Next, Qiao Zhi stood up, extended his front paws, and said, "Hold me."
Chu Qiguang asked, bewildered, "Huh?"
Qiao Zhi urged, "Hurry up and do as I say."
Chu Qiguang crouched down and lifted Qiao Zhi into his arms like a small child.
Then Qiao Zhi said, "Pet."
Chu Qiguang stared blankly for a moment, but proceeded to stroke the cat in his arms.
Caressed by Chu Qiguang's large hand from head to tail, Qiao Zhi let out a comfortable grunt, stretched out his four limbs, and curled into a ball once more.
Feeling the silky softness under his palm and listening to the orange cat's inner purring, Chu Qiguang found his mood unknowingly settling into calm. The restlessness caused by repeatedly entering tranquility gradually melted away.
Only then did Qiao Zhi explain, "Understand now? We cats grow fur with calming properties. As long as we lick ourselves, we can soothe our minds, allowing us to perform several times more mental cultivation each day than anyone else.
"And when you humans pet a cat, it has the exact same soothing effect on your mind. Used as an aid to cultivation, it allows you to practice far longer each day than others. However, only true cat lovers can achieve this. Being a cat lover is a tremendous advantage in cultivation, so be sure to keep it up."
Chu Qiguang: "..."
Although he could genuinely feel his state of mind calming down, Chu Qiguang could not shake the feeling that Qiao Zhi was feeding him nonsense.
Seeming to catch the skepticism on Chu Qiguang's face, Qiao Zhi snapped indignantly, "You don't believe me? Let me tell you, our feline race was the very first in history to unify the world! When we standardized carriage axles and unified written scripts, you humans were still playing in the mud! And our rise was built entirely on licking our fur to keep cool heads at all times."
Hearing this, Chu Qiguang's gaze drifted even further. No matter how he looked at it, the idea of cats unifying the world was a bit hard to swallow.
Seeing Chu Qiguang turn his head away, Qiao Zhi grew angrier. "If you were willing to lick a cat, the effect would be even better..."
Chu Qiguang murmured, "Oh?"
Noticing the shift in Chu Qiguang's expression, Qiao Zhi froze.
"Pardon the offense, Master Qiao."
Chu Qiguang opened his mouth directly, and with a wet slurp, left a generous streak of saliva across Qiao Zhi's forehead.
Smacking his lips, Chu Qiguang said in surprise, "It really seems to work?"
Qiao Zhi stared at him in utter shock. "Y-You actually licked me?!"
Chu Qiguang replied, "If a lick increases cultivation efficiency, why wouldn't I?"
Qiao Zhi stared wide-eyed, then suddenly chuckled. "The effect around my rear is even better..."
Resisting the urge to slap him, Chu Qiguang set the demonic cat down.
He did not believe that claim for a second. Over the few hours spent with Qiao Zhi, he had come to realize that beneath the cat's sanctimonious facade lay an unreliable streak. The creature was particularly prone to getting carried away whenever flattered, often exaggerating wildly the more he spoke. His words could not be taken at face value.
With his restless mood quieted, Chu Qiguang closed his eyes. This time, in the blink of an eye, he slipped once more into tranquility.
Not only had he entered tranquility, but Chu Qiguang could also clearly feel the night wind blowing across his skin, hear his own heartbeat, and sense the itchiness on his skin. Yet he was able to disregard all these internal and external distractions, remaining perfectly anchored in his state of tranquility.
This time, the full duration of an incense stick passed. Watching Chu Qiguang remain in deep tranquility, Qiao Zhi's eyes widened in growing astonishment.
After yet another incense stick of time, seeing Chu Qiguang continually shatter his previous record while remaining completely immersed, Qiao Zhi could no longer hold back a shout.
"Holy shit."
"You've already reached the second stage?!"
Hearing the shout, Chu Qiguang opened his eyes. He felt as though the energy he had depleted from climbing the mountain and meditating had largely recovered. While his body was still weary, his mind felt as refreshed as if he had just enjoyed a full night's sleep.
Chu Qiguang asked curiously, "Are you saying I've reached the second stage?"
Qiao Zhi questioned Chu Qiguang about how he felt just now. Upon hearing the answer, he fell silent for a long moment, then sighed. "The second stage of Daoist cultivation means being able to enter tranquility anytime, anywhere, and using that tranquility to replace sleep.
"From now on, as long as you lie down and enter tranquility for two double-hours each day, you won't need to sleep at all. Over time, your spirit will grow increasingly vigorous, your mind will sharpen, your comprehension will surge, and you'll easily grasp concepts by analogy. Even an ordinary person would gradually become a genius."
With that, Qiao Zhi continued to stare at Chu Qiguang in disbelief. "Reaching the second stage so quickly... breaking through two whole stages on your very first day of cultivation? Is this the talent of a banished immortal? Terrifying... truly terrifying. If you keep up this pace, won't you be entering the Dao within two or three years?"
Chu Qiguang's talent shook Qiao Zhi deeply. However, with Chu Qiguang advancing two stages in a single day, the cat did not dare let him continue.
"Haste makes waste in cultivation. Sometimes going too fast isn't a good thing."
Fearing that Chu Qiguang might hold a grudge, Qiao Zhi explained, "Many geniuses met their ends through qi deviation simply because their realm rose too rapidly. External demons roam between heaven and earth; if your state of mind cannot keep pace with your cultivation, you will fall prey to them. You've advanced two stages in a single day, so to be safe, don't practice any Daoist arts for the next twenty-four hours."
Chu Qiguang was a novice when it came to cultivation, so he naturally followed whatever Qiao Zhi arranged.
After offering several more precautions regarding practice, Qiao Zhi suddenly asked, "You're illiterate, aren't you?"
Chu Qiguang's heart stirred, and he quickly said, "I ask that Master Qiao teach me how to read and write."
In a feudal dynasty like this, literacy was a fundamental skill for rising in the world, and Ergou had clearly never learned it.
Qiao Zhi did not reply immediately. Instead, he fixed Chu Qiguang with a piercing gaze and asked slowly, "Why do you want to learn to read and write?"
Sensing that the other party attached great importance to this question, Chu Qiguang put on an increasingly honest, earnest expression and replied solemnly, "I don't want to be a farmer anymore. I want to make something of myself and never be bullied again."
Qiao Zhi nodded and said, "Very well. Starting today, I will teach you."
From then on, Qiao Zhi began instructing Chu Qiguang in reading and writing. Having already stepped into the second stage of Daoist cultivation, Chu Qiguang possessed sharp ears and keen eyes, and his brain worked faster than ever before. His learning was remarkably efficient, allowing him to master over two hundred characters in a single night.
While teaching him characters, Qiao Zhi also casually spoke about the Wang family and the affairs of the county, prompting Chu Qiguang to ask further questions.
According to Qiao Zhi, he had resided in Qingyang County for more than a decade. With countless lesser demons and small animals under his command, gathering intelligence was effortless, giving him a thorough understanding of everything occurring throughout the county.
Through Qiao Zhi's accounts, Chu Qiguang developed a clearer picture of the local circumstances, the various officials, and the intricate ties between the gentry and prominent clans.
He mused inwardly, 'To think the Wang family's days aren't easy either. With no one from their family serving as an official—which is to say, no backing at court—they've been targeted by the county's gentry, who have been trying to seize an auspicious plot of land from them. Perhaps I can use this to my advantage.'
Moving on from Qingyang County, Qiao Zhi spoke all the way to the current imperial court of the Great Han Dynasty.
Chu Qiguang heard him sigh. "The Great Han has stood for two hundred years, and it has long since lost the vigor of its founding days.
"Nowadays, court politics are corrupt, and demonic abominations crop up everywhere. The northern demon race feeds their warhorses and sharpens their weapons, while the Dragon clan of the Eastern Sea watches like hungry tigers. Yet the eminent dignitaries only care about partisan strife, currying the Emperor's favor, amassing mountains of gold and silver, and taking more concubines... This Great Han... will likely fall in forty-eight years. When that time comes, the world will plunge into chaos, and no one will be spared."
"Forty-eight years?" Chu Qiguang looked at Qiao Zhi curiously. How could the cat cite such a remarkably precise number?
Chapter 11