Chapter 10: The Hexagram Speaks of Lingering Affection

"Hmm, delivering a letter!" Seeing Qiu Zhiqin’s look of utter astonishment, Ma Yu assumed he was reluctant to descend the mountain. He sighed internally, thinking that the boy’s experience was still too shallow; having grown up within the Chongyang Palace, it was only natural for him to fear the world beyond the peaks.

However, if one does not enter the world, how can one transcend it? How could he ever shoulder the heavy responsibility of revitalizing the Quanzhen Sect in the future?

With earnest concern, he advised: "Child, the Great Dao has always been lofty and profound; how can one attain truth by sitting idly on Mount Zhongnan? Experience the myriad affairs of the human realm, and only then return to Chongyang to refine your true self! Sending you out to deliver this letter is, in itself, a journey of self-reflection. There is no need to rush on this path—take a good look at this Han empire. The current times are turbulent; if you do not take this opportunity to observe the common people and the bustling lands of the Han, by the time you leave the mountain again, I fear the world will have changed entirely..."

Qiu Zhiqin was only half-understanding. One could hardly blame him; although he had been caught in the net of nine-year compulsory education, he only knew that the Jin destroyed the Liao and Northern Song, the Yuan destroyed the Jin and Southern Song, and that later, Zhu Chongba drove them all out.

If you asked him to pinpoint the year, he knew it was the thirteenth year of the Jiading era, but the problem was that the Southern Song didn't use the Gregorian calendar!

Seeing that his master was on the verge of entering his "nagging mode," Qiu Zhiqin quickly interjected: "I shall strictly follow your command, Master. May I ask where you wish for me to deliver this letter?"

Perhaps it was his age—at sixty, Ma Yu paused for a moment before reacting. Qiu Zhiqin figured his master had been brewing a sermon and was caught off guard by the sudden agreement.

Ma Yu quickly composed himself; after all, his decades of Taoist cultivation were not for nothing. Seeing that Qiu Zhiqin had agreed, he temporarily shelved his "Tripitaka" mode, stroked his beard, and smiled: "I have actually considered this matter for a long time, and I ultimately felt that no one but you could do it!"

Qiu Zhiqin was curious. Why was he the only one suited to deliver a letter?

Seeing his confusion, Ma Yu laughed: "Do you remember the 'Five Animals Frolic Guidance Technique' you practice?" Qiu Zhiqin nodded vigorously. He remembered it well; not only that, he had integrated it into his own "Quanzhen Mental Method."

Recalling this, Qiu Zhiqin quickly spoke up and told Ma Yu about it.

Ma Yu found this strange. Could such a thing really happen? Thus, the quest triggered a side mission: to transcribe his own "Zhiqin-version Quanzhen Mental Method" from memory.

Ma Yu took it and looked it over. Before even reading the mental method, he began to critique Qiu Zhiqin: "Zhiqin, your literary talent is lacking. And in the future, it would be better to intersperse such methods with some secret codes! Although we are a Taoist sect, we advocate for the unity of the three teachings; we cannot favor one over the others..."

Qiu Zhiqin grumbled internally: "Master, I recognized a thousand characters by age three, recited the Taoist scriptures by age four, began practicing the Quanzhen Mental Method at seven, and for the last ten years, I’ve been either cultivating, studying medicine, or finding people to practice on—strike that, providing free clinics for the refugees in the mountains. Where would I find the time to care about my literary flair..."

Though he grumbled, he acted accordingly: "Yes, Master, this disciple understands..." The overall evaluation: very honest!

A moment later, Ma Yu put down the Zhiqin-version "Quanzhen Mental Method," his face radiating satisfaction that he could not contain.

"Not bad, not bad at all. Your 'Quanzhen Mental Method' combined with the 'Five Animals Frolic Guidance Technique' not only strengthens the physique externally but also nourishes the five internal organs. What is rare is that it does not deviate from our sect's doctrine in the slightest. Excellent! Once your martial uncles and I have reviewed and edited it, we can teach it to your fellow disciples!"

Having said this, he glared at him: "Why didn't you bring this out sooner? Truly inappropriate..."

Qiu Zhiqin felt aggrieved: "I only managed to piece this together over the last two months after contemplating the 'Xiantian Skill' and the manuscripts of the 'Zixia Skill' from the Sixth Martial Uncle. I came to tell you the very first moment I finished..."

A moment ago, he was a well-behaved disciple; now, he was "truly inappropriate." Men are truly fickle creatures, despite Ma Yu’s immortal-like appearance...

While defending himself, Qiu Zhiqin moved behind Ma Yu to massage his acupoints—he was a professional at this! He quickly shifted the topic: "Master, you still haven't told me what this has to do with the 'Five Animals Frolic Guidance Technique'?"

Ma Yu thoroughly enjoyed Qiu Zhiqin's technique. To be fair, if this skill were in the modern era, he would undoubtedly be a chief technician!

"Do you remember that I mentioned this guidance technique was transcribed by your Uncle Qiu from the 'Wanshou Daozang'?"

Qiu Zhiqin answered earnestly: "Of course I remember. Back then, I was planning to give up martial arts and focus solely on Taoist cultivation. It was you who brought the 'Five Animals Frolic Guidance Technique' to the Scripture Pavilion to wait for me. I still remember you and the old Taoist standing on the pavilion’s foundation; I looked up from below, and it was as if I were seeing two old immortals, asking me: 'Young man~ do you wish to cultivate immortality?'"

Ma Yu laughed heartily: "You little rascal! Oh my~ there were no old immortals, just two crusty old men... Sigh, I wonder where my brother is now..." The laughter faded into melancholy.

A moment later, he returned to the main point: "The person who helped Junior Brother Qiu transcribe it is the True Person Cuixu of the Southern Sect. Times have changed, and you have recovered and grown into an adult thanks to that technique. Don't you think you are the only one suitable to deliver this letter of gratitude? Hmm?"

The "Southern Sect" Ma Yu referred to was the Quanzhen Southern Sect, founded by the True Person Ziyang, which held a much higher status in the Southern Song than their own Northern Quanzhen Sect. Hearing this, Qiu Zhiqin knew he had no choice but to go.

An hour later, Qiu Zhiqin emerged from Ma Yu’s room holding a letter and a copy of the "Jianwu Collection." This was a gift from Ma Yu to the True Person Cuixu, containing some of his own insights on internal alchemy cultivation gathered over the years.

Ma Yu instructed Qiu Zhiqin that he could read and contemplate it on the road—since he had already reached that level of cultivation—but he was not to damage it...

He originally intended to see what his fellow disciples were up to, but as soon as he reached the Chongyang Hall, he saw Yin Zhiping packing his bags to leave. Puzzled, Qiu Zhiqin bowed and asked: "Brother Yin, what is this?" It was no wonder he was surprised; Qiu Chuji had only left the mountain a few days ago, and now his disciple was packing up to leave as well!

Seeing it was Qiu Zhiqin, Yin Zhiping returned the greeting: "Ah, Brother Qiu. Before my master left, he mentioned that he had found the whereabouts of the child of an old friend from many years ago, but he never had the time to check. So, he asked me to deliver some letters and see how things were. The Sect Master also asked me to look into the situation of this friend's child so I could report back to him. I finished handing over the temple duties yesterday, so I am setting out today!"

The two chatted for a while, and Yin Zhiping took his leave. Qiu Zhiqin was confused. All these stories of "old friends" and "children of old friends"—it had been too long, and he couldn't remember them all. But was there a part about delivering letters? It didn't seem so. Shouldn't it be Ma Yu traveling thousands of miles to act as the wise elder teaching the protagonist martial arts?

But it didn't matter. If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't bother. Those were their stories, someone else's life, and it seemed to have nothing to do with him! As long as he didn't cause trouble or provoke the protagonist, he would be fine! His master said his fortune was stagnant and that only calm cultivation could break the cycle, so he would focus on his cultivation...

However, he did not realize that many times, one is pulled into events whether they want to be or not. Being in Quanzhen, one was already in the midst of the fray—how could he talk about not causing trouble?

After chatting with Yin Zhiping, he lost the mood to see what the others were doing. It was always the same: either practicing martial arts or teaching others to do so. Nothing interesting. Later, he had to study Taoist scriptures and the "Xiantian Skill" with his Sixth Martial Uncle, Hao Datong, to perfect his newly created—well, about 30 percent complete—"Zixia Skill"...

Qiu Zhiqin originally thought, "What is this? This is the 'Zixia Skill'?" It would be better to call it "Quanzhen Mental Method II," and subsequent innovations could be named "Quanzhen Mental Method III," continuing on like that. It would be simple, practical, and easy to remember! ...

In the end, Qiu Zhiqin earned the labels of "unlearned," "destroying art," and "terrible at naming," and his dear Sixth Martial Uncle unilaterally stripped him of his naming rights for life... Qiu Zhiqin had every reason to believe that Hao Datong was acting out of jealousy! Verdict confirmed!

From receiving the letter-delivery mission from his master in early February to completing the initial version of his "Zixia Skill" with his Sixth Martial Uncle Hao Datong on March 12th, over a month had passed... Qiu Zhiqin decided to gather with his friends tomorrow and set off the day after! He was determined not to leave the mountain on the same day as that old Taoist!

On the afternoon of the second day, Qiu Zhiqin, Fang Zhiqi, and Liu Zhiyuan spent some time "caring for" the cute little animals in the back mountains of Mount Zhongnan. The cute little animals unanimously expressed: You are truly amazing, you are truly noble!!!

That night, perhaps reluctant to leave the cute animals of Mount Zhongnan, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Suddenly, he remembered the "Little Liuren" calculation method the old Taoist had taught him in his spare time.

With a thought, he cast a hexagram for himself. It was the thirteenth of March, the moon was high in the sky, during the Hai hour. He calculated quickly and obtained a hexagram called: "Liu Lian" (Lingering)!

What was the hexagram verse again? Hmm... forgotten... Never mind, forget it, time to sleep!