stjorthotic Chapter 77 Father and Son
Chapter 77 Father and Son
East of Qingyun Martial Arts School, in the master's courtyard.
The main courtyard is actually only two side courtyards larger than the disciples' courtyard; the rest of the layout is similar to the disciples' courtyard.
At this moment, inside the main room.
Lin Duhai angrily berated several servants in the courtyard over some trivial matters. After a long while, he finally vented much of his anger, took a deep breath, and sat down at his desk with a cold face to pick up his pen. On the desk were many documents piled up.
Because the selection of military officers was imminent, he needed to prepare the materials in advance. Many of these materials involved confidential information, so he could not have the manager do them for him and had to do them himself.
However, after burying his head for a short while, he suddenly felt something and looked up.
Lin Lu slowly walked out from behind the screen.
Upon seeing Lin Lu, Lin Duhai frowned immediately. "I told you to cultivate in the side courtyard, what are you doing here?"
Lin Lu looked at him and said coldly, "You tried to scheme against Chen Luo, but ended up with a dead Hu Qiu and had to pay two hundred taels of silver?"
He always maintained a gentle and refined demeanor in public, but in private, in front of Lin Duhai, his expression and tone were unusually cold. When speaking with Lin Duhai, he neither addressed him as "father" nor performed the proper courtesies, but simply addressed him as "you."
Lin Duhai seemed to be used to his behavior and didn't react. Instead, he was angered by his words, "Who's gossiping about you?"
"After you finished your angry rebuke in the side room, I could hear the servants whispering among themselves with resentment," Lin Lu said calmly.
"You can actually hear me?" Lin Duhai was taken aback, then overjoyed. "Have you gained some extraordinary insight?"
The side courtyard is far from the main house, and several doors block the way, so even if you shout loudly, you might not be able to hear what is being said.
Lin Lu had already completed the cultivation of the "Internal Energy of the Zhou Dynasty" and was now cultivating the "Heart Sutra of Cessation and Contemplation." If he could hear the sound from such a distance, he had undoubtedly reached the realm of wondrous insight.
—The one with wondrous insight looks inward at himself with the eye of wisdom, his five senses are fully activated, and he can hear what ordinary people cannot hear.
"I've glimpsed some of the basics."
Lin Lu said coldly, "If you really want me to enter the inner realm, then don't cause trouble outside."
"Having touched the threshold of profound insight, it seems you'll reach the inner realm in a while." Lin Duhai was initially delighted, but his anger was quickly ignited by the cold tone. He took a deep breath and said patiently, "That Chen Luo is exceptionally talented but also vicious. If I don't restrain him, how will we avenge Zhou'er in the future?"
"Moreover, although Hu Qiu is dead, he has already planted a mental barrier in Chen Luo's mind, and that fellow will most likely have difficulty entering the inner realm."
"To fear the strength of others is nothing but to crush one's own morale." Lin Lu sneered. "As for Lin Zhou, it's true that Chen Luo killed him, but half of his life was also lost at your hands."
"You bastard!"
Lin Duhai's anger, which had finally subsided because of Hu Qiu, instantly returned.
He flew into a rage and slammed his hand on the table, causing all the documents on it to tremble.
"I poured all my resources into raising you, and this is how you talk to me?"
Lin Lu remained calm. "Whether Chen Luo can enter the Inner Realm or not, once I do, I will kill him. As for your so-called years of raising me, I will repay you in full. At that time, I will leave the Lin family and never see you again."
After saying this, Lin Lu turned and left with a cold expression. Lin Duhai was left alone in the large room once again.
Watching Lin Lu's departing figure, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and rubbed his tightly furrowed gray brows, his expression revealing some fatigue.
A month later, in the Seven Character Courtyard north of the martial arts school, Chen Luo sat cross-legged on a couch, silently reciting the Body Stillness Mantra. During this time, his body remained completely still, his breath was long and seemingly nonexistent, and even the slightest rise and fall of his chest and abdomen during breathing was not noticeable. His body was as still as withered wood and dead ashes.
If someone were to check his breathing, they would be surprised to find that in a quarter of an hour, he had only managed to take twelve breaths.
It was precisely after this quarter of an hour that he slowly opened his eyes, and a hint of joy gradually appeared in them.
"It's done."
According to the Heart Sutra, the sign of reaching the state of "body stillness" is that one can breathe no more than twelve times within a quarter of an hour.
Chen Luo let out a sigh of relief. "It really wasn't easy."
Since "body stillness" has nothing to do with enlightenment or physical strength, one can only rely on sitting in meditation day after day, circulating the Heart Sutra in meditation, in order to bring the body back to absolute peace. This undoubtedly requires a great deal of patience.
For more than a month, he hadn't slept at all, not even touching the pillow or mat, relying entirely on the effects of the Nourishing Spirit Pill to maintain his spirit.
To achieve a state of perfect balance in his body's energy and blood, he abstained from meat and fish, eating only clear soup and water every day. Only when he had been sitting for a long time and felt extremely bored would he brew a cup of tea to slightly ease his mind.
After enduring so much hardship, I have finally achieved my goal, which took more than a month in total.
"It should be considered fast." Chen Luo knew that if he cultivated the "Internal Energy of the Zhou Dynasty" first and then the Heart Sutra, it might take much longer.
"Next, it's time to calm the mind."
The stillness of mind is built upon the stillness of body. To achieve stillness of mind, one must first achieve stillness of body. In other words, only those who can stably maintain the state of "stillness of body" for 15 minutes and 12 breaths are qualified to inquire about the path to "stillness of mind".
Once the mind has reached a state of stillness, the state of "stillness" is considered truly perfect.
Then comes the practice of "contemplation," beginning the formal process of using stillness to aid contemplation and contemplation to guide stillness. Once both stillness and contemplation are accomplished, one enters the state of "wonderful insight."
However, Chen Luo did not continue his meditation, but got up and pushed open the door to go out.
If it were an ordinary disciple, they might not dare to move rashly when they first achieved the Body Stillness, and would need to repeatedly consolidate their skills in order to master it.
But he is different. He has a certificate of eternal blessing. Once he achieves the state of "body stillness" this time, he will be able to instantly return to the state of "body stillness" in any situation, whether he is walking, sitting, or lying down, or practicing the "internal energy circulation". He only needs to slightly move his mind and concentrate on circulating the Heart Sutra once to return to the state of "body stillness".
It's noon now. Stepping out into the yard, the early summer sun shines down, warm but not scorching.
This was the first time he had stepped out of the courtyard in nearly a month. After sitting for so long, Chen Luo felt incredibly relaxed and refreshed after finally going out.
He went to the warehouse to get medicine and also to relax.
Because the warehouse provides one bottle of Nourishing Spirit Pill every two months, the first batch has just run out, so it's time to go and get another one.
Although Pharmacist Xu had said he could refine a Nourishing Spirit Pill for him separately, since he could get it from the storeroom, there was no need to bother him.
The layout of the Qingyun Martial Arts School's storeroom is somewhat similar to that of a mountain produce shop, with a long table blocking the entrance and a small opening for the inside and outside to connect.
When Chen Luo arrived, a servant was already standing outside the long table, carefully placing a brocade box on it. "Manager Song, this contains the remaining two bottles of Harmony Pills for the registered disciples."
"Please wait here for now; we need to record the receipt later..."
The sound came from deep inside the warehouse, and then Manager Song slowly walked out. But after taking only a few steps, he suddenly caught sight of Chen Luo behind the servant, and his pupils shrank abruptly.
The servant noticed that Manager Song's expression was strange, so he turned around in confusion. When he saw that it was Chen Luo, he was stunned for a moment, then his mind raced and he seemed to realize something. His face turned pale instantly.
"I...I've met Young Master Chen," the servant said, his face filled with terror and his voice trembling. "I had no idea you were coming, Young Master! I had no intention of doing this!"