AWB Chapter 312 Professor!
Chapter 312 Professor!
The two walked eastward along the path beside the stream.
"These medicinal herbs were all planted by Master and me." Qingheng pointed to the spirit field, her tone tinged with pride.
"The Qingning tea tree can calm the mind and soothe the spirit, and those few trees over there are Ziyang Ganoderma lucidum, which will be ready for medicinal use in a few months..."
Sha Ling'er listened attentively, her gaze lingering on the spirit fields, and suddenly asked:
"Qingheng, what kind of person is Senior?"
Qingheng paused, turned around and glanced at her:
"My lady... she may seem cold on the outside, but she's warm on the inside. She doesn't talk much, but she's reliable. She'll always keep her promises."
"But you mustn't make her angry. When the master gets angry, it's quite frightening."
Sha Ling'er nodded quickly: "I won't! I will definitely listen and cultivate diligently!"
Looking at her serious expression, Qingheng suddenly smiled:
"Don't be too nervous. Since the master has agreed to take you in, she won't mistreat you. As long as you put your heart into it, she will see it."
As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the bamboo house in the east of the valley.
The three bamboo houses are built side by side, all constructed of green bamboo, with dry thatch covering the roofs and plain paper pasted on the window frames. They are simple yet clean.
Sha Ling'er chose the middle room and pushed the door open to go inside.
The room was empty except for a bamboo bed, a bamboo table, and a bamboo chair, with some dry thatch piled up in the corner.
"It's a bit basic, you can tidy it up yourself." Qingheng stood at the door.
"I have extra bedding and daily necessities; I'll bring them to you later."
"Thank you, Qingheng," Sha Ling'er said sincerely.
Qingheng waved her hand, turned to leave, then remembered something and turned back, saying:
"By the way, remember to come to the spirit field tomorrow at dawn. The master said you should meditate and cultivate there."
"Mao Shi (5-7 AM)..." Sha Ling'er silently noted, "I will definitely be there on time!"
The next morning, before dawn, Sha Ling'er got up.
She changed into that light blue dress, tied her long hair up simply, and walked out of the bamboo house carrying a futon.
The mist in the valley had not yet dissipated, dewdrops clung to the tips of the grass and leaves, and the air was crisp and clear, carrying the fragrance of earth and herbs.
Chen Jinshu was already standing by the Lingtian field.
Today she was wearing a plain blue Taoist robe, her long hair loosely tied up with a wooden hairpin, and the red lotus birthmark between her eyebrows gleamed with a warm glow in the morning light.
With her back to Sha Ling'er, her gaze was fixed on the spirit field, seemingly looking at something.
"Senior," Sha Ling'er called softly, stepping forward.
Chen Jinshu turned and glanced at her, nodding slightly: "Sit."
Sha Ling'er spread out a futon by the edge of the field and sat down cross-legged.
Chen Jinshu walked to her side and gently pressed several acupoints on her shoulders, such as Jianjing and Tanzhong, with his fingertips:
"Today I will clear your meridians and help you become familiar with the circulation path of the Evergreen Technique. Relax your mind and do not resist."
A gentle yet pure azure wood spiritual energy flowed from Chen Jinshu's fingertips into Sha Ling'er's body, slowly flowing along the path of the "Evergreen Technique".
Wherever the spiritual energy passed, the meridians were like parched land receiving sweet rain, stretching and flowing smoothly, and the previously somewhat sluggish acupoints opened up one by one.
Sha Ling'er closed her eyes and focused her mind, carefully sensing the trajectory of the spiritual energy flow.
The feeling was so clear, as if someone were drawing inside her body with a pen, every turn and every convergence was vividly clear.
After an incense stick had burned, Chen Jinshu stopped: "Got it?"
Sha Ling'er opened her eyes and nodded vigorously: "I remember!"
“Alright. Circulate your energy for three cycles on your own. I will protect you here.” After saying this, Chen Jinshu walked to the side and sat down on a blue stone, closing his eyes to rest.
Sha Ling'er dared not be negligent and quickly composed herself, circulating her spiritual energy according to the route she had just memorized.
This time, the flow of spiritual energy was much smoother; although it was still slow, it was no longer obstructed.
After three cycles of circulation, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, but her complexion was rosy and radiant, and the spiritual energy in her dantian had noticeably increased.
"Okay."
“The path of cultivation requires a balance of tension and relaxation. That’s enough for today. Go and help Qingheng tend to the spirit field.”
Sha Ling'er stood up, bowed, and turned to find Qing Heng.
Qingheng was busy in the spirit field, holding a small jade bottle in her hand. The bottle was tilted, and a few drops of light green liquid dripped out and landed at the roots of the Qingning tea tree.
The liquid quickly seeped into the soil upon contact, and the tea leaves visibly unfurled, their silvery sheen intensifying.
"Qingheng, let me help you." Sha Ling'er walked over.
Qingheng looked up at her and handed her another jade bottle:
"This is the essence of herbs and plants that I have condensed. I put three drops on each tea tree and one drop on each Ziyangzhi mushroom."
Remember, neither too much nor too little.
Sha Ling'er took the jade bottle and, imitating Qing Heng, carefully dripped the elixir into it.
Her movements were clumsy, her fingers trembling slightly, as if afraid of wasting too much.
Qingheng watched from the side, not urging anyone, only occasionally offering a reminder:
"The leaves of that tea plant are a bit curled, so drip half a drop more." "The nodes of the purple thunder bamboo are yellowing, so drip about three inches above the root."
After working for half an hour, the two finally finished taking care of the entire spirit field.
Sha Ling'er straightened up, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and looked at the vibrant spirit field in front of her, a strange sense of satisfaction welled up in her heart.
"Are you tired?" Qingheng asked.
“A little.” Sha Ling’er nodded honestly.
"But... I'm very happy."
Qingheng laughed: "This is just the beginning. In a few days, when Master teaches you the 'Ode to the Rejuvenation of Earth Veins,' that will be the real skill."
……
Three days later, Chen Jinshu began teaching the "Ode to the Rejuvenation of the Earth Veins." She led Sha Ling'er to the center of the spiritual field and took out an ordinary seven-stringed zither.
It is neither a star-moon guqin nor a green zither, but a practice instrument made of century-old paulownia wood.
"Ode to the Return of Spring to the Earth's Veins uses music as a guide to connect with the vitality of the earth's veins." Chen Jinshu sat cross-legged and placed the zither horizontally on his lap.
"Look carefully."
She lightly plucked the strings, and the piano music began.
'Ding ding—'
The music wasn't complicated; it was just a few simple notes repeating in a loop, yet it carried a peculiar rhythm.
Sha Ling'er listened intently and felt that the sound of the zither was like spring rain falling silently, nourishing all things; and like the spring breeze blowing, causing plants to sprout.
As the music flowed, the soil in the spiritual field seemed to come alive.
Tiny spiritual energy seeped from the ground, rising like smoke and swirling around the roots, stems, leaves, and veins of the medicinal herbs.
The leaves of the Qingning tea tree trembled gently, shimmering with silver light, and several newly planted spiritual herbs sprouted new leaves at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Wow...that's amazing!" Sha Ling'er's eyes widened.
When the song ended, Chen Jinshu stopped playing: "Did you understand?"
Sha Ling'er nodded vigorously, then shook her head: "I understand it, but... but I don't know how to play it."
Chen Jinshu handed her the zither: "Try it. Remember the rhythm from before, let your spiritual energy move with the sound, and connect your mind with the earth's veins."
Sha Ling'er took the zither, took a deep breath, and tried hard to recall the music she had just heard.
She has played the pipa since childhood and is naturally sensitive to music. Although she changed instruments, the music theory remains the same.
She tried plucking the strings, and a few notes rang out intermittently, sounding awkward and out of tune.
'bite--'
"Don't rush," Chen Jinshu said gently. "First familiarize yourself with the fingering, then work on the rhythm."
Sha Ling'er composed herself and started again.
This time, she slowed down and played one note at a time. Although she was still unfamiliar with the game, she was no longer flustered.
Chen Jinshu instructed from the side: "The Shang tone should sink, and the Yu tone should rise. The spiritual power sinks into the ground with the Shang tone and rises to nourish the plants with the Yu tone."
Sha Ling'er adjusted the music as instructed, and the sound gradually began to take shape.
After practicing for seven days, she was finally able to play the first chapter of "Ode to the Rejuvenation of the Earth Veins" in its entirety.
Although the flow of spiritual energy is not yet smooth and the activation of the earth's vitality is minimal, it has already reached the threshold.
"Not bad," Chen Jinshu rarely praised, "It's faster than your grandfather expected."
Upon hearing this, Sha Ling'er's eyes curved into crescent moons: "It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, senior!"
Chen Jinshu neither confirmed nor denied, only saying:
"From today onwards, you will practice the 'Ode to the Rejuvenation of the Earth Veins' here every day at 9:00 AM, supplemented by the 'Spring Breeze and Rain Technique' to nourish your spiritual field. Qingheng will guide you in the application of the spell."
"The Spring Breeze and Rain Technique?" Sha Ling'er blinked. "I...I don't know it."
Qingheng popped out from the side, hands on her hips:
"If you don't know how, just learn! It's very simple, watch me!"
She formed a mudra with her hands, chanted incantations, and then pointed to the sky.
A pale green cloud gathered above the spiritual field, and a light drizzle of spiritual rain fell, like a spring drizzle, gently nourishing every spiritual herb.
Rainwater contains the pure vitality of plants, which is quickly absorbed when it falls on the leaves and seeps into the soil to nourish the roots.
Sha Ling'er was dumbfounded.
"There, that's it." Qingheng stopped the spell, clapped her hands, and said, "I'll teach you the incantation and hand seals. You'll learn them in three days!"
Sha Ling'er was both amused and exasperated: "Three days?"
"You think it's too slow?" Qingheng glared at her. "When I learned this, I could do it after watching it only once!"
Chen Jinshu said calmly, "Qingheng is a spirit of plants and trees, and is naturally close to this method. Just learn it step by step, there's no need to compare yourself to her."
Qingheng stuck out her tongue and stopped talking.
In the days that followed, Sha Ling'er's life became regular and fulfilling.
Every day at dawn, she meditates and cultivates the "Evergreen Mantra" by the spirit field; at dawn, she helps Qingheng take care of the spirit field, learns to identify spirit herbs and prepare spirit liquids; at mid-morning, she practices the "Ode to the Earth Vein Rejuvenation" and the Spring Breeze and Rain Technique; in the afternoon, she has her own time to either review her cultivation techniques, practice the pipa, or walk around the valley to familiarize herself with the environment.
Chen Jinshu was not often by her side; most of the time he was in seclusion in the stone house or meditating somewhere in the valley.
But every three to five days, she would check on Sha Ling'er's progress in cultivation and offer some pointers.
Sha Ling'er is indeed quite perceptive.
Half a month later, she had mastered the first level of the Evergreen Technique, and her spiritual power was nearly 30% stronger than before.
The first chapter of "Ode to the Rejuvenation of the Earth Veins" can also be played smoothly. Although the amount of life force of the earth veins that is activated is not much, the changes in the spiritual fields can be clearly felt.
What surprised her most was the "gentle breeze and nourishing rain" technique.
That morning, she stood by the spirit field, her hands forming a mudra, silently reciting an incantation. Spiritual energy surged from her dantian, circulating along a specific path to her fingertips, and she pointed into the air.
A pale green cloud slowly condensed, initially only the size of a palm, but gradually expanded to a radius of about ten feet after she continuously poured in spiritual energy.
"Fall!" Sha Ling'er called softly.
The spiritual rain fell softly, like silk threads, gently enveloping a small portion of the spiritual field.
Although the vitality of plants in the rain is faint, it is real.
The leaves of the Qingning tea tree swayed gently in the rain, appearing even greener as the silver light shimmered.
"It worked!" Sha Ling'er withdrew her spell and jumped up excitedly. (End of Chapter)