“Princess Changning… well, it’s best to keep your distance from her, otherwise some unfortunate things might happen,” Li Chunfeng said with a wry smile.
"She's unlucky?"
"You can't say that, it's just strange. Although she's had her share of bad luck, the most she's ever had is falling to the ground. But it's hard to say about those close to her; all sorts of strange things can happen to them," Li Chunfeng said with a strange smile.
"So many important figures in Chang'an, and they still haven't found the reason?" Qin Mu asked in surprise.
"All I know is that this matter is related to the rules of heaven and earth, but fortunately it's not a big problem and doesn't have much impact."
"Brother Li, are you also skilled in fortune telling?" Qin Mu asked curiously.
"Fortune telling!" Li Chunfeng exclaimed in surprise.
"yes."
"Don't even mention me, even my master and uncle wouldn't dare to talk about fortune telling," Li Chunfeng said, shaking his head.
"Isn't it said that you can tell fortunes? You can know a person's life story just by looking at them?" Qin Mu asked curiously.
"Hehe! That's a technique of observing qi, which can only reveal a person's fortune. Fate and fortune are different. Just like a sparrow is born a sparrow, no matter how high a branch it climbs, it's still a sparrow and can't compare to a phoenix. That's fate. But sometimes a sparrow can fly higher than a phoenix, and sometimes a phoenix can fly lower than a sparrow. That's fortune."
"Fate is predetermined; this is the rule of heaven and earth. Without understanding the rules of fate, how could one possibly calculate it, let alone change it? But fortune is different. One can glimpse it through a person's essence, energy, and spirit. Or one can adjust it by changing one's aura; even changes in status and position can lead to different outcomes," Li Chunfeng explained.
"I see." Qin Mu frowned and nodded slightly.
"As the saying goes, one must transcend the Three Realms and be outside the Five Elements. Isn't this the ultimate goal of us cultivators? Only in this way can we fully control our own destiny. On the contrary, people are all within the Five Elements. Spiritual energy is divided into the Five Elements, as are the five internal organs; east, west, south, north, and center are also divided into the Five Elements, and even clothing and accessories are inseparable from the Five Elements."
This gives us some opportunities to change things. By observing the qi (vital energy) we can turn misfortune into good fortune and change our destiny. However, this can only be considered a slight change and cannot be regarded as a sure-fire way to win. Li Chunfeng continued.
"I understand. This means that we can try to increase our own advantages and reduce the disadvantages. But how exactly we can do this depends on the strength of our luck and the difficulty of the task at hand."
"That's the point. We can only afford fifty. We can use some methods to increase it a little, but it will never exceed the limit," Li Chunfeng said with a smile.
"Thank you for your explanation, Brother Li. Princess Changning only fell down, but I'm sure the experts in Chang'an must have done a lot of work. Her problem must be quite serious, otherwise you wouldn't have reminded me to stay away from her for such a small thing. So how can I know how my fortune is going?" Qin Mu asked.
“It’s very simple. There’s a saying that good fortune never comes in pairs, but misfortunes never come singly. If you find that something bad is happening to you, then you should be wary of a second bad thing. One good thing is enough; don’t always think about windfalls,” Li Chunfeng said with a smile.
Li Chunfeng avoided mentioning Princess Changning, but Qin Mu understood his meaning; just as he had guessed, she was definitely not simple.
Qin Mu said gratefully, "No wonder some people say that when it rains, it pours. I understand what you mean, Brother Li. Contentment brings happiness."
"It's the same principle." Li Chunfeng was very satisfied with Qin Mu's comprehension. At least he didn't have to go through a lot of trouble to explain it. To be honest, there were many things that he only knew how to do, but not why.
"By the way, Brother Li, I have some questions about cultivation. Would it be convenient for you to explain them to me?" Qin Mu asked.
“Brother Huaidao, please speak. I will tell you everything I know.”
Next, Qin Mu asked many more questions about cultivation. Although the manual explained things in great detail, Qin Mu, being a soul from another world, also had many questions that came to mind.
Vitality, spirit, soul, spiritual energy, meridians, blood vessels, blood vessels—there are simply too many things involved in this.
"These things are just my personal opinion. Other sects may have different interpretations, or their cultivation methods may be different. They cannot be compared. Brother Huaidao, you can take this as a reference." Li Chunfeng took a sip of ice-cold boiled water and let out a comfortable breath.
Through the explanation, Qin Mu understood that Taoists devoted most of their energy to meditation and cultivating spiritual energy. They emphasized both internal and external cultivation, but these were distinct. Internal cultivation involved refining essence, energy, and spirit, while meditation and contemplation of heaven and earth primarily focused on cultivating the soul and spiritual power. As for spiritual energy, it was merely a means to enhance one's cultivation level; all combat techniques, including spiritual energy, belonged to external cultivation.
Spiritual energy cultivation is also a means to assist in the cultivation of spiritual power, which is very different from the cultivation viewpoint of the Guigu School.
The Guigu School of cultivation also emphasizes the cultivation of both internal and external aspects. The difference lies in the fact that both the physical body and the spirit are equally valued. Otherwise, Guiguzi would not have mentioned many times that humans are like heaven and earth, with the physical body as the earth and the spirit as the heaven.
According to Li Chunfeng, their main goal was to transcend the Three Realms and the Five Elements, thus controlling their own destiny. The physical body inherently possesses the Five Elements; therefore, to escape their influence, one must ultimately relinquish the physical body and ascend with their soul. The soul, being chaos, yin and yang, is naturally outside the Five Elements.
First cultivate the Yin spirit, which allows the soul to leave the body and wander at night; then cultivate the Yang spirit, and with the unity of Yin and Yang, the soul can also exist independently. Moreover, by using the spiritual power of the soul, one can mobilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, thus becoming unrestricted by the physical body. In an instant, one can draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to attack opponents.
According to the Guigu school, the physical body requires the presence and balance of the five elements. Ultimately, the five elements interact, transforming and even reversing each other according to the principles of mutual generation and restraint. Tracing the origin of the five elements, they divide into the four symbols, combine Yin and Yang, form chaos, and create heaven and earth. Although the physical body and the soul are separate, they are not completely separated.
The physical body is the earth, and the spirit is the sky. This constitutes a yin and yang. One is the heaven and earth, merging the small world into the big world. The two become one, achieving the effect of communicating with heaven and earth in a single thought.
At present, Qin Mu cannot distinguish between the merits of the two approaches, and can only conclude that they lead to the same goal through different paths. However, he leans more towards the cultivation methods of the Guigu School, and only studies and draws inspiration from Taoism.
What troubles him most now is the Confucian cultivation method, the Righteous Qi. While its growth is slow, its power is considerable, and the Righteous Qi circulating through the blood vessels is more convenient for both cleansing and circulating the body. He can't possibly abandon it, especially since the Righteous Qi, concentrated in the Tanzhong acupoint, provides a very noticeable strengthening effect on the heart with each inflow and outflow.
Qin Mu could now feel how strong and powerful his heartbeat was. According to Qin Qiong, Qin Mu's blood and qi strength was no less than Cheng Huaimo's.
"Brother Li, Taoist cultivation aims to transcend the Three Realms, so do you know where the soul goes after death?"
“Those who cultivate absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. If they die, most of their essence dissipates into the world, with only a trace of their true spirit remaining to be reborn. As for ordinary people, there are two places: one is the Ruins of Return, which is said to be a chaotic land where souls are obliterated, leaving only a primordial trace for reincarnation. The other is the wicked, who are suppressed by Mount Tai and suffer endless torment before they can be reincarnated,” Li Chunfeng explained.
Is Guixu located overseas?
"Guixu is also called Dahe. Legend has it that it is hundreds of millions of miles away from the East Sea, but no one has ever seen it."
"So what about Mount Tai?"
"Legend has it that Mount Tai is one of the pillars of heaven, extremely yang and strong. Those who do evil will have their souls tormented by this yang energy, suffering unbearable pain, before being released to be reincarnated. However, no one has ever discovered the location of this suppressed space."
"Of course! These are all legends, but the sea of clouds and the bright sun over Mount Tai do indeed have the power to ward off evil, especially the spiritual stones of Mount Tai, which are top-grade materials for making magical artifacts and treasures," Li Chunfeng explained to him.
For Qin Mu, there were many questions he wanted to ask, not only about Taoism, but also about other miscellaneous knowledge. However, the more he asked, the more doubts he had. The main reason was that these things were different from the views he had in mind, which made it difficult for him to understand them for a while.
"Brother Huaidao, please wait!" Li Chunfeng said goodbye with a cupped hand. Even though he had drunk a lot of iced water, he was still sweating. Qin Mu had too many questions, and it seemed like he was going to have a long talk with him by candlelight.
The main problem is his wildly imaginative thinking. One moment he's asking about cultivation, the next he's asking about legends, the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, gods, ancient immortals—he encompasses everything. Crucially, Li Chunfeng himself hadn't heard of many of these things, especially those from ancient times.
Too many questions were always a difficult situation, especially since he had received a favor from him in the past; how could he refuse? Li Chunfeng felt that this afternoon was more tiring than several days of hard work in the past. He then had other business to attend to and left before it was getting late.
"Brother Li, take care. When my restaurant opens, you must come and give me some pointers." Qin Mu said with some regret as he personally saw him off at the door.
Asking Li Chunfeng for advice on the restaurant's decor and layout was because they thought he was a renowned fortune teller, and that feng shui would be a trivial matter for him. Just as he said, it would be good to improve the energy flow by changing the building's layout.
"Definitely, definitely." Li Chunfeng nodded in agreement, then boarded the carriage beside him.
As things became more and more complicated, Qin Mu figured he would spend even less time at the blacksmith's shop. So he sent another message to Yuchi Baolin, asking him to bring a blacksmith's set home. After all, it was just for practicing hammering, so he didn't need much equipment.
"Young Master, as you instructed, a set of tables and chairs has been sent to Princess Changning's residence," Qin Yong reported.
"Well, it's getting late, you should go and get some rest."
"Here you go!"
"Oh, by the way, give some of that pot of bone broth to the people in the manor, especially the guards," Qin Mu said, stopping Qin Yong who was about to leave.
"Thank you, young master!" Qin Yong was overjoyed and bowed again. Such good things were rare for them, and Qin Mu brewed them with medicinal herbs. Qin Yong, who always bought the herbs himself, knew that brewing two vats of herbs like these would cost him three years' salary.
…………
"Hey! Changning, what is this?" Li Shentong, who was almost fifty, heard that someone had given his daughter a lot of furniture, so he ran over to see what it was. He found his daughter lying on a strange-looking thing, swaying back and forth, looking quite comfortable.
"Father! You're here!" Princess Changning jumped up as soon as she saw Li Shentong, smiling as she grabbed her father's arm. Her chubby face looked incredibly cute.
"Hehe! My good daughter, tell your father, what is this?" Li Shentong asked happily, stroking his daughter's head.
"Come! Father, you'll see once you try." Princess Changning helped Li Shentong sit down. Then she added, "Father, lie down."
"Mmm! Mmm! Comfortable." Li Shentong squinted his eyes and exclaimed as the chair swayed back and forth.
"Hehe! I feel very comfortable too."
"My dear daughter? Who sent these?" Li Shentong asked curiously. He knew his daughter didn't have any friends outside the family, and he thought she had been forced to give them to her. Although he didn't care, it was best not to offend anyone. Therefore, he would have to swallow his pride and apologize again.
For Li Shentong, cleaning up the mess for his beloved daughter was already a routine thing.
"This was a gift from a new friend. I only wanted two of these stools, but I didn't expect so many to be sent," Princess Changning said happily as she sat down in the chair.
New furniture? I'm a little curious, especially since Qin Mu's design, though simple, still has some patterns and drawers.
Qin Mu instructed that a set be sent over, originally intending to include a desk and two chairs. However, Qin Yong misunderstood. He thought that a gift for the princess couldn't be stingy, and since Qin Mu said "a set," it should include everything. Therefore, the furniture sent included not only a desk but also an eight-immortal table, ten chairs, and a recliner. If the other items hadn't been unfinished, he probably would have included them as well.
Although these pieces of furniture are exquisitely crafted, they are still much larger than the old tables and stools, especially the chairs, which are designed to be quite large for larger people.
Li Shentong got up from the rattan recliner, touched it again and again with some reluctance, then sat down, placed his hands on the table, felt it for a moment, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Good, good, it's really comfortable, much better than the folding stool."
A stool is generally small, about the size of a bottom. Sitting on it is not as relaxing as sitting on a chair, even though a chair is harder.
“Father, if you like it, I’ll have someone make a set for you tomorrow,” Princess Changning said, her eyes darting around.
"Okay, okay." Li Shentong was just about to ask for a set when he was stopped and had no choice but to nod in agreement.
"Um."
"My dear daughter, who is your friend?" Looking at his smiling daughter, Li Shentong tilted his head slightly and asked curiously. He hadn't seen his daughter so happy in a long time. Usually, when she came back from going out, she would be fuming and making him clean up this and that.
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