Chapter 5: Bingchen Courtyard, Grain Rain Time, Drinking Until Dawn

Chapter 5: Bingchen Courtyard, Grain Rain Time, Drinking Until Dawn

Chapter 5: Bingchen Courtyard, Drinking in the Grain Rain Season
The winding path leads to a secluded place. After several turns, we arrive at the Lantern Street mentioned by Feng Jihu.

You can tell how the name Lantern Street came about at a glance. Lanterns of varying numbers and shapes are hung in front of many courtyards and caves.

At the end of the street there is a small courtyard with seven or eight lanterns hanging under the eaves of the gate. Some are in the shape of lotus, some are in the shape of round melons, and some are in the shape of oranges. There is a sign on the gate that reads Bingchen Courtyard.

This courtyard is supported by wood and stone, hanging in mid-air outside the stone peak. Two green pines grow out of the cracks in the stone wall above the courtyard, covering half of the courtyard like a green canopy.

The gate to the yard was open. The sun was setting in the west, and golden sunlight filtered through the pine needles, dappling onto the amber wooden floor, reflecting ripples of light.

The yard is empty, with only two rooms and a pavilion. The east and west rooms are residences, standing side by side. Opposite is the Alchemy Pavilion, in which stands a half-human-high alchemy furnace.

There is a small stream on the stone wall on the Danting side. The stream water falls into a stone jar. The jar is not big, half a person's height. When it is full, the water flows down the jar wall, flows out of the courtyard along the cracks in the stone, and forms a waterfall.

Feng Jihu was very familiar with the courtyard. He first glanced at the west room, which was also open and empty. Feng Jihu was not surprised and led Yunqi into the east room.

The room was spotless, with no partitions except a paper screen that divided the room into two parts. The part at the entrance was the study, with bookshelves and desks. Behind the screen was a wooden bed with a long table beside it, but nothing else.

However, what caught Yunqi's eyes was that the row of bookshelves at the entrance were filled with books.

"Not bad, right? These books are what I have accumulated over the years since I started learning. I spent quite a bit of money on them. They also contain some of my notes. I didn't move them when I left because I wanted to take care of the younger generation. Now that I have introduced you to the school, they are just right for you to use."

Feng Jihu said with a smile.

Yunqi nodded, "That's great, thank you so much, Brother Dao."

The two sat down and chatted for a while. Yunqi learned that Taoist Jihu's secular name was Feng Xuhua. He entered the mountains at the age of thirteen and lived in Wanhu Peak for seven years. At the age of twenty, he opened a wooden mansion and formally became a disciple of Dujuan Valley, where he also studied medicine and herbal medicine. It has been three years since then.

Feng Xuhuai was born in the Paiji generation. He was gentle and taciturn by nature, introverted and modest. His teacher gave him the Dharma name "Hu", hoping that he would be humble and modest, but there was also a fierce tiger sitting in his heart.

Feng Jihu said that he became a disciple of Master Dujuan Gu and Master Ci Yu, and his master asked him to go to the Duwuyuan to take charge of miscellaneous matters within the sect, with a limit of ten tasks per month. After three years, his introverted and taciturn personality was finally changed.

Recruiting disciples for Master Su Kongyu was also one of the so-called miscellaneous tasks he mentioned.

Feng Jihu was a native of Yuzhang, born into a wealthy family. He was also taught by his family to practice the guided health-preserving techniques passed down from Yulin Temple since he was a child. However, he only developed clear spiritual energy when he was ten years old, so he praised Cheng Yunqi's talent.

Time passed quickly as they were chatting. Suddenly, they heard a bird's cry, followed by the sound of footsteps. Yunqi was careful and thought the footsteps were loud and urgent, so it must be someone tall.

"Bing Kun!"

Feng Jihu beside him had already shouted.

"Hey, who's there?"

The man outside muttered and strode over.

Soon, Yunqi saw the person coming. This man was indeed tall. Standing in front of the door, he blocked the entire door. The setting sun shone on him, making him look like a guardian deity.

"Humility!"

When the visitor saw Taoist Jihu, he smiled happily, lowered his head and walked in, hugging Taoist Jihu. Feng Jihu was tall, but in his arms he was like a little chicken.

"Alright, alright, let me go."

Taoist Jihu hit the man's back hard several times before he let him go.

"Yunqi, this is He Bingkun, who came into the mountain with me and lived together for seven years. Bingkun, this is Cheng Yunqi, who just entered the mountain today. I like Yunqi very much, so I let him live here. You should teach him more in the future."

The two men greeted each other.

Feng Jihu elaborated a little more, "Bing Kun is the same age as me. He is a registered disciple of Jiutian Yingyuan Mansion in the eight veins of Lotus Blessed Land. This vein requires the three houses of thunder, cloud, and wind to be opened at the same time before the mansion is opened. Thunder sounds between breaths, so it takes a long time, but it should be soon in the next two years."

He Bingkun grinned and said, "At the latest, around the turn of summer and autumn next year."

"Yunqi is also one of the eight veins of the blessed land. He is a registered disciple of Mingzhi Mountain and is only fifteen years old this year. By the way, Yunqi, weren't you worried about how to get to Mingzhi Mountain just now? Just ask Bingkun to give you a ride when the time comes. He is about to open up his mind palace, and he has to go to Yingyuan Palace almost every day these days. In addition, he met a thunder bird by chance when he went out of the mountain a few years ago, and it has extremely fast speed."

He Bingkun looked at the clouds and saw that the young man was clear-headed, fresh and handsome, with a calm expression, not sharp, and he was quite fond of him. When he heard that he was a registered disciple of Meiji Mountain, he also said with a smile:
"Meet the young Taoist."

Yunqi let out a bitter smile, "Brother, please don't make fun of me. It's better to just call me Yunqi."

He Bingkun laughed, then turned to Feng Jihu and said, "Xu Huai won't leave today. How about having a few drinks to welcome Yunqi?"

Feng Jihu smiled and said, "That's exactly what I meant!"

"Okay! You two don't need to move. I have some smoked meat hanging in the furnace. It's wild boar meat that was smoked with pepper wood last winter. I'll go cut it. There's also good wine in the jar. It's the fine wine from Chenglu Valley."

After saying that, He Bingkun rushed out of the door, and soon there was the sound of the alchemy furnace being opened.

"Only Bing Kun can smoke meat in a furnace." Feng Jihu scolded with a smile, then belatedly looked at Cheng Yunqi, "Yunqi can drink alcohol?"

"I can drink a little, but I dare not have a hangover. Master Sukong has assigned me a lot of homework to look over."

Feng Jihu smiled and said, "It's okay, it's okay. What Master Yu asked you to read must be some introductory books on cultivation. Bing Kun and I have read them thoroughly. I will tell you about them at the party. It will also be a good snack to go with the wine."

The clouds said yes.

Feng Jihu brought out a desk, and the three of them sat down in the open space in the yard. At this time, the golden sunset had turned deep red, and the sky in the west was full of red clouds. Countless successful practitioners were flying swords, riding cranes, or riding clouds, like tired birds flying into the forest, and fell into the mountains one after another.

Cheng Yunqi looked at the wonderful scene in front of him, and recalled that at sunrise today he was still in the mortal world, but now at sunset he had entered the fairy mountain, with fine wine and delicious food waiting for him. It was like a dream, and he was stunned for a moment and did not move for a long time.

Feng Jihu and He Bingkun smiled at each other, neither urging Cheng Yun to eat nor picking up their chopsticks, waiting quietly for Cheng Yunqi to come back to his senses.

After about ten breaths, Yunqi came to his senses, saw the two men waiting for him, and apologized repeatedly.

He Bingkun opened the wine jar, and the aroma of wine filled the air. Yunqi smelled it and felt refreshed, somewhat like the feeling he had when he first smelled the aroma of Polygonum multiflorum when his soul was traveling out of the earth.

He Bingkun took out three white porcelain wine cups filled with fermented rice wine. "Today, three successive owners of this courtyard have gathered together to welcome the old master and the new one. Isn't it worth a drink?"

Feng Jihu and Cheng Yunqi agreed, and the three of them clinked their glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

The wine tastes cold when it enters the mouth, and is like fire when it enters the throat. It is refreshing in the mouth, warms the stomach, and has the fragrance of grass and fruit. It is the best wine Yunqi has ever tasted. "We will gather today, and go to the Capital Affairs Office to sign the list tomorrow. After Master Su Kongyu accepts a disciple, I will leave the mountain."

Feng Jihu put down the cup and said something.

He Bingkun was stunned for a moment, "What's the matter?"

"I'm planning to open the water palace. A few days ago, I asked Xu Jishen from Zhuxingchi to tell my fortune. He said that my chance is in the south, so I should go out for a walk."

He Bingkun nodded, "That's a good thing. Where are you going?"

"Let's go to Dianwen first. If there's nothing to gain, then we can go to the Southern Wasteland."

Yunqi took the opportunity to ask, "May I ask you two Taoist brothers, what exactly is a house and what is a mansion? What are the eight meridians of the Lotus Blessed Land? What are the Taoist traditions in our mountain?"

Feng Jihu and He Bingkun looked at each other, and the former said:
"There are many schools of thought in the world today, which can be roughly divided into four categories: Taoism, side schools, Buddhism, and magic schools. The orthodox Taoism has more than ninety types, including inner alchemy, outer alchemy, talismans, five thunders, praying to gods, observing the stars, refining the body, and the primordial spirit.

Our Sanqing School takes Nei Dan Dao as the entry foundation, while advocating the practice of other methods at the same time, emphasizing the integration and mutual reference of all methods, taking it as our responsibility to carry forward the unique knowledge of the saints and create unprecedented wonderful methods, so it is also called the Wanfa School.

Since the founding of the sect by the founder, it has been passed down for six thousand years. Including the restoration of ancient methods and the creation of new methods, there have been nearly forty Dharma lineages passed down, which has formed the current structure. Let me explain it in detail. "

Feng Jihu took a sip of wine and said:

"There is a lotus blessed land in the northwest of the mountain. You have also seen the clouds. It is the source of the earth veins of these thousands of miles of mountains. There are nine mountains in the lotus blessed land, a flat-topped mountain in the middle, and eight high peaks surrounding it.

This flat-topped mountain is called Liangyi Mountain, on which stands the Sanqing Palace, with the Chunyang Palace and Yuanyin Palace on the side, which were the residences of the successive masters.

The eight peaks are arranged according to the directions of the eight trigrams, namely:
Qianwei Ziyan Mountain, on which there is a Feixiantai, where two ancient gods, Dong Wanggong and Xi Wangmu, are enshrined, and the way of balancing yin and yang, turning stones into nature, and breaking the void is practiced;
Xun is Meiji Mountain, where there is a tomb of the living dead, also known as the place where Zhan Biyun hides bamboo, and where people practice the Pure Yang, Wood Method, Earth Method, Wind Method, Corpse Transmutation, Resurrection, and the Way of Using Ghosts to Raise Corpses;
Kan is Yaoguang Mountain, on the top of which there is a Zhuoxing Pool, dedicated to Guan Yinzi, and where people practiced building towers to observe the stars and search for mountains and qi.
Gen is located on the cliff mountain. On the mountain there is the Yanjiao Hall, where Jade Purity Yuanshi Patriarch is enshrined. It is also the place where the books of the religion are stored, and where the ways of talismans, interpretation of characters, imperial decrees, sealing of miracles, summoning spirits and exorcising ghosts are practiced.

Kun is located in Baihu Mountain. There is a patrol office on the mountain, which also practices gold magic, weapons, battle formations, and puppet mechanisms.

Zhen is located in Shuji Mountain. On the mountain there is Jiutian Yingyuan Palace, which enshrines Jiutian Yingyuan Leisheng Puhua Tianzun, and people also practice thunder magic, the method of breaking delusions, and the method of praying to gods.

Liwei Danxia Mountain has a Danjing on the mountain that is connected to an underground fire spring. It is dedicated to the Taiqing Daode Patriarch, who also practices fire magic and external alchemy.

Dui is located in Baicao Mountain, with a Qingbai Lake on the top of the mountain and a thousand acres of lotus planted, forming a world of its own, where the Shangqing Lingbao Patriarch is enshrined and the formation diagram, water method and void method are practiced.

These eight mountains have all produced immortals, some celestial immortals, some earthly immortals, some scattered immortals, and some corpse-reincarnated immortals. Each has his own lineage passed down, so they are called the eight great lineages.

In addition, there is the Dujuan Valley in the southeast and the Ni Mountain in the northeast for practicing the art of Qihuang medicine; there is the Chenglu Valley in the north for practicing the Taiyin body refining method; there is the Toujian Mountain in the northwest for practicing the flying sword method and the magic sword method; there is the Mingjing Stone Forest in the northeast for practicing the Bugang stepping fight method and the body sword method; there is the Shouyin Mountain in the southwest for practicing the weaving clouds and the mist; there is the Mengmeng Mountain in the south for practicing the spells and the secret techniques, and so on and so forth.

In addition, there are countless Taoist priests in the mountains and valleys who are exploring the past and creating new things. Perhaps in a few years, a new legal system will emerge. It is still unknown."

He Bingkun looked proud and continued, "Ji Hu just said that my teaching takes the inner alchemy as the foundation and cultivates other things at the same time. The inner alchemy is the greatest avenue in ancient and modern times. It emphasizes the combination of essence, energy and spirit and is divided into five major realms.

The first realm is called Qi Refining, which is mainly about taking Qi into the body, tempering the body, and opening up the major acupoints of the human body. There are many methods for taking Qi alone, such as visualization, sitting and forgetting, bending the body, etc., which are different in each school. After the Qi enters the body, the spiritual Qi is circulated to temper the body, also known as removing hair and washing marrow, removing all the lead and leaving only a pure and spiritual body, and then it is time to open a house and build a mansion.

In Neidan Taoism calls the nose, throat and ear orifices of the human body the house of thunder, the house of cloud and the house of wind. After the three houses are opened, the corresponding spirituality is stored in them. Then, a muffled hum will produce thunder, a breath will turn into clouds, and the ears will move to attract wind. When all three orifices move together, rain will come in an instant.

The five internal organs of the heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys are also called the five palaces, corresponding to the five elements of fire, wood, earth, metal and water. After the palaces are opened, the essence of heaven and earth is taken in, so that the body can respond to the five elements and command the vital energy.

The "Lingshu Jing" says: The five internal organs are used to store spirit, blood, qi, soul and spirit. The five internal organs are the foundation of the human body, so the Pi Fu can absorb qi and store essence, and can also prolong life.

There are methods to open up the three houses and five palaces, such as meditation, taking medicine, and medicinal baths. The order of opening up is different for each family. Look at me, the method I practice requires opening up the three houses first and then the five palaces, but I haven't completed one palace yet, while Ji Hu first opened up the cloud house, then the wood palace, and now he is going to open up the water palace.

When the five organs are opened, the essence of the five elements of the human body rises from the five organs and gathers in one place, creating a small world in the human body, which is the Crimson Palace. This small world is next to the heart palace, and is illuminated by blood and appears crimson, hence the name.

This checkpoint is a watershed and also has a name, called Chonggong.

The Crimson Palace is the residence of the Nascent Soul in the future, so this action is also called the Five Qis Returning to the Origin.

When the five qi converge to the origin, the qi refining is complete. In a nutshell, the state of qi refining is to store qi in the body, refine the essence and qi together, and achieve harmony between man and nature.

He Bingkun spoke for a long time in one breath, his mouth was dry, and he drank a few glasses of cold wine.

Feng Jihu continued, "You know, Yunqi, that the number of disciples of my master and registered disciples at Sanqing Mountain is about 150,000, but the number of those who have established a government office is no more than 100,000.

"That is to say, there are always 50,000 people coming and going in and out of this mountain, but they will never be able to enter the gate of the Great Dao. These people can either spend their whole lives on Wanhu Peak, doing some cleaning and kitchen work after eating, or they can voluntarily leave the mountain and become a knight, or live in a Taoist temple, so that they will never have to worry about hunger again in their lives. This is not a bad thing for those who are not ambitious, and it can even be said to be a good thing!
“Those who are lucky enough to have a palace and still dream of going further naturally aim for the Five Qis Returning to the Origin. But how many people can actually make it there in the end?

“About 10,000 people.

"Did you hear that? From Piyi Prefecture to Piwu Prefecture, 90% of the people were stuck.

"Do you think there are people who force themselves into the next realm before opening the five palaces to refine the evil spirits? Yes, but that is something that people from side sects or the devil do. It is absolutely not allowed in my Sanqing Mountain.

"The right path of Taoism is a straight path and a smooth path, but it is also a long journey and a journey. It is like sailing against the current. If you don't move forward, you will fall behind. Many people regret that they were not diligent enough in their past practice when their life span is exhausted. So, Yunqi, time is like a knife, and every knife accelerates people's aging. People of our generation who practice cultivation must cherish time and not waste it."

At this point, Feng Jihu sighed and looked at the rising moon. It was cold and clear, but his expression was slightly dazed.

"The moon is cold and the sun is warm, which can burn people's life. The realm of Qi Refining alone is so difficult, and there are still four major realms to explore in the future, namely, Life Storage, Golden Elixir, Yuanying, and Hedao. The way to become an immortal is divided into celestial immortal, earthly immortal, corpse immortal, and scattered immortal. It is difficult to become a celestial immortal, difficult to become an earthly immortal, difficult to become a corpse immortal, and difficult to become a scattered immortal. I often think deeply about it, but every time I think deeply, I feel that it is more difficult to become an immortal. Sometimes when I am depressed late at night, I can't help but be shaken and confused. Is there really a golden immortal above the celestial immortal, let alone the Daluo Dao Fruit and the Hunyuan extreme realm?"

He Bingkun snorted coldly upon hearing this, like thunder in dry land, exploding beside people's ears. Feng Jihu was startled and immediately scolded him with a smile: "You kid, I am just sentimental, and I have not lost my heart of Taoism, there is no need to scare me with thunder."

"You haven't even entered the Yunqi realm yet, why are you saying this?"

Feng Jihu smiled when he heard this and asked Yunqi: "Yunqi, the path of cultivation is long and the destination is far away. Do you really believe that someone can cultivate to the extreme, transcend life and death, and live as long as the heaven and earth?"

Cheng Yunqi listened quietly and said softly: "My two Taoist brothers, according to my humble opinion, there are all kinds of strange things in the world. Ants don't know the lifespan of cicadas, and cicadas don't know the lifespan of turtles. Besides turtles, there are thousand-year-old cypresses and ten-thousand-year-old pines. Ants don't know about pines, but that doesn't mean there are no pines in the world."

"Hahahaha," the two burst into laughter when they heard this.

He Bingkun pointed at Feng Jihu and said, "Yunqi is still determined. Jihu, you must understand. Yunqi said you are an ant in a swamp!"

Feng Jihu shook his head repeatedly, with a hint of drunkenness in his eyes, "We are all pine and cypress!"

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(End of this chapter)