Chapter 159 (1/2)
Chapter 159
Cultivation 101
”Are you kiddingstared at the book in Zi Yuan's handThey were now inside Xin Hua Bookstore at the medical section, where stacks of medical texts—ancient and modern—filled a shelf that ice as tall as he wasApparently, the Canon of the Yellow Thearch was the only book he needed to learn the basics of CultivationNopeNot Ka
Zi Yuan smirked”Why are you so surprised?”
”It's a medical text!” And an ancient one at that
Okay, well, the text had its merits, he supposedIn fact, he was pretty convinced that the Canon was an effective cure for a chronic illness that had plagued enerations—insoo onelulled into sleep
But stillThe Canon of the Yellow Thearch? Seriously?
The Yellow Emperor wasn't even a Cultivator! How could he possibly write a book that held all the secrets to Cultivation?
”It is a medical text, sure,” Zi Yuan said casually”But it also covers all the basic concepts in Cultivation TheoryThings like the Yin-Yang Principle, the five ele, Nutrition Theory, the anatomical properties of your meridians, even the theory behind Qi controlIt's all in there”
Li Yundong took the book from Zi Yuan's hand and stared at it for a h it carefully”
He'd do anything to becoer
”You are no doubt surprised that the tenets of Cultivation can be found in an ancienta looked up from the book”WellI just find it a bit hard to reconcile with real-world facts, you see?”
There was a loud snort, which sounded totally derisive and bitchyLi Yundong glanced to his side just in ti her eyes at him
”Many practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine have read this book,” Li Yundong said, glaring at Ruan Hongling”Yet none of them became badass CultivatorsThat doesn't hed out loudLi Yundong's gaze snapped to herDid she justDid she just laugh?
”Critical thinking and observation are important skills for Cultivators to have,” Zi Yuan said, nodding approvingly”Keep up the inquisitiveness”
Li Yundong shrugged casually
”And to answer your question,” Zi Yuan said, taking the book froh the book until she stopped at one page”Take a look at this”
Li Yundong took the book againThere was a long passage on the open pageWait, on second thoughtIt wasn't even a passageIt was a poem”What's in here?”
”Most readers would just ski poeticBut that poem actually contains a deep principle in Cultivation” Zi Yuan tapped a finger on the open page”This is only one of the s like that” Zi Yuan ree”The point is, yes, this book is accessible to the publicA lot of people have it on their shelves, that's trueBut not many comprehend its true depths”
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Li Yundong closed the book and noddedBring it on, then…
”How much do you know about the history of our school?” Zi Yuan asked”The Zhengyi School”
Li Yundong was surprised by the question, but he didn't let it show”Notca on their door the other day, but he didn't learnthe transition between the Spring and Autu State period, Lao Tzu authored and published his fa”
”AhaThat I do know,” Li Yundong said
Guess those boring lectures in the History of Chinese Literature hadn't been a total waste after allHooray
Zi Yuan nodded”Then youeventually inspired a religious , a brilliant scholar, read and understood Tao Te Ching during his early teensWhen he grew up, he decided to start a school to spread the teachings of Lao Tzu”
Li Yundong slapped his thigh”I know this one! It's called the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice!”
He read about that during one of his internet searches
”That's rightOur school has a lot of namesThe Way of the Five Pecks of RiceThe Way of the Celestial MasterBut we generally go by the Zhengyi School these days,” Zi Yuan said”Ours is the first ever Taoist school to existA lot of other Cultivation schools caht”
”Do you kno Zhang Daoling ain so ht bulb went off inside his head”A healerHe was a healer, wasn't he?”
Zi Yuan nodded”CorrectBack in the days, there were tays to win the respect of the people and h the practice of the healing artsAnd the second was—”
Li Yundong snapped his fingers”Martial arts”
”Exactly,” Zi Yuan said, nodding approvingly”However, there is a key difference between the two”
”Uh… hello? They are both coave Zi Yuan a dry look”I'm not that stupid, you know”
Zi Yuan chuckled”NoThat's not what Ito the difference in terarner fro frowned”How so?”
”WellA great martial artist will be revered and respected, that's trueBut…” Zi Yuan raised a finger”A great healer is more likely to be loved, trusted, and worshi+pped by people”
Li Yundong shrugged”Thatlives, but the art of healing is the art of preserving lives”
Zi Yuan nodded”Which is why an their Cultivation journey as healers”
”Which is also why I' the Canon of The Yellow Thearch
”Yeah, yeah, yeahBig dealI'vepiped in”I can even recite it backwards inpointedly at Ruan Hongling”Isn't toin the text, but to fully comprehend the concepts it expounds” Zi Yuan looked towards Li Yundong”Once you're able to do that, you'll realize that the concepts are all interconnected”
”OkayGot it,” Li Yundong said, placing the book under his ar”
Li Yundong walked away from the shelf but then stopped a few steps laterHe turned around sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck”Uling burst into laughter”No money?! Pfft! Look at hier rose in hih of your attitude, you little bitc—”