Qin Mu enjoyed a delicious meal of Zhen's meat. To be honest, the taste was just so-so, but the spiritual energy was indeed very abundant. Qin Mu only ate about a pound before he couldn't eat anymore. You should know that because of his high level of activity, he has a big appetite.
This is mainly due to the abundance of spiritual energy. Once the food is ingested, the spiritual energy is absorbed by the Qihai acupoint in no time. When the Qihai acupoint is full of spiritual energy, the feeling of hunger is greatly reduced.
After finishing his meal, Qin Mu returned to his villa. He had a rather exciting day and gained quite a bit, mainly due to the question about the Classic of Mountains and Seas. If the mythical beasts from the Classic of Mountains and Seas appeared, then were the plants from the Classic of Mountains and Seas also present?
Legend has it that eating the *Zhoumu* tree grants eternal memory, the *Jimu* tree makes one impervious to cold, the *Qiumu* tree enhances strength, and there are also fruits that grant the ability to control water and fire and achieve immortality. These are truly wondrous things. Even if you can't find them, these strange beasts are still quite appealing! Some of these beasts, once eaten, also have special effects.
Yuan Tiangang reminded Qin Yao to report to the imperial court. Did the court know something? This situation seems more complex than it appears. And how some of the strange beasts appeared is also a major question.
According to Yuan Tiangang, both appearances were sudden. The first was in a river where no one had ever encountered anything before, and the second was even stranger, appearing directly among the crowd. Whether strange beasts or ferocious monsters, they are all creatures with some intelligence. If they encounter humans and cannot defeat them, they know to run. So how did they appear inside the pass?
Knowing too little information, Qin Mu thought for a while and then put it aside. He began to recall the Classic of Mountains and Seas. The Classic of Mountains and Seas he had read was from another world, the common version circulating in the world. It consisted of 18 volumes, including 5 volumes of the "Classic of Mountains" and 13 volumes of the "Classic of Seas." It covered mountains and rivers, geography, ethnic groups, products, medicines, sacrifices, and shamanistic medicine. It preserved many popular ancient myths, legends, and fables, including those related to Kuafu chasing the sun, Jingwei filling the sea, and Yu the Great controlling the floods.
It's very strange that this world doesn't have those myths and legends passed down, but I don't have time to think about them now, and it's useless anyway. I guess it's related to the ancient war between gods and humans.
Qin Mu had only skimmed through the Classic of Mountains and Seas before, mainly looking at things that interested him or the records of legendary figures, so he missed some. He also only glanced at most of it.
Nowadays, to recall something, one has to search for patterns in their memory and then "read" the content within those patterns. Leaving aside whether these things are real, simply finding those patterns in memory isn't easy; after all, the human brain isn't like a computer—it can't just type two words and have them appear instantly.
Similar scenarios need to be filtered out, then focus your energy and recall the past. What your eyes scan is a picture, which needs to be frozen in time, and then you need to memorize the words again.
This involves transforming the text on the illustrations into knowledge, requiring not only concentration and focus but also the ability to memorize. The paradoxical nature of needing to be both focused and distracted is certainly not easy, especially with books containing a large amount of text and illustrations. It's arguably even more exhausting than opening up one's meridians.
Fortunately, Qin Mu was already used to this kind of behavior, although he had never encountered anything requiring such large-scale memorization before. Books like the Analects and the Doctrine of the Mean were already read, but the ones requiring memorization were different. This is the difference between images and text. One involves directly searching for the text, while the other requires re-memorizing the text on the image.
With his eyes closed and his mind focused, Qin Mu, lying on the bed, didn't even realize that his lips were moving constantly, as if he were reciting something silently.
Half an hour later, in the darkness, Qin Mu opened his eyes, then gave a wry smile and rubbed his forehead. This kind of recollection was extremely taxing on his mental energy, and coupled with the fact that his mental strength in his spiritual space hadn't fully recovered, he felt his entire skull begin to swell again. He had no choice but to stop.
Without meditating to nourish the meridians, I drifted off to sleep in a daze.
With a loud "bang!", Qin Mu was startled and sat up abruptly.
"Yanran, what brings you here!" Upon seeing the person enter, Qin Mu subconsciously pulled the blanket over himself, then realized he hadn't taken off his clothes and asked with a sigh of relief.
"I came to find you! Who knew you were still sleeping? You usually get up quite early, don't you?" Xiangli Yanran asked curiously.
"I was a little tired yesterday!" Looking at the girl who was eating snacks early in the morning and looked "extremely hungry," Qin Mu gave up on reasoning with her, pulled back the thin blanket, and got up to say.
"Here you go!" Xiangli Yanran magically produced a box and handed it to Qin Mu.
"What is this?" Qin Mu asked, taking the box. Then his eyes lit up, and he bent down to open it.
Inside the box was a pure white jade seal, which Qin Mu picked up.
Upon holding the jade seal, I felt a warm, smooth energy enter my body, instantly clearing my groggy mind and making me feel quite comfortable. I examined it with satisfaction; above the seal was a lifelike cicada, its wings and legs clearly visible. Below the cicada's abdomen was a bead, like another silkworm cocoon.
The square jade seal has a mountain forest scene depicted on three sides, and two lines of poetry on the other side: "The cicadas' chirping makes the forest even quieter, and the birds' singing makes the mountain even more secluded."
These are two lines from a poem by Wang Ji, a poet from the Southern Dynasties, about entering the Ruoye Creek. Combined with the calligraphy and paintings on the three sides and the cicada above, they not only seem appropriate, but also conceal the array pattern.
The true masterpiece is one that seamlessly integrates array patterns into calligraphy and painting, creating a unified whole without any superfluous or discordant elements. As for that bead, Qin Mu knew it was the beast core of the Zhen. To embed the beast core into the jade seal and make it appear as if it were originally carved from jade is no easy feat.
"Grandpa said that Brother Qin Mu, you mainly need to use this jade seal to suppress your inner demons and stabilize your mind. In addition, the jade essence itself has the effect of nourishing the spirit, so he didn't add any other formations. Once the formation is activated, the jade seal can resist external sound attacks. Brother Qin Mu, are you satisfied?" Xiangli Yanran asked.
"Satisfied! Very satisfied!" Looking at the four slightly complicated characters of Qin Mu's private seal below the jade seal, Qin Mu nodded and smiled.
"I'm satisfied!"
"Senior Xiangli truly deserves to be called a master; the entire jade seal is as if it were created by nature itself," Qin Mu exclaimed.
"Are you looking at these words?" Xiangli Yanran asked curiously.
"Yes! This script is somewhat similar to seal script, but slightly different. I've never seen it before, so I'm a little curious," Qin Mu nodded in response.
“Hehe! This is a unique script of the Mo family, you can’t learn it.” Xiangli Yanran said with a smile.
"Why?" Qin Mu asked curiously.
"Taoism, Mohism, medicine, and many other traditions all have their own unique styles of writing. They may look similar, but the differences between them are vast. Just like talismans, even if you have spiritual energy and follow the description, you can't unleash their power," Xiangli Yanran explained.
"So that's how it is!" Qin Mu finally understood that this was a secret passed down only by the Mohist school, so he didn't ask any more questions.
He didn't ask, but Xiangli Yanran was probably worried that he would overthink it, so she explained: "It is said that in ancient times, there was no writing, only the ultimate principles of heaven and earth. Our ancestors observed the great principles of heaven and earth and drew them down, which is the earliest form of writing."
Legend has it that not only the characters themselves, but even the act of reading them aloud possesses immense power. A single word can unleash its power. However, ordinary people cannot decipher or utilize the script representing the fundamental principles of heaven and earth, hence its gradual simplification. Talismans, array patterns, musical instruments, and formations can all be said to originate from this.
"There's such a saying?" Qin Mu asked in surprise.
"Yes! The more powerful the character, the higher the requirements. Many of them make me dizzy just looking at them," Xiangli Yanran nodded confidently. Judging from her expression, Qin Mu guessed that her family probably had quite a few things related to these things. However, as it was someone else's secret, he couldn't pry too much. He was already being a good friend by telling her this much. Most people wouldn't even bother with it.
Speaking of this, Qin Mu thought of oracle bone script, pictographs, and bronze inscriptions.
"Could these words also possess strange powers?" Qin Mu frowned, secretly speculating.
Without hesitation, Qin Mu walked to the desk, poured some water into the inkstone, gently ground the ink, and then picked up his brush to write.
A bird character in oracle bone script appeared on the paper. After looking at it, there was nothing strange about it. Then I wrote a bird character in pictographic script, and the result was the same.
"Hehe!" Xiangli Yanran didn't understand what Qin Mu was doing at first, but after seeing his reaction, she couldn't help but grin.
Qin Mu realized he had oversimplified things, and his face flushed slightly.
"Brother Qin Mu, what ancient script did you write? How could a single character possibly possess supernatural properties?" Xiangli Yanran said with a smile.
"Hehe! This is..." Qin Mu smiled awkwardly and casually started writing on the paper again.
Before he could finish speaking, the pen snapped in his hand, turning the writing into a blot of ink.
"Hmph!" Qin Mu felt as if he had been struck hard in the chest, and couldn't help but groan, a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. At the same time, he felt dizzy and almost fell, but fortunately it was only for a moment, and he immediately regained his senses, quickly grabbing the table with both hands.
"Brother Qin Mu, what's wrong with you!" Xiangli Yanran was shocked and reached out to help Qin Mu sit down, asking him.
"I'm fine!" Taking a deep breath, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Qin Mu waved his hand gently.
"Were you injured yesterday?" Xiangli Yanran asked with concern.
"Thank you, Yanran. I'm fine. I had a sudden feeling that triggered my inner demons, but fortunately, the jade seal suppressed it, and I'm alright now," Qin Mu explained.
He wasn't exactly lying; the jade seal did indeed have a gentle aura that instantly awakened his consciousness.
However, this was not a demonic influence caused by the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Rather, it was because he had just tried to write a stone drum inscription to cover up his embarrassment, but unexpectedly, something went wrong when he had only written half of it. The incident happened suddenly, and he was not prepared at all.
The problem is that he can't remember what he was going to write. When he tries to think about it, he gets a feeling of unease, as if something bad will happen if he tries to think about it.
Qin Mu chose to trust his intuition because it was difficult to explain, so he made up an excuse for Xiangli Yanran.
Xiangli Yanran naturally believed him, after all, everyone knew that Qin Mu was so engrossed in the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth that he almost couldn't wake up.
"Brother Qin Mu, you should rest more and not think too much, so that your inner demons won't be easily triggered," Xiangli Yanran advised.
"Okay, I understand," Qin Mu said with a smile. After catching his breath, he felt alright, so he stood up and said apologetically, "I'm sorry to have worried you."
"It's alright, Brother Qin Mu. Look! Yanran has prepared a gift for you." Xiangli Yanran reached out and took out a wooden puppet, handing it to Qin Mu, and said somewhat boastfully.
I don't know how she managed to hide so many things in that flat area, hmm! I'm talking about her waist.
"This is a Mo family puppet! Thank you." Qin Mu withdrew his gaze, took the puppet, and smiled.
"This is a puppet made of ironwood, with array patterns added, it's no weaker than a mechanical puppet. With it protecting you, Brother Qin Mu, you don't need to rush to cultivate," Xiangli Yanran explained.
It turned out that this little girl had asked someone to make a puppet so that he wouldn't rush into cultivation and trigger his inner demons. Qin Mu felt a warmth in his heart. He reached out and stroked her head, saying gently, "Thank you, Yanran. I like it very much."
As Qin Mu stroked her hair, Xiangli Yanran felt her heart race. Her pretty face flushed slightly, and she turned her head away, saying gently, "I'm glad you like it, Brother Qin Mu."
"Yanran, while you were away the other day, we had a master craftsman make some folding fans. Take a look and see if there's any you like. Also, here are a few sets of leather armor. Pick one." Qin Mu waved his hand and took out several boxes.
It's only right to reciprocate; if someone helps you, you should at least express your gratitude, especially when they've given you something so valuable. You see, this puppet looks simple, but it's not easy to make, and most people simply can't do it. Its combat power is also considerable, at least as good as using a secret scroll once.
"No need, Brother Qin Mu. I practice the Mo Family Sword Technique, which is impossible for ordinary people to break. Wearing armor would only hinder my movement," Xiangli Yanran replied confidently.
"It's alright, I have so many here, you can choose one. Consider it a gift from your brother Qin Mu. Didn't you also give me a wooden puppet for protection? Besides, it's leather armor, it won't have much of an effect," Qin Mu persuaded.
"Alright then!" Upon hearing that it was a gift from Qin Mu, Xiangli Yanran immediately smiled happily, her eyebrows forming a crescent moon.
Xiangli Yanran opened and looked at the set of women's leather armor, but she didn't want the folding fan. She just picked it up, glanced at it, and put it down, saying, "Brother Qin Mu, this folding fan can be used as a weapon, but I don't need it. Can you give me an ordinary one?"
"Of course!" Qin Mu nodded and handed over a spare one.
"I want Brother Qin Mu to write a poem for me on it," Xiangli Yanran said somewhat awkwardly, without taking the poem.
"Hehe! No problem, what kind of poem do you want to write?" It was rare to see the little girl so shy, so Qin Mu smiled and agreed.
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