A Jiu only then noticed that the ginseng in her grandmother's hand had sprouted.
She hadn't held much hope back then, after all, the ginseng had been dried until it resembled malt candy.
"Dead wood sprouts, direction is east, with the wood of spring, truly 'dead wood meets spring,' the Zhen trigram, the image of the Azure Dragon, also carries the meaning of purple energy coming from the east, the constellations... hmm, the constellations are the Great Emperor Ziwei... hiss!"
Wang Shi deliberately turned her back to A Jiu, pinching her fingers as she muttered.
"Grandma, what are you muttering about? Is this even going to work?" A Jiu nudged her grandmother.
Wang Shi flicked her arm, cradling the ginseng protectively, and cleared her throat, sitting up straight.
"Ahem, when I called you foolish, it wasn't about how much military knowledge you have, but that you're blind, granddaughter."
"..." A Jiu was instantly rendered speechless. She had inexplicably gained night vision and could see spiritual energy, and yet she was being called blind?
"You deal with the spiritual spring every day, soaking with those spiritual seeds. How could you not have spiritual energy? You just don't have the method to use it."
Wang Shi no longer kept her in suspense, lest this girl misunderstand and pester her endlessly.
"Really?" A Jiu became instantly happy. "Grandma, will you teach me the method? From now on, if I find good ginseng, I'll soak it for you, how about it?"
This old lady had to be bribed with good things before she would tell the truth, and A Jiu knew to cater to her preferences.
"Really?"
"A word spoken is a chariot and horses difficult to overtake." A Jiu chuckled.
"Alright, I shall teach you the elementary introductory method today." Wang Shi stopped meditating cross-legged, lest her granddaughter break her legs trying to copy her.
"Observe your eyes, observe your nose, let your mind enter the spirit, correct, this spirit refers to the mind-spirit, one meridian down, then, place it at the Dantian, breathe with me."
"Inhale... exhale..."
A Jiu mimicked her with all seriousness.
"Do you feel heat in the Dantian area?"
"Yes, yes, yes! It's this magical?" A Jiu was overjoyed. "Grandma, is this spiritual energy?"
"Don't be so startled, it's easy to lose the qi." Wang Shi warned. Indeed, A Jiu immediately felt the warmth disappear.
"You need to learn to be calm; only then can you be in a state of gathering spiritual energy whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. Once a thought arises, the fluctuations of your thoughts and spirit will cause the qi of the mind-spirit to dissipate instantly. This is the most crucial part of the inner cultivation."
"Mhm." This time, A Jiu was completely focused and didn't speak much.
"When your palms are facing down, draw the qi into the Laogong acupoint in your palms, and your palms will feel warm."
A Jiu meticulously followed her grandmother's guidance step by step, and her palms indeed grew warm.
"Withdraw it, use the initial steps to withdraw it to the Dantian."
A Jiu inexplicably felt as if there was a ball of qi in her palm. Following her grandmother's guidance, she repeated the path of drawing qi into the Dantian. The ball of qi in her palm then flowed along the meridian back to her Dantian, which warmed up again.
"This is the introductory method. You need to know how to exhale and inhale, and also how to draw it in. Practice it repeatedly. When you output it, it will be in your palms. With time, it can reach the Yongquan acupoint in your feet, and by then, your spiritual energy can flow throughout your entire body. For now, just practice these."
After Wang Shi finished speaking, she closed her eyes and meditated, inwardly cursing: This dull-witted girl looks foolish but learns so quickly. When she herself had practiced the introductory inner cultivation, it had taken her five years, and this brat learned it in the time it takes to fart.
A Jiu actually felt very comfortable.
No wonder the old lady loved to meditate every day, even if her backside got calloused.
"You must not have distracting thoughts; you must be single-minded. This is the most critical part of the inner cultivation. If you can't remember it, then don't practice."
She needed to curb this brat's temper, otherwise, if she surpassed her, how would she face their ancestors?
A Jiu was surprised; her grandmother could sense her mind wandering.
Unexpectedly, this time, when A Jiu opened her eyes, the sky was already dawning.
She quickly finished and climbed down the wall. "Grandma, I'm going back to my room."
It would be terrible if she were discovered.
As soon as she entered the room and saw Liu Cai'er still sleeping soundly, her heart settled.
That feeling of the qi flowing according to her will was incredibly comfortable. A Jiu lay down with no hint of sleepiness.
She was almost energized.
Forget it, she wouldn't sleep.
A Jiu got up and carefully sat at the table. She suddenly remembered the divorce letter in her embrace.
She took it out and looked at it. This white envelope was rare. The paper was too precious, especially this kind of white paper. It was usually only afforded by the imperial family for internal use.
Upon opening it, there was a letter inside.