypnosis, he memorized it carefully, tried to understand it, and asked questions.

"A secret art is not a cultivation method. For it to take effect, you must first find a martial art to practice. Otherwise, it is water without a source, a tree without roots. It will only leave you suffering from hysteria, raving like a madman..." Yan Changqing offered a few final cautions.

Ding Songyan went through the secret art once more in his mind, then asked:

"Senior, what instructions do you have for me today?

"Also, I used some qi yesterday. Could you replenish it for me so I can deal with anything unexpected?"

Yan Changqing's expression remained unruffled.

"Yes."

As soon as he spoke, the hazy, pale light that pierced the mist and descended into Ding Songyan's Sea of Consciousness grew a little denser.

Then a strand split off from that light, surged toward the seed, and merged with it.

Senior Yan really has deep reserves. Even after being imprisoned for years, and very possibly having his martial arts crippled, he still has quite a bit of qi... Ding Songyan cupped his hands and thanked him.

Yan Changqing then said:

"What you must do today is wander around Dingjiang Prefecture's city. Go wherever you please, but along the way, casually visit the dock once and watch the Great River for a while. While watching the river, secretly glance at Wangtianmen Island three times. Remember, don't make it too obvious. To deceive others, first deceive yourself."

"I understand." Ding Songyan vaguely felt that Yan Changqing was beginning to lay a deliberate smokescreen.

Yan Changqing said no more and ended their exchange, withdrawing the hazy, pale light from Ding Songyan's Sea of Consciousness. Ding Songyan's divine soul became whole again, and he continued the Legend of the White Snake to the point where Lady White went to Jinshan Temple to rescue Xu Xian.

Just as on the previous two days, Ding Songyan was led out of the secret prison, out of the small building, and out of the Zhen Estate. No one asked whether anything unusual had happened, and no one gave him any warnings.

He began wandering without a destination, passing down streets and through alleys as he came to them, occasionally picking up items from roadside stalls to examine them.

After an unknown length of time, the dock came into view, and Ding Songyan naturally turned toward it.

"Brother Ding?" Xu Chang'an's voice called out.

"What are you doing at the dock?" Ding Songyan, who had been about to assume the air of someone admiring the Great River, asked with amusement.

Wearing a dark headscarf, Xu Chang'an still had his shifty, rat-eyed look.

"There are plenty of valuable goods at this dock. I came to have a look."

Are they yours? Ding Songyan glanced at Wangtianmen Island from the corner of his eye.

"Didn't you say you weren't going to be a petty thief anymore?"

"Exactly. No more petty thieving. I'll only be a Great Thief. Stealing goods from the Four Waters Gang and trading companies makes me a Great Thief, naturally." Xu Chang'an straightened his back. "But my skills aren't good enough yet. I still need to find a martial arts school and train for a few years, so for now I can only look at all these fine things and drool."

He then asked:

"Brother Ding, what brings you to the dock? Looking for your elder brother?"

Ding Songyan turned sideways, pretending to gaze at the Great River while actually stealing a look at Wangtianmen Island and its jagged rocks. He said casually:

"I've been visiting the Zhen Estate a lot lately and learned a trade. I came to practice it."

"What trade?" Xu Chang'an asked curiously.

Ding Songyan turned his head to glance at him and answered with a smile:

"Deception."

"Deception?" Xu Chang'an froze for a moment, then laughed. "Brother Ding, you've always been honest and kind, and no good at lying. Even if you learned a swindler's trade, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to put it to use."

Ding Songyan asked with a smile:

"Have you ever been deceived?"

"In the past, yes. But after I took a master and learned plenty of tricks and scams, no one ever fooled me again," Xu Chang'an said with a touch of pride. "Those people outside Dangkang Temple who cheat others out of money or lure them into gambling-I can see through them at a glance. Brother Ding, the day you manage to fool me is the day you've mastered the trade."

"I'll start with someone easy to fool, to get some practice. My elder brother, for example." Ding Songyan took the opportunity to glance at Wangtianmen Island again, then sighed. "Forget it. Family shouldn't swindle family."

With that, he turned and left the dock. Having nothing important to do, Xu Chang'an followed him toward Chengyu Lane, chatting all the way and discussing the distinctive cultivation methods of several major martial arts schools.

As they passed Dangkang Temple and saw a squad of constables patrolling a distant street, Ding Songyan's expression suddenly darkened.

"Brother Ding, what's wrong?" Xu Chang'an's heart gave a tremor as well.

Lowering his voice, Ding Songyan told him:

"I forgot something. Didn't I go to the County Yamen yesterday? Brother Li told me they intend to make an example of you."

"Me?" Xu Chang'an pointed at himself, shocked and bewildered.

He immediately sought confirmation:

"Constable Li? Li Wu?"

Ding Songyan nodded and quickly explained:

"Didn't I tell you before? With the thieves' leader gone from this neighborhood, the yamen is afraid people will start running wild. They want to kill a chicken to warn the monkeys. Your fellow disciples all paid their respects to Constable Xue, Brother Li, and the others with gifts. You're the only one who hasn't offered anything."

"I-I haven't been stealing anymore..." Xu Chang'an's face turned deathly pale.

He had not stolen in the last few days, but he certainly had before.

Though a thief was supposed to be caught with the stolen goods, the yamen would not necessarily listen to reason. Under harsh torture, there would always be "honest confessions."

After thinking for a moment, Xu Chang'an said shakily:

"Brother Ding, you're my own brother! Please help me smooth things over with Constable Li and the others. I-I'll give you silver to grease the right palms."

"All right. That's what friends are for." With an expression that said there was no need for words between brothers, Ding Songyan gave Xu Chang'an's shoulder a heavy pat.

Xu Chang'an quickened his pace and took Ding Songyan straight back to his home in Chengyu Lane.

From a hidden compartment, he took out a heavy silver ingot, then a pile of silver sycees and loose silver. In a panicked voice, he asked Ding Songyan:

"Brother Ding, how much do you think will be enough? Name a sum, and I'll scrape it together!

"Everything I own is here!"

After finishing his anxious appeal, Xu Chang'an saw the corners of Ding Songyan's mouth slowly rise into an unmistakable smile.

"..." Xu Chang'an gradually sensed that something was wrong.

Chuckling, Ding Songyan picked up the silver ingot.

"You've saved up quite a bit of silver, haven't you?"

Xu Chang'an finally realized.

"Brother Ding, you're not... deceiving me, are you?"

Ding Songyan put down the silver ingot and smiled as he patted the fellow's shoulder. Turning toward the door, he left him with one remark:

"Be a little more careful from now on."

Deceiving strangers is hard. But deceiving someone you know-especially you-isn't that as easy as taking something already in your hand?

Xu Chang'an's face flushed crimson. All he wanted was to find a crack in the ground and bury himself in it.