Under One Person: Starting with the Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul

Lu Jin took out a dark, black root and placed it on the table, saying:

"This aged He Shou Wu is the principal ingredient in the Marrow Cleansing Pill."

"Polygonum multiflorum (He Shou Wu) is poisonous if it's not aged enough, and excessive consumption can lead to liver failure. Only when it's aged enough can it be considered medicine."

"Only he shou wu that is over a hundred years old can nourish the liver and kidneys and replenish essence and blood, so it is the chief of marrow cleansing."

Then, he took out several medicinal herbs, placed them on the table, and introduced them one by one:

"There are three auxiliary medicines... they assist the principal medicine!"

"There are also three adjuvant herbs... They are for correcting imbalances and preventing the Polygonum multiflorum from being too strong and harming the body."

"The two ingredients are the guide; without them, this pill would be like a pile of loose sand, each going its own way and never reaching its destination."

Li Chang'an counted: "One ingredient for the monarch, three for the ministers, three for the assistants, two for the adjuvants... nine ingredients in total?"

Lu Jin nodded: "Yes, nine is the extreme of Yang numbers, which is in harmony with the secrets of heaven. The refining of the Marrow Cleansing Pill requires the medicinal materials to be steamed and dried nine times. Steaming once and drying once, repeating this nine times, to bring out the medicinal properties. Then, using the rootless water at midnight, it is boiled over a strong fire and simmered over a low fire for seven days to form the pill."

"It sounds a bit complicated," Li Chang'an said.

"Not complicated."

Lu Jin said, "Our Sanyi Sect is not a sect that mainly cultivates external alchemy. We have very little knowledge of external alchemy. The few pills we have are only used to assist in cultivation."

"The effects of this Marrow Cleansing Pill will wear off after three months. However, there are some new pills to assist in cultivation."

Lu Jin looked at Li Chang'an and said seriously, "Chang'an, Grandfather can help you refine the pills. But Grandfather hopes you will refine them yourself. After all, this is your own cultivation."

In Lu Jin's view, Li Chang'an was destined to shoulder the heavy responsibility.

Some crucial things, of course, need to be taught step by step.

If he had simply prepared these things for Li Chang'an for convenience, wouldn't they have been lost after Li Chang'an's death?

"Grandpa, please help me get a pill-making furnace," Li Chang'an said.

"That's for sure. That empty room of yours was originally intended for alchemy."

Lu Jin said, "Come, let me explain some details about alchemy to you in more detail."

That day, Lu Jin explained the method of refining the Marrow Cleansing Pill from beginning to end.

From how to identify the age of medicinal herbs, to the timing of nine steaming and nine drying processes, to the importance of taking water at midnight, to the timing of switching between high and low heat, he taught everything in great detail.

Li Chang'an listened and took notes simultaneously; his photographic memory allowed him to etch every detail into his mind.

But the decades of experience Lu Jin spoke of couldn't be mastered simply by memorizing. He planned to try refining one sometime soon.

Over the next few days, Li Chang'an's schedule became fixed.

In the morning, he followed Lu Jin to learn how to make medicine. Lu Jin would teach him step by step how to identify herbs, prepare medicines, and control the fire...

During breaks from refining medicine, Lu Jin would intersperse his explanations with details about the circulation of Qi. He would explain which meridians were most active at which times of day, and which acupoints required extra attention during Qi circulation.

In the afternoon, there was a class on traditional Chinese culture. Lu Jin would talk to him about the classics of the three religions, with Confucianism being the most important, and occasionally Buddhist and Taoist scriptures would be interspersed as references.

In the evenings, Li Chang'an would return to his room to study, either meditating and practicing the Reverse Rebirth Triple Technique, or practicing the Yuyang Sword Technique in the courtyard.

Lu Lin was also cultivating the Reverse Life Triple Realm, but their schedules were completely out of sync.

Lu Lin goes to school during the day and only practices cultivation with Lu Jin when she comes back at night.

The two of them spent almost no time together, one during the day and the other at night.

This was arranged intentionally by Lu Jin; both sides were equally dear to him.

If two children have different aptitudes and progress at different times, it's inevitable that one will be favored when they are taught together.

Rather than that, it would be better for him, as the great-grandfather, to work a little harder, teaching one during the day and another at night, so that both of them could receive the best guidance.

In the past few days, Li Chang'an encountered a problem when he entered meditation.

Even though he tried very hard to calm his mind and clear his head, perhaps because he was deliberately trying to achieve that state of complete absorption, he always fell just short.

However, although he couldn't enter the state of complete absorption, Li Chang'an's level of tranquility was still very high, and his cultivation speed remained fast.

That morning, Lu Jin was teaching Li Chang'an how to refine medicine.

The medicinal soup in the alchemy furnace was bubbling away, and the whole room was filled with the bittersweet aroma of Polygonum multiflorum mixed with Polygonatum odoratum.

Lu Jin poked at the embers in the stove with a bamboo skewer and asked casually:

"Chang'an, have you... entered that state again these past few days?"

Actually, he wanted to ask every day, but each time he swallowed the words back, afraid of putting pressure on Li Chang'an. But today he just couldn't hold back anymore.

Li Chang'an shook his head: "Perhaps it's because I'm trying too hard, and I always fall short."

After listening, Lu Jin sighed: "It's Grandfather's fault for putting pressure on you. If Grandfather hadn't brought this up, and you hadn't paid attention to its importance, you might have been able to go back in."

Li Chang'an laughed and said, "It's not your fault, Grandfather. Even if you hadn't said anything, I would have known the benefits of this state."

Lu Jin said, "Chang'an, you have trouble calming down because you're deliberately trying to enter that state, so you can't, right?"

Li Chang'an corrected him, "I didn't consciously think about it. But the thought just pops up from time to time."

"That's being a bit obsessive," Lu Jin said. "Because once you have this thought, even if you don't consciously think about it, it will pop up from time to time."

As he said this, images of his master and fellow disciples flashed through his mind.

He wasn't consciously thinking about them when he said those words, but their figures just appeared out of nowhere.

This is a common occurrence for him.

He often thinks of them when he sees beautiful things, wishing they were still here.

This is actually an obsession. He understands all too well what an obsession is, so he doesn't want his disciple to develop an obsession because of it.

As for how to break free from obsession, he wasn't very good at it. Not only did he fail to break free from his obsession, but he also turned it into a delusion, a demon in his heart.

However, precisely because he is deeply involved in this matter, he has also done a lot of research on it.

"Chang'an, your grandfather will teach you a method. Thoughts are both powerful and weak. If you try to suppress them, they become incredibly powerful."

"But as long as you see it, face it, even if you do nothing, it will gradually fade away on its own."

"It's like the surface of water; if you try to manipulate it, you'll make it turbulent."

"But if your consciousness sits high above your mind, just quietly observe it, let it come and go as it pleases, and do not respond to it. It will eventually return to peace because it is helpless against you."

"And at that moment, you are at ease."

"By facing the myriad delusions with non-action, one will ultimately attain freedom."

"The free and easy you is not a withered piece of wood; the free and easy you can do anything."