A teacher passes on the Dao, imparts skills, and resolves doubts

It was time to bury themselves in books again. Zhang Qingyuan and Zhang Junbao plunged back into the Scripture Repository.

Having digested their old knowledge, it was time to replenish themselves with something new.

Neither revisited the scriptures they had already read. They headed straight for the Pure Yang Daoist Sect's classics, specifically seeking out those annotated by successive Pure Yang Daoist Chiefs.

They did not want to do this either, but Brother Gu had said that if he ever fed anyone moves again, he was a you-know-what!

With no other choice, the two could only hole up in the Scripture Repository and read the scriptures themselves.

They were not the only ones who slipped into the Scripture Repository. Someone else followed furtively behind them, a little notebook in one hand and a brush in the other, looking like a spy.

It was Yuan Heqing!

He did not believe what Zhang Junbao had said at all. They definitely had a method for practicing.

That training method he mentioned before was just an excuse. He doesn't want to tell us his real method. Only a ghost would believe him.

That was why he followed them, hoping to secretly learn it.

This behavior may be shameful, but for the future of the Pure Yang Daoist Sect, I'll accept it even if a thousand fingers point at me in condemnation someday!

Patriarch Pure Yang, honored ancestral masters, please forgive your disciple's actions!

He quietly hid in the shadows, holding his breath and focusing intently as he watched.

He saw his two martial uncles each pick up a different scripture and begin leafing through and reading it.

Half an hour later, they finished quickly browsing the scriptures in their hands, then swapped them and read again.

After another half hour, they put down the scriptures and began discussing the meaning of the passages.

He had read both those Daoist scriptures before. Listening to their loud discussion, he found it rather uninteresting. He knew what both books said, and the annotations left by generations of Daoist masters made everything perfectly clear.

Discussion, then summaries-it was like a middle-school study group during a self-study period.

"Huh?"

As Yuan Heqing listened, they seemed to be discussing another layer of meaning.

Wait, does that passage have that meaning? How come I don't know about it?

What!

They've come up with new annotations themselves? How can they distort the patriarchs' ideas and change things at will?

Several patriarchs may have annotated that passage with different interpretations, but they could add to it. You two...

He wanted to stop his two martial uncles, but he was afraid they would discover him eavesdropping. What a headache!

Forget it. I'll give them a subtle reminder at dinner. Martial arts are important, but as Daoists, scripture matters even more. I can't just watch my two martial uncles stray down the wrong path!

Over half an hour later, they finished their discussion, returned the scriptures to their original places, and went to read the next ones.

Yuan Heqing watched them all day, while they read Daoist scriptures all day.

Only when the sun sank behind the western mountains and it was time for dinner did the three leave the Scripture Repository in two groups, one after the other.

Dinner was served in the main dining hall. Scholarly and martial Daoists alike gathered to eat from the same communal pots.

Pure Yang was unlike Quanzhen. Its rules were not so complicated; its members could eat meat and marry.

The communal dishes therefore contained meat. There was not much of it, but there was plenty of fat.

There was pork stir-fried with cabbage, eggs stir-fried with chives, and tofu soup.

Everyone ate here regardless of sex, rank, or seniority, so the Daoists gathered, collected their food in an orderly fashion, and ate in an orderly fashion.

Zhang Qingyuan saw his third martial uncle, Daoist Chenyuan, a spirited little old man.

He was already seventy-two and still had not retired, continuing to fight on the front lines of the Pure Yang Palace.

"Martial Uncle Chenyuan?"

The little old man was endearing. Seeing them approach, he beamed. "Oh my, you're out of seclusion?"

"We only came out today."

"Haha, five days in seclusion-you must have gained a great deal." Daoist Chenyuan made room, and Zhang Qingyuan and Zhang Junbao sat on either side, sandwiching him between them.

After sitting down, Zhang Junbao smiled. "Not bad, not bad. It was all thanks to Senior Brother Tianxu."

"It was only right."

The three chatted as they ate. Zhang Qingyuan found the old man rather amusing. He seemed very kindly, and his manner of speaking was particularly easygoing.

Only during their conversation did they learn that this old artist, one of the few remaining fruits on the tree, had been quite a man in his youth.

His martial arts had not been particularly strong, but he had loved righting wrongs and upholding justice.

He had never brought his practice of the Pure Yang Daoist Canon to great accomplishment in his entire life, yet his outlook was exceptionally good.

After returning to the mountain at sixty, he had refused to hide away in quiet cultivation behind the mountain like his senior brothers.

His principle in cultivating the Dao was to do more while he could still move. The less he moved, the more uncomfortable he felt.

His current task was therefore to lecture on scripture to newly arrived Daoists and outer disciples. After all, he was old and had roamed the jianghu in his youth, so his insights were deeper than most people's, and he explained the scriptures thoroughly.

Besides that, he was highly skilled in Plum Blossom Numerology, and his divinations were especially accurate.

During the day, he usually set up a divination stall outside the mountain gate, telling fortunes and interpreting characters for the worshippers who came to offer incense.

Indeed, with his Plum Blossom Divination Art alone, the old man brought in three percent of the Pure Yang Palace's daily income.

His predictions were so accurate that his reputation had spread far and wide. He limited himself to thirty readings a day, yet people drawn by his reputation still came in an endless stream.

People below the mountain now had to queue for a reading from him. He had even given the local commoners another means of making a living: scalping!

Anyone who wanted a reading could speak to those scalpers beforehand. They would secure a place in line, then notify the client when their turn was approaching.

Or they would reserve places in advance and sell their "numbers" to anyone who urgently needed a reading.

The old man was quite easygoing, doing whatever lay within his abilities.

As the three chatted, the old man proved quite talkative. They did not even need to ask; he volunteered everything himself, his words pouring forth in an unending stream.

He already liked these two martial nephews, which made him all the more willing to talk.

From the Pure Yang Daoist Palace to the lay of the jianghu, and even some Daoist secrets, his stories repeatedly left the two stunned.

Just as their conversation was getting lively, Yuan Heqing walked over.

Carrying his plate and bowl, he hesitated, then finally gritted his teeth and sat down beside them.

"Granduncle, Martial Uncle Qingyuan, Martial Uncle Junbao."

He greeted them, and Daoist Chenyuan smiled. "Yuan Heqing, the eldest senior brother among the second-generation disciples. Barring any surprises, he'll be the future Daoist Chief of our Pure Yang Palace."

"We know him, we know him. We owe Xiaoqing thanks for standing guard during our seclusion," Zhang Qingyuan said with a smile.

"It was only what this disciple ought to do."

"Don't be so stiff. You should learn from your master and get your mindset in order," Zhang Junbao reminded him. He could tell that the lad had a great deal on his mind.

"Thank you for your instruction, Martial Uncle."

Yuan Heqing was proud and rigid, and a certain stiffness always showed through his speech.

Daoist Chenyuan explained, "That's just his temperament. He observes the proprieties."

The two nodded and looked at Yuan Heqing.

Their stares made Yuan Heqing uneasy, and he raised his eyes to observe his two martial uncles.

Chenyuan did not understand what was happening, but he kept feeling there was a story between these three.

"All right, you chat. This old Daoist still has a scripture lecture to give, so I won't disturb you."

"Take care, Martial Uncle."

"Take care, Granduncle."

Once the old man left with his plate, Zhang Qingyuan and Zhang Junbao moved to either side of Yuan Heqing, sandwiching him between them. Sweat seeped from his forehead as he stared nervously at his plate.

Zhang Qingyuan said, "You followed us all day and listened to us discuss things all day. Any thoughts?"

"Martial Uncle, you noticed me?" Yuan Heqing was shocked. He had thought he had hidden himself very well! He hurriedly apologized. "This disciple... I didn't mean to-no, I only..."

Zhang Junbao nudged him with his shoulder. "No need to explain. If you want to discuss things, just join in. Pooling everyone's wisdom is the essence of cultivation. We were even worried you couldn't hear, so we deliberately spoke a little louder during our discussions."

Yuan Heqing's heart pounded, and he did not dare speak.

Zhang Qingyuan said, "This won't do. If you always shut yourself away in your own world, how will you ever improve?"

"This disciple... I only wanted to know what cultivation methods you two martial uncles use."

"Actually, everything Junbao told you was true. That really is how the two of us cultivate."

Yuan Heqing raised his head and looked at Zhang Qingyuan in confusion. "But... but that's how I cultivate too."

"Everyone has different talent. Some cultivate quickly, some slowly. Some have high ceilings, and others have low ones.

"Some people may become first-rate experts of the age after just three years of cultivation, but that might be their ceiling. They have no hope of advancing another step in their entire lives.

"Others may cultivate slowly but have very high ceilings. They might only achieve a little after a dozen years of practice, and only become first-rate experts of the age after thirty-odd years. Yet they can still improve in their fifties and sixties. After sixty, they reach your master's realm, and as long as they don't die, they can advance another step.

"So you belong to the latter kind."

After listening, Yuan Heqing looked thoughtful.

Zhang Junbao also explained, "So don't belittle yourself. Bamboo grows quickly, but it cannot last long. Golden-thread nanmu grows slowly, but its value is high!"

Hearing this, Yuan Heqing managed a very sheepish smile.

Zhang Qingyuan patted his shoulder. "Cultivate with us tomorrow morning. Bring all the disciples who practice martial arts. I'll only teach this once."

Zhang Junbao said, "I'll also..."

"Don't listen to him. He can't teach!"