Chapter 8 True Yang Fire
The week passed in a blur. Bai Xiao wasted no time and began teaching Zhen to read characters.
"You'll learn ten to twenty characters a day. In a year, you'll be able to read," Bai Xiao said optimistically.
He drew the characters on the ground with a stick, then showed Zhen how they looked on paper or wooden plaques. The next day, he'd test Zhen's memory—again, using a stick on the ground.
"For now, just use the stick. Later I'll give you a wax tablet."
At the same time, he introduced Zhen to the basics of the garden's plants, and put him in charge of watering and weeding.
He had even less free time now than back in the forge.
Auntie Sun did her best to brighten the days with small treats and cheerful chatter while tending the garden.
One day, the townsfolk witnessed a strange sight in the sky—fireballs rolled northward above the clouds, and a massive metal shield was said to have hovered above a nearby village for a quarter of an hour before vanishing upward in a blink. Rumors spread quickly. Some said it was the god of war's shield protecting villagers from demon arrows; others believed they were the flying chariots of gods moving between worlds.
There were also rumors of growing skirmishes along the border with the Kingdoms of Yu and Yuan.
The days the old man from the cave had given for settling affairs were coming to an end. It was time to return to him for the first true lesson.
"Master Bai, may I go to the forest sometimes to practice martial arts?" Zhen asked, not expecting much.
"What martial arts—" Bai Xiao was about to scold him, then paused, remembering the words of the deity from his meditation.
"Hmph... Martial arts need practice too... Fine. You may go from time to time, but let me or Auntie Sun know first, so the garden doesn't get neglected."
"Thank you, Master." Zhen bowed with hands clasped.
***
He waited a day out of courtesy. Once the patients had all been seen, Zhen announced he was going to the forest to train.
Bai Xiao just grunted, not even looking up from the dried herbs.
On the way to his old training spot, he stopped by home and greeted his family. Little Wei clung to him, asking about Doctor Bai. His brothers begged him to show some new moves. But without staying long, he set off into the mountains, careful to avoid the smelters and Uncle Lin—he didn't want any attention, nor did he want Uncle Lin watching his 'training'.
Zhen searched for the path to the cave. After passing through the forest and reaching the cliffside, he saw the familiar trail winding upward. A heavy sigh escaped him.
Climbing to the small plateau, he first checked the spot where he had buried the sword. It was untouched. He added more grass and branches over it, then approached the stone wall.
"Om La Sa Ra Mi Ma Da Ra Hong."
The wall once again became a tall doorway revealing a stone hall, dimly lit by bluish walls themselves.
Zhen stepped into the cool cave, pressed his palms together in greeting, and called out confidently,
"Zhen Xu greets Master Ge."
"Come forward," the voice rang in his mind.
Zhen crossed the dusty floor toward the platform.
The old man hadn't changed at all—hadn't even moved an inch.
"I will now teach you the first stage of foundation practice: Hidden Yang Fire Burns Impurities (玄阳火焚渣). Listen carefully…"
Standing with knees slightly bent and arms raised to the level of the abdomen and slightly angled, Zhen focused on the body acupoints the old man indicated while reciting a special mantra. Suddenly, his body began to move on its own. At first, it was light twitching—like a nervous tic—but it soon escalated to strong, jerking motions, and eventually, his body began to assume various poses, reminiscent of martial arts stances.
"What have you done to me, old man?! Am I possessed by a demon?!" Zhen Xu was nearly in tears.
The old man burst out laughing.
"Fool! Your True Yang Essence-Jing has awakened and is trying to break through the blockages in your wondrous meridians. Your mortal martial training clogged your channels badly.
From today, I forbid you from hardening your knuckles by punching trees, hardening your shins with sticks, or torturing your body in any way. Remember this—every strike against your body, every negative emotion that creates tension—leaves a mark on your Qi."
As the elder spoke, Zhen struck more and more strange postures. From the outside, it really could be mistaken for a possession.
"You'll practice this foundation method in solitude every day at the Rooster Hour, after all other exercises. Your internal Mountain Eagle style can't correct the elemental imbalance, can't cleanse the wondrous meridians, and doesn't touch your True Jing and Qi at all. So, you'll have to repair your true meridians and balance the elements with this Hidden Yang Fire practice.
The secret alchemical practice Hidden Yang Fire Burns Impurities consists of nine stages. Each stage gradually purifies the entire body—from the true wondrous meridians to the bone marrow and blood—transforming it into the body of an alchemist and laying the foundation for the formation of the inner alchemical cauldron and elixir.
Naturally, this practice—like everything I teach you—is absolutely secret. You must not share it with your parents. Or anyone."
Sweat was pouring off Zhen in streams, while waves of heat surged through his legs and joints, as if something inside him was forcing its way through.
Finally, his body relaxed and went limp. Zhen instinctively sat down on the floor cross-legged to catch his breath.
"Thank you... for your guidance... Master." Zhen Xu spoke between gasps.
"Soon it'll be the new moon. Bai Xiao will give you a pill—one each month during the waxing phase. The last one you'll take a year from now, on the full moon. This pill will help clear your meridians and strengthen your Jing faster.
This is so, because a special Qi rises in the spiritual body on the waxing moon, lingering for 1-2 days in certain areas of the body. If you take this pill during those phases, cleansing and foundation establishment will speed up by tenfold. But you can't take it too often, because you develop tolerance for it."
"Understood, Master. Elder Ge... Was it you who appeared to Bai Xiao as the god of medicine?"
"It was me. But I didn't take the form of the medicine god. That was his assumption."
"Elder..."
"No more questions. I'm not finished. Listen closely."
Zhen stopped mid-sentence.
"I don't have much energy left. I can't maintain telepathy for long. So pay attention. Remember everything."
"Yes, Master."
"You'll soon turn fourteen. Your Yang will fully ripen, and you'll start to feel… physical urges toward girls. You must abstain from any release of seed. To prevent nocturnal emissions, you must apply moxa to the following acupoints…"
The elder gave precise instructions on how to locate the points, then added:
"You'll also find these points marked on the wooden mannequin in Bai Xiao's exam room—or ask him directly if you forget. He's well-versed in such matters…" The elder Ge chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Zhen asked, confused.
"He had an illness. The same pill I mentioned earlier helped cure it. Maybe he'll tell you one day—if he feels the need to...
Now go. Come back a week after you take the first pill."