I Take Life Seriously, Part 88: How to Master the Second Trigram of Heaven and Earth, Part One

Both sides were moving far too fast for there to be any real chance of landing a decisive hit.

Meanwhile, the two defenders and the three satellites kept unleashing laser strikes at the two demigods. None of them connected, but they still threw the pair off balance and steadily drained their power.

At last, after nearly nine minutes of pursuit at thirteen times the speed of sound, both demigods were completely unable to sustain their energy supply. Their speed began to drop, one Mach every second.

Within only three seconds, Zhang Mingjing’s velocity had become utterly beyond their reach.

At that point, Zhang Mingjing issued a command to the three satellites: he would ram the two of them into the ground, and the moment they landed, the satellites were to finish them with pinpoint laser strikes.

No sooner had the order been given than Zhang Mingjing shot forward at thirteen times the speed of sound and slammed into the demigod named Day. There was no way for the other to evade; he was hurled straight toward the earth.

The instant Day struck the ground, his consciousness clouded over. The strange spacetime code within him also momentarily lost all will, leaving him unable to perform the transfer art, and so he was indeed annihilated by the three satellites’ instant laser strike.

Seeing his brother slain, the demigod named Night panicked and fled in wild disorder.

Alas, at his present speed, no more than six times the speed of sound, a collision from Zhang Mingjing at thirteen times the speed of sound nearly shattered his bones apart.

After being struck, he too crashed toward the ground at supersonic speed, and in the end, with a thunderous explosion, was instantly finished by the satellites’ lasers.

And so this battle came to an end. Though the enemy had been repaid in his own coin and the two demigods had tasted the fury of a high-speed assault, the Daoist team still paid a steep price. The two pets were gravely wounded, Catherine and Jamie suffered moderate injuries, and Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia still had a reprimand awaiting them.

For Zhang Mingjing, there were simply too many vexing matters.

...

Zhang Mingjing safely escorted Catherine and Jamie home, then helped both of them with healing cultivation before returning to his own place. Judging by their condition, if treated with the armor’s energy, they would need only about a week of rest to recover.

The two pets had long since been sent back to Zhang Mingjing’s residence by the armor. Their injuries were quite serious; escaping with their lives this time had been nothing short of fortune. Most likely, for the next half month they could do little but remain inside the armor, relying on its energy to rapidly mend their wounded tissues and organs.

After returning home to check on the two pets, Zhang Mingjing was already exhausted in body and spirit. Yet according to plan, he still had to go back and hold Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia accountable, then comfort them as well. Just thinking of it made him feel even more drained.

The five-dimensional spatial thought model advised him, “Since you’re tired, go tomorrow. Besides, the two of them have made contributions before. They did their best in this battle too, and they already know they were wrong. Who never makes mistakes? When you chose to use them, you must have expected some trouble.”

“Ha...” Zhang Mingjing let out a helpless sigh, then asked the real person, “What are Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia doing right now?”

“Cooking. They’re waiting for you to come back and eat,” the real person replied.

“Damn. They still have the mood to cook at a time like this...”

“They’ve prepared a very lavish meal today. They mean to apologize to you.”

“Apologize for what? I’m the one who got hurt?” Zhang Mingjing muttered, then said irritably, “Forget it. I can’t be bothered to go home.”

And so Zhang Mingjing really did not return home for dinner. Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia knew full well that they had underestimated the enemy and brought disaster upon themselves, so they did not even dare call him. They simply sat with the food and waited for his return.

They waited until three in the morning and still had not seen Zhang Mingjing. During that time, they repeatedly asked the real person, who kept saying that Zhang Mingjing was at his residence and had no intention of coming back for the moment.

“Ha...” Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia sighed and finally went to rest separately.

For the next three days, Zhang Mingjing still did not come home.

Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia were anguished with anxiety over those three days. First, they feared that Zhang Mingjing would from then on treat them this way; second, they feared a sudden worsening of Catherine, Jamie, and the two pets’ injuries; third, they feared being expelled from the Daoist team because of this matter. Yet neither dared to contact Zhang Mingjing first and admit fault, for fear of making matters worse. So they could only shut themselves away and reflect in remorse.

In truth, Zhang Mingjing was indeed very angry over this incident, but after all, they were his parents. Besides, no one is without fault. Surely they had to be given a chance to correct their mistakes. Most importantly, they truly had done their utmost.

However, he also understood that given Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia’s personalities, if forgiveness came too easily, the chance of them repeating the mistake later would rise greatly. Thus his deliberate refusal to go home was also meant to use this opportunity to issue them a stronger warning.

At last, on the fourth day, when Zhang Mingjing learned that Catherine, Jamie, and the two pets had recovered very well, he felt he could face them with complete calm. Only then did he have the real person inform them that he was on his way back.

Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia were both delighted and terrified upon hearing the news. They were delighted that Zhang Mingjing had finally returned, and terrified that as soon as he came back he would announce their removal from the Daoist team.

A little more than ten seconds before Zhang Mingjing entered, the two of them deliberately stood upright and respectfully, like schoolchildren awaiting punishment, waiting for Zhang Mingjing to show mercy.

Before stepping through the door, Zhang Mingjing had already perceived their behavior and much of what was on their minds, so he was mentally prepared and would not lose his temper lightly.

When he entered, he sat down on the sofa. Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia followed beside him and did not dare sit.

At that moment, Zhang Mingjing grumbled, “Sit down. Stop putting on an act.”

Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia exchanged a glance, both looking rather awkward, but in the end they sat down in the chairs by the dining table opposite Zhang Mingjing, ready to listen carefully to the “leader’s lecture” and absorb the “leader’s spirit.”

“To be honest, I originally intended to expel you both from the Daoist team,” Zhang Mingjing said, deliberately keeping his tone cold and slowing his speech.

Sure enough, Zhang Yidao could not remain still after hearing that. With a wry smile, he said, “This was my fault. I committed a huge mistake, but... I still hope the organization can give me a chance to make up for it.”

“There’s nothing to make up for,” Zhang Mingjing said, still deliberately cold, though his tone had softened.

“Ah...” Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia exchanged a look and no longer dared speak.

“But...” Zhang Mingjing went on, then paused there.

At the word “but,” Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia immediately stretched their necks and pricked their ears, wearing expressions that said they were waiting for instructions from above.

Zhang Mingjing continued in the same cool tone, “Considering that you’re my parents, and that this was your first time fighting a demigod, I’ll reluctantly forgive you this once. But only this once.”

The moment Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia heard that, they were instantly relieved and nodded repeatedly.

After saying this, Zhang Mingjing prepared to leave.

“You’re leaving already? Stay and have a meal! Mom made a lot of delicious dishes today,” Xiao Nüxia hurriedly said.

“Forget it. I can’t eat right now. We’ll talk in a few days. And don’t delay your cultivation; you still need to practice more,” Zhang Mingjing said, then left.

As soon as he stepped outside, the five-dimensional spatial thought model complained, “Damn, you’re really quite the actor.”

“Ha, what can I do? If I don’t use this kind of method, I really can’t keep them in line.”

“You used strategy on your own parents. That’s pretty dark.”

“Dark? Is that all?”

“If it were us, strength would decide everything. Whoever is stronger gets listened to. Fair and square, plain and simple. Why resort to so many underhanded tricks?”

“Go on. You don’t even have parents, so how could you understand the hardship behind it?”

“Even if I did, in our place it would still be strength that speaks.”

“Damn, you know that’s your place. Here, though, this is our place. Different lands nurture different customs; different customs shape different people. On Earth, knowing how to use a little cunning is also a kind of ability, understand?”

“Mm... No wonder you end up so mentally exhausted.”

...

In any case, this tactic did work on Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia. After that awkward lecture that hardly resembled a superior’s reprimand, the two of them indeed resolved to steady themselves, take things seriously, cultivate diligently, focus on their work, devote themselves to others, serve their country, defend the earth, bring honor to their ancestors, and so on. In short, they began stuffing themselves full of positive energy.

Soon after Zhang Mingjing left, Zhang Yidao settled his mind and prepared to enter deep meditation. Xiao Nüxia also prepared to enter deep meditation and let her consciousness follow his.

This time, Zhang Yidao welcomed Xiao Nüxia’s supervision and guidance, while Xiao Nüxia clearly stated that, in order to improve work quality, she could be utterly ruthless, even toward her own kin.

The two of them were finally working in unison again.

...

Zhang Yidao entered deep meditation and instantly formed a trigrams pattern within his consciousness, then began deeply interpreting the information of each trigram.

Today he felt especially good, and somewhere in the hidden dark he sensed that he would gain an unexpected harvest.

He began by reading the first and second trigrams.

Within the eight trigrams, each trigram is not only interconnected but also opposed in pairs. The information of one trigram can influence the result of the next, and the cycle turns endlessly, giving birth to ceaselessly. That essence rich in the nature of life was what made it so powerful.

Wherever there is the essence of life, there is energy. Therefore the strength of the energy within each trigram, and the harmony between yin and yang, are crucial; they directly affect the fortune of the Daoist team member occupying that trigram’s position.

This time, Zhang Yidao intended to focus specifically on interpreting the energy of each trigram.

His choice to begin with the first and second trigrams was also quite simple. In a trigrams formation, the most critical positions are precisely those two trigrams governing the inflow and outflow of energy. Put simply, the inlet and outlet are the key.

As the saying goes, still water does not breed worms, and a constantly used pivot does not rot. The success or failure of a trigrams formation depends fundamentally on the movement of energy in and out.

During his previous formation work, Zhang Yidao had always regarded Zhang Mingjing as the outlet of energy, because he believed Zhang Mingjing possessed the strongest energy among the Daoist team members and should therefore naturally serve as the force of output and the main striking power.

He believed the second trigram should be the outlet of energy, responsible for releasing attacks, and thus perfectly suited to Zhang Mingjing.

He believed the first trigram should be the inlet of energy, responsible for receiving the informational energy of heaven and earth, and using it to recharge every trigram position including Zhang Mingjing’s. In this way, the trigrams formation would not only continuously obtain energy to make up for its losses, but also balance the power of each position.

But today, while he was in meditation, the trigrams suddenly resonated with higher-dimensional information, and inspiration flashed like lightning. In that instant, he optimized his previous understanding.

Now he believed that Zhang Mingjing was still indeed suited to the second trigram and should remain there, but that in battle his role could shift and become the inlet of energy, the one who received power, while the first trigram should become the outlet, the one that released energy. He intended to establish the new trigrams formation in exactly this way.