Starting Cultivation During a Trip

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Red Dragon Rolling Water, Dad Calls

In the early morning, sunlight streamed through the window, softly falling across Zhang Fan’s face.

He slowly opened his eyes, dust in the air drifting lazily in the sunlight, and his eyelashes quivered suddenly.

”Dragon Tiger Mountain!”

Zhang Fan murmured softly, tasting the name on his lips; last night’s dream, however, was remarkably vivid.

Ever since he left Zhenwu Mountain to start at Night is not bright, and after sparring with Wen He, Zhang Fan often dreamed of that car accident when he was twelve.

Yet every time, the dream was almost exactly the same: pitch black, nothing at all could be seen.

But this time, something was different, and remarkably clear, as if he’d just experienced it yesterday.

”Dragon Tiger Mountain!” Zhang Fan mused.

That’s one of the Ten Great Taoist Sects’ famous peaks. But as a tourist area, it’s only rated 4A; supposedly because the main summit isn’t open to tourists, so normal visitors can’t go up.

”Dragon Tiger Mountain is in Xijiang Province. Have I ever been there?” Zhang Fan frowned.

His mother died in the car accident when he was twelve. He remembered being with his parents, heading out to the countryside, when a truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into the bus they were on.

As far as Zhang Fan recalled, he’d never been to Xijiang Province, let alone Dragon Tiger Mountain.

”Lately, I keep having these weird dreams.” Zhang Fan furrowed his brows, reaching for the phone by his bed, opening his contacts to find his dad.

”Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable...”

The phone rang for a long time, before a polite, mechanical recording took over.

Zhang Fan checked the time—it was just past seven. Normally, at this hour, Zhang Lingzong would already be at work on the construction site.

”I’ll call again at noon.”

Zhang Fan got out of bed and left, squeezing onto the subway packed with people. His eyes were almost closed, letting the blend of all kinds of smells in the stagnant air flood his nose, Adam’s apple moving, letting out the tiniest of sounds, like swallowing saliva.

This is a Daoist Sect method for refining essence and cultivating qi, called ”Red Dragon Rolling Water.”

Don’t underestimate the little act of swallowing saliva—there’s a cultivation secret hidden inside it.

So-called ”Red Dragon,” in the Alchemy Scripture, means a woman’s period. For a woman to cultivate, she must slay the Red Dragon, not by actually killing a red dragon, but by sealing up her essence blood and reaching menopause.

Here, though, the ”Red Dragon” refers to the human tongue—the sprout of the heart, red and agile. Sometimes it’s also called ”Red Lotus.”

According to the Elixir Book, ”Under the leaf of Red Lotus lies the elixir cavity. Scarlet water flows, condensing the nine-jewel pearls!!”

The tongue runs from two channels to the heart, and two to the fluids.

That’s why, when people get sick, the first thing they feel is a dry mouth and tongue; the fluids beneath the tongue dry up, and real qi is depleted.

During health cultivation and practice, the tongue stirs up saliva in the oral cavity—people call this ”Red Dragon Churns the Sea,” also known as ”Red Dragon Rolling Water.” The Elixir Book says: ”Red Dragon Rolling Water, swallow fluids and qi thirty-six times, send it down to the yellow center.”

This is a technique for birthing essence qi, and even ordinary folks can try it.

The ”yellow center” means the dantian.

The Tao Te Ching says, ”The valley spirit never dies, this is called the mysterious female. The gate of the mysterious female, this is called the root of heaven and earth...”—the ”gate of the mysterious female” also means the dantian.

Red Dragon Rolling Water is simple for ordinary people—press your tongue against your palate, and saliva forms under your tongue. This is what the Daoist Family calls ”Golden and Jade Liquid.” Swallow it, and it flows naturally to the dantian, nurturing essence qi.

In the old days, Daoists often practiced in secluded mountains. When there was nothing to eat or drink, they’d use this technique—three days and nights later, they’d still be vigorous as dragons and tigers.

People nowadays are under pressure, socialize a lot, and often stay up late—their blood qi is a mess. This technique helps, especially if you overindulge, love to ’rub one out,’ or often drink and stay up. Ten minutes a day, and you’ll be amazed.

Zhang Fan had tried it for half a month—now he barely needed breakfast. His hair was thick and lush, his eyes bright, most importantly, he didn’t wake up groggy like most people.

The current Zhang Fan was no longer the clueless greenhorn just down from Zhenwu Mountain.

Especially after joining Night is not bright, his cultivation improved a lot. If he ran into a problem, the boss would help him resolve it. Sometimes he could spar with Wen He and test his knowledge.

He’d really picked the right place for his first job after graduation.

Now, Zhang Fan had already reached the Technique Apprentice rank—one step closer to his dream of High Skill.

Arriving at Taoyuan Square, Zhang Fan saw several police and Administration vans parked out front...

A crowd had gathered in the lobby, gossiping quietly.

After listening for a bit, he finally got it—Skinny Pig on the thirteenth floor had been shut down for tax evasion, counterfeiting, smuggling, operating without a license... altogether over a dozen charges. If He Fei wasn’t dead, by the time he came out he’d probably qualify for a pension.

”So this is how the authorities do things? Efficiency’s impressive,” Zhang Fan muttered, as if it had nothing to do with him, and turned away.

When he got to the office, he knocked on Bai Buran’s door; right now, what weighed on him most was still Jiang Lai.

”Boss isn’t here yet.”

Jiang Hu held a breakfast wrap in one hand and soy milk in the other, taking a bite as he mumbled:

”Not here at this hour?” Zhang Fan checked the time.

”Oh, come on—the boss isn’t a beast of burden. Why should she come so early?”

”...”

”Company rules, those are written for beasts of burden!”

”...”

”Are you missing the boss—or Jiang Lai?”

With a bit of meat in his mouth, Jiang Hu watched Zhang Fan take his seat, scooted over, and winked at him suggestively.

”Missing? What do you mean? I’m just concerned about a colleague, that’s all,” Zhang Fan replied evenly.

”A cultivator treats others sincerely. You keep being so fake and you’ll attract the Great Night,” Jiang Hu said solemnly.

”If you’re really missing her, just ask for leave and go be her bedside company.”

”Bedside company?!”

”When a girl’s having a rough time, that’s when love becomes concrete... It’s your perfect chance.”

Jiang Hu put on the look of someone who’d ’been there done that’: ”Women are simple...”

”Either give me money, give me love, or get lost...”

”So, what can you give?”

Saying that, Jiang Hu looked at Zhang Fan, set down his soy milk, patted Zhang Fan’s shoulder, and encouraged: ”Brother, hear me out...”

”If you love, love to the end—wherever that is.”

”To the end?!” Zhang Fan blinked, then looked at Jiang Hu with an odd expression, clearly contemptuous.

”Hey—what’s with that face? Damn it, I didn’t mean it like that.” Jiang Hu realized and quickly explained.

”Did I say what you meant?”

”Damn—” Jiang Hu was momentarily speechless. Zhang Fan burst out laughing.

”Daddy’s dad is a demon, daddy’s mom is a demon...”

At that moment, a crisp and pleasant ringtone sounded. Zhang Fan glanced at his phone—Zhang Lingzong was calling.

He hurriedly got up, left his desk, and answered the call.