Chapter 686: Graceful Silhouette Under The Moonlit Night

The old woman had a head full of silver-white hair, which was loosely gathered with a hemp-colored cloth strip. Her snow-white eyebrows drooped down to her abdomen.

She wore a thick, patchwork robe that was tattered and worn. It must have once been colorful, but years of washing had faded it to a pale, almost ghostly hue. It was reminiscent of the ancient wax figures displayed in the Great Xia Museum five hundred years ago. She had a sense of age and decay around her.

"The esteemed guest has arrived," the old woman spoke with a hint of laughter in her voice.

She leaned on a naturally white unadorned wooden cane. Smiling warmly, she said, "I knew it. I heard the joyous chirping of the magpie right at my doorstep early this morning."

"Greetings, Village Chief Granny," said Li Xiaofei, bowing respectfully.

"Youthful and elegant, like a jade carving," said the old woman, praising Li Xiaofei with a gentle smile.

"Granny, your eyesight must be failing," Ji Man chuckled, covering her mouth. How could such a rotund man possibly match the description of ‘graceful as jade’?

The old woman did not argue. Instead, she took Li Xiaofei’s hand and chatted about trivial village matters. She even led him around the settlement, introducing him to different areas, as though she were hosting a distinguished guest from afar.

She also took the time to introduce him to the villagers, declaring that he was an honored guest of the tribe. Before long, most of the village had heard of Li Xiaofei’s arrival, and they welcomed him with genuine warmth.

The customs here were simple and sincere. That was Li Xiaofei’s truest impression. It felt just like the idyllic world described in The Peach Blossom Spring.

The

land was vast and flat, with neatly arranged houses, fertile fields, beautiful ponds, and mulberry and bamboo groves. Crisscrossing paths connected the village, where chickens and dogs could be heard in the distance. The people farmed and went about their lives, dressed in simple garments like those from the outside world. The elderly and the children lived in peace and joy.

Everything here was raw and untouched by time. Li Xiaofei was a little curious. Since Nangong Longjian had always been secretly providing various resources, why were there no modern transportation methods, electrical appliances, or other conveniences of daily life?

If there were at least some modern facilities, life here wouldn’t be so primitive. After all, supplying these non-strategic, insignificant materials would be effortless for Nangong Longjian. It would be merely a flick of the wrist.

Back in the reception hall, the village chief granny smiled warmly and answered him, “We have lived here for several thousand years. We prefer the old ways of life. The dazzling tools and gadgets of Chongque City are indeed fascinating, but they would change our way of living. That is why we never asked Nangong to provide them.”

Li Xiaofei nodded thoughtfully. The village chief granny had just answered a question he had been pondering deep inside. But the real question was, had she guessed his thoughts, or... was she reading his mind?

He couldn’t shake the feeling that this frail-looking old woman, who seemed like she could be toppled by a gust of wind, was far from ordinary.

Just then, the village chief granny continued, “Of course, there is another reason. Our village mainly cultivates a technique called Natural Art. Its core principle is harmony between Sky and People, allowing one’s cultivation to align with nature. If we want to truly comprehend nature and advance in our practice, we must maintain a primitive way of life. If too many modern items entered Taoyuan, they would destroy the natural balance. They would disrupt the cultivation environment, and stir unnecessary desires in the villagers' hearts.”

Li Xiaofei nodded repeatedly. So that was the reason.The village chief granny’s candidness took him by surprise. But what astonished him even more was what she did next.

She casually took out a piece of bluish-green beast hide and handed it over, “Brother Chen can study this. This is the Natural Art that the people of Taoyuan cultivate.”

Li Xiaofei hesitated briefly before accepting the beast hide. Standing beside him, Ah Qing remained silent with a calm and unperturbed expression.

But Ji Man was visibly surprised. Her large, round, watery peach blossom eyes blinked repeatedly as she stared intently at Li Xiaofei. It was as if she were trying to uncover something and see straight through him.

Li Xiaofei, however, lowered his head and focused on the bluish-green beast hide. The top of the hide had the general outline of Natural Art.

There is a thing, formless yet complete, born before heaven and earth. Silent and vast, it stands alone, unchanging, moving in cycles, and never exhausted. It may be called the mother of all under heaven.

I do not know its name, but I force myself to call it Dao. If I must name it, I call it Great. Great means passing, passing means distant, distant means returning.

Thus, Dao is great, Heaven is great, Earth is great, and Man is also great. These four are great within the universe, and Man is one of them. Man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows Dao, and Dao follows Nature.

After reading this passage, Li Xiaofei’s mouth opened slightly in astonishment.

Isn’t this the twenty-fifth chapter of the Tao Te Ching?[1] That’s the foundational doctrine of Natural Art? Could it be that this cultivation method originated from the Tao Te Ching?

Li Xiaofei had read plenty of novels back in his university days where the Tao Te Ching was depicted as the basis for supreme cultivation techniques. Later, when he trained in traditional and ancient martial arts under one hundred and eight different mentors, he had also encountered martial philosophies that aligned closely with the principles of the Tao Te Ching.

He himself had studied the Tao Te Ching extensively. He was well aware of countless top philosophers around the world. Figures like Hegel[2] had held this text in the highest regard.

There was even a saying in Great Xia.

The Tao Te Ching contains only five thousand words, yet each character holds a heaven within. If an ordinary person can comprehend even a single one, their mortal body may transcend into divinity in an instant.

Back then, Li Xiaofei’s understanding of martial arts had been superficial. His comprehension of its deeper philosophies was lacking, so he had never been able to grasp the profound truths hidden within these five thousand words of the Great Dao.

Now, as he reread Chapter 25 of the Tao Te Ching, his mind suddenly turned blank, as if a vast white fog had swallowed all thoughts. It felt as though something imprinted itself onto his soul. At the same time, it seemed as if his spirit had wandered into the void, grasping at nothing.

The village chief granny watched Li Xiaofei holding the bluish-green beast hide in a daze, her eyes crinkling with a faint smile.

"Heh, what a fool," Ji Man giggled behind her hand, her voice laced with a hint of contempt.

She still remembered the first time she had laid eyes on this very same beast hide. She had instantly entered a deep meditative state, triggering a phenomenon of flashing lightning and roaring thunder. It had been said that she possessed the greatest natural talent in the history of Taoyuan. The elders and villagers had been left in awe.

Yet this so-called honored guest from Chongque City was staring at it in complete bewilderment. Clearly, the people of the outside world weren’t as powerful or extraordinary as they claimed to be. They weren’t even superior to her.

There had only ever been one other person in the entirety of Taoyuan who had reacted to this beast hide in the same dazed and clueless manner, reading it countless times without understanding a single word. That was Ah Qing.

However, while Ah Qing struggled with Natural Art, her swordsmanship was on an entirely different level. She wielded a strange and formidable strength that continuously advanced, making her one of the strongest in the village.

Li Xiaofei shook off his distraction and continued reading. After the general outline, the text no longer contained verses from the Tao Te Ching. Instead, it delved into the intricacies of breath control, walking techniques, postures for sitting and standing. There were also movements, the art of absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, and meditative visualization. Even detailed annotations on how to cultivate in daily life were recorded.

The content read more like an extensive commentary on Chapter 25 of the Tao Te Ching, expanding upon its meaning. It was divided into multiple levels.

The first level of Natural Art was based on the principle,

Man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows Dao, and Dao follows Nature.

Its cultivation method seemed to follow the logic of Chapter 25 of the Tao Te Ching, but in reverse, starting from the final line and tracing backward until it reached the phrase,

There is a thing, formless yet complete, born before heaven and earth.

The contents recorded on the bluish-green beast hide subtly aligned with many internal cultivation techniques Li Xiaofei had encountered before.

Overall, Natural Art had its own unique brilliance. It seamlessly integrated cultivation into every aspect of daily life, including sitting, standing, walking, farming, eating, and even sleeping. It emphasized a philosophy of gradual accumulation, where small, continuous changes would eventually lead to a great transformation.

Li Xiaofei had a strong intuition that if someone practiced Natural Art from the very beginning and maintained a state of effortless action they might one day achieve an astonishing breakthrough, turning years of silent effort into a single moment of brilliance. But this technique was more valuable to him as a reference than a primary path of cultivation.

"No need to rush," the village chief granny said with a warm smile. "Brother Chen, you should stay for the night. Take your time to observe it carefully."

That night, Li Xiaofei stayed in Taoyuan. He lay on the bed under the moonlit sky and continued to study the bluish-green beast hide. Suddenly, he heard faint footsteps outside. They were stealthy and deliberate.

The door creaked open and a slender silhouette slipped inside. Without hesitation, the figure twisted gracefully and slid straight into his bed.

1. The Tao Te Ching or Laozi is a Chinese classic text and foundational work of Taoism traditionally credited to the sage Laozi, though the text's authorship and date of composition and compilation are debated. The oldest excavated portion dates to the late 4th century BC. ☜

2. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was a German philosopher and one of the most influential figures of German idealism and 19th-century philosophy. ☜