Chapter 4, Returning Home

The young brother indeed possesses extraordinary insight; it is precisely the art of Qi Escape. Yan Xin was secretly astonished, realizing that there were only a handful of individuals, perhaps two or three, in all of China who understood such a supreme level of Qi Gong

In the quiet of the thatched house, Tang Shan's heart raced with anxiety as he hurried inside. His gaze fell upon the framed pictures on the wall, the few old photographs resting atop them, the kang cabinet, and the small kang table; everything was just as he remembered from his childhood. Lying on the kang was an elderly woman on the brink of death, her gray-white hair disheveled, her eyes sunken and barely alive. Tang Shan could hardly believe his eyes, yet he could still vaguely recognize that this was his mother, the only family member he had longed for day and night. A wave of sorrow washed over him, and tears streamed down his face. He grasped his mother's withered hand, gazing at her weathered and haggard face, as hot tears fell onto her cheeks.

The sun rose as it did every day, and people went about their routines, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, yet no one noticed that the old woman under the white pine tree at the edge of the village was no longer there. In the misty Ling Mountain area under the afterglow of the setting sun, on the mountain path leading to Qianbaoshan Village, two weary travelers finally arrived after a long journey, those being Tangshan and Huaxin

Thirteen years ago on that day, she returned from sending Tangshan to school and went to the market to buy two jin of meat, preparing to make dumplings for dinner. On the way home, she saw tender green shepherd's purse growing by the field's ditch, so she took off her shoes and top, and barefooted, she picked them from the ditch, leaving her clothes and shoes by the roadside. As she picked, she soon filled a large bag. When she returned to the road, she found that her clothes and shoes were gone! That blue-and-white top was a gift from her husband on their wedding day, and since his passing, she had treasured it and never worn it. Whenever she had trouble sleeping through the long nights, she would take it out, reminiscing under the light, alleviating her longing. ... But now it was lost, leaving her heartbroken and filled with regret ...

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On the northbound train, in the soft sleeper compartment, Hua Xin lay on the upper bunk dozing off, while Tang Shan absentmindedly gazed out the window at the fields and villages rushing by. The two middle-aged passengers in the opposite bunk seemed to have quite a background; when they boarded in Kunming, they were seen off by a considerable number of people, including monks and Daoists, and among them were several individuals who appeared to be of significant rank. The leading middle-aged man, around forty to fifty years old, cast a lazy glance at Tang Shan as he stepped through the compartment door, exclaiming in surprise, "Oh".

No, the position of the wormhole is not fixed; it changes with the orientation of the Earth's movement, the angles of celestial bodies, gravitational forces, and even some large human engineering projects such as reservoirs and the extraction of underground oil and minerals, all of which affect the variations in the Earth's magnetic field, resulting in the drift of the wormhole. Yan Xin's voice gradually weakened, and his gaze became increasingly languid, eventually closing his eyelids.

Every morning, when the sun rises, people can see her sitting on the large green stone under the old white pine at the edge of the village, silently gazing into the distance

This is my business card, feel free to contact me at any time. Yan Xin took out a business card and wrote down the phone number, handing it to Tang Shan. The card was simple and elegant, featuring the cursive characters for Yan Xin.

"Mother, it is I, your son, who has returned home." Tangshan, with tears streaming down his face, tightly embraced his emaciated mother

Hmm, at such a young age, it is rare. My name is Yan Xin.

The train continues to travel north through the thick fog

At the foot of Wuling Mountain lies Qianbao Mountain Village. Spring has arrived, and the willows by the West Dahu River have already sprouted new green leaves. The clear river water flows gently, while in the fields, clusters of yellow dandelion flowers and white shepherd's purse flowers are scattered here and there, filling the air with the fragrance of the earth

The old woman slowly opened her eyes, her trembling lips murmured: "Is it really you? My mountain has returned..."

Yan Xin briefly pondered and said: "Well, have you heard of wormholes?"

A heart-wrenching wail escaped from my mother, as she spat out a stream of black congealed blood, a manifestation of the heartache that had accumulated in her chest for thirteen long years

Tangshan shook its head

"So, what is the function of the wormhole?" Tangshan asked with concern

At noon, she walked along the path leading to Malanyu, her mood still difficult to release. The out-of-breath little girl running towards her was the neighbor's Xiaofen. Upon seeing Tangshan's mother, she was taken aback and stammered, "Aunt, you are not... Tangshan..." After much effort, she finally managed to clarify that Tangshan had gone mad after seeing the corpse on the railway, shouting and running around. Xiaofen had no choice but to run back to the village to call for help.

Under the old white pine tree at the village entrance, on a large bluestone, sat a raggedly dressed old woman, with a dog-beating stick beside her and a broken begging bowl at her feet. Her unkempt and tangled hair had turned gray, and her haggard face was lined with wrinkles, her dull and lifeless gaze fixed on the distance. She is the mother of Tangshan

Tangshan wiped away his tears, enduring the pain, and extended his palms to press on his mother's head. He divided four types of true energy—warmth and heat, cold and cool—into the four extraordinary points of the Four Spirits. The warmth and heat energies circulated along the "Yang Sea of Meridians" through the Governing Vessel, while the cold and cool energies circulated along the "Yin Sea of Meridians" through the Conception Vessel. The warm energy gathered in the Sea of Qi, the heat energy merged into the Sea of Water and Grains, the cold energy descended into the Sea of Blood, and the cool energy dispersed into the Sea of Marrow. Time passed by second by second, and ultimately, the original energies of the spirit, essence, and the three burners converged and blended in the Four Seas. Tangshan let out a long sigh, withdrew his palms, and realized that two hours had already passed.

In the distance, the old thatched house behind the chestnut grove still stood, though the rafters in the southwest corner had collapsed, and the door, missing half of its panel, stood ajar. Tang Shan felt a surge of warmth in his heart, his eyes moistening. He stood for a while, murmuring, "Mother, I am back..." Hua Xin silently stood behind him

Tangshan once heard Master Zhongba Huofo speak of an ancient high-level qigong technique from the Central Plains, known as Qi Dun. This technique could gather all the energy of a qigong practitioner’s biological magnetic field into a single beam, carrying information that could penetrate both the yin and yang realms. However, due to the various artificial magnetic fields present in modern society, such as broadcasting, television, and satellite communications, it has become nearly impossible to achieve this now

Tangshan has been secluded in Cheng'en Temple since childhood, knowing very little about the affairs of the outside world, and is unaware of this renowned Chinese qigong master. He briefly introduced himself and asked, "Just now, the master's air-breaking energy was incredibly fierce; could it be the air escape technique of the Central Plains?"

Yes, some of the major disasters in the world may be related to the magnetic anomaly known as the wormhole. As for the atmospheric escape, I regularly emit signals to collect the magnetic fluctuations associated with the wormhole anomaly, in hopes of predicting certain disasters

Tangshan nodded

"Did you feel it?" After a moment, Master slowly opened his eyes and smiled gently at Tangshan

"Every time the master uses his energy escape technique, it results in significant power loss, and he will fall into a deep sleep for a while," Yan Xin explained to Tang Shan

Yan Xin continued with great interest, stating that the insect eyes are the acupuncture points of the earth, the intersection of two-dimensional spaces, and represent an abnormal vortex of the Earth's magnetic field. The intense magnetic vortex's abnormal frequency is beyond the detection capabilities of current scientific instruments, and its operational process remains unclear. However, the results manifested are astonishing, such as the ships and aircraft that disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle, the alien spacecraft that crashed in Roswell, the curse of the pharaohs of the pyramids, and even the Tangshan earthquake.

At the moment of death, the mother showed no response, her eyes still tightly closed... Yet slowly, tears began to seep from the corners of her eyes, one drop, two drops... Tang Shan felt as if his heart were being cut by a knife, overwhelmed with grief. Behind him, the soft sound of Hua Xin's sobbing could be heard.

***

Upon hearing this, the mother from Tangshan was taken aback and hurriedly rushed towards the direction of the railway with Xiaofen. Beneath the railway embankment, a crowd was still gathered around. A female corpse lay on the ground, her head crushed, flesh and blood in disarray. The light blue floral top was torn, and the mandarin ducks on the collar were stained with blood. She understood that the deceased was the person who had stolen the clothes

Yan Xin explained that, for example, an apple's skin and core represent the realms of Yang and Yin, respectively, belonging to two separate spaces that do not connect. However, if a worm drills a tunnel between the skin and the core, linking the two spaces, this hole is referred to as a wormhole in astronomical terms. On this Earth, there are many such wormholes, most of which are located near the 30° North latitude line, such as the Bermuda Triangle, the Pyramids of Egypt, and Poyang Lake in China, which are referred to in Chinese folklore as Yin-Yang gates. Just as modern chemistry originated from ancient alchemy, the earliest discoverers of wormholes were geographers throughout history, who dedicated their lives to exploration and discovery, such as Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng from the Tang Dynasty, Lai Buyi from the Song Dynasty, and Liu Bowen from the Ming Dynasty, all of whom were prominent figures. Particularly, Lai Buyi from Jiangxi was skilled in locating strange sites; he traversed mountains and rivers throughout his life, seeking dragon veins, and most of these were essentially along the 30° North latitude line.

In the early morning, the mountain city of Chongqing is shrouded in thick fog at the Caiyuanba Railway Station. Tang Shan bids a hasty farewell to Yan Xin, who tightly grips Tang Shan's hand, expressing a sense of reluctance: "Little brother, we hit it off at first sight. If it weren't for the urgent need to head to Hubei this time, I would truly like to travel with you, as it would provide a great opportunity for an all-night conversation."

This is the voice of a mother! ... Tangshan was stunned as if struck by lightning ...

If fate allows, I shall surely meet the master again, to resolve the doubts in my heart. Tangshan's complexion is melancholic and pale

Do you know the location of the wormhole? Tangshan sincerely admires the mastery of this master

Tangshan earthquake? A tremor in the heart of Tangshan

In Tangshan, I can vaguely recognize the Dingling of Emperor Xianfeng from my childhood memories, along with the nearby Xida River. Crossing the river, I see the familiar old white pine tree at the village entrance. The image of my mother wearing a blue-and-white top remains so vivid in my mind, yet before me is an emptiness, with only a few crows perched on the branches, emitting a mournful cry

Master, I have only heard my teacher mention it briefly and do not fully understand. May I ask if you could provide some guidance? This is a respectful inquiry from Tangshan

As spring departs and summer arrives, as autumn leaves and winter comes, the mother from Tangshan searched throughout the Wuling Mountain area and the Beijing-Tianjin region, begging for food along the way while searching. Her hair turned gray, and her back became hunched. Year after year, in the end, she returned to Qianbaoshan Village, holding onto a faint belief that her son would one day come back home, her steps unsteady.

"Master, the time has come," said the person beside him respectfully. The one referred to as Master nodded, removed his shoes, and sat cross-legged on the mat. He took a deep breath, raised his arms, embraced the universe, turned his palms upward, and closed his eyes to cultivate his energy. ... Tang Shan felt a sudden chill, first sensing a powerful magnetic field enveloping the entire soft sleeper carriage, which was soon condensed into a beam, shooting northward into the void ...

"Mother, I am back." Tangshan whispered sobbingly in his mother's ear

On that night, Tang Shan tossed and turned, finding it difficult to fall asleep. He contemplated the profound skills and extensive knowledge of Master Yan Xin, which were truly beyond comprehension; the Central Plains indeed harbored hidden talents. In the early hours, Tang Shan simply got up and sat cross-legged in meditation. After calming his mind, that faint, elusive sound reappeared. He focused his energy at the Listening Meeting point of the Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian, mentally detaching from all interfering magnetic field frequencies, and tuned into that distant, ethereal, faint information. Gradually, that faint information began to strengthen. After an unknown period of time, he finally heard that voice, the familiar voice from his childhood, which sounded as if it were weeping and lamenting: "Shan'er, it has been thirteen years, why have you not returned..." After calming his mind, that faint, elusive sound reappeared. He focused his energy at the Listening Meeting point of the Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian, mentally detaching from all interfering magnetic field frequencies, and tuned into that distant, ethereal, faint information. Gradually, that faint information began to strengthen. After an unknown period of time, he finally heard that voice, the familiar voice from his childhood, which sounded as if it were weeping and lamenting: "Shan'er, it has been thirteen years, why have you not returned..."

Yan Xin? "Hua Xin exclaimed softly from the upper bunk, and the drowsiness instantly vanished

The traces of Tangshan are nowhere to be seen, Tangshan has vanished