Chapter 205 What was dual cultivation?
“Oh, you mean my real master in Daguomen Sect? Yes, he is a man who stammers and likes chatting.” Bai Yangbai answered doubtfully, “Did I ever mention him to you? No. How did you know he was a stutterer?”
Bai Yangbai said it casually in the previous life that his master was a stutterer. He Danggui remembered vaguely that Bai Yangbai said that his master was a man who lived longer than a tortoise. Because Bai Yangbai often spoke in a frivolous way, He Danggui always ignored his abnormal words.
The master outlived a tortoise, so how old was he? He Danggui looked at Bai Yangbai with full of expectations. She asked, “How old is your master?”
Bai Yangbai didn’t know why He Danggui was suddenly interested in his master. He guessed, “Oh, you want to judge how long I can live by how long my master lived, but these can’t be compared. He’s my master, but not my father. And I can’t inherit from my master. Besides, if the father lives a long life, maybe the son doesn’t live a long life. Your grandfather and your father are the perfect examples, right? Although my master died of a sudden illness in his early years, it doesn’t mean that I will die at the age of fifty like him. The secret of longevity is indeed the secret of Daguomen Sect, which was passed down from my master. The master, however, was an idle geezer. He only bathed for three times all the year round. And once he bathed on a New Year’s Day, which counted for both the previous year and the next year. So, no amount of the soup of retaining youthful looks was no use to him...”
He Danggui said involuntarily, “You said that he died at fifty? No, I remember that you said differently last time (in the previous life)!”
Bai Yangbai was recalling his master’s appearance and voice. After being interrupted, he said unhappily, “All right, girl, do not talk about unimportant things. Let’s talk about how to let Quan give up on you. You marry me, and we can be an immortal couple. Isn’t that good? What do you think of my proposal?”
Of course, He Danggui disagreed. She said, “If you really have a prescription to prolong your life, how can we get married? Well, regardless of age, we clearly better to be friends than a couple. Don’t you think so? You never thought to do that before. How can you ask for such an unreasonable and overwhelming demand when I need you at such a critical moment? You are an otherworldly monk, while I am a philistine. And you have no feelings for me. How could we be an immortal couple? The longer we live, the more boring we will become. Right?”
Bai Yangbai shook his head and said, “Since there is no affection between us, we can be a couple for more than a hundred years. If we have love as soulful as Mr. Duan, we can’t live together. We may commit suicide in the middle of our life. You couldn’t stand him hugging other women, so you leave him frequently. He can’t bear to lose you, and he got mad when you left him. But he couldn’t push away other women who courted him. Is it like a knot that can’t be untied? But I am different. I am more than 30 years old, and do not like to hug a woman. I went to the brothel a few times because I had too much money. I paid at high stakes on a courtesan, but she was too fragrant that I could not enjoy. So, if you do not mind my sexual capacity problem, you can consider marrying me. There will be many advantages if we get married. I won’t hold a woman, and you won’t be jealous. Also, we can do dual cultivation to enhance the effect of prolonging life. It’s definitely possible that we can live together for three or four hundred years.”
“So, you, had the sexual capacity problem. No wonder you don’t return to the common life and marry a wife when you are old enough.” He Danggui felt a little confused and asked, “What is the dual cultivation? Do you mean the cultivation of the Taoist? Have a lifespan of 400 years old? Don’t talk nonsense.” Since Bai Yangbai’s master died early, his master wasn’t an invulnerable, flame-resistant, and long-lived old man that He Danggui’s grandfather had encountered. The elixir mentioned in her grandfather’s letter was different from Bai Yangbai’s longevity medicine, wasn’t it?
Bai Yangbai despised He Danggui and repeatedly shook his head. He sighed, “You cannot believe living for only 400 years old? Girl, you are really a person without dreams. Don’t you heard that Peng Zu had lived for 800 years! In those days, the First Emperor of Qin heard from an alchemist named Xu Fu that there were three immortals living on the three celestial mountains in Bohai Bay. These mountains named Penglai, Fangzhang and Yingzhou respectively. Three immortals lived on each of the three mountains, and they all have the elixir of life. Hearing this, the First Emperor of Qin was seduced, so he asked Xu Fu and a thousand children to find the elixir. Xu Fu’s vast fleet set out, leaving the Bohai Sea, and never come back. Many people said that Xu Fu did not find the elixir, so he didn’t dare to go back. But they do not know that Xu Fu actually found Penglai mountain and also met the immortal. And he got some benefits. I heard a rumor that Xu Fu is still alive.”
He Danggui raised her eyebrows and said, “Is this a fairy tale? I have also heard stories about the Cowherd and the Weaver Maid, and about Dong Yong and the Seventh Fairy. If they are all true, everyone will go to cultivate immortals by inhaling wind and drinking dew, instead of eating grains. Gradually, everyone will obtain the immortal.”
“You don’t believe it? Look, I am a living example. There is no fake since you have witnessed, right?” Bai Yangbai stood up from the grass as he patted his chest. He walked toward the outer court and waved his hands. “What I want are getting married, doing the dual cultivation and living for four hundred years,” he said. “I have something to do. Please take time to consider. If you think it is okay, kick your little white wolf and let him howl. I will find you.”
He Danggui grabbed his sleeve and said eagerly, “I can take time to consider about the dual cultivation and longevity. But it is impossible to get married. However, I really don’t want to drag on the matter of Lord Ning. You made me be so nervous, and I can’t sleep well tonight. Could you put everything else aside and run to Daning for me? Good Bai, be a good boy and help me out of that big trouble. You’ll be my benefactor and my second father, and I’ll take care of you till you are old. Okay?”
Bai Yangbai cackled and said, “Queen, although it sounds beautiful, you still don’t change the robber’s nature. I have to do things first and then talk about the payment. In that way, you will have the initiative in your hands. I will have no security at all, won’t I? Oh, dual cultivation and longevity can be considered, except for getting married? Only husband and wife can do dual cultivation. If you don’t marry me, why should I do dual cultivation with you? Let me go. I’m in a hurry.”
He Danggui was angry. She said, “You are idle. What are you going to do in a hurry? I didn’t expect that you are not loyal to friends. Well, I considered you as the life-saving straws, but I didn’t expect that you were so ruthless. If I unfortunately fall into Zhu Quan’s clutches someday, I will be a bane of his whole family, giving each of his women a bowl of sterilization soup. And I will tell him that you instigated me to do this.”
Bai Yangbai tugged his sleeve back and shrugged helplessly. He said, “Am I cruel? I’m running errands for you. I just asked Ding Rong’s wife for the portrayal of her master’s ‘adulterer’, Wu Jiu. I am going to urge her. The mask on my face was made few months ago, and I wore it to visit Feng’s Family. It had been already over the usage period. This time it will not be sticky after being taken off. I can’t continue to play Feng Yang tomorrow. If you are so reluctant to leave me, I will visit you tomorrow.”
He Danggui was still angry. She grabbed Bai Yangbai’s wrist and exposed him. She said, “You can do eight masks of Feng Yang a day. Sun Meiniang’s adulterer is not a big deal to you. Why did you want portrayal of her adulterer? You are clearly looking for an excuse to escape. If I let you go this time, I will not see your real face for years.”
“It is very troublesome to make a new mask. A layman does not understand the trouble of a disguise master like me. In my heart, every mask is a living thing with feelings. Before the production, I need a few months to prepare my emotion, otherwise the things I made will be slightly stiff,” Bai Yangbai said bombastically, “How could the affair of the adulterer be a trifle? Didn’t you want to defeat this poisonous women Sun Meiniang? How could you miss this crucial step? Didn’t you hear that she was pregnant again? If she gives birth to a health boy and strengthens her position, won’t your life in Luo’s Family become even more oppressed and wronged? I am helping you to the end, just like sending Buddha to the West. If that touches you, you can consider about marrying me. Let’s live for four hundred years hand in hand.”
He Danggui felt angry and funny after hearing what he said. She frowned and said, “What a bad day! Meng Xuan said about getting married, and you are also like him. Meng Xuan said he likes me, but he has disappeared without a trace for three years. And he was so angry just when he came back, which made me shock. While you are more peculiar. You do not like me but want to get married with me. You said that you are lack of competence, but you still want to do dual cultivation. And how to do that? What do you like about me? Aren’t you full of praise for the women with beautiful figures like Xie Qiaofeng?”
“Well, I’ll tell you the truth.” Standing straight and crossing his hands, Bai Yangbai said, “Three years ago, I saw your acupuncture therapy that could bring one back from the dead. So, I wanted to do dual cultivation with you. I can live for four hundred with you, instead of living for two hundred years alone. What a good deal. But at that time, you were in love with Duan Xiaolou. How could I separate the two lovers? Besides, you were so young, exceedingly beautiful and also insidious. How could you like an old man like me? So, I pretended to leave. In fact, I turned to secret place in order to get your Yunqi Acupuncture. After I study it and integrate it into my longevity medicine, I can live for four hundred years alone.”
He Danggui said hesitantly, “It turned out that you just want to get my Yunqi Acupuncture, so you have ambushed around me for three years.” She thought Bai Yangbai was mainly interested in her, so he followed her all the time. It turned out that she was too narcissistic.
Bai Yangbai nodded honestly and said, “Yes, I just want your Yunqi Acupuncture. But in the past three years, I looked through all the medical manuscripts around you and even read Duan Xiaolou’s love letters in the hidden compartment of your room briefly.” Under He Danggui’s ferocious gaze, he hastened to remedy the words, “Actually, I only read a few words of the first letter. When I found it was a love letter, I stopped reading. Really. I swear to Lord Buddha!”
“Aren’t you a Taoist priest?” He Danggui said angrily, “I never thought that you would be so wicked. As a monk, you really ruined your way by reading a girl’s private messages secretly. Why are you so interested in my acupuncture therapy? Live for 400 years? The body’s blood will be exhausted. As the identity of the number one magic doctor, I tell you that no one can live so long in the world. People can’t live for 150 years no matter how strong he is and how deep his internal energy is. If you live a long time, you will only have a mummified body. Do you know it? You would be like a living dead, as if you were not living. You can’t act for yourself. Do you want to become that?” Actually, He Danggui was not so sure. But in order to eliminate Bai Yangbai’s strange idea, she must describe it more seriously. Otherwise, he would never stop thinking about her acupuncture therapy.
Bai Yangbai was gooseflesh and stamped his feet. He said, “Could you not talk about the mummies and corpses at night? As soon as you said that, I thought of the Biddy Wen, who was burned so miserably. People who hear t will feel sad. I felt the fine hair standing on my back as I moved Biddy Wen in the wheelbarrow. And I often felt the charred old woman opening her eyes behind me. Girl, you see, I sacrifice for you so much. Why can’t you tell me your acupuncture therapy? In fact, we are from the same clan, and your acupuncture is also from our Daguomen Sect. But we lost it over long periods of time while your pulse has been inherited...”
“You...killed a person!” He Danggui’s eyes were widened in disbelief. She asked, “Why did you kill the Biddy Wen? Did you skin her to make the mask?”
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