Chương 38: Golden Finger (Part III)

"One leaf falls, two leaves turn, three leaves shift, and all leaves return," Lucian chanted with a nonchalant expression. He was sitting on the ground, his legs crossed. In front of him, inside one of Ganshou Village's remaining houses, Wang Chen similarly sat cross-legged, eyes closed. The young plump man was in deep focus, trying not to laugh as Lucian recited the Two-Leaf Breathing technique.

"Once there was nothing, and now there is the world. For one to become everything, two need to exist. The Taiji is part of the world, of the heavens, and of each of us," Lucian continued, observing for any changes in Wang Chen's body. The latter kept his eyes closed, listening, without moving an inch.

"To breathe is to receive the world's grace. Rotate the air that enters your lungs, transforming it into two leaves that turn and flow through your body, one downward and another upward. The earth grounds, the heavens pull. Let the flow guide you." Taking a deep breath, Wang Chen expanded his chest.

"See the left leaf, floating upward. Yang is drawn to true enlightenment and must go to the heavens, pursuing its true self," Lucian said, watching closely. Having already failed twice, Wang Chen held his breath and puffed his chest more, his cheeks reddening.

"Feel the right leaf, falling downward. Yin is drawn to hidden whispers and must stay on earth, not losing its true self." Finishing the first part of the chant, Lucian fell silent. Meanwhile, Wang Chen tried to guide the air from his chest toward his stomach. His belly jiggled twice, his skin growing redder by the second. He even opened his eyes, almost begging for Lucian to tell him it was enough. Seeing nothing noteworthy happening after a minute passed, Lucian waved his hand, signaling him to stop.

Coughing up, Wang Chen recovered his breath and was about to speak when Lucian shook his head and said, "It is not your fault, so no need to start with apologies. Even to me, this chant makes little sense. There must be something hidden within it." Relieved that he did not need to come up with an excuse, Wang Chen chuckled, saying, "Benefactor, people like me cannot use such heavenly techniques. We are not blessed like you."

Massaging his temples, Lucian replied, "Xu Hua was able to use this technique despite being crippled."

"We are not the same," Wang Chen said, scratching his head.

"Cultivators are different. I have never even heard of a crippled cultivator, but a cultivator is still a cultivator. That cannot be changed. He was blessed, and I'm not!" Lucian stopped mid-motion and looked at Wang Chen with a surprised expression. Feeling goosebumps spread across his body, Wang Chen asked, "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"One's mouth isn't just for eating, as it seems. You spoke the truth," Lucian muttered, remembering an old acquaintance as he shook his head. Standing up, he said, "You are right. A cultivator is a cultivator, no matter what." It was right in front of me all along, Lucian thought, leaving the house and a puzzled Wang Chen behind. He was walking toward where they had left Xu Hua's body. He had no Qi within him, but that did not mean Qi had done nothing to him. The Qi Gathering realm is not for show!

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. As he walked, he recalled the stolen knowledge and analyzed it. The Qi Gathering realm is about channeling Qi through the Spiritual Root and opening meridians throughout the body, helping one to gather more Qi, he thought. I was mistaken to rely on memories when there's a test subject nearby. Xu Hua had knowledge about cultivation, but that didn't mean he knew everything.

Arriving at the house where the preserved remains they had found during the last week had been placed, he walked to the far end and found Xu Hua wrapped in white cloth. Bai Xiaomeng had begged him to allow her to do so, to respect the deceased Village Head. Because it was inconsequential, Lucian didn't care enough to stop her. However, now that he would need to see it, he unceremoniously tore the cloth from Xu Hua's corpse.

Next, he picked up Xu Hua's sword, which had been left by the side, and made a straight cut along the corpse's chest. The line ran from below the neck to above the navel. With a few additional cuts across the skin, Lucian finished the preparation stage of the autopsy and knelt beside the body. His Sword Heart was his greatest strength, but it was all instinct.

I gathered no direct knowledge about it, only that it's about one's talent and their hardship, Lucian thought as he opened Xu Hua's corpse with his bare hands, performing an improvised autopsy. Now that I think about it, there's still some important knowledge missing from Xu Hua's memories. Was he this clueless, or were the memories erased? As he removed the organs, he changed his line of thought, focusing on what he had learned about the Qi Gathering and Qi Refining Realms.

A cultivator must open twelve meridians during Qi Gathering, and to break through to the next realm, they must circulate Qi through those meridians and stimulate the Root Chakra, the first chakra point of the Qi Refining realm. Lucian had learned from Xu Hua's memories that the Spiritual Root, meridians, and chakras were spiritual pathways and nodes within the body, allowing one to gather, refine, and eventually condense Qi to form a Dantian.

He didn't know much about Dantians yet, just that it was a sign of the Qi Condensation realm and above. My mistake was believing their teachings at face value, not thinking that changes could be brought by Qi that they didn't care to explain, Lucian thought, his fingers brushing against a hardened structure as he pressed it lightly. He was trying to make sense of which broken bone that was. Maybe meridians also bring physical changes!

Xu Hua's insides were heavily damaged, making the search difficult, but Lucian understood the human body better than any necromancer or doctor could claim, so finding what he needed was only a matter of time. After minutes of probing, removing damaged organs, broken bones, and torn muscles, Lucian was left with bloodied hands and a faint smile. So that is how it works, he thought, squeezing a blood vessel connected with a thin line akin to a vein. Meridians and blood vessels intersect.

Chakra nodes overlap with organs and tissue. The fact that Qi flows through these areas, reinforcing them and enhancing their vitality, is enough to strengthen the human body even after one loses the ability to cultivate. The satisfaction from his discovery lasted only a moment before his expression darkened. However, this does not explain how Xu Hua was able to use the Two-Leaf Breathing technique while Wang Chen could not.

Guiding air through one's body is difficult, and the meridians should only allow for Qi and blood to flow through them. So how did he do it? Scowling, Lucian crossed his legs and sat down, sinking into deep thought. He began to sift through Xu Hua's memories, the sealed ones, the altered ones, and the ordinary ones alike. Fortunately, it took a few minutes to find the fragments he needed.

Most vampires in his position would take days to extract useful knowledge from foreign memories, but Lucian could see it as if it were a theatrical play in his head. That should be it, he thought, a faint chuckle escaping his lips. I was blind. A cripple is someone who cannot cultivate or store Qi in their body, but Qi exists everywhere. The difference is that it does not remain still, but flows. He clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light.

Meridians and chakra points can be damaged, but not completely gone. It is like a trail in a forest. Even if overgrown, the path still exists, he thought, slapping the ground in rage. This means that without a Spiritual Root to serve as Qi's entry point, and without functioning pathways for it to flow, the Two-Leaf Breathing technique is useless. Clenching his teeth, Lucian stood up, a dangerous crimson light deep in his eyes. I can not accept this, he thought, his expression growing colder. Wang Chen, be ready!

I will carve a path for Qi to flow through your body with my own hands. I'll use you to learn how to become a cultivator, even if it costs your life! This is a sacrifice I'm willing to make!