novelhk Chapter 123 Meeting Jiajing
Chapter 123 Meeting Jiajing
What do you think of this person?
After looking at Zhao Yu, Huang Jin lowered his voice and asked Eunuch Wang.
Zhao Yu, who was some distance away, twitched his ears slightly, chuckled softly, and let them talk about him.
"In my humble opinion, this person doesn't seem like a swindler."
Eunuch Wang replied in a low voice, "I saw it with my own eyes. He saved a dying child with just one talisman. Besides that, he distributed all the money he earned today to the poor."
"These days, it's rare to find someone who doesn't love money. Even those immortal masters in the palace, aren't they all trying to make money by any means necessary..."
Actually, Zhao Yuzhi's child wasn't seriously ill at the time; it was just a minor cold.
However, in Wang the eunuch's words, it became a story of Zhao Yu coming back from the dead, which was also his habitual exaggeration.
Its main purpose, of course, was to push Zhao Yu out.
"Silence!"
Huang Jin quickly stopped him and looked around warily.
"Yes, yes, yes." Eunuch Wang quickly covered his mouth.
Zhu Houcong was obsessed with achieving immortality. Even though the immortals in the palace were making money, the eunuchs couldn't say it outright, otherwise, where would the emperor's face be?
He quickly added, "Perhaps, this person really is a Taoist master."
Huang Jin pondered for a moment, then nodded: "It seems he might be quite skilled. Alright, you can go now, I'll take him in to see His Majesty."
"Yes." Eunuch Wang bowed and withdrew hastily.
Huang Jin straightened his clothes, stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to Zhao Yu, and said politely, "Master Zhao, please come in. His Majesty has been waiting for a long time."
"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Huang." Zhao Yu nodded slightly.
Huang Jin led Zhao Yu into the Qianqing Palace.
The hall was brightly lit, filled with the aroma of incense, and the air was thick with a strong scent of medicinal herbs and sandalwood.
Emperor Jiajing, Zhu Houcong, was reclining on his bed.
His face was pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and there were dark circles under his eyes.
Her hair was also somewhat disheveled, and she looked very haggard.
Clearly, the nightmares and palpitations of the past few days had tormented him beyond recognition.
Seeing Huang Jin lead a young Taoist priest in, Zhu Houcong slowly raised his head, a scrutinizing look flashing in his cloudy eyes.
Seeing that Zhao Yu merely clasped his hands in a salute without kneeling, a eunuch standing nearby immediately shouted sternly, "How dare you! Why don't you kneel before His Majesty?"
Zhu Houcong waved his hand, stopping the eunuch.
"That's enough."
He looked at Zhao Yu and said slowly, "Those who live outside the secular world need not perform such worldly rituals."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Zhao Yu said calmly.
He had no intention of kneeling before Zhu Houcong, and his thanks were not given much thought, but Zhu Houcong was too preoccupied with such matters at the moment.
"You mean you can draw talismans to cure illnesses?"
Zhao Yu nodded: "Exactly."
Zhu Houcong looked at Zhao Yu, his tone tinged with suspicion: "I've seen plenty of charlatans, and they all claim to have extraordinary skills, but what's the result? Don't tell me you also use some kind of talisman water to treat people. If those paper ashes were effective, I wouldn't have had to kill so many charlatans."
"Your Majesty has misunderstood."
Zhao Yu smiled calmly and replied, "The idea of using talismanic water to cure illnesses is utter nonsense. The art of talismans relies on runes to gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and apply it to the human body. Once a talisman is damaged, the spiritual energy dissipates, and it naturally loses its effectiveness."
"Those who give people water mixed with talisman ash are nothing but charlatans and fraudsters, not to be trusted."
Zhu Houcong nodded slightly. Zhao Yu's words were somewhat in line with his previous understanding of the Dao of Talismans.
Moreover, it can be considered a self-consistent explanation.
Unlike those charlatans who only spout empty boasts.
"That makes some sense," Zhu Houcong's expression softened somewhat. "But I wonder how much real skill you possess. Let me ask you, in Taoism, which comes first, and which is more important—cultivating both body and spirit?"
This was a test of his teachings. Zhu Houcong had practiced Taoism for many years and was thoroughly familiar with Taoist classics.
His purpose this time was to test Zhao Yu to see if he was a true Taoist or a fake one.
The question posed was precisely what Zhu Houcong was most concerned about.
He spent his life cultivating Taoism, seeking nothing more than immortality and the cultivation of both body and mind, which is the core concept of the Taoist internal alchemy school.
This was also Zhu Houcong's hope that he had held onto for many years.
Zhao Yu pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, nature is spirit, and destiny is vital energy. Nature cannot exist without destiny, and destiny cannot exist without nature. The two are inherently one and inseparable. However, if we consider the order of importance, I believe that cultivating destiny should come first, followed by cultivating nature."
"Oh?" Zhu Houcong became interested. "What do you mean? I've heard that many Taoist masters advocate focusing on cultivating one's nature. Once one understands one's mind and sees one's true nature, one's life force will naturally develop. Your statement is exactly the opposite."
His questions were exactly what Zhao Yu wanted to hear.
When Zhao Yu first transmigrated to the martial arts world, he devoted himself to studying Taoist philosophy, hoping to avoid becoming like Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng, two illiterate people who possessed divine skills but turned them into evil practices.
Given his status as a member of the imperial clan, he was naturally able to find many Taoist masters to answer his questions, in addition to later learning the martial arts of the Xiaoyao Sect.
In terms of Taoist cultivation, Zhao Yu was not much different from Zhu Houcong.
"What Your Majesty has said is the teachings of the Northern School of Quanzhen."
Zhao Yu spoke eloquently: "The Quanzhen School of Taoism first cultivates one's nature, then one's life force. It advocates tranquility and non-action, clarifying one's mind and seeing one's true nature. Once one's nature is perfected, one then cultivates one's life force. Although this method is good, it takes a long time and requires decades of hard work. Moreover, it has extremely high requirements for one's innate talent and comprehension. If one's innate talent is slightly inferior, or one's mind is not firm, one may spend a lifetime studying the classics and still gain nothing."
"The method transmitted by the Southern School's Master Ziyang advocates prioritizing life over nature, using life to nourish nature. First, one cultivates to replenish depleted essence and energy, strengthening the body. Once the body is healthy and full of energy, one then cultivates nature. This gradual approach yields twice the results with half the effort. Moreover, this method has a low barrier to entry; even ordinary people can achieve something as long as they are willing to put in the hard work."
"In my humble opinion, Your Majesty is overwhelmed with state affairs and exhausted. The most urgent task is to replenish your depleted vital energy and strengthen your body. Once Your Majesty is in good health, you can then devote yourself to cultivating your inner strength and pursuing the Great Dao. This is the best course of action."
Zhao Yu's words were well-researched, logically sound, and resonated deeply with Zhu Houcong.
Zhu Houcong was obsessed with Taoist practice for many years and had a deep understanding of various schools and ideas of Taoism.
He naturally understood that what Zhao Yu was referring to was the Southern School of Internal Alchemy founded by Zhang Boduan of the Southern Song Dynasty.
Zhang Boduan was revered as "Ziyang Zhenren" and his work "Wuzhen Pian" is a classic of Taoist internal alchemy.
To be able to explain the Southern School of thought so thoroughly is something that no ordinary charlatan could do.
"Well said!"
Zhu Houcong couldn't help but sit up straight and exclaimed, "I never expected that you, at such a young age, would have such profound knowledge of the Southern School of Internal Alchemy. It seems that I have truly encountered a master this time."