Knife splashing

Chapter 23 Return to Gushui Village

"Pay back the money?"

Sha Lifei touched his big bald head and pretended to be confused and dumb, "Master, you must have remembered it wrongly. You are a master of the Xuanmen Sect. How dare I, Old Sha, owe you money?"

Wang Daoxuan was speechless, "That spring, in Chang'an Zuihua Tower..."

"Oh, I remember now."

Sharifei started to lie with his eyes open, "You forgot, I just invited you to drink, you were drunk that day and insisted on calling the most popular dancer, I couldn't stop you..."

"Is this happening?"

"Of course I have, and I am not abandoning you. In fact, a fellow martial artist is in trouble, and saving him is extremely urgent. I dare not delay."

"You know me, I'm always loyal..."

"Hahaha, never mind. Even if I'm inviting you, I'll do it."

"Master, look at this... Next time, next time I'll treat you!"

"Do you know?"

"Of course I am. Don't you see who I am, Sha Lifei..."

On the loess official road, three riders walked in the dust.

Perhaps it was because Li Yan was unfamiliar and had disguised himself, or perhaps Meng Haicheng was of low status and even if he suffered a loss it would not attract the attention of the Divine Fist Society.

All in all, the trip out of town went very smoothly.

Shalifai is just a slick gangster, while Wang Daoxuan is a sincere person. I don't know why these two totally unrelated people always have endless things to talk about.

The two chatted about this and that along the way.

Li Yan next to him was silent, with a lot on his mind.

It was almost dusk at this time, and because he stayed with Wang Daoxuan for a while longer and asked detailed questions, he finally got a general idea of ​​the situation in Xuanmen.

This world is more complicated than he imagined.

The practice of martial artists includes the levels of Ming Jin, An Jin, Hua Jin, Dan Jin, Gang Jin, Xiantian and Grandmaster. It all depends on one's own cultivation. With each step forward, the lethality of the moves will increase dramatically.

The practice of Xuanmen focuses on concentrating the mind.

The first step is to visualize the gods, and use their power to reach the point of commanding the soul and controlling supernatural powers.

As long as he succeeds, he will be able to suppress the magical power that is almost out of control.

And this is just the beginning of Xuanmen practice.

People eat grains and cereals, have seven emotions and six desires, and add to that the many troubles of the world. Even if they visualize a god, they will still be in danger of collapse at any time.

At that time, you need to concentrate and visualize again.

The solution is to build temples and palaces.

Through a ritual, a palace or tower is built for the visualized god in the sea of ​​consciousness to ensure its safety.

This is truly entering the mysterious world, which is called reaching a higher level of Taoism.

The more powerful the visualized god is, the higher the building is, and the deeper the Taoism is.

Therefore, when people in the Xuanmen talk about a high-ranking master of a certain orthodox religion or lineage, they will praise the person's level of Taoism, saying that his level is as high as several floors high!
In addition, there is no conflict between warriors and Taoist sects. For example, some high-ranking Taoists in Taixuan Orthodox Sect are also proficient in Taoist martial arts, but they are unable to do both due to their limited energy and lack of determination, so there are not many masters.

Some simply give up, like Wang Daoxuan, who is only proficient in boxing and kicking, and can deal with one or two hooligans, but when he meets a real martial artist, he can only be beaten.

But no matter whether it is a warrior or a Xuanmen, one key point is revealed:
There is no so-called spiritual energy in this world!

No matter how high your cultivation level is, you will still die when the time comes.

In this world, what matters is the strong energy and the evil energy, and there are many kinds of them.

For example, various famous mountains and rivers absorb the essence of the sun and the moon and condense the innate energy. Most of them are beautiful with clear waters and green mountains. Even some animals with magical powers practice in these mountains.

The technique of concentrating the mind or the powerful force of martial arts is the acquired power of the human being.

The statues of gods in Taoist temples, where incense and prayers condense, are called Shengang.

Powerful weapons and magical instruments can also condense powerful Qi.

The other is evil spirit, and all kinds of demons and monsters are related to it.

Of course, there is no distinction between good and evil between Gang Qi and Sha Qi.

If you use it right, you will be right; if you use it wrong, you will be evil.

For example, his Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Coin Knife Tassel is a weapon to suppress evil.

Various techniques and rituals, even Feng Shui, are based on this.

What is troubling Li Yan right now is how to concentrate his mind.

There are also many ways to concentrate the spirit. As long as you can visualize the spirit in your heart, it will be fine. However, this is not a random imagination, but a reflection in your heart.

After countless years of exploration, Xuanmen has developed a set of effective methods.

They will choose boys who have awakened their six yang senses, have them recite Taoist scriptures from a young age, meditate every day, and deeply engrave the ancestors or gods they worship into their minds, so that when they concentrate their spirits, everything will come naturally.

There are also the Taoist teachings passed down by Wang Daoxuan.

The Taoist method taught is called "Xixuan Dongming Zhenjing", and the ancestor worshipped is the three-eyed Taoist holding a sword, named Xuanqi Xianwei Chen Tianjun.

According to the book, this ancestor came from the mysterious Xixuan Cave Heaven.

For countless years, people in the Xuanmen sect have traveled thousands of miles to find all the innate sacred mountains in the land of China, and passed them down as blessed lands.

But because of the passage of time, some of them can be found, while others have become legends.

Take the Xixuan Cave Heaven for example. Some say it is in Jinzhou, some say it is in Guanzhong, and some say it is in Mount Huashan. No one knows its exact location, let alone finding the crucial Feng Shui spiritual key.

Therefore, Wang Daoxuan guessed that this legend was probably false.

Many Dharma lineages will give their ancestors resounding names and bizarre legends, which can not only promote the reputation of the Dharma lineage but also make it easier to concentrate.

This is also the difficulty of Li Yan.

Adults have complicated minds, and he also has memories of two lives. It is simply impossible for him to believe in the existence of a certain god without reservation. Therefore, he only has one way left.

Contemplate and concentrate your mind to reflect your true inner wisdom.

Li Yan already had a plan at this time, which was to use the statue in his dantian as the visualization target and concentrate his mind.

But this thing is too mysterious and the risks are unknown.

Since it concerns the life-extending treasure, there is no one he can discuss it with.

Fortunately, one needs to keep pure thoughts for many days when concentrating.

Li Yan decided to follow Wang Daoxuan into the Lu family first to find out what caused the substitute statue to react, and then return to Lijiabao to concentrate his spirit.

…………

When we returned to Gushui Village, it was almost dusk.

The wheat harvesters in the surrounding fields were still busy. They were all tanned and sweating profusely, but they kept waving their sickles.

Cartloads of wheat were pulled into the threshing floor.

They need to dry and store them as quickly as possible to avoid sudden rain.

The fight for food in Longkou is as tense as on a battlefield.

The three men rode past on horseback, and the wheat pickers didn't even have time to look up.

A simple tent was set up on the open space next to the wheat field, where Mr. Lu, his two concubines, and the housekeeper and guards were all.

Grain grabbing during the summer harvest is a big deal for any landlord.

Mr. Lu had to supervise the work personally, firstly to prevent the wheat pickers from being lazy, and secondly to give out rewards at appropriate times so that there would be a good harvest this year.

However, he was absent-minded and looked towards the official road from time to time.

"Why haven't you come yet?"

Hearing his question, Steward Lu beside him broke out in cold sweat and quickly lowered his head and said, "The master ordered not to make it public, so I can only look for these people. I heard that there is a priest of Taixuan Orthodox Church in the City God Temple of Xianyang City..."

Mr. Lu's face immediately turned cold. "I have my own decision on what to do. Do you want to teach me how to do things?"

"That's what the master said."

Butler Lu didn't dare to say anything more and cursed Sharifei in his heart.

But he knew that Mr. Lu, who looked kind and generous, could be cruel and ruthless once he got angry.

Even the two concubines beside them had fear in their eyes and their bodies were trembling slightly.

Just then, the sound of horse hooves was heard in the distance.

Seeing that Sha Lifei and the other two had returned, Steward Lu heaved a sigh of relief. He hurried forward and ordered someone to lead the horses and feed them. Then he approached Sha Lifei and whispered through gritted teeth, "Why are you here so late?"

It was Li Yan who wasted time, but how could Sha Lifei dare to say anything more? He laughed and said nonsense: "Master Wang, you are very busy and have invited many people. Today, a wealthy man from Chang'an came to invite you. If it weren't for my face, Sha Lifei..."

Wang Daoxuan, who was standing by, could not bear to listen any longer, so he stepped forward and said, "Imperial Longevity, I have been delayed by something, I hope you will not blame me."

Although Wang Daoxuan's abilities were average, his eyes were clear and upright, which made people feel good about him at first sight.

Steward Lu was no exception and quickly said, "No, no, thank you for your hard work, Taoist Priest."

Then, he led the few people to the pergola.

Mr. Lu had also stood up. After some politeness, he raised his hand and said, "Master Wang, you have come from afar. I have prepared some drinks. Please."

"Thank you, Mr. Lu."

Wang Daoxuan nodded slightly and followed Mr. Lu forward.

Li Yan and Sha Lifei were about to follow, but were stopped by Steward Lu, who whispered, "Why are you following me? Come with me to the side courtyard to eat."

Before Sha Lifei could say more, Wang Daoxuan turned around and said with a smile: "Mr. Lu, Mr. Sha wants to accompany me to the mountain to choose a place, and this little friend Li has entered the Xuanmen, so he is considered my junior brother. Can we..."

This was the story they decided on along the way.

They are all people of the underworld, and they have many thoughts in their minds. No matter how you look at it, there seems to be a hidden story behind this mission of the Lu family. Having two more people can help take care of each other.

Mr. Lu hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay."

After saying that, he led everyone into the Lu family mansion.

The walls of the Lu family mansion are quite high, and outsiders can hardly get a glimpse of its entirety except for the trees and pavilions that appear and disappear. But once you enter, you will realize that there is another world inside.

With four large courtyards as the central axis, there are academies, flower courtyards, long-term workers' courtyards and enclosed courtyards around them. There are alleys between them, and various brick carvings and wood carvings are exquisitely designed.

Even the layout of the flower pots along the way is exquisite.

Sharifei had already been dazzled, his face full of envy, and he said with a sigh, "As expected of Mr. Lu, if the old thief from the Rong family came to this house, he would be dizzy."

A tower-like man in the back heard this and his face suddenly turned bad. He sneered, "With us here, not even a rat can get into the Rong family's door!"

This person is none other than Zhao Cheng, the eldest disciple of Zhao Family Fist and the leader of the guards.

They are in the business of hanging things, and this is their livelihood. Of course they are unhappy to hear such words.

Sharifei chuckled and said, "I was just talking nonsense, don't blame me."

As they were talking, everyone had passed through layers of gates and entered a side courtyard. On the courtyard there was a plaque with the words "Lan Fang" inscribed on it. Servants were busying about inside, and the aroma of wine and food filled the air.

Mr. Lu said, "Everyone, this is Lanfang Courtyard, which is specially provided for guests to stay. I have prepared a banquet to welcome you."

On the table, there were eight cold dishes, eight hot dishes, eight meat dishes and eight vegetarian dishes.

It is not that exquisite. The cold dishes include mixed pig ears, mixed cowpea, mixed cucumber, spinach mixed with vermicelli, braised beef, etc. The hot dishes include fried hairtail, braised prawns, braised pork, steamed sea bass, etc.

But these things are usually only eaten by wealthy families when they have business to do.

Sha Lifei was already drooling with greed, but Wang Daoxuan looked calm and raised his hand and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Lu, although I am here, I may not dare to eat this meal."

"Why don't you tell me first, what happened in the mansion?"

"I'm afraid it's not as simple as just choosing a location..."

(End of this chapter)