I'm quitting!

Chapter 20 Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth

The next day at dawn, there was a gentle knock on the wooden gate three times, neither hurried nor slow.

"Here it comes!"

Lin Xiaofan jumped out of bed with a start, her bare feet touching the ground, and she almost tripped over the clutter.

As she opened the door, the morning light illuminated Su Qingxue's pristine white dress. She carried a food box in her hand, and the morning dew still clung to her hair.

"you……"

His voice trailed off slightly.

Her gaze slid over the boy's messy hair, landed on the faint dark circles under his eyes, and then stopped at the medicine residue stuck to the crooked part of his clothes. Her brows furrowed involuntarily.

Looking further inside the door, they were even more stunned.

A three-legged bronze cauldron sat in the center of the room, milky white steam rising from the gaps in its lid, lingering in the air. Rare medicinal herbs and dried sweet potatoes were mixed together on the floor, and the "Heart-Cleansing Mantra" lay open on the bedside table, with half a half-eaten spirit wheat cake under its pages.

Meanwhile, Maqiu was lying sprawled out in the corner of the bed, his belly rising and falling with his breath, his beard covered in a few specks of medicine powder, completely oblivious to the world around him.

"Thanks…"

Su Qingxue's voice was soft, but every word was sincere. She knew in her heart that this person and the beast had been busy for her all night.

"Thank...why are you thanking me?" Lin Xiaofan's gaze drifted to the pile of medicinal herbs beside the cauldron, her ears burning slightly. She quickly stepped aside to make way, "Come in first."

I made some food this morning; I hope it will suit your taste.

Su Qingxue smiled and placed the food box on the only clean wooden stool.

Upon lifting the lid, the delicate aroma of the rice porridge, mingled with the sweet fragrance of the jade cake, wafts out. Beside it sits a small dish of candied plums, each one glistening and translucent.

"Wow—" Lin Xiaofan's eyes lit up and he blurted out, "This breakfast is better than anything the Jade Emperor could ever imagine."

It's not an exaggeration. Even when he was working in the city, his breakfast was just steamed buns and instant coffee from a roadside stall. He had never seen anything like this before.

"Is Maqiu still asleep? Should I wake her up?"

"No need." Lin Xiaofan scooped up a spoonful of jade cake and stuffed it into her mouth, mumbling, "The little guy's mouth never stops before bed, he's probably still eating in his dreams right now."

Su Qingxue nodded, but her gaze remained fixed on the cold light emanating from him: "Your Extreme Cold True Essence... has actually improved so much overnight?"

Lin Xiaofan paused in his chewing motion.

How do I explain this? I can't exactly say, "Last night I used 'ambient narration' to create a chilly spa experience," can I?

"Ahem..." He cleared his throat, feigning profundity, "In the path of cultivation, blessed lands and grotto-heavens are revered, and blessed lands and grotto-heavens emphasize the interaction between heaven and man..." He was about to run out of words when his gaze darted around and landed on the Three Green Cauldrons. As if granted a pardon, he said, "Look at that cauldron! It can absorb and exhale moonlight on its own. Last night, it gathered qi as if drinking fine wine. I only borrowed a bit of the favorable environment, so my progress is naturally remarkable."

"Really?" Su Qingxue glanced at the three-legged cauldron with suspicion.

"Oh...right!" Lin Xiaofan continued eating, but his mind was elsewhere. "Tell me about your cultivation bottleneck."

"It wouldn't be called a bottleneck, but compared to usual, the later stages of the consecration process are indeed a bit sluggish."

Post-consecration period?

Lin Xiaofan's throat bobbed, and the spirit rice porridge almost went into his trachea.

How long has she been practicing? She's already on par with me?

This level of skill would require at least thirty years of hard work for an ordinary person…

Suppressing his shock, he put down his chopsticks, his expression growing somber.

"In the later stages of consecration, it is like the melting of ice in spring, seemingly clear, but in reality, there are turbulent undercurrents." He recalled the key points he had drawn from the "Qingxin Jue" (a book on inner peace), "Your lotus seed in your dantian has already budded, but because your heart lake is covered with snow, it is slow to unfold."

Su Qingxue's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her fingertips suddenly dug into her palm.

You were right.

"In the third stage of the fusion phase, it's no longer about how much spiritual energy you absorb or exhale." Lin Xiaofan got up and walked to the Three Green Cauldrons. He lifted the lid, and milky white mist rose like a dragon soaring into the sky, enveloping the two of them in a hazy halo, as if they were on a cloud.

"It is to let the lotus of the heart take root in your flesh and blood, so that the petals can touch the joys and sorrows of every inch of your veins, and drive the lotus heart to reflect the light and darkness of all your memories."

After saying that, he scooped up a spoonful of medicinal soup, and the cold air in his palm circulated, causing the soup to condense into a jade ribbon about an inch long, which was clear and translucent.

"Swallow it... let this cauldron simmer your memories, and I will guard the door of your heart for you."

"Revisiting the past?" Su Qingxue frowned, her palm passing over the jade belt—it seemed icy cold, yet her fingertips felt a faint burning heat.

"It's not about cooking food, but about simmering the heart." Lin Xiaofan sat down behind her. "Let the medicine sink into the sea of ​​your heart. Remember... when the tide rises, don't be afraid; when the tide falls, don't chase it."

Despite her lingering doubts, Su Qingxue remained committed to trusting her own choice.

She tilted her head back and swallowed the jade belt into her mouth.

In the instant I closed my eyes, countless fragments of memories flooded my heart.

My father's broad, calloused hands, my mother's prematurely graying temples, the cold scrutiny of the clan elders...

A mix of emotions surged within her, one wave higher than the next. Her brows furrowed and tightened repeatedly, fine beads of sweat trickling down her face.

Lin Xiaofan stood guard to the side, his fingertips hovering three inches behind her heart. He appeared calm and composed, but in reality, he felt incredibly uneasy.

His words just now were seven parts fabrication and three parts deception. What he was truly confident about was this prescription—his "masterpiece" from which he and Ma Qiu took turns testing the poison, almost leaving footprints on the road to the underworld.

Tongda Potato Platinum Edition.

"Indeed, practice is the sole criterion for testing truth..." he muttered to himself, but the chilling aura at his fingertips dared not relax in the slightest, like a silver thread wrapped around Su Qingxue's meridians, protecting her last gate to the heart.

Time slipped by inch by inch until the midday sun slanted across the woodshed.

Su Qingxue slowly opened her eyes. The cold current that had been lingering around her body receded, and a warm jade-like luster faintly emanated from her dantian—a sign that she had completed the enlightenment process and was about to enter the fusion stage!

Lin Xiaofan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but on the surface he just nodded, looking like he had everything under control.

"Such a miraculous medicine exists in the world..." Su Qingxue raised her eyes, her gaze inadvertently falling on the pile of dried sweet potatoes beside the cauldron. "But why use ordinary ingredients as a catalyst?"

"Only in the purest and simplest state can one see one's true nature." Lin Xiaofan immediately replied, raising his voice eight octaves higher than usual, as if afraid she would ask further questions, "It can be said that... the lotus heart is unstained by dust, and its true essence is naturally clear."

After saying that, he turned around and pretended to tidy up some things, deliberately avoiding the probing gaze: "Let's call it a day. You should go back to your residence to consolidate your cultivation. Don't be too hasty."

Su Qingxue gazed at his hurried back, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly curtsied deeply.

As she stood up, a faint blush appeared at the corners of her eyes, like a warm current seeping from a crack in the ice in early spring, but it quickly disappeared into her clear, cold eyes without leaving a trace.

"I will come again tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM) to ask for your guidance."

The wooden door closed slightly, shutting out the swaying bamboo shadows.

Lin Xiaofan slumped onto the edge of the bed, yanked open his collar, and gasped for breath.

Being a "master" is more exhausting than running a red light while delivering takeout.

He gently rubbed the sleeping sesame ball; the soft, furry touch calmed his mind. Taking advantage of the rare moment of leisure, he glanced at the control panel:

[Rebelliousness Value: 965]

"Thirty-five more to go..."

He scratched his messy hair, and couldn't help but miss Shi Tiandi a little. The turtle that guy had drawn was still vivid in his mind; after all, he was a major contributor to rebellion points. Now that he had come down the mountain, he didn't even have an "ATM" anymore.