Chapter Eighty-Eight: Chu Xuan (Mist)

The exchange meeting lasted until eleven at night, and after that everyone went back to their own cultivation.

That was the hour when most people cultivated; for some, their methods were meant to be practiced only at such a fixed time.

Chen Jin’s own method did not forbid any particular hour, but from eleven at night until one in the morning was indeed the best time to cultivate. This was the hour before dawn, when the world’s vital energy was at its calmest and easiest to draw in and absorb, and it also held within it the subtle truth of yin and yang, making it the finest moment for comprehending nature and heaven.

Of course, since the restoration of vital energy in the world had not been long, this kind of meticulous attention to timing had only become popular in recent days. Before that, people paid more attention to training the body, tempering the flesh, and often honing themselves amid the dust of the mortal world, nourishing themselves with the strength of all living beings so that they could continually refine essence into energy and transform the body’s marrow into inner force, using that inner force to cultivate the world’s vital energy.

So in those days, there had not been such an obsession with timing; people were only told not to overeat or gorge themselves, and to eat sensibly.

Now that the world’s vital energy had recovered considerably, cultivators could easily feel its presence, and so the idea of auspicious hours had arisen. This, too, had been sifted out from ancient texts and combined with calculations by supercomputers to determine the most reasonable times.

By the way, the country was now promoting a revival of classical literature. Students in middle school, high school, and university all had an additional compulsory course now: classical Chinese. And it was not even included under the subject of language.

Chen Jin cultivated and breathed through the night, constantly nurturing his foundation and spirit. The most important aspect of the White Emperor Dark-Origin True Scripture was nourishing the spirit: nourishing the mind-spirit, cultivating the primordial spirit, and refining the spirits of the five viscera.

This was also why Chen Jin understood it as a method even more ancient than the old arts. The focus of the old arts lay in energy, emphasizing absorbing vital force so that the spirit might become enlightened, taking energy first and spirit afterward. The White Emperor Dark-Origin True Scripture, however, made the spirit clear and enlightened at once, directly leaping over the matter of energy to reach the realm of the mind and primordial spirit.

As for the modern method, it began by refining the essence of the body, then giving rise to vitality, and finally nurturing a golden-core primordial spirit.

The even more ancient arts, the old arts, and the modern arts all involved the word spirit, but the way they sought it was different. The even more ancient arts were direct; the old arts were much more circuitous; and the modern arts took three roads and eighteen bends, yet all of them were ultimately for the sake of spirit.

Chen Jin had come into contact with all three methods, so his understanding ran deeper, and he understood the importance of spirit. Thus he had always been nourishing it, strengthening and expanding his own mind and spirit, and the same went for the spirits of the five viscera. It was just that he had not practiced for long, so there were still no visible results.

At daybreak, Chen Jin bade farewell to the chairman of the association. The chairman remained as warm as ever, even asking whether he should send someone to lead the way, but Chen Jin waved him off.

He was quite familiar with the road up Mount Lao. His memory was extraordinary, and he had also spent quite some time on the mountain, so he knew where the temple was located.

Chen Jin called a private car and headed straight for Mount Lao.

The excuse Chen Jin had given the chairman for going up Mount Lao was to travel among famous mountains, and after that he might even make a trip to Mount Tai and so on.

But feeling the car following behind him, Chen Jin also knew that the chairman did not believe his words.

The driver, however, was an interesting fellow. He too noticed that someone was following behind them.

In thick Jiaodao-accented Mandarin, he said, “Young brother, you look like you’re in a bit of danger!”

“No worries, let them follow,” Chen Jin said with a smile, replying in the local Jiaodao dialect.

“Huh, young brother, you don’t look like you’re from around here, so how come your Jiaodao dialect is even smoother than mine?” the driver asked in surprise.

“I lived in Jiaodao for a few years and learned it from the neighbors,” Chen Jin replied casually.

“Oh, so smooth. I’ve got to give your learning ability three nines, young brother. That’s beyond six in the best possible way,” the driver said, keeping up with the trends and speaking in a lively, amusing manner.

“Want me to shake them off for you?” the driver asked next.

“No need. Let them follow,” Chen Jin refused again.

The driver felt rather disappointed at hearing this; perhaps he had been waiting all along for a line like: Driver, help me get rid of the car behind us...

“I see you came out of the Cultivators’ Association, so you must have gained cultivation aptitude, which is why these people are tailing you,” the driver went on.

“Nope, I’m just an ordinary guy. Where would I get any cultivation aptitude? I don’t know what they’ve taken a fancy to in me. Maybe they’ve fallen for this handsome and dashing body of mine,” Chen Jin replied with a grin.

“Hahaha, young brother, you’re quite amusing. Don’t worry, I actually went for a test too. I’ve got cultivation aptitude as well, but I haven’t told anyone. I don’t even dare tell my family,” the driver said.

“Why’s that?” Chen Jin asked, though he knew full well the answer.

“Didn’t there just happen to be a murder case the day before yesterday, right here in Jiaodao? I was at the scene too. After that guy was found to have cultivation aptitude, he got so smug it was ridiculous, walking around with his nose in the air like the wind was at his back. Do you know how that man walked?”

“How did he walk?” Chen Jin asked in cooperation.

“Have you seen one of those animated internet memes? The one about walking like this and getting beaten a hundred times? That was exactly how he walked. He kept telling everyone he had cultivation aptitude, and then some hot-tempered fellow pulled out a watermelon knife and stabbed him straight in the rear, right through and through. The way he died, tsk tsk... I still don’t dare eat small intestines to this day,” the driver said, gesturing as he spoke.

This driver really could talk. Chen Jin even suspected he might have been from the capital.

“That was indeed miserable,” Chen Jin agreed.

“That fellow had it coming, but some of the people in the news weren’t asking for it. They also got tested and found they had cultivation aptitude, so they posted a little on their social feed, and then someone murdered them. Seeing those stories, I don’t dare go around talking big or showing off either. Otherwise, who knows, maybe one day someone will hack me to pieces. I’ll wait until I’ve succeeded in cultivation before I start showing off,” the driver continued.

The driver’s gift for small talk far exceeded Chen Jin’s expectations. He chatted all the way with Chen Jin until they reached the foot of Mount Lao, and he never repeated himself once—one moment speaking of Jiaodao’s strange happenings, the next of its lovely scenery. In the end, he even added that if Chen Jin wanted to eat authentic Jiaodao shrimp, he could take him there, guaranteed no rip-off, and the taste was superb.

Chen Jin naturally agreed enthusiastically, and the two even exchanged phone numbers. Chen Jin also learned that the driver was named Chu Xuan.

Yes, a name like that was... truly imposing.

After hearing it, Chen Jin even took a special look at his head. Indeed, he was Chu Xuan all right—so smart it shone bald.

...