Mountain and Sea Demon Martial Arts, Starting with Vertical Pupils

Chapter 69 Schemes

Chen Luo stared coldly at Hu Qiu in front of him, already realizing that something was wrong.

This Hu Qiu is setting a trap for him.

The man first talked about a bunch of important things related to martial arts training, which made him pay full attention.

At this moment, the thought that "the Heart Sutra of Samatha-Vipassana is extremely difficult to understand, and one must always keep the mind free of distractions" is subtly implanted into his mind.

This idea might be true, but the problem lies in the end, when Hu Qiu suddenly changed the subject and told him not to worry about Song Ruokui.

It's important to understand that people's thoughts and feelings are often beyond our control.

The more you try to stop thinking about it, the more the thought will linger, just like the saying goes, "Don't imagine a pink elephant."

So this person wasn't trying to stop him from thinking, but rather deliberately trying to disturb his mind and tempt him to overthink.

Before contacting him again, he specifically mentioned that Song Ruokui was making rapid progress, clearly intending to arouse his competitive spirit and make him anxious.

His residence was next to Song Ruokui's, which was probably part of the design, so that he could always be aware of Song Ruokui's presence.

In conclusion, Hu Qiu clearly harbors malicious intentions, deliberately leading him to worry about Song Ruokui at every step, so that he will have trouble finding peace of mind in the future.

Its purpose is obvious.

It's simply an attempt to create mental obstacles for him, preventing him from cultivating the "Heart Sutra of Samatha-Vipassana" and hindering him from breaking through to the inner realm!

"I don't understand. There must be some misunderstanding."

Hu Qiu remained calm despite being questioned, and simply smiled slightly.

"I didn't mean it that way. I was just too worried about Young Master Chen, so I accidentally said a bit too much. Please forgive me for speaking carelessly."

"Are you one of Lin Duhai's men?" Chen Luo asked coldly.

"I am the manager of Qingyun Martial Arts School."

Hu Qiu did not directly admit it, but still wore that calm smile and said unhurriedly, "Now that we have said what we needed to say, I have given you all the advice you needed to give. I will take my leave now. If you have any questions, you can come to the West Courtyard to find me at any time. Young Master Chen, please take care and don't hold my unintentional words against you."

After speaking, he slowly bowed and turned to leave.

Chen Luo did not stop him, but simply watched him leave calmly.

He is new here and doesn't understand many things, so it's not advisable for him to act rashly.

the other side.

After Hu Qiu turned and left, he returned to the corridor next to the training ground. He walked to the end of the corridor, turned left and walked for a while, passed through a moon gate, knocked on the door a few times, and then pushed the door open and went in.

This was a courtyard that was significantly larger than the disciples' quarters. He entered the main room, went around a screen, and there sat a middle-aged man on a table behind it. The man had deep nasolabial folds and slightly graying temples, and he looked imposing without being angry.

"Greetings, Master Lin." Hu Qiu bowed.

The man was Lin Duhai.

Lin Duhai glanced at him and said calmly, "How's it going?"

"We've set a trap for Chen Luo as planned. He realized the trap, and although he was furious, there was nothing he could do."

Hu Qiu's face showed a smug look, and he smiled and said, "This is a psychological tactic. By the time he realizes something is wrong, the seed of this mental block has already been planted."

Lin Duhai nodded. "You did a good job. Keep a close eye on things afterward. Once this matter is settled, I will ask someone to reserve a position for you in Shang County."

"Thank you, Master." Hu Qiu's face lit up with joy. He then said, "Although I set several traps for Chen Luo, if we want to prevent him from entering the inner realm completely, besides attacking his mind, there is something else we can do."

"Oh?"

Lin Duhai raised an eyebrow. "The master is keeping a close eye on things; we can't go too far. What else can you do?"

"But it's not directly aimed at Chen Luo."

Hu Qiu smiled and said, "I've heard that Chen Luo has two close friends. If we secretly eliminate those two, I guarantee his mind will be in chaos, and he'll find it difficult to cultivate his mind in peace."

"..." Lin Duhai pondered for a moment, then said calmly, "I did not ask you to do that, and I have not heard any of what you said."

Hu Qiu paused for a moment, then smiled knowingly, "I understand. I will make sure Master Lin is satisfied within three days."

……

After Hu Qiu left, Chen Luo stood there for a moment, his face expressionless, lost in thought.

Before he came, he was on guard, as instructed by Master Huang, but he never expected it to be such a trick.

This tactic is extremely malicious. If he truly harbors any lingering feelings for Song Ruokui, or any resentment, such deliberate provocation and manipulation could easily sow seeds of resentment in his heart.

Moreover, this kind of mental block often takes root and grows stronger over time, becoming more and more pronounced the more one thinks about it.

Fortunately.

He was no longer the same person he once was, and he and Song Ruokui were now even, treating each other as just ordinary friends.

Therefore, such calculations have absolutely no effect on him!

"I should also thank those rumors for making Lin Duhai think that I still have some feelings for Song Ruokui," Chen Luo sneered.

But he still dared not be careless.

Since the other party has ulterior motives, this may not be their only plan.

Perhaps they've set some other trap elsewhere, but he just hasn't discovered it yet.

He first went into the main room, which was about the same size and layout as the rooms in Licheng Martial Arts Academy.

The only difference is that there is a window facing due east at the entrance, through which you can see the neighboring Wuzi Courtyard.

In particular, there is a window on the west side of the Wuzi Courtyard.

Through the two windows of the two courtyards, Chen Luo could even vaguely see a beautiful figure sitting cross-legged on the bed, which was none other than Song Ruokui.

Her figure appeared somewhat blurry through the two windows.

But it is often the indistinct, the hazy silhouette that is most likely to stir the heart.

This arrangement must have been deliberately made by Hu Qiu.

As if noticing someone watching, the beautiful figure opposite moved slightly and seemed to look towards the Seven Character Courtyard as well.

Regardless of whether she could see him or not, Chen Luo waved to her as a greeting and then walked out of the room.

He walked to the stone table, picked up the two scrolls, and glanced through them briefly, gaining a general understanding of the two martial arts styles.

Hu Qiu didn't seem to be lying to him about the two martial arts; one was indeed a mental cultivation method, and the other was a martial art focused on internal energy.

As for the two bottles of pills, the larger one is called "Nourishing Spirit Pill," which is used to assist the "Heart Sutra of Cessation and Contemplation." It can keep one's spirit and energy focused for a long time, and its effects are very miraculous. The book says that one pill is equivalent to three days of sleep.

The reason this elixir is needed is that each practice of this Heart Sutra often lasts for several hours, or even several days in a row.

Therefore, it is necessary to take the Nourishing Spirit Pill to avoid fatigue caused by exhaustion of energy and spirit.

The other bottle of pills is called "Harmony Pill," which is used in conjunction with "Zhou Tian Jin."

It is said to make internal energy more gentle, so that it will not damage the internal organs when practicing. During practice, one pill is needed for each small circulation.

"This 'Zhou Tian Jin' likely falls under the category of internal martial arts. External martial artists are prone to injury from practicing it, so they must take the Harmony Pill to balance it out," Chen Luo muttered to himself.

He felt that Hu Qiu wouldn't dare to tamper with the pills, after all, Qingyun Martial Arts School had its rules, but he couldn't be completely at ease.

He was even wary of these two martial arts techniques, unsure whether they had been tampered with in any way.

After pondering for a moment, Chen Luo packed up the two books and two bottles of pills, left the courtyard, and followed his memory to the outside of Pharmacist Xu's pharmacy.

Master Huang once told him that he could come to Pharmacist Xu if he encountered any problems.

But he didn't expect that he would need to ask for help as soon as he entered the martial arts school.

The door was ajar. He knocked, and soon a voice from inside said, "Come in."

He then pushed open the door, only to find Pharmacist Xu brewing a pot of medicine in the courtyard, but he did not see Madam Gu.

"Disciple Chen Luo greets the Pharmacist."

This was the first time he had spoken to Pharmacist Xu in person since he had asked for medicine last time.

He bowed to Pharmacist Xu and said, "This disciple thanks Pharmacist for the medicine you gave me last time."

"No need."

Pharmacist Xu seemed completely unsurprised by his arrival, simply waving his hand and casually saying, "Your headmaster Huang already told me that you must have run into trouble. So, what is it?"

Seeing that Pharmacist Xu was so straightforward, Chen Luo did not stand on ceremony and immediately told him everything that had happened that day, without exaggeration, just an objective statement of the facts.

"Lin Duhai is quite cunning."

After listening, Pharmacist Xu sneered, "Bring the medicine and the book over here, let me take a look."

"Yes."

When Chen Luo saw that he directly mentioned Lin Duhai, he figured that he must know about the feud between his family and Lin Duhai, so he immediately handed it over respectfully.

His main purpose in coming here was to have Pharmacist Xu check if there were any problems with the books and medicines he was given.

Pharmacist Xu took them and checked them one by one.

After a long while, he said calmly, "There are five less Nourishing Spirit Pills, only fifteen. I guess they wanted you to put in more effort when you cultivate. There's nothing wrong with that. If we question him about it, he can just brush it off with 'oversight'."

Chen Luo said, "So, apart from a few less Nourishing Spirit Pills, there's nothing else seriously wrong?"

"Nothing else is a problem," Pharmacist Xu sneered. "I doubt he'd dare go too far; he can only resort to these petty tricks."

Chen Luo frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

Since they were trying to harm him, he felt that there must be more than just this one trick.

He recalled for a moment what Hu Qiu had said, then suddenly asked, "Is it true that Manager Hu recommended that I first cultivate the *Heart Sutra of Cessation and Contemplation*, and then practice the *Internal Energy Circulation*?"

Pharmacist Xu was taken aback, then immediately revealed a hint of anger. "Why did he recommend you so highly? What were his reasons?"

Seeing the pharmacist's reaction, Chen Luo immediately realized there was another trap. He said coldly, "He said that because the 'Zhou Tian Jin' would cause the blood and qi to churn, one would need more energy to calm the mind, which would conflict with the 'Zhi Guan Miao Jian Xin Jing'. Therefore, he recommended practicing the Xin Jing first."

"It's another trick that's real but actually fake."

Pharmacist Xu sneered, "That's only half true. But he didn't tell you that the Heart Aperture is elusive and hard to find. Even if you can glimpse it once, if you don't break through it with your internal energy in time, you might not be able to glimpse it again next time you try to visualize it."

"Even if you successfully glimpse the Heart Aperture once, it's no easier to do so a second time. Therefore, although it's more difficult to cultivate the Internal Strength of the Circulation first, everyone usually chooses to cultivate the Internal Strength first and then seek the Heart Aperture. Once you glimpse the Heart Aperture, you immediately break through it. Otherwise, who knows if you can sense the Heart Aperture again next time?"

"I see." Chen Luo suddenly realized, and then something occurred to him.

"Hu Qiu's schemes are quite insidious. Every word he says is true, but he hides it at every turn. He didn't directly frame you, so I can't hold him accountable for you."

Pharmacist Xu paused for a moment, then slowly said, "In addition, he claims to be the manager of Qingyun Martial Arts School, but he only serves the Lin family. He was once said to be a guest of the Lin family and has close ties with Lin Duhai. You should not look for this person again in the future. If you need anything, just come to me anytime."

"Oh?"

Chen Luo narrowed his eyes as he listened, and asked a few more questions, which Pharmacist Xu answered one by one.

Finally, Pharmacist Xu hesitated for a moment and said, "As for Song Ruokui, if you really have some past feelings for her, you might as well go and talk to her clearly so that you can have a clear understanding of your thoughts. The Heart Sutra of Cessation and Contemplation has extremely high requirements for one's state of mind. If you really can't forget her and are further provoked by Hu Qiu, it is indeed easy to form a mental obstacle. If you don't sort out your emotions in time, you may really be unable to enter the inner realm because of this."

His unspoken concern was that Hu Qiu's trap might actually ensnare Chen Luo.