“This method is very simple.”
The old man continued, “One longan pulp, six or seven Sichuan peppers, and moxa floss. Blend together and put a piece about the size of your fingernail into your belly button when you sleep at night.
Sensing Fang Qiu’s doubts, the old man went on to explain,
“Don’t belittle our belly button. It absorbs.”
During the Republic of China era, some opium addicts were afraid of smoking it during the ban as anyone caught would be thrown into jail. Instead, they put opium on their belly button and got pretty much the same high as smoking.
“We humans have a hole in our navel through which we eat and breathe in our mother’s womb. So when we put this medicine into our belly button and seal it with some rubber sticker before bed, our navel will absorb the medicine if our body needs it. If not, it won’t suck it in.
“Through this method, fire and water will mingle and stomach problems will be cured in a few days. However, in case of stomach heat illnesses, do not adopt this.
“Remember. It’s a secret prescription. Curing is a good thing but don’t you ever use it to make money. And perform more good deeds in life.”
The old man urged in the end.
“I’ll keep it on my mind. Thank you, master.”
Fang Qiu rose and bowed his thanks.
“Go ahead. I know you have other things to do. I won’t keep you here long.”
The old man waved at Fang Qiu with a smile.
“Master, could you tell me where is the source of this water?”
Before leaving, Fang Qiu asked again.
“It’s in the valley about 200 meters ahead.”
“Great!”
Fang Qiu said respectfully, “Your water tank is half empty. Let me fill it up for you before leaving.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
The old man shook his head with a smile.
Despite the old man’s refusal, Fang Qiu insisted.
It was his principle to repay his debt of gratitude.
The old man had opened his heart to teach him and answered all his questions sincerely. Of course he needed to repay his kindness.
“You have answered my questions, given me water, and taught me a secret prescription. I can’t just leave without doing something for you.”
Before the old man could refuse again, he rushed inside, grabbed the wooden bucket in front of the water tank, and ran out quickly.
The old man smiled as he watched Fang Qiu from behind.
Three minutes later.
Fang Qiu helped fill up the old man’s water tank.
He didn’t leave yet.
He ran to the back of the house and chopped the pile of withered logs into firewood with an axe.
Seeing Fang Qiu chopping logs with ease as if cutting vegetable,
The old man said with a grin, “I knew you were not an ordinary man.”
Fang Qiu responded with a smile and kept on chopping firewood.
“Looks like you are just an ordinary man.”
The old man remarked again out of the blue. Fang Qiu was lost.
He looked up at the old man.
This time the old man replied with a smile.
Fang Qiu had to suppress the questions in his heart.
Soon.
After chopping firewood,
Fang Qiu stood up and looked around. He noticed the rotten thatch on the roof and said at once, “Master, let me help you fix the cottage.”
“That’s enough.”
The old man rose and shook his head. “These are worldly possessions. Don’t trouble yourself. I can live a basic life in a basic house. After all, it’s a thatched hut no matter how good it is. The sky is the blanket and the earth is the bed. How free would that be?”
“But I’m worried.”
Fang Qiu answered with a smile. He gathered some thatches and jumped on the roof in front of the old man to repair the hut.
Seeing this,
The old man chuckled.
This was the third time he tried to stop Fang Qiu. From carrying water, to chopping firewood, to now repairing the hut.
Fang Qiu didn’t listen at all.
After observing the house’s structure carefully, he ran into the mountains and collected some sturdy vines and solid tree branches. He then went up back the roof and fixed it really well. He finally came to a stop after reinforcing the stone walls of the house.
“Master.”
Once he was done with the house, he turned to the old man at the door.
“Go on.”
The old man waved his hand.
“Okay.”
Fang Qiu laughed and ran into the wood with an axe.
“This young man is still not leaving.”
The old man muttered with a smile.
He intended to let him go.
But to his surprise, he left with the axe.
Apparently,
He went into the mountains to cut firewood.
What a good kid!
Grateful and seeking to repay the kindness, he would have a great karmic reward to come!
Ten minutes later, Fang Qiu returned with a bundle of firewood wrapped with vines. He chopped it up for the old man and piled it up neatly on the empty shelf behind the hut. He then walked back to the front of the house.
“You’ve finished everything. This old man will become lazy.”
The old man laughed at himself, looking at Fang Qiu.
“I did what I am ought to do as a junior.”
Fang Qiu nodded his head as he picked up his bag. He bowed deep in front of the old man and said, “I’m leaving. Please take care of yourself.”
The old man nodded with a smile, satisfied and pleased.
He waved at Fang Qiu.
Fang Qiu bowed again before taking his leave.
Watching Fang Qiu from behind, the old man smiled and nodded his satisfaction.
He then turned to go back into the house.
After leaving the thatched hut,
Fang Qiu woke up the wolf and drove it away.
This stupid wolf happened to run towards the east.
Fang Qiu had to continue driving it.
“Thirty miles.”
Moving ahead rapidly, Fang Qiu asked himself why on earth would bones of fierce beasts often emerge in that place.
He hoped to see a guardian spiritual beast.
And find some earth treasure.
So the goal of this Mount Tai trip would be achieved.
Going quickly,
He travelled 20 miles in no time.
All of a sudden,
The wolf came to a stop.
It roared facing forward before throwing a provoking glance at Fang Qiu.
As if saying, dare you go over!
Fang Qiu couldn’t help laughing.
This wolf is quite intelligent.
Looking into the distance,
“A mountain cave?”
Fang Qiu just noticed a mountain cliff at the depths of this deep jungle. At the very bottom of the cliff, there was a cave with a two meter high and one meter wide entrance.
From so far away, the cave looked pitch dark. He couldn’t see anything.
“Could there be something in the cave?”
Fang Qiu looked back at that provoking wolf.
Thinking about it.
There must be something terrifying in that cave. And it plans to use that to get rid of me?
Heheh…
Fang Qiu laughed. His body moved and reached the wolf before it could react.
His arm rose and his blade dropped.
A palm slash hit the wolf’s head with appropriate strength.
The wolf passed out when its flurried roar was still echoing.
Sleep a bit longer!
Fang Qiu headed out at once towards the cave deep in the forest.
He was not scared of dangers.
He wouldn’t let go of any possibility of finding earth treasures.
Outside the cave, Fang Qiu was confused after quickly sensing.
There was no breath.
Why was the wolf so afraid?
Turning around to look at the wolf in a faint, puzzled Fang Qiu entered the cave.
As soon as he stepped in the cave, a stream of powerful force dashed towards him abruptly.
Moreover,
There were tens of thousands of devils screaming by his ears!
Fang Qiu’s eyes widened.
His internal Qi flew throughout his body instantly.
A loud shout.
“Break!”
He threw a punch!
Bam!
The entire cave shook as the two forces collided.
The force vanished.
The screams ceased.
Fang Qiu heaved a sigh.
The force was not that mighty but the devil’s scream was truly horrifying.
From the ear to the heart.
If he was not already at the Master stage, a heart devil might have invaded.
Very high-handed defense!
Fang Qiu sneered. He developed a sudden interest in this cave.
What on earth is inside worthy such protection?
He strode in!
The cave was not deep.
After three to four meters, it opened up to a wide clearing in front of Fang Qiu.
It was a squared space like a normal room. Sunlight shone through a hole in the ceiling about the size of a head. There was a one-palm wide moat around the four corners, very elaborately designed.
A bed stood by the innermost wall.
The bed was rather special, weaved with rattans in the form of a shriveled silkworm chrysalis. Very interesting.
Besides the rattan bed,
Fang Qiu noticed a pile of flat rocks by the wall to the right, appearing to have nothing unusual.
Turning to look at his left,
The oblique sunlight shone on the wall.
“Hmm?”
Fang Qiu was at a loss, gazing blankly at the wall.
He saw.
A few beams of diffuse light reflected from the wall under the sunlight.
“Characters?”
As the idea flashed across his mind, Fang Qiu moved forth to check at once.
Coming up the wall.
Fang Qiu saw many characters on the wall as expected.
“The great Tao is formless but it bears heaven and earth. It is emotionless but it operates the sun and the moon. It is nameless and it nourishes all in this world. I don’t know its name but I name it Tao!
“Everything in this world guards against me. Turning around and being honest brings the greatest joy!”
These were the two sentences written on the wall.
“Aren’t these from the Peace Sutra and the Book of Mencius?”
Fang Qiu muttered to himself.
He knew the first line was quoted from the Peace Sutra and the second from the Book of Mencius.
Both were classics that any pursuer of religious practice must learn.
“Why would anyone write it here?”
Suspicious,
Fang Qiu read on.
His entire body shook as he read!
“The meaning of Tao lies in the capability and the capability of a man lies in the spirit.”
“Tao is formless, nameless, and emotionless. Man has a form, a body, and a spirit.”
“Between heaven and earth, Tao has infinite energy. In the body, Man has limited strength.”
“Gather the energy of heaven and earth and control it in the palm. It is the Great Hand of Destruction.”
Till here,
Fang Qiu’s face changed.
An average martial arts practitioner might not understand these lines.
But he was a master!
He sensed the great meaning behind these words!
To make it simple, the energy between heaven and earth was limitless because heaven and earth had no form. Humans could absorb the energy of heaven and earth and gather it below the navel to make use on their own. The more they could absorb, the stronger they would become. However, humans couldn’t use the energy of heaven and earth directly because of their body.
The last line was the most important.
Gather the energy of heaven and earth and control it in the palm!
Apparently, this line on the wall was a movement of martial arts that allowed men to directly make use of the energy of heaven and earth.
And this movement was called the Great Hand of Destruction!
How horrible it would be if one could make use of the energy of heaven and earth at his own will!
Fang Qiu never dared think about it until then.
Martial artists at the master stage could gather the energy of heaven and earth below the navel, making the energy of heaven and earth their internal Qi. However, how much energy could a human body of limited size gather?
Despite that, they would already be extremely mighty.
He could only imagine the horror if one could make use of the energy of heaven and earth.
