Fifteenth: The Two Elements and the Four Symbols, Part Two
Farming on Kongyun Mountain isn't entirely about facing the soil with your back to the sky. That was certainly the case before, but because the mountain environment wasn't ideal, and there were many people on the mountain, there were often situations where there wasn't enough to eat, until Huang Jing changed the way of farming.
Huang Jing first found a piece of land to experiment with planting, then designed spells to simulate the plant's growth process, thus shortening the crop's growth time to half of its original length, and then to half of that again. Previously, Elders Jing Tang and Jing Mao had designed spells to accelerate the growth of herbs and crops, greatly alleviating the problems of food and medicine for the people on the mountain. However, improper control of the spells would cause the crops to grow too fast, leading to their death. At that time, the two elders would often work all day only to find a field of withered, dead leaves. Ji Zhen followed their example, adjusting the spells for herb growth, lowering the precision required for spell usage, and subsequently revising the spells for grain growth.
It wasn't until Huang Jing became a disciple of Ji Zhen that she invented this technique, drawing upon her experience of farming behind her parents' backs since she could walk, coupled with her extraordinary talent for wood magic. Before even completing her apprenticeship, she had already mastered it, astonishing and earning praise from everyone on the mountain. Grain production on the mountain increased, providing for the people below, and the food supplies in the pouches of the traveling cultivators became more plentiful. She then further improved the herb-growing techniques based on her experience.
"As expected, the next sect leader of the Medicine Sect will be Yuan Xi, right?" Before they had completed their apprenticeship, Du Gewen's three disciples would occasionally chat about these things, and the one who was most convinced about the successor was Ming Jin.
"Tianguang especially likes Yuanxi because he can eat to his heart's content," Zhu Zhenyun said while sipping her tea.
“Not only Tian Guang, but the masters at He Geng Tang also particularly like Senior Sister Yuan Xi,” Chen Du said leisurely while sipping his tea. “Tian Guang’s guess is also reasonable. After all, the sect leader also has a very high opinion of Senior Sister Yuan Xi. For the new sect leader to take office, he not only needs the consent of more than half of the elders on the mountain, but also the approval of the sect leader and the Martial Sect leader. Judging from the current situation, it is probably a foregone conclusion.”
"What about the Sect Master of the Martial Sect? Would Elder Mu agree?" Zhu Zhenyun asked. "Speaking of which, is Elder Mu actually the Sect Master of our Martial Sect?"
“Although Elder Mu didn’t have a formal ceremony, he doesn’t only fulfill the duties of the sect leader. Now, whenever this position is mentioned on the mountain, Elder Mu is the first person that comes to mind. Moreover, because Elder Mu has arrived, the previously vacant Spirit Platform is now staffed, which is a great achievement,” Ming Jin said.
“Elder Mu wouldn’t be bothered by such trivial matters, would he?” Shen Du paused and thought for a moment. “Senior Sister Yuan Xi’s achievements are evident to everyone. As the sect leader of the Martial Sect, he must be able to see them more clearly than others.”
"Speaking of successors, since they all take over between the ages of twenty and thirty, Elder Ji succeeded before he turned thirty, and Elder Mu succeeded almost ten years later than Elder Ji, so there's no rush. But the sect leader succeeded even earlier than Elder Ji. Does the sect leader have a preferred successor?" Zhu Zhenyun asked curiously.
“Isn’t there Shihe?” Shen Du was puzzled by this. “Although the sect leader has two disciples, Shihe and Senior Brother Lu Sui, Shihe is the grandson of the former sect leader, Elder Jingyu, and the sect leader is Elder Jingyu’s disciple. No matter how you look at it, Shihe is a potential successor.”
“Senior Brother Lu has absolutely no interest in the position of sect leader,” Ming Jin smiled. “He would rather inherit Master Chen’s position and become the number one in Menggu Academy. When he first became a disciple, he was so shocked when he learned that the sect leader of Kongyun Mountain had no authority over Menggu Academy that his jaw almost dropped.”
"Yes. It was because of Zi'an's insistence that Menggu Academy got a large kitchen. In addition, with the food that Yuanxi sent down the mountain, the disciples in the academy were able to eat better," Zhu Zhenyun exclaimed.
"Hey, Tianguang, you're here too?" Because they were too busy, Huang Jing and Zhou Wei didn't have time to deliver the grain down the mountain, so they had to ask Miao Sheng for help. Miao Sheng, humming a little tune, pushed the flatbed cart past the house and saw Tianguang sitting in the house in a daze through the two open doors.
“Uncle Miao,” Mingjin’s thoughts were pulled back by Miao Sheng’s voice. He got up and walked out of the room, holding onto the door. The warm sunshine outside felt very comfortable. “Thank you for taking care of me during this time. Because I can’t eat with everyone, I always ask you to save a bowl for me separately.”
“Kid, don’t tell Uncle Miao these things,” Miao Sheng laughed, and casually picked up the two cats, one gray and one yellow, that had accidentally climbed onto his little car by the neck and pulled them down. “Go, go, go, little guy, go play somewhere else.”
After saying that, Miao Sheng looked at Ming Jin and said, "I have to go back quickly. If you get hungry, come find me. I always have food to eat."
"Thank you so much," Mingjin said with a smile. "I always get hungry very quickly, but luckily Uncle Miao cooks just as fast."
"Then don't stand on ceremony with your uncle, come whenever you want." With that, Miao Sheng pushed the cart away.
The weather was fine outside. Mingjin went back inside, grabbed a straw hat, and walked across neatly arranged fields toward where Huang Jing was studying magic. All he could see, besides the azure sky, were fields stretching out like the winding path. This place had originally been fertile but unusable land, but fortunately, Jingtang, Jingmao, Jizhen, and Huang Jing had all come here one after another.
"You've spent all your time here today." Huang Jing, wearing the same straw hat, sat on a small stool, inspecting the fruit beside her.
"The weather's so nice and warm, it feels like my bones and flesh are growing stronger." Ming Jin stood with his hands on his hips, admiring Huang Jing and Zhou Wei's work. "It's truly spectacular. Where's Chang Qi? Where's he lying?"
“He’s harvesting crops on the other side of the hut,” Huang Jing said. “He recently mastered the magic of harvesting crops and is having a great time. I originally thought he would want to finish helping me with the farming as soon as possible, since working for the sect leader seems more interesting. But when we talked before, he seemed quite willing to stay here.”
"In that case, Changqi can be considered your first disciple," Mingjin joked.
"The sect leader and my master both advised me to go down the mountain more often so that I could take on disciples. I don't have the ability to teach a disciple who knows nothing from scratch, nor do I have the ability to teach all newcomers consistently like Master Chen and Master Rong. It would be exhausting and incredibly boring. I try my best not to trouble my masters in other ways, so I'll trouble them in this matter and ask for their help."
There were groves on both sides of the field, and a tree stood out from the closest point, closer to the edge. Huang Jing liked to lie under this tree when she rested, and her water hyacinth and other things were placed nearby. Seeing that Huang Jing was gradually becoming engrossed in her own affairs, Ming Jin decided to find some amusement for herself, so she stood under the tree, raised her hands above her head, and made a gesture as if to grab the branches above.
The Wind Technique "Returning Geese Carrying a Carriage" allows the user to move as lightly as a swallow, stepping on leaves and flowing water, and moving at a speed far exceeding that of others. This is also the most basic spell. Ming Jin gradually learned this spell when she was playing with Lu Ying with Zhou Wei and Pang Ming before she entered school, but now that she has no momentum, she cannot use it freely.
Ming Jin had only stood under the tree for a short while when a dull ache shot through his shoulder. This pain felt like a sharp thunderbolt piercing his entire body. Many cultivators suffered irreparable damage due to the severity of their injuries, often experiencing similar torment. Healing spells could heal the wound, but they didn't restore the body to its pre-injury state. Instead, it meant undergoing a severe blow before healing, a profound transformation in both body and mind. And with so many transformations, life could not be sustained.
Mingjin could hear her heart pounding heavily, and she had to breathe on her own. Her hands, covered in a fine layer of sweat, were pressed together anxiously.
The reason for Lu Ying's death is that she was going through the first step.
He was injured too many times; even after the injuries healed, his body broke down.
The surroundings were quiet, but Mingjin heard a sharp chirping sound.
"What are you doing?" Zhou Wei asked curiously as he returned to report after finishing his work, looking at Ming Jin who was standing there dumbfounded.
He was now dressed entirely as a farmer, fanning himself with a straw hat. It was the height of July, but the busy farming season had taken its toll, so Zhou Wei had rolled up his sleeves, and Ming Jin immediately noticed that his exposed skin was quite tanned.
“Practicing being able to use spells without even saying them aloud or silently reciting them in your mind, and being able to use several at the same time,” Mingjin snapped out of his reverie when Zhou Wei called out to him. “Back then, if I could have used a healing spell at the same time and then called Yazi to go out and get reinforcements, that would have been great. Master Mu had told me to practice this before, but I could never do it and even thought it was too hard, and as a result, I almost died there. You don’t listen to the advice of the elders, and you’ll regret it.”
“Didn’t I tell you to rest and recuperate properly? That’s the most important thing. Thinking too much will hinder your recovery.” Zhou Wei looked at Ming Jin helplessly and said, “You and your master should both learn healing techniques properly. Elder Mu was obviously very upset after he rescued you because his healing techniques couldn’t heal your injuries. He even sought out Elder Ji for advice, but where has he been all this time?”
“Cultivators who are obsessed with martial arts often only realize the deficiencies in their training when it comes to crucial moments,” Huang Jing added after overhearing their conversation.
“Elder Mu only started practicing magic at the age of twenty-five, and now he has reached a level that we can only look up to. It’s normal that he is not quite up to par,” Zhou Wei said helplessly. “If I had Elder Mu’s level of combat power, I wouldn’t bother practicing any healing spells.”
"You're supposed to be a disciple of the Medicine Sect Master, yet you say that?" Ming Jin said.
“My master is a genius, he can do everything, and my martial arts level is no weaker than that of your martial arts disciples,” Zhou Wei said proudly. “In comparison, Tian Guang, your two masters are both halfway to the Dao, and they are both obsessed with martial arts. They both passed the imperial examinations, but they care a lot about literature and calligraphy.”
“Just a reminder,” Mingjin said helplessly, “If they don’t bring it up themselves, don’t talk about the imperial examinations or anything like that in front of them, including Master Rong. They’re both very unhappy about it. Several of us in the sect asked about it, and Master’s face immediately turned sour. He avoided the topic altogether, so we stopped asking. Master Mu was the same way. It was only when the sect leader got drunk that he brought it up, but no one has mentioned any further details.”
"Oh, I was really surprised," Zhou Wei said. "If it were me, I would feel quite accomplished if I could write a complete long article, let alone something that surpasses so many others. Oh well, that's all in the past, otherwise those two wouldn't have come here. Senior sister, I've finished my work, I'm going back now."
"Alright, go back and rest early," Huang Jing looked up at the two of them. "Tian Guang, you should go back too. Just lie down and rest if you have nothing to do. Don't think about cultivation for now."
"Let's go, I'll go back with you." Zhou Wei waved to Ming Jin, holding the bag in his hand.
The two bid farewell to Huang Jing and walked down the mountain path.
Although Zhou Wei had just interrupted Ming Jin's thoughts, she remained shrouded in the gloom of that thought's aftermath, unable to muster any energy for several days, and only going out for meals. After her injury, Ming Jin's daily sleep time increased, and she would wake up when it was already bright outside. However, the long-cultivated habit of morning practice still lived in Ming Jin's mind, so every time she woke up late, she felt that she had done something wrong. After getting out of bed, she would still try to practice for a quarter of an hour, but if Pang Ming was still there, he would still advise her to go back and rest.
Taking advantage of a rare moment of good spirits, Mingjin finished writing all the replies, making his handwriting neater. He still entrusted the letters to Yazai to deliver. Everything else was fine, except when Yazai picked up the reply to Shao Jie, his movements were not so smooth, but jerky, which made Mingjin look at Yazai bouncing on the table: "What's wrong?"
Toothy barked twice, pretending to be relaxed, stood on the table, patted his chest with his right wing, and then disappeared with the letter.
Only one letter remained, but because the information in the letter was unclear, Mingjin didn't know what to write. However, after reading it carefully, Mingjin looked up at the clear blue sky outside the window, stretched out her hand, and carefully counted the days.
Oh no, today is the Autumn Equinox.
Half an hour had passed since lunch, and Mingjin, who had been feeling sleepy and had a headache, suddenly didn't know what to do after seeing the letter, since she didn't know how to deal with the matter.
"Why haven't I thought about such an important thing all this time? Could it be that the injury damaged my brain?"
Just then, the knocking sound reached Mingjin's ears from across the courtyard.
"They've arrived," Mingjin said, placing the letter under the inkstone and pushing open the study door as he walked out. "Who is it?"
The autumn breeze was pleasant. As Mingjin stepped into the courtyard, her long hair, which was only half tied up, was blown by the wind.
“I sent a letter.”
Upon hearing the reply, Mingjin's previously brisk steps slowed, and she finally stopped behind the door. She opened the gate, her eyes fixed on the crack in the door, which was illuminated by a white light, and gradually made out the face of the visitor.
This person's face gradually overlapped with Ming Jin's impression of him.
A smooth forehead, calm eyes, and a long, slender nose stood out in the center of his neat face. The visitor, peering through the widening crack in the door, saw Ming Jin and greeted him with a smile, "Nice to meet you. My name is Dao Xin."
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