Chapter 53: Shenyi's Apology

  Xiao Qiu didn't need to verify Yang Baozhen's identity. The next day, during breakfast, Shenyi's mother came to Nourishing Spirit Peak and the news that Doudou had become a disciple was already spreading among the disciples. Both sides of the long table were filled with stretched necks, perked up ears, and rapidly moving lips.

  Even those who have been in Yangshen Peak for at least a year, the disciples of Liu Yang, also showed intense curiosity. During this breakfast, most people did not chew their food according to the rules, and Xiao Qiu deliberately observed that no one intervened.

  He also discussed with the young people in Ye Lin Town, and heard that Yang Baozhen had persuaded four people to return last night. Everyone thought this might not be a bad thing. Shen Hao especially held this view: "I think Yang Daotie is quite gentle, unlike Sheng's brothers, Sheng Geng... must follow his father, right, Xiao Qiuge?"

  Xiao Qiu responded vaguely, and Yang Baozhen indeed did not have a domineering air. Neither did Shen Geng or Shen Ji. If the tragic event of killing someone in a martial arts competition had never occurred before, no one would have thought that Shen Geng could be so ruthless, not even Douchun Mengyuanhou himself.

  It just so happens that today's instructor leading the disciples in their cultivation is Yang Baozhen, which also marks Xiao Qiu's first lesson on Nurturing Spirit Peak.

  On the way to the lecture hall, Si Zu Hall, a small strange thing happened. A 15 or 16-year-old stranger boy ran over from the front and stared at Xiao Qiu for a while before suddenly asking: "Are you Mu Hangqiu?"

  "Yes."

  "Oh." The newcomer didn't say another word and ran back.

  "What does this mean?" Xia Qiu was perplexed, and Da Liang Shen Xiu Ming was equally baffled. "I've never seen a disciple of Liu Yang be so rude and disobedient."

  In the ancestral hall, Xiao Qiu learned of the reason. At this time, he was already sitting on a futon at the back according to his room number, imitating other disciples to adjust their posture. A female disciple walked over from the other side of the hall.

  This was also a disciple of the Leave Nurturing Sect, who rushed straight to Xiao Qiu from behind the team without causing much attention. She stood five steps in front of him, sizing him up with an impolite gaze, her eyes filled with undisguised curiosity and inquiry.

  "Do I know you?" Xia Qiu asked gruffly, having already received such glances several times from the dining hall to the Si Zu Hall.

  "You're called Mu Xingqiu," said the female disciple.

  "Thanks for reminding me what it's called, I almost forgot." Xia Qiu said with a hint of sarcasm.

  "Hatred will lead you astray, lightly affecting your cultivation progress, and severely it will make you demonic." The female disciple didn't get angry, instead she walked closer, looking down on him and began to instruct in a gentle tone, "Moreover, you don't have any possibility of success, why fantasize about being all-powerful, why not calm your mind, cultivate your nature, and follow the natural order?"

  These words...

  Xiao Qiu immediately realized that the content of last night's gathering at Banyue Lin had been leaked! And it was leaked very thoroughly, they knew about the five-year revenge plan, and they also knew that Xiao Qiu claimed to have a relationship with San Tian.

  Xiao Qiu suppressed the shock in her heart and looked up to ask: "How many years have you been waiting at Yang Shen Peak?"

  The female disciple's face changed slightly, and she turned to leave. The longer one stays on the Nurturing Spirit Peak, the more mediocre their talent is considered to be. This is a heartache for many disciples who remain here.

  "Is it also a rule here to interfere in other people's business? How did she know about us..." Xia Qiu frowned slightly, and Da Liang responded with two "en"s, which was enough of an answer. He had already sat up straight and was preparing to enter a state of contemplation.

  Xiao Qiu didn't disturb Da Liang again, looking around everywhere. Fang Fang was too far away, and among the disciples of Ye Lin Town, only Shen Huan reacted. He turned his head and exchanged a glance with Xiao Qiu for a moment, expressing the same confusion in his eyes: How did the news of the gathering spread?

  The first to be suspected, of course, were the little friends from Ye Lin Town. Thinking about this possibility, Xiao Qiu felt a surge of anger. Although no one had said that it was necessary to keep it a secret, this was self-evident; otherwise, why would they go to the remote Half Moon Forest to discuss it?

  The last rustling sound of clothes rubbing against each other in the ancestral hall had disappeared, and Xiao Qiu turned her head to see that Yang Baozhen was standing not far away on the corridor.

  "Visualization is the ultimate method for spiritual cultivation, and you will be accompanied by it throughout your life." Yang Baozhen didn't walk to the front but started teaching right there. The disciples heard the sound and turned around to look back, but were stopped. "I am the one who taught you the Five Elements, please don't get distracted and turn your head back. Curiosity is just like flowers and grass by the roadside; looking at too many things will slow down your pace. Alright, now let's start visualization."

  The ancestral hall was quiet and soundless, and Xiao Qiu also tried to get rid of his thoughts. Yesterday, Fangfang taught him a simple method, but in a moment he opened his eyes to find Yang Baozhen staring at him.

  "You just arrived yesterday and haven't learned how to save yet."

  "Yes, all taught."

  "Emptying one's mind is the first step; the Dao fire is pure, and the spirit is calm and clear. If there are any impurities in the heart, they cannot contain the spirit, and the Dao fire will not burn brightly."

  "Must hatred be eliminated too?" Xia Qiu bluntly broke the silence now that the revenge plan was no longer a secret.

  "Follow your nature." Yang Baozhen's tone was unchanged, as if only an ordinary disciple had asked a very ordinary question. "Joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure are all part of one's nature, there has never been any theory to eliminate this. If you pursue the Great Way, naturally you will have no time to look left or right, if you linger with attachment, naturally your footsteps will be slow. Therefore, everything should follow your nature, what you want most will decide what you ultimately get."

  Xiao Qiu didn't make another sound; he knew that asking further would only get more vague and mysterious answers.

  Yang Baozhen also changed the subject, using a gentle tone to explain in detail the method of visualization, how to hold a thought in one's mind, how to breathe and exhale, how to overcome physical itching, numbness, soreness and pain...

  Xiao Qiu entered a state of meditation as instructed, this was his first time, he couldn't persist for too long, opening his eyes to see the other disciples still practicing, while Yang Baozhen walked back and forth slowly on the corridor, reciting something in a strange rhythm.

  Xiao Qiu couldn't hear a word, but he felt her voice was heartwarming. Suddenly, he thought of the spring in Yelin Town, where the gentle breeze carried the warmth from the south and the coolness of melting snow. He drove his horse herd to graze, picking wild vegetables that had just sprouted along the way...

  He closed his eyes and entered a state of reverie once again, this time the sensation was clearer. After an unknown period of time, a stream of invisible and intangible energy seeped into his body through every pore, flowing gently in his blood vessels, sweeping past his internal organs, and then left him, leaving nothing behind, taking nothing away.

  Xiao Qiu suddenly felt a sense of loss, he wanted to hold onto that breath, he knew it was the so-called heavenly spirit, every cultivator tried their best to keep it inside, to condense the inner elixir.

  At this time, Yang Baozhen's chanting voice became clear in her ears, as if encouraging and urging, Xia Qiu entered a state of reverie for the third time.

  Chanting scriptures is an important technique in Taoism, which is of great benefit to practitioners and can even be a separate discipline. Other Taoist priests also need to study it. Yang Baozhen teaches the Five Elements, but his chanting skills are not ordinary. After two hours, the disciples opened their eyes one after another, all with joyful faces, and they admired this new female priest even more.

  Xiao Qiu's meditation was still not proficient, interrupted seven times, but also felt that this morning was not wasted in vain, he had a brand new goal for himself and his future: to seize every moment to meditate and cultivate, striving to condense his energy into a pill as soon as possible.

  The disciples stood up and bowed to Master Yang in unison, paying their respects. Master Yang returned the bow, and the morning's lesson came to an end.

  Just as everyone was about to leave the Zongzu Hall in order, Shen Ji did something that no one expected - he left the team and walked up to Shen Xiu Ming, bowing.

  Everyone stopped in their tracks and stared, the young men of Yelin Town were all stunned, and Dalang was even more dumbfounded.

  After the courtesy, he said sincerely: "Shen Xiuming, my friend, I have come to seek your understanding. My brother did something very wrong and received the punishment he deserved. What I want to say is that the path of cultivation is difficult, and it's hard to focus even with a concentrated mind, let alone being distracted? Once we enter the Pangshan, we are brothers and sisters. Can you forgive my foolish behavior in Jinghu Village?"

  Dah Ryong was taken aback, stunned for a moment before returning the courtesy, "Of course... that's your brother's business, you haven't done anything wrong, no need for my forgiveness, I'm willing to cultivate together with fellow Taoist."

  "Thank you." Shen Ji bowed again, then walked to Xiao Qiu's front and also bowed. "In Jinghu Village, we had some misunderstandings. Is Fellow Daoist Mu Xiang willing to let them disappear like smoke?"

  Xiao Qiu felt conflicted in his heart, he found it hard to believe Shen Ji's sincerity, but the two of them didn't have any major issues in Jinghu Village, and Si Gu's visit was unclear whether it was real or fake... In front of everyone, not accepting the apology would make him seem petty, so he said: "Alright, it was just a misunderstanding."

  Shen Yi bowed again and returned to the team, at this time Yang Du had already left, the disciples filed out one by one, calm and unruffled, no one discussed it, except for the initial surprise, as if nothing had happened. Those few Louyang disciples who were concerned about Xiao Qiu seemed to have lost their curiosity and didn't even glance at Xiao Qiu.

  Dah Ryong has already recovered and is waiting in place to join the queue, looking like he doesn't have a care in the world. Xiao Qiu, however, still feels that something is off, and just then, he catches sight of Fang Fang's gaze.

  Fang Fang had already joined the ranks of the female disciples ahead, separated from Xiao Qiu by dozens of steps. Her gaze was just a glance, without any special expression, only revealing a hint of puzzlement. Xiao Qiu suddenly became alert.

  In the dining hall, dozens of disciples ate quietly, even their chewing movements were so uniform and consistent. Thirty-six chews per mouthful, no more or less. After seven mouthfuls, they would take a sip of water, not too early or too late. Except for Xia Qiu, no one else noticed anything strange about this behavior.

  Yesterday was Si Zu day, and everyone still showed a bit of autonomy. After this morning's reflection, even Shen Hao became extremely obedient, to the point where he didn't sit across from Xiao Qiu but instead sat at another long table according to his dorm number.

  Xiao Qiu held the bowl, unable to swallow a single mouthful of rice. Is this the Shun Tian method of Yang Shen Peak? He suddenly understood why Meng Yuan Hou wanted him to say that sentence - "Remember, I am the one who teaches the Inverse Heaven Technique."

  Could it be... that Meng Yuanhou is the only one who has passed down the Heavenly Defying Technique?

  Xiao Qiu put down his rice bowl and walked out of the dining hall under the bewildered gaze of several disciples. He wanted to try again, he wanted to leave Yangshen Peak, this was his true goal, not just to test the results of his own practice, nor to show off his independence to anyone, but simply to prove that he had not forgotten Mengdu's teachings.

  Xiao Qiu stopped in his tracks not far from where he started. He had promised to try with Fang Fang, so there was no need to rush for the time being. Before that, he should first figure out one thing: what kind of trick were Yang Baozhen and Shen Yi, this mother-son duo, playing?

  The curse of Shen Geng still echoes in her ears, and Xiao Qiu absolutely does not believe that hatred will truly disappear without a reason. Yesterday, Shen Ji was not so humble, but as soon as his mother arrived, he immediately apologized sincerely, there must be a reason for this.

  This kind of thing is something that even we can't help with. Probably only one disciple in the entire Nurturing Spirit Peak can explain it clearly.

  (Collection needed, recommendation needed)