Chapter 135: Refining the Form with Jade Elixir (Happy New Year to Everyone!)

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The sixth-generation disciple of Mingzhi Mountain, Mo Taidian, accidentally entered this pool and discovered the Dragon Palace. Initially startled, he soon laughed and added three more halls to complete the ancestral master's vision, leaving an inscription to greet future sages.

The tenth-generation disciple, Zou Wuhui, entered the pool while practicing water techniques. Upon seeing the Dragon Palace and the inscriptions left by predecessors, he added more halls to honor the elders’ intentions, eliciting laughter from later generations, and also left his mark to greet future sages.

“Ha! Master! You’ve been here too!” said the eleventh-generation disciple, An Weigu.

The thirteenth-generation disciple, Yuan Miaoling, arrived here searching for a lost golden-scaled fish. Astonished by the palace and delighted by the inscriptions, he left five hundred catties of crystal, a thousand catties of Han jade, and two thousand catties of pearls and agate as treasures for future generations.

The fifteenth-generation disciple, Li Jixiang, entered this pool seeking a cave dwelling. Utilizing treasures left by the founding master, he added four more halls to perfect the essence of Mingzhi Mountain and left an inscription to greet future sages.

The nineteenth-generation disciple, Shi Tongxuan, fond of swimming, entered the pool and was delighted by the artistry and scenery of Mingzhi Mountain. He added three halls and left an inscription to greet future sages.

The twenty-second-generation disciples, Wen Sukong and Chen Suxing, ventured into this pool to seek seclusion and mysteries. By then, the Dragon Palace had grown to twenty-two halls, a magnificent sight. They added six more halls, making a total of twenty-eight, and left inscriptions to greet future sages.

Cheng Xinzhan read each word carefully, finding it truly fascinating. It turned out that so many generations of ancestral masters, beyond their cultivation, also built palaces for their own amusement.

Moreover, seeing the names of ancestors Wu, Miao, and Ji made him feel a disorienting sense of time, for these were the current mountain residents.

Seeing the names of Master Tongxuan and his own senior uncle filled him with emotion. When those elders carved their inscriptions, they were probably about the same age as he was now.

Observing the stone stele, he understood that this place, with its flat terrain, cave, and small pool, was indeed a treasure. Why hadn’t previous masters established dwellings here? It was not that they hadn’t tried, but those who entered the pool and saw the relics left by the elders would retreat.

Only he had settled here without even entering the water.

But that mattered little. As a wise sage with the same name once said, “Life is like a journey against the current; I am but a traveler.” This Dragon Palace at the pool’s bottom had witnessed nearly twenty generations of Mingzhi Mountain disciples coming and going. The palace remained, but its builders gradually faded away.

Only after several centuries, when he too had turned to dust beneath Mingzhi Mountain or ascended to immortality, would this place again become unclaimed. Surely, then future generations would accidentally come here and witness the splendid scene once more.

Setting aside such future tales, within these centuries, he naturally must inscribe and expand the palace to preserve the legend and greet future sages.

Besides, as the saying goes, “Water’s depth matters not; where dragons dwell, there is spirit.” With a crystal palace here, why not invite a dragon-kind to rest?

The green horned dragon had come here in adversity, friendless and solitary. Every time it saw him, it was overjoyed. Taking it as a neighbor would liven things up, and it would be much easier for him to treat it when needed.

With this thought, Cheng Xinzhan did not linger but swiftly surfaced.

Old Bai marveled at Mingzhi Mountain’s long legacy and the refined tastes of its immortals. Seeing the cave’s owner suddenly leave, he hurried to follow, unable to continue admiring the Dragon Palace.

After leaving the pool, Cheng Xinzhan headed straight to Pine Green Lake.

Upon arrival, he admired the tall green pines, thinking that if the green horned dragon wished to move here, some of the pines would need to be transplanted to make it comfortable.

The green horned dragon was delighted to see Cheng Xinzhan again, thinking this busy man had become rather free lately and often came to visit.

Upon arrival, Cheng Xinzhan asked,

“Friend Gu, in front of my cave lies a fine, clear pool. Would you be willing to come and see it as a place to rest? It will be much more convenient for me to treat and provide you medicine.”

Hearing this, the green horned dragon’s heart grew confused. How could this person be so persistent? Not long ago, he said he would bring friends to meet her, but she hadn’t yet transformed—what was there to see?

Yet, he wanted to bring friends to see her, which was not wrong. She had barely hardened her heart to refuse before, and now he wanted her to come to his cave.

What was she to do?

Her mind was in turmoil.

“Friend Gu, the pool in front of my cave is large, its bottom no smaller than this lake. You can play here as much as you like.”

“Once I go to his place, how will we get along? He calls me friend, but which friends live together every day? He is busy with his cultivation, and I am lazy and playful. Would I disturb him?”

“Friend Gu, to be honest, there is a Dragon Palace at the bottom of my pool!”

“But last time, when he wanted to bring friends to meet me, I refused. If I refuse again, will he be angry?”

“Oh yes, Friend Gu, the pool even nurtures sea fish!”

“Well, perhaps I’ll agree this time. After all, besides him and that life-saving sword immortal, no one else in Sanqing Mountain knows me. If I feel embarrassed, so be it.”

Cheng Xinzhan saw the green horned dragon silently nodding. He smiled, realizing nothing else worked except tempting her with food.

The green horned dragon, seeing his triumphant smile, blushed deeply but, having gathered courage to nod, did not regret it. She turned and sank beneath the lake, knowing that if she were to move, she must bring all her belongings.

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While waiting outside, Cheng Xinzhan had already dug up three pine trees—not too many, as the pool’s mouth was small, and too many would darken the place and damage the medicinal fields’ roots.

Soon, the green horned dragon shyly appeared.

Cheng Xinzhan immediately understood her hesitation; indeed, such a rare dragon-kind could not parade openly.

“Friend, follow closely behind me. I will use an illusion to conceal your form.”

The green horned dragon brightened, thinking he had finally understood. A dragon-kind without transformation must not be seen casually!

Fortunately, Cheng Xinzhan’s skill in illusions was strong enough to hide even a flood dragon. Like a thief, he led her along the western foot of East Screen Ridge back to Mingzhi Mountain.

Upon reaching Wuyou Cave, the household—one elder and two young ones—were waiting. The master left without a word, a rare occurrence.

Cheng Xinzhan arrived at the pool and said,

“Elder Brother, Third Sister, and Old Bai, from now on, Wuyou Cave gains an additional member.”

The three spirits looked puzzled.

Cheng Xinzhan removed the illusion, revealing a verdant horned dragon in the air.

Elder Brother and Third Sister had seen the green horned dragon at Pine Green Lake. Though surprised, they were not frightened.

Elder Brother lay on the ground, tail wagging energetically. Third Sister was bolder, meowing at the dragon and wanting to fish for it by the pool. The green horned dragon had treated her to fish before; Third Sister remembered the kindness.

When the green horned dragon saw the fish in the pool, she was overjoyed, missing the earlier words Cheng Xinzhan had said. Only now did she realize she would live in a place abundant with food.

Poor Old Bai, never having seen such a divine creature, rolled his eyes and fainted.

This startled the green horned dragon, who glanced anxiously at Cheng Xinzhan.

He smiled and ignored Old Bai, confident he would get used to it with time. He said to the green horned dragon,

“Friend Gu, this is the place.”

With that, he led the way underwater.

Green horned dragon followed cautiously. Such a massive creature entered the water without even a ripple.

They arrived at the Crystal Palace beneath the pool. The dragon’s emerald eyes shone brightly. She shyly looked at Cheng Xinzhan, signaling that this was truly her new home.

Cheng Xinzhan smiled and nodded. From the inscriptions left by the ancestors, their character was clear. If they knew their disciple had invited a horned dragon to dwell here, they would be pleased, not offended.

The green horned dragon glanced between Cheng Xinzhan and the Crystal Palace, feeling as sweet as if she had eaten honey.

———

Year 432 of the Ming era, summer solstice, the sun blazing.

The medicinal fields flourished, plants thriving and blooming, filling the air with fragrance.

Beside the small pool, three pine trees stood in a triangular formation. Under the trees was a bamboo rocking chair, where a young Daoist reclined, a tri-cat resting on his chest. He held a medical book propped on the cat.

A large white dog lay nearby, with a white mouse perched on its head.

The mouse bobbed its head, chanting a spell:

“Heaven and Earth boundless, tracking for ten thousand miles, the faithful breeze, the fertile earth leaves its mark—sniff!”

The dog snuffled, unsure if it had learned it.

The Daoist noticed the cooled potion on the extinguished stove and poured it into the pool.

“Open your mouth,” he commanded.

“Splash—”

The pool’s surface churned, water splashing as a green dragon head emerged.

The green horned dragon opened her mouth and swallowed the potion whole.

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Taking the opportunity, Cheng Xinzhan glanced at the dragon’s throat and nodded slightly.

When the green horned dragon first moved in, he had carefully examined her throat. It was purple-black and cold to the touch. Consulting medical texts, he identified it as “Yin Deficiency Throat Obstruction,” where yin energy blocked the throat, preventing speech.

The texts said this condition was caused either by trauma from the mother’s womb or by an invasion of yin-damaging objects piercing the throat. He asked the dragon if she had ever been harmed by a yin object.

She confirmed that while fleeing in Shu territory, a cold yin sword had pierced her throat.

Knowing the cause made treatment easier. Cheng Xinzhan brewed medicine according to the texts for her to take daily. After thirteen months, the purple-black color had faded significantly, gradually returning to a tender pink.

During this year, Cheng Xinzhan read extensively about the throat, not only medical texts but also about the evolution of the Twelve-Tiered Tower, the reasons for designating the throat as the Cloud Residence, and even the unique skeletal features of the demon race.

The result: though the throat obstruction was not yet cured, he had successfully opened the Twelve-Tiered Tower and created a twelve-level Cloud Residence.

Within the Cloud Residence, he visualized a Teng Snake.

The Teng Snake is a dragon species capable of summoning clouds and mist to travel within.

It is a divine beast naturally controlling clouds and mist, said to be the offspring of the Northern Divine Lord Zhiming.

The image of the Teng Snake was inspired by the green horned dragon, or rather, a private treasure of her father, Gu Yi.

Now, the Crystal Palace beneath the pool was magnificently decorated by the green horned dragon herself—truly such a task should be done by dragon-kind.

Last year, when Cheng Xinzhan visited the Crystal Palace to play with the green horned dragon, he saw a hanging painting, “Teng Snake Riding the Mist,” and was so captivated that he succeeded in visualization.

Thereafter, with deepening study, he soon opened the Cloud Residence.

Now, the Teng Snake roams the Twelve-Tiered Tower, stirring clouds and mist. His speed and capacity for absorbing spiritual energy far surpass before, and his magical power is ample.

Moreover, hidden in the clouds is water. The Cloud Residence, also called the Twelve-Tiered Tower, is the place where jade fluid is generated. In this year, he refined the throat Cloud Residence and also comprehended a divine art linked not only to the throat Cloud Residence but also to the kidney water palace, naming it “Jade Liquid Body Refinement.”

The “Taiyi Jinhua Essentials” states that divine fire, vital earth, and refined water form the supreme pure yang internal elixir.

In the Hall of Seals at the Celestial Master’s Mansion of Dragon Tiger Mountain, amidst dire peril, he comprehended pure yang divine fire and steadfast vital earth.

During this year, focusing on nurturing life, planting herbs, he grasped vitality through reading medical texts and many health methods. With the water-element dragon green horned dragon by his side guiding him, he attained insight into refined water.

The “Taiyi Jinhua Essentials” specifies that the divine, the vital, and the refined all refer to the intangible and profound, but the refined relates to the physical body.

The body grows from tender youth to robust prime to decline with age, all influenced by refined water, which nourishes and strengthens the physique. But where does refined water arise?

Two places: the twelve-tiered tower’s jade fluid and the kidney palace’s liquid.

His divine art is not a combat technique but one for nurturing life and protecting the way.

While practicing it, kidney liquid rises, and as it passes the heart palace, the heart sends out a strand of pure yang fire to aid the kidney water’s ascent. This also harmonizes yin and yang, removing dampness from the kidney liquid. The kidney water enters the Twelve-Tiered Tower, merging with the jade fluid growing in the throat—this is true refined water.

Swallowing this refined water, it is further purified in the Twelve-Tiered Tower, then descends to the Crimson Palace, from where it is distributed to the five palaces and further to limbs and bones, moistening the entire body.

This is “Jade Liquid Body Refinement.”

After cultivating it, he felt lighter than a swallow, his face regained youthful charm. Though twenty-four, he looked seventeen or eighteen, his figure tall and graceful like a jade tree or green pine. Compared to when he first came to the mountain, only his confidence and composure had grown; otherwise, nothing else seemed changed.

Now, Feng Jihu, seeing him, remarked that Cheng Xinzhan’s health preservation skills were excellent and that temporarily resting from cultivation was indeed beneficial.

Though so, in truth, despite a year without full cultivation, he felt his understanding of the Five Elements had grown rapidly through planting and preparing medicines.

Medicines are products of wood and stone, involving wood and metal elements, growing in earth, then boiled in fire, completing the five elements.

Particularly, extracting medicine’s properties through water and fire inspired him greatly. Within him were yang fire and yin water, divine fire and refined water—could these not temper body and soul?

Having comprehended “Jade Liquid Body Refinement,” how far could “Heart-Kidney Body Refinement” and “Water-Fire Soul Refinement” be?

(End of chapter)