"Yes, disciple understands." Zhang Chen said.
Zhou Xu’s gaze shifted, looking at Zhang Chen’s hair, a hint of confusion in his eyes: "What’s with your hair? Why is it all white?"
"You don’t know, I have a deadly feud with the Crown Prince Zhang Xiaohua of Prince Pingbian’s Mansion. I’ve been losing sleep day and night, worrying so much that my hair turned white." Zhang Chen sighed helplessly, simply placing all the blame on Zhang Xiaohua.
Hearing this, Zhou Xu looked at Zhang Chen with sympathy; after all, that was Prince Pingbian’s Crown Prince. If he had offended such a person, he probably wouldn’t be able to calm his nerves all day either.
Zhou Xu patted Zhang Chen on the shoulder, sighed, then turned away full of his own thoughts, leaving Zhang Chen puzzled over Zhou Xu’s concerns.
"Is that all? Seems like privilege really is sweet." Zhang Chen muttered as he lazily returned to his courtyard, seeing Xiaodouding pacing anxiously under the big elm tree there.
"What are you up to?" Zhang Chen entered the yard silently, asking.
Chengyu was startled, turning to glare at Zhang Chen: "Why do you walk so quietly? Trying to scare me to death?"
Speaking of which, Chengyu quickly approached, glanced around the yard, then pressed Zhang Chen: "Where have you been this month? You never came back, not even a message. I was scared that ugly freak had harmed you."
"What could happen to me?" Zhang Chen shook his head: "Remember, no one in this world has been born yet who can kill me."
"In the future, if you don’t see me return on time, remember to cover for me." Zhang Chen patted Xiaodouding’s head.
"Hmph, want me to cover for you? See if you play your cards right. And anyway, how to cover up a whole month? Luckily I’m clever, the Observatory Master looked for you several times, I told them Leader Xie called you down the mountain and covered it up." Xiaodouding stretched out a small tender white hand, looking at Zhang Chen expectantly, waiting for a reward.
Zhang Chen knew Xiaodouding wanted snacks, but unfortunately, Zhang Chen had gone down the mountain hastily this time, without bringing any snacks back.
"Next time I’ll bring you some, I went down the mountain for something important this time, didn’t get a chance to fetch any for you." Zhang Chen said.
Chengyu pouted, then her gaze inadvertently skimmed Zhang Chen’s temples, her expression changed drastically: "Zhang Chen, why is your hair all white?"
"I don’t know either." Zhang Chen carried Xiaodouding in his arms and walked into the house.
"Could it be that Zhang Xiaohua scoundrel is secretly harming you, poisoning you?" Xiaodouding showed a hint of maliciousness in his eyes: "How about we strike first before he causes us harm, get rid of Zhang Xiaohua, and then run away down the mountain later."
Xiaodouding’s gaze was full of bandit-like arrogance.
Zhang Chen patted Xiaodouding’s head, smoothing his spiked hair: "It’s not him, just a mere Zhang Xiaohua, how could he harm me? I just had a problem with my cultivation. Though I didn’t bring snacks, I brought you something good."
"What is it?" Xiaodouding, being a child, was immediately intrigued, looking at Zhang Chen with curiosity.
Zhang Chen led Xiaodouding into the house, closed the door, and patted Xiaodouding’s head, considering whether to teach him the Extraordinary Technique.
The Visualization Technique imprinted on Zhang Chen’s soul couldn’t be passed on initially, but after using the Six-Word Mantra repeatedly in the Netherworld to control the Innate Mosquito, Zhang Chen felt his soul had undergone a mysterious change, with a potential ability to transfer knowledge through the power of the Six-Word Mantra as a bridge between souls.
"Come here, sit cross-legged." Zhang Chen instructed Xiaodouding.
Xiaodouding obediently sat cross-legged, seriously forming seals while meditating.
For those practising martial arts, meditating isn’t hard, as daily stance-holding is also a form of meditation.
Seeing Xiaodouding’s breathing calm, Zhang Chen extended a finger, placing it on Xiaodouding’s brow. The next moment, in the Spiritual World, the Six-Word Mantra shone brightly, emitting immense radiance that projected through the Visualization Image, like a projector lamp through a transparency, Zhang Chen attempted to project it into Xiaodouding’s Spiritual World.
Reality proved, though the body has barriers, moving Spiritual Power from one body to another is extremely difficult.
Yet with the miraculous power of Six-Character Radiance, he succeeded.
The Six-Word Mantra burst with golden light, projecting through the Daoist Visualization Image Zhang Chen once obtained, using his finger as a medium, bypassing the flesh barrier and directly into Xiaodouding’s Spiritual World.
"What’s this? What’s this?"
Xiaodouding, startled, sent a curious mental wave.
"Memorize it, imprint this image in your heart, do not forget." Zhang Chen’s voice transmitted through the finger into Xiaodouding’s Spiritual World.
Xiaodouding said no more, silently memorizing the image, recording the various key points in it.
After ten breaths, Zhang Chen’s magical power exhausted, the technique transfer ceased, and Zhang Chen looked at Xiaodouding, seeing him sitting cross-legged as immobile as a monk in meditation, his breathing almost imperceptible.