Chapter 033｜The Medicine King Discusses the Tao

At noon, Xu Faguang hosted a banquet for Li Jing and his party at the market restaurant. The young man was the son of Xu Faguang, named Xu Shao, who did want to worship the monk Xu Yun as his master, but again Xu Yun politely refused.

During the banquet, Yuan Shoucheng drank a lot of wine and, in high spirits, read Xu Shao's face, predicting that he might become an official in charge of a province in the future. Xu Faguang's career was not smooth, having been transferred among three counties over ten years, and he was still a county magistrate. He immediately asked Yuan Shoucheng to read his fortune. After a brief contemplation, Yuan Shoucheng predicted that Xu Faguang could also become the chief official of a province and would assume the position within three years. The Xu family was very pleased with this prediction.

After the meal, Xu Faguang prepared four fine horses. Each of the Yuan brothers rode one, Master Xuyun rode another, and Li Jing and Guxing shared one. They crossed the river at Wanchuan and headed towards Langzhong as a group

During the journey, they traveled by day and stopped to stay overnight, by Kaizhou (now the Kaizhou District of Chongqing), Tongzhou (now Dazhou City, Sichuan Province), Bazhou (now Bazhong City, Sichuan Province), a journey of more than a thousand miles, arrived in Langzhong. Thousands of miles of travel, if the northern plains of horseback riding, a day and a night to reach. However, in the mountains and rivers, the road is extremely difficult to travel, and along the way there are southerners harassment. Luckily, Yuan Shoucheng speaks the language of the southerners, saving a lot of trouble, but even so, it took four days to enter the ancient city of Langzhong.

Along the way, Li Jing gradually learns about the reasons why the Yuan brothers and the monk Xuyun rescued Alone Star. The Yuan brothers were from Chengdu, and their ancestors had been officials in Sichuan.

Yuan Ji once served as the Warehouse Official of Liangzhou (an eighth-rank official responsible for managing money and grain), but he was not satisfied with his career. After returning to his hometown, he practiced martial arts and studied literature on Mount Qingcheng; Yuan Shoucheng was proficient in astronomy, geography, and metaphysics, had been practicing in Qingcheng Mountain since he was a child, and he was very skillful at astrological and divination skills. Yuan Ji had a wife and no children; Yuan Shoucheng practiced martial arts since childhood and did not take a wife. The monk Xuyun learned casting from a young age, and became a monk in his middle age. He guarded Zhang Fei's tomb in Langzhong on weekdays, and sometimes he would stay at other temples as a guest, with a bold and unrestrained temperament, and was not forbidden to drink and meat. All three are Sun Simiao friends.

At Mr. Sun's request, the three of them put on a show together - Yuan Shoucheng offered a strange skill, Yuan Ji cooperated, and Monk Xuyun took advantage of the chaos to carry away Lone Star. Lone Star only felt a numbness in his body, and then lost consciousness, only because of the monk's precise technique. The Yuan brothers cooperated seamlessly, and that art of swallowing swords and knives naturally set up a mechanical control device, while stealing Li Jing's five gold leaves was a wonderful technique. Naturally, these techniques were as simple to the strange man of Shu as a woodcutter chopping wood or a fisherman catching fish.

During the four days, Li Jing observed obvious changes in Lone Star. Firstly, he had regained his childish liveliness and conversation had become more frequent; secondly, he was getting along extremely well with the Yuan brothers, especially the concern in Yuan Ji's eyes was always present. Lone Star had previously been with Li Jing, but later simply rode with Yuan Ji, and the laughter of an elder and a youth often echoes along the mountain path.

During the meal at Bazhou Inn, Lone Star even took the initiative to serve Yuan Ji with food, making the old man happy. Void Cloud joked and said that Yuan Laoda had no children, so he might as well take Lone Star as his adopted son.

Li Jing asked Lone Star if he was willing. Lone Star shook his head and said, "Alone Star shook his head and said, 'I don't want to be a son in name only; if I'm to be one, I'll be a true son.' Master Xuyun burst into laughter and said, 'Is there still authenticity to sons?

Yuan Shoucheng interjected, "Naturally, there are both genuine and counterfeit sons." He continued, "The Yuan family lacks descendants; my sister-in-law has surpassed childbearing age. My brother fears his wife and dares not take concubines, while I, in this lifetime, dedicate myself to cultivating the Tao and refining elixirs, thus I will not take a wife. The Yuan family requires someone to carry on the family line." Yuan Ji promptly expressed his willingness to adopt Solitary Star as his son and requested Mr. Sun to witness and approve it when they reach Langzhong.

So the group of people joyfully mounted their horses and headed straight for Langzhong.

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Langzhong City is situated at the convergence of the Daba Mountains, the Jianmen Mountains, and the Jialing River system. It boasts a complete range of natural features, including dragons, caves, sands, and waters. With its city walls running alongside the river on three sides and surrounded by mountains, the area is enveloped in mist and clouds, displaying a myriad of sceneries. Sun Simiao's temporary residence is none other than the old mansion of Monk Xuyun's Zhang family, located beside the tomb of Zhang Fei to the west of the city.

The pine and cypress trees in the courtyard stand tall and sturdy, emitting a chilling aura. A thin green-clothed man was cleaning in the courtyard. He was dressed in Taoist robes, pale face, nostrils skyward, light eyebrows and elephant eyes, green lips and purple beard, looks only thirty years old, but the hair is already white more black less. He gripped the broom, his footsteps were light, as if he was afraid of hurting the mole crickets, even the dead leaves were all orderly gathered, not a particle of dust or leaves flying up.

Li Jing being perceptive, sensed that this individual was far from ordinary. Xuyun walked ahead and said loudly, "Wende, is Mr. Sun still in seclusion in the inner room?"

The man called Wende stopped his movement and bowed, "Back to the master, Mr. Sun has calculated that all of you are returning today and concludes his cultivation tonight." He spoke softly, afraid of scaring anyone, his accent was mixed with Northeast, Central Plains, Northwest, and Shuzhong accents, which momentarily made Li Jing unable to discern exactly where he was from.

Yuan Shoucheng laughed, "Wende has been studying with the Great Monk for some days now, how can you still be as effeminate as a big girl? By the way, earlier we all praised you as the smartest person in the world, but today there are two smart people, it's hard to say who is smarter." He said and pointed to Li Jing and Lone Star, "This is San Yuan Li San Lang, this is ... this is Xiao Xing. If your level of effort could reach half of the Wende, us old fogies wouldn't dare to come out and embarrass ourselves again ..."

Wende put down his broom and bowed long to the ground, obviously respecting Li Jing and Lone Star extremely. The Li Jing brothers also bowed back solemnly.

So the people entered the hall. While Ven. Xuyun had become a monk, his family's courtyard differed significantly from those of ordinary households, comprising three sections with dozens of rooms and being attended to by over ten servants.

The fact that Xuyun had never left his home, except for not marrying and having children, was strange to Li Jing. After Yuan Shoucheng explanation, Li Jing only just learned that he neither had a formal ordination master nor underwent the tonsure ceremony in any temple. He simply had his family shave his head and adopted the name 'Xuyun' to wander the world, truly embodying the persona of a 'wild monk'.

That Wende's background is even more remarkable: born in Liaodong, at the age of seven, his family perished, leaving him orphaned. He survived by begging for a living, enduring the freezing cold that froze two of his fingers in the icy wilderness.

 Later he came to the Central Plains, have done handyman, carpentry, masonry, shipwright, although life is hard, but diligently study, even when the food is not enough to eat, but also night and day to read the book of the sages, and visit masters devoutly learn the art, has in Kongdong, Shaolin, Qingcheng, Emei and other monks and Taoist gatherings of the place of study, to the extraordinary will to win the Zixiao, Huike, Sun Simiao and other strange and unusual and passed on to the medical, martial arts, books and Taoist masterpieces,

the last two years in the Yuan family learning The Mystical Techniques, and this year with Sun Simiao to Langzhong to follow the monk Xuyun learn sword casting. The wide variety of his learning is breathtaking, Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, military, vertical and horizontal, and its martial arts attainments are also unfathomable, even the rather conceited Yuan Shoucheng also have deep respect for him.

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In the evening, Monk Xuyun set up a table on a green stone case in the courtyard. On the table were roasted meat, smoked fish, pastries, corn, patties, chopped meat, fruits and vegetables, etc. Under the golden sunset, Li Jing couldn't help but swallow hard. Xuyun today, high spirits, ordered the subordinates to carry a jar of wine, slap open the clay seal, said to the Yuan brothers: "Yuan family lao da lao er are famous brewer, do you know the origin of this wine?"

Yuan Ji smiled without saying anything. Yuan Shoucheng sniffed and said, "If my guess is right, this is 'Mianzhu Burning Spring'."

Void Cloud laughed out loud and said, "Exactly. Today, Mr. Sun is concludes his cultivation, This kid Zhen Quan, I don't know what he's up to with Mr. Sun. It's already dark, and he's still not coming out."

As he was speaking, he heard a man laugh, "With a heart as broad as a valley, all things are mere fleeting clouds. Master Void Cloud has good wine and good food, so I naturally smell the fragrance and come."

Li Jing turned his head, he saw two middle-aged men from the hall slowly out. The person walking ahead, he was slightly chubby, with a round face and short beard. His clothes, though washed to a white hue, often bore stains, and his worn-out cloth shoes revealed his toes. His eyes squinted slightly, but his smile was warm and friendly;

The person walking behind had neatly groomed hair, adorned with a wooden hairpin. With a square face, three strands of black beard, and a complexion as rosy as a child's, his figure was slender and tall. He walked noiselessly, with a gentle and placid gaze, as if he were not from this world, but had descended from the heavens.

When the crowd saw this, they all rose to pay their respects, "Greetings, Mr. Sun."

The man walking behind smiled slightly and gently waved his hand, "Thank you all! Have a seat."

The man walking ahead said, "You worldly people only have Mr. Sun in your eyes, not me, Mr. Zhen."

Yuan Shoucheng laughed: "In terms of Mr., Mr. Sun is the 'real' Mr., you, Mr. 'Zhen', is actually a 'fake' Mr.. "

The crowd burst into laughter. Even the unsmiling Wende couldn't help but smile. Li Jing didn't laugh, his heart was churning with huge waves. Thinking of the hardships he had traveled all the way to finally meet Sun Simiao, he couldn't help but tremble with his lips, unable to speak. Immediately pulled Lone Star, to Sun Simiao worship: "Three original Li Jing, entrusted by uncle, escort Lone Star little brother into Shu, pay respects to Mr. Sun ..." said, the voice some whimpering.

The thin middle-aged man was none other than Sun Simiao. He bent down to pick up Li Jing and Lone Star and looked at the two of them carefully. Li Jing felt the deep care in his gaze, and a warm current surged up from his heart. But he heard him slowly say, ''At the request of Mr Han, I, Mr. I will spare no effort. Li Sanlang has traveled three thousand miles, risking his life nine times. I am already aware of it. Please enter the table and drink wine, and tell us the details of the situation."

So the crowd rejoined the table. Sun Simiao sat at the top of the table. The slightly fat middle-aged man sat on the right side of Sun Simiao, Li Jing is now known to be called Zhen Quan, this time to come to Shu to look for Sun Simiao to discuss the art of medicine. On his left was the monk Xuyun. Next were Yuan Ji, Yuan Shoucheng, Wende, Li Jing, and Lone Star.

Monk Xuyun had an irascible temperament, and the Yuan brothers, one dignified and the other humorous, but they all gathered their minds in front of Mr. Sun. Li Jing noticed that Sun Simiao had a kind and gentle countenance, yet exuded an aura of immortal spirit and Daoist charm, which made people feel close to him and easily inspired admiration.

So the banquet began. Sun Simiao only drink water, eat some vegetarian cakes, fruits and vegetables, do not eat meat and wine; Zhen Quan and the virtual cloud to drink, feast; The Yuan brothers merely took a few bites before setting down their chopsticks; Wende does not eat meat and fish; Li Jing drank a cup of wine, feeling that this wine strength long, no longer add wine; Lone Star sitting still, and do not say much.

Sun Simiao asked Li Jing to tell the experience of this journey. When Li Jing spoke of the old boatman Zhen Shicheng, Zhen Quan said, "So he was in Luzhou to support the boat ...," said lightly shaking his head.

Yuan Shoucheng laughed: "This old boatman is naturally the world-famous 'Zhen Divine Needle' Master Zhen Shicheng. It is rumored that the old master practiced medicine to help the world, however, why does he has to support a boat in Luzhou to make a living?"

Zhen Quan said: ''In front of Mr. Sun, I do not dare to be secretive. My uncle and my father had great differences in the medical path, and eventually left Fugou to practice medicine around.

My father has been dead for more than ten years, during his lifetime, he was indeed stubborn and stubborn, holding on to the past, overly believing in the ancestral method. My uncle prioritized practical experience, employing different acupuncture methods for Southerners, Northerners, the elderly, children, and women. Despite my father's objections during his lifetime, deeming it ineffective, he was eventually driven out of our home..."

Sun Simiao said: "Zhen brother said, is precisely the crux of the matter for experts in various medical fields. 

Ancestral method is validated, if not improved, is bound to be stuck in a rut. The essence of medicine lies in experimentation. The wisdom of the ancients is excellent, but the land is divided into north and south, people are divided into young and old, different climates, customs are different, eating habits are very different, warm and cold disease, the difference between real and imaginary, can not be generalized."

Zhen Quan nodded and said, ''What Mr. Sun said is very true. Although the human sinews and veins can be labeled with maps, but people's birth, growth, heart and aspirations are very different. For example, Xiao Xing's encounter, previously in shock, now the mind calms down, can not use the family uncle previous needle method; Brother Li was tasked by General Han to venture alone into the land of Shu, the road is difficult and dangerous, repeatedly caught in unpredictable, so the heart is like a torment, the spirit of the taut, and the task has been completed now, the gas leakage of the God is loose, extremely fatigue, leg injuries recurring, then the line of needles focuses on dredging the tendons and collaterals, adjusting the yuan-yang."

When Li Jing heard this, his heart shook, and he immediately felt a vague pain in his old injury and a wave of drowsiness came over him. If it wasn't in front of many experts, he really wanted to sleep soundly. This Zhen Quan just took one look and pointed out the root cause of his and Lone Star's condition, showing that his cultivation was by no means below Zhen Shicheng.

It was already dark. It was winter, the sky was clear and the stars shone brightly. The Yuan brothers and Monk Xuyun stopped the wine and food and asked Sun Simiao to explain the medical path and cultivation of the body. Everyone gathered their minds to listen.

Sun Simiao said: "Zhen brother defense treatment, sincere for the right way. In fact, the three talents of heaven and earth, man is the spirit of all things, should also follow the natural way. Heaven and earth have four seasons, four seasons have heat and cold, constantly changing operation, endless life. The climate, mildness begets rain, anger begets wind, condensation begets frost and snow, expansion begets rainbows and auroras; this is the law of nature; people have four limbs and five organs, a wake up a sleep, breathing and exhaling, the essence of the cycle of circulation to and from the circulation of blood, showing in the color of the above, discerned in the voice of the human body, this is the norm.

If the four seasons of heaven and earth lose their running rules, and the cold and heat are abnormal, it is the disharmony of heaven and earth: the rock towering over the soil is the tumor of heaven and earth; the mountain crumbles and the earth sinks, it is the poisonous sore of heaven and earth; the stormy weather is the wheeze of heaven and earth; the rain and dew do not moisten in time, and the river dries up and dries up, it is the symptom of the scorched and withered of heaven and earth."

Seeing the crowd listening quietly, Sun Simiao smiled faintly and continued, "People are divided into yin and yang, with yang representing the spirit and yin representing the physical form; this is the similarity between humans and the natural world. Cold and heat can not be harmonized, condensation for tumors, depression for poisonous sores, running for wheezing, exhaustion for scorched. A good doctor treats diseases with medications and acupuncture; a sage harmonizes the world with morality and governs the people with political affairs. As a result, there are curable diseases in the human body and disasters in heaven and earth that can be eliminated. To cultivate one's body and build a career, one should be bold and careful, and one should be round and square in one's behavior. Ancient saying: 'as in the abyss, like walking on thin ice', said careful; 'valiant warriors,dukes, marquises, and generals', said bold; 'not for the profit back, not for the righteousness of guilt', said the behavior is square; 'to see the opportunity and do not wait for the end of the day', that is, the mind is rounded. Therefore, heaven and earth have fullness and emptiness, and life has its difficulties and twists and turns, so we should have a sense of reverence in cultivating our bodies.

If a farmer has no fear, he will ruin farming; if a craftsman has no fear, he will ignore the rules; if a merchant has no fear, he will not increase his wealth; if descendants have no sense of reverence, they will not be filial to their parents or show care for their siblings; If the elders have no sense of reverence, they will not have a heart of compassion; if the ministers have no sense of reverence, they will not achieve great accomplishments; if the ruler has no sense of reverence, the realm will fall into chaos and cannot be rectified. Therefore, the first is the fear of the Great Tao, the second is the fear of heaven, the third is the fear of external objects, the fourth is the fear of others, and the fifth is the fear of oneself. With these five fears, one can act in the world and temper one's body and mind without fear."

All of them listened intently. Li Jing could not yet fully grasp the essence of what Sun Simiao had said, so he had to memorize it by heart first, in order to prepare for future enlightenment and practice.