Chapter 7: Changes in the Body

  Xia Xiaoyu was several years younger than Xuan Qi, and they grew up together since childhood. When she was little, she would follow him around everywhere like a tail, with her hair in pigtails and a rosy "carrot" complexion on her face.

  From young to old, Xuan Qi has always been Xia Xiao Yu's big brother. No matter what grievances she suffered, Xuan Qi would help her out. Over time, the village children didn't dare bully her because Xuan Qi was the village's child king, who had practiced martial arts with his grandfather since childhood and was skilled in combat.

  However, as they grew older, the relationship between them gradually drifted apart. To be more accurate, it was he who slowly distanced himself from this relationship, while Xia Xiaoyu still relied on him a lot.

  Later, Xuanqi graduated from junior high school and went to the county town to attend high school. After boarding at school, he rarely returned home. Later, he was admitted to university, and the two had even fewer intersections, and they could hardly see each other even during holidays like Chinese New Year.

  It wasn't until Xuanqi met a middle school classmate online that she learned about some of her circumstances.

  After graduating from junior high school, Xia Xiaoyu did not continue to study due to family economic reasons. After dropping out of school and staying at home for a period of time, she followed others in the same village to go south to work.

  What surprised Xuan Qi was that according to her classmate, Xia Xiao Yu went out to work and was driven away by her mother because Xia Xiao Yu's reputation at home had completely stunk.

  Water lotus flower - This is Xuan Qi's evaluation of Xia Xiao Yu.

  Xuan Qi naturally didn't believe it, how could the originally pure and lovely little girl next door possibly become that kind of person? He thought this was others being jealous of her beauty and intentionally slandering her, pouring dirty water on her.

  Xuan Qi also knew that Xia Xiao Yu, because of her beauty, had many pursuers in the factory. Half a year later, she married the department manager at that time.

  Later, Xuan Qi returned to the village to farm and only then did she learn from her mother that Xia Xiao Yu's previous marriage was not a happy one. Her ex-husband was an alcoholic who often beat her after getting drunk, and his body seemed to be in poor health as well. Not long after their wedding, he passed away, and Xia Xiao Yu returned to her hometown.

  After returning to her hometown, Xia Xiayu remarried twice, but without exception, her husbands passed away soon after, and she was also given the bad reputation of being a "husband killer" and "sweeping star".

  Later, her mother fell ill, and in order to raise money for her mother's medical treatment, she married a man from a neighboring village who was nearly twenty years older than her. It seemed that she did not live happily either, but what happened afterwards is unknown.

  Xuan Qi couldn't help but sigh after learning all this, he never thought that Xia Xiaoyu's life journey would be so tortuous later on.

  He vaguely remembered that after Xiaoyu graduated from high school, she had found him once. At that time, she seemed to want to say something to him but unfortunately didn't say it out loud. Xuanqi later regretted not asking further at the time.

  Later, after hearing about Xia Xiao Yu's situation, he also wanted to do his part to help her, but he was powerless. He had been struggling to make a living outside for so many years and could barely support himself, let alone have the ability to help her.

  Xuan Qi had indeed developed a vague feeling for the little girl next door before, and even fantasized about ending up with Xia Xiao Yu in the end. However, life's circumstances are ever-changing, and the vague emotions of youth will ultimately be washed away by the torrent of reality.

  Some things, once missed, can never be retrieved, but now Xuan Qi has a chance to make a different decision.

  If life could be replayed, he would absolutely not let history repeat itself!

  "Xiao Yu, I swear that I will continue to protect you just like before and won't let you suffer any grievances!"

  Xuan Qi lowered his head and took a look at his little brother, who was still standing upright with his hands on the case, showing no signs of reduced excitement, as if he had been stimulated by something.

  Xuan Qi had no choice but to go to the faucet and rinse with cold water for a long time, and the heat in his abdomen gradually dissipated.

  At the same time, he also gradually discovered that his body had undergone some very significant changes.

  Not only did his skin become as radiant and translucent as a woman's, but he could also hear the sound of his grandfather pacing anxiously back and forth inside the house, and even the faint chirping sounds of young birds eating on distant tree trunks seemed to be ringing in his ears.

  In addition, his eyesight has also improved significantly. Originally, due to reading, his eyes had at least 200 degrees of myopia, but he found wearing glasses troublesome, so he never wore them. Now, he suddenly realizes that his eyesight seems to have recovered to its original state, or even better than before. With a slight focus, he can clearly see the colors of the patterns on the flies' bodies several meters away on the stone slab.

  The whole world seemed to have become brighter and clearer than before, giving him an unprecedented feeling, as if the entire world had come alive.

  "These changes of mine should be related to the tortoise shell." Xuan Qi recalled the scene where a strange energy was rampaging inside his body, "The old turtle in the 'Smoking Waves and Fishing Village' picture, is it real or not?"

  If it's a dream, then this dream is too real.

  "What about the tortoise shell?"

  Xuan Qi only then remembered that the tortoiseshell in his hand seemed to have disappeared, and when he woke up from that state, there was nothing in his hand.

  "Could it be that Grandpa took it away?"

  Just as Xuán Qí had finished speaking, a very abrupt voice suddenly sounded in his ear:

  "Not in his hands."

  Xuan Qi was suddenly startled, his whole body like a wild cat that had its tail stepped on, all the hairs on his body standing on end.

  "Who?" Xuan Qi looked around but didn't see anyone. The courtyard was empty and quiet, with no one in sight.

  Is it an illusion?

  His idea had just risen when this voice sounded again:

  "Stop searching, I am within you. To be precise, I am in your sea of consciousness."

  This time, Xuan Qi was mentally prepared and listened clearly. His nerves were tense again, but soon relaxed, and his brain was unusually calm at this moment.

  "Are you Lao Ding?" he asked.

  "Nonsense. Who else could it be? You little brat, your drinking capacity is too shallow, why didn't you say so earlier? You actually fell over after just one cup of wine, what a waste of an opportunity! From now on, if you want to come in, it won't be that easy!" Old Turtle's mood seemed extremely bad at this moment, if he had known it would be like this, he wouldn't have pretended to be superior to this little brat.

  "Huh... what's going on?" Xuan Qi felt very innocent.

  "Alas, I didn't think of that," said the old tortoise with some regret. "The Smoke Wave Cave Heaven isn't a place one can easily enter. The last time was an exception, taking advantage of the residual energy from absorbing and merging the True Yuan to reform my body to enter the cave heaven, just in time to learn something within. But I forgot, you're still in your mortal form, the Jade Dew Wine's medicinal power is too great for you, what a waste of this opportunity."

  Listening to him, Xuan Qi also somewhat understood that the dream he had was real, and he indeed entered a place called "Yanbo Mountain Cave Heaven", and drank a cup of extremely refreshing wine.

  "Never mind, I can still teach you later, it's just a bit more troublesome and will take up more time." Old Turtle sighed.

  He has completely lost his dignified demeanor at this moment, and his words are no longer as profound and mysterious as before.

  The current old Ding is even more approachable, and Xuan Qi is not as cautious as before. He directly asks: "Old Ding, are you human or ghost? Is my current state being possessed by a ghost?"

  " Possessed by a ghost? Hmph, how can the likes of you be mentioned in the same breath as me?" The old turtle was clearly extremely dissatisfied with Xuan Qi comparing him to a malevolent spirit.

  "So you're a fairy?" Xuan Qi said with some expectation.

  "You don't need to ask anymore, you will naturally know later. Just understand that I won't harm you in any way, on the contrary, I can bring you immeasurable benefits."

  Just as Xuan Qi wanted to ask more questions, his grandfather Xuan Qing walked out of the main room at this time and saw Xuan Qi standing still in the yard with only a pair of large underpants on. He couldn't help but say:

  "Xiao Qi, what are you still standing there for, don't catch a cold."

  "Oh, here it comes."

  Xuan Qi had no choice but to temporarily put this matter aside, came to the inner room, wiped off the water stains on his body, and changed into a clean set of clothes.

  He only felt refreshed at this moment, as if his whole body had become much lighter, and he seemed to have endless energy all over his body, and he couldn't help but do a few somersaults in the yard.

  Xuan Qing stood beside him with a smile on his face, looking at his abacus, his eyes filled with surprise, relief and curiosity.

  "Little Qi, tell Grandpa what exactly happened before you settled down?"

  "Entering samadhi?" Xuan Qi only then remembered that he had entered that strange state for several hours, and now the sky was already starting to darken, whereas it was just noon at that time.

  "I saw two things in the sandalwood box, an old book and a tortoiseshell. When I picked up the tortoiseshell to observe it, my blood stained onto the tortoiseshell, then I suddenly saw the tortoiseshell burst out with dazzling light..."

  Xuan Qi didn't want to hide this from Grandfather, after all he was his only relative. However, the matter of rebirth was really unbelievable, so he could only slightly deceive him, not mentioning rebirth or the old antique.

  In fact, Xuan Qi's words were not just for his grandfather, but also for the old antique in his body.

  Xuan Qing didn't get hung up on the trivial matters of how Xuan Qi knew the password for the lock, instead he focused his mind entirely on Xuan Qi's changes. He used all the diagnostic techniques of traditional Chinese medicine - "looking, listening, questioning and feeling" - and finally arrived at a conclusion that both shocked and delighted him.

  "Ancestors manifest, you have now successfully laid the foundation!"

  "Building foundation?" Xuan Qi was also stunned when he heard this term. "Grandfather, what is building foundation?"

  Xuan Qing explained: "This is the Taoist way of speaking, it's a state of cultivation. In simpler terms, it means laying a good foundation for one's body, so that in the future, cultivation will become much easier. Xiao Qi, didn't I teach you a set of fitness exercises before? This set of exercises includes both physical and mental methods, actually it is our Xuan family's inherited exercise method 'Xuan Xin Ao Miao Jue'."

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