Chapter 4

A clear stream flowed out from the mountain forest, circling in front of Meng Qi before flowing down to the foot of the mountain.

The surrounding green trees provided shade, and a light mist enveloped the mountain forest, making the air extremely fresh, which made Meng Qi feel a sense of tranquility and comfort.

It was not yet dawn, and the morning bell rang, waking Meng Qi. After learning a small Sanskrit spell in the morning class, he and Zhenhui were assigned by Xuanxin to fetch water here. There were also others like Zhenying and Zhenguan, as well as the martial monks who were training by fetching water.

Looking at the stream, Meng Qi inadvertently saw his current appearance reflected in the slowly flowing water.

It was a child with eyes like ink dots, eyebrows like distant mountains, and a face as delicate as jade, about twelve or thirteen years old, only slightly older than Zhenhui.

"Looks pretty good, must have been pampered before," Meng Qi praised himself, but then sighed, "What use is this for a monk? I must return to secular life!"

He submerged the wooden bucket in the water, intending to test his strength, and at the same time, instructed Zhenhui, who was beside him, "Little junior, you only need to fill it halfway, don't overdo it."

"Okay," Zhenhui replied, looking at the fish swimming in the stream and licking his lips.

Just as Meng Qi was about to lift the bucket, he suddenly felt someone watching him. He turned his head and followed the gaze, only to see a group of familiar martial monks. They were the young novices who had been ordained with him by Xuan Ku, and among them, he could still remember the name of Zhen De.

Zhen De had rather messy eyebrows and a long, thin face. Seeing Meng Qi look back, he lifted his head slightly, seeming a bit arrogant and smug.

The other young novices around him, seeing this, changed from their usual sullen expressions to joyful ones, as if the hardships of life in the martial monks' hall had vanished upon seeing a "companion" who was faring worse than them.

Indeed, we entered the martial monks' hall, while Zhen Ding and Zhenhui could only be labor monks. This is something to be proud and happy about.

Zhen De opened his mouth as if to say something, but after glancing at the nearby discipline monk, he closed it and lifted the bucket, which was full of water.

Meng Qi pursed his lips, deciding not to argue with a child. He was determined to enter the martial monks' hall one day and learn the Shaolin secrets!

He cleared his mind and lifted the two wooden buckets with force.

As soon as the buckets left the water, Meng Qi was suddenly startled. How could they be so light?

He felt he didn't use much strength to lift the buckets.

"Is it heavy?" Meng Qi asked Zhenhui, puzzled.

Zhenhui walked over obediently, lifted the two full buckets in front of Meng Qi, his veins bulging and his face contorted, then nodded, "It's heavy."

"It's not the water's problem?" Meng Qi took a deep breath, thinking to himself, "Could it be that this body has naturally good strength? Hmm, looking at the skin, clothes, and accessories, and the mention of a marquis by the horse-faced uncle, this body must have come from a noble family. Perhaps he practiced martial arts before, laying a good foundation, making him much stronger than a normal child."

Regardless of the reason, Meng Qi no longer feared fetching water. He bent down, shouldered the two buckets, and followed the line of martial monks up the mountain.

The line quickly stretched out as the experienced martial monks, carrying iron buckets and water, walked swiftly and soon disappeared into the forest.

To avoid drawing attention, Meng Qi and Zhenhui, along with a few other labor monks, lagged behind. Zhen De and the other new martial monks, who had only been in the temple for a day and had not yet improved, were also with them.

Feeling Meng Qi's gaze, Zhen De and the other martial monks' faces turned red, and they bent their waists, adjusted their postures, and took large steps forward, not wanting to be grouped with the labor monks.

Seeing them speed up, Meng Qi felt a surge of inspiration and also bent his waist, adjusted his posture, and suddenly found the buckets of water much lighter.

"This posture is simple..." Meng Qi explored the technique to make it easier, and his steps gradually quickened, unknowingly leaving Zhenhui behind and surpassing Zhen De.

"Hmph, start steady, or you won't be able to keep up later!" Zhen De grumbled behind Meng Qi.

Meng Qi chuckled, thinking he should use a larger bucket tomorrow, otherwise, there would be no training effect.

However, the mountain path was difficult, and it was uphill. By the end, Meng Qi was drenched in sweat and panting.

"Pay attention to your breathing," a stern voice suddenly said in his ear.

Meng Qi turned his head and saw that the patrolling discipline monk had somehow appeared beside him, demonstrating the rhythm of breathing. Surprised and delighted, he followed the monk's example, quickly regaining his composure and returning to the temple.

"Use a larger bucket tomorrow," the discipline monk instructed, then went down to meet the other young novices.

Meng Qi's mouth twitched. Although he had the same idea, he was still worried about his strength.

After a while, Zhenhui, Zhen De, and the other young novices also carried water up the mountain. Seeing Meng Qi standing there, breathing calmly, they were taken aback.

"It's just that he's stronger," Zhen De panted, muttering, feeling embarrassed in front of Zhen Ding and the other martial monks.

Then, they hurriedly left without stopping.

"Little junior, are you okay?" Meng Qi, who had not paid attention to them, asked Zhenhui, who was panting heavily.

Zhenhui nodded, "Very, very good, breakfast!"

...

After breakfast, the sky was just beginning to brighten, with a red glow in the east.

Meng Qi, however, did not feel the usual soreness after heavy labor; instead, he felt more alert and energetic.

"This body is really good..." Meng Qi looked at the labor monks in the dining hall, who were exhausted and slumped, and felt a surge of joy. Regardless of anything, a good body would be his future support.

"The new ones, follow me to the lecture hall," Xuanxin said, holding a chicken leg and standing at the door of the dining hall. Seeing Meng Qi look over, he nodded and said, "You did well. Don't give those martial monks any face. When you return tonight, your uncle will have a reward for you."

"Reward?" Meng Qi was delighted, though he disliked Xuanxin, who doesn't like rewards?

Before Xuanxin could answer, Zhenhui said woodenly, "Uncle Xuanxin, after enlightenment, one should not eat meat. You are breaking the rules."

Meng Qi's mind buzzed, and he tried to cover Zhenhui's mouth but was too slow.

Sure enough, Xuanxin's smile froze.

His lips twitched, and he said with a forced smile, "Your uncle never breaks the rules."

After that, he no longer mentioned the reward and left the dining hall with a sour expression.

Only then did the dining hall fill with low laughter.

Zhenhui looked at Meng Qi, confused, "Brother, why are they laughing?"

Laughing at you for being too naive... Meng Qi thought to himself.

But Zhenhui was not concerned with that and quickly shifted his attention, "Brother, why did Uncle Xuanxin say he didn't break the rules when he was clearly eating a chicken leg?"

"Because he hasn't reached the enlightenment stage yet..." Meng Qi answered vaguely, thinking he should teach Zhenhui some life lessons to avoid getting into trouble and involving himself.

"Oh! Uncle Xuanxin hasn't reached enlightenment yet," Zhenhui exclaimed, looking delighted as if he had uncovered a crucial secret.

Seeing that Xuanxin had not stopped, Meng Qi did not have time to lecture Zhenhui and called him to follow.

They passed through various halls and courtyards, and Meng Qi only heard the chanting of scriptures, which was ethereal and soothing.

"Evening drums and morning bells awaken the world's seekers of fame and fortune; the sound of scriptures and the Buddha's name call back those lost in the sea of suffering..." For some reason, Meng Qi thought of this couplet, which seemed perfectly fitting for the scene.

"Hey, Nephew Zhen Ding, have you heard of the couplet at the entrance of Shuiyue Nunnery?" Xuanxin asked with a smile.

Meng Qi's hair stood on end, and he feigned calmness, "My father mentioned it."

He could only blame the mysterious marquis.

Xuanxin was not surprised and said with a sigh, "Your uncle once visited Shuiyue Nunnery and saw this couplet at the entrance, so it left a deep impression. At that time, the abbess, with her long-standing first place on the Earth List, tried to break through to the Dharmakaya stage, hoping to achieve the 'Golden Body of the Great Compassionate Bodhisattva of Infinite Mercy,' but unfortunately failed and passed away."

"The Golden Body of the Great Compassionate Bodhisattva of Infinite Mercy?" Meng Qi exclaimed, feeling a strange excitement.

Xuanxin put away his sigh and chuckled, "The foundation of Shuiyue Nunnery is the 'Heart Sutra of the Bodhisattva of Infinite Mercy.' If one achieves the fruit, one can obtain the 'Golden Body of the Great Compassionate Bodhisattva of Infinite Mercy,' which is one of the great bodhisattva and great arhat golden bodies, far superior to ordinary bodhisattva and arhat golden bodies, second only to the Buddha's golden body, Amitabha's Dharmakaya, and the Bodhi golden body. Sigh, throughout history, only the founding abbess of Shuiyue Nunnery has achieved it."

"Is that so..." Meng Qi felt his face flush and his heart race. The existence of bodhisattva and Buddha golden bodies in this world was both thrilling and awe-inspiring.

At this moment, they entered the "Lecture Hall," and Xuanxin put away his playful demeanor, leading Meng Qi and the others into a side hall without a word.

"Brother Xuanyin, these are the new novices from the labor hall," Xuanxin said, pointing to Meng Qi and the others after reciting a Buddhist chant.

In the chanting hall, a withered old monk with white eyebrows sat at the front, wearing a yellow robe, with books and a wooden fish in front of him and a ruler in his hand.

"Sit down," he pointed to the cushions, which were mostly empty, with a small table in front of each.

Meng Qi and Zhenhui, along with the others, found seats and knelt down. After a while, more young novices arrived, including Zhen De and the others who had entered the temple with them.

They looked at Meng Qi and the others in surprise, clearly not expecting labor monks to be able to study in the lecture hall.

Xuanyin tapped the wooden fish, quieting the young novices, and said in a moderate tone, "For the next three years, as long as you do not violate the temple rules, you can come here to learn to read and write every day at this time. Besides ordinary characters, you must also study Sanskrit to read ancient scriptures."

He paused and continued, "But before teaching you characters, I will guide you into the path of martial arts."

Hearing this, Meng Qi's spirit was lifted, and he sat up straight. Labor monks could also be guided?

This doubt also made Zhen De and the others widen their eyes. What was the difference between the labor hall and the martial monks' hall?

"Whether it's the Daoist cultivation or secular methods, the first step in martial arts practice is the same, which is to initially open the meridians and strengthen the body and mind," Xuanyin ignored Zhen De's doubts and continued.

Meng Qi listened intently, afraid to miss a word.

"This step is called 'Hundred Days Foundation Building' in Daoism, meaning to lay the foundation for martial arts practice. The term 'hundred days' refers to the fact that within a hundred days, the main meridians like the Governor and Conception Vessels will naturally open. In our Buddhist tradition, it is called 'Cultivation in Meditation,' because only by entering a state of meditation, with a calm and focused mind, can true qi naturally arise, fill the acupoints, and open the meridians, which is called 'Opening the Meridians' in the secular world."

Xuanyin outlined the key points of 'Cultivation in Meditation' (Hundred Days Foundation Building): "The human body has 365 major acupoints. After each generation of true qi, it must be filled into an acupoint, and each acupoint requires nine breaths of true qi to be full..."

"Each meditation session of fifteen minutes can only generate one breath of true qi, so based on each person's daily practice time, it takes roughly a hundred days to a year to complete this step."

"During meditation, the six senses are pure, without wandering thoughts or impatience. After fifteen minutes, true qi will naturally arise. Half of it will travel up the Governor Vessel to the Baihui point at the top of the head, then down to the palate, generating a 'Golden Fluid.' The other half will travel up the Conception Vessel to the lower jaw, forming a 'Jade Liquid.'"

"The 'Golden Fluid and Jade Liquid' will meet and form a sweet and clear saliva, which we call 'Nectar.' After swallowing the 'Nectar,' it will fill the corresponding acupoint..."

Xuanyin repeated the key points several times and then said, "Once 'Cultivation in Meditation' is completed, the essence, qi, and spirit will be full, the meridians will be initially open, and the body will be strong. Only then can you enter the next step, 'Meditation and Qi Accumulation,' which we call 'Nurturing the Holy Fetus.'"

After that, he asked the young novices to try to enter meditation.

This was not true meditation but only required a calm mind, which was not difficult for children with fewer thoughts.

However, as an adult, Meng Qi had many杂 thoughts and could not calm his mind for a long time, which made him very anxious. The more anxious he became, the harder it was to enter meditation.

When he was sweating profusely from anxiety, he suddenly felt a cool sensation in his chest, and his mind became clear.

"The small jade Buddha?" Meng Qi was delighted, not thinking much about it, and slowly calmed his mind, entering a state of meditation.