Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Chapter 676: Meet the Master, Guard the Huangting, and Cultivate the Valley Spirit

After listening to Zhang Zhiwei's explanation, Lu Ci suddenly realized:

"I see. I was just thinking that these years have been turbulent, with natural and man-made disasters constantly occurring, and droughts happening in many places. It would be great if Senior Brother Zhang could usher in the thunderstorm and bring down heavy rain. I was overthinking it after all!"

"Praying for rain and wind is mostly just going with the flow. Even a powerful person like Wu Hou can only borrow the east wind for a while. To truly go against the will of heaven and change the drought situation in a city or a province is beyond human power!" Zhang Zhiwei sighed, "Human power is against the power of heaven and earth. In the end, the arm cannot twist the thigh."

"It's not just the difference between the arm and the thigh, it's even more than the difference between the little finger and the thigh!" Lu Ci said, "By the way, Senior Brother Zhang, how do you know the top few places in Jiangxi in terms of rainfall? Where is the place with the highest rainfall in the country?"

"It's Guangdong!" said Zhang Zhiwei.

"So it's Guangdong. That's not surprising. That place is very humid. Some time ago, several of my cousins ​​went to study at a military academy in Yangcheng. I and a few brothers went to see them off. It rained for several days!" said Lu Ci.

Huangpu… Zhang Zhiwei looked at Lu Ci in surprise: “You Lu family members are also doing these things?”

Lu Ci said: "Not everyone in the family has the talent for cultivation, and not everyone likes to cultivate. There are many Lu family members doing business outside and serving as officials!"

"So that's it!" Zhang Zhiwei nodded.

"By the way, Senior Brother Zhang, did you calculate the rainfall ranking through deduction?" Lu Ci asked.

"I learned about it through the geography knowledge I learned!" said Zhang Zhiwei.

"Geographical knowledge?" Lu Ci asked in surprise, "Longhu Mountain also teaches some geographical knowledge?"

"Are you surprised?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.

"Yes, a little bit!" Lu Ci nodded.

Lu Ci was a child of aristocratic family. No matter what era, children of aristocratic families were always at the forefront of the world in education. Although Lu Ci looked like a reckless man, he was actually well educated and knew several foreign languages.

On the contrary, most Taoists study ancient books more and know little about some modern knowledge, so he did not expect Zhang Zhiwei to understand these.

Zhang Zhiwei glanced at him and said, "There are no special classes at Longhu Mountain, but there is no rule that prohibits learning. My master even attended the Imperial University of Peking."

"The Heavenly Master actually had such an experience?" Lu Ci was immediately shocked. The Imperial University of Peking was the predecessor of Peking University and it was also the highest institution of learning at that time. Those who could attend it were not simple.

"How could it be false? Come, come, let me explain it to you in detail..."

Zhang Zhiwei began to talk about some of the glorious deeds of his master that he had heard from his master and several of his uncles.

…………

…………

The two talked as they walked, and soon they walked down the back mountain. At this time, the rain stopped, the dark clouds dispersed, and the moon appeared.

Seeing this, Lu Ci thought of Zhang Zhiwei's reminder and went back to practicing with his hoe.

Zhang Zhiwei went to Tianshi's private residence to find his master. With such a big commotion just now, it was impossible for his master not to have noticed it. Besides, he had never intended to hide it from his master.

When I entered Tianshi's private room and took a look, I saw that the light in the master's room was on and the window on one side was wide open.

Zhang Zhiwei looked out in the direction of the window and found that the window was facing the back mountain. Looking up, he could see the scene of him surviving the thunderstorm.

"Master, did you see everything that happened before?" Zhang Zhiwei thought to himself.

He walked to the door and was about to knock when he saw that it was ajar. The master would close the door when he took a rest. If the door was not closed, it meant that he was waiting for someone to come. This was a common problem among many Xuanmen masters.

Having been an apprentice for so many years, Zhang Zhiwei is very clear about some of his master's little thoughts.

He then changed from knocking to pushing and directly pushed the door open.

In the meditation room, the master did not rest as expected. He sat in front of the desk, reading an ancient Taoist book.

Zhang Zhiwei took a look and found that the name of the book was "The Rootless Tree".

This name is a bit weird... I suddenly think of Bu Yao Bi Lian...

He thought to himself, then went to pay his respects to his master.

Zhang Jingqing did not put down the Taoist book in his hand. He kept his head down and read the book. He looked up at Zhang Zhiwei without saying a word. After staring at him for a moment, he said unhappily:

"You didn't even knock. Who allowed you in?"

"Master, you didn't close the door, aren't you waiting for me?" Zhang Zhiwei said.

Zhang Jingqing snorted coldly and said unhappily, "It's true that I'm waiting for you, but I won't let you in without notice. Go out and knock on the door again to come in."

Zhang Zhiwei: "…………"

You are the Master, you are the greatest.

Zhang Zhiwei was not angry. He walked out quietly, closed the door, and knocked on it again to greet everyone.

"come in!"

Zhang Zhiwei walked back in. Zhang Jingqing put down the Taoist book in his hand and drank a cup of tea.

With that little episode just now, Zhang Zhiwei did not speak directly to the point. He looked at the Taoist book called "The Rootless Tree" on the table and asked:

"Master, what is this about?"

Zhang Jingqing put down the teacup and said, "This is a book written by Zhang Sanfeng. It is named "The Rootless Tree" to illustrate that our lives are rootless and can die at any time, so we must plant roots."

"Is there anything worth learning from this book?" Zhang Zhiwei asked again.

"Without the true method and without oral transmission, it is difficult to enter the door. This book only contains some principles. If you are interested, you can take a look at it." Zhang Jingqing said.

"I'm a little interested," Zhang Zhiwei asked, "What's the point of it?"

Zhang Jingqing said, "This book talks about the immortals' method of grafting to give roots to a rootless tree."

"God... grafting..." Zhang Zhiwei said, "I don't quite understand. Master, can you explain it to me?"

If Zhang Zhiwei asked some random questions, Zhang Jingqing would become very impatient, because he knew that what he said would soon be known to the entire Longhu Mountain. However, when Zhang Zhiwei asked some questions related to Taoist books, he was still very patient.

He explained: "What is grafting? It can probably be described with a few words from "The Rootless Tree"!"

"A tree without roots, with flowers just fading, an old tree is grafted with new branches, plums are grafted onto willows, mulberries are grafted onto pears, this is passed down to the cultivators as an example, the immortals have been grafting since ancient times, and it turns out that there is medicine to treat old age..."

"Guarding the Huangting, nourishing the Valley Spirit, a man's pregnancy will make people laugh!"

"You'll know the details once you take a look!" Zhang Jingqing handed the Taoist book in his hand to Zhang Zhiwei.

Zhang Zhiwei took it and started to ponder while reading the contents of the book. He was not a Taoist novice, he could understand the meaning of his master's words and the details of the book.

The general meaning is that people are like trees without roots, they are old and weak, their spirit is limited, and they are just waiting to die.

But old trees in the world can still be grafted with young branches and flourish again, just like the plum tree grafted onto the willow tree, and the mulberry tree grafted onto the pear tree.

If such a heartless creature can be resurrected from old age, how is it possible that humans, the most intelligent creatures who have been blessed with the righteousness of heaven and earth, can grow old and have no cure?

As for the latter sentence "guarding Huangting, nourishing Gu Shen, a man's pregnancy is hilarious", it cannot be simply understood as a man getting pregnant, or a man getting fat and having a big belly.

It should be that through some kind of practice, a body outside of the body was created.

The graphic description of this sentence in the book "The Rootless Tree" is that a baby comes out from the top of a person's head.

When ordinary people see this kind of scene, they will think that it is the appearance of a Yin spirit or a Yang spirit.

But Zhang Zhiwei didn't think so, because no matter whether it was the Yin God or the Yang God, the appearance displayed was his own appearance, it would not be a strange baby, it was more like some other ability.

As for the first half sentence, "Guard the Huangting and nourish the Gu Shen".

Huangting is the central position, the orifice where yin and yang combine. It is also called the gate of Yuanpin, and is actually the lower Dantian.

In the body, Yuan Yang and Pin Yin, Yin and Yang are combined. If there is this orifice, there is valley, and if there is valley, there is spirit. If there is no such orifice, there is no valley, and if there is no valley, there is no spirit.

Gu is Huangting. Huang means the middle color and Ting means emptiness. Because it is empty in the middle, it is named Huangting.

The Valley God here should refer to something born in the Huangting.

As for what exactly it is, perhaps we have to start with the origin of the Valley God.

There are many meanings of Valley Spirit. In the sixth chapter of Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu described it as "Valley Spirit is immortal, it is called Mysterious Female. The gate of Mysterious Female is the root of heaven and earth. It exists continuously and is never exhausted in use."

Zhang Zhiwei still remembers that when his master was lecturing on the Tao Te Ching, he talked about "Valley Spirit" and "Xuanpin Gate", saying that they have several meanings.

On the surface, the "gu" in Gu Shen refers to a valley to describe the nothingness of the Tao. The empty valley can give birth to all things.

"God" refers to the ability to give birth to all things and the process that is not bound by form.

The combined meaning is that the Great Way gives birth to all things from the void, and all things come from it. It is the basis for the creation and change of all things in heaven and earth, so it is the root of heaven and earth.

There is another explanation for "Xuanpin" and "Gushen", which refers to a state of spiritual awareness in the ancients' practice of Taoism.

As the saying goes, the mind has no place to stay, the best is like water, the most empty is like a valley.

A special kind of clear awareness that arises when one is humble and open-minded is called Valley Spirit, also known as Xuanpin.

In short, this explains some ontological principles. Ontology is a very famous concept discussed in both the East and the West.

We are not discussing the Western alchemy system here. In the Eastern Qigong system, ontology is also called "root theory."

Some Taoist masters generally attribute the origin of all things in the universe, that is, the root of heaven and earth, to something invisible and intangible, which is fundamentally different from all things in the universe.

In their understanding, there are three interpretations of the root of heaven and earth.

One is the substance without a fixed form, such as the innate qi.

The second is some abstract concepts or principles about Tao, such as "nothingness", "law", and "reason".

The third is "heart", which is the continuation and permanence of the subjective spirit.

These three views originate from three schools of thought.

Taoist classics are like this, they point directly to the great way, yet are also mysterious. A thousand people reading them will have a thousand different understandings.

Moreover, these one thousand people often gain something.

According to the understanding of later generations, these three schools of thought may be classified as naive materialism, objective idealism and subjective idealism.

As for Zhang Zhiwei, he did not divide himself.

He is neither a pure materialist nor a pure idealist.

Or in his opinion, if you try hard to argue a point of view, you are actually falling into delusion. If you let go of the obsession and step out to look at it, you may see many different points.

In his view, Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, is both materialistic and idealistic, or in other words, the two actually coexist.

In this case, the above three explanations of the "root of heaven and earth" actually all make sense.

The so-called root of heaven and earth is not only the innate Qi, but also the abstract truth, principle and law. Similarly, it is also the "heart", which is the continuation and permanence of the subjective spirit.

In other words, in a sense, they are actually one and the same thing, a mutually progressive relationship.

The first step is to polish your own "heart", your own subjectivity.

The second step is to materialize the innate Qi.

The third step is to transform it into laws and principles.

At this moment, Zhang Zhiwei thought of the Sanyi Sect. The purpose of the third level of Nisheng is to train oneself into the innate Qi. Doesn't this just fit one of the viewpoints?

Perhaps Patriarch Sanyi saw this point, but he was too persistent and couldn't let go, so he couldn't see the previous item and the next item. He took too big a step and ended up hurting himself, and ultimately failed.

And what if it succeeds?
Zhang Zhiwei recalled the incomparably huge Dharmakaya of Vairocana Tathagata that he had seen when Master Henglin was giving ordination to the Tiantai Sect, as well as the Buddhas and numerous Bodhisattvas within the Dharmakaya of Vairocana Tathagata.

Vairocana Tathagata is the common Dharmakaya of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. It is the omnipresent and eternal Buddhist principle.

Isn’t this exactly the second type?

Buddha has three bodies, the Trinity. If you think about it carefully, don’t the three bodies correspond to three statements?

"If this is the Valley God, this is the root of heaven and earth..."

Zhang Zhiwei recalled the baby that appeared out of nowhere in Zhang Chulan's belly in the plot.

The words "nothing to gain, the spirit of the gods" were written on the baby's body.

From this point of view alone, Zhang Chulan undoubtedly fits the description in "The Rootless Tree": "Guarding the Huangting, nurturing the Valley Spirit, and a man getting pregnant is so funny that it makes people laugh."

And if the baby in his belly is the God of Grain, then whose God of Grain is it?
It can’t be Zhang Chulan’s own Valley God, right?
Of course, this is also possible. After all, the big-eared thief found a source of Qi and said it was the end of the art. When the art reaches its end, isn’t it close to the Tao?
But the probability is very small, because the product of this kind of practice can never be achieved overnight. If such a technique really exists, the disadvantages must be unprecedentedly great.

But what if it wasn’t Zhang Chulan’s own Valley God?

Whose would that be, the Big-eared Thief’s, or... Wu Gensheng’s?
Judging from the divine abilities displayed by the doll, Zhang Zhiwei felt that it was most likely born without roots.

If this is the case, then doesn't it mean that Zhang Chulan actually has something similar to the Heavenly Master Degree or the golden branch of the Nasen sacred tree in his body?

In other words, not only Zhang Chulan, but several other people who possess the Eight Unusual Skills all have a similar thing in their bodies, just like Nathan's Nine Guards.

This is also a restriction that Wugen planted in their bodies, a restriction that no one can break except Zhang Huaiyi.

If this is true, considering the relationship between Zhang Chulan and Feng Baobao, does the big-eared thief have a trick up his sleeve? Maybe not!
"Snapped!"

Zhang Zhiwei closed the book "The Rootless Tree". He knew that his master would never do things without a reason, but he also liked to use secret codes like knocking the head three times like the master of Xuanmen, and he was afraid that this time would be the same.

"Master, do you want me to guard the Huangting and nourish the Gu Shen?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.

Zhang Jingqing nodded and said, "You just went to encounter the Three Calamities, right? Come and tell me how you fought against the thunder of heaven and earth."

(End of this chapter)