The guidance from First Senior Brother Mu Qingfeng was like dropping a pebble into the stagnant pond of Xiao Qi's cultivation life, sending ripples of new possibilities. He began consciously integrating his daily chores with attempts to hone that faint, almost non-existent fire control ability. Though progress was so slow as to be imperceptible to the naked eye, this method of weaving cultivation into every drop of daily life gave him a more tangible understanding of 'the Dao underfoot,' and his state of mind grew considerably more peaceful.
One day, Xiao Qi was assigned to sweep the long corridor outside the Scripture Repository. It was a tedious and meticulous task that required clearing fallen leaves and dust from the bluestone floor without stirring up too much dust, lest it soil the scriptures inside. He was holding a broom taller than himself, sweeping diligently stroke by stroke, when suddenly a somewhat teasing voice came from behind. 'Tsk tsk, Junior Brother, your sweeping posture shows you're an honest person who doesn't know how to be flexible.'
Xiao Qi turned around and saw a young man of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in a slightly disheveled blue Daoist robe, his hair casually tied back, leaning against a corridor pillar and grinning at him. This youth had agile eyes and brows, and his mouth always carried a hint of a cynical smile. He was Master Xuan Lin's second disciple, named Luo Feng. Entirely different from the steady First Senior Brother and the fiery Third Senior Sister, his temperament was lively and unrestrained, his thoughts roaming freely. He loved delving into all sorts of bizarre 'unorthodox methods' and 'labor-saving tricks,' and was famous in the temple for not playing by the usual rules.
'Second Senior Brother,' Xiao Qi hastily bowed. He didn't have a deep impression of this senior brother, having only seen him occasionally from afar. Hearing about his 'reputation,' he felt both curious and somewhat wary. Luo Feng waved his hand, moved closer, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, 'Why sweep so laboriously? Watch your senior brother teach you a trick!' As he spoke, his fingers casually formed a seal, he muttered some incantation, and gently blew toward a fallen leaf in front. A breeze so faint it was almost imperceptible materialized out of thin air, lifting a few leaves and causing them to drift unsteadily less than a foot before powerlessly falling back to the ground—a barely noticeable effect.
'See? The Breeze Technique!' Luo Feng proudly lifted his chin, though this 'breeze' was rather misnamed. 'Though the effect is a bit poor, at least it saves effort! Surely it's better than you sweeping foolishly stroke by stroke?' Xiao Qi stared dumbfounded. This was called a spell? Its power was even less than him blowing a hard breath. Seeing Xiao Qi's doubtful expression, Luo Feng didn't mind and enthusiastically demonstrated again. He walked to a row of flowerpots beneath the corridor, his fingers moved once more, and a trembling water droplet the size of a soybean condensed at his fingertip, then 'plopped' onto the soil, instantly absorbed without even leaving a damp mark.
'The Water Condensation Technique! How convenient for watering flowers! No need to fetch water!' Luo Feng wore an expression that said 'praise my cleverness, quick!' Xiao Qi: '...' He finally understood why most disciples in the temple wore expressions of both exasperation and amusement when mentioning Second Senior Brother. These spells were so weak as to be nearly jokes; the spiritual power consumed to cast them probably outweighed their practical value—utterly useless.
'Second Senior Brother, does... does this actually work?' Xiao Qi couldn't help asking. 'Why wouldn't it work?' Luo Feng said righteously. 'What is cultivation for? Isn't it to live better and more easily? Why spend ten times the effort when you can solve something with one? These are 'life-practical' spells that I've carefully improved! Though the current effects still need improvement, the concept is advanced!' He pulled Xiao Qi along, ignoring his resistance, and forced the simplified spell formulas and circulation routes of the Breeze Technique and Water Condensation Technique into his hands. The formulas were indeed simple, the circulation routes extremely crude, and some parts were clearly haphazardly modified by Luo Feng himself, greatly deviating from the balanced and harmonious Dao taught by their master.
'Try it, quick, try it!' Luo Feng urged. 'Don't worry, it won't consume much spiritual power, just treat it as play!' Unable to refuse him, and seeing no one around, Xiao Qi adopted a trial mindset, recalled the awkward spell formula, mobilized that faint thread of spiritual power within him, and clumsily cast the Breeze Technique at the fallen leaves on the ground. The first time, nothing happened. The second time, his fingertip felt a slight chill, as if air currents were stirring, but the leaves remained motionless. The third time, he concentrated, focusing his spiritual power on his fingertip, and tried again—whoosh! A breeze slightly stronger than Luo Feng's demonstration appeared, successfully blowing a small leaf tumbling away, though it rolled less than three feet—but it indeed moved!
Xiao Qi was momentarily stunned, watching that blown-away leaf, and felt an inexplicable sense of accomplishment rise in his heart. Though this spell held no practical combat value, this feeling of influencing external objects with his own power was different from the subtle realizations he had while controlling fire for cooking—it carried a straightforward, childlike playful joy. Seeing this, Luo Feng clapped and laughed, 'See! I told you it works! Though your breeze... well, it's like playing around, but with more practice, maybe sweeping really will save some effort in the future!'
Next, Xiao Qi attempted the Water Condensation Technique. This time it went even less smoothly; after seven or eight tries, he barely managed to condense a droplet smaller than a grain of rice at his fingertip, trembling as it dripped. But at the moment of success, looking at that 'water' formed from his own spiritual power, the corner of his mouth couldn't help quirking upward slightly. In the following days, Luo Feng seemed to have found a 'like-minded' playmate (in his view) and would sneak over to find Xiao Qi from time to time, teaching him various bizarre 'shortcuts.' For instance, using the weak effect of the Metal and Stone Curse to try sharpening a dulled firewood knife (nearly chipping the blade), or using a simplified version of the Vine Entanglement Technique to try bundling firewood (resulting in a mess of thin vines that tripped himself)... Without exception, these spells were extremely ineffective, often backfiring, leaving the two flustered and creating endless comedic scenes.
Senior Sister Liu Yun encountered them several times, her willow-leaf brows shooting up in anger, grabbing Luo Feng by the ear and scolding him for 'neglecting proper duties' and 'corrupting the junior brother.' Luo Feng would yelp and beg for mercy while secretly winking at Xiao Qi. Xiao Qi knew that these 'shortcuts' of Second Senior Brother were truly unworthy of proper attention, even potentially hiding risks, and must not be taken as the true path of cultivation. But undeniably, while practicing these seemingly useless little spells, his control of spiritual power seemed to become a bit more flexible and daring. More importantly, this lighthearted, playful atmosphere diluted the heavy pressure brought by cultivation and the sense of inferiority from having low aptitude.
It made him feel that the path of cultivation wasn't solely about day-after-day seated meditation, refining qi, and relentless ascetic practice; it could also hold such harmless fun and whimsical imagination. Second Senior Brother Luo Feng was like an untamed wind blowing into his orderly yet dull life, bringing a touch of chaos but also a splash of different color. It made him understand that on this long road, besides the master's sternness, the senior sister's urging, and the first senior brother's guidance, there could also be this kind of exploration purely out of interest, carrying a playful, joking nature. Cultivation, because of this, seemed to become somewhat less tedious and monotonous.