Over the past half year, Shi Xuan had secretly gone to see Madam Fang and her two ghost children. They were doing quite well. Xu Tianqi had kept his promise. Following Shi Xuan's instructions that day, he had invited an old monk to pretend to subdue the evil ghosts there. Then, representing the Xu Family, he had donated money to convert the residence into a temple, where Bodhisattva Pudu—known in life as Fang Yu—was enshrined alongside her Boy and Girl Attendants, said to suppress evil ghosts, avert disasters, and grant blessings. Finally, he had the old monk hold a grand Dharma assembly to consecrate the temple. In private, he had written all manner of tales about Bodhisattva Pudu into storybooks and plays, spreading them throughout the city while also taking on the task of gathering methods of the divine path.
Because it was a renovation, the temple had been restored in just over four months. When Shi Xuan went there, he saw that Madam Fang and her children, having switched to using Incense and Fire Prayer Power to maintain their forms, had lost much of their dense, eerie yin aura. Even if they appeared before people at night, they would no longer immediately be taken for ghosts. Moreover, since they could not cultivate with Incense and Fire Prayer Power, there were always two hours each day when mist curled around their entire bodies. If they had golden radiance, auspicious clouds, and celestial music as well, they would look very much like genuine immortals.
Madam Fang was exceedingly grateful to Shi Xuan, looking as though she would gladly serve him like an ox or horse. Shi Xuan, however, did not take it to heart. He had merely lent a hand—indeed, he had mostly only moved his mouth. Xu Tianqi had arranged the vast majority of matters. Madam Fang and Xu Tianqi did not see it that way. Without Shi Xuan explaining the mysteries of the divine path and the purpose of worship, they could have racked their brains to pieces and still never figured out how to arrange it. Before this, they had not even understood why worldly people placed such importance on worship. They had simply believed it was an expression of filial devotion to one's ancestors and had never connected worship with prayers made at temples.
Since they saw it that way, Shi Xuan had no way to stop them. He could hardly say that he had only understood because he had read several notebooks collected by Old Daoist Xu, written by Daoist predecessors. This was merely the most basic knowledge within the Daoist lineage, and those notes had not even touched upon how one specifically cultivated the divine path. If he truly tried to explain, he might have to bring out several notebooks for them to read. It would be far too troublesome.
Of course, Shi Xuan had not met Xu Tianqi. The man had indeed shut himself indoors, devoting himself to martial training. He had only come once on the day the temple was consecrated, together with many Elders of the Lineage. Any words he had for Shi Xuan were relayed through Madam Fang. Mu Jin had also been dragged into daily martial training by Xu Tianqi, to the point of nearly weeping.
Meng Yuqiong and Xu Jinyi, meanwhile, had left Xia'an Prefecture more than two months earlier and returned to Luojing. From what Xu Tianqi implied, the two girls—Xu Jinyi in particular—had been secretly inquiring about Shi Xuan's residence. Yet Old Daoist Xu's existence had originally been known only to a few senior members of the Xu Family and the group of children who had been sent to train in martial arts back then. The senior members would certainly keep the secret, while those children were either no longer in the family or had been privately warned by Xu Tianqi. Since it had been a secret to begin with, the girls had failed to discover Shi Xuan's whereabouts before leaving.
Shi Xuan was somewhat disappointed. He had originally hoped that, after the Wind's Sound surrounding Xu Jinyi's stay with the Xia Family had passed, she would come looking for him. It was not that he coveted her beauty. He merely wished to properly see whether she had the talent, patience, and perseverance for cultivating the Dao. If she did, he could pass Old Daoist Xu's Daoist lineage on to her. By examining fragments of Du Bai's memories, Shi Xuan had learned that Old Daoist Xu had always hoped someone within the family could inherit his Daoist lineage. Yet he had never found a suitable candidate and had eventually extinguished that hope. Now that Shi Xuan was not cultivating the Returning to Truth Scripture, he naturally hoped to find someone to carry on that lineage. It would be even better if that person were from the Xu Family.
Since she had not come, Shi Xuan did not force the matter. It could only mean she lacked that fate. If he encountered someone talented, patient, and persevering in the future, it would not be too late to pass it on then.
Over the past half year, the real estate agency had occasionally brought people to view the courtyard. But Shi Xuan was not short of money now, nor did he wish to spend time finding another place to live, so he had kept putting it off, intending to sell it only before he left.
At the hour of the boar, deep in the stillness of night, Shi Xuan sat cross-legged upon a meditation cushion, his five centers facing heaven. Following the route recorded in the "Secret Record of Circulating Qi Through the Twelve Rivers, Eight Lakes, and Seventy-Two Great Rivers of the Jade Pivot," he guided his Internal Energy through the twelve regular meridians, the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, and seventy-one lesser meridians. The Internal Energy gradually gathered, then, under Shi Xuan's will, surged toward the node of the final meridian. Though the Internal Energy was like a rising tide, that node stood in its path like an unbreakable dike. After three consecutive assaults, it still would not yield.
Shi Xuan had not expected this final meridian to be so difficult to open. After opening the seventy-first meridian, he had estimated that he would achieve the Major Heavenly Cycle within half a month. Yet a month and a half had passed, and he still could not open the last meridian. Fortunately, his Clear Wind and Bright Moon Illuminating Spirit True Method had continued to advance greatly. Though he had yet to touch the threshold of the Peak Soul Strengthening Stage, his soul had grown far stronger, and his control over his emotions had improved markedly. Thus, Shi Xuan was not engulfed by disappointment and impatience.
Shi Xuan stopped circulating his qi and calmed the emotions that had just risen within him. Then he cleared his thoughts and entered meditation, intending to complete that day's visualization practice before continuing his Qi Refining.
The bright moon shone down, and Clear Wind brushed over his body. Shi Xuan felt his soul becoming stronger and more ethereal with each cleansing and removal of impurities. He felt as if his Spiritual Consciousness could control every corner of his soul, as if everything were within his grasp.
Shi Xuan suddenly became alert. His thoughts abruptly rose, looking down upon his own soul from above. He had not expected that a slight trace of impatience within him would nearly lead to Qi Deviation. During visualization, if one felt that one could control every corner of oneself, or experienced anything similar, that was the harbinger of Qi Deviation.
Fortunately, Shi Xuan had always paired his visualization practice with the methods in the Illuminating Spirit True Method for recognizing Consciousness as the True Spirit and gathering in wandering thoughts. That was why, at the very brink of disaster, he had become alert and pulled his thoughts away. After waiting a moment and steadying his mind, Shi Xuan resumed his visualization.
After the visualization, Shi Xuan found that, after nearly suffering Qi Deviation, his soul had instead become even more transparent, with a faint light seeming to emerge from it. The Peak Soul Strengthening Stage, which he had never expected to reach so soon, now seemed to reveal a trace of its threshold. He was no longer as directionless as before.
After withdrawing from meditation, Shi Xuan did not immediately circulate his Internal Energy. Instead, he rose and practiced a compact boxing art recorded by Old Daoist Xu in the small room: Silken Thread Fist. The force of his fists remained contained as his footsteps shifted. By the end of the set, a light sheen of sweat had appeared on Shi Xuan's brow, but his spirit was exceptionally tranquil.
Seeing that the set of boxing had adjusted both his body and mind to their finest state, Shi Xuan sat cross-legged again, closed his eyes, regulated his breath, and resumed circulating his Internal Energy. This time, he gathered up even the thought of opening his meridians, as though he had forgotten it, and simply controlled the Internal Energy as it flowed.
Shi Xuan felt that the twelve regular meridians in his body were twelve great rivers, while the seventy-two great rivers flowed endlessly into them. The eight great lakes regulated both the great rivers and the smaller rivers: when the great rivers held too much water, their water entered the lakes; when the smaller rivers held too little, lake water entered them. When the smaller rivers held too much water, their water entered the lakes; when the great rivers held too little, lake water entered them. With every breath, his body seemed to become a complete whole, save for one flaw that stood out conspicuously.
Naturally, the Internal Energy accumulated and rushed toward the final meridian. Shi Xuan's soul, now much stronger than before, could control this stream of Internal Energy more easily, making it finer and driving it faster toward that node. Shi Xuan seemed to hear a thunderous boom within his body. The gathered Internal Energy had already broken through the node, widening and nourishing that meridian. Enduring the numb, itching sensation, Shi Xuan guided the Internal Energy through the meridian before it finally surged back into the great river. True qi circulated endlessly within his body, ever-renewing, as easy to command as an arm or finger, free and unrestrained.
He controlled the Internal Energy until it calmed, yet did not interrupt its natural circulation. This was one of the signs of the Major Heavenly Cycle. Once Internal Energy could circulate on its own, one no longer feared heat or cold; when facing an enemy, it could naturally protect the body, and under ordinary circumstances there was no need to deliberately mobilize it when striking. Every gesture and movement would flow as though wrought by nature.
Shi Xuan opened his eyes. The dim, flickering candlelight before him felt warm and steady. He seemed able to hear the distant wind passing through leaves, over water, and beyond the clouds. He could see tiny whirlwinds spinning in the air, see drifting dust, and sense scenes of movement throughout the small courtyard.
He had finally achieved the Major Heavenly Cycle. And it was finally time to leave this place.
Though it was time to leave, Shi Xuan still had many matters and belongings to deal with, so he could not depart immediately.
Over the next few months, Shi Xuan busied himself handling the miscellaneous items in the courtyard and consolidating his cultivation. The only things he needed to take were two sets of clothing, including the one he wore, silver, the Returning to Truth Scripture, talismans, a mirror, specially made Incense sticks, several ritual implements, and several Daoist notebooks. Thus, there were many remaining odds and ends to dispose of. As for Old Daoist Xu's clothing and personal belongings, Shi Xuan brought them to his grave and burned them, then paid his respects, taking it as his farewell.
During this time, all the materials for talismans had been turned into talismans. In addition to the sixteen talismans left behind by Old Daoist Xu, Shi Xuan had drawn over thirty himself. Together with the remaining talismans Du Bai had drawn in the past, he had sixty-five in all. The talismans were not kept in his bundle, however. They were sorted and placed in hidden pockets in the sleeves of his Daoist robe, at his waist, and against his chest for easy access.
As for the vessels used to brew medicinal soup and hold Medicinal Baths, Shi Xuan destroyed them all, then took them to the distant outskirts and used a soil-gathering spell to bury them. In short, this was how he dealt with all items related to cultivating the Dao. Excess clothing and the like, he casually gave to beggars by the roadside.
Then, when the real estate agency brought people to view the courtyard again three months later, Shi Xuan did not haggle. He sold it for the buyer's offered price of two hundred and seventy taels of silver. After the title deed was processed at the yamen, the taxes paid, and the real estate agency received its share, Shi Xuan was left with two hundred and twenty-nine taels. In this way, he had a total of two hundred and thirty-five taels of silver on him, along with some copper coins.
Thus, one day in March, Shi Xuan slung his bundle over his back and, amid the surging crowds, stepped out through the gates of Xia'an Prefecture. He left behind the place where he had stayed for more than a year and set foot upon his road of seeking immortality and pursuing the Dao.
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