bayedsolid Chapter 231 The Relay of Mnemonic Rhymes Yields Surprising Results
Chapter 231 The Relay of Mnemonic Rhymes Yields Surprising Results
Wen Chengmo frowned and tried hard to think, recalling his grandmother's daily life.
Oh no, I can't remember my life before, all I can think of are things that happened since I was exiled.
During his exile, he recalled that there was both joy and sorrow. His grandmother seemed to smile less. She started to smile more after they moved to the valley a few days ago, but the good times didn't last long. After only a few days of smiling, her smiles faded again as soon as her uncle and siblings set off.
What could possibly keep Grandma focused?
He thought and thought hard! He racked his brains and tried his best to think.
A moment later, the little guy had an idea, and excitedly exclaimed, "Ah—I've got it!"
Wen Chengmo suddenly spoke up, causing his grandmother to look at him with a suspicious expression. "Mo'er, what are you thinking about?"
"Grandma, let's play a game."
Upon hearing about the game, the children eagerly asked questions.
"Fifth Brother, what game?"
"Fifth Brother, is it fun? Tell me about it."
Wen Chengmo, looking every bit the old scholar, coughed lightly and said, "Grandmother, let's play a game of 'rhyme chain'."
Grandma Wen asked with curiosity and doubt, "Word chain? I've only ever heard of the 'word chain' game, never the 'rhyme chain' game?"
The old man smiled and then asked, "Mo'er, what are the rules of this game?"
After thinking for a moment, Wen Chengmo replied, "Each person should say one line, and if they can't say it, they will be punished. Let's punish her by making her recite it five times."
"...Uh, okay!"
Grandma Wen was exhausted and speechless. How could she possibly recite it? Wasn't this just taking advantage of an elderly person? It seems these little rascals are asking for it. If you don't discipline them for a day, they'll be climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles; if you don't train them for three days, they'll be catching turtles in the river!
Then she'll play with the kids, as long as they're thick-skinned enough.
The little ones were eager to try. They had never played this kind of simple sitting game before because there were so many other things to play with, so they were very obedient.
The group of them sat next to Grandma Wen, forming a small circle.
Wen Chengmo gave the order, starting with his grandmother.
“The energy of heaven and earth.” After saying this, Grandmother Wen nudged the child next to her with her right elbow.
“It originated from all things.” After saying this, the child touched the next child.
And so it went, back and forth, and somehow, after several rounds of this, no one was punished.
Come to think of it, I've been listening to this mnemonic in the Bamboo Courtyard Hall every day. Master Zhou breaks it down and explains each word individually in his daily classes. If you still can't understand it, then you're truly beyond help.
At some point, everyone in the small circle sat cross-legged, occasionally muttering a mantra. As time passed, the circle gradually quieted down, and all six members, one big and one small, entered a meditative state.
The state of these individuals was clearly observed by the rest of the Wen family.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and sat a little further away to chat quietly. Even Master Zhou, who was reading a book inside, put down his book and joined in.
"I don't know if these children can draw qi into their bodies. They've been carrying them for so long. If they still can't, then... then they won't be allowed to eat dinner."
"Plus, beat him up once each and starve him for a few meals."
"..."
As everyone was discussing quietly, Master Zhou suddenly sensed a few extremely subtle fluctuations of spiritual energy.
He quickly composed himself, carefully sensed the surroundings, and then focused his gaze on the small encirclement.
Wen Yuanqian was also able to sense the fluctuations of spiritual energy. Although he was only at the second level of Qi Refining, he still possessed spiritual power. However, neither of them had the ability to accurately target individuals.
The mystery will only be revealed at the end.
In the dead of night, the two little girls turned to one side, lay down, and fell asleep, while the others remained in meditation.
Apart from the two little girls who had gone to bed early, the rest of the Wen family were waiting.
It was already past midnight.
The slight fluctuation of spiritual energy finally woke up the one adult and four children who had been meditating.
Grandmother Wen actually managed to draw qi into her body at an advanced age.
Wen Chengjing and Wen Chengyu also successfully guided Qi into their bodies.
Wen Chengmo has solidified his Qi Refining Level 1 and is just waiting for an opportunity; he may soon reach Qi Refining Level 2.
As the breeze blew, everyone smelled the familiar stench, and everything had settled down.
Grandmother Wen felt relaxed and refreshed. It turned out that the refined spiritual energy not only nourished her body but also her soul.
All the ailments she had accumulated over the years seemed to have been swept away with the filth. She had always worried that she would be a burden to her children, but now that she had entered the path of cultivation, her lifespan had been extended, which was truly a great blessing. Although she hadn't slept all night, Grandmother Wen was full of energy. Her back didn't ache, and her legs didn't feel numb. Even after sitting cross-legged for so long, her legs and feet didn't feel sore or numb at all.
Grandma Wen was washing up in the clean room, feeling the thin layer of spiritual energy in her dantian. Thinking that she had finally succeeded in guiding qi into her body and becoming a cultivator, Grandma Wen was overjoyed and did not know how to express it.
While she was happy, there was another awkward problem: she was quite old, and her body was full of impurities that were hard to describe. She had no choice but to shamelessly ask her daughter-in-law and daughter for help.
Her daughter-in-law and daughter, who were helping her with the washing up, were incredibly envious.
"Mother, you are truly amazing."
"Mother, I'm jealous of you."
"Mother, what should I do?"
"..."
Grandma Wen remained calm, saying, "If I can succeed, you'll have no problem either. As long as you practice diligently, you'll succeed eventually..."
It must be said that this bowl of chicken soup is very rich. The fact that the elderly person was able to successfully guide qi into the body, besides their own aptitude, cannot be ruled out that luck also played a role.
When Grandmother Wen came out of the washroom, the sky was already beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
As the sun rises, everything is moving in a positive direction.
......
Let's return to the group of six searching for hematite.
Wenwen, along with her father and several brothers, headed east.
Although they were mentally prepared and tacitly agreed, they were still filled with anticipation deep down. However, things didn't go as planned. They traveled eastward for more than ten days without finding any sign of the sea or even smelling the sea breeze. Despite their resentment, there was nothing they could do.
It wouldn't be entirely true to say that the group gained nothing in the past ten days.
However, this gain is not the same as that gain.
During the day, the group searched with all their might. When their spiritual energy was used up, they would meditate to recover. The more they used it, the more proficient they became at absorbing and refining spiritual energy. Their meridians were gradually opened up by spiritual energy, and the spiritual energy refined in their dantian accumulated and solidified layer by layer. They were just one opportunity away from improvement.
One night, Wenwen entered her space and saw that the spirit stone in the river had not only regained its luster, but also exuded a strong spiritual energy. Thinking of her family outside the space, she did not hesitate to take it out and share it with them.
Therefore, taking advantage of the Spirit Source Stone, Wen Qilin upgraded to the third level of Qi Refining, Wen Chengjian and the others upgraded to the second level of Qi Refining, and Wen Wen reached the mid-stage of the fourth level of Qi Refining.
Absorbed by these people, the stone, which had just regained its vitality, was drained dry once again, and the lifeless stone returned to the spatial stream to recuperate.
Through repeated research, Wenwen concluded that a Spirit Source Stone can be fully restored after three days of rest in a stream. As for how long it can be used in the outside world, it depends on the amount of absorption and use. In short, after a Spirit Source Stone is drained, it needs three days to recharge.
Therefore, although their search for hematite was fruitless, the fact that they made such a rapid breakthrough in a short period of time was a great comfort.
That afternoon, the group arrived at another high mountain. They had been seeing mountains every day and were already visually fatigued. After some thought, Wen Qilin made up his mind, "Let's stop here. Going any further probably won't yield much, and if we go back too late, we won't be able to meet the delivery date."
Wenwen lowered her head dejectedly, feeling irritable. Suddenly, she stepped on a rock about half the size of her palm, which startled her and made her choke on her own saliva. "Cough cough cough—"