Chapter Six Return to Upper Purity

  It's been over a year since Min Ruo secretly taught himself the method of circulating his Qi. Zhang Ping still has lingering fears when he thinks about it, because Shi Qing found out about this matter and immediately beat him up, and also scolded Min Ruo severely. Afterwards, he was forbidden from practicing the Qi circulation technique again.

  But there are policies above and countermeasures below. Every day when practicing calligraphy, I practice the Su Jing Gan method, and after falling asleep at night, my soul leaves my body to absorb moonlight, while my physical body runs through the Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian. Unfortunately, the moonlight absorbed by my soul seems to have no effect on my internal energy except for making me full of energy.

  That day, Zhang Ping was practicing calligraphy in the study and happened to be standing on a stake. Min Ruo suddenly came in and said to herself, "Li'er, if you were asked to leave your adoptive parents now, would you be afraid?"

  In an instant, Zhang Ping suddenly realized that "Father and Mother are going out to find their enemies now, this day has finally arrived. I can't help them now, but I won't drag them down."

  "So he replied, 'Mother, don't worry, I actually knew it all along.'"

  "Alright, Rong'er, don't get any wrong ideas. My mother didn't mean it that way." Min Rou said hastily.

  Zhang Ping hastily replied, "One night I woke up and heard you and my uncle talking. You said that now that I've grown up, I'll be going back to learn martial arts from Master, just like Zhong Yu's older brother. Once I master the unparalleled martial skills, I can become a great hero. So, I'm not afraid at all."

  "Good child, don't be afraid. Your foster father and mother will visit you often. And the fellow disciples in Shang Qing Guan are all very kind. Tian Xu Shixiong will treat you well, and your foster mother has already seen that you like to learn martial arts. Among this generation of fellow disciples in Shang Qing Guan, Tian Xu Shixiong's skills are the most exquisite. If you follow Tian Xu Shixiong, your martial arts skills will definitely progress rapidly." Min Ruo comforted.

  Zhang Ping, who had been prepared for a long time, asked again: "Stepmother, when can I go to the Qingyuan Temple?"

  "I and your foster father are planning to send you to Qingguan Temple next month, hope you have a mental preparation. Your foster mother actually doesn't want to see you leave either, but she has an unavoidable reason. Don't worry, after your foster mother finishes her own business, she will definitely come to pick you up."

  A month later, Min Rou made many dishes that Zhang Ping liked to eat. However, time will eventually pass, and parting is always inevitable.

  Upper clarity within contemplation.

  "Li'er, from now on in the temple, you must listen and not cause trouble. If there's anything, tell your master or your uncle Zhongxu, and your adoptive mother and father will also come to visit you often." Min Ruo instructed Zhang Ping in the temple.

  "Sister, Lixing has been working hard for three years. He is now like your own son, you can rest assured that I will not let him suffer any grievances in the temple." Tianxu promised to Minrou.

  "It's all right, don't worry, Ming Shi Mei. With me around for a day, Xiang Li won't suffer the slightest grievance." Chong Xu also hastened to express his stance.

  So, amidst concern, persuasion, guarantee and worry. Shi Qing and Min Ruo still left to find their enemies.

  The next day, in Zhang Ping's compartment.

  "Lier, how's living here? Are you still thinking of your adoptive father and mother?" Tianxu asked Zhangping with concern.

  "I'm living well, I really miss my foster parents a bit, but I can control it." Zhang Ping replied.

  "Alright, tomorrow I'll take you to meet your master's ancestor. Then we'll open the ancestral hall and formally accept you as a disciple. You rest well today."

  "Yes, Master."

  "Let's go first, you rest well and recharge your energy."

  "Farewell, respected teacher."

  On the third day, Tian Yu brought Zhang Ping to Ming Chengzi's carriage house.

  "Alright, alright, the future of Shangqing Temple will depend on this child. Tianxu, take him and withdraw." After hearing Ming Chengzi's words, Tianxu respectfully led Zhang Ping out of the hall.

  Arriving at the main hall, Zhang Ping was led to first worship the Three Pure Ones, then pay respects to the ancestors, and finally knock his head three times as a salute to show respect to his master before presenting the tea of allegiance. Afterwards, the Daoist in charge of rituals registered Zhang Ping's name and recorded it in the register. Then, Zhang Ping helped Tian Xu put on his shoes, symbolizing that he was now a disciple under him. After announcing to the spirits, ancestors, and fellow disciples, Zhang Ping officially became Tian Xu's disciple, from then on sharing honor and shame with Tian Xu and the Upper Clarity Temple.

  The day after formally becoming an apprentice, at Qingyan Rock.

  "Xiang Li, it was here that your Shifu's uncle rescued you back then. Although you were still young at the time, I'd like to ask you today, what is your greatest dream?"

  "Dream, in an instant, Zhang Ping's mind seemed to drift through countless time and space. Countless scenes that he could remember flashed through his mind." Two lines of clear tears flowed out from his eyes without him realizing it, and he muttered "go home".

  Tian Yu thought he was still young and couldn't bear to part with Shi Qing couple. In fact, Zhang Ping's home is very far away.

  "Don't cry, Li. You should be a man, okay?"

  Quickly collecting his emotions, Zhang Ping replied: "Master, I will be strong, don't worry."

  "To Li, I know you have a natural talent. At such a young age, not only have you condensed your Qi, but also opened up the three acupoints of the Kidney Meridian of Foot Shaoyin. However, the way of martial arts is that if one does not advance, they will retreat. It requires constant effort to hold onto it. Today, as your master, I am passing on to you the Upper Clear Scripture of the Upper Clear Observatory. You must make a vow that without my permission, you are not allowed to leak it out."

  "Remember, disciple."

  Tian Xū then taught Zhang Ping the Shangqing Jing kou jue and xing qi fa men, as well as the twelve regular meridians and eight extraordinary vessels practice methods. After Zhang Ping memorized them, Tian Xū explained the kou jue to him and elaborated on the key points.

  "Have you both taken note of the rules?"

  "Disciple has taken note, Master."

  "Alright, let's head back to the temple now. After morning prayers, you can arrange your own activities, but don't stray too far from the temple. Let's go."

  The master and apprentice had just returned to the Guan when the morning bell began to ring. After going through the three purifications, four respects, seven fast eight slow twelve flat three times, the disciples in the Guan went to the main hall for morning chanting one after another.

  Zhang Ping followed Tian Xu to the grand hall, and even now his heart still has lingering fears. However, when he sat down smoothly on the cushion without any unexpected events occurring, Zhang Ping finally put his mind at ease.

  "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name..."

  The scriptures of the Tao Te Ching floated in the air as the crowd chanted in unison in the great hall. Zhang Ping also unconsciously followed along, reciting, "The highest good is like water... Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive..."

  As he recited the scriptures, Zhang Ping suddenly felt a sense of his soul becoming round and compact. However, being immersed in morning chanting, he didn't pay too much attention to it.

  After finishing his morning reading, Zhang Ping returned to his own room. He suddenly felt that everything around him seemed clearer and more agile. When he thought about it, he also became much more nimble.

  "Could it be because I recited the Tao Te Ching this morning?"

  Thinking of this, Zhang Ping couldn't help but stop practicing the new Xiqing Jing he had learned and started meditating on the Dao De Jing instead. "The mysterious and again mysterious, the gateway to all wonders..."

  Listening to the moral scriptures being recited from within the wing room, the Taoist priest Tian Xu smiled faintly and slipped away unnoticed.

  However, Zhang Ping recited the Tao Te Ching until lunchtime and didn't see any change in himself except for feeling hungry. "Where did I go wrong?" thought Zhang Ping for half a day without coming up with an answer, so he simply went to have lunch.

  In the afternoon, Zhang Ping did not continue his own recitation of scriptures. Instead, he followed the method of circulating Qi in the Shangqing Scripture and started running again in the Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian to lay the foundation for the next part of his cultivation.

  Benefiting from Zhang Ping's deep accumulation of Qi, as soon as night fell, Zhang Ping had fully adapted to the new method of circulating Qi in the Kidney Meridian. After dinner, Zhang Ping returned to his room and impatiently sent out his soul body.

  After breaking through, Zhang Ping found that his soul body was indeed more compact. The speed of flying escape seemed to have increased a bit as well. As usual, he sat virtually on the rooftop absorbing moonlight with his soul body, while his physical body ran automatically in the wing room along the Shaoyin Kidney Meridian.

  Just before dawn, he suddenly found that his palpitations for the dawn seemed to have weakened a lot. "Could it be that in the future, I may be able to leave my body during the day?" Thinking of this, Zhang Ping was excited. And now, Zhang Ping also had some guesses about the reason for the change in his soul.

  Then, after finishing his morning lesson, Zhang Ping arrived at the Grand Hall early to start his morning recitation. This time, Zhang Ping recited scriptures while sensing changes in his soul body. Unfortunately, there was no change in his soul body for now, and it was the same as when he recited scriptures in his room.

  Before long, when the morning bell rang out, the crowd at Shangqing Temple poured in. The chanting of the Tao Te Ching began to reverberate throughout the great hall. Zhang Ping was surprised and delighted to discover that his soul body had begun to undergo a profound transformation.

  "I see, I'll definitely propose it to the master next time. The Shangqing Temple not only has morning chanting, but also noon chanting and evening chanting..." Just thinking about the benefits that everyone's non-stop chanting brings to themselves, Zhang Ping's face is filled with silly smiles.

  "Bang" Zhang Ping, who was immersed in his own wonderful fantasy, suddenly felt that someone was sneaking up behind him. Turning around, he saw his master Tian Xu staring at him with a serious face.

  Then, Zhang Ping hurriedly "seriously" continued his morning reading career.