Chapter 40: First Taste of Quanzhen

After a brief moment, Ma Yu set aside that trace of melancholy, returned to his seat, and continued:

"You must have felt deeply about what you saw and heard on your journey back. The Jin Kingdom is strengthening its defenses toward Wuguan. As for Tongguan, I heard they began reinforcing that line years ago and have never stopped. Every sign indicates that the Jin Kingdom has little confidence in holding the Guanzhong region. I have never seen anyone who could survive by merely clinging to Henan, nor do I believe in the possibility of partitioning the land by the river."

After a moment of silence, allowing Qiu Zhiqing to digest this information, Ma Yu continued:

"Disciples in the Mongol-occupied areas of Hebei and Shandong have sent word that after the Mongols breach a city, a wholesale slaughter inevitably follows. Your Uncle Qiu intends to lead his Longmen sect disciples to the desert to meet Temujin again after his upcoming retreat concludes. He will leave Zhi-Ping here to assist you."

"Master, if that is the case, won't there only be seven of the third generation left at Chongyang Palace after the spring?" It was evident that Qiu Zhiqing was somewhat anxious. The Quanzhen Sect had worked hard to develop dozens of third-generation disciples; if they were divided up after the New Year, wouldn't they become the third-generation version of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen?

Perhaps sensing Qiu Zhiqing's lack of confidence, Ma Yu smiled and said, "Go now. Starting tomorrow, you shall take full charge of all Quanzhen affairs. You have always had many ideas, haven't you? As long as they do not deviate from the core tenets of the Quanzhen Way, you are free to implement them."

On this day, Ma Yu and the other six masters each summoned their own direct disciples to make arrangements; everyone understood the principle of not putting all one's eggs in one basket.

The next day, Qiu Zhiqing emerged from the Abbot's quarters. He had previously lived in the Scripture Pavilion, but as someone else was now in charge of it, he had no place to stay upon his return. Ma Yu had him move into his own small courtyard—it seemed he had planned this long ago.

From that day on, Qiu Zhiqing began his comprehensive journey of understanding the Quanzhen Way at Chongyang Palace. For a great Daoist lineage to endure, the most important elements are its system and its centripetal force. There was no need to worry about the latter, so that left the issue of the system.

Qiu Zhiqing pondered back and forth, finding that he could only refer to the models of Shaolin, Longhu Mountain, Maoshan, and Gezao Mountain, among which they all shared one common trait: clearly defined responsibilities.

Two days later, on the eve of his masters' retreat, based on the lists of those left behind that he had learned from them, Qiu Zhiqing assigned duties as follows:

Qiu Zhiqing, disciple of Abbot Ma Yu and Chief of the third generation of the Quanzhen Way, is temporarily in charge of all Quanzhen affairs (the "temporarily" can be dropped if he performs well).

Fang Zhiqi, disciple of the second uncle Tan Chuduan, remains at Chongyang Palace for the Nanwu Sect, in charge of the "Starry Pavilion," specializing in inner-sect instruction and the protection of Chongyang.

Chen Zhiyi, disciple of the third uncle Liu Chuxuan, remains at Chongyang Palace for the Suishan Sect, in charge of the "Record Pavilion," specializing in the management of Quanzhen records, financial oversight, and the assessment of outer-sect disciples entering the inner sect.

Zhao Zhijing, disciple of the fourth uncle Wang Chuyi, remains at Chongyang Palace for the Yushan Sect, in charge of the "Self-Cultivation Pavilion," specializing in the instruction of outer-sect disciples.

Yin Zhiping, disciple of the fifth uncle Qiu Chuji, remains at Chongyang Palace for the Longmen Sect, in charge of the "Scripture Pavilion," specializing in the transcription and proofreading of Daoist classics, and the organization and innovation of cultivation manuals.

Wang Zhijin, disciple of the sixth uncle Hao Datong, remains at Chongyang Palace for the Huashan Sect, in charge of the "Righteousness Pavilion," specializing in Quanzhen precepts and discipline.

Shen Zhiyan, disciple of the seventh uncle Sun Bu'er, remains at Chongyang Palace for the Qingjing Sect, in charge of the "Apricot Grove Hall," specializing in the research and innovation of Daoist medicine.

At the same time, Qiu Zhiqing mandated the full opening of the outer sect. All children of appropriate age under sixteen could be sent to the outer sect at Chongyang Palace to study. If they wished to join the Dao, they could apply; if not, they were free to return home. However, during their time of study, they were required to help manage and cultivate the surrounding fields to cover their tuition.

After completing their studies (the standards for which were determined by the outer-sect disciples themselves), those who did not wish to join the Dao were permitted to return to their hometowns and teach what they had learned to the villagers. Having seen these measures, the Seven Masters of Quanzhen could finally retreat in peace.

In truth, Qiu Zhiqing was considered a disciple of the Yuxian Sect remaining at Chongyang Palace, for his master Ma Yu had taken a disciple named Wang Zhigui, with the Daoist name Lingyinzi, who intended to go to the Jian'ge region to establish the Yuxian Sect.

Seeing this posture, it seemed that after coming out of seclusion, if Chongyang Palace were running smoothly, they planned to take their disciples out to preach the Dao. This could be considered the realization of their long-held aspirations. After all, Ma Yu had spent almost all these years within Chongyang Palace without venturing out much.

The redistribution of authority at Chongyang Palace was undoubtedly the greatest loss for Zhao Zhijing. However, contrary to the expectations of Qiu Zhiqing and everyone else, Zhao Zhijing did not jump out to object. One wondered what instructions Wang Chuyi might have given him the previous night.

In the days that followed, everyone began to busy themselves. Although duties were initially divided, the uncles needed to carry on the Quanzhen legacy, so they naturally had to take a copy of the Quanzhen classics with them, a task that could only be performed by their disciples.

Though everyone was still at Chongyang Palace, they all knew where they would be going with their respective masters, and it was hard to avoid a sense of reluctance.

Seeing this, the first task Qiu Zhiqing assigned to Yin Zhiping was to carve the Daoist scriptures—excluding the core manuals—onto the massive cliff face where the Scripture Pavilion was located, so that all Quanzhen members could make rubbings of them.

Soon, the Quanzhen Sect was on the right track. Qiu Zhiqing also understood why Ma Yu had so suddenly made him the third-generation chief; apart from Zhao Zhijing's overreaction, no one had objected, all thanks to the efforts of his childhood friends Fang Zhiqi and Liu Zhiyuan.

Although Quanzhen was a Daoist sect, one could not survive in the martial arts world without martial prowess, and Fang Zhiqi and Liu Zhiyuan were naturally the strongest among them. Since even they constantly promoted Qiu Zhiqing, one could imagine what others thought. After all, there were few who were truly stubborn these days.

That night, Qiu Zhiqing sat in meditation as usual. Before long, he felt his body grow lighter, and his breath, previously faint, ceased entirely. Then, his body felt weightless, as if adrift in chaos, with the light remaining only within a foot of his body.

Then, the thoughts that usually flickered in and out were stripped away, bit by bit, gradually tending toward the theoretically perfect state of "no-thought." When the last fleeting thought vanished, the only light around him dimmed until the final glimmer disappeared.

At this moment, Qiu Zhiqing's body in the outside world was devoid of all life signs.

When that last trace of light vanished, in Qiu Zhiqing's perception, he had fallen completely into endless darkness. While falling, a point of golden light suddenly appeared; at first, it was indistinct, then it flickered, before finally stabilizing.

The light slowly "grew," from a tiny speck to a small cluster. A moment later, it suddenly swept across the darkness above and below, and his perception shifted from darkness to a brilliant, golden expanse.

Gradually, some distant memories began to return, passing through him like flowing water before slowly dissipating. Slowly, the sounds of breathing, the footsteps of patrolling disciples, and the falling of snowflakes fell back into his senses.

Still maintaining his meditative posture, Qiu Zhiqing knew that after more than a decade of cultivating the Dao, he had officially crossed the threshold.

By merely closing his eyes and sensing, the meridians within his body were revealed in minute detail, yet his internal organs appeared as a hazy blur, with the organs connected to each meridian possessing their own attributes. Wait!

No wonder the ancestors of the Yellow Emperor's era, without high-tech imaging, could still produce a magnum opus like the *Huangdi Neijing* that has been passed down for thousands of years!

He carefully felt the circulation of the *Quanzhen Heart Method* and found that most of it was now highly compatible with the characteristics of his meridians, though some parts still flowed without obstruction but were not yet perfect.

He was not in a hurry to adjust them but instead carefully felt his body, comparing it against various Daoist and medical classics, looking at himself from another perspective. This was a very interesting discovery.

Without realizing it, the night ended and dawn broke. When the morning sun shone through the window onto his body, the automatically circulating heart method suddenly felt as if it had consumed a potent tonic, surging in strength before flowing along the meridians, merging with his blood, Qi, and the five Zang and five Fu organs.

In that instant, it was like a sudden enlightenment; many things he had only half-understood before now became naturally clear.

From then on, Qiu Zhiqing became completely obsessed with researching the *Quanzhen Heart Method*. He discovered it was a fascinating technique.

Whenever the morning lessons concluded, Qiu Zhiqing would, under the pretext of providing martial arts guidance, check the circulation of their *Quanzhen Heart Method*. While giving them advice on their cultivation, he would take the opportunity to draw diagrams, take notes, and compare the meridians of different people.

This work continued until the end of the year, when the Seven Masters of Quanzhen emerged from their seclusion, bringing this phase to a temporary end.

When he told Ma Yu and the other seven about his entry into the Dao, they showed no surprise, instead wearing expressions that suggested it was long overdue!

Qiu Chuji laughed: "Brother, look, I told you! He was delayed in entering the Dao simply because he needed to roll around in the dust of the mortal world for a while!"

"Indeed! Departing from the world and entering the world, cultivating the heart and refining the spirit—look, hasn't he entered the Dao now?" That was the voice of Hao Datong...