Divine Tang Era

"Sister, let's be a little more formal today. Go and have someone bring over a table and chairs that are about my height."

"Oh, so the first two times weren't formal?"

Despite saying that, Li Zhu still had people prepare tables and chairs.

Soon, the table and chairs were set up. Xu Dan walked behind the table, took out the prepared gavel and feather fan, and placed them on the table, ready to begin his lecture. Today, he had specially worn a simple scholar's robe, and he really did look a bit like a storyteller.

Xu Dan glanced at the curious Li Zhu, Zhu Yuxian, and maids, held the feather fan in his left hand, and struck the gavel with his right.

"Snap"

"Today we're going to talk about the first chapter of 'Xue Gang's Rebellion Against the Tang Dynasty,' where the two Liao kings are buried at White Tiger Mountain and Di Renjie refuses a woman at Linqing Inn. Of course, this is all fictional, so please don't take it personally. If anyone comes looking for trouble with me later, you'll have to help them out, sister."

"I know, stop rambling, just tell me already," Li Zhu said impatiently.

"Alright, let's continue. The poem says:"

The unfinished book unfolds the story of the Tang Dynasty, depicting the loyal, the treacherous, the wicked, and the wise.

The illustrious Xue family has left its mark on history, and their skills have been passed down through generations to the imperial court.

Our book tells the story of Xue Gang's rampage at the Lantern Festival, killing a prince, causing the emperor's death, offering three sacrifices at the Iron Mound Tomb, protecting the Prince of Luling, and ultimately restoring the Tang Dynasty. It is said that Marshal Xue Dingshan, the Prince of Liangliao, and his wife Fan Lihua, having pacified Xiliang, were choosing a day to return to the capital. The day before, King Naro of the Tang Dynasty hosted a farewell banquet, where all the meritorious officials were present to drink. When the drinking was halfway through, Qin Han and his wife Diao Yue'e approached Fan Lihua and said, "Our master instructed us before leaving the mountain that once Xiliang was pacified, we should return to Yunmeng Mountain to cultivate immortality, no longer desiring worldly blessings..."

Xu Dan waved a feather fan and narrated the folk tales that were intertwined with history. To be honest, he really did have a bit of the charm of Zhuge Liang.

Li Zhu and the others became engrossed in the legendary stories he told.

Whenever I hear that good people are suffering, my heart aches; when I see bad people get their comeuppance, I can't help but cheer.

To be honest, Xu Dan didn't like Xue Gang. It was because of this guy's recklessness that his entire family was killed, and even their remains were trapped in the Iron Mound Tomb. His favorite character was Xue Gang's son, Xue Kui. This guy was practically a protagonist from another time. He had many adventures since childhood and was said to be the reincarnation of the Thunder God. He possessed boundless divine power, had received guidance from an extraordinary person, and was skilled in wielding a pair of 380-pound golden drum hammers, comparable to Li Yuanba reborn.

This story is also strange. Li Yuanba struck the sky with his hammer because of the thunder, and was killed by the falling hammer.

Xue Kui, however, is the reincarnation of the Thunder God and wields the Golden Hammer of the Drum. If the Tang Emperor were to find out about this, the Xue family would likely be executed again.

After several days of meticulous storytelling, selecting only the most essential parts, Xu Dan finally finished recounting Xue Gang's rebellion against the Tang Dynasty, thus concluding the Xue Family Trilogy. Having finished the story, he no longer went to Mingfeng Tower, spending his days at home diligently practicing the Seven Star Flying Steps and the Mind-Calming and Spirit-Hiding Technique. He refused to leave the house until he had mastered these two techniques.

The wilderness is dangerous. If you can't beat someone, that's fine, but if you can't outrun them, what's the difference between that and courting death?

In the past two days, as my practice has deepened, I have gradually mastered the Seven Star Flying Step, and the visualized seven stars are becoming more and more brilliant, gradually able to draw down a wisp of starlight.

In light of this, Xu Dan planned to practice for a few more days before integrating the footwork with the visualization of the Big Dipper. This was destined to be a long process and couldn't be rushed. After visualizing the Big Dipper, he returned to his room and took out the Mind-Calming and Spirit-Hiding Technique to study. Compared to the Seven Star Flying Steps, the Mind-Calming and Spirit-Hiding Technique was the most difficult.

Tranquilize the mind and nurture the spirit. The so-called nurturing spirit, also known as sleeping spirit or dormant spirit, means to rest and nourish the spirit. It is also a practice of gathering and controlling the body's energy.

To be honest, the most difficult part of the Mind-Calming and Spirit-Suppressing Method is not suppressing the spirit, but calming the mind.

Humans eat grains and cereals, and thus experience seven emotions and six desires. When sitting still, distracting thoughts arise, making it difficult to be at peace. Children are naturally innocent and it's not so bad, but adults, having experienced the world, have many desires within them, making it very difficult, very difficult, to find inner peace.

Although Xu Dan's body is that of a child, he has lived two lives, and his mind is more mature than that of an adult.

The method of calming the mind and taming the spirit states well: "Gather your mind and spirit in one place, concentrate your attention, and strive to make it clear and quiet. Do not let your mind be attached to the past. When your mind is not scattered, your consciousness will naturally melt away, the five aggregates will be empty, and you will not be tempted by external things."

Anyone can say nice things, but few can actually do them!

There is another sentence after this:

"All circumstances are created by the mind; without the mind, there are no circumstances; without circumstances, there is no mind. Ordinary people spend their days in the realm of sensual pleasures and material gains, their thoughts wandering, their six senses following what they perceive, immediately making distinctions. They are constantly calculating and pondering, without end, and their minds follow the changes in circumstances. As the sutra says, 'Because of the mind, all kinds of phenomena arise.' For example, events from yesterday and events from long ago constantly linger in the mind, and one cannot immediately let go of them. When the events have passed and circumstances have changed, the mind gives rise to other kinds of different delusions."

Everyone knows this, the important thing is how to do it.

Xu Dan flipped through the pages while making sarcastic comments, and then began practicing after finishing.

Although it is difficult, it is not impossible to cultivate.

In a previous life, amidst polluted air, various distractions, and entanglements of desires, finding peace of mind would indeed be difficult. But in Shentang, especially on the plateau, the air is so fresh that a deep breath can bring the sweetness of the wild meadows and grasses, inevitably diminishing one's desires.

Moreover, the nights on the plateau are silent and deathly still, without even the slightest noise.

Anyone who is in this place will gradually calm down.

Xu Dan, naturally, followed the method of calming the mind and suppressing the spirit, keeping his breath inaudible. With each breath, he imagined his pores closing and his body's energy receding. He didn't know how much time had passed, but his breathing became slower and slower, eventually becoming inaudible, and his body also became motionless, as if he were dead.

Yet the life force within my body remained, a truly wondrous feeling.

Xu Dan, seemingly dead, suddenly found himself in an unknown space, empty and desolate, with only seven stars hanging high in the sky.

"Hey, isn't this the place where I visualize the Big Dipper?"

To his surprise, the seven stars shone brightly, casting beams of starlight down. Xu Dan then realized that this time was different from the last; he now had a body. The starlight cast down by the seven stars was like flames, scorching his body. His body seemed to be set ablaze, burning rapidly and slowly shrinking until it was only the size of a sesame seed.

Although his size has decreased, Xu Dan feels that his strength has increased significantly.

The seven stars cast their light, which dimmed and disappeared into the starry sky.

In the space, only Xu Dan's tiny body remained. He looked at his hands and feet, feeling utterly bewildered. What was going on?

Suddenly, the space shifted, and he returned to reality. Xu Dan opened his eyes, his expression strange. What on earth happened? The book didn't say anything about it! He picked up the book that recorded the method of calming the mind and suppressing the spirit and flipped through it, but he didn't find anything about starlight or entering that space.

What to do then? Xu Dan didn't know either.

However, it seems that the method of calming the mind and suppressing the spirit has been successfully mastered, but it's hard to say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.