Volume 2, Chapter 14: Haste for Success Nearly Becomes a Demon
Doctor Cheng smiled and said, "Madam Wan just arrived in Chang'an, so she doesn't know what's going on here yet. Master Lin represented the Kuangyi Gang in the grand ceremony of the old leader of the Beggar Gang, and his seat was only second to Yun Mengxu and Yuan Xingjian, and he stole the limelight. Now, he hasn't left yet, isn't it easy to find him? Besides, although you and Jianhong are sorry for him, Ah Xiu has been very kind to him! She forced herself to walk dozens of miles for him, and then couldn't get out of bed and walk for dozens of days. If Ah Xiu is willing to beg him, as far as I know, he will not refuse."
Lin Jianlan glanced at Wan Xiu, with mixed feelings in his heart. He didn't expect that she had suffered so much when he rescued them from Jinzhou that day, but he didn't know it. He thought to himself: "They are no longer trying to lower their voices outside, but she is still in a deep sleep. I'm afraid her illness is really very serious. If she really asks me, I will definitely agree to her." He also thought to himself: "It's just that Doctor Cheng is talking about Taoist Duanmu. I'm afraid he is using me and Ah Xiu to harm the Taoist. But if... if I can really save Ah Xiu, should I agree?"
He was still confused when he heard Doctor Cheng say outside: "As long as you find him and get him to nod, everything will be up to me." After that, the footsteps slowly faded away, apparently they had already left. Madam Wan paced back and forth outside for a few steps, sighed and said: "One wrong step, all wrong steps, Ah Xiu, how can mother save you?"
Lin Jianlan was in a state of confusion in the room, and was afraid that Wan Xiu would suddenly wake up, so he hid in the dark. He saw the candle flicker a few times and suddenly go out, thinking that it had burned to the end, and the room was suddenly dark. The door creaked and opened a small crack, and a very weak beam of light came in. He thought that Madam Wan was outside to check. Lin Jianlan held his breath and saw the door slowly close again, and the sound of footsteps in the distance was very heavy.
The room was dark again. Lin Jianlan quietly climbed out of the window, but it was already late in the evening. The days were still short and the nights were long in early spring, but it was already dusk. He stood under the bamboo forest for a long time, wanting to leave but unable to leave. After a long while, he finally jumped out of the yard.
When they returned to the inn, the lights were already on. The shopkeeper didn't get a reply, but he still didn't dare to open the shop. He was overjoyed to see Lin Jianlan return, but he couldn't ask him right away, so he just asked the waiter to make a pot of good tea. Seeing that he was obviously very anxious but forced himself to be patient, Lin Jianlan smiled and said, "Shopkeeper, it's all right now. I wish you a lot of money!"
At this time, the waiter had already brought up the teapot. The shopkeeper hurriedly took it, poured a cup and pushed it in front of Lin Jianlan. Just as he was about to thank him, Lin Jianlan had already stood up and said, "I have something else to do. The matter of renting a house..."
Seeing Lin Jianlan was anxious, the shopkeeper hurriedly said, "As soon as the young master left, I tore up the rental notice of the house. I sent someone to clean it up this afternoon. I'll take you there right away."
The waiter was quite discerning. He quickly took out a windproof lantern from the back room and handed it to the shopkeeper. The two of them went out one after the other. After walking for about half an hour, they finally arrived at a small courtyard. The shopkeeper unlocked the door and let Lin Jianlan in. He said with an apologetic look on his face, "Sir, this courtyard is too desolate. I will look for another place to go someday. You just have to make do with it for the next few days."
Lin Jianlan had never thought that there was such a desolate place in the prosperous imperial capital. Seeing that the surroundings were indeed very secluded, no one would disturb him, and no one would pay attention to him as a stranger from a foreign land, it was just what he wanted. He turned around and smiled, "No need to bother you to look for another place, this place is great." After that, he took out a silver ingot from his bag and handed it to the shopkeeper, saying, "I asked about some houses this morning, and the price is about this per month. When the lease period is up, I will discuss it with you, okay?"
The shopkeeper waved his hands hurriedly and said, "Sir, you are embarrassing me. How can I take your money?"
Lin Jianlan smiled and said, "You don't have to be polite. Neither you nor I need this money. I just want peace of mind. I have no relatives or friends here. I still need you to take care of me in the future. If you have any problems, I will help you. Just accept it, otherwise I will go to another place."
The innkeeper put the silver in his arms and hurriedly opened the doors of each room. He had been in the inn business for many years and was very experienced. All the necessary utensils in the room were already available. After introducing them one by one, he left alone.
Lin Jianlan bolted the door and saw a ray of moonlight filtering through the sparse branches. He then remembered that he had been busy all afternoon and had not yet had dinner. He did not feel hungry, though. He walked into the room, sat upright on the bed, took out a book from his arms and read it carefully. It turned out to be the book he had taken from the pile of books in Wanxiu's room before leaving. It was the "Shenyuan Heart Sutra" that Duanmu'er had left for him.
Since the danger in Jinzhou, Lin Jianlan left all the items he brought with him there. The Yin and Yang paths have been perfectly harmonized, but he can't remember all of the "Shenyuan Heart Method". Without guidance, he can only explore slowly and dare not be too aggressive. However, he has already memorized the Qianyuan Power by heart, and unconsciously he always wants to take this extremely Yang internal force to a higher level. Suffering from the lack of corresponding Yin and soft skills during this period of time, he has gradually felt a little uncomfortable. It seems that there is a ball of fire in his chest that is about to attack his limbs, but he doesn't know how to extinguish it.
Lin Jianlan was very excited to have found the book again today. He flipped through the pages carefully and studied it. When he turned to the back and saw the sentence "The force is like a torrent, although it is surging on the surface, it is like a deep pool of still water", he could not help but recite it aloud. His fingers carefully traced the vein diagram beside it. After he memorized it, he closed his eyes and concentrated his mind. He followed this pattern over and over again. He felt a little refreshed, like a spring gushing out. The fire in his chest seemed to be extinguished. He was delighted and tried harder, but suddenly he felt a fierce burning pain erupting. He was accompanied by a feeling of shortness of breath and severe pain. He cried out inwardly, "Oh no!" and hurried to stop. The heat in his chest was surging like boiling water. He bit his lips to suppress it, and the pain stopped slightly after a while.
Lin Jianlan had just swallowed down several waves of fishy and sweet taste in his throat. This was the first time he had experienced such a great danger since he had cultivated the Yin-Yang internal force. Although he stopped immediately and did not move forward, he did not know what the consequences would be. At this moment, he was sweating profusely. He reluctantly got out of bed and drank a few sips of tea, then fell exhausted on the bed. He did not dare to try again and fell into a deep sleep.
Lin Jianlan opened his eyes again and saw that the light from outside was shining directly in through the doors and windows, which was quite dazzling. Thinking of what happened last night, he turned over and sat up straight. His chest no longer hurt, but it was sometimes hot and sometimes cold. He hurriedly slowed down his breath as usual for a while, but did not feel anything unusual. However, at this moment, yin and yang could not blend, just like a tree with two forks.
Lin Jianlan knew that his inner breath training method might have gone astray, but he didn't know where he went wrong. He was really panicked. He pushed the quilt aside and got down to the ground. He sat at the table and looked through the mental method. He stared at the page of last night's training for a while, but he didn't dare to practice anymore. He stopped looking at the diagram and turned to the back. He saw a line of notes written crookedly on the back of the page: "If it is like the turbulent waves hitting the rocks, although the power will increase sharply, it will lose its yin and soft nature. How is it different from the Yang fierce path?"
Lin Jianlan could not help but exclaim in surprise, deeply regretting that he was so excited last night that he rushed in without looking carefully. That feeling like a spring gushing out was wrong. He was afraid that after practicing to the end, he would become what the book called "turbulent waves crashing against rocks". If he practiced alone, it would not be a big deal, but for those who tried to practice Yin and Yang at the same time, it might be life-threatening.
Looking more carefully, he saw the word "耳" written next to the note with a circle around it. Lin Jianlan then realized that this was what Duanmu'er had written that day. He was probably obsessed with practicing like this, and was later saved by the previous generation of Taoist priests at Baiyun Temple, which gave him such an understanding. He also remembered that Duanmu'er had said to him before he left: "Little Brother Lin, there is only one thing you must remember, never let one surpass the other."
Lin Jianlan slapped his forehead heavily. He only heard it confusedly that day and didn't know what he meant. After last night's experience, he suddenly understood that Duanmu'er meant that the feminine must not suppress the masculine, or the masculine must not overcome the feminine. The right way is to grow together, rather than one growing at the expense of the other. Last night, he just wanted to feel refreshed for a while, and tried to use the Shenyuan Heart Method to extinguish the burning heat, which led to this disaster.
At this moment Lin Jianlan suddenly became enlightened and secretly rejoiced himself. He ignored the alternating hot and cold feelings and slowly dissolved and integrated the energy. Although it was very difficult to pass through each meridian and meet each acupoint, he knew that this was the right way. He practiced without getting tired. After a very long time, he completed a circle. When he opened his eyes again, he was already hungry and his stomach was rumbling.
Lin Jianlan poured a cup of last night's leftover tea and drank a few sips before going out. He found a hotel and wolfed down a cup of tea. While sipping tea, he looked up from the building and saw that the streets of Chang'an were as neat as a chessboard, and the "grids" were filled with houses and businesses of all sizes. The filial Beggars' Gang disciples who had gathered in various places in Chang'an City a few days ago had already dispersed, leaving one mystery after another in Lin Jianlan's mind that could not be solved. However, what he couldn't let go of the most at the moment was Wan Xiu's illness. He fantasized for a while before settling the bill, looking at the sky, and ran to where Madam Wan was staying.
For several days in a row, in addition to practicing martial arts, Lin Jianlan would go to the bamboo forest outside Wan Xiu's house around dusk every day to stay for a while. Although he knew that Wan Xiu was probably sleeping on the sickbed on weekdays, he no longer went into the house.
At this time, Lin Jianlan was standing outside Wan Xiu's window, thinking about the news that had gradually come in these days. Someone was asking everywhere where the young master of the Kuang Yi Gang was now. He was afraid that it was Madam Wan who sent him, and he would find out sooner or later. Looking at the girl who had rescued him sleeping until dusk every day, if she asked for help, he knew that Doctor Cheng must have bad intentions towards Taoist Duanmu. How should he respond then?
All kinds of thoughts were in a mess, and he had been standing there for a long time without realizing it. Suddenly, he heard a noise and the window next to him was pushed open. Lin Jianlan squatted down hurriedly and heard Madam Wan say, "Ah Xiu, I've put the food on the table. I spent a lot of time thinking about it before making it. You should at least have a taste."
Wan Xiu said, "Mother, why are you looking for Master Lin? Is that man in Jinzhou asking you to harm him again?"
Madam Wan said , "Why would I harm him? I just want him to promise to take you to see a doctor."
Wan Xiu's voice was slightly angry, and he said, "I don't believe it."
I heard Madam Wan open the door and said, "Just wait until I find Master Lin, and then ask him to take you to see a doctor. I won't lie to you." After that, she closed the door and left.
After a while, he heard some noises in the house. Lin Jianlan slowly got up and looked inside from the side of the window. He couldn't see clearly under the candlelight, but saw a young girl leaning against the head of the bed. She struggled to raise one arm, reached out to take the branch in her hand, leaned back against the head of the bed, breathing lightly, and gently stroked the tassels on the branch, occasionally entwining them between her fingers. After a while, she stood up again, placed the branch on the ground, and slowly got out of bed. However, she had not taken a few steps when her feet went soft and she fell to the ground.
Lin Jianlan was already distressed when he saw her fall. Without caring about anything else, he jumped through the window and rushed to Wan Xiu to support her. When she raised her head, it was the first time he saw her so closely. She had a very pretty face, but her face was extremely pale. Due to her excessive thinness, her chin looked pointed, her lips were bloodless, and there were some light freckles on both sides of her nose. The shoulder he held in his hands seemed to bones.
Wan Xiu was terrified at first, and saw that the backlit face seemed familiar. He looked at Lin Jianlan with eyes as dark as a deep pool. After a while, he cried out softly, and hurriedly broke free. He reached for the bed and grabbed something to cover his face. It turned out to be the black veil that usually covered his face. He chuckled and said, "Mr. Lin, I... I scared you."
The laughter sounded very forced, almost like she was about to cry. Lin Jianlan felt a pang in his heart. He used a little force to turn Wan Xiu over and gently took off the veil. He said, "No, Xiu, you are very beautiful. Have you never seen your own appearance?"
Wan Xiu hesitated for a while, then raised her head and whispered, "Mr. Lin, my shoulder hurts."
Lin Jianlan was shocked to realize that he had been holding Wan Xiu's shoulders tightly, and quickly let go. Seeing beads of sweat on Wan Xiu's forehead, he apologized, "I was too strong, Xiu, can you stand up?"
Wan Xiu showed a delighted expression and said, "Mr. Lin, do you call me Ah Xiu?"
Lin Jianlan suddenly remembered what Wan Xiu had said that day: "I... my name is just 'Xiu'. You don't have to call me Miss Wan or Miss Wan when you see me next time. It's just..." Although he didn't finish his words, his tone was very lonely. No wonder she was so happy when he called her "A Xiu" today. He smiled and said, "Since I call you A Xiu, you don't have to call me Master Lin."
Wan Xiu was stunned for a moment, nodded gently, and then shook his head and said, "Please help me, Master Lin. I... I really don't have any strength."
Seeing that she still called her that, Lin Jianlan could not bear to say anything more, and hurriedly helped her up and helped her to sit down at the table. He felt that her body was quite light, and even with his help, she was now out of breath and very tired. He wondered in his heart what disease Wan Xiu had that was so difficult to cure.
