"Qi-reading technique... remarkable!" I gazed at the squirrel's small eyes and couldn't help but clap my hands in admiration.
"What kind of qi-reading technique is this? It's not even the basics," Yao Yao chuckled.
"But I could see it!" I exclaimed.
"Seeing is just the most basic thing. It's like learning arithmetic; being able to see is equivalent to memorizing the multiplication tables, nothing more," Yao Yao gently, yet effectively, deflated my newfound confidence.
"...You know multiplication tables too?" I asked, surprised.
"Why wouldn't I know them? I received an education, you know, I'm not illiterate." Yao Yao retorted with a hint of bewilderment.
Ah, I remembered. It wasn't strange for her to know the multiplication tables. While many foreigners today might not be able to recite "one times one equals one," Yan Xia had already developed this multiplication table during the Spring and Autumn period. From babbling toddlers to street vendors, everyone could recite it backwards. It was a small, yet crucial, part of Yan Xia's brilliant traditional culture, contributing to the Yan Xia people's innate arithmetic abilities.
"Let me see your eyes." Yao Yao stood on tiptoe, pried open my eyelids with her fingers, and observed them. She shook her head. "No, you've overdone it. Your true qi is not sufficiently abundant to control it."
With that, Yao Yao released my eyelids and waved her hand in front of my eyes. As I reflexively closed them, Yao Yao began to gently massage my eyes with her warm palms. When she removed her hands and I opened my eyes again, the soreness was indeed gone. However, the previous super-vision had vanished, returning to normal. When I tried to concentrate my energy again to "activate" that vision, I found myself unable to do so, feeling like I had strength but nowhere to apply it.
"Wasted effort..." I frowned.
"Not wasted at all. It's about gradual progress. Today, you've essentially recited the 'multiplication tables' ten times, it's half-familiar. Next time you practice, you'll probably be able to recite it by heart," Yao Yao smiled.
I suspected she had interfered with my "cultivation." According to her, if I progressed too quickly, could I suffer from qi deviation?
Yao Yao must have had a deep-seated aversion to the concept of "qi deviation," and she didn't want her "disciple" to experience it again.
"Then how should I train to gradually increase my true qi?" I asked.
"Tonight, I'll teach you how to circulate true qi. Once you've grasped the qi-reading technique, you'll be able to understand more clearly how true qi circulates within the body. For ordinary people, reaching the 'Inner Vision of True Qi' realm takes ten years. You're already far, far faster than them," Yao Yao said, offering a sweet reward after a slight blow, though I wasn't sure if it was genuine.
Autumn in the Northeast arrived with early darkness. After taking a cigarette break, the sun was noticeably setting in the west. Yao Yao excused herself to use the restroom and strolled into the ancient temple. I ate a piece of cured meat to replenish my energy. She still hadn't returned after I finished, so I called out a few times. Receiving no response from Yao Yao, I grew a bit worried and followed her inside.
Walking past a leaning incense burner, I entered the small main hall. I saw Yao Yao standing before a statue, staring blankly.
"Who is this?" I whispered. The statue was over two meters tall, intricately carved. Despite being heavily weathered, it was complete, with clear facial features. It depicted a handsome, clean-cut male Taoist priest.
Yao Yao glanced back at me and said indifferently, "My former master."
"Oh?" I immediately felt a surge of reverence. To think I would encounter Mu Jige's teacher, that shaman, here! I had imagined him to be an old man, but he was so young and handsome!
I looked around, found a half-torn, worn-out prayer mat, picked it up, and brushed off the dust. I placed it before the statue, knelt on it, and respectfully kowtowed three times to the elder: "Ancestor, please accept this humble bow from your descendant, Wu Chengfeng."
Yao Yao was amused by my respectful gesture. "It's just a piece of stone. Why are you so serious?"
"You seem very serious," I replied.
"I'm not being serious because he's my master, but because of his looks. Judging by the craftsmanship, this stone statue was probably carved by my master himself."
He carved himself, and then enshrined himself? This elder was quite... whimsical.