Eternal Life Begins with Learning

"The so-called God... An ancient text says: God is that which rules the body. It is born from innate essence, is stored within the five viscera, and presides over the Celestial Heart..."

"From a medical perspective, as for God... if the eyes are dim and clouded, one knows the God is afflicted."

"The eyes are the gateway of God. When God is tranquil, the heart is at peace. When God is restless, the heart is agitated. When the heart is agitated, the body is harmed. To keep the body whole, one must first pacify God. Nurture God with placid harmony to find peace within, and quiet the heart to resist temptation from without."

"In other words, God likely refers to a person’s spirit and consciousness."

"And as for the so-called qi..."

At this, Elder Li looked at Chu Mu again. "You’ve come to me to study meridians and acupoints, presumably for the sake of learning Martial Arts."

"The first step in Martial Arts is to quiet the mind and cultivate one’s temperament. Its purpose is to sense your Qi Blood."

"As for this qi, there are many theories in medicine. Medically speaking, the five viscera and six bowels all have their own qi—commonly known as the ’five qi.’ Medicinal treatments also focus primarily on regulating the qi mechanisms of these organs..."

"But for Martial Arts, it specifically refers to Qi Blood."

"You sense the intangible qi within the body, thereby influencing and even manipulating that current of qi, until you finally bring all the qi in your body under your complete control."

"Qi can generate and gather essence. Essence Qi generates God. God commands Essence Qi."

"When a person’s essence is whole, their qi is abundant. When their Essence Qi is abundant, their God flourishes. This is the dao of nurturing life. But if essence is deficient, qi is exhausted. If qi is exhausted, God departs, and death quickly follows."

"So, as for the three treasures of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, that is, in my opinion, the gist of it."

"Of course, this is just my personal take on it..."

As Elder Li spoke, a general framework slowly began to form in Chu Mu’s mind.

’Abundant qi makes for robust essence. Robust Essence Qi makes for a flourishing God.’

’Martial Arts cultivates Qi Blood, strengthens essence, and achieves Yun Shen.’

’Clearly, Martial Arts is a method for making one’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit abundant, and even enhancing them.’

Mulling this over, Chu Mu didn’t ask any more questions. Now that he had a general framework, the rest was up to him to experience for himself.

"There’s also a meridian and acupoint statue over here. I’ll have someone send it to the side room in a bit. You can study it carefully along with the books."

Chu Mu looked where Elder Li was pointing and saw a clay sculpture that hadn’t been there before. It was humanoid, painted white, and its surface was densely marked with the meridians and acupoints of the human body.

Chu Mu considered himself worldly enough that a simple anatomical model wasn’t going to shock him. He nodded, took the books, and headed back to the side room.

Just as he had done when studying late at the private school, Chu Mu remained until it was nearly curfew before taking the books and heading for home.

At night, Nanshan Town was undoubtedly even more sinister.

Flickering white lanterns swayed with the breeze. A cold wind howled, carrying with it scraps of joss paper from some unknown place, and the faint sound of weeping drifted on the air.

’So... creepy!’

Chu Mu pulled his clothes tighter. Just as he was thinking he should hurry home, the sound of sudden, frantic footsteps behind him made his heart clench. He subconsciously reached for his waist, only to find nothing there.

He spun around. When he saw the distinctive Inspector Armor emerge from the darkness, his racing heart finally began to settle.

A squad of Inspectors was making its way down the street. Behind them was an ox-drawn flatbed cart, flanked by more Inspectors. They were clearly escorting something.

After a quick glance, Chu Mu looked away. He was just about to move to the side of the road to let them pass when a sudden voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Mu."

"Squad Leader."

Only then did Chu Mu see Wu Shuo striding quickly from the rear of the formation, and he moved to greet him.

"It’s the middle of the night. What’re you doin’ out on the streets instead of tucked in bed?"

Wu Shuo glanced at the bandaged wound on Chu Mu’s abdomen. "How’s the injury?" he asked offhandedly.

"I just came from Elder Li’s place. He said the wound will be fine after a period of rest."

After speaking, Chu Mu instinctively glanced at the cart being escorted by the Inspectors. "Squad Leader," he couldn’t help but ask, "what are you transporting?"

"A corpse!"

Wu Shuo glanced at the cart, his expression strangely tense.

"A corpse?"

Chu Mu looked at Wu Shuo, taking in his complicated expression. He then scanned the surrounding Inspectors; every single one of them looked unnerved.

’Horror? Fear?’

Chu Mu’s brow furrowed. ’I find it hard to believe,’ he thought, ’that a single corpse could terrify Wu Shuo and this many Inspectors.’

"You’ll know when you see for yourself."

Wu Shuo walked over to the cart and ripped the straw mat off it. An old man dressed in burial shrouds was instantly revealed to Chu Mu.

The sight made Chu Mu’s heart skip a beat, but that was immediately followed by an even greater sense of confusion.

’A corpse in burial clothes in the middle of the night... it’s definitely unnerving, but surely not enough to frighten a dozen Inspectors!’

As if sensing Chu Mu’s confusion, Wu Shuo explained before he could even ask.

"He’s been dead for a year!"

Those few simple words seemed to carry an unspeakable horror, instantly turning Chu Mu’s limbs to ice. He couldn’t stop himself from stumbling back several steps.

"How is that possible?"

Chu Mu was filled with an unspeakable horror.

Wu Shuo looked at the old man on the cart, the horror still etched on his face, but his voice was firm. "But it’s the truth!"

Chu Mu swallowed hard and forced himself to look at the old man on the cart again.

He wore burial shrouds and a burial cap, but it was still easy to see his jet-black, lustrous hair. Though his face was old, it had the ruddy complexion of a living person. His arms were gaunt, but the veins were clearly visible.

If it weren’t for the burial shrouds, you could say he was merely asleep, and no one would doubt you.

Even if he were dead, this appearance... he didn’t even look like he had just drawn his last breath!

’Let alone... dead for a year?’

"We didn’t believe it either, but when we dug him up, this is what we found!"

Wu Shuo’s face was grim, the horror in his expression deepening.

"Dug him up?" Chu Mu asked, confused.

Wu Shuo’s expression was complicated. "Kid, you remember that courtyard in Qili Village where those people were practicing Martial Arts?"

Chu Mu was hesitant. "You mean...?"

"That’s right!"

Wu Shuo nodded emphatically.

"This old dog... COUGH, COUGH... this old man was the mastermind who taught those people in Qili Village their Martial Arts!"

"Except, according to the survivors we captured, this old man died a year ago!"

"The Thousand Households led us into the mountains to dig up his grave. The moment we opened the coffin, we found him looking just like this!"

"We thought we’d dug up the wrong grave, but the survivors from Qili Village all identified him. It’s him, no doubt about it."

At this, Wu Shuo glanced at the corpse again, a lingering fear in his eyes, and cursed, "Fucking unnatural. Dead for a year and he still looks alive!"

"We’ve been on edge this whole trip back. It’s just too damn freaky!"

...