Chapter 9: White Pill

The moon hung above the willow branches. Li Chijing suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Li Mutian, who was sitting beside him, holding a cloth scroll detailing the reception method and drinking tea.

“Father, I have memorized this spell thoroughly over the past two months,” he paused, then added, “Today is the start of summer, one of the eight solar terms. Perhaps we can try it.”

“Go ahead and try,” Li Mutian said, nodding slowly.

Li Chijing was overjoyed, and his three older brothers were also full of anticipation. They helped him burn incense, bathe, and set up an altar in the courtyard. Then, Li Mutian reverently brought out the Dharma Mirror, propping it up with a chi-dragon patterned mirror stand he had carved himself a few days prior. Nine incense sticks were placed before the altar, along with fruits. Lu Jiangxian couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed; the offerings of incense and fruit on the altar seemed to be for him, a deceased person.

Before the altar, Li Chijing bowed three times and prostrated himself nine times. Kneeling with his head bowed, he reverently began: “Li Chijing, a disciple of the Li family, respectfully invokes the Profound Brightness Marvelous Dharma, petitions the Fates to bring peace, and devotes himself to cultivation. I shall demonstrate my merit in due time, not failing in trust and efficacy. Following the decree, I shall be consumed by fire, and my body will return to the Great Yin.” After speaking, he cleared his mind, activated the spell, and repeatedly absorbed the primordial energy of nature. Simultaneously, Lu Jiangxian's thoughts stirred, and the mirror's surface immediately shimmered with colorful light, like rippling water.

“There’s a reaction!” Li Mutian and the others were greatly excited, staring intently at the altar. They saw the greenish-gray mirror humming, and a white pellet leaped from its surface. It was perfectly round and intensely bright, flickering with white light that bathed the courtyard in a blinding white glow, making it hard for them to open their eyes.

Li Chijing felt his mind go blank, a roaring sound filled his head, and a majestic, profound voice suddenly emerged: “This Li clan disciple shall abandon emotional attachments, cease transgressions, and sever the roots of evil. The Profound Brightness Marvelous Dharma is bestowed upon him, enabling him to embark on the path of cultivation, to ascend from the mundane to the sacred, from beginning to end, starting with the precepts and then attaining truth. One scroll of the Lunar Breathing and Nourishing Wheel Scripture and one Golden Light Art are granted.” Li Chijing quickly rose from the ground and sat cross-legged. The white pellet leaped up and merged into his Niwan Palace. He instantly trembled, overwhelmed by the complex information flooding his mind. After imparting the spell, the white pellet gently rotated within the Niwan Palace, traveled along the meridians, and finally settled in the Qihai acupoint of the lower Dantian.

Li Mutian and the others watched with intense nervousness as the Mystical Pearl Talisman Seed entered Li Chijing’s head. They anxiously observed him sitting cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation, remaining in that position until dawn. When the moon set and the sun rose, Li Chijing finally trembled and slowly awoke. He opened his eyes to see his brothers circled around him, their faces filled with anxiety.

“Father! Brothers! I have received the Mystical Pearl Talisman Seed and have stepped through the gate of immortal cultivation!” Li Chijing leaped up excitedly and eagerly embraced his father. Li Mutian cheerfully hugged Li Chijing and spun him around. Li Tongya and the others let out long breaths of relief, their expressions also turning excited.

“I received a spell called the Lunar Breathing and Nourishing Wheel Scripture,” Li Chijing began. After saying this, he was about to recite the outline of the spell. However, the white pellet in his Qihai acupoint subtly vibrated, and he instantly lost his voice, unable to utter a single word, only making inarticulate sounds. He was greatly alarmed and instinctively covered his mouth. Then he tried calling out, “Father!” Seeing that he could speak again, Li Chijing sighed in relief. Disbelieving, he tried again to recite the spell’s outline, but found he could neither speak nor silently recall it. “This immortal art cannot be written or spoken; it’s truly wondrous,” Li Chijing said, his expression shifting to one of slight embarrassment.

“No need to be nervous,” Li Changhu said, smiling as he patted Li Chijing’s head. He watched his father reverently carry the Dharma Mirror from the table back to its place, then added, “When the summer solstice arrives, we will all seek the Dharma together.” “Big Brother,” Li Chijing interrupted hesitantly, “It seems there are only six of these talisman seeds.” “Only six?” Li Tongya, who had been carefully reading the reception method, looked up and questioned him with confusion. “After receiving the Mystical Pearl Talisman Seed, I vaguely gained a lot of information in my mind—things like the six realms of immortal cultivation, and the embryo-breathing nourishing wheels. It seems this Dharma Mirror can only bestow six talisman seeds,” Li Chijing admitted candidly. Li Xiangping nodded and comforted him, “Such a miraculous item, drawing upon the fortunes of heaven and earth, naturally isn’t abundant.”

Eldest Brother Li Changhu yawned and waved his hand, telling his brothers, “Everyone, go back to sleep. You’ve waited all night and must be tired.” “Are you afraid sister-in-law will worry?” Li Xiangping chuckled, teasing him. “You rascal!” Li Changhu, quite unreserved, laughed and pointed at Li Xiangping, then whispered, “I think Tian Yun is quite nice.” “Big Brother, what kind of matchmaking are you doing?” Li Xiangping’s face hardened, and he turned and left the courtyard, returning to his room. “Hahahahahaha…” Li Changhu laughed loudly as he entered the front courtyard. “There’s a chance!” Li Mutian stroked his beard, thinking to himself.

That night, the moonlight was like flowing water.

Li Chijing sat cross-legged in the courtyard with his eyes closed, forming hand seals. He drew a stream of vital energy from his Qihai acupoint, guiding it through his meridians, past the Twelve-Storied Pagoda in his throat, until it emerged from his glabella. Instantly, Li Chijing’s eyes brightened. The watery moonlight slowly drifted towards his glabella, merging with that wisp of spiritual energy. Soon after, Li Chijing formed another hand seal, guiding this transformed milky-white energy stream back into his glabella, across the Twelve-Storied Pagoda, and returning it to his Qihai acupoint. After three such cycles, Li Chijing finally opened his eyes and looked at the sky. Two hours had already passed.

“The speed of absorbing moonlight essence is simply too slow,” he mused. Li Chijing calculated carefully: eighty-one absorptions of moonlight essence would form one wisp of moonlight energy, and eighty-one such wisps would complete the first of the six embryo-breathing wheels—the Profound Scenery Wheel. Once the Profound Scenery Wheel was cultivated, he would be considered to have entered embryo-breathing, capable of casting spells. “Three cycles take two hours, so eighty-one cycles would be fifty-four hours,” Li Chijing calculated inwardly. “If I cultivate six hours a day, it would take nine days for one wisp. Eighty-one wisps would take a full two years…”

Gazing at the moonlight essence gathered on the Dharma Mirror, Li Chijing blinked. A sudden inspiration struck him, and he sat cross-legged by the stone platform to cultivate. Inside the mirror, Lu Jiangxian was half-asleep, passing the time. He had long since absorbed enough moonlight power, and time within the mirror was long and tedious. Lu Jiangxian was like a student dozing off in a boring university lecture, sometimes closing his eyes and finding a whole day had passed. Li Chijing’s spiritual energy leaped from his glabella and into the lunar halo on the mirror, instantly startling Lu Jiangxian awake. Looking at the small boy before him, he couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. “How clever,” he thought. Li Chijing, however, guided the spiritual energy back to his Qihai acupoint. He felt a coolness spread through his body; the moonlight power had grown more than tenfold. At this rate, it would only take five or six attempts to form a single wisp of moonlight energy! He was greatly encouraged and, forming hand seals, continued his cultivation. He only reluctantly stopped when the morning glow filled the sky and his brothers arrived in the backyard. Seeing his father and brothers had arrived, Li Chijing recounted the events of the previous night. Everyone was both surprised and delighted. Li Mutian sighed and lit another incense stick for Lu Jiangxian, then led the children out of the chamber.