Chapter 302 Inner Observation of Xiao Chai Hu Tang
After the Taoist priest and Liang Xu left, Song Chunxue opened the medicine packet and brewed the medicine for herself.
She rarely catches colds or fevers these past two years, but she didn't expect to feel unwell as soon as she went out today. Right now, her head feels swollen and slightly aching.
She lit the tea stove, found a medicine pot, and brewed the tea for an hour, then took a half-hour nap.
After cleaning the first batch of herbs, I added water to boil the second batch of herbs.
They hadn't returned by the time the first dose of medicine was ingested.
Song Chunxue felt a warm sensation in her stomach. Remembering that her senior brother had specifically instructed her to meditate and observe inwards, she took off her shoes and sat cross-legged to meditate.
At first, she couldn't see anything, but she could feel that her body was a little more comfortable and less tired.
After an unknown amount of time, she gradually saw a small vortex slowly gathering inside her body.
At first, it hadn't taken shape yet. But as time went on, after she completed a full cycle, she discovered that a circular Tai Chi diagram, about the width of a palm, was formed on the right side of the navel, centered on the Taiyi acupoint of the Stomach Meridian and the Riyue acupoint of the Gallbladder Meridian. It was a deep dark green color and was constantly rotating.
Song Chunxue was instantly stunned; she had never seen such a magical sight before.
In the past two years, she has indeed been meditating and practicing introspection. She can now see the inside of her own meridians. When they move around, it's as if she can see them with her own eyes, but it's different from what she sees with her eyes.
She already knew that if she ate cold food during the day, and her stomach appeared bluish-green during meditation, it would indicate a blockage of cold in her body.
But she was unaware that after taking a packet of medicine, she would see a Tai Chi diagram circulating inside her body.
No wonder my senior brother said there would be an unexpected surprise!
She carefully observed the Tai Chi diagram and felt sleepy after a while.
Afraid of falling asleep, she circulated her energy for two more cycles.
"Clang."
After an unknown amount of time, the door suddenly opened.
The Taoist priest and Liang Xu returned, chatting and laughing as they approached the table.
Song Chunxue slowly opened her eyes and suddenly found that her eyes were brighter, and she could even clearly see the dust on her senior brother's eyelashes.
"The smell of medicine is so strong, junior brother, did you burn the medicine?"
Song Chunxue sniffed the air and saw that it was getting dark outside. She quickly got up and stood up. "Oh no, oh no, judging by the time, it's really going to burn."
“You sit down first, I’ll go take a look,” her senior brother patted her shoulder, “Have some tea, then we’ll go to the inn.”
Liang Xu couldn't help but look at Song Chunxue, and asked in a low voice, "Didn't the Daoist Master refuse to take on people? How come you've accepted a woman as your junior brother?"
"What's wrong with the woman?"
"..." Liang Xu was stunned for a moment, then quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant, I was just curious."
“Isn’t it obvious? I have an affinity with Taoism,” Song Chunxue said calmly, looking at him. “I have more wisdom than ordinary men, and I’m willing to put in the effort. You study this, I don’t know if you’ve read any books on cultivation, but you have quite a few heretical books in your room, just looking at the titles makes people’s minds wander.”
"..." Liang Xu's face flushed red and then turned pale. After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence, "What are you rummaging through!"
"I didn't rummage through it. It was just on the table. I didn't even touch it, afraid of getting my eyes dirty." As she spoke, Song Chunxue got up and picked up her bundle. "But I still have to thank you for your medicine pot. I even used your bowl to drink my medicine, but I washed it clean."
Liang Xu hesitated for a while, then said, "It's only right. You're obligated to help others. Even if you empty my shop, it won't matter."
Song Chunxue laughed, "Don't worry, I didn't want anything from here."
Seeing her smile, Liang Xu also smiled.
“I really don’t mean to look down on women. It’s just that I feel that the Taoist priest has always been a loner. I’ve known him for more than ten years and I have never seen him go out with anyone.”
As he spoke, he turned and glanced in the direction of the Taoist priest.
"Oh, by the way, the Taoist priest said your money-attracting talismans are pretty good. Would you like to sell me a couple?"
Song Chunxue nodded, "Of course."
She took out two lucky charms from her bundle and handed them to him, and also gave him a peace charm, saying, "This is for you."
Liang Xu was somewhat surprised, "You can also see things?"
"I'm not very good at reading, but you don't look well. Today's windfall is also because you did bad things in the past. You may have some troubles coming up. It won't hurt to take it."
Liang Xu accepted the gift with both hands, nodding repeatedly, "Thank you, Daoist Master."
Song Chunxue smiled and said, "Of course."
She stretched out her hand, and Liang Xu placed a silver ingot in her hand.
“A gold ingot is already quite an eye-opener for me, so consider this silver ingot as money for talismans. It’s clear that you’re not short of money, but you don’t eat lavish meals and your clothes are so simple. You must be a frugal person. I can’t let you spend too much.”
Song Chunxue tucked the silver into her pocket, thinking, "They're quite sensible."
Seeing her neatly combed, jet-black hair, and the fact that her skin was wrinkle-free and her complexion was excellent despite her age of over thirty, it was clear that she paid great attention to spiritual practice.
Especially after hearing that she only began to learn to read at the age of thirty-six and is now able to read scriptures fluently, Liang Xu felt great respect for her.
"Junior brother, let's go." The Taoist priest held a half-bowl of dark herbs in his hand. "Drink the medicine and then we'll leave."
Song Chunxue frowned subconsciously; the medicine smelled burnt.
"Drink it quickly, or you won't feel better tomorrow."
Song Chunxue picked it up and drank it all in one go; it wasn't too bad.
She picked up the bowl to scoop water to wash it, but Liang Xu reached out and took it from her. "Taoist priest, give it to me, I'll wash it."
"Then I'll trouble you." Song Chunxue nodded slightly, turned around and walked out of the room.
"We're leaving tomorrow. You'd better pack your things tonight and go traveling somewhere else. Otherwise, once the Xu family realizes what's going on, your leg might be in danger."
Liang Xu cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your advice, Daoist, but my wife and children are in Dingxi City, and I can't leave."
The Taoist priest nodded, "Take care of yourself."
They arrived at the inn and asked for two superior rooms.
It's called an upper-class room, which just means it's not very dirty, messy, or bad.
It's barely habitable, and fairly clean.
It was already dinnertime, but Song Chunxue had no appetite.
All she wanted to do right now was stay in the room and continue meditating.
"Senior brother, I saw a Bagua diagram inside my body. It's so mysterious! When did you discover it?" As soon as she sat down in the room, Song Chunxue asked with delight, "Would this happen if I took other medicine?"
"Yes, you'll find out later." The Taoist priest sat down, picked up the tea brought by the waiter downstairs, and poured himself a cup. "Try introspection again at midnight tonight and tomorrow morning. There will be changes."
"Okay, I'll continue to observe." Seeing his serious expression, Song Chunxue couldn't help but ask, "Was the trip to the Xu family unsuccessful?"
"It went fairly smoothly, but those kinds of people are two-faced. I have to go out again tonight and come back late at night."
Song Chunxue nodded. "Do you need me to accompany my senior brother?"
"No need, you have no martial arts skills, you can't escape."
Song Chunxue retorted, "I can even outrun my own donkey, why would I be afraid of not being able to outrun a person?"
The Taoist priest chuckled, “Alright then, come with me tonight, we can set off a little later tomorrow.”
P.S.: This is adapted from "Internal Observation Notes," an excellent book.
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