Sword from the Immortal Mountain

Chapter 15: Practicing swords in the mountains and reading in the house
The moonlight is like water, the mountains are high and the forests are dense.

Chen Jin is practicing sword.

He used the woods as his formation, the trees as his enemies, and the rocks and grass as his movements. He advanced and retreated, and his sword swung out as fast as the wind.

Chi Chi Chi!
The tip of the bamboo sword stabbed on different tree trunks, but it just touched them and did not penetrate.

"Sword Manual on the Mountain" emphasizes intention rather than strength, and emphasizes method rather than moves. Its style is extremely elegant, as straight as flowing clouds and water, and free and easy.

The lethality is just as good.

It can seal the throat, break the face, hurt the mind, and break the soul...

This is still the case due to the limitations of physical conditions. Once the essence and yang grow stronger and the blood boils, the power of the swordsmanship will be incomparable.

Today, the quality of life has skyrocketed. Not only can we eat meat, but also high-quality wild game.

Refining essence into qi requires particular attention to the quality of the "essence".

As the saying goes, “The better the food, the better the taste.” Being full is only the basic requirement, while eating well and eating well is the advanced pursuit.

However, refining essence into energy is a continuous process and it is impossible to become fat in one bite.

Starting over and practicing again does not mean going back to the old ways. Instead, we should take the opportunity to identify gaps, fill them, and correct our learning.

Only in this way can you truly understand what you are missing.

The environment and terrain are extremely suitable for practicing sword in the mountains. The biggest unexpected factor is the possibility of encountering hunters who come up the mountain to hunt.

Therefore, Laolang also took on the role of a sentry, responsible for patrolling. Once he made any discovery, he would give the alarm at any time so that Chen Jin could avoid the enemy.

Chen Jin’s thoughts and actions are very simple. He just doesn’t want to be disturbed too much by the outside world.

After killing Liu Laoer and others, I thought it would attract the big fish behind the scenes, but there was no movement.

If the other party doesn't come, it's just what I want, so I can concentrate on practicing. It's also good to wait until I'm almost done practicing, then go find the other party.

Several days passed in a flash.

Chen Jin's body shape and physique had changed significantly. He was no longer the pale and thin sickly look he had before. His eyes were clear and bright, and he looked energetic.

Essence Yang is the innate foundation. Refining and improving it can comprehensively improve a person's mental outlook, such as the perception of the five senses.

If one practices to great success, one can be reborn and have his bones and marrow strengthened.

Chen Abu noticed the changes in his nephew but didn't think too much about it. He thought it was because the food had improved.

Chen Jin gave a lot of food expenses, and a few days later, he gave it again, which seemed quite generous.

This shocked Chen Abu and his wife. They didn't expect Chen Jin to have so much money.

Do you make all that money by copying books and writing for others?
No wonder they say “Books are the golden house”.

This way of making money is really fierce.

Chen Abu was of course happy that his nephew had become rich and successful, and his family also benefited from it. Every day, they could eat greasy food and feel very satisfied.

……

"The Master said: You, I will teach you to know! To know what you know and to know what you do not know is knowledge..."

That morning, Chen Jin was reading in the house.

During the day, he often studied poetry and practiced calligraphy.

It's not only because of the obsession left by the scholar, but also because when reading and writing, one can feel a rare sense of relaxation and calmness.

The scholar's obsession with studying and taking exams, and his desire to get a place on the list of successful candidates, is deeply engraved in his bones.

Chen Jin did not object to this and just let things take their course.

Reading books to clarify one's goals can hone one's determination and patience, which can also be considered a form of spiritual practice.

After reading a page, he stepped out and saw Chen Abu standing in the small courtyard with his hands hanging down.

He had been here for a while, but when he heard the sound of reading in the room, he didn't come to disturb. "Uncle, are you looking for me?"

Chen Abu smiled innocently: "Ah Jin, let me tell you, there is a banquet in the village today, which will start in the evening. It's almost time for you, so come over."

Chen Jin asked: "Whose wedding is this? A wedding, or a move-in?"

Chen Abu said, "The village head's family has invited the household gods. So they held a big banquet and invited all the people in the village to come and have a feast. The scene was so spectacular! They even killed ten pigs."

His tone was full of envy.

"Please the household gods?"

Chen Jin asked, "What kind of household god did you invite?"

Chen Abu replied, "It's the household god. Inviting the god into the house to protect the house and bring in wealth is incredible. In our area, the village head's family is the only one that can afford a household god."

At this point, he paused and continued, "It is said that the reason why the village head was determined to invite the family god was related to his son Chen Liang. Aren't you and Chen Liang classmates? A while ago, he came to find you and wanted to go with you to thank the gods and fulfill his vows. But you were not there. You went into the city and never came back."

Hearing this, Chen Jin immediately recalled the relevant memories.

That's true.

At the beginning of the year, before preparing to take the boy's exam, Chen Jin and Chen Liang went to the Confucian Temple in the county to worship and pray that they could pass the exam and obtain the title of scholar.

This is called “making a wish”.

Once a wish is made, it must be fulfilled. According to folk customs, wishes should not be made lightly, nor can they be made without being fulfilled.

Otherwise, it would offend the gods, and what you would get would not be protection, but retribution.

Chen Jin said: "Chen Liang and I both passed the examination for the tongsheng level, not the xiucai level. Logically, we shouldn't go to thank the gods and fulfill our vows so early."

Chen Abu said: "That's not clear. Maybe he wants to go to the temple to worship more. The more you worship, the more gods will bless you. Anyway, it's a good thing."

Chen Jin: “…”

He doesn't think so. In the realm of Shintoism, worshipping gods is a matter of rules and regulations, and it is not something that can be done over and over again or randomly.

Therefore it is said: Offering sacrifices to ghosts and gods that are not yours will bring disaster.

Then, he asked some questions about the household gods and gained more understanding.

During this dynasty, Shintoism flourished and various temples emerged in large numbers.

Mountains have mountain gods, water has river gods, and there are many different city gods and land gods.

As for individuals, ordinary people are not qualified to build a family temple.

The Book of Rites stipulates that the emperor has seven temples, princes have five temples, officials have three temples, and scholars have one temple; common people have no temples.

Common people could only worship their ancestors in the clan’s ancestral hall.

This is called "ancestor god".

However, most of the ancestors of ordinary families did not have a good background and lacked outstanding deeds and experiences, so it was difficult for them to become gods. Their divine aura was extremely dim and they were unable to manifest their spirits.

In view of this, some wealthy families, for the sake of home safety or to seek greater development, have asked immortals to perform rituals and enshrine household gods in their homes.

In recent years, this custom has become quite popular among the people, especially among wealthy families, and almost every household will invite the household god into the house.

Household gods have become one of the standards for measuring a family's wealth and status.

As for the rank and function types of household gods, the range is very large and each one can choose according to his or her needs.

Some wealthy families would even invite multiple household gods into their homes, which was quite ostentatious.

Although Chen Jin is a cultivator, he doesn't know much about these situations.

This is because he and his master went to the immortal mountain to practice the way of immortality, not the way of gods.

(End of this chapter)