With virtue

After settling the three children and sending Chen Wanchuan down the mountain, Zhao Yunshu temporarily stayed at the Quyang kiln site. Sun Shouxin, as expected, dared not neglect his duties and personally prepared a secluded storeroom at the west end of the kiln site, with its doors and windows tightly sealed and the walls clean and tidy.

This old foreman may be slick and slippery in his work, but his efficiency is undeniable.

Then it's just a matter of waiting for what you're looking for.

These things fall into two categories.

The first category is medicinal materials, divided into two piles, which are respectively tempered by water and fire, and used to regulate qi and blood.

First, one should use substances that replenish qi and fire to strengthen the yang qi in the blood and qi.

First, there's Astragalus membranaceus, which must have yellow skin and white flesh, and the cross-section of the slices should resemble chrysanthemum petals for it to be effective. Next is Codonopsis pilosula, preferably the Lu Codonopsis pilosula, Lion's Head variety, with dense horizontal lines. Then there's Cinnamomum cassia, which must be Annam oil cinnamon, with a purplish-red inner layer after peeling off the bark, and cinnamon oil that oozes out when scratched with a fingernail, with a pungent and spicy aroma. Also, there are three Aconitum carmichaelii roots, which can be sliced ​​into black aconite, already processed to remove toxins, only to be used for its warming and yang-tonifying properties.

The most important ingredient is deer blood. Deer is considered to have the highest yang energy, and its blood is most effective in replenishing yang energy and clearing the Du meridian. It must be fresh deer blood and should not be stored for long periods.

Then there are those that nourish yin and replenish qi, used to tonify yin qi. The first one is angelica, which should be half head and half tail. The head of angelica nourishes blood, and the tail promotes blood circulation.

Furthermore, only prepared Rehmannia root, which has been steamed and dried nine times until it is black as lacquer, sticky to the touch, and leaves no fingerprints when pinched, has sufficient medicinal power.

White peony root must be from Hangzhou, with thick, round roots and a pale red cross-section like a sunset. Goji berries should be one ounce each, large and fleshy, with a sweet taste and no bitterness.

Another harmonizing medicine is roasted licorice root, which is used for its sweet and warm properties to harmonize water and fire.

Three ounces of white poria cocos strengthen the spleen and eliminate dampness, preventing water from overflowing. One and a half ounces of Achyranthes bidentata guide the medicine downwards, returning it to the dantian and dantian.

The second category is items used for drawing talismans. A stack of yellow paper, which must not be straw paper, must be tough and not easily torn when folded. When held in the palm of your hand and examined against the light, the paper texture should be uniform and without broken veins.

The cinnabar must be the finest arrowhead cinnabar, bright red like blood, and when ground finely, it should feel smooth to the touch without any grains.

A jar of sake, specifically for mixing with cinnabar.

After gathering all these items, Zhao Yunshu closed the door to the secret room and settled down deep within the kiln site.

Sun Shouxin was indeed efficient. Within two days, the items listed on the order were delivered one after another. The medicinal herbs were wrapped tightly in oiled paper, a stack of old yellow paper was neatly stacked, and even the deer blood was sealed in a porcelain bottle, still warm.

Zhao Yunshu checked everything one by one and nodded secretly. This old leader, aside from anything else, was indeed a very capable person.

So the young Taoist priest closed the door, sat cross-legged on the couch, and turned the yellow book to the page about fulfilling dreams.

The monk in the painting has a snake wriggling beneath his robe, a stark contrast to his benevolent appearance during the day, but the water and fire techniques he demonstrates are flawless.

He incorporated the inner landscape into the painting, and upon close examination, the key to the water and fire techniques within the painting slowly unfolded, layer by layer, like peeling away layers of silk.

The human body is nothing more than yin and yang.

The two characters Yin and Yang represent water and fire, respectively.

The two characters "water" and "fire" refer to qi and blood.

Water transforms into vapor, fire transforms into blood.

When vapor adheres to matter, it returns to water.

For example, when you breathe out in winter and it turns into fog, it is proof that vapor has turned into water.

The body's vital energy originates in the lower abdomen, specifically in the dantian (energy center). Below the navel are the kidneys and bladder, the place where water resides.

However, this water cannot transform into vapor on its own. It must rely on the inhalation of the yang energy through the nose to draw the heart fire down from the lungs to the navel, where it steams the water and transforms it into vapor.

Just like the Kan hexagram in the Book of Changes, where one yang is born in water and becomes the root of life force, and when water and fire complement each other, energy is generated.

The so-called art of water and fire, in essence, is nothing more than qi and blood.

That demonic monk was well-versed in this art. His water and fire techniques involved using the Yin Snake as water and the living person as fire, mixing the two together to create the initial phase, thus enabling him to control water and fire.

This path is wicked, but the principle is sound; the only difference is the use of different water and fire.

Zhao Yunshu's internal landscape technique is a method of observing the circulation of qi and blood in one's own five internal organs. It is the same as the water and fire techniques but different in origin. It is only necessary to change the source.

He didn't need to learn those sinister methods from the evil monk to find water and fire; that was just a substitute method devised by a nobody who had no spiritual insight.

He only needs to master the way of circulating qi and blood to master the proper art of water and fire in harmony.

From an internal perspective, the heart belongs to fire and is located in the upper burner, while the kidneys belong to water and are located in the lower burner.

The heart fire needs to descend to warm the kidney water and prevent the kidney water from becoming too cold; the kidney water needs to ascend to nourish the heart yin and restrain the heart yang to prevent the heart fire from becoming too excessive. The two maintain a dynamic balance through mutual support between yin and yang.

At that time, by using the water of the kidneys and the fire of the heart, one can not only strengthen one's own heart and kidneys, but also control water and fire, thus creating a magical art.

Having figured this out, he first divided the medicinal herbs into two portions.

The yang energy is divided into several parts. Astragalus is sliced, Codonopsis is stripped of its rootlets, and the outer bark of cinnamon is scraped off.

Break the aconite root into small pieces, rinse them with clean water, and simmer them over low heat on the stove.

The other herbal medicine for replenishing yin energy was prepared in the same way: angelica root was cut into sections, rehmannia root was sliced, white peony root was crushed, and impurities were removed from goji berries. They were then simmered in a separate pot over a low flame.

Two pots of medicinal soup were bubbling away, one pot was reddish-brown and the other was black, the room filled with the lingering aroma of herbs.

After each of the two pots of medicinal soup had been boiled down to just one bowl of concentrated liquid, he filtered out the dregs.

Mix the two bowls of thick juice, one red and one black, together, add half a cup of deer blood, and place them back on the alchemy furnace.

The moment the deer blood was added to the medicine, there was a hissing sound in the furnace, and the red and black medicinal soup churned violently, splitting into two layers on its own—the upper layer was as red as cinnabar, and the lower layer was as black as iron, with a faint golden line in the middle, which was a symbol of water and fire interacting and yin and yang complementing each other.

This is the so-called "Completion" phase, which requires the medicinal materials to be of sufficient age and the cooking time to be just right, and is extremely rare.

Zhao Yunshu was secretly delighted, but remained outwardly calm, carefully controlling the fire in the stove to allow the medicinal soup to slowly thicken over a low flame.

Then, after waiting a while, he wanted to take it off the heat.

There was a soft "poof" sound...

It stinks.

Zhao Yunshu was not discouraged. Although he was used to refining medicine before, after all, it was one of the Taoist's signature skills, refining this kind of medicine was still too difficult.

He immediately started cooking the second batch.

Without a doubt, the second batch also went bad.

But it doesn't matter, there are enough medicinal herbs, enough to boil ten more batches.

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Three days later...

Zhao Yunshu's face was extremely sour.

Wow, I really cooked ten batches! And not a single one turned out right!

If it weren't for the supply of materials, it would have taken him several years to collect medicinal herbs just to get started with the art of water and fire!

He's getting anxious!

There are only two or three pots of medicinal herbs left.

But there was no other way. I took a deep breath, calmed my trembling hands, looked at the visualization to relieve my emotions, and then continued...

One more time, one more time.

However... perhaps practice makes perfect, this time, at the last moment, his hand trembled, but the medicine didn't spoil.

Slowly reduce the medicinal soup until it is almost dry, then boil it into a paste.

After it has cooled completely, roll it into dozens of pills the size of tung seeds and put them into a porcelain bottle.

There are no special effects; it's not some kind of magic pill.

But the medicine was made.

The next step is to put the practice into action.

Zhao Yun comfortably swallowed a pill, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, concentrated, and immersed himself in inner vision.

Within the inner vision, the medicinal power enters the abdomen, initially like warm water flowing over the dantian, then gradually generating warmth, and then gradually generating coolness. The two sensations of heat and coolness slowly ascend along the Ren and Du meridians, with the heat returning to the heart and the coolness returning to the kidneys.

He examined it closely with his observational skills and saw that his heart palace was brighter than usual, and the mysterious water in his kidney palace had a more vibrant undercurrent.

Even more remarkably, a subtle connection was formed between the heart fire and the kidney water. The fire energy descended, and the water energy ascended. When the two energies met at the Tanzhong acupoint, they trembled slightly, rising and falling with each breath, like the tides responding to the moon.

The two elements, Yin and Yang, complement each other and maintain a dynamic balance, which is the principle of "water and fire in harmony".

Having worked on the landscape for so many years, he had become very skilled at controlling the inner landscape. At this moment, he used the medicinal power to open the key points between the water and fire energies and visualized the method of blood and qi circulation in the visualization picture of the dream fulfillment. In just a few hours, he touched the threshold!

Once he crosses the threshold, even if that demonic monk were to be resurrected and fight him again, he wouldn't be afraid!

But please don't let it actually come back to life. Gunpowder can only be used once; if you really want to risk your life, forget it.

Zhao Yunshu continued his research on the arts of water and fire.

Time passed slowly, while outside the secret chamber, the kiln continued to operate day and night, as if nothing had ever happened.

Sun Shouxin would deliver three meals to the door every day, but he wouldn't say anything. He would just knock on the door to remind the person, and then leave after scanning his face.

He was anxious, but dared not urge them aloud.

However, after a two-day break, it was heard that Zhou Chengan had Wang Haiting deliver two messages, saying that the children were doing well in the kiln and that the Taoist priest could rest assured.

Zhao Yunshu listened but didn't expose him; he just smiled.