CHAPTER 46: 46

In her past life, Lan Tian had also experienced this; her mind calm like still water, she silently released her goodwill. The little creatures were very curious, at times keeping their distance and at other times coming close, floating around Lan Tian as if these mischievous children were testing the adult’s reaction.

It was as if they had discovered a novel game, moving to and fro countless times to see if this person harbored any ill will, a green speck of light floated to a stop right in front of Lan Tian’s nose.

Lan Tian circulated the mantra, guiding the speck of light into her meridians. After the wood spirit entered her meridians, Lan Tian continued to guide the surrounding Spiritual Energy, one point, two points, three points, it was like a drop in the bucket; her meridians still thirsty for more.

Before she knew it, there were specks of five-colored lights floating around her, red, yellow, green, gold, blue, dazzlingly beautiful and splendid to behold.

Time passed unnoticed during Cultivation, Zhao Li inside the house looked worriedly towards Lan Tian’s place, the food that had been served was taken out untouched. Three days had passed, and the girl hadn’t had a single bite or drink; could her body endure this? Turning to look at two others who were also concerned, she suggested, "How about I go wake Tiantian up, have some food first, and then continue Cultivation after eating?"

Grandma Sun lost her appetite, turning her gaze towards Mo Yuanle. Mo Yuanle chewed the food in his mouth, swallowing it slowly. He was also worried about the girl’s situation, "Don’t go. Have you forgotten what the girl said before? Being disturbed during Cultivation is taboo, it can easily lead to deviation, better to wait until she wakes up on her own."

Lan Tian was unaware of the three people’s worries in the house, as she was at a critical moment in her practice. Being of fire, wood, and earth three spiritual roots, Lan Tian could only guide these three types of Spiritual Energy into her body. The gold and blue energies scrambled around her, anxious to get in, but when they couldn’t, slowly drifted away. Nearby, there were specks of these three types of energies, which Lan Tian one by one guided into her meridians, making them a home in her Dantian. Then she directed the Spiritual Energy from the Dantian, circulating it through the meridians to form a Circulation, before returning to the Dantian.

Finally completing the energy introduction, Lan Tian ended her Cultivation and upon opening her eyes, she smelled a pungent stench emanating from her. Looking down, she saw a layer of greasy black substance on her body and even on the bed; the stench was coming from this mess.

Oh heavens, how had she forgotten? With energy introduction, the Spiritual Energy washes the marrow and cut the tendons, expelling the impurities from the body; that greasy layer was the expelled waste. Disgusted, Lan Tian covered her nose and rushed outside. In the yard, Zhao Li and Grandma Sun also smelled the stench, which seemed to be wafting from Lan Tian’s room.

The two of them were startled, their faces turning pale, fearing something had happened to Lan Tian. Grandma Sun fumbled clumsily, unable to grasp the keys properly until finally, Zhao Li grabbed Grandma Sun’s hand, and together they opened Lan Tian’s door; a black shadow accompanied by a foul odor rushed out.

"Auntie, I need to take a bath, it stinks to death, hurry up," Lan Tian wailed loudly in the courtyard. Seeing the figure completely covered in black grime hopping and jumping around, Grandma Sun and Zhao Li couldn’t help but burst into laughter. As Lan Tian kept shouting and calling, Zhao Li quickly went to the kitchen to boil water.

The granddaughter loved cleanliness; the slightest smell in the room had upset her greatly. Grandma Sun went to Lan Tian’s room and upon entering, she was greeted by the foul smell. She opened the windows to air out the room, took the stained mat and sheets out to soak and wash, scooping several large handfuls of charcoal ash into the water. She then found a new set of clothes from the house for Lan Tian to change into.

"What did you do to get so much black grease?" Lan Tian was completely covered in the greasy black substance, only her eyes were visible. Grandma Sun came over, using straw to scrape off the greasy mess on her clothes.

"I don’t know, Grandpa never told me either. Grandma, stop scraping, it won’t come off clean, there’s still a lot on my body." Lan Tian took a sniff and almost suffocated from the stench, nearly vomiting out his stomach. It was quite a feat that grandma had been able to stand it for so long. "Grandma, didn’t you smell it? It’s so foul, please stop wiping and go take a break, I’m going to bathe soon."

The newly cooked meal still had charcoal embers glowing in the stove. Zhao Li poured out the hot water that had been warming up behind, then added more cold water to heat it up before carrying the bucket to bathe Lan Tian in the courtyard.

At this point, Lan Tian couldn’t care less about bathing out in broad daylight for all to see, stripped down in no time and jumped out of the tub. The clear water immediately turned black. Grandma Sun and Zhao Li scraped and scrubbed, going through five full buckets of water before finally getting Lan Tian clean, Zhao Li herself sweating just from fetching the water.

After the wash the marrow and cut the tendons process, Lan Tian’s skin was soft and tender, almost translucent with a glowing sheen. His hair, which had been cut short, had grown to shoulder length, black, glossy, and smooth as silk, fitting snugly around the ears. Wearing a new orange lantern shirt and trousers made by Zhao Li, he looked just like a freshly minted immortal child, leaving both Zhao Li and Grandma Sun extremely smitten.

"I’m starved, is there anything to eat at home?" Having finished his bath, Lan Tian lay on the dining table clutching his stomach, crying hunger. He had no idea how long he had been in seclusion, and felt he was close to death by starvation. Life was so inconvenient without elixirs!

"Fifteen days, half a month without eating; of course you’d be hungry. It’s only thanks to the Mo Family’s ancestors’ blessings that you didn’t starve to death. The whole family has been praying and worshiping Buddha for you, Amitabha. Eat quickly, your auntie made you egg noodles, and there’s still plenty left in the pot."

Lan Tian carelessly gulped down the noodles, heedless of the heat, hissing with every scorching bite.

"Eat slowly, no one is fighting you for it," Grandma Sun said tenderly, with a sorrowful heart watching Lan Tian eat. Half a month without food, yet thankfully, she was still alive. If anything had happened to her granddaughter, she would immediately go down and settle accounts with the old man. Wary of Lan Tian getting burnt, Grandma Sun blew on the noodles to cool them and took the opportunity to fill her in on the recent events.

His little buddies like Shitou, Tie Jun, Black Dog, and others had come by the house to visit, bringing corn, peanuts, and eggs. Mo Junhua enlisted in the military three days after Lan Tian started his seclusion. The family did not approve of his decision, but he was adamant about joining, leaving Wang Guiyu in tears. Apparently, Mo Junhua told his mother that he had passed the physical exam and would be considered a deserter if he didn’t go, which meant violating the country’s law and facing imprisonment. Left with no choice, Wang Guiyu tearfully escorted him to the train station.

Cuihua’s marriage has been arranged with someone from Sun Family Village, and the date has been set for November to welcome the bride. Grandma Sun had met this young man and found him to be straightforward and honest. Cuihua would not be bullied marrying into such a family.

Lan Tian felt assured and touched by his friends’ visit; the friendships formed since childhood were not in vain. Lan Tian decided to join them one day for catching birds in the mountains. Going down the river to fish and up the mountains to hunt birds were moments for building revolutionary friendships. They had fished many times before, and it wouldn’t hurt to add a mountain trip to the memories.

Mo Junhua joining the army didn’t come as a surprise to Lan Tian. In his previous life, this was the time he was recommended by the village chief and then rose to prominence in the military. After all, he was born to be a soldier. If he didn’t join, how would he ever reunite with his Bai Lianhua?

Lan Tian was finally at ease. With Mo Junhua gone, her life could return to the peaceful days of before. Their paths, having once crossed, now seemed poised to diverge without any further intersection. After eating three large bowls of noodles and feeling as round as a ball, Lan Tian could eat no more and put down her bowl. She lay down on the rattan chair underneath the camphor tree to rest.