Chapter 110 Closed-Door Cultivation
Seeing his pig-like expression, Master Jingyang couldn't help but give him a sharp rap on the head and said, "I was just praising you for your composure and calmness in the face of honor and disgrace!"
"Hehe, Uncle-Master, that's only in front of outsiders. I only show my true nature when I'm with you."
"Glib-tongued!"
Although Master Jingyang was angry, he was still pleased to hear these words. What good is it if you treat him well? In his heart, he is still closer to me, hmph!
Master Minglun taught Chen Cheng the art of flying swords. In truth, whether it's the paper crane tracking, the protective divine beast, or the flying sword, all require powerful Taoist magic as support. The strength of this magic is closely related to the amount of one's mental energy. Although his master taught him few Taoist techniques, they were all incredibly powerful, such as the Five Thunder Palm, the Nine True Words, and the Tai Chi Shield. These all require the support of mental energy, and the stronger the mental energy, the stronger the execution! Therefore, adhering to the principle that it's better to learn deeply than to learn a lot, his master taught him from a young age to first stabilize his dantian and strengthen his mental energy. Once his mental energy reaches a certain level, possessing inexhaustible support, learning any Taoist technique will be effortless and twice as effective! All methods return to the same source—this is the essence of Taoist doctrine!
Chen Cheng was the one who gained the most from this mission. He not only received a large amount of Heavenly Dao Power as a reward, but also learned the Lightning Spell, Flying Sword Technique, and Paper Crane Tracking Technique from his fellow disciples. He also received a promise from Master Jingyang to go to Longhu Mountain and ask for a guardian beast!
Meanwhile, other teams also reported good news. With the help of the State Security Bureau, the 709 Bureau, and the Police Bureau, the four teams dispatched to various locations arrested all seventeen people who had harmed Chinese people within two days. They also extracted more than thirty information from them about the evil practices that assisted in the creation of Yin Souls. Shockingly, one of them was an outer disciple of Longhu Mountain!
It is said that the Grand Celestial Master Song Heling of Longhu Mountain was furious and personally ordered his removal from the list of disciples and the revocation of his Taoist magic, which meant destroying his dantian! He also strictly disciplined all inner and outer disciples, requiring them to conduct self-examination and self-correction. Helping people subdue demons and monsters was acceptable, but using Taoist magic to do things that violated the laws of Heaven and the state was absolutely forbidden!
After descending the mountain, the Security Bureau was already waiting. They escorted the three Japanese sorcerers, whose cultivation had been destroyed and who were now practically dead—these old men should now be called Japanese—into a car. To be on the safe side, Cheng Yunzi and Master Wuxiang accompanied them on their journey to the capital. The three old men would be met with the most severe trial in China, and their entire ordeal would be made public to show the international community the true face of the Japanese devils. Although they knew the Japanese would not admit it was a state action and would definitely try to shift the blame to these individuals, they still wanted to use this method to warn and disgust them!
A day later, Chen Cheng returned to his home at the Fengjiang Old Teahouse. He first respectfully offered incense and kowtowed to the ancestral master, then placed the peach wood sword in front of the shrine. Chen Cheng decided to use it as a flying sword for practice. Master Minglun told him that to achieve perfect harmony between man and sword, not only must this sword be connected to him, but it must also be nourished with his essence and mental power. Once a connection is established with the sword's heart, he can practice flying sword. The more proficient he becomes, the lighter and more agile the flying sword will be. It will be extremely fast and incredibly nimble, able to thrust, slash, turn around, ascend, descend, and so on, according to his will. Of course, the strength and distance of the flying sword technique depend on the amount of mental power the swordsman possesses. The stronger the mental power, the stronger the flying sword will be!
For several days in a row, Chen Cheng stayed in the back hall of the old teahouse practicing establishing a connection with the peach wood sword. His hard work paid off, and on the seventh day, there was actually a slight fluctuation above his head. The peach wood sword, which was placed on the shrine to receive the incense of the ancestral master without anyone handling it, emitted a slight buzzing sound and surface vibration. All of this indicated that he had initially established a connection with the sword heart!
Half a month later, Chen Cheng could easily control the peach wood sword with his mind, making it fly slowly at low altitudes and even pause in mid-air. However, his mental power was still insufficient to control the flying sword as freely as Master Minglun's. But this already made him ecstatic. When encountering a Ghost King, he wouldn't need to fight in close combat. A combination of talismans, flying sword, and Five Thunder Palm would surely obliterate the opponent! But this only applied to one Ghost King. It would be impossible to do it like the battle at Thousand Peaks Mountain that night. Using the flying sword once consumed most of his mental power, and it would take an unknown amount of time to recover. If there was a second Ghost King, he would only have the option of running for his life!
When I turned on my phone, which had been off for half a month, a barrage of messages came in. Some were from Jingyang Zhenren, some from Team Leader Tian, and two were from unknown numbers. But the most numerous were from Zhang Qian, a girl. There were a total of 150 messages, averaging ten messages a day. If I hadn't told her in advance that I was going into seclusion to repair my cultivation chain for a while, she might have rashly barged in.
First, let's look at the messages from Jingyang Zhenren and Team Leader Tian. The gist of it is that they're going to the capital after they're done with their work, and they all need to meet to discuss something. The other two unfamiliar numbers are very polite, saying, "Comrade Chen Cheng, this is Sha Baoming. Come to the capital sometime; Chairman Mao wants to see you!"
Chen Cheng was startled and quickly called back. Soon, the call was answered: "Comrade Chen Cheng, you finally contacted me!"
Sha Baoming's slightly magnetic voice came over.
"Hehe, Secretary Sha, I'm really sorry. I've had some things to take care of at home recently, so my phone has been off. Please forgive me!"
"It's alright. The case of the Japanese spy was handled perfectly, and Chairman Mao was very happy. That's why he wanted to meet you, these meritorious officials!"
"Hehe, the real heroes are those senior uncles and senior masters. I was just doing odd jobs, but I still benefited from it this time."
"You're still so modest. Chairman Mao couldn't wait for you and has already met with them. They all praised you for your hard work this time and said you're a meritorious person. Alright, no need for more modesty. When are you coming? I'll send someone to pick you up at the airport. I've never seen Chairman Mao so concerned about any young person before!"
"Haha, okay, thank you in advance, Secretary Sha. I'll make some preparations today and head over tomorrow!"
"Okay, let me know before you board the plane and I'll send someone to the airport. Also, just call me Brother Sha in private, it'll make us feel closer!"
"Okay, Brother Sha!"
After hanging up the phone, Chen Cheng murmured, "Brother Sha, silly brother?"
He chuckled to himself and then called Tian Wenzhong. Team Leader Tian conveyed the same message: Mao wanted to see him and had asked him to come to the capital. Master Jingyang said the same thing, except that if there was nothing else to do, he would take him back to Longhu Mountain. One reason was to ask the Grand Celestial Master to get him a protective beast, and the other was that the Grand Celestial Master also wanted to meet Chen Cheng, this young Taoist!
Chen Cheng only called Zhang Qian last, not because he didn't value her, but because he prioritized work and had plenty of time to spend with her.
"You big bad guy, you've come out of seclusion?"
Upon receiving the call, Zhang Qian asked excitedly.
"Yeah, if I don't leave the border soon, my phone will be overflowing with your messages!"
"Hmph, so you know that too! I'm asking you, did you think of me while you were in seclusion repairing the chain these past few days?"
"Yes, I almost died thinking about it. You should understand that when Taoists cultivate their spiritual chains, they need to be pure of heart and free from desires, and they cannot have any other thoughts. But you were running around in my mind, which almost made me go into a state of demonic possession. I coughed up blood from my mouth and nose and fainted on the ground. If it weren't for Uncle Zhang, we might have been separated forever!"
Chen Cheng began his aimless wanderings.