Chapter 68: National Identity

Identity? What identity? I was stunned. In my heart, my master was a lazy good-for-nothing who was content with his abilities but was unwilling to work hard. Could there be another identity?

But although I was only ten years old and not at all sensitive, when I heard the old man say this so seriously, I thought of a few things. My father’s mysterious phone call, the small courtyard in the town, and the vigorous relocation of graves were actually the work points promised by the township leaders. I was so wrong to think that it was all the old man’s fault.

I hadn’t thought about these things in detail, but they suddenly came to mind, and I really thought my master was mysterious.

“Although I like to be a free spirit, I work for the country,” said the old man.

“Working for the country?” I looked at him in confusion. The workers and peasants of the country are so lazy that I’m afraid the country can’t be built. I really haven’t seen him do anything important.

“Strictly speaking, when the country needs my help, I will help out as long as it is a positive thing. My condition back then was that I would never do anything for just one person, and I would only help out with things that were related to the country’s economy and people’s livelihood.” After all, I was just a little kid, so Old Master Jiang tried to explain it to me as simply as possible.

“But…” I couldn’t wrap my head around it. “But… didn’t the government destroy the four old things a few years ago?”

“The Four Olds were not destroyed by people with real abilities. There were too many scammers in the past, so that the people were ignorant. People with real abilities could not be cultivated, and the situation was mixed. There were even some people with ulterior motives. These things are too complicated. Moreover, Taoist metaphysics is like a sharp knife. Do you think a sharp knife can be given to a bad person to play with? Can it be given to a child to play with?”

“I am a child, aren’t I?” That’s not good. I’m about to become the target of the Four Olds.

“I’m just using a metaphor!” the old man said angrily. “Just like many people are ignorant of the world, just like children, who suddenly learn a trick or two, they can easily be provoked. Do you understand? And metaphysics has too many restrictions. Compared to science, it is not easy to convert it into productivity. As long as a small number of people with real skills help to watch over the country, and help to deal with some things, not to cause panic among the people, and let the people live a good life, that’s it.”

I nodded, not really understanding, and asked, “Master, you have a very high position?” Anyway, I saw that everyone in the courtyard was respectful of the master, and I also saw that the township leaders had come forward.

“This… Actually, worldly power is useless to me. I will tell you more about my identity in the future. You are still too young to remember that I will work for the country.” Old Jiang thought for a long time before saying this to me.

“Then, Master, why do you want to help the country? Didn’t you say you like to be free and easy?”

“A Taoist must of course follow the Tao and help those who have attained the Tao. You’ve been reading the Tao Te Ching for so long, don’t you understand that? Besides, this is your master’s order. He said long ago that the place where our disciples can settle down and find their calling is to help the current government, because they are the ones who have attained the Tao of the world, and they represent the country! Working for the country is a great virtue and a great kindness.” Old Master Jiang simply said that and didn’t mention the topic again.

I also had a simple thought. My master really values doing good deeds.

From then on, my daily homework became more and more difficult. I stopped copying and reading the Tao Te Ching. I read and wrote it for three and a half years, and even if I wanted to forget it, I couldn’t. As for what I could understand, that was my own business.

But instead of reading and copying the Tao Te Ching, I suddenly had a lot more to memorize. First of all, there were the complicated formulas for drawing talismans. I used to think that the Tao Te Ching was already extremely obscure and difficult to understand, but these formulas were the real “heavenly books” for me.

Old Master Jiang would never let me write these down on paper. When he taught me, he would just pass them on orally, word by word. The incantations for the introductory talismans are relatively simple, usually just four sentences, but how to pronounce them, what they mean, can really blow your mind.

“The incantations for each type of talisman are different. You have to understand the meaning deeply. And this is just the beginning. In addition to the incantations for drawing the talisman, there are also incantations for sealing the talisman. Some are to be recited in your heart, some are to be recited aloud, and some are to be recited aloud. Hey… pay attention to the punctuation. The key to pronunciation is on which word.” This is how Old Master Jiang responded to my complaints. The result was usually that I was scolded.

God knows how much I wanted to actually practice and draw a talisman to see the results for myself, but Old Jiang just glanced at me and said, “You’re a stupid kid with no skills. You’ll just end up with a piece of useless paper. Go practice.”

Yes, practice!

From that day on, I had to practice not some simple method of self-cultivation, but real “refinement of the spirit.” This refinement of the spirit is not the immortality technique that the world understands. Perhaps it was once, but now it is indeed a little far away.

To put it simply, I began to practice real qigong. Old Jiang once told me in a rambling manner that those who have perfected their cultivation eat qi, and that qi itself has a spirit. The highest breathing method is the art of fetal breathing.

I almost fainted when I heard this. First of all, I couldn’t accept not eating, just drinking air. I wouldn’t even be a fairy. Second, what is the art of breathing in the womb? To put it bluntly, it means not breathing through the mouth and nose, but using the skin of the body to absorb natural energy, the energy of heaven and earth. The internal energy flows through the acupuncture points. I thought that it would be impossible to do that without suffocating.

Faced with my emotions, Old Master Jiang thought it was very funny: “Guawa, you’re thinking too much. This qi is the qi of heaven and earth, which is different from the yin and yang qi that we breathe in through our nose and mouth. Can you reach that level? If you can reach that level, I’ll cook for you every day. As for the art of breathing in the womb, it’s not bad to occasionally reach that level for half an hour. You should just practice the art of breathing in the turtle for the rest of your life. Haven’t you seen that the turtles are all very long-lived?”

“If I reach that level, I won’t need you to cook for me. I’ll drink air every day. No, I’ll just drink the vital energy of heaven and earth. Master, are you playing with me?” After a long time of battling with Master Jiang, I have gained a wealth of experience in fighting. I can tell when he’s lying.

“Right, right, then I’ll make you some qi to eat.” The old man Jiang laughed.

“How can you make it? Can you fry it? Can you steam it? Can you stew it and eat it with pigeons?” I said disdainfully.

“Why not? I can just let you eat my farts every day. Isn’t a fart just a kind of gas?” The old man’s head tilted back and he said proudly.

I was about to meditate and practice my kung fu, but I almost coughed up a mouthful of blood. I held back and held back, my face turning red. Okay, okay, I’ll just pretend that I owed this cheap master in my previous life!

However, despite all the joking, when it came to the actual practice, the old man was more nervous than anyone else. Although he had repeatedly explained to me the unique secrets of our martial art, and had carefully taught me his own experiences, he was still nervous.

This qigong is no joke. If you’re not careful, you could practice it incorrectly or even go crazy. It’s understandable that old man Jiang is nervous. That’s why the lineage of a Taoist master is so important. Without a master’s guidance, ordinary people should never try it unless they are very talented.

Even the introductory qigong is difficult. I spend a lot of time on it every day, but progress is very slow. The first hurdle to overcome is the feeling of qi. The feeling of qi is a very elusive thing. Before you can catch it, you can only rely on storing thoughts and practicing qi. This is easier said than done. It is very mentally exhausting to concentrate all your thoughts on one thing. At first, I often couldn’t do it for half an hour, and I would feel dizzy and nauseous.

In the face of this situation, the old man Jiang often encouraged me, “Your talent is already high enough. When I first started, I couldn’t concentrate for more than ten minutes, and forcing myself to do it was even more mentally exhausting. Take it slowly. My apprentices are very good.”

This encouragement contains a strong sense of friendship, and the feeling of defending him is even stronger. I often lament that my master is actually very good to me, and I am often very moved by him. Of course, at these times, I must try not to think about the times when he was a scoundrel, such as making me eat farts.