4: Chapter 4 Jade Changes Color

Tianxuan Calendar · Year 17 of Taiping · Autumn

Seven days.

Lu Chen walked back and forth between The Cave and the Ruined Temple for seven days.

Every morning he went up the mountain to find Mo Wen. Every afternoon he returned to the temple to practice Guiding Qi into the Body. Every night he sat cross-legged, practicing what he had learned during the day over and over.

On the seventh night, he gripped the jade and felt something different.

The jade was still white.

But it wasn't as clean as before; it looked like a piece of white cloth that had been soaked in grey water, with a faint layer of grey covering the surface.

Lu Chen brought the jade near the fire to look at it.

It was indeed grey.

It wasn't the whole piece that was grey; there was a grey thread in the middle, extending from the center of the jade outward, as if something was growing inside.

"It changed color." He said.

His voice was flat.

No excitement, no agitation, just stating a fact.

The next morning, he showed the jade to Mo Wen.

The old man took it, held it up to the sun, and squinted at it for a while.

"Grey."

"I can see that." Lu Chen said.

"Grey Spirit Root." Mo Wen threw the jade back to him. "The worst kind. It doesn't touch the Five Elements, not even as good as mixed Spiritual Roots. Mixed Spiritual Roots can at least touch upon Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, or Earth, but Grey Spirit Root touches nothing."

"So what do I Cultivate?"

"Cultivate 'Nothing'." Mo Wen said. "A Cultivation Technique outside the Five Elements. You can't take the conventional path of immortality. You can't perform Alchemy, you can't perform Artifact Refining, and you can't fly on swords."

"Then what can I do?"

Mo Wen looked at him, a hint of something indescribable in his eyes.

"You can survive."

Lu Chen didn't understand this sentence, but he didn't pursue it.

Mo Wen continued: "Grey Spirit Root has a slow Cultivation speed, but it has one advantage — it isn't restrained by the Five Elements. Water restrains Fire, Fire restrains Metal; these have nothing to do with you. You can learn any Cultivation Technique, but you cannot master any of them."

"Then what should I learn?"

"Learn to live first." Mo Wen stood up and patted the dust off his body. "Let's go. No Cultivation today, come with me to find something."

"Find what?"

"Medicinal herbs." Mo Wen said. "You have no Spirit Stones and can't afford Spirit Pills. If you want to Cultivate faster, you have to take medicine. To take medicine, you have to recognize medicinal herbs."

Lu Chen followed Mo Wen into the forest.

The old man was very familiar with this mountain. He knew which part of the forest grew which herbs, which stream had fish, and in which direction there were wild beasts.

"This is polygonatum, for replenishing Qi. It can only be used after ten years."

"This is Lingzhi, it hasn't matured enough, don't pick it."

"This is fleeceflower root, dig it up with the root, don't break it."

Mo Wen walked in front, pointing as he went, and Lu Chen followed behind, taking notes.

In one morning, he memorized seventeen kinds of medicinal herbs.

Back at The Cave, Mo Wen took out a broken clay pot, washed the herbs picked in the morning, threw them in, added some water, and put them on the fire to boil.

"What is this?"

"Medicinal soup." Mo Wen said. "Drinking it helps you with Guiding Qi into the Body faster. It's not as good as a Spirit Pill, but better than nothing."

The medicinal soup boiled for four hours, boiling down to only half a bowl.

It was pitch black and smelled bitter.

Lu Chen took it and downed it in one gulp.

It was so bitter he frowned.

Mo Wen laughed: "It being bitter is right. If the medicine isn't bitter, it doesn't cure the illness."

Lu Chen put down the bowl and wiped his mouth.

"Boil more tomorrow?"

"Change the recipe tomorrow." Mo Wen said. "You can't eat the same herbs until the end; the body will get used to it. Once it gets used to it, it's useless."

Lu Chen nodded.

In the following days, he went up the mountain every morning, followed Mo Wen to identify herbs, pick herbs, and boil medicinal soup.

After drinking it, he would sit cross-legged and practice Guiding Qi into the Body.

The Spiritual Qi came faster and faster.

The first week, three wisps.

The second week, five wisps.

The third week, seven wisps.

The fourth week, ten wisps.

The warmth in his chest was no longer just warmth; it had turned into a mass of warmth, like a cluster of cotton wool, loosely gathered there.

Lu Chen could feel it slowly rotating.

Every time he performed Guiding Qi into the Body and new Spiritual Qi fell in, that cluster of cotton wool would vibrate slightly, as if it were alive.

The twenty-seventh day.

Lu Chen drank the medicinal soup as usual, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

The Spiritual Qi surged in from all directions.

Faster than before, more than before.

He tried, just as Wang Qishan had written, to "guide" them into his Meridians.

The Spiritual Qi began to move.

It wasn't him pushing; it was after he "let go," they moved on their own.

Starting from his chest, moving down along his arms, passing through his shoulders, upper arms, elbows, forearms, all the way to his wrists.

It stopped when it reached his wrists.

It was like a wall blocking the way.

Lu Chen tried three times, but the Spiritual Qi couldn't get through.

He opened his eyes and asked Mo Wen: "It can't get past my wrists, what's going on?"

"Your Meridians are blocked." Mo Wen said. "Normal. You've lived for eighteen years, and your Meridians have never been cleared; it's impossible for them to open all at once. Take it slow, guide a little every day, like water dripping through stone."

"How long did it take Wang Qishan?"

"It took him two months to clear his Meridians." Mo Wen said. "He had a Spiritual Root and it still took him two months. You — at least double that."

"Four months?"

"At least." Mo Wen said. "And this is just the beginning. Only when all the Meridians in your body are cleared can you truly enter Level 1 Qi Refining."

Lu Chen was silent for a while.

"Too slow."

"Cultivating is slow by nature." Mo Wen said. "Those who reach Foundation Establishment in three to five years either have resources, talent, or Opportunity. You have none of the three, why would you be fast?"

Lu Chen didn't speak.

Mo Wen looked at him, his tone softening slightly: "Slow has its advantages. Those who are fast are prone to falling."

"Fall to death?"

"You won't fall to death, but you will fall into being crippled." Mo Wen said. "Ruptured Meridians, regression of cultivation, Qi Deviation — these are worse than death."

Lu Chen nodded.

"Continue."

He closed his eyes again and continued Guiding Qi.

This time, he didn't think about "not getting through," he just guided.

The Spiritual Qi surged to his wrists, was blocked, and scattered.

He guided again.

Blocked again, scattered again.

Again.

Again.

Time and time again, the Spiritual Qi would be blocked as soon as it surged to his wrists, like water hitting a stone, shattering into spray, then retreating.

Lu Chen wasn't anxious.

He said to himself in his heart: "A year is a year. Four months is four months. Take it slow."

The thirtieth day.

Lu Chen went up the mountain as usual.

Mo Wen was not at the entrance of The Cave.

He was inside The Cave.

Not sitting, but standing. Standing at the very back of The Cave wall, reaching out to touch the line of words — "Never Cultivate".

"You're here." Mo Wen didn't turn his head.

"I'm here."

"Do you know why I live in this cave?"

"I don't know."

"Because I have sinned." Mo Wen said.

Lu Chen didn't respond.

Mo Wen turned around and looked at him. His eyes were very calm, so calm it was as if he were talking about someone else's affairs.

"Wang Qishan was brought here by me. That unknown person was also brought by me."

"You brought them?"

"Yes." Mo Wen said. "When I passed through Qingniu Town, I told them there were secrets of immortality in this mountain. They believed it, they came, and they died."

"Why did you tell them?"

"Because I wanted to verify something." Mo Wen said. "I wanted to know what the 'price' really was. Wang Qishan died, and the other person died too. I thought I could find the answer, but I found nothing."

"So you let me come?"

"Yes." Mo Wen said. "You are the third."

Lu Chen looked at Mo Wen.

The old man didn't dodge.

"You know now." Mo Wen said. "Will you continue?"

Lu Chen was silent for a long time.

The light from the fire starter flickered between the two, and the shadows on The Cave wall flickered along with it.

"Continue." Lu Chen said.

"Why?"

"Because you are different from them." Lu Chen said. "Wang Qishan and the other person, they came looking for the secrets of immortality. I am not. I came looking for eternal life."

"Eternal life and immortality are not the same thing?"

"No."

"What is the difference?"

"Cultivating is the means, eternal life is the goal." Lu Chen said. "Wang Qishan wanted to Cultivate, so he died. I don't want to Cultivate; I want eternal life. So I will live."

Mo Wen stared at him for a long time.

"How do you know you will live?"

"I don't know." Lu Chen said. "But I have already paid the price."

He reached into his bosom and took out the jade.

The jade was no longer greyish-white.

It had turned deep grey, like a piece of charcoal. There were a few fine cracks on the surface, extending from the center outward.

"What does this mean?" Lu Chen asked.

Mo Wen took the jade and looked at it.

"Your Spiritual Root is growing."

"Spiritual Roots can grow?"

"Yes." Mo Wen said. "Rare, but it can. The Spiritual Root is not dead; it is alive. It needs Spiritual Qi to nourish it, and the more you nourish it, the bigger it gets. You have a Spiritual Root, although it is poor, it is growing."

"What will it grow into?"

"I don't know." Mo Wen returned the jade to Lu Chen. "But at least you are moving forward."

Lu Chen tucked the jade back into his bosom.

"Coming tomorrow?"

"Yes." Mo Wen said.

Lu Chen turned and walked toward The Cave entrance.

When he reached the entrance, he stopped without looking back.

"Mo Wen."

"Hmm."

"If one day, I die —"

"I won't collect your body." Mo Wen interrupted him. "You chose this yourself."

"I didn't ask you to collect my body." Lu Chen said. "I wanted to ask you, how many people have you brought to this cave?"

Mo Wen was silent for three seconds.

"Six."

"Six." Lu Chen repeated. "How many died?"

"Including you, three are still alive."

"Where are the other two?"

"They left."

"Where did they go?"

"I don't know." Mo Wen said. "They didn't want to Cultivate anymore and went down the mountain."

"And then?"

"Then they won't live long."

"Why?"

"Because —" Mo Wen paused. "People who have Cultivated have Spiritual Qi in their bodies. The Spiritual Qi will slowly dissipate, and the process of dissipating will take away their lifespan. They don't Cultivate, so they die faster than people who have never Cultivated."

Lu Chen stood in place, not moving.

"So you didn't give them a way out from the beginning."

"Yes."

"Did you give me one?"

"I did." Mo Wen said. "You are just beginning now, and the Spiritual Qi hasn't seeped into your bones yet. If you stop now, it's not too late."

Lu Chen stood for a few seconds.

Then he bent down and crawled out of The Cave entrance.

The sunlight shone on his face, blindingly bright.

He didn't look back.

In The Cave behind him, Mo Wen said a sentence in a low voice —

"The third. And also the last."

Lu Chen returned to the Ruined Temple, put the jade on the hay, and stared at it for a long time.

Deep grey. Cracks.

"Spiritual Root is growing."

He stretched out his hand and looked at his palm.

The palm was still red.

But it was a different kind of red — not the kind of red from being scalded, but the red of abundant Qi and blood, as if an invisible flame was burning under the skin.

Lu Chen put the jade away and sat cross-legged.

He closed his eyes.

The Spiritual Qi came.

Faster and more than yesterday.

When it surged to his wrists, the wall was still there.

But this time, the Spiritual Qi did not scatter.

They gathered together, like water, slowly, bit by bit, squeezing through the cracks in the wall.

A wisp of Spiritual Qi passed through his wrist.

Lu Chen felt it.

It was like something tapped lightly at his wrist — it didn't hurt, but it was very clear.

"It's through."

He opened his eyes and looked at his wrist.

He couldn't see anything.

But his body knew.

The Spiritual Qi had passed through.