The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon stated, "When righteous qi remained within, harmful influences could not invade."
When righteous qi flourished within the body, harmful external influences had difficulty entering.
Even with the same flu virus, people with abundant righteous qi were less likely to become infected. Even if they did, they recovered quickly.
That was why Taoist health-preserving practices placed particular emphasis on replenishing righteous qi and clearing out turbid qi.
One of the simplest and most effective methods was called the Sunlight Gathering Practice.
By gathering the essence of the sun and moon and absorbing the vital qi of heaven and earth, it could warm and nourish the five internal organs, replenish righteous qi, boost vitality, and awaken wisdom.
The Sunlight Gathering Practice was a foundational Taoist cultivation practice. Many schools taught it under slightly different names.
The internal practice of the Taoist Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Fist, the health-preserving practice of the Plum Blossom Fist, and the Medicine King School's Sun Technique all referred to this, and their content was essentially similar.
The most simplified version of the Sunlight Gathering Practice was what people commonly called sunbathing.
The whole body was relaxed, with the palms facing the sun.
But exposure should not last too long, lest it produce fire toxins.
On occasional mornings, I gathered yang qi in the courtyard for a while.
There were no complicated steps or hand gestures, so it generally did not attract anyone's attention. That kept people from labeling me an oddball.
One day, just as I finished my practice, my next-door neighbor looked up from watering his flowers and greeted me. "Practicing, young man?"
"Yes, I am." I gave him a polite smile and turned to face him.
He looked to be in his fifties and wore rimless glasses. Refined and gentlemanly, he moved with unhurried composure, radiating an inner dignity. He was probably either wealthy or influential.
He could actually tell I was practicing? I was quietly startled.
I probably lacked guile and wore every thought on my face. He saw through me at a glance and said with a chuckle, "I've been learning qigong from a master too. I didn't expect someone so young to be interested in it."
No wonder. He was a fellow practitioner.
He introduced himself as Cai and said he had been practicing qigong for more than six months. This wondrous ancient tradition from China had won him over.
"I used to ache all over. Since I started practicing qigong, I've felt noticeably better."
"You ached all over? What kind of illness was it?" I was reading the section on Taoist medicine in the Tianyi Notes at the time, and Mr. Cai's symptoms intrigued me.
"Every joint in my body hurt, but the hospital couldn't find anything wrong."
"Well, illnesses are divided into manifest illnesses and hidden illnesses. Manifest illnesses are those a hospital can detect, while hidden illnesses are those it can't. Hidden illnesses are further divided into psychological illnesses, feng shui illnesses, karmic illness, karmic retribution illness, and so on.
"Over time, hidden illnesses can gradually become manifest illnesses.
"Fortunately, the doctors still can't identify your condition, Mr. Cai. That means it's still mild," I added.
Hearing this, Mr. Cai excitedly set down his watering can. "I never imagined someone so young would have such a deep understanding of this!"
In truth, all of this came from my master's book. It wasn't that I was particularly knowledgeable, but this wasn't the moment for a detailed explanation.
He took two steps toward me, straightened up, and said solemnly, "I've also suspected it might be a feng shui problem, and I've been meaning to find someone knowledgeable to take a look! Sir, would you be willing to help me?"
He respectfully changed his form of address from "young man" to "sir," showing not the slightest disregard for me because of my age.
I narrowed my eyes slightly and examined his aura. A few short spikes of ice were shooting toward his body, faint and indistinct. His joint pain was probably caused by those ice spikes.
But a distinct ring of qi surrounded his body close to his skin, temporarily keeping the ice spikes at bay. They were still some distance from his body, so they were not doing much damage.
I guessed that ring of qi had probably formed through his qigong practice.
Rather than immediately answering whether I would examine the feng shui, I became interested in the method he practiced.
He had only been practicing for a little over six months, yet he already possessed such a powerful protective field of qi. It left me deeply astonished.
"Mr. Cai!" I asked bluntly. "What kind of qigong do you practice?"
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