Hidden moth

Chapter 243: A Long Vacation is Required to Purify the Body and Soul

After frying the pork belly, He Kao used the remaining oil in the pot to make another dish of stir-fried diced whip shell.

Many people have only seen spring bamboo shoots emerging from the ground, or winter bamboo shoots that have not yet emerged from the ground, but have never eaten another kind of bamboo shoots, which are the buds of bamboo whips, called whip sheaths or whip bamboo shoots, which taste more fresh and crisp.

The whip sheath will not grow into bamboo above the ground, but will only grow into new bamboo whips hidden under the soil. Whether stir-frying or stewing the whip sheath, it is best not to make it completely vegetarian. A slight hint of meat can enhance the flavor.

The pan had just been used to fry pork belly, and the wild boar oil was mixed with the jade sycamore seed oil. He Kao used his spiritual sense to collect the juice when frying the whip sheath, so no juice was wasted.

The whip sheath was not bought outside, but was dug out in my own yard.

He Kao's house is a cross-courtyard house. There is a gap of more than one meter between the left and right sides of the building and the wall. A row of bamboos is planted along the wall from the front yard to the back yard, which can block the sight of neighbors and serve as a good landscape embellishment.

Planting scattered bamboo in the yard is actually very troublesome because its bamboo shoots will spread everywhere and even damage the foundation of the wall. So if you want to limit the bamboo shoots from running around, you can remove the bamboo sheaths that are beyond the designated area.

This thing is buried underground and cannot be seen at all, but it is not a problem for He Kao.

Look at today's meal. The wild boar belly, sycamore seed oil, Yunxi leaves, and whip sheath were not bought from the market, but were collected and prepared by He Kao himself.

This is like an ancient natural economic model, but it made He Kao vaguely realize what it means to have great power within oneself.

Some people's understanding of "great power belongs to oneself" is often limited to individuals possessing extraordinary power, and being able to occupy a higher class or class status without relying on other social relations, especially production relations.

Although this understanding cannot be said to be completely wrong, it is somewhat contrary to the truth, because it is still external-seeking, believing that once an individual possesses great power, he can take whatever he wants from others and thus obtain various satisfactions.

The so-called great power is not actually financial or military power. Those are just some external forms. To be more precise, it is a kind of self-sufficient ability. Many desires do not need to be sought from outside, and even cannot be felt by relying solely on external means.

Take, for example, the home-cooked meal that Ho Kao made today.

Even if great power belongs to oneself, in fact, one still needs to deal with the world and others. Some people think that it is a two-pronged approach from the technological civilization that makes good use of external things. This is another misunderstanding.

It is said that the ultimate level of spiritual practice can create the world, and everything in the world of course includes technological civilization.

A realm like that is certainly unattainable for He Kao today, and even Elder Jiang is far from it. But that does not prevent it from existing in theory. Otherwise, why would people still practice?
No one is completely satisfied with just reaching the third, fifth, or seventh level. As long as there is a glimmer of possibility, they will pursue higher levels of cultivation, even if it is just a glimpse of light.

Looking at Wei Luo eating with his mouth full of saliva, He Kao was distracted again and started to think about the problem of how to attribute the great power to himself. For some reason, he was inexplicably distracted today.

He Kao, who was distracted, got up and went to the kitchen to bring back two bottles of oil. The bottles were not big, each holding only half a pound, and there was a small gourd next to them.

"We didn't make much Jade Sycamore Seed Oil this year. Please take this pound to Elder Jiang so he can have a taste of his hometown over there.

This gourd contains Jade Wutong seeds, all aged seventeen, nineteen, and twenty-three years. You can consume them directly. I don't know if they will be helpful to your cultivation, but in short, they are just a local specialty."

Wei Luo had already cleared away all the dishes on the table, leaving not a single leaf behind. He pouted and said, "Why do you always act so serious when you talk to me?"

He Kao was a little slow to react: "What's wrong with me?"

Wei Luo: "I just said clearly that I will fast after this meal. Are you tempting me with two bottles of oil again?"

He Kao was puzzled and asked, "I was just about to ask, why do you want to fast?"

Wei Luo: “Don’t you know?”

He Kao: "How would I know!"

Wei Luo: "According to Master's request, I will be in seclusion in Jinghua Cave Heaven after I return this time, for forty-nine days!"

There are many types of fasting, and even ordinary people can try it, the only difference being the duration, purpose, and method. Cultivators often practice fasting, and the method and duration depend on their cultivation.

To completely abstain from food, one must be at least a seventh-level cultivator. Wei Luo was a fifth-level cultivator, and a 49-day fast was usually considered the limit.

There are many kinds of so-called seclusion. Ordinary seclusion is just closing the door to visitors, ignoring worldly affairs and not seeing outsiders. In modern society, it is also necessary not to use mobile phones or surf the Internet, but the daily diet is still normal, and someone needs to deliver meals.

But there is another kind of retreat which is to sit in meditation for a long time, during which time one cuts off all external influences and of course does not drink or eat.

When one sits in meditation for a long time like this, one can sit for several days or even dozens of days, as if entering a dormant state, and no food or residue can be retained in the stomach and intestines.

Therefore, to enter a long meditation, one must start fasting at least three days in advance to clear the stomach and intestines, just like Wei Luo at this moment. So she wanted to eat something good this time, because she wouldn't have anything to eat for many days to come.

He Kao had inherited the techniques of fasting a long time ago, which was something that all high-level sorcerers had to master, but he had never practiced fasting or gone into seclusion for a long time, so he didn't react just now.

He Kao: "I see, that's how it is. You must have worked hard!" Wei Luo tilted his head and looked at him and said, "Hard work? Have you never been in seclusion for a long time?"

He Kao: "Indeed not. My skills are not deep enough and I don't have enough time. I am just an office worker."

Wei Luo: "That shouldn't be the case! When your cultivation is still shallow, you naturally don't have this kind of power. But when you reach a certain level, you must sit in meditation for a long time to purify your body and mind, otherwise it will be difficult to make further progress.

This does not mean that you have to practice in seclusion all the time, but when you reach a certain stage in your practice, you must take this step and have this basic skill.

If you don't have time during normal times, how can you not have time during the holidays? I suggest you try it during the Spring Festival holiday. You can first do a seven-day long meditation retreat. Don't forget to start fasting at least three days in advance..."

These words surprised He Kao. He actually had such a rule, but after thinking about it carefully, it should be true.

Some time ago, he felt that his cultivation had reached a certain limit and he needed to adjust his practice method and start with internal training. For this purpose, he even personally refined the awakening incense.

The Jade Wutong Seeds replenished his vital energy, and the refreshing fragrance nourished his spirit and soul. From the perspective of cultivation resources, it could temporarily meet his needs. He could practice the fundamental mental method at his current pace, sitting still every night.

But no one reminded him that this was not enough. Sitting in meditation at midnight every night was just a daily practice. When one's cultivation reached a certain level, one had to purify the body and mind. At a certain stage, one had to enter into a long period of meditation.

The three elders might not have had time to remind him, or they might have thought it wasn't the right time, or they might have simply not thought to remind him. This was simply a matter of common sense, and He Kao couldn't have failed to realize it.

He Kao himself actually didn't realize it, but was exposed by Wei Luo today.

He Kao nodded quickly and said, "Thank you for the reminder. I will try it."

Wei Luo: "If seven days is too short for you, three or five days will do. Purifying your body and soul will take at least three days. You can use this to test your own skills. If you can't do it, don't force yourself."

He Kao: "What else is there to pay attention to?"

Wei Luo: "We must have a safe place. If there is a possibility of being disturbed unexpectedly, we must have someone to protect us."

He Kao: "I understand. I will pay attention."

Wei Luo: "After eating your meal, I will leave soon. Do you have anything else to ask?"

He Kao was lost in thought, and for a moment he didn't answer. Wei Luo frowned again and said, "If you can't remember, forget it! I came to say goodbye to you, and you've been asking so many questions. Don't you have anything else to say?"

He Kao: "Have a safe journey, successful cultivation, and a happy New Year! I'll treat you to roast suckling pig next time..."

Before he could finish his words, He Kao suddenly felt dazed, as if he was distracted again. Not only was his mind distracted, but his body seemed to be frozen along with his brain. Then he felt a warmth on his lips, which was soft, tender and fragrant.

When he came to his senses, Wei Luo had already disappeared out the door with the things.

He had just eaten roasted pork belly, and there was still a little oil on his lips, but now it had been wiped away by another person! This, this, was he being rubbed with oil?
He Kao was not angry at all. He only came to his senses at this moment and even blushed!

He had clearly been ambushed, and had been held captive for several seconds by the spell cast by Wei Luo. As far as He Kao knew, there were several spells with similar effects, and the one Wei Luo had cast wasn't the Lingxi technique, but rather the Xingshen technique.

This girl also practiced the Xingshen technique? Given her cultivation level and the personal relationship between Elder Jiang and Elder Li, it wouldn't be a problem for her to practice the Xingshen technique, but it's unlikely that she would break through to the fifth level. A third level would be good, and at most the fourth level.

But this is not right.

Although He Kao had never practiced the Xingshen technique, he had received a complete inheritance and understood its profound principles. The method Wei Luo had just used was the simplest application of the fundamental mental method, at a level no higher than the third order.

Wei Luo suddenly cast a spell, and He Kao should have been able to react. Even if he couldn't react, he could still cast a spell to prevent the other party from succeeding. But He Kao didn't do that. He believed that Wei Luo had no ill intentions, and of course he couldn't fight back.

However, this level of magic can only influence a person in a guiding way, and it is impossible to forcibly change a person's inherent will, let alone a fourth-level sorcerer like He Kao?
In other words, if He Kao really didn't want to, it would be unlikely for her to control him for several seconds... As long as she succeeded, it meant that in He Kao's subconscious mind, he did not reject such behavior.

It wasn't because He Kao was so thoughtful that he could come up with these ideas, but rather because he could deduce the conclusions through logic based on the profound principles of the relevant techniques. However, if someone else were in this situation, they might not make such logical inferences.

What did she mean? Take advantage and run! Did Old Man Jiang know?
Wei Luo is four years younger than He Kao, and is twenty-two this year. She's not tall, but has a slender figure and a beautiful face. Although not as plump and full-bodied as E Zong, she's also full and mature, a beauty of a different kind...

"Hey! What am I thinking about?" He Kao seemed to be looking at a non-existent mirror, criticizing himself in the mirror, "Humph, scumbag! Well, the best scumbag in the world..."

The next day, He Kao finally returned to work at the company. He sat at his familiar workstation and did his familiar work. At noon, he still went to the restaurant downstairs to eat the free buffet.

He had just finished getting his meal and found a place to sit down when someone placed a tray across from him and greeted him, "Are you He Kao? I'm a new employee in the business unit, my name is Mei Guyu. We'll be colleagues from now on."

**
PS: Happy National Day! Happy long vacation! Please give me double the monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)