WangXian Forever 4

Chapter 7 Experiments

Wei Ying was worried about Jiang Cheng. And worse, he couldn't show it or go and visit, so Lan Zhan had to listen to all his terrible theories on what was happening in Lotus Pier.

Lan Zhan was also worried, because his brother was preoccupied in a task that seemed to be going nowhere, plus he wasn't here. This meant more duties for Lan Zhan, who was never lazy, but this was taking things to another level. At least he knew how to handle Wei Ying and such being the case, he had suggested Wei Ying make his promise come true to his daughter. That was why they were walking on the back passages of the mountains in Cloud Recesses, hand in hand and laughing together.

It was an excellent distraction. Wei Ying thought Lan Zhan was a genius.

He loved spending time with his children, especially with his little rabbit. She was so excited when she found out what he was planning. The smile hadn't left her face.

If there was anything Wei Ying regretted, other than leaving Lan Zhan, it was that he'd had to leave his son, SiZhui. The years he could have spent by his side, watching him grow up would never come back. SiZhui was a young man now, and naturally, the childish innocence was beginning to disappear.

But he had it in spades with the child by his side now, one whose curiosity matched his own. She was perfect.

They came to a clearing in the woods. Today was the first dry day; it had been raining constantly up till now. Pine trees scented the air and a warm breeze caressed their smiling faces. Wei Ying put down the sitting mats and gestured for Li XiWang to sit opposite him.

"Control is important." He said, watching her expression.

She nodded silently, bubbling with energy.

"Sometimes, it's the only difference between life and death. You have to make breathing in control, your gut reflex. So even if you have an emergency, your breathing will centre you. Once your mind is calm, you will know what to do." He demonstrated.

She copied him a few times, but now she looked concerned.

"What is it, little rabbit?"

"I have a question."

"Go on." Wei Ying smiled internally. At this point, he would have been surprised if she did not.

"You say I'll know what to do, if I'm in a difficult situation. But how?"

Wei Ying leaned forward and rubbed the crease on her forehead with his thumb, gently until she smiled.

"That's a difficult one. We cannot predict what kind of situations we will have to face, right?"

She nodded.

"Then it stands to reason, that we must train ourselves to do the right thing, so it becomes automatic. With me so far?"

"Yes."

"Doing the right thing...means saving people first, if we are looking at this from a Cultivation view. Preservation of life has to be a golden rule, because once it's gone, there aren't many ways to bring them back." Wei Ying smiled kindly. "Most situations make us stressed, and when that happens, it's hard to think clearly. We put pressure on ourselves and while it can help, maybe? I think it's not useful. But if we bring our attention back to our breath, calmness is inevitable. Nature has given us a way to cope, and you must make it second nature, so you will do it without thinking."

"Okay."

"Let's begin."

They sat in silent meditation for about half an hour. Whenever he checked, he saw Li XiWang obediently breathing in and out, as slowly as she could.