Chapter 12: Primordial Qi
Chapter 12: Primordial Qi
“Heavenly Retribution? Master, I… I haven’t done anything like Defying Heaven to Alter Fate.”
After hearing the Old Taoist’s words, Ye Tian felt a sudden jolt of fear. The Tortoise Shell in his mind had appeared mysteriously, and he had been using the usually obscure arts of Geomancy and Physiognomy with surprising ease lately. Could it really have attracted some disaster?
Ye Tian had once heard his Master say that their Hemp Robe Lineage indeed possessed the capability to Defy Heaven and Alter Fate. Several Founding Patriarchs in the past had risen to high positions, even entering imperial courts because of it.
However, perhaps due to revealing Heaven’s Secrets, those Founding Patriarchs all met with violent, untimely deaths. Therefore, a rule was passed down in the Hemp Robe Lineage: descendants were not to become government officials, nor were they to lightly help others Defy Heaven and Alter Fate.
Back when Ye Tian heard these words, he didn’t pay much attention. But now, thinking back, he felt a creeping dread, his face turning pale. If he calculated that his father would face misfortune, could he really just stand by and do nothing?
“Uncle Li, I always thought you were learned in both Eastern and Western knowledge, broad and profound. How can you believe such things? As a Master, you shouldn’t scare the child like this.”
Unlike Ye Tian, Ye Dongping scoffed at the Old Taoist’s words. He never believed in talk of ghosts and gods, and he viewed fortune-telling, physiognomy, and Fengshui Geomancy as nothing but Feudal Superstition.
Speaking of which, the dilapidation of the Taoist Temple where the Old Taoist lived was partly thanks to Ye Dongping leading a group of educated youths up the mountain to “destroy the Four Olds” back in the day. If not for recognizing the Old Taoist’s deep mastery of classical Chinese, he would never have allowed Ye Tian to become his disciple.
“Little Yezi, since you want to hear it explained scientifically, I’ll use scientific theory to explain it to you…”
The Old Taoist’s address of “Little Yezi” made both Ye Tian and his father wear bitter smiles simultaneously. This disrespectful old man used the term so casually; whether it was Ye Tian or Ye Dongping, they both became “Little Yezi” in his mouth.
“Little Yezi, to explain Yin-Yang with your so-called science, it means that Yin and Yang both repel and complement each other. Their combined sum equals the extension of their nearest superior concept. All things in the world can be encompassed by the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory, isn’t that right?”
Ye Tian didn’t quite understand the Old Taoist’s words, but Ye Dongping nodded, showing his agreement. The viewpoint the Old Taoist mentioned was valid in philosophy and logic.
Seeing Ye Dongping nod, the Old Taoist continued, “The Traditional Chinese Medicine we use today is fundamentally based on balancing Yin and Yang. The arts you’ve always disdained—Divination, Geomancy, Fortune-telling—are also like that. Why can you accept Traditional Chinese Medicine but not Physiognomy?”
“That’s different. Traditional Chinese Medicine is tangible. Fortune-telling is just a mirage, a Jianghu trickery. They can’t be lumped together…”
Ye Dongping shook his head, still holding to his own opinion. Changing an adult’s worldview was no easy task, especially someone like Ye Dongping who had received higher education.
Hearing this, the Old Taoist smiled, saying with an air of nonchalance, “Then what was the basis for what my little disciple just said?”
“This… this…” Ye Dongping was left speechless by the Old Taoist’s question. He truly couldn’t explain his son’s earlier words to him, and his conviction began to waver.
“Little Yezi, existence implies reason. Everything in the world has its own laws. Mastering these laws allows one to do what ordinary people cannot. Do you think figures like Dongfang Shuo of the Han Dynasty or Chen Tuan of the Song Dynasty gained imperial favor just by spouting nonsense? Wouldn’t that be looking down on the rulers of a nation? Since the time of oracle bone inscriptions, from Fu Xi creating the Innate Eight Trigrams, to the Book of Changes summarized by King Wen of Zhou based on the ‘River Chart’ and ‘Luo Writing,’ Divination and Physiognomy have existed. They have long dominated people’s lives and become a culture. Can you truly say it’s unscientific?”
Back in the twenties and thirties of the Republic of China era, the Old Taoist had used these words to refute many so-called New Culture progressive youths of the time. Now, speaking them again, they still left Ye Dongping with no rebuttal.
“Then… then what about Xiao Tian’s situation? Could it be that simply reading my fortune would bring him Heavenly Retribution? What’s the use of learning such knowledge then?”
Unable to argue with the Old Taoist, Ye Dongping steered the topic back to Ye Tian, subtly blaming the Old Taoist for teaching him the methods of Physiognomy.
“Little Yezi, Yin-Yang and the Five Elements originally have their fixed patterns. The so-called Heavenly Retribution occurs when a skilled diviner sees through this operation and forcibly intervenes, causing it to become chaotic, leading to a Backlash…”
The Old Taoist sighed here, looking at Ye Tian with a complex gaze before continuing, “This child can read a face and know the heart. In ancient times, his achievements might not have been inferior to figures like Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang. It’s just that in modern times, Heaven’s Secrets are already in disorder. With such talent, it’s hard to say whether it’s a blessing or a curse.”
“Brother Li, then… then what should we do? Will Xiao Tian be okay?”
After hearing the Old Taoist’s words, Ye Dongping forgot about debating anything else. Advances in science or Feudal Superstition—none were as important as his son’s safety!
“Yes, Master, I can’t even move now. I feel terrible.”
On the bed, Ye Tian also looked pitifully at the Old Taoist. He had never even had a cold or fever as a child. Being forced to lie still in bed now was worse than killing him.
“You brat, scared now, aren’t you?”
The Old Taoist glared at Ye Tian with annoyance and said to Ye Dongping, “He’s still young. Go kill that laying hen in the yard and make soup for him to nourish his Primordial Qi. That should do.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll go kill the chicken right now.” Ye Dongping nodded repeatedly and turned to leave the room to catch the chicken.
After seeing Ye Dongping leave, the Old Taoist lowered his voice and said, “Little Yezi, once you can move, practice the Qi-Guiding Technique I taught you. It has the effect of strengthening the foundation and cultivating the essence. If you master the skill, it might just allow you to Defy Heaven and Alter Fate…”
The Qi-Guiding Technique of the Hemp Robe Lineagen was originally meant to complement its inherited Feng Shui and Physiognomy arts. However, although the Old Taoist had mastered the Qi-Guiding Technique to perfection, much of the Physiognomy knowledge had been lost. He could only sigh helplessly.
Since the Republic of China era, Feng Shui and Physiognomy had been labeled as Feudal Superstition. Among those Diviners and Feng Shui masters in the Jianghu, out of ten, at least nine and a half were frauds, and the remaining half were barely competent hacks.
The uneven quality of practitioners led to the steady decline of this ancient profession. The Old Taoist saw this and it pained him, but he was advanced in years and powerless to change it.
Now, seeing his disciple cause a disorder in Heaven’s Secrets simply by practicing Physiognomy, the Old Taoist couldn’t help but encourage Ye Tian a bit. Perhaps in the future, this disciple could restore the reputation of the Physiognomy world.
Hearing the Old Taoist’s words, Ye Tian’s young face scrunched up. He smiled bitterly and said, “Master, look at me in this state. Can I still Defy Heaven and Alter Fate?”
To be honest, Ye Tian had really entertained the thought of never summoning the “Tortoise Shell” again. Although it could predict fortune and calculate a person’s fate, the consequences seemed too severe.
“What’s there to be afraid of? This time, when you read Little Yezi’s fortune, it was because it concerned yourself directly, which is why you suffered the Backlash. In the future, when you perform Divination for yourself or family, just stick to assessing fortune. Don’t look at other things…”
The Old Taoist thought for a moment before continuing, “Before, I didn’t think you would enter this line of work, so I didn’t tell you many things. Now I must instruct you. Little Yezi, do you know why those fortune-tellers always ask for a person’s birth date and time?”
Ye Tian nodded and answered, “I know. With the birth date and time, you can deduce what’s lacking in their fate and more accurately calculate their fortune and misfortunes.”
What Ye Tian said was the most basic knowledge of Physiognomy. Even those “Masters” squatting by the roadside knew a bit about it. If you didn’t ask for the birth date and time when telling someone’s fortune, they wouldn’t even bother with you.
“Little Yezi, you only got one part right. There’s another reason: people born during the hour of ‘completely Yin’ or ‘completely Yang’ in their Eight Characters—we generally avoid reading their fortunes.”
“Master, why is that?”
Ye Tian actually knew what ‘completely Yin’ or ‘completely Yang’ in the Eight Characters meant. The year, month, day, and hour formed the Four Pillars. Each Pillar was further divided into a Heavenly Stem and an Earthly Branch, making the “Eight Characters.”
If all Four Pillars were composed of Stems and Branches belonging to Yin, it was called “completely Yin” in the Eight Characters. The opposite was “completely Yang.”
“People born during these two types of hours have extremely thin Fate Calculation. When you perform calculations for them, you might inadvertently alter their fate, accidentally touching upon the taboo of Defying Heaven to Alter Fate. So remember, no matter how great the friendship, do not lightly perform Fate Calculation for these two types of people…”
“Master, I’ll remember.” Ye Tian had never seen the Old Taoist speak to him with such seriousness before. He committed these words to memory earnestly.
Ever since believing that the Old Taoist had lived over a hundred years, Ye Tian began to view this Master differently. Of course, he wouldn’t admit that he had always thought of his Master as an old fraud before.
After feeling Ye Tian’s pulse once more, the Old Taoist said, “Alright, drink the chicken soup later, and you’ll be fine by tomorrow. I still need to supervise their work, so I’ll head back to the mountain now.”
As he was about to leave, he saw Ye Dongping killing the chicken. The Old Taoist couldn’t help but smack his lips. He hesitated for a moment but still walked up the mountain. If the repair work on the Taoist Temple turned out to be a mess, he would have no way to explain it to the Ancestral Master.
…
“Xiao Tian, you can get up?”
Early the next morning, as soon as Ye Dongping got out of bed, he saw his son standing in the yard. Ye Tian’s face was much rosier than the day before, filling him with joy.
“Dad, I’m fine. Master said I should move around more…”
As he spoke, Ye Tian didn’t stop the movements in his hands. He was practicing the Qi-Guiding Technique taught by the Old Taoist. It evolved from Taoist Daoyin techniques, meaning “guiding the Qi to achieve harmony, leading the body to become supple.”
“Illness strikes like a collapsing mountain, but it departs slowly like untwining silk. Still, be careful. Don’t make your movements too vigorous.”
Ye Dongping affectionately patted his son’s head, then turned and went back to the kitchen. He warmed up the leftover chicken soup from yesterday, added a handful of noodles to it for Ye Tian, and didn’t eat a single bite himself.
“Master was right. This Qi-Guiding Technique really does help strengthen the foundation and Primordial Qi…”
Ye Tian didn’t hear his father’s words because, just as he finished one set of movements and stood up from his practice, he felt refreshed and clear-headed all over.
Especially during the practice, Ye Tian could clearly feel the flow of Qi sensations in his body. His previously sore and weak limbs, following the movement of the Primordial Qi, gradually became strong and powerful again.