"Ah! Ah! Ah!" Screams of agony echoed from inside the house.
Qin Mu paced anxiously back and forth, sweat pouring down his face again—a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time. He didn't bother wiping it away, but just kept looking around the room.
"Don't worry, this is normal for women giving birth. Your Highness is physically strong, and you have elixirs to replenish your strength. The fetus is also healthy, so there will be absolutely no problem," Han Chen comforted Qin Mu.
"Then why hasn't it been born yet after so long?" Qin Mu asked anxiously.
"It's all your fault. You gave the princess so many supplements that the baby is too big, so of course the delivery will be more difficult." Han Chen said irritably, but then realized it was inappropriate and worried that it would upset Qin Mu, so he quickly added, "But it doesn't matter. Others can have twins delivered smoothly."
"No! Brother Han, have you practiced the cesarean section I told you about?" Qin Mu grabbed Han Chen and asked in a low voice.
"Don't worry, we'll talk about it when necessary." Han Chen nodded and patted Qin Mu's hand.
"Hmm." Qin Mu finally felt relieved. He remembered this incident during a conversation when he was on his expedition to the South Seas, so he found a few female monkey corpses for Han Chen to practice on.
"Heaven above! My hands are stained with blood, but they were all from foreign tribes. I can say that I have a clear conscience. If there is such a thing as karma, let the retribution fall on me and not on my family." Qin Mu's face was solemn as he looked up at the sky and prayed silently.
"Wah! Wah!" A cry came from the room.
"She's born!" Qin Mu exclaimed with joy, turning to look at the room before rushing inside.
There was a bloody smell in the room. Several midwives were busy at work. When they saw Qin Mu, one of them, holding a baby, smiled and said to Qin Mu, "Congratulations, Prince Consort, it's a little county princess."
"Good, good, everyone will be rewarded." Qin Mu said happily, then carefully took his son from the midwife's hands.
Qin Mu held the little one in his arms as if he were holding a priceless treasure, looking at him with excitement. Although the little one was wrinkled and a bit ugly, he felt a connection with him through blood.
"This is my son, the continuation of my bloodline, a kind of inheritance," Qin Mu thought to himself.
"The Confucian way is also the way of the teacher, which lies in inheritance. The principles of heaven and earth are the explanation of the great way by heaven and earth, and it is also a learning process. There is no need to deliberately pursue it; once you understand it, you understand it. Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trustworthiness, forgiveness, loyalty, filial piety, and brotherly love, although they are the core of Confucianism, are just a form of expression. Passed down orally to written form, each of them is a form of inheritance." Qin Mu suddenly thought to himself.
"Boom!" Qin Mu felt a jolt in his head, and then the righteous energy in the air surged toward him like a flood.
Not only the outside world, but also the righteous energy in the Tanzhong acupoint began to swirl wildly. With the forceful beating of the heart, the righteous energy entering the body directly transformed into streams of refined righteous energy, which entered the vortex of the Tanzhong acupoint.
In his mind, his consciousness suddenly scattered, spreading in all directions. At this moment, Qin Mu felt his mind was clearer and calmer than ever before. Everything around him responded in his mind, even clearer than seeing it with his own eyes. Of course, this was just a feeling.
Qin Mu could feel the heartbeat of the child in his arms, the breathing of Princess Changning and the others not far away, and Han Chen outside the room. Thinking of Princess Changning, he wanted to go and check on his wife, but his righteous energy was still surging wildly towards him, preventing him from making any rash moves. Fortunately, he could feel that the child in his arms was safe and sound, and his heart finally calmed down.
In his divine sense, the righteous energy flowed into his body like water, so Qin Mu could only stand still and wait for a while. Finally, the vortex in his Tanzhong acupoint stabilized. Although it was still spinning, the speed was very slow, and his body also felt a sense of fullness.
With his body able to move again, Qin Mu felt an unprecedented sense of power, as if he could annihilate powerful enemies with a mere gesture. However, he knew this was just an illusion caused by increased strength. Only a powerful divine sense was real; with a thought, he could summon righteous energy.
Qin Mu didn't have time to ponder the details. He carried the child to the bedside, bent down, and presented the child to Princess Changning, saying gently, "Madam, look at our son."
Princess Changning, as expected of a cultivator, was physically strong and had recovered considerably. With the help of her maid, she sat up, took her son, looked down at him, and said, "Our son is so handsome, just like you, my husband."
"Beautiful? Perhaps every mother sees her child that way." Qin Mu thought to himself, craning his neck to look over. He hadn't really looked closely to see if the child resembled him or Princess Changning.
"Huh!" Qin Mu was immediately surprised when he saw it. The baby, who was wrinkled just a moment ago, was now pink and tender, as if he had grown for several days.
"What's wrong, my husband?" Princess Changning asked, looking up.
"It's nothing. I just think our son looks more like you. I have single eyelids, and you have double eyelids," Qin Mu said with a slight shake of his head and a smile.
“He looks just like you. Look at his mouth shape, it’s exactly the same as yours,” Princess Changning said gently.
"Alright, Madam, you should rest well. You've worked hard." Qin Mu said gently, as he picked up his son and kissed Princess Changning on the forehead.
There were also maids in the room, and a wet nurse prepared for her son. Princess Changning was naturally a little shy, but also very sweet. Her pretty face blushed, she nodded slightly, and lay down. After all, giving birth had taken a lot of her energy, and the mental fatigue was irreplaceable.
After handing her son to the wet nurse, Qin Mu walked out of the delivery room. Han Chen heard the door open, looked up and saw Qin Mu, and took two steps forward, saying, "Just now... you..."
Seeing Han Chen's surprised expression, Qin Mu smiled and said, "That's right, you just advanced to the rank of Great Confucian Scholar!"
"Phew!" Han Chen let out a long breath, suppressing his surprise, and said, "This is too astonishing. Although I knew you would become a great Confucian scholar sooner or later, this is too fast!"
"Fast? There must be quite a few top experts younger than me!" Qin Mu said.
“It’s different, it’s different. Confucianism is different from other cultivation methods. It’s too difficult to become a great Confucian scholar!” Han Chen shook his head and said.
“Yes, it is indeed much more difficult to become a Confucian scholar. There are quite a few Grand Scholars, but most of them get stuck at this hurdle,” Qin Mu agreed. Before coming to Lingnan, Li Gang had told him not to rush, to take his time and let things settle down, and things would naturally fall into place.
“Apart from Confucian cultivators, other spiritual cultivators cultivate the Qi Sea, also known as the lower dantian; while Confucian cultivators cultivate the Tanzhong acupoint, also known as the middle dantian; the upper dantian is the sea of consciousness. Cultivating the sea of consciousness is necessary for all spiritual cultivators, but Confucian cultivators generally have a stronger sea of consciousness than other cultivators, which is a consensus,” Han Chen said.
Qin Mu knew what he was saying; Li Gang had also told him that Confucian scholars, through long-term reading, had gained profound insights into subtle meanings, thus possessing stronger spiritual awareness.
Qin Mu nodded slightly and continued listening to Han Chen's introduction.
"The key to why Confucian cultivators are stronger than other spiritual cultivators lies in their unique approach: cultivating the middle dantian to nurture righteous qi! Righteous qi can be nurtured! That's the reason!" Han Chen explained with a touch of melancholy.
"I don't quite understand!" Qin Mu said, puzzled.
"You've seen the natural secret realms! Actually, secret realms are just a part of the earth in ancient times. That is to say, the spiritual energy in this world was much stronger than it is now. Spiritual energy cultivators absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for their own use, and mobilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth with their divine sense. Of course! The latter is more difficult. Only the secret techniques of each family can mobilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Otherwise, one would use one's own spiritual energy."
Everyone absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but Confucian cultivators can cultivate their own righteous energy. Therefore, among cultivators of the same level, Confucian cultivators are stronger than other spiritual energy cultivators. As spiritual energy becomes scarcer, this gap will widen further. Han Chen sighed.
"So that's how it is!" Qin Mu finally understood. Li Gang probably didn't mention this because he didn't want him to be arrogant and look down on other cultivators, which would not be good for him.
"Fortunately, it is not easy for a Confucian scholar to become a great Confucian scholar, especially after the early Han Dynasty, when there were fewer and fewer true great Confucian scholars."
"A true Confucian scholar? Are there any fake Confucian scholars?" Qin Mu laughed.
"How should I put it? Logically speaking, I shouldn't say this, as it might easily cause dissatisfaction among others and bring trouble upon myself. However, given our relationship, it doesn't matter." Han Chen frowned slightly and remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"This is what my master told me. It is said that Confucian cultivation actually existed a long time ago, but it was not yet a system, and because the cultivation was too difficult, very few people could cultivate it. Finally, it was organized by Confucius, the Confucian sage, and officially became a cultivation system."
Many great Confucian scholars in the early Han Dynasty guarded the borders, and the story of how these scholars strengthened the Great Wall, preventing the wolf tribes from crossing it, is a fact! But there is another part of the truth, known only to a few, which has been deliberately concealed,” Han Chen continued.
"There's another part of the truth? What is it?" Qin Mu asked in surprise.
"You've fought against the wolf clan, so you know their strength. Since the Great Confucian is so powerful, why is it necessary for the Hundred Schools to cooperate with the Confucianism in guarding the border? It's because they are guarding the top experts of all the beast races, top experts who are even stronger than the current beast races; experts who absorbed the abundant spiritual energy of heaven and earth before the early Han Dynasty. In other words, now, whether it's the beast race or the human race, all cultivators are not as powerful as before. Perhaps they will become even weaker in the future!" Han Chen explained.
"Oh! I see. I was wondering why the wolf clan didn't seem as strong as I had imagined," Qin Mu said, raising an eyebrow.
"Confucianism inevitably declined, and at one point, no one even became a great Confucian scholar. In the end, they had to find another way, focusing on one or more of the Six Arts and Eight Refined Arts as a breakthrough to become a great Confucian scholar. What about you? How did you advance?" Han Chen asked curiously.
"I don't know either. I just suddenly broke through my sea of consciousness and became a great Confucian scholar in a daze," Qin Mu said, shaking his head. This was true; he hadn't had time to think about it yet.
"This is truly incredible. In the last hundred years, I haven't heard of anyone under thirty becoming a great Confucian scholar," Han Chen exclaimed.
"Perhaps it's related to the decrease in spiritual energy. I've experienced several divine baptisms and consumed a large number of pills, so I'm different from others," Qin Mu said thoughtfully.
"Perhaps, anyway, congratulations," Han Chen said with a smile.
"Thank you, you two have been very kind to me today," Qin Mu said with a grateful smile.
"Don't mention it," Han Chen replied, then looked at his wife beside him. Baili Rou was still playing "lifting her son up high" with him, letting him stand on her palm and supporting him with one hand, making the little guy, who could already talk, laugh non-stop.
"The child was just an accident; the parents are the true love." Watching Han Chen and his wife exchange tender glances, Qin Mu couldn't help but silently complain as their son almost fell.
After Han Chen and his wife left, Xiangli Yanran ran over and asked, "How is it? Has she given birth?"
"Why didn't I see you earlier?" Qin Mu blinked and asked curiously. Today, his mood had fluctuated wildly, from worry and anxiety to surprise, and he hadn't really noticed that he hadn't seen Xiangli Yanran all day. Logically speaking, given her relationship with Princess Changning, it was impossible for her not to come.
"Sister Ruoxi screamed so pitifully, I'm scared!" Xiangli Yanran said shyly.
This was the first time Qin Mu had seen such an expression on her. He hadn't expected her to give such an answer; she was someone who killed without blinking an eye, yet she was screaming in fear.
"Fear?"
"I... I'm telling you, Brother Qin, I won't marry you. I don't want to scream like Sister Yanran did." Xiangli Yanran suddenly mustered up her courage and said when she saw Qin Mu looking at her.
"Huh?" Qin Mu was confused by her words. He paused for a moment, but didn't bother to think about it. Anyway, this girl sometimes talked nonsense, and it wasn't the first time. He pointed to the room and said, "Your sister Ruoxi has already given birth. You can go and see her, but keep your voice down. She should be asleep."
Xiangli Yanran didn't say much to Qin Mu. Her eyes lit up and she ran into the house.
Worried that the girl might clumsily hurt the child, Qin Mu followed her inside. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was just looking curiously and didn't touch the child.
At night, after his wife and son had fallen asleep, Qin Mu cautiously left his room and went to the courtyard to experience the changes brought about by his advancement to the Great Confucian Scholar level. First, there was the change in his righteous energy. As a Grand Scholar, his entire body was filled with righteous energy, a restless feeling stirring within him; a Grand Scholar's body was transparent, every pore able to absorb righteous energy. But after becoming a Great Confucian Scholar, the righteous energy in his Tanzhong acupoint was constantly rotating, causing his overall righteous energy to be more restrained, making him appear somewhat ordinary. However, with just a slight movement, the rotation accelerated, and the righteous energy outside his body surged into him, absorbing and utilizing it more than ten times faster. Crucially, the refining process was eliminated; or rather, the righteous energy, upon entering the body, transformed into wisps of refined spiritual energy, readily available to its master.
His heartbeat became stronger, synchronized with his breathing—a rhythm he had been practicing relentlessly. With each inhale and exhale, a refined, righteous energy emanated from his heart. This discovery delighted Qin Mu. He knew that absorbing righteous energy from the air required circulating his inner energy, and the amount of righteous energy contained in a single space was limited. Even if he could absorb energy from afar, the flow of energy would take time; he couldn't possibly cultivate while constantly changing locations.
The heart can increase one's righteous energy, which is very good news. It means that he is constantly cultivating, even if it is only a very small amount each time, it will be quite considerable over time.
Then there's the sea of consciousness. Previously, he could project his divine sense outwards, but it felt like looking through a window—a strong sense of separation. But now, after his breakthrough, projecting his divine sense has become incredibly clear, with a feeling of harmony with heaven and earth, as if the world itself is part of his body, allowing him to roam freely. Of course! This is an illusion. Qin Mu experimented and found his divine sense could project over two hundred meters. This means he can control the righteous energy within two hundred meters, whether for cultivation or to enhance secret techniques.
Now the sea of consciousness has changed dramatically. Like the lower and middle dantian, the sea of consciousness also has the effect of containing a mustard seed within a vast expanse. This is the greatest discovery of our ancestors. Although it is only a point on the outside, it has become a world within the divine consciousness. Below it is a tide of spiritual power. The divine soul stands tall and upright, with eyes closed on the tide. Above the head of the divine soul, countless silver lights appear like stars. A drop of spiritual power appears out of thin air and drips down into the tide.
The changes in his sea of consciousness, even the slightest speck of dust, were crystal clear to him. The water droplet that appeared out of nowhere slightly increased his spiritual power, just as his heart was gaining righteous energy; his spiritual power was naturally growing as well. This made Qin Mu very happy.
"Cultivating one's will means that one's thoughts and energy are not yet clear! Therefore, one should cultivate one's inner energy and understand others externally. When one cultivates one's will, one's mind will become clear." This is a passage from the Spirit Turtle's Method of Cultivating Will. Now, Qin Mu suddenly understands it all. Things he didn't understand before suddenly become clear. There are also follow-ups. He can also learn the last part of the two treasure books.
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