PCJ – Chapter 496 Cultivating the Way

Zhang Jiaohua was looking around, searching for something that wasn’t particularly rare, but there were many versions of it. After a little effort, he found his target.

“Boss, how much is this diagram of the Neijing?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

The vendor glanced at Zhang Jiaohua, then looked around, seemingly too lazy to respond. “Go look somewhere else. I’m busy,” he said.

Zhang Jiaohua was irritated and replied, “What are you busy with? There’s no one around here.”

“Bah! Kids shouldn’t speak like that! You should know better! You want this Neijing diagram? This is the real thing, not something a kid like you could afford. Go get your parents, and I’ll talk to them about the price,” the vendor said impatiently.

“Is this really the real thing? Do you even know which era this diagram is from?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“At least from the Ming or Qing dynasties. Look at the paper, look at the patina. Ugh, what’s the point of explaining this to a kid like you?” The vendor rolled his eyes and didn’t say any more.

“Do you know what this diagram is used for?” Zhang Jiaohua asked again.

“What else could it be used for? It’s for cultivation,” the vendor said proudly, pointing to the diagram. “If you understand the meaning of ‘If you ask about this profound mystery, you’ll find that there is no other mystery outside of it,’ you should know by now.”

“Boss, if this is really a masterpiece, why does it have a price of 0.5 yuan printed on it?” Zhang Jiaohua asked, pointing to the label at the bottom.

The vendor’s face turned red, and he quickly checked, noticing the printed date and price. He immediately tried to recover, “What I meant was that this is a replica of a true masterpiece, a limited edition. It’s hard to find now. If you want it, I’ll give you a discount—at least a hundred yuan.”

“The original price was only 0.5 yuan, printed in the ’80s. I’ll give you five yuan at most,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

The vendor, having already spent more than ten yuan on it, wasn’t willing to sell it for just five yuan. “Back then, 0.5 yuan was equivalent to several dozen yuan today. At least fifty yuan, or I’d rather keep it. Who knows, maybe I’ll comprehend the mystery in it and become an immortal.”

“Ten yuan, or you can keep it. There are plenty of other versions in Panjiayuan,” Zhang Jiaohua said, preparing to leave.

The vendor quickly grabbed the ten yuan from Zhang Jiaohua’s hand, stuffed the diagram into his hands, and decided not to risk losing face by trying to sell a ’90s print as an antique.

Zhang Jiaohua bought several other versions of the Neijing diagrams, spending a little over one hundred yuan. Most of them were prints, though some stores had replicas that were slightly more valuable. But to Zhang Jiaohua, these were no longer of much significance. What mattered to him was the content of the diagram, not its origin.

The Neijing diagram, in his mind, was akin to a memory palace, and combining the two seemed like the key to a secret method of cultivation.

Though Zhang Jiaohua had learned some rudimentary magic from his Taoist master, his cultivation had been slow and difficult. Despite inheriting the true magic of Meishan, it was still a struggle. The current environment for cultivation was far different from the one in which the traditions had been passed down. Resources were scarce, and without proper guidance, it seemed more likely that he would go astray than succeed.

Seeing the memory palace and the Neijing diagram together, Zhang Jiaohua felt a sudden clarity. Why not combine the two, constructing his own cultivation method the same way he had built the memory palace?

Though the diagram had seemed obscure at first, after learning about the memory palace, many of the uncertainties became clear. Zhang Jiaohua returned home with the diagrams and showed them to Wu Yuan, who laughed upon seeing them.

“Jiaohua, why didn’t you call me when you went to Panjiayuan? You got tricked. These aren’t real masterpieces. See here? These are just common prints. If you want more, I can get as many as you want,” Wu Yuan teased.

“Why are you so happy that I got ripped off? It’s almost like you have some deep grudge against me?” Zhang Jiaohua asked, not bothering to explain.

Wu Yuan chuckled awkwardly, “Alright, tell me, where did you get scammed? I’ll go and get your money back tomorrow.”

“I bought these. Why would I return them?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“You’ve been fooled! These are just prints!” Wu Yuan suddenly realized something was off. Why didn’t Zhang Jiaohua seem upset?

“I knew they were prints. That’s why I bought them. So cheap,” Zhang Jiaohua said, smiling.

“Prints aren’t collectibles… you know that?” Wu Yuan was stunned. That was where the trick was!

“I have use for these. They weren’t expensive, just a little over a hundred,” Zhang Jiaohua smiled.

Wu Yuan finally realized that the one being played wasn’t Zhang Jiaohua, but himself. “This is unbelievable. Can’t you ever get scammed?”

“Forget it, you wouldn’t understand. I need to go study,” Zhang Jiaohua said, heading to his room with the Neijing diagrams.

Wu Yuan mumbled as he watched him leave, “I’ll go practice some stance exercises for an hour.”

Inside Zhang Jiaohua’s mind, the image of a stream appeared. It wasn’t an illusion, but rather formed by his spiritual energy. He created pebbles at the bottom of the stream, and the sunlight shone off the water, making the pebbles look like gems. Zhang Jiaohua tried to create plants and fish, but suddenly felt dizzy. His spiritual sense retreated from the sea of consciousness. Building a cultivation diagram inside the sea of consciousness was no easy feat. But Zhang Jiaohua knew he had a long path ahead.

Meanwhile, Fu Cha Hao Yue noticed that Zhang Jiaohua was no longer as focused on his studies and thought he was becoming complacent. “You little brat, just because you’ve had some success, now you’re getting cocky? How can you be like this? Your school isn’t that great. If you can’t even get into the top ten, how do you expect to get into a top high school?”

Zhang Jiaohua wasn’t worried at all. “Hao Yue, don’t worry. I’ve been learning a new memory technique. I’ll master it in a few days, and then I’ll have a photographic memory. I’ll easily ace all the middle school subjects and be among the top in the school.”

“What memory technique?” Fu Cha Hao Yue, a former top student, became interested.

“This book was given to me by a friend. It’s not available in China. It’s said to be a very powerful memory technique. I’m almost mastering it now,” Zhang Jiaohua said, using the memory palace book as an excuse.

Fu Cha Hao Yue looked at it. “I’ve heard of this book. It’s popular overseas, but not many people know about it in China. But I’ve heard this technique isn’t for everyone. Don’t get too obsessed with it. If it doesn’t work, you can always learn it after getting into a top high school. Don’t rush it.”

Zhang Jiaohua nodded. “I know. Don’t worry, I’ve found the right path. I’ll make progress soon.”

Zhang Jiaohua, as a cultivator, already had an incredible memory, so the memory palace method wasn’t as useful for him. What mattered most was the cultivation diagram. If he could succeed in constructing his own, it might take his cultivation to the next level. The world was full of dangers, and he knew one day he would have to face them alone.

Regarding school, Zhang Jiaohua decided to continue, but it wouldn’t be the center of his life.

In just over 20 days, Zhang Jiaohua’s rank in Class 2, Year 3, had risen significantly. The teacher started paying attention to him, and classmates began approaching him. In the real world, things often worked out whether you cared or not.

His life remained simple. He spent every available moment working on the Neijing diagram. However, after several days, the only thing he could form in his sea of consciousness was the stream with the beautiful pebbles.

Fu Cha Hao Yue tried everything to gather review materials for Zhang Jiaohua, practically forcing all the high school entrance exam topics into his head.

Luckily, Zhang Jiaohua had an amazing memory, or most of the material would have gone to waste. Every day, he found time to absorb and memorize the materials.

When the entrance exams arrived, Zhang Jiaohua was relieved. Fu Cha Hao Yue, however, was even more nervous. Fearing he might not perform well and fail to get into high school, she specifically took time off to accompany him.

“You don’t need to be so nervous, sis. Didn’t I rank first in our last mock exam? Getting into a top high school will be easy,” Zhang Jiaohua said, trying to calm her down.

“You tied for first in your class. In the whole school, you were third. If you don’t perform well, you might not even make the top ten,” Fu Cha Hao Yue said, comparing his mock exam scores.