Chapter 35: The Way of External Alchemy "Boom..." There is a bell in the Taoist temple. Lin Jue quickly got up from the bed and pushed open the door. As expected, the little sister who had entered the temple with him did not remember where the dining hall was, but she was also smart and was standing quietly at the door waiting for him. As soon as I saw him, I glanced at him secretly: "Brother, it's time for dinner..." "Hmm? Yeah, dinner is ready, let's go." Although Lin Jue looked about the same age as the girl, he was actually not. He would not make such a young girl nervous, and he had a very good impression of her along the way, so he smiled at her and walked forward first. The dining hall was a room in the corner of the outer courtyard. Because there was a Tianweng Hall in the middle, the kitchen was in another corner. When they walked over, they saw some brothers carrying large pots of food towards the dining hall. Both of them were new here, and no matter how calm they were, they were definitely a little uncomfortable and didn't know what to do for a while. "Go sit down."
Senior brother's expression was very gentle. The two of them went to the dining hall and sat down. The dining hall is neither big nor small, with several long wooden tables, which should be prepared for pilgrims. In the middle, two wooden tables are put together to form a longer table, and the food is placed on the tables. There were a total of nine disciples in the temple, sitting on both sides of the long table, with Taoist Yunhe sitting alone at the top. Lin Jue couldn't help but look at the food on the table. The junior sister also glanced at him secretly. The food in the temple is simple but not crude. There was no big fish or meat, but there was a pot of rice. Although the rice was not too watery, it was better than most of the people down the mountain. There were only two dishes, one was boiled cabbage with some oil floating on it, and the other was scrambled eggs with wild vegetables. Both dishes were served in a large porcelain bowl. "I'll serve the food." The eldest brother sat closest to the rice bowl and took the initiative to stand up and serve the rice. Soon a bowl of rice was placed in front of each person. It looks like it's ok. This is about their growth in the next few years. "Eat, eat, eat..." At the Taoist's command, everyone picked up their bowls. Lin Jue waited for them to stretch out their chopsticks first, then looked around secretly and saw that no one had any scruples and there seemed to be no other etiquette. Instead, they seemed quite casual. Only then did he feel relieved and stretched out his chopsticks as well. First pick up some cabbage and put it into your mouth. "..." Well! People down in the mountains can't afford salt, so they save money on every meal, but this Taoist temple is luxurious!
Lin Jue didn't say anything, he lowered his head and took a big mouthful of rice. Take another bite of scrambled eggs with wild vegetables. "..." This wild vegetable is not Acanthopanax acanthopanax, nor is it some wild vegetable that Lin Jue knows. It tastes soft and is not very suitable for scrambled eggs. Like most wild vegetables that are not processed well, it tastes bitter. Lin Jue didn't say anything. This is how it is these days—— Iron pots had only just appeared recently, and before that, there was no cooking at all. Except for some inns and restaurants that specialized in selling food and wine, and wealthy families with cooks, it was rare to find a family that could cook delicious food. Moreover, most families had difficulty even getting enough to eat these days, so they just dug whatever wild vegetables they could eat from the mountains, not caring about the taste. It is quite good that the Taoist temple can serve these. Lin Jue glanced at the opposite side again. The little sister looked at him as an object of observation, just as he looked at the others. Seeing him picking up food and eating without restraint, she carefully followed his lead. She was very satisfied just eating it. "Don't just eat, pick up some dishes, eat some eggs. These eggs are laid by the chickens we raised at home. There are plenty of them. You can't finish them. Don't be polite." The Sixth Brother saw that Lin Jue was always eating and the Little Sister was always eating. He knew that they were embarrassed to pick up some dishes and greeted them repeatedly. "I understand, senior brother." "I understand, senior brother!" Lin Jue couldn't help but glance at the little girl opposite him. "The rule of our Taoist temple is that, except for the master, everyone takes turns to cook every month. This month it happens to be my turn." Sixth Senior Brother said, "You are lucky. If it wasn't my turn, they would have been lucky enough to cook a pot of plain vegetables for you. When you meet Third Senior Brother, he either forgets to cook or mixes wine into your meal. Cherish your Sixth Senior Brother and I to cook for you this month." "..." Lin Jue couldn't help but glance at this sixth senior brother. "Can you two cook?" "Will do." “Will…will…” "Next month it will be Old Seven's turn to cook, and the month after that it will be Lin Jue's turn. By then you should be familiar with the Taoist temple. It doesn't matter if you can't cook. Your senior brother can't either. Just be able to cook it." "understood." "I know, I know..." It was a fairly clean dinner. Lin Jue had been thinking about which of the seven spells he should learn first and focus on. Since he didn't know enough about it, he first found his second senior brother who focused on alchemy. "Junior brother, what's the matter?" "Second Brother, I don't know what to learn, so I would like to ask you for advice on alchemy first."
"You are Welcome." The second senior brother didn't seem to talk much, which could be seen from his expression. He just nodded, with no expression on his face. The two of them strolled in the night. There is a crescent moon in the sky. "Master, have you ever told me that in ancient times, cultivators on earth mainly made pills?" "Said." "You also know the difference between external and internal elixirs?" “Probably.” "Then I won't say much." Second Senior Brother Yan Xuanyi nodded, "In ancient times, cultivators used alchemy to seek supernatural powers, longevity, and immortality. Nowadays, most people believe that cultivators' alchemy only has the function of curing diseases and increasing their cultivation. At most, people have heard of legends that eating one pill can make one immortal, but in fact, these are not complete." "Please give me some advice, brother." Lin Jue was studious and listened carefully. "In ancient times, everyone made alchemy, so external alchemy was naturally a great path, not a small one. The later spiritual school also had something in common with the original external alchemy school. Alchemy was derived from heaven and earth, and so were the techniques. It can be said that what could be done with cultivation and techniques in the past could also be done with alchemy." Speaking of his main method, even the second senior brother couldn't help but become more interested in talking: "For example, practicing can make you immortal, and you can live forever. So can refining elixirs... You must have heard of the rumor that in ancient times someone ate a golden elixir and became an immortal, right?" “Indeed, I have.” "For example, if you learn a five-element spell that allows you to disappear underground, there is also a pill that can also allow you to disappear underground. If there is a spell that allows you to breathe fire or return to youth, there is also a pill in the world that can also breathe fire or return to youth." “Is it so magical?” "First there was external alchemy, then internal alchemy, and then spiritual methods." The second senior brother said, "The two have similarities and differences. Unfortunately, external alchemy gradually declined, and internal alchemy was hidden in the mountains. After a long time, it was not as prosperous as the spiritual method. There are more and more new spells that cannot be achieved by alchemy, because spells are constantly being born, but external alchemy has stagnated. Not only has it stagnated, but more and more ancient recipes for alchemy have been lost." "So that's it." "Unfortunately, we are a Taoist temple of the Lingfa School. Although I have also learned the method of alchemy, I cannot get the complete method. The founder left five alchemy recipes, and there are only more than ten collected from generation to generation over the years." Second Brother said as he looked at Lin Jue: "In addition, I am also proficient in fire magic that matches alchemy, and I know the methods of 'taking' and 'collecting'." "Fire magic?" "Fire is needed to refine the elixir. But you haven't started practicing spiritual arts yet. You need to practice spiritual arts and have some experience before you can practice the five elements magic." "So when can I practice spiritual arts?" "Don't worry, the eldest brother will teach you. If you are worried, it should be the master who is more anxious than you." The second brother said calmly, "It's just that you can't learn from the beginning, and you can't just learn spiritual skills." "Why?" "In that case, wouldn't it mean that you only know the technique but not the actual action?" The second senior brother glanced at him indifferently. "I only know the technique but I don't know..." Lin Jue muttered to himself, his expression stiff.
"I heard from Master that you have practiced the Qi-nourishing Method for a few years. If you have made up your mind and want to learn alchemy, I can first teach you other alchemy methods, and then teach you how to swallow and gather. When you have cultivated your magic power and learned fire magic, I will teach you how to make alchemy." The second senior brother said, and reminded, "By the way, although you can't start learning spiritual magic now, you can continue to practice the Qi-nourishing Method you originally knew. By then, your attainments in the Qi-nourishing Method can also be brought to the spiritual method." "Thank you, Second Senior Brother." "Any thing else?" "besides……" "what?" "My master and I went to a banquet hosted by a mountain lord, and we accidentally got a piece of earth essence on the way." Lin Jue said as he took out the piece of earth essence from his arms, a little embarrassed. "It is said that it has an effect if you carry it with you, but it will be more effective if you can refine it into a pill, so I would like to ask Second Senior Brother how to refine it." "It's just the essence of the five elements. It's nothing more than extracting the spiritual charm. If you want to make a pill and swallow it, just give it to me. I'll help you tinker with it when I'm free in a few days." "Then I'll trouble you, Second Senior Brother." "Out of sight." The second brother's expression was still calm. He took Lin Jue's earth and wood essence, then turned and left, walking towards his house in the night. Only a calm voice came: "We are a small temple with not many people. We are just brothers who stay together all day long. There is really no need to be so particular." "understood." Lin Jue stood still. There were a few cats and dogs on the ground, looking up at him curiously. Suddenly I felt fortunate that I chose this place. I returned to my room and fell asleep thinking about it. Although it is midsummer, the mountains are still cool. At night, it is so quiet that you can hear the calls of wild animals and birds far away. It is a peaceful and sleepy place. …… I was woken up by the eldest brother early in the morning. The eldest senior brother called Lin Jue and the younger junior sister to the Moving Mountain Hall. There were only three of them in the Hall at that time. He gave each of them a scripture and asked them to recite it. Lin Jue has read this book—— It is the Yin-Yang Classic. "Read a book a hundred times and its meaning will become clear. For the first month, you should recite the Yin-Yang Classic once every morning." What the eldest brother said was similar to the second brother. What is practiced in the temple is the Yin-Yang spiritual method. The essence of the Yin-Yang Great Way is the Tao, and the Yin-Yang spiritual method is just a technique. Therefore, before learning the spiritual method, let them recite the Yin-Yang Sutra first. I guess this is the morning class at Fuqiu Temple. Lin Jue didn't say much and started reading. "The sky creates five elements, the earth bears yin and yang, day and night change, and the four seasons cycle, all of which are the laws of yin and yang..." As Lin Jue was reading, he noticed that there was no sound nearby.
Turning my head, I saw—— The little junior sister was sitting on a cushion, holding the Yin-Yang Sutra in her hands. Her pretty, fair face was full of confusion, and she didn't know where to look. Sometimes I read a book, sometimes I look at Lin Jue. He turned around and looked at his senior brother again. "What? Oh! You can't read?" The eldest brother also understood. "..." "It doesn't matter. Since you can't read, you can go back and rest first." The eldest brother said, "In a few days, someone will teach you how to read. Don't worry, learn how to read first." "Um……" The junior sister had no choice but to nod and put down the book. "Go back and rest." The little sister was unwilling to leave. She still sat there and glanced at Lin Jue: "Let me listen to what little brother is saying..." "Alright." The eldest brother did not object. It is always right to be studious. Lin Jue didn't mind and continued reading. "The sky creates five elements, the earth bears yin and yang, day and night change, and the four seasons cycle, all of which are the laws of yin and yang..." After reading for a while, he looked back. The little girl was still confused. "That is to say, there are five kinds of qi created by heaven, and the earth carries the alternation of yin and yang. Well, this is probably a similar intertextual technique, that is, heaven and earth have five kinds of qi, and there is the alternation of yin and yang. The changes of day and night and the alternation of the four seasons are all the way of yin and yang..." Then continue with the next sentence. The little girl sat on the futon, listening attentively, with obvious emotion and shame on her face. (End of this chapter)