IRBTCI CH8

Huo Xuexiang almost thought that the “grammar” Bai Lu was talking about was some kind of spell.

Bai Lu, wasn’t he the top performer in the entrance trial…? This puzzled Huo Xuexiang. If it meant what he understood, this situation might be even stranger than Bai Lu insisting on joining Dianmei Peak.

Bai Lu’s eyes darted around, and he finally had to confess: “It’s not that I don’t like to learn, but where I come from, there aren’t any language teachers; everyone just speaks in plain language…” He paused, then summarized simply, “I’m from out of town, you see!”

Huo Xuexiang suddenly recalled that during the trial, Bai Lu was the most resolute among all the disciples. He hesitated and said, “So, during the trial, you turned a deaf ear to the cultivation chants recited by the Bixi, because…?”

Bai Lu was bewildered: “It was reciting cultivation chants?”

Huo Xuexiang: “…………”

Bai Lu felt like he had solved a mystery. He had been wondering what that old turtle was chanting about, no wonder there was power surging. But he couldn’t use it then; he already had magic power, what did he need other powers for?

Huo Xuexiang also remembered that when the Sect Master’s disciple was still in Shuchun park, he had told him that Bai Lu was from a remote place and hoped that Uncle-Master would be more understanding. But at the time, he hadn’t expected it to be such a situation. Of course, Ning Yanhua hadn’t thought of it either. After all, there had never been a situation where someone could get in, and even rank first, under these circumstances.

They say the eyes are the window to the soul, and with Huo Xuexiang’s eyes covered by a silk band, his emotions weren’t so obvious. Bai Lu couldn’t find much emotion on his face and was a little worried. However, it’s said that in the East, if you’re a teacher for a day, you’re like a parent for life. They even performed the ritual of reporting to Heaven and Earth!

Bai Lu nervously said, “Master, you won’t expel me just because my literary skills are poor, will you? We’ve already bowed to Heaven and Earth.”

Huo Xuexiang: “…”

“No…” Huo Xuexiang opened his lips weakly, truly understanding how basic Bai Lu’s “basic knowledge” was. “We performed the master-disciple ceremony.”

“But the Sect Master did burn incense to tell Heaven and Earth about us!” Bai Lu argued eloquently. Isn’t that what “bowing to Heaven and Earth” means? He seemed to remember that Chinese phrase “bai tian di,” and anyway, these small details weren’t important now.

“Master, this isn’t something you can withdraw from, right?”

There were three stages to this entry process, and the power contained in Bixi’s chants, even sensed only by the five senses, could be felt as something good. For Bai Lu’s resolve, it should have been merely a “finishing touch.” 

What’s more…

Huo Xuexiang shook his head, no longer dwelling on the matter of bowing to Heaven and Earth. 

He turned and said, “It doesn’t matter if you have no spiritual roots in Dianmei Peak; as I said, anything goes.” 

He just never thought that being a teacher would make one feel so helpless… It was truly difficult to remain as calm and detached as usual.

Huo Xuexiang lowered his head slightly, as if thinking about how to proceed. This step, for him, might be even trickier than teaching cultivation methods and sword intent. After much deliberation, he said, “In that case, I shall enlighten you, as your master.”

Bai Lu asked, puzzled, “What is ‘enlighten’?” 

This touched upon Bai Lu’s knowledge blind spot again.

For some reason, his mentor was silent for a moment before saying, “…It means teaching children, new students, to read and write.”

Oh, “enlighten.” Bai Lu knew that word and immediately leaned forward to argue, “Master, I do have some foundation, I’m not completely illiterate.” 

Don’t even mention him; even someone who grew up legitimately in China with the language environment would be stumped by classical Chinese. This really wasn’t his fault! He used to be a straight-A student!

Huo Xuexiang seemed not to understand where Bai Lu’s confidence came from, but he listened very seriously. Then he leaned down to deliver a crushing blow: “But you don’t even know what ‘enlighten’ means.”

Bai Lu: “…”

Oh no, a genius with double degrees in both the secular and magic worlds before transmigration. After transmigration, diagnosed with illiteracy in the Xuanshan Immortal Sect.

…Clouds drifted across the sky. Beneath the old plum tree, the white-robed teacher, with a silk band over his eyes, his long sword by his side, lightly tapped the book open before him. Beside him, his green-eyed disciple diligently widened his eyes, listening attentively. If the two weren’t looking at a children’s primer, it would have been even more immortal…

Bai Lu felt that his mentor had a remarkably good mindset. After a seemingly brief moment of being flustered, he even suggested pausing classes for a day, as he needed to go outside the mountain to get enlightenment books – the Xuanshan Sect truly didn’t have such things. Only after he bought back the enlightenment books did he begin to teach Bai Lu to read and interpret.

Now, this was something. The master of Dianmei Peak was completely transformed into a preschool teacher. How was this not like a physical education teacher teaching me Chinese language?

Bai Lu recognized most of the characters in these enlightenment books, at least he could read them. Traditional characters were a bit difficult and sometimes required guessing. Only a few uncommon characters were unfamiliar to him. “Master, actually, if there were pinyin (phonetic notation), I could solve this part myself.”

Huo Xuexiang heard him mention pinyin and asked in return, “Are you talking about the Qiezi method?”

“What is the Qiezi method?” This once again touched Bai Lu’s blind spot. Being in a foreign land, these blind spots were just piling up…

Huo Xuexiang explained that it’s a method of phonetic notation using two characters: taking the initial consonant from the first character and the final vowel from the second, combining them to form the pronunciation. 

However, the premise of this phonetic method is that you also know how to pronounce the two characters used for notation. This was one of many phonetic methods, and it likely wasn’t suitable for Bai Lu, which was why Huo Xuexiang was puzzled.

“No, it’s pinyin,” Bai Lu wrote down the letters, which flowed much more smoothly than his Chinese characters, though still a bit unnatural due to the use of a brush. Bai Lu only recited it once and explained the rules, and Huo Xuexiang immediately nodded, indicating he understood. Truly worthy of being his master, at least at the level of a cultivation world doctoral supervisor.

“Where did you learn this from?”

“That’s how they teach us back home,” said Bai Lu, a pure outsider studying in another world.

“So…” Huo Xuexiang tapped his finger, and pinyin appeared under each character in the books before them, instantly turning them into pinyin versions.

Bai Lu stared at Huo Xuexiang’s casual movements—another spell.

The spiritual energy used in the cultivation system is absorbed from between heaven and earth and stored in the Purple Mansion. Bai Lu’s magic power relies on meditation, also comes from nature, and is categorized into different elemental attributes. 

However, Bai Lu believed that both were forms of energy, with overlapping similarities. The only difference was that their systems were different, as were their methods of communication, absorption, and operation.

Through his observations in the cultivation world, Bai Lu could already detect traces of others using spiritual energy, but he still couldn’t observe more subtle or advanced energy pathways, such as Huo Xuexiang’s current application, which would likely require further familiarity and mastery on his part. This also made Bai Lu increasingly curious and eager to learn.

“Master, what exactly is the Dao of cultivation? It’s said everyone has to find their own Dao?” Bai Lu had always known that Eastern concepts were quite abstract to him. He nervously said, “You won’t say ‘it cannot be spoken of,’ will you…?” 

He felt that master characters in his memory always said something like that.

Huo Xuexiang was puzzled; as a master, why would he refuse to answer his disciple? “Why do you say that?”

Bai Lu mumbled, “Anyway, some people just say that.”

Huo Xuexiang shook his head. How could one say such a thing at the enlightenment stage…

“First, you need to know that cultivation is divided into ‘mind’ and ‘realm’. ‘Realm’ refers to the refinement of spiritual energy, making it one’s own. This is something tangible; how much you can mobilize is how much you have. ‘Mind’ refers to one’s disposition, your understanding of yourself, and your understanding of everything.” 

Huo Xuexiang had never encountered such a question, but he tried his best to explain it to Bai Lu, using simple expressions. It turns out that being a teacher requires such improvisation; it’s much more complex than one’s own cultivation.

“‘Mind’ and ‘realm’ are mutually complementary. A realm without a mind cannot arise on its own, and vice versa. And the so-called Dao lies between the mind and the realm. When everything is in harmony, you have found the Dao.”

The first part was fine, the separate concepts of mind and realm. But then Bai Lu was stumped again. Bai Lu was already tired from sitting and leaned forward, taking the opportunity to rest. His body sank quite a bit, and he looked up at Huo Xuexiang, complaining, “Master, it’s so hard…”

“No need to rush; this is something you need to gradually experience during your cultivation.” 

Huo Xuexiang noticed Bai Lu’s posture. No wonder someone mistook him for a demon cultivator when he first observed the trial.

Huo Xuexiang snapped back to attention, raised his hand, drained his tea, and recited: 

“The greatest square has no corners; the greatest vessel takes longest to complete; the greatest sound is silence; the greatest image has no form.”

And here came the profound stuff again. Bai Lu repeated the last two lines in a low voice and suddenly remembered that he seemed to have heard this phrase before, but that was when he was a child, listening to his mother read him some Chinese classics. But he seemed to have never explored its deeper meaning, which was entirely Eastern philosophy.

Hearing, knowing, and even memorizing are one thing, and fully understanding is another.

Huo Xuexiang said to the contemplative Bai Lu, “You may comprehend it further. I’ll give you homework: learn some classical poems and verses; perhaps it will help.” He then looked at Qiusuo and gave an order, “Qiusuo, monitor him.”

The new command was logged, and Qiusuo nodded: “Yes.”

“Classical poems, I know some.” Bai Lu sat up straight and recited, “A thousand mountains violently shake with endless cold, a small plum, without a sharp edge, relies on the wild snow!” 

He seized the opportunity to praise his mentor; he understood social etiquette!

Facing Bai Lu’s straightforward compliment, Huo Xuexiang stiffened for a moment and said helplessly, “…That’s not a classical poem.”

“They’re all poems,” Bai Lu insisted. “My master even has poems that others helped him boast about. In modern times, it’s like someone posting a short essay online to praise someone, right?”

Bai Lu: I want some too, I want some too! Who wants to write something for the Demon Venerable?

“Oh, by the way, Master, what’s this? Is what’s written on it also a classical poem?” Bai Lu revealed his true intention, pointing to a familiar piece of silk cloth next to Huo Xuexiang, partially covered by a book. This was something Huo Xuexiang took out to read during his teaching leisure.

Regardless of whether this was the exact piece he had obtained or if there was a duplicate here, it held great significance. If he could figure out the connection, he might solve the mystery of his transmigration.

Huo Xuexiang pulled it out and handed it to him. “This was found by Ning Yanhua during his patrol and given to me. Do you want to see it?”

Bai Lu took it: “…I want to see it!” He looked down intently for three seconds, then looked up, “I can’t read it!”

Huo Xuexiang: “…”

This silk cloth, full of historical traces, had a circle of ink paintings depicting stars and beasts, with strange characters written in circles in the middle. The content was indeed identical to the one Bai Lu had seen before his transmigration.

“What exactly is written on this?” Bai Lu muttered aloud.

Huo Xuexiang said faintly, “This line is, ‘Loss of measure leads to emptiness, plants and trees are impermanent.'”

Bai Lu looked up at him, both surprised and delighted, trying to hide it: “Master, you know what this means?”

“These are ancient characters. The two lines just now describe celestial phenomena.” Huo Xuexiang seemed to be looking at him through the silk band. “I also learned some of this from studying ancient texts.”

Your cultivation world is truly terrifying! First, classical Chinese, and now ancient characters have appeared! Fortunately, Huo Xuexiang understood ancient texts, so he truly hadn’t mistaken his mentor. He just didn’t know if these characters existed only in this world or if they also existed in his original world. This was truly another blind spot for him.

As Bai Lu was thinking, he heard Huo Xuexiang ask, “Are you interested in this?”

Bai Lu said without hesitation, “A little. I see that Master knows even such obscure knowledge, and I admire that greatly. I also want to be as learned as Master.”

He indeed had ambition. Huo Xuexiang, as a diligent teacher, said, “In that case, you will also need to start from the basics.”

Bai Lu: “…Grammar again?”

Huo Xuexiang: “Yes.”

Bai Lu: “…”

Everything had to start from the basics, and so Bai Lu began a new subject of study at Dianmei Peak. He was determined to be a disciple who would impress his mentor. As for why his mentor was flustered before? Never mind that.

That day, when Huo Xuexiang cast a spell, not only Bai Lu’s enlightenment books but also some of the extracurricular books he later received had phonetic notations. Of course, some things, even with phonetic notation, he still couldn’t understand. But his mentor said there was a saying: 

“Read a book a hundred times and its meaning will appear.”

Their classroom location wasn’t fixed. Sometimes it was in the bare plum grove, sometimes indoors, and sometimes they just sat on the floor under the veranda, all depending on Huo Xuexiang’s mood. Every time class started, Bai Lu would place one more item on the table. Today, he’d put a cup representing the water element. Tomorrow, he’d put a crystal he’d picked up that seemed to enhance focus. Then he’d light a candle, burn some incense, set out a notebook, ink…

Compared to Bai Lu’s side, overflowing with stationery, Huo Xuexiang’s side usually had nothing, at most a cup of tea. He didn’t understand why Bai Lu needed so many things on his table. Then he’d lean over to look, and the handwriting in Bai Lu’s notebook, amidst his pile of stationery, would still be like a child’s, leaving Huo Xuexiang silently resigned…

After a few more days, even Huo Xuexiang’s side of the table had things on it. It wasn’t anything else; it was a knitted coaster made by Bai Lu. The white tasseled coaster had three-dimensional knitted light blue flowers and tiny yellow chicks, surprisingly adorable.

The first time Huo Xuexiang noticed it, he was puzzled for a while. Then he looked up again, and around the neck of the cold-faced black-robed puppet, a knitted scarf had appeared at some unknown time. It was also a very warm and lovely white base with tassels, knitted with blue flower patterns, making it look slightly different from other puppets in Xuanshan.

Although Huo Xuexiang’s eyes were covered, Bai Lu could feel that he was looking in Qiusuo’s direction. He eagerly asked, “Master, is this beautiful?”

In fact, these past two days, when he met Immortal Monarch Boluan, he had asked about Huo Xuexiang’s teaching situation, mainly reminding him that disciples are often not as naturally gifted as he was, and should be encouraged more often.

Huo Xuexiang really couldn’t bring himself to say “good” about Bai Lu’s handwriting, so at this moment, he tried saying, “Very good.”

“Now it’s even better, because you have one too!” Bai Lu pulled out an upgraded scarf. Compared to Qiusuo’s, this one had two extra fluffy pompoms as decoration, and the color scheme was Xuanshan’s theme of green.

Huo Xuexiang: “…”

“I have one too,” Bai Lu said to himself, showing him that he had an identical one, including the snow puppet outside the door, which also had one—Bai Lu only belatedly realized after a few days of class that the snow puppet he had built that day hadn’t melted, even though all other snow had already disappeared. He knew who had done it without even thinking; he hadn’t expected his mentor to have the exact same discerning eye as him.

“I’m not cold,” Huo Xuexiang hesitated. He only worried that in a few more days, the entire Shuchun park would be newly decorated. But if Huo Xuexiang were to stop him, there seemed to be no reason.

Moreover, Huo Xuexiang asked, “How do you find the time to knit?”

“If you truly like it, you’ll find the time,” Bai Lu’s eyes curved with a smile, very proud. In reality, a little bit of… magic didn’t take up any time at all; he finished it while reading. Aesthetics were more important.

“Don’t you truly like the way of the sword?” Huo Xuexiang slowly asked, implying that was why he insisted on entering Dianmei Peak.

Bai Lu: “…”

Uh, about that…