Chapter 9 Talking About Heart-to-Heart Techniques: Techniques Born from Pain
After learning about Xu Qiubai's background, Shen Cangyu felt as if a knife was hanging over her head.
According to the original plot of the story, Xu Qiubai was facing a certain death situation. If she got too close to him, she might be implicated.
It's best to stay away from him.
She had only taken a few steps when the person behind her caught up again, looking at her with shining eyes: "Where are we going now? To continue tracking down the demonic cultivator?"
"Go to sleep."
Xu Qiubai asked with a hint of shyness, "Together?"
Shen Cangyu bristled: "Myself!"
"What about me? You can't leave me behind!" Xu Qiubai quickened his pace to catch up. "You touched my sword, you have to take responsibility for me."
What kind of twisted logic is that? If touching a sword means taking responsibility, then she would have to take responsibility for a lot of people.
"Oh dear!" Shen Cangyu slapped his forehead.
Xu Qiubai tilted his head to look at her: "What's wrong?"
"I forgot to ask for the money I left at that inn." She lost a night's accommodation fee and the cost of a bowl of noodles, and she still needs to get it back.
"I thought it was something else, money..." Xu Qiubai shook the brocade pouch at his waist, the money in the velvet bag clinking together. "I have plenty of money. You're coming with me, and I'll cover all your expenses on the road."
Shen Cangyu almost forgot that the inner disciples of Kunlun were all very wealthy, while only the outer disciples were the poorest.
Xu Qiubai said, "Let's find a new inn to stay in first, and continue to track down the demonic cultivators during the day."
Shen Cangyu shook his head: "We can't stay here. Haven't you noticed that this whole town is very strange?"
Xu Qiubai glanced around, and Shen Cangyu's voice rang in his ears: "At the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), when everyone is asleep, all households should stay indoors, but those who are still awake will leave their lights on. Besides, such a large market should have some places where people can stay up all night."
She crossed her arms and looked around at the pitch-black surroundings: "But now, in such a big town, there isn't a single light. Something's not right."
Xu Qiubai rarely went out, and only came to his senses after hearing her words: "It really is so. When I first entered the city, I only saw that the inn had its lights on, so I went over. Now that I think about it, there were also many signs hanging around that inn, but no lights were on inside."
"Have you learned how to test the waters?" Shen Cangyu asked.
Xu Qiubai scratched his face: "I haven't learned it yet." But as soon as he finished speaking, he added: "I still have a lot of incense sticks here. Whatever you're looking for, I can light some incense for you."
"Let's find a safe place to stay for the night," Shen Cangyu said, looking at the long shadows cast on the ground by the moonlight. "We need to hurry, it's almost midnight."
One should not consult divination at midnight, as midnight is a bridge between two days, when the energy between heaven and earth is still chaotic and unclear. Burning incense and asking for divination at midnight will yield no results. Furthermore, since the essence of mental arts lies in the manipulation of energy, its power is greatly diminished at this time.
If they were to encounter that demonic cultivator with the copper coin eye at this moment, they would truly be doomed.
Xu Qiubai took out his small incense burner and a long incense stick. He made a hand seal, and the long incense stick, which was standing in the center of the incense burner, spontaneously combusted without a flame. A wisp of smoke drifted out from it, forming a white line that pointed in one direction.
"Let's go!" Xu Qiubai called out.
Shen Cangyu followed behind him, keeping an eye on their surroundings out of the corner of her eye. After Xu Qiubai lit the incense, a barrier seemed to appear around them, keeping the wind and mist at a distance.
This guiding incense is one of the magical treasures protected by the Goddess of Heavenly Fragrance. When the incense is lit, it can protect the person burning it from evil spirits.
Xu Qiubai was born with the Huagai Taiji Ten Spirit Sun in his destiny, making him the most suitable person for cultivation. Logically speaking, he was the most promising disciple of Xingxiang Hall, and he must have had many protective magic artifacts on him. Why did he die here?
Could it be that the demonic cultivator is really that difficult to deal with?
The fragrant white thread led them further and further away, the surrounding houses gradually thinned out, and the weeds on the ground gradually grew lush.
Just as the incense burned out, the smoke stopped in front of a large locust tree.
Looking at the large locust tree in front of him, Shen Cangyu couldn't help but say, "Isn't the locust tree the most yin-energy thing? Are we really going to live here?"
"I don't know, the path guided by the incense stopped here." Xu Qiubai scratched his head, wondering if the incense had gone bad from getting damp.
Shen Cangyu glanced at the shadow again and said, "Forget it, it's almost midnight, let's hide here for the night."
She took out the teapot, made a hand seal, and a white light flashed, the spout of the teapot sucking them in like a whirlpool.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, Shen Cangyu felt the scene before her eyes blur for a moment. She steadied herself and stood firm.
"Why don't you put anything in this Sun and Moon Pot? There's no bed, and not even a table or chair. Do you usually sit on the floor here?" Xu Qiubai exclaimed in surprise as he entered the pot and looked at the empty scene around him.
He had visited many people's sun and moon pots, and in his impression, everyone treated the pot as a portable dwelling, filling it to the brim, and even cultivating fields inside to grow fruits and vegetables. This was the first time he had seen someone's pot so empty.
He turned to look at Shen Cangyu, about to say something, but his gaze fell on her face, and he couldn't help but frown: "You..."
Shen Cangyu noticed his gaze, raised her hand and wiped away the blood trickling from the tip of her nose: "It's nothing."
She summoned the sun and moon in the pot three times today, and the last time she even put two living people into the pot, which was her limit.
After using this mental technique, she felt that the energy in her body was like a tangled ball of yarn, and her blood was surging. If she was not careful, blood would gush out from her nose.
Sure enough, without learning basic cultivation methods, her reckless use of mental techniques based on her own ideas caused considerable harm to her body.
Even so, she felt her body's endurance was gradually increasing. Just a month ago, she would vomit blood every time she used the "Sun and Moon in the Pot" technique.
Now, she only felt uncomfortable after using the "Sun and Moon in the Pot" three times.
She'll get used to spitting out blood eventually, and after a few more times, she'll probably be able to use all three mental techniques simultaneously.
"Oh no, I don't know how to treat illnesses..." Xu Qiubai rummaged in his sleeve and pulled out one medicine bottle after another. "I have a lot of medicine here. See which one you want to take. If you really can't figure it out, just take one of each. You'll eventually find the right one."
Shen Cangyu wiped the blood off his face a few times, waved his hand and said, "It's alright, you can take it back."
After saying that, she sat down on the ground to rest. She didn't know how to regulate her breathing, but as long as she sat quietly, the energy in her body would slowly return to normal.
Xu Qiubai sat down beside her and began to ramble on: "I was sickly when I was young. Just like you, I would get nosebleeds whenever I used my mental powers, but my master still made me learn."
Shen Cangyu was still calming her internal energy and was too lazy to respond to him, but Xu Qiubai didn't care whether she replied or not, and continued, "Whenever I feel unwell, Master makes me take medicine. After taking the medicine, I continue cultivating. If I feel unwell after cultivating, I take medicine again..."
Xu Qiubai threw his head back, lay on the ground, and rested his head on his hand: "I wonder if your cultivation methods are the same as Kunlun's. I really don't know how my senior brothers and sisters managed to get through it. Being an immortal is so tiring..."
In his previous life, Shen Cangyu would have thought he was taking his blessings for granted, as outer disciples would have gone to great lengths to find a way to climb into the inner sect and cultivate immortality.
If one can learn the art of mind and inherit the Daoist arts, then one has mastered boundless magical power. What more could one ask for?
In this life, she wielded two kinds of mental arts, touched the threshold of becoming an immortal, and roughly understood his meaning.
When people use mental techniques, they need to rely on the energy of heaven and earth to operate. Forcing energy that does not belong to oneself to circulate in the body can easily lead to injuries, bone damage, and internal organ displacement, which is a very unpleasant experience.
That's why cultivators need to build a solid foundation, practice daily, and cultivate their inner core, all in order to be able to withstand more Qi.
But no matter how powerful a cultivator is, they will feel uncomfortable when using mental techniques; those who are powerful are simply used to pain.
The art of the mind is a skill born from suffering.
The more pain a person can endure, the stronger they become.
Therefore, even though the art of the mind encompasses everything, many people would rather abandon it and pursue the Tao.
Inheriting the Daoist teachings is like being enlightened by a deity; from then on, one inherits the divine power, and with a single thought, myriad laws arise, perfectly natural.
Anyway, using Taoist magic won't hurt; everything will be protected by the gods. However, in her mind, each person can only inherit one type of Taoist magic and receive the protection of one god in their lifetime…
wrong!
Shen Cangyu suddenly opened his eyes.
If she remembered correctly, the transmigrator named Shen Qingyan seemed to have inherited five kinds of Daoist techniques.
You lucky rascal!
Why did every immortal choose him and insist on passing on their Taoist arts to him?
She wants everything he has! She wants to take all those magical techniques!
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