Taking one last look at the bright moon, which looked almost golden, he directly jumped from the rooftop. After opening the Huiyin acupoint, he can now direct his essence into the soles of his feet and reduce the impact of a fall.
He can even walk on trees without using his hands but just his legs, and climb steep hills without falling off by anchoring his feet to the surface using his essence.
It is said that one can walk on water after opening the human layer, specifically after the Mingmen acupoint, but he has not tried it yet.
He came to his sleeping room, and there was a golden incense holder that had the effects of clearing and enforcing the mind. This was given to him by the emperor when he displayed his guqin skills at a banquet, thereby pleasing him.
He never lit this incense, just displayed it in the open. He looked at the incense powder shaped as a lotus, and he scooped some of it by a corner, throwing it outside the window.
He knew some of the incenses used in ancient times had some chemicals that cause internal harm and some have reinforcing ingredients that worked in cohesion with other ingredients to transform into a deadly poison. He learned this from history books of course.
He lit up the oil lamps using the tinder kit. Just by blowing air into this kit, the ember inside lights up using the oxygen from the breath. And then he started grinding the inkstone, holding the rock-hard inkstone, rubbing it slowly in even circles, adding some dew when necessary.
He dipped the brush in the ink and tugged his sleeves back as he started writing.
'Imperial calendar, Emperor Li Guang's reign.
Sixth Heavenly Stem, Jǐ — Yin Earth
Eighth Earthly Branch, Wèi — Yin Earth
The year of the goat, ninth lunar month, 15th day.
Nine years old.
I am happy to learn that as long as you work hard, heaven will reward you. Although I did not possess spiritual roots, once I reach the peak of the first realm I will be able to acquire them. I can now rest easy as my inner demon is quelled.
I read that the mortal world relies on the karmic system to bestow spiritual roots. It seems heaven is guilty towards mortals. Is it because they cannot cultivate, or is it because their lifespan is abysmally low?
The cultivators cannot stay in the mortal world for long, so they can stay for a brief period of time and collect those with innate roots, or they have to disperse their cultivation. This karmic system allows the mortal world some peace. Even during some unknown disasters or demonic occurrences, cultivators will descend to quell them, so their descendants may have a chance at innate spiritual roots. It seems the heavens specifically made it so that this powerless world would remain peaceful.
Is it because of this that I was transmigrated here? The mysterious jade had peace written on it. Is there some connection to this place?
I do not know how karma works. So, analysing myself against the precepts, I found that I ate living beings for food. Does this incur karma?
At one point I stopped eating meat on the blue planet and I followed that here as well, but during ceremonies and banquets I did not ask for meatless foods. As it was impolite to decline, I ate it.
I did not see the emperor declining meat though. Does this mean it does not incur karma, or is it so minimal that he chose to ignore it? Maybe, as his prospects in cultivation reached an end, he chose to ignore it.
Am I overthinking?
Anyways, it is best to disguise myself and visit a Buddhist temple to cleanse this karma.
One interesting thing I read is that mortals here can only live up to two jiazi — the sexagenary cycle. That is 120 years. After that, even immortal medicines will not be able to extend their lifespan. It says there are some heaven and earth treasures that can increase a cultivator's lifespan. It would be a good thing to have in the future.
I slightly remember that the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine from the Warring States period of ancient China noted the same thing.
Later, someone from modern times is said to have lived two more years than the expected 120 years. It was not scientifically proven but just based on birth certificates and witness-based evidence. They did not use the carbon dating method or the cell age determination method as they contain a small error margin.
I knew the earth had even more terrifying technological methods that they kept hidden, but I can't prove it. Anyways, the point is that even if someone is robust, healthy and full of energy, they will die without seeing an extra day of sunlight.
Think about it — you are one day away from the 120-year mark, you know you will die in one day. How terrifying that feeling is, waiting for death and knowing exactly when it is.
The Ways of the World say that after the first jiazi, the yang qi will start to disperse. It means you will reach the peak of your life at 60 years and then it will decline. It states that building the foundation within sixty years is the perfect time. Yin generates yang and yang generates yin, so we can form a cycle of yin and yang using yin after the first jiazi. So even in the second cycle we can build the foundation, but after that there is no hope.
After the second jiazi, the yin will disperse, thereby casting death on the mortals. When one opens the eighth inner gate of the eight inner gates stage, Sǐ — Death, one can open a source of death qi, a type of yin qi, thereby extending their life by one more cycle.
If one forms their foundation in their third cycle, they cannot form their core unless they obtain a peerless treasure or heaven-defying opportunity, and they can only traverse the corpse dao, yin dao, ghost dao, and shadow dao of the hungry ghost and hell paths.
After five jiazi, the five elements will disperse. It does not disperse element by element per cycle, but in one go — as the five elements are bound in the foundation. After 300 years there is no hope for the core.
After twelve cycles, representing the twelve earthly branches, the soul will start to dissipate, leaving no hope in manifesting your soul form.
I read the Ways of the World numerous times and there are still some things I do not understand. I can decipher that after the body forging realm comes qi condensation, followed by foundation establishment, golden core, and something related to the soul.
If my knowledge serves me well, the Chapters on Awakening to Reality written by Zhang Boduan from the Northern Song Dynasty stated that the four steps of internal alchemy include building the foundation, forming the core, nourishing the soul, and returning to the Tao. As popularly known — the Nascent Soul realm.
Now, coming to spiritual roots - if I incur a huge amount of karma to offset the negative karma accumulated in the past and turn the balance to the positive side, there might be a chance to obtain an earth grade roots even heaven grade is not impossible. Using my modern knowledge it might be possible.
Finally, these paths prove that there is a reincarnation cycle in this world. Enough studying for now, it is too much intake at once — not good for mental health.'
Li Chen closed the book as he blew out the light source.
Duan Fei, looking at the moon and then at her empty courtyard, holding a paper note, seemed to be making the most important decision she had ever made. Donning a robe that covered her whole body, she moved suspiciously through the palace halls.
Inside a gazebo sat Ping Fei, sipping tea as if waiting for someone. Soon, Duan Fei entered the courtyard, sneakily making her way there.
"Duan Fei, you are here. Sit and have some tea," Ping Fei's hand gestured toward a stone seat.
"You have time to leisurely have some tea, calling me in the middle of the night — aren't you afraid someone would see me coming here? Make it short," Duan Fei spoke, frustrated.
"Did you see anyone in the palace halls while you came here? I made thorough preparations, so don't worry too much and speak freely," Ping Fei spoke, pouring tea into a cup nearby and placing it by Duan's side.
"This...", Duan was shocked. Composing herself, she sat on her seat, not touching the tea.
"Prince Nian had a mischievous but lively nature. Wherever he is, that place will be filled with joy. I thought maybe this is what it feels like to have a child. I remember him climbing the tree and shouting 'mother, look what I found — a pinecone'. How long has it been since he last called you mother? He lost his liveliness and innocence after being taken by the empress," Ping Fei spoke in melancholy, remembering the days when she was just a concubine. Witnessing the scenes of Prince Nian's joyful nature, she too had wanted a child.
A wound in her heart opened. Duan Fei's eyes held sadness, helplessness, hesitation, and a hint of anger — a mixture of emotions at once, a striking contrast to her cold and detached self.
"Hahaha, lies, lies, you are full of lies. He is living with me, and he loves me. I read stories to lull him to sleep, and I play little games with him all the time. He calls me mother and he only eats food if I feed him myself. He always spoke of flying on a sword and becoming an immortal. He is already an immortal," craziness filled her blood-red eyes as she let out a maddened laughter.
Ping Fei felt a heartache hearing her words. She spoke after Duan Fei's crazed energy faded, "How long are you going to fool yourself? He addresses you as evil woman while he sweetly calls the empress 'dear mother'. His meridians are shattered, his hope for longevity is slim. This resentment, Duan Fei — can you swallow it?"
She did not reply. Even the wind fell silent, the atmosphere stiff. She looked at this gazebo. This is where her little prince used to play. The cherry blossom tree by the wall was the tree he used to climb. Whenever he was upset or unhappy, he used to come here and sit in the treetop, waiting for his mother to soothe him. This tree, that should be filled with pink petals all over, was now bare like a skeleton while others grew splendidly, as if it had lost some touch of warmth.
"They wanted to cut down this tree as it had not blossomed for six years straight. I forbade them from cutting it down," Ping Fei spoke. The tea had gone cold and lost its taste long ago, but Ping Fei drank it down in a gulp, as if what she was drinking was not tea but wine.
"Thank you," Duan Fei muttered, her bleeding heart throbbing for clarity.
"Duan Fei, you are a smart person. You never provided the empress with schemes but took the role of analysing the schemes others spoke of for the empress. You know the principle — 'of two evils, choose the lesser'," Ping Fei left the last decision up to the other party without coercion.
The sun and moon completed one revolution around the firmament and a new day had begun.
Li Chen took a bucket full of water from the well nearby and took a scoop using a wooden dipper as he started watering the plants.
One of the maids on the other side of the wall spoke, "Hey, did you hear the noble consort Ping Fei and her son had an argument a few days ago?"
Another spoke, "Indeed, I heard that Ping Fei questioned him if he liked black or white and the prince replied white. The consort threw a fit, slapping him, speaking vigorously — 'if I like black, how could you like white?'"
"She wants to keep him under control. How pitiful. The prince is inherently a good person but he's unlucky, he was born to her." Another whispered.
"Let's get going lest the consort comes knocking down here and we get caught in the crossfire. If she's angry she will take it out on you all, wringing your necks like mere chickens." The head maid spoke as they hurried away.
Li Chen frowned. Wherever he is, these maids would come right to his side to discuss gossip. In the first hall he thought his maids felt comfortable around him and spoke gossip without caring where they were or who heard them. But the next hall and this hall — they had come right beside him and spoken of such matters.
It seems someone is deliberately letting this news reach his side. That means most of what he heard might be entirely false and someone wants to drive a wedge between him and his mother. The suspect is obviously the empress.
His mother, clearly to protect him, put on an act of getting angry while leaving his mansion back then. He even thought she would make a popular actress given her skills, in modern times. He might be misunderstanding most things like this incident — it looked like an argument, but it was clearly a means of protection.
His impression of his mother increased by more than half.