Lonely Immortal

The yard is still the same yard, with the ground paved with bluestone slabs under the patio in the middle. There are some mosses growing on the bluestone, which looks green and lush. It doesn't look special, but there is a fish pond in the middle of the yard. The pond is not big, two meters long and wide. At this moment, the pond is full of lotus flowers. Under the drizzle, some flower buds are full of pearls and jade, some are in full bloom, delicate and beautiful, and some are swaying in the wind, graceful and elegant.

And around the yard is a corridor, and the corridor road is also paved with two-foot-long stones. Along the corridor, where it converges forward, there is a water tank, about the thickness of two people hugging, with a few water lilies floating leisurely on it. Occasionally, there are water grass leaves hanging on the edge of the tank, dripping water, making the brown glaze of the water tank look slightly mottled, causing a few birds to fly over and stop on the edge of the tank, chirping and watching curiously.

These were originally the most common things in ordinary houses, but Zhang Zhiwen looked at the sky in surprise. Did it start to rain today?

It has rarely rained since the drought. He has been hiding in the house these days and has not heard anything outside the window. Little did he know that it started to rain these days.

No wonder the moss has grown, and no wonder the water tank is full again, and the bird is still alive.

Spring has gone and autumn has come, and it has been more than four years. Has it finally survived this drought?

Zhang Zhiwen stared at the sky blankly, and the branches on the wall were green and full of vitality.

It seemed that everything had come back to life.

Suddenly, Zhang Zhiwen was shocked again. When did his eyesight become so good? The water tank was more than ten feet away, but he could even see the veins of the water plants on it clearly.

And the lotus in the pond, although it was less than three feet away, he could see the insects crawling on it clearly.

There was also the familiar sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance, which was the fragrance from the sweet-scented osmanthus trees in other people's yards across the red wall, but he could smell it clearly, and also smelled something different, as if the sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance carried a little bit of the scent of grass and soil.

In addition, he heard the ding-dong sound of water dripping from the water plants on the ground, subtle but clear, like jumping notes, echoing in his mind.

He stood there in a daze, not understanding what was going on.

Why were his ears and eyes so sharp?

He couldn't help but reach out and touch the pillar next to him. The pillar was a little old, and it felt a little sticky under the drizzle, but he didn't feel a bit cold at the touch, but rather a little warm.

He quickly retracted his hand, feeling as if there was a strange airflow passing through his fingertips, but this airflow quickly dissipated.

What was going on?

After a while, Zhang Zhiwen suddenly remembered that this must be related to the Heart Sutra of Immortality.

The Heart Sutra of Immortality mentioned that after practicing, there will be a strange airflow in the body, which will eventually flow into the Dantian after a small circulation.

But he couldn't feel the existence of the airflow these days. He thought it was just a bluff, but now he actually felt the existence of this airflow.

According to the records of the Heart Sutra of Immortality, once the practitioner senses this airflow, then even if he has just got a glimpse of the door, he can continue to practice the first level of the key to immortality.

In addition, the fact that his ears and eyes have become several times smarter than before is also in line with the records of the Heart Sutra of Immortality. The book records that after the practitioner has initially mastered the basic mental method, the seven orifices are opened and the meridians are activated, which is considered a small achievement. In the future, as long as he practices diligently, his physique will become stronger and stronger, and the airflow will become stronger and stronger. This airflow is called the power of the inner family in the book.

Zhang Zhiwen thought that this internal force should be the internal force produced by the internal exercises practiced by the people in the Jianghu in the legend, but this internal force has become a way to strengthen the body in the Changsheng Sutra.

After thinking about it, Zhang Zhiwen understood something in his heart, and was also a little surprised. He didn't expect that this useless Changsheng Sutra would also allow him to cultivate internal force.

Although this internal force is only used to strengthen the body, he is now at least half a Jianghu person?

He hurried to try out the details of this internal force, and he hurried back to the house and sat down.

After meditating, his mind was immersed, and then his mind moved, and an extremely weak air force appeared in his dantian.

This weak airflow that can be almost ignored is the internal force, that is, the internal force.

According to the Changsheng Sutra, beginners of martial arts must first have internal force. The internal force is strong and penetrating, and it can produce internal true qi when it responds to the heaven and earth.

The inner Qi is only possessed by top masters, or even peerless masters. Ordinary people don't have this luck.

The so-called Qi is naturally pure power, responding to the heaven and earth, endless, just like breathing in the mother's womb, this is the innate way.

To possess the innate way, one must continue to practice the first level of the key to longevity. After completing the first level and obtaining the Qi, one can gradually improve and hopefully enter longevity.

Before, Zhang Zhiwen just looked at these records and didn't take them seriously, but now he has actually cultivated a trace of internal force. This is not just a look. He was quite shocked. At least this useless longevity scripture in the eyes of others is a real practice method, not some so-called health-preserving essay for strengthening the body.

Of course, he still doesn't quite believe that the Sutra of Immortality says that he can achieve immortality in the future. He now generally speculates that the Sutra of Immortality is indeed a martial arts secret book, but it is just a martial arts secret book for strengthening the body. , because other people use their internal energy in martial arts, either climbing over walls, using swords, guns, and sticks, or using fists and kicks, but the internal energy of this Sutra of Immortality is only used for keeping fit.

This is somewhat regrettable. If it weren't for this, he now has internal strength and can master one and a half martial arts. Then when he goes out to complete tasks and travel around the world, he will also have an additional skill to save his life.

However, cultivating internal strength is much better than not having it at all. At least his body bones are much stronger now, his seven orifices are clear, and his meridians are active. Compared with when he first came here, it is naturally different.

In this way, Zhang Zhiwen calmed down and stopped.

It seemed that it was time to go out and complete the mission. There was not much time left. The remaining time was almost enough for him to go back and forth.

However, you must be prepared when you go out, especially when going to the dangerous areas of Naqishan Mountain. It is necessary to prepare some things.

He planned to go to the woman and ask if she had anything like a hatchet and a basket. If he went out to collect herbs, he would definitely not be able to do it without a hatchet to protect himself or a basket to store the herbs.

But as soon as he opened the door, footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard, and some people's voices could also be heard.

"What Brother Yan said is true. It will be difficult for me to travel this time. That boy Li Huan died in the Blood Ridge. There is one less person. I am afraid it will be difficult to deal with."

"Brother Zhou is right, but where are the people here? Those in white shirts will only look down on people like us and jokingly call us barefoot. When they come in and wear white shirts, we are just made of linen. Why? Aren’t they all apprentices..."

"Qingmei, be careful what you say, be careful what you say!"

…

As the sound came, three young people, two men and one woman, walked out of the yard.

The young man leading the group was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a rather burly build. He was dressed in linen, barefoot, and carried a basket on his back, with many medicinal herbs in the basket.

Following him were a man and a woman on his left and right.

The man was not as tall as the leading boy and had a slim build, but his steps were light and his eyes were bright and he looked quite smart.

The female is the youngest, but she is still thirteen or fourteen years old. On the contrary, her figure is obviously more mature, and she already has a bit of a woman's flavor. Although her appearance is ordinary, she is quite simple.

The three of them walked in while talking, and happened to meet Zhang Zhiwen standing at the door.

Both sides were surprised when they met.

Zhang Zhiwen didn't expect that there were other Azabu disciples here, and the other party didn't expect that there were newcomers in the courtyard.

But after a brief silence, the young man who led the team was the first to react. He stepped forward and asked, "Are you new here?"

Zhang Zhiwen said nothing and just nodded.

He has long developed the habit of being cautious and vigilant when he is away from home all year round. He will not talk to any stranger casually.

However, these three people were overjoyed after hearing this.

"Brother, how long have you been here?" the leading boy asked quickly.

Zhang Zhiwen observed their situation and saw that they should also be disciples of the Medicine Hall, so he replied: "I have only been here a few days."

"What do you call it?" the young boy at the head said, cupping his fists.

"Zhang Zhiwen."

Zhang Zhiwen showed no expression. Sooner or later, others would know his name, and there was nothing to hide.

"It turns out to be Brother Zhang. Come on, let me introduce you to Yan Ling. This is Zhou Wan, and this girl is Li Xiaoqing. We are both alchemy apprentices in the medicine hall, but we all came from poor families and had no father since childhood. Motherless, wandering around, being taken in by the Medicine Hall, and luckily joining the Chamber of Commerce as an apprentice, are you the same?"

The leading young man, Yan Ling, introduced him in one breath without any secret.

Seeing that this man was quite cheerful, Zhang Zhiwen said: "Yes, me too."

When Yan Ling heard this, he couldn't help but ask: "Does Brother Zhang have a leader?"

"Leader?" Zhang Zhiwen was a little confused.

"Yes, he is the sackcloth apprentice who took you into the medicine hall to meet the master." Yan Ling nodded and said, "When we first came in, we all had guides. Unfortunately, my leader died long ago. And you?"

Hearing this, Zhang Zhiwen understood that the Azabu apprentice who led him into the medicine hall should be the so-called leader, so he nodded and said, "I have a leader, but I don't know who he is."

Yan Ling was stunned for a moment, and the other two were also stunned for a moment. Then the three of them seemed to remember something, and then they almost said in unison: "It's Li Huan!"

Yes, they are the only Azabu apprentices here. If the three of them are not Zhang Zhiwen's leader, then only Li Huan is the one.

But Li Huan is already dead.

Afterwards, the four people started talking. Zhang Zhiwen was surprised to learn that Li Huan was dead.

From the beginning to the end, he barely said anything to the other party, but the boss Erdan talked about was actually dead.

However, Zhang Zhiwen couldn't say how he felt about Li Huan, and even had some hatred in his heart. If this person hadn't brought him into the medicine hall, he wouldn't have almost died in the medicine testing site, so he didn't want to talk too much about this person.

But the appearance of these three people gave Zhang Zhiwen a deeper understanding of the Chamber of Commerce and even the medicine hall. Only then did he realize how lucky he was. Originally, the age difference between the three of them was one year, but in one year, so many beggar boys went there. Tried the medicine and only a few survived.

But even if they survived, the few linen apprentices would die one after another in their subsequent alchemy apprenticeship, either on the way to collect herbs or in the torture hall.