## AST: Chapter 26 – Continental Medical Annal

After returning to his home in the Qing Mansion, Qing Shui placed the rest of the books on a table, and decided to browse through the contents of the <<Continental Medical Annal>> first.

“Exploring ways to a Healthy Lifestyle”, “The Organs in the Human Body”, “The Meridians and Energy Channels” , “Reasons on how Illnesses Occur”, “Ways to Strengthen your body during the 4 Seasons” were all chapters in the <<Continental Medical Annal>>. Qing Shui continued browsing through the contents until finally he saw..

“Method to nourish one’s vitality, Body and Spirit as one”.

Qing Shui stopped flipping the pages as he found this chapter interesting and thus, had decided to focus in-depth on the above topic.

The 5 emotions in medical terminology refers to joy, anger, anxiety, worry and fear.

Any changes in emotions, no matter how minor, would affect the functions of the internal organs. In every individual, there exists a source of latent energy that when utilized correctly, could make one feel awake and clear-headed, in contrast, when influenced negatively, would result in one being dispirited and listless. This source of latent energy, in chinese medicine was also known as the 5 emotions, but alternatively, when the 5 emotions intermixed, they are known by another name – spirit.

The stronger one’s spirit was, the stronger one’s mental strength would be! Everything in nature, follows a cycle; the absolute peak was also the absolute bottom.

Calm your emotions leading to less desires, compose your heart and know fearlessness, quiet your mind and know not of fatigue, achieving a smoother flow of Spiritual Qi, no matter what desires one holds, one would be able to fulfill them! ”This was the oracular formula to train one’s spirit!”

Just from this sentence, Qing Shui already felt that he had gained tremendous benefits, at the same time, he also understood the reasoning behind “the oceans were originally formed from a single droplet of water”. If he wanted to build a strong foundation, he should truly spend his time completely comprehending these basic bits of knowledge.

Qing Shui continued reading about the interactions between the 5 emotions and the functions of the internal organs.

“Happiness affects the heart, Anger affects the liver, Worry affects the lungs, Anxiety affects the mind, and Fear affects the kidneys.” The 5 emotions had an intimate relationship with the functions of the human body. Spirit too, was of paramount importance. The stronger the spirit, the stronger mental strength one would have. Remaining calm in the face of danger, handling affairs in a state of tranquility. These attributes would only appear in humans with strong spirits!

At the side, as Qing Yi saw that Qing Shui was immersed in that state of concentration, happiness bloomed in her heart, but she shook her head helplessly. After all, the young are made of dreams, Qing Yi did not want her son to fall too hard. Did she err when she decided to introduce Qing Shui to the path of Alchemy?

“Sigh, only after he meets some obstacles that cause him to stumble, would he know how tough the road ahead would be.” Qing Yi silently said to herself.

Qing Shui continued reading in greater detail, it was as if he had forgotten that Qing Yi was still in the room. One could sense palpable waves of concentration emitting from Qing Shui in his intense state of focus as he continued reading the book. “The 5 emotions would only transmogrify into the root of illnesses when they are overdrafted. Excessive anger, excessive depression, etc would first cause the body to deteriorate, before damaging the spirit!

Other than damaging the spirit, the negative emotions of “Anger, Anxiety, Worry, Fear” would also adversely affect one’s Yuan Qi.

“Yuan Qi!” Qing Shui heightened his concentration as he came across this term. He understood that Yuan Qi could also be known as the Vital Essence. Vital Essence was the source of energy for humans! In other words, Vital Essence was also Yuan Qi, if one’s Yuan Qi was exhausted, one would lose his life!

All of a sudden, Qing Shui inclined his head and saw Qing Yi’s doting gaze looking at him, and as he thought of his earlier actions, of being too engrossed in reading the book to the point of forgetting her existence, Qing Shui fidgeted around as he grinned awkwardly.

“Sorry mother, this book was just too interesting to the point that I lost myself in the midst of concentration.”

“Don’t worry dear, I am very happy. After all, the proverb goes :“only with great will and obsession, would one be able to truly accomplish great things.” It seems like our Shui`er would become a great doctor in the future” Qing Yi warmly smiled. In her speech, she had purposely lowered the target for Qing Shui. She did not want to see this headstrong child of her to feel depressed because of being unable to become an alchemist. After all, the entirety of Qing Clan’s fortune may not even be sufficient to cultivate a common-ranked alchemist.

Qing Shui understood the meaning behind Qing Yi’s phrasing perfectly. In the past when he was younger, even when counting in his experiences and age from his previous world, at most Qing Shui could only be considered a half-grown up kid. His thoughts and mentality had not matured yet. He could only hate the heavens for being unjust, gifting him with a weak constitution, and placing such a huge obstacle on his path to cultivation. However, the Qing Shui now had learnt much from his experiences. Contending himself with the sneers of his family members, tempering his heart and improving his state of mind. The current him actually possessed a mental strength and determination far beyond the norm!

“Mother, there is no need to worry about Shui`er, I have already grown up. Let me be the shield for you to rely on when you are sad or tired, and the halberd to attack your enemies should anyone dare to slight or bully you. No matter what mother wishes for, I would definitely accomplish it. Woe betides those who doubt me.” Qing Yi was extremely touched when she heard those words, she struggled to contained herself before happily bursting out with laughter.

How could she be unhappy, her son had finally grown up!

“Mother, I will be leaving tomorrow, and as promised, I won’t venture too far and will return to the Qing Clan before the year has ended. Mother can rest assured that I have sufficient power to protect myself.” Qing Shui reassured Qing Yi again and again, as he did not want Qing Yi to be worried for him.

Qing Yi felt a warmth in her heart as she softly sighed. The thing she has dreaded most had finally come, and could not be put off any longer. She patted Qing Shui on his head as she lost herself in memories of the past. “Sigh… how fast my child grew up.”

“Mother, you must be careful too alright, regardless of what will happen in the future, even if the Qing Clan loses its entire fortune, the money we lost could be slowly earned back. Please remind grandpa not to be impulsive, I just want all of you to be safe.” Qing Shui gravely reminded Qing Yi, with sincerity apparent in his eyes.

Tears flowed down her face as Qing Yi sobbed silently. Qing Shui understood that she was involuntarily reminded of that man… that man who was his father, that man who had abandoned them! Looking at the forlorn and helpless expression on her face, Qing Shui gritted his teeth and silently vowed. “I must seek redress sooner or later, and quickly gain strength to accomplish the wishes in mother’s heart.”

From the ramblings Qing Yi had let slip when he was still an infant, Qing Shui knew that his father was probably from an extremely powerful clan. In any case, he knew that even if he could increase his strength, unless he made a breakthrough to the Xiantian realm, it would still be insurmountably tough for him alone to clash against an ancient clan that had existed for over a thousand years.