, 31 Disciples

Liu Jin opened his eyes from the white light.

The first thing you see is a wooden roof beam, gray tiles, and a few rays of the setting sun squeezing in through the window cracks. There is an indescribable smell in the air—not smog, not car exhaust, but the smell of firewood mixed with the earthy smell, and a faint medicinal fragrance.

This is...Under One Person?

He sat up, a flood of memories that weren't his own rushing into his mind.

Liu's Grocery Store, a shop near Sanyi Gate, sells oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. The shop isn't big, but its location is good, and business is fairly good, which is why he has such a delicate-skinned, lazy young man. His parents were killed by bandits half a year ago, leaving behind this shop and a taciturn young man like him.

Liu Jin was silent for a moment, then whispered to the air, "Thanks."

Regardless of which deity arranged it, this identity patch is quite generous. His parents have never seen him since he transmigrated, which means they don't have to play the role of a filial son; owning a shop means he has start-up capital; being aloof and not familiar with his neighbors means no one will question his changes in detail.

enough.

He got up, but instead of rushing to the shop, he sat cross-legged on the bed.

Golden Finger – Automatic Training Device.

He chose this thing before he traveled through time, and now he wants to verify it.

Liu Jin closed his eyes and silently recalled the methods of meditation in his mind. The information online was of varying authenticity, and he didn't have time to verify it all. Although meditation was not as effective as breathing techniques, it was safer. Regardless of the system, it was always right to focus one's mind and calm one's spirit.

Liu Jin had to rely on a method that wasn't really a solution to take the first step into the field: sensing Qi.

He had thought it would take a long time.

But when he closed his eyes and activated the automatic cultivation device, his mind slowly and automatically sank into his body. It wasn't that he actively sensed it; rather, distracting thoughts, like dust, were gently pelted away by a fine rain that seemed to come from nowhere. As he slowly accepted everything, he entered a meditative state.

Something inside him started moving on its own. It was as if someone had installed a sophisticated engine inside him; he only needed to press a switch, and the gears would begin to turn automatically. Deep within his dantian, something warm slowly rose, like a tiny spark falling into a pile of dry wood.

As the spark traveled through the meridians, something deep within the body was awakened wherever it passed.

It's not blood, it's not breath, it's something deeper than blood, something more primal than breath.

Qi.

Liu Jin remained motionless throughout the entire night.

He was consciously enjoying the tranquility, but his body was constantly being cleansed by the Qi. Although there was no specific technique or route, the Qi was slowly gathering and purging, gently and silently nourishing Liu Jin's 25-year-old body.

Liu Jin opened his eyes when the rooster crowed for the first time outside the window.

He looked down at his palm.

His already fair skin now had a faint sheen, making it appear even whiter. Liu Jin scratched his head, relieved that there weren't any weirdos here who liked to face challenges head-on, otherwise his clean and handsome face would be quite unsafe.

This is the first step in spiritual practice—attaining Qi.

He sensed the trickling flow of Qi within his body and mentally estimated its potential. For a normal extraordinary person, cultivating their first wisp of Qi takes three months for those with good talent, and three to five years for those with less talent. That automatic cultivation device, however, accomplished it in a single night.

"A bit fast," Liu Jin muttered to himself.

It was happening way too fast. But he had no time for sentimentality. The Republican era timeline, the vicinity of the San Yi Sect, and before Lu Jin became an apprentice—those who had read the comics knew what these three conditions meant. Wu Gensheng would come, Zuo Ruotong would die, and the San Yi Sect would be destroyed. What he needed to do was to acquire enough leverage before that catastrophe arrived.

Step 1: Enter the Sanyi Gate.

As dawn broke, Liu Jin called his employees over.

"Boss, what is this...?" The shop assistant was stunned when he saw the stack of silver notes that Liu Jin had handed him.

"Sell everything in the shop, including this shop and the small courtyard behind it," Liu Jin said. "Sell it at 70% of the market price, the sooner the better."

"what?"

I need the cash within three days.

The waiter opened his mouth, as if to say something. He probably thought this taciturn young master had gone mad. His parents had only passed away half a year ago, and now he was even selling off the family business. But in the end, he didn't ask—the young master's eyes were different today; he didn't seem crazy, but rather as if he knew something.

"I'll take care of it right away."

The shop assistant turned to leave, but Liu Jin called him back: "Everyone in the shop will receive an extra three months' wages as severance pay."

"...The owner is benevolent and righteous."

Liu Jin smiled.

Three days later, all the formalities were completed. Liu Jin, carrying a thick wad of silver notes, headed towards Suzhou.

Mr. Dongshan was not a highly accomplished person.

He was a thin, old scholar who taught at a private school. He had a fashionable hairstyle and a mustache. All that was known about him was that he was learned, knowledgeable in both ancient and modern times, and well-versed in both Chinese and Western learning.

But Liu Jin knew he was no ordinary person.

In "Under One Person," Master Dongshan is Zuo Ruotong's apprentice and also the pair of eyes that the Sanyi Sect casts down the mountain. Talented children will be noticed by him, and those with good character will be recommended by him.

What Liu Jin needs to do is to make Mr. Dongshan "discover" him.

When he entered the school, the sun was already setting. Under the big locust tree at the village entrance, a thin old man was dozing off.

Liu Jin walked up to him and stopped.

Mr. Dongshan did not open his eyes.

Liu Jin took a deep breath and carefully released a wisp of the faint Qi within his body. Just a wisp. Like a baby who has just learned to clench its fist, clumsily and unskilledly, he pushed a tiny bit of Qi to the surface of his body.

Mr. Dongshan's eyelids twitched.

Liu Jin pretended not to see it and hesitantly said, "Old sir."

Mr. Dongshan opened one eye.

"I have a question," Liu Jin scratched his head, "Are there any Taoist temples or anything like that around here?"

"A Taoist temple?" Master Dongshan looked him up and down. "What do you want with a Taoist temple? Do you want to become a monk?"

Liu Jin shook his head, his confusion deepening. "No. It's just..." He paused, as if unsure how to explain, "I haven't been feeling well lately."

"Something's not right?"

Liu Jin scratched his head again, perfectly portraying the awkwardness of an ordinary person: "I feel like... something's inside me. It's just... I can't quite put my finger on it, please don't laugh at me, it's like there's a warm feeling circulating in my stomach. I'm wondering if I've been possessed by an evil spirit, and I'd like to find someone knowledgeable to take a look."

Mr. Dongshan opened his eyes completely.

Mr. Dongshan looked at Liu Jin, his gaze lingering on that slightly clear face for a long time, before extending his thin, dry hand: "Give me your hand."

Liu Jin obediently extended his hand.

Mr. Dongshan took his wrist and closed his eyes. After a moment, his eyebrows twitched.

"Are you from Liu's shop?"

"Oh, you know me?"

"When your father was alive, he would send me sweets every year during the first month of the lunar calendar." Mr. Dongshan withdrew his hand, looking at him thoughtfully. "You said you felt warm all over your body, when did that start?"

"Well..." Liu Jin frowned and thought for a moment, "Last night. I was fine before going to sleep, but suddenly I felt hot all over in the middle of the night, which woke me up. Then I felt something moving in my stomach. I was startled and looked in the mirror for a long time, and found that my hands seemed a little white."

He raised his hand, showing the faint white aura to Master Dongshan.