Hidden moth

Chapter 34 A sudden turn

He Kao's "secret method" was in his mobile phone. He shamelessly added Lin Qingshuang as his friend, sent the secret book to Lao Qian and Lin Qingshuang's mobile phones respectively, and then explained the origin of the book.

The two sorcerers were stunned. Qian Guran asked, "If you want to find a secret manual, why don't you buy it from a street vendor?"

He Kao: "Ah, where can I find a stall like this?"

Seeing that he was actually still interested, Lao Qian replied in a bad mood: "There are many second-hand book stalls in the local Confucius Temple, and there are also people selling fake ancient books, among which you can find so-called immortal magic."

Lin Qingshuang couldn't help but laugh, "Well, I also bought a copy of 'Zeng Yan Wan Yu Xian Shu' there, and it contains a method for 'growing fairy peaches.' Plant a peach pit, and a peach tree will grow. In no time, you can harvest a basket of peaches."

He Kao: "Is there such a magic?"

Lin Qingshuang had been feeling heavy lately due to the death of her disciple, and now she felt like laughing. Qian Guran also joined in the fun, saying, "Of course I do. I've even eaten peaches from the Danding Sect."

Lin Qingshuang finally smiled: "Stop teasing that silly boy!"

Then he explained to He Kao, "Dan Ding Sect does have a similar secret method, but it's not as exaggerated as 'Planting Immortal Peaches', and it's a sixth-level technique, which requires at least the elder level to perform.

If you really try to grow peaches according to the method described in that book, it would be completely ridiculous."

Qian Guran joked, "If Confucius Temple isn't enough for you, transportation is very convenient nowadays. You can get to Pingjing in three and a half hours by buying a high-speed rail ticket. There's a place called Panjiayuan there where you can collect a lot of secret manuals."

He Kao knew the two masters were teasing him, but he still said stubbornly, "Those secret manuals should be available online."

Lin Qingshuang shook her head and said, "That's not necessarily true! I once read a thread-bound collection of ancient poetry. Judging from the inscription and the writing style, it must have been written by a woman four hundred years ago. The poetry was quite good.

Unfortunately, the ancient book no longer has a cover, and I don't know the author's name, so I searched for the poem online, but found nothing. There are many things that cannot be found online, or at least are not public information.

Qian Guran nodded and said, "Yes, yes, I have searched the names of several ancestors and some of the techniques on the Internet, but I found nothing."

Lin Qingshuang frowned and asked, "Have you ever done something like this?"

Qian Guran said awkwardly, "I was young then, new to the art, and curious about many things...A few years ago, the clan law hall issued new rules prohibiting all disciples from doing this, so I never did it again."

He Kao accidentally heard a piece of gossip. A few years ago, the sect's Dharma Hall issued a new rule prohibiting disciples from searching for information that should not be disclosed, such as the content of magic.

This is understandable, considering that the search keywords themselves are also recorded data, potentially leading to leaks. So why wasn't there such a rule in ancient times? Because the internet didn't even exist back then!
He Kao interrupted and asked, "I heard Zhao Huanzhen mention the Zongfa Hall yesterday. What is the Zongfa Hall?"

Qian Guran: "You can think of it as a joint meeting of elders, or a decision-making committee of the sect..."

In Lao Qian's eyes, He Kao was now equivalent to a disciple of the Shu Sect, so he had nothing to hide and gave a brief introduction.

The level of the clan law hall is still far from what He Kao could achieve. Lin Qingshuang brought the topic back to the topic, smiled and shook her head, saying, "Although there is a lot of information online, in terms of completeness and reliability, it is not as good as the street stalls."

After saying that, he was afraid that He Kao would misunderstand, so he quickly added, "Of course, the secret manuals sold on the street cannot be considered secret manuals!"

In a sense, what she said was correct. Although there were many "secret methods" on the Internet, most of them were fragmented information, spread by rumors and modified countless times. Moreover, the source of this information was mostly those secret manuals sold on the street.

He Kao was actually explaining seriously, looking rather adorable: "Looking for secret manuals on street stalls, flipping through them one by one, and then editing and compiling them, how long will it take to find them?
As the times progress, we have to use the latest technology.

I used my expertise to write a program that automatically collects information, uses artificial intelligence to edit and compare, and integrates the generated versions."

Qian Guran and Lin Qingshuang were both amused and laughed out loud.

Old Qian grabbed the teacup and took a sip. "Is this what you call cultivating immortality with big data? I think you're doing the job of an AI trainer!"

He Kao said, "Old Qian, you also understand technology!" He picked up the teapot and refilled Qian Guran's tea, then said, "First, you two take a look at this secret method I compiled, and then I'll grill some meat.

The food we just baked is already cold, and no one has forgotten to eat it, so let’s just eat while we watch… This pot of tea is cold too, I’ll go make a new one.”

He climbed out of the pit and, without calling the waiter, went out with the kettle and opened the door to make tea himself. Qian Guran and Lin Qingshuang were looking at the "cheat book" on their phones. The more they looked, the stranger their expressions became, and they would glance at each other from time to time.

He Kao came back with the tea and started grilling meat again. This time everyone started eating while watching.

Seeing that Lin Qingshuang finally put down her phone, He Kao quickly asked, "Senior, is there any problem with this secret technique?"

Lin Qingshuang: "Which page have you reached?"

He Kao had printed this set of secret techniques, using size 4 font on A paper, with some illustrations, for a total of twelve pages.

He Kao: "The first page, I practiced over and over again, and it was all the stuff on the first page."

Qian Guran said with a smile: "If you follow the description above, you will be able to fly on clouds after practicing to the ninth page!"

He Kao: "I know the latter part is too far-fetched, but I feel like the first two pages should be practiceable. They're just the introduction to visualization... Are there any problems with them?"

Lin Qingshuang: "I don't quite understand the technology you're talking about, artificial intelligence? It's really bold in programming, and you're really bold in practicing it!
The introductory content you're practicing now doesn't seem to be a big problem. But you have to know that a secret method is a secret method. Even if it's just a little bit off, it will go in the wrong direction..."

Lin Qingshuang and Lao Qian are both experts. Looking at the set of techniques compiled by He Kao, at least in terms of the introductory content, many of them are similar to the techniques they have practiced before, and many things can be said to be similar.

This is a skill, not a technique.

When people talk about art schools and sorcerers, they often think of magic. This is because magic is the visible, overt means of performing the art, while the skills are the invisible foundation for performing the art. It's difficult to describe them properly; only through personal practice can one truly understand them.

I can only make an inappropriate analogy. The skills are like the method of cultivating electrical energy, and the techniques are like various electrical appliances, which are the ways of applying electrical energy.

Skills are fundamental, but techniques are also crucial, as even the simplest light bulb requires a series of considerations, including the structure of the bulb and the material of the filament.

The main difference between the various techniques of the art is that they choose different breakthrough directions. Nowadays, when people talk about art, they actually include its basic skills.

The basic skills of each technique are similar, with some common parts and some subtle differences, which are equivalent to the roads opened up in the mountains.

As for He Kao's "Big Data Secret Method," at least for the introductory content, neither Qian Guran nor Lin Qingshuang could call it "fake." Ordinary people could try practicing it, but getting started was extremely unlikely.

He Kao's situation is rather special. He has a good foundation and is in a state of being about to get started but has not yet done so.

What's wrong with this secret method? It's primarily because it has too many omissions and missing elements. It lacks the true mental formula, and it's missing crucial supporting elements like elixirs and advancement rituals. In theory, it's impossible to practice.

What are the mnemonics of the mind method? For example, many exercises include the step of "focusing the mind on the Dantian". It seems that you can understand it at a glance, but can you really master it?
What does "mind-concentration" mean? Is it focusing attention on a certain point, or maintaining a certain feeling? Both are right and wrong, because it has no practical practical application and is just a vague expression.

At this time, someone needs to make an annotation, such as: "I am in Dantian."

Then the two words "I am" are a kind of mental formula.

Different mental methods represent different schools. For example, "I am in the Dantian" is the emphasis of the ancient School of Conservation of Spirits, and among the techniques, it belongs to the characteristics of the Danding School.

As soon as the expert spoke, he knew whether there was any problem or not. He Kao listened attentively. As soon as the other party finished speaking, he immediately said, "Thank you for your guidance! Otherwise, I would be practicing blindly by myself and who knows what kind of problems I would have developed!"

I really want to practice the secret method, so I did this. I wonder how I can get the true teachings?"

The sex scene finally came, and Lao Qian said with a smile: "Xiao Kao, now you know that Wu Yanjun's identity is awkward, and he is not yet a formal disciple of the Shumen, so it is difficult to give you an answer.

There are established rules and regulations for accepting disciples in martial arts schools since ancient times. Let me explain them to you first..."

He Kao thought he was going to talk about the requirements for qualifications and character, but Lao Qian only introduced the requirements for age and seniority.

The sect requires that one's cultivation must reach the second level or above and be over forty years old before one can pass on the techniques and accept disciples.

The master must be at least twenty years older than his apprentice. For example, if the master is fifty years old, the apprentice he accepts cannot be older than thirty.

For the same master, the age difference between all disciples cannot be greater than 20 years. For example, if the oldest disciple is 40 years old, then the youngest disciple cannot be younger than 20 years old.

The so-called convention is an implicit rule that everyone follows by default. Unless there are some exceptions caused by special opportunities, no one will deliberately violate it.

These rules may seem strange at first glance, but the art has been passed down for thousands of years, and many traditions have their own reasons. There is no need to explain too much at the implementation level, just follow them.

It may be to ensure that the master has sufficient experience and authority, and also to maintain a relatively reasonable inheritance order.

According to these rules, Qian certainly could not accept He Kao as his apprentice. First of all, Qian himself was less than 40 years old and only a dozen years older than He Kao.

But Lin Qingshuang perfectly meets the requirements. She is a third-level sorcerer, more than 30 years older than He Kao, and has never accepted an apprentice before. Lin Hualei was only a disciple of her deceased Taoist partner.

Even if Lin Hualei was his disciple, he was only six years older than He Kao, not more than twenty years older.

Some people may question whether these rules are reasonable. For example, if Lin Qingshuang was not here today, and Lao Qian discovered that He Kao was a good seedling, could he not accept him into the sect?
This situation is actually easy to deal with. He can recommend He Kao to his master, which is equivalent to accepting him as a junior apprentice. If the master is no longer around, he can also recommend He Kao to the elders in the sect, as long as the elders are willing to accept him as a disciple.

Old Qian finally said, "Xiao Kao, I am quite optimistic about you, but unfortunately it is not easy for me to accept you as my apprentice, and my master has passed away.

Back then, I became a disciple by chance, so I wasn’t very familiar with the other elders in the sect. Fortunately, Senior Lin is here today…”

There was no need for him to say more. He Kao immediately leaned over to pour tea for Lin Qingshuang and said earnestly, "Senior, if I were to study magic under you, what would your requirements be?"

Lin Qingshuang picked up the teacup and smiled: "I haven't thought about accepting a disciple in these years, but today I see that you are sincere in seeking the Dharma and have a good foundation. As for your character and temperament, I have also observed them. You are a promising talent..."

He Kao was eagerly waiting for the next part, but she suddenly paused at this point, as if she had encountered some incredible unexpected situation, and her expression froze for several seconds.

Looking at the money over there, it surprisingly had the same expression, like a dazed statue.

He Kao didn't understand what was going on, and subconsciously looked back. There was no alien invasion in this private room?
When she turned back, Lin Qingshuang had come back to her senses, with a look of both regret and surprise in her eyes. She continued with her previous words, but changed her tone and said, "I opened a medicine shop in Hengzhou, and I usually sit in the medicine shop.

Xiaokao, if you need help with anything, you can come to Hengzhou to find me in the future. But I'm not young anymore, and my cultivation has stagnated for many years. Sigh... forget about taking me in as a disciple."

He Kao froze, never expecting such a turn of events.

Although he had not practiced the art of qi-reading like Lao Qian, he had been able to read people's expressions since he was a child. Just now, Lin Qingshuang had clearly been planning to nod, meaning that she wanted to take him in as her disciple.

What happened that made her suddenly change her mind?
He Kao was unwilling to give up. He reacted quickly and said, "Excuse me, Senior, is there anything inconvenient for you? Even if it is inconvenient for you to accept me as a disciple, you can still tell me what to do."

Qian Guran said, "It's just a small test. You have a great opportunity, and it's not easy for us to interfere! Let's not talk about becoming your disciple today. Let's have a drink first and treat it as making friends."

**
(End of this chapter)