From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

However, although the Suez Canal is in Egypt, it was not dominated by Egyptians, but rather occupied by Britain and France, becoming an important channel for trade between Western Europe and Egypt.

Therefore, Jiang Liu and his group did not disembark at the port, but instead took advantage of the night to land twenty miles away from the port.

After the giant sea turtle helped Jiang Liu and his companions ashore, it submerged into the river and disappeared without a trace.

"We actually enjoyed the same treatment as Tang Sanzang and his disciples, having the privilege of riding a tortoise across the sea!" Lu Jin recalled Journey to the West, suddenly doubting whether the so-called 800-li Tongtian River truly existed—

Can a river that is 800 li wide be called a river?

It's clearly the sea!

“We should be thankful that the giant sea turtle didn’t ask us to ask the Buddha when we could attain human form.” Duanmu Ying was also cheerful.

"Speaking of the Tongtian River, do you know who the monster in this ordeal is?" Jiang Liu asked.

"The King of Inspiration!"

Duanmu Ying answered without hesitation.

"Now that you mention it, the Mermaid using the power of the Kunpeng from the Ruins of Guixu to reach the heavens, stirring up clouds and rain, and creating the sea eye, is quite similar to the Inspiration King's ability to manifest inspiration." Lu Jin realized that the Inspiration King could change the weather overnight, causing a heavy snowfall that froze the Tongtian River, just like the Mermaid using the power of the Qi formation to reach the heavens, influencing the weather, and stirring up storms. Aren't they similar in nature?

Therefore—

Whether it's regulating one's own energy flow and connecting it with the energy flow of heaven and earth, or using the local energy flow of nature to connect with the entire energy flow of heaven and earth, it can demonstrate immense power.

This is probably what is meant by "reaching the heavens"!

"Besides these, what's more similar between the Great King of Inspiration and the Mermaid is that they both misunderstood the meaning of cultivation."

Jiang Liu sighed, "In the concept of cultivation, Taoism often uses certain terms. For example, 'virgin boy' and 'virgin girl' refer to innate true essence."

Eating young boys and girls is a way to refine innate true essence.

However, this refers to the innate true essence cultivated by oneself, rather than something external.

The Great King of Inspiration wanted to eat the children of Chen Family Village, and they had to be his own. He even went door-to-door to investigate, and that was the reason.

Therefore, the King of Inspiration must be his own flesh and blood; otherwise, his true essence would become a 'fake essence'.

However, it is obvious that the King of Inspiration still misunderstood, because no matter how mysterious the innate true essence is, it is only useful to oneself. Taking the innate true essence of others as food... only appears in some sexual matters between men and women.

For ordinary people who do not cultivate, the union of male and female, where the true essence transforms into an infant from the primordial qi, is no longer present. Even if they were to eat it, it would be useless, at most merely providing sustenance.

This is roughly equivalent to using the metaphors in the alchemical texts as a statement.

The same reason.

In Jiang Liu's view, the Mermaid was probably the same. She had heard the legend of Chang'e flying to the moon and obtained the Hetu and Luoshu. After pondering it, she came up with the idea of ​​riding the Jianmu tree to ascend to the moon in order to achieve immortality.

All I can say is: I haven't read enough books.

of course.

It is also true that when Taoists and Buddhists write books, they always like to use metaphors and allegories. Without extensive learning, one cannot truly understand the true meaning behind them.

This is also the origin of the saying, "A true teaching can be conveyed in a single sentence, while a false teaching can fill countless volumes." The countless volumes of scriptures are not fake, but rather represent the desire to understand them.

Without understanding the correct meaning of those terms, one can only speculate blindly and easily make things worse.

"When you compare them side by side, they really do look similar."

Lu Jin nodded and pondered, "Aren't the names Yi Cheng Jin and Chen Guanbao also cultivation terms?"

“I know about gold.”

Duanmu Ying came from Jishetang and knew a great deal about prescriptions, including the "One Scale of Gold" prescription, which consisted of four liang of Rehmannia glutinosa, three liang of Poria cocos, two qian of Angelica sinensis, two qian of Dioscorea opposita, two qian of Schisandra chinensis, etc., and had the effect of replenishing essence and marrow, preserving vitality and strengthening fertility.

Jiang Liu also knew this prescription and added: "Actually, 'One Scale of Gold' is a key technique in internal alchemy practice. With each inhale, one lifts the breath back to the navel, and with each lift, one swallows the breath. Water and fire meet, which is used to harmonize yin and yang, strengthen yang and consolidate essence, and in essence, preserve true essence."

The meaning of "Chen Guanbao" is even more direct: "Chen" refers to Tang Sanzang, and "Guanbao" means to protect the true essence and prevent its leakage.

Whether it's Taoism or Buddhism, the first step in cultivation is to safeguard one's true essence.

Before embarking on the path of cultivation, there is no need to worry about the leakage of innate true essence. If you haven't cultivated it yet, how can you say that it's being leaked?

As long as you don't overindulge, it's fine.

However, once you embark on the path of cultivation, you must be careful when engaging in sexual activity. If you have a method of yin and yang cultivation, it is acceptable. If not, once you indulge in lust and lose your true essence and primordial yang, it will be troublesome to replenish it unless you are born with sufficient primordial energy or can absorb qi.

Jiang Liu brought these things up to remind Lu Jin.

Because he has already positioned his liver and kidneys in the central palace, his essence and blood are abundant and strong. It is not obvious now, but when he enters school, he may indulge in promiscuity.

As the saying goes, food and sex are human nature.

However, if one goes too far, or even accidentally depletes their true energy, it will take a considerable amount of effort to replenish it afterwards...

As for the references to Journey to the West and the cultivation principles contained within them, only Jiang Liu, Lu Jin, and Duanmu Ying could discuss them. Everyone else, including Gu Qian and others, was completely baffled. Even Jonathan, who could speak Mandarin, could understand every word, but when put together, he had no idea what they were talking about.

Look—

Foreigners like Jonathan may have a single sentence of true teachings, but they didn't grow up in China, they didn't study the Four Books and Five Classics, they don't understand cultivation, they don't have the corresponding culture for cultivation, and they can't understand it at all.

thereafter.

Jiang Liu and his group headed towards the port of Suez.

Captain Patch, the old security captain, and the three sailors bid farewell to Jiang Liu and his crew, preparing to find work nearby.

Gu Qian and the other eight, led by Jonathan, sold Yue Dan and rented a house near the Suez Canal, where they settled down temporarily.

Of course, Jonathan received a commission.

Jiang Liu, Lu Jin, and Duanmu Ying, led by Jonathan, arrived at a hotel in Suez Harbor, where Jonathan thoughtfully booked them a fine room.

"You three, get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow I'll take you to see my sister first." Jonathan knew how powerful Jiang Liu and the others were, and understood that they wanted to obtain official student status at Cairo University, so he planned to ask them to help him and his sister explore an ancient Egyptian tomb.

Hamnata.

The legendary city of the dead.

Jiang Liu agreed. In return for helping a female professor with archaeology, he would gain official status at Cairo University, saving him from most of the trivial troubles he would encounter during his studies over the next three or four years. Why not?

Can I come along too?

Duanmu Ying inquired.

“Of course!” After learning that Duanmu Ying was a young lady with ancient Eastern medical skills, Jonathan naturally wouldn’t refuse.

Even in the West, a similar principle applies to the East: aside from an unbridled, solitary madman, you should never offend a doctor, no matter who you offend, otherwise, who knows what unforeseen consequences they might cause during your treatment...

# Chapter 507 Evelyn

Day two.

At dawn, the rising sun casts a golden glow over the earth, as the Suez Canal is mostly desert and sand dunes with sparse vegetation.

Jiang Liu, Lu Jin, and Duanmu Ying were all cultivators. The former was completely unaffected by the time difference, while the latter two quickly adapted and had breakfast with Jonathan downstairs at the hotel.

Lu Jin and Duanmu Ying were a little unaccustomed to Egyptian food at first, but they got used to it and found it palatable, even having a unique flavor.

of course.

As for the curry, which looked like a mushy rice dish, Lu Jin and Duanmu Ying had absolutely no interest in trying it.

The same applies to the flow of rivers.

Jiang Liu would be willing to try curry from the 21st century, but in this day and age, the hygiene of curry served in such a small hotel is hard to guarantee.

He is not afraid of poisoning, nor will he torment his stomach.

However, Jonathan ate with great relish. As an Englishman, and an Englishman with not much wealth, he couldn't compare to those bourgeois people who could eat any food outside of the "food desert".

After the meal.

Jonathan then led the three of them to find a car and drove towards Cairo, the center of Egypt.

To be honest, with Jonathan around, Jiang Liu and his group saved themselves the trouble of finding a guide.

However, due to the poor quality of cars and road conditions these days, the car broke down three times on the road, causing it to take the group four hours to reach Cairo.

Cairo, the capital of Egypt, features buildings that are mostly gray-yellow and white-brown, blending in with the local environment. The streets are bustling with people, mostly locals, British, and French, and there is a constant flow of vehicles, making transportation very convenient.

Guided by Jonathan, the group changed buses several times before finally arriving at Cairo University.

It occupies a large area, is square in shape, with palm trees lining both sides of the road and lawns in sight. The most eye-catching feature is a tall clock tower and a palace-like building with a dome in the center.

According to Jonathan, that was the conference room.

Jonathan was also a competent "guide," introducing Jiang Liu, Lu Jin, and Duanmu Ying to the entire Cairo University before leading them to a building that resembled a pharaoh's hat.

This is the museum at Cairo University.

As we entered the building, Jonathan led the way, saying, "Judging by the time, my sister should have arrived in Cairo by now, and she should be here."

Walking through an ancient passage and pushing open a door, Jiang Liu was greeted by bookshelves filled with all sorts of books, all related to Egypt.

“My dear sister! It’s been so long!” Jonathan walked to a desk near the balcony, opened his arms to the woman who was reading a book, and gave her a big hug.

That was Jonathan's sister, Evelyn.

As an English woman, Evelyn has a high nose bridge, grey-blue eyes, and a beautiful appearance that also fits the aesthetic standards of Chinese people.

Why are you here so early?

Evelyn was happy to meet Jonathan, but she was also puzzled as to why he had arrived so early—was the Alexander really that fast?

"Actually, I'm a ghost now. The Alexander has been swallowed by the sea. In another month, you might receive news of the Alexander's sinking," Jonathan described in a funny way, even making a gesture of baring his teeth and claws.

But Evelyn didn't believe it. She just rolled her eyes, but then noticed Jiang Liu and the others, and looked puzzled again: "Are you international students? I don't think I've seen you before."

Evelyn wouldn't care if they were just international students, but seeing these three with her brother Jonathan—

Could it be that she was tricked by her brother and scammed out of money?

Thinking of this, Evelyn glanced at Jonathan, only to see him enthusiastically introducing the identities of Jiang Liu, Lu Jin, and Duanmu Ying.

This made Evelyn extremely curious.

"Hello, Ms. Evelyn, we are indeed here to study abroad, but Mr. Jonathan said that even with recommendation letters, it's extremely unfriendly to us Asians," Jiang Liu asked, confirming whether what Jonathan said at the beginning was true.

That's true.