Volume 1, Chapter 24 – Lock the Yin, Sever the Dragon

Bai Shengju didn’t eat with the others.

Because he was old and his teeth weren’t what they used to be, the kitchen always prepared a separate meal for him and sent it inside for him to savor slowly.

No whispering was allowed at the table. Bai Xiang happened not to be talkative and just focused on wolfing down her food.

She noticed her appetite had grown a lot compared to before.

Not just compared to her past life—it was nearly twice that of the original body.

She figured her body’s energy expenditure had simply become more extreme.

Entering the Dao had tapped so much potential, and those several hard fights with the aberration that day all burned energy.

She didn’t think this was a bad thing.

If all that consumption could be made up just by eating, great; she only feared that as cultivation progressed the drain would grow so large that even gorging wouldn’t suffice and she’d have to procure rare medicinal materials that were hard to find.

After eating, she was about to head to the back yard to look for Bai Shengju when Bai Leying cut her off midway.

“Sis~” Bai Leying seized her hand and swung it back and forth. “Is Grandpa having you come over this afternoon?”

“Mm.” Bai Xiang nodded.

“Then he’s definitely going to teach you the real stuff!” Bai Leying pouted, glanced around, then suddenly leaned in. “Sis…”

“Spit it out,” Bai Xiang said, looking up at the wall clock.

Bai Shengju never took naps. If she kept him waiting he’d be very displeased.

“It’s simple!” Bai Leying stuck up a finger. “Grandpa always says the Nurture the Spirit method will only be taught after we enter the Dao. But I’m not trying to train early—I’m just curious. When you come back, tell me how to practice, okay~~”

“All right.” Bai Xiang agreed without even thinking.

Anyway, little girls were easy to fob off. When the time came she’d just mention it in front of Bai Shengju, and then she could righteously say—Grandpa warned me not to tell.

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“Big Sis is the best!” Bai Leying cheered and butted her little head against Bai Xiang’s chest.

Seeing Bai Leying off, Bai Xiang happened to spot Bai Zhuqing hiding behind the door panel.

Realizing she’d been seen, Bai Zhuqing hurriedly turned and walked away, avoiding eye contact with Bai Xiang the whole time.

A bit odd.

Bai Xiang frowned, but didn’t give it much thought.

When she reached the back yard, she saw only Bai Shengju there. The old man was lying on a rocking chair, eyes closed, restoring his energy.

Beside him was a coal-fired tub stove, and set on it was a big pot, steam hoo-hooing up into the air.

“You’re here!” Hearing footsteps, Bai Shengju opened his eyes, pointed to the side, and said, “Go see if it’s finished cooking.”

Bai Xiang went over. Spotting a pair of fire tongs on the ground, she picked them up to lift the lid. Inside, a mass of black gunk was boiling—something like a vegetable gruel overcooked past its mark.

Not exactly stinky, but the smell wasn’t pleasant either.

“Tell me if there’s still water in it,” came Bai Shengju’s voice.

“There is,” Bai Xiang answered.

“About a finger’s depth.”

“Mm. Then listen to me lay out some principles first.”

Bai Shengju called her over and had her pull up a little stool to sit opposite him, and began.

“Since you’re on break, I’ll teach you the method for Nurture the Spirit.”

“Nurture the Spirit has ten tiers: one and two temper the skin; three and four temper the flesh; five and six temper the viscera; seven and eight temper the bones; nine and ten change the blood.”

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“Changing the blood is hard… but harder still is mastering your own heart-aspect.”

“Why is it called ‘Nurture the Spirit’ and not ‘Nurture the Body’? Because at its core it still emphasizes cultivation of the ‘heart-aspect’—cultivation of the ‘spirit.’”

“Can you temper skin and flesh by effort alone? No… otherwise there’d be no need to enter the Dao; anyone could try the Nurture the Spirit method.”

“So this isn’t about whether your body is proactive—it depends on your ‘heart-aspect.’”

“You nurture the spirit and let it feed back into the body. Remember: the core of this step is to raise your ‘heart-aspect’ well—treat the ‘heart-aspect’ as a god enthroned within you.”

“If the heart-aspect isn’t cultivated well, there’s no surplus energy to feed back, and the body’s cultivation naturally stalls.”

Only when the heart-aspect is well-nurtured and has excess power spilling over can you rely on that force to polish the body and lay the foundation for seeking the Dao before you Forge the Sword.”

Bai Shengju explained in great detail—almost breaking the concepts up and spoon-feeding them to Bai Xiang.

He kept pausing to let her ask questions; if she had none, he made her articulate her understanding. Only once he was sure she truly understood would he continue, for fear she was bluffing.

“Generally, once you reach tier seven or eight—the bone-tempering level—you’ve already met the requirements for forging. Stabilize a bit and you can attempt to Forge the Sword.”

Bai Shengju stroked his beard lightly.

“But that’s for scions of great houses. From the moment they enter the Dao they begin viewing the clan’s enshrined ‘Demon Pool visualization charts,’ which makes forging far easier than it is for the likes of us.”

“Take Qingya Sword Dao. At the top of their dojo they enshrine a ‘Dragon Python’ painting, drawn from the distilled essence of the Demon Pool’s ‘Qingya Dragon Python.’ By viewing it year-round, they can adapt early to the Qingya Dragon Python’s aura and pressure, greatly reducing the difficulty of forging.”

“As for our Shenming…”

At this point, Bai Shengju couldn’t help shaking his head with a sigh.

“The visualization charts are gone, the forging method cut off. I can’t say what road you’ll take when you approach forging.”

“When that time comes, you can apprentice at a famous school, or you can choose to inherit my mantle—either is up to you.”

“But before that, I must help you lay a solid foundation.”

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“For Nurture the Spirit’s ten tiers, you must train all the way to the blood-change!”

His tone was stern, even a little tense.

“Yes,” Bai Xiang nodded in assent.

“Mm…!”

Pleased with her attitude, Bai Shengju pointed at the pot. “Go see if it’s boiled down.”

Bai Xiang stepped up and repeated the earlier motions. “It’s dry,” she said.

“This is the Mingyu Cream your Second Uncle bought for you… Scoop a mouthful of the decoction and hold it, then squeeze in a whole tube of the ointment.”

Bai Shengju took the gift box from beside the chair and had Bai Xiang follow his instructions—blowing off the heat, holding a mouthful of gruel-medicine, then squeezing in a full tube.

A tube of Mingyu Cream was about the size of toothpaste; what came out looked similar, white-jade in appearance and giving off a chill breath.

The icy Mingyu Cream fell into the pot and melted the instant it touched the boiling “vegetable gruel,” blending that bizarre smell with a faint, gentle fragrance.

“I won’t watch.”

Bai Shengju tottered into the inner room.

“Now take off your clothes.”

“Reach in and stir it evenly, smear it over your whole body, and then swallow what’s in your mouth!”

Like this?

Bai Xiang hesitated for a moment, but seeing Bai Shengju gone and the yard empty save for herself, she had nothing to be shy about. She quickly stripped bare and reached into the big pot to stir the medicinal gruel.

She’d thought it would scald her skin, but once the Mingyu Cream was stirred in it had a neutralizing, cooling effect. It was hot, yes, but not unbearably so.

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After a bit of stirring, watching the white of the Mingyu Cream vanish completely into the black paste, Bai Xiang stopped and began scooping the paste to spread over herself.

She was meticulous—scalp, eyelids… she didn’t spare a single corner of her body, covering everything in the paste.

When she’d finished, she followed Bai Shengju’s instructions to the letter and gulped down the portion she’d been holding in her mouth.

Bitter.

And with a strange taste that defied description.

“All done?”

Bai Shengju’s voice came from inside.

“Done.”

Bai Xiang replied.

“Then now! At once!… Sword Contemplation!”

Sitting alone inside, Bai Shengju spoke with a flash like cold stars in his eyes.

“Everyone knows a woman’s innate structure is lacking, and that training the sword to seek the Dao is doubly hard! But few know that before the spirit feeds back to the body, one can use a secret method to Lock the Yin and Sever the Dragon!”

“What I boiled for you is the Bai family’s ancestral secret medicine!”

“It will be very uncomfortable—but your aunt went through this step back then as well!”

“Endure it!”

“I hope you can hold out!”