C49 Respect

Watching Hanyu Xiaotian's entranced expression, Elder Yuan cleared his throat gently. "It seems you've had an epiphany, haven't you?"

"Yes, I truly have. I owe you a great debt of gratitude, Elder Yuan. And I mustn't forget to thank Xiao Yi," Hanyu Xiaotian responded, his excitement palpable as he came to his senses.

"Well, since you've gained some insight, I'll spare you any further lectures. Any other questions?"

"None."

"Good. If you're all set, you're free to go. I'll have someone tidy up the place, and then I need to teach Hanyu Yi about the art of weimen."

"Understood, Elder Yuan. I won't impose any longer. I'll arrange for my father to compensate you for any inconvenience I've caused. Farewell."

"Goodbye."

A short while later, Hanyu Xiaotian turned and departed.

"Xiao Yi, Xiao Yi!" Elder Yuan gave a couple of gentle pats on the shoulder of Hanyu Yi, who was still in a daze.

"Huh?"

Hanyu Yi had been silent from the moment Hanyu Xiaotian began manipulating the magnetic field until it ceased. She seemed to be deeply shaken by the astonishing spectacle she had just witnessed.

"Master... did you see that? What was that abyss-like space? And the flowing lights, the distortions... I felt for a moment as if I was about to die! Were all those things Hanyu Xiaotian's doing? How could he possibly..." Hanyu Yi didn't realize that her way of referring to Hanyu Xiaotian had shifted, no longer using the familiar 'little Tian'. In her voice, there was an undertone of... reverence.

"Yes, I saw it. Come along, today I'll teach you about the fundamental concepts and applications of weimen in ancient China."

"Ah? Okay, but, but..."

Without waiting for her to finish, Elder Yuan ushered the still somewhat disoriented Hanyu Yi into his classroom to begin a lesson on the earliest meanings of weimen in ancient China.

"Weimen consists of 'Qi', 'Door', and 'Escape'. 'Qi' represents the odd sequences of second, third, and fourth; 'Door' includes the eight gates of rest, life, injury, du, scenery, death, shock, and opening; 'Escape' signifies concealment, while 'First' refers to the six Jia, namely Jiazi, Jiaxu, Jiashen, Jiawu, Jiachen, and Jiayin. The noblest of the ten heavenly stems, 'Escape' is hidden beneath the six Yi, which are Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui. The concealment principle aligns each Jia with its corresponding Yi. Additionally, it incorporates the nine stars of Peng, Ren, Chong, Fu, Ying, Rui, Zhu, Xin, and Qin. Weimen divination is primarily divided into the celestial, door, and earth disks, symbolizing the three talents. The celestial disk's nine palaces house nine stars, the middle disk's eight palaces (with the central palace doubling for the second) arrange the eight gates, and the earth disk's eight palaces represent the eight directions, remaining static. On both the celestial and earth disks, each palace is assigned specific Qi (second, third, fourth) and Yi (Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui). Thus, based on the specific time and date, using the six Yi, three Qi, eight gates, and nine stars, one can divine the relationships, characteristics, and movements of things, choosing the most auspicious times and directions. This forms a unique category within the mystical culture of China—the art of weimen..."

Elder Yuan's lessons for Hanyu Yi aside, Hanyu Xiaotian felt no rush to return home after departing from the Library. Lately, both Hanyu Zhan'an and Xia Xiaodie had plunged back into their hectic work schedules, often vanishing for months at a time. With the house feeling empty and dull, Hanyu Xiaotian entertained the idea of taking a stroll outside.

Over the past five years, the God of Stars had been steadily growing stronger by drawing in starlight, which had freed up a considerable amount of Hanyu Xiaotian's time. With 24 hours in a day, he devoted well over ten of those, beyond the necessities of eating and sleeping, to deciphering the Chaotic Universe Stellar Scripture and mastering the myriad divine powers and secret arts from the Scripture Pavilion.

Now, after such an intense stretch of training, Hanyu Xiaotian could feel the weariness setting in. He recognized the need for a break. Cultivation wasn't simply a matter of duration; the results didn't always improve with longer practice. Sometimes, a blend of exertion and rest could yield unexpectedly remarkable outcomes.