Huangdi Neijing
The next day, Xu Ruizhi took the breakfast his mother had bought him and hurried from the hospital to school.
Walking along the road back to school, Xu Ruizhi's face was still full of confusion as he pondered the dream he'd had the night before and the strange memories inexplicably etched deep into his mind.
Munching on the breakfast his mother had bought, Xu Ruizhi recalled the dream from last night. In it, a golden book radiating an ancient, weathered aura had appeared beside him. It seemed alive, flitting up and down as it examined him—sometimes dancing joyfully and swiftly, other times hovering in puzzled hesitation. Then, it suddenly transformed into a beam of golden light that burrowed into his forehead. His vision blurred, and an elderly man in coarse hemp robes, spirited and imposing, suddenly stood before him.
He had been deeply shocked at the time. The old man was so tall and mighty, like a small mountain looming over him, his thick hands rough and powerful, as if forged from steel and iron.
The elder fixed his gaze on him, eyes twinkling like stars, his voice booming like a great bell, devoid of any emotion.
"Harmony of yin and yang seizes creation's fortune; immortality's tribulation treads the path of karma..."
Each word echoed eternally, indelible through the ages.
At this thought, enlightenment flooded Xu Ruizhi like a sudden downpour. A torrent of unfamiliar memories flashed through his consciousness, and his body trembled as if shouldering a mountain's weight.
He felt like he might explode, his head twisting in agony. Gritting his teeth against the intense pain, Xu Ruizhi barely managed to absorb all the memories.
Harmony of yin and yang seizes creation's fortune; immortality's tribulation treads the path of karma.
This book was none other than the Huangdi Neijing! The true ancient inheritance, not the incomplete versions circulating outside, but the genuine article!
It recorded the Yellow Emperor's life in full, including all his cultivation methods.
The contents were vast: cultivation chapters, herbal medicine sections, spell incantations...
Standing at the school gate, Xu Ruizhi still hadn't fully processed it. His mind was a jumble, with the Huangdi Neijing quietly floating at the center of his sea of consciousness. He had a rough idea of when it had entered his mind—it must have been that accident at age two when he fell into the well.
That mishap had granted him the Huangdi Neijing, but he had been too young then to withstand the inheritance.
Besides, the cultivation method in the Huangdi Neijing was... dual cultivation.
Dual cultivation, as the name implied, meant the union of man and woman in harmonious yin-yang intercourse, sharing the benefits. It was the Yellow Emperor's secret to immortality.
Of course, ascension to immortality sounded too ethereal. This was the end of the Dharma age—gods and immortals might not even exist anymore. Where would immortals come from?
For now, the Huangdi Neijing only allowed him to cast basic spells, which were extraordinarily powerful for mortals. But he had to at least reach the entry level through cultivation to use them.
As for the advanced spells?
Xu Ruizhi shook his head. He wasn't qualified to touch those yet.
Once at school, Xu Ruizhi cleared his mind, ignoring the memories swirling in his head. He needed to restore himself to peak condition.
"Ruizi, come on, something big happened in our class!"
He'd just entered the classroom, where a few classmates were already seated. Xu Ruizhi went to his desk, set down his bag, and pulled out his textbooks and stationery. Then a skinny boy with black-rimmed glasses sidled up and patted his shoulder.
"What happened?" Xu Ruizhi asked.
The bespectacled boy grinned mysteriously. "I overheard it by accident in the bathroom. The Spider Witch is gone—I bet the school fired her! Haha..."
"Teacher Zhang's gone?"
Xu Ruizhi was a bit surprised. Zhang Qing was their class's math teacher, in her forties, sharp-tongued and harsh. She often targeted students, especially those who didn't give gifts or performed poorly, using all sorts of tactics to torment them. She had terrible popularity at school.
"She got fired?" Xu Ruizhi asked dubiously.
"Seems like it. Our class has the most failures in math."
The boy pushed up his glasses and gossiped on. "And just the other day, didn't the Spider Witch bully that transfer student, Liu Ting? She kept calling her parents in every few days. I figure the witch wanted some bribes. The parents live pretty far, so running back and forth was a hassle. Once or twice is fine, but over time, who could stand it?"
"Last night, she called them in again over some trivial issue with Liu Ting. The parents finally snapped and argued with her right on the dorm stairs."
He paused dramatically, eyes lighting up with excitement. "The whole building heard it. Teachers, the homeroom teacher, even the principal came out. You should've seen the witch's face—pig-liver purple. Served her right!"
Xu Ruizhi shook his head at that.
He'd had little interaction with Zhang Qing. Always in the class top three, he'd never really crossed her. But he hadn't realized she was that excessive.
Hearing she'd been fired came as a relief. Her personality was rotten. Though she'd never gone overboard with him, seeing her sour face every day grated on him.
Curious, Xu Ruizhi asked, "Who's the new math teacher?"
"No idea. Probably no math class today—self-study, I guess!" The boy shrugged.
"Exams are coming up, Yangzi. Hit the books. Your grades are decent enough for a regular high school at least. Don't flunk out, or no second- or third-tier college will take you!"
Xu Ruizhi teased.
Lu Qingyang paused at that—fair point. His scores were middling, just scraping into a regular high school. Any slip-up could tank them. He didn't want to fail and burden his parents with extra cash for repeats, so he hunkered down with his books.
Xu Ruizhi closed his eyes, calming himself to sort through the inherited memories.
Time ticked by. When he finally surfaced from the immersion, the class bell rang.
Ding-a-ling-ling! The crisp chime echoed through the classroom.
Xu Ruizhi opened his eyes, puzzled.
Wasn't it supposed to be self-study today?
Just then, a woman in a black professional suit appeared at the podium. About twenty-five or twenty-six, she stood without a hint of nerves.
Her sleek black hair was neatly tied in a bun, black-rimmed glasses perched on her high nose. Full lips carried a cold allure beneath, her fiery, tender figure hugged tight by the suit. Arms crossed, her cool gaze swept over the seated students.
The room fell silent, all eyes on the new teacher.
"Hello, class. I'm your new math teacher. Allow me to introduce myself—Li Wenshi."
Her voice was deliberately low and neutral, chillingly cold.
Li Wenshi was stunningly beautiful, with a devilishly voluptuous figure, yet she exuded an icy detachment. Her aura commanded respect, less like a gentle teacher and more like an uncompromising leader.
Her eyes scanned the room, then she snorted coldly. "I've heard your class's math scores are abysmal. I don't care about old grudges. From now on, those scores will improve. Drag the class down again, and I won't go easy!"
The students tensed at her words.
She was gorgeous, but her tone was ruthless—and accurate. Their math scores were poor.
With Zhang Qing gone, they couldn't lag behind. Poor scores before were partly to oust her; now, they'd push for key high schools.
Plus, this new teacher was top-tier pretty. Seeing her daily wasn't bad—easy on the eyes.
Xu Ruizhi wasn't drooling like the others. Mom and Aunt Song had built his immunity to beauties. Still, Li Wenshi was striking—devilish curves, aloof vibe that deterred stares. Only his mom and Aunt Song outshone her, he figured.
After school, Xu Ruizhi packed his bag and headed out the gate, spotting Li Wenshi arguing with a man.
The guy wore a suit, hair impeccably combed, gold glasses glinting. No ordinary fellow.
"Why are you teaching here?" he frowned, asking Li Wenshi.
She gave him a cold glance and kept walking, ignoring him.
Fury flared in the man—he was the son of the Beijing municipal secretary, unused to such disdain. But recalling her background, he swallowed his anger.
Xu Ruizhi passed by then.
"Teacher Li."
He greeted her, eager to rush back to the hospital. Mom had tended Aunt Song all day—she must be exhausted; he needed to help.
But Li Wenshi's eyes lit up. Turning, she said, "I was just about to find you. Your grades are solid overall, but math's a weak spot. Got time these next few days? Come for some tutoring."
Xu Ruizhi was speechless at her phrasing. His math wasn't that bad—just a tad weaker. It was around 110 points.
"Sorry, Teacher Li. Family's in the hospital—Mom's handling it alone. Gotta head back and help. Thanks, but no."
Li Wenshi blinked, then offered, "I'll visit the patient with you. I can check on your mom, help out, and tutor you there."
She wanted to ditch this guy without wasting words. His connections were deep; she wasn't scared, but no need to escalate.
"Huh?"
Xu Ruizhi was stunned. Li Wenshi tagging along to visit Aunt Song? She was that eager? Was this the same icy teacher from class?
He couldn't figure it.
"Zhou Haikun, go home. I'm heading to the hospital—not convenient to chat. Talk later."
Li Wenshi said coldly to the man.
Zhou Haikun glared at Xu Ruizhi, then at her blank face, and left fuming.
Xu Ruizhi eyed his retreating back. No fool—he saw she was using the visit as an excuse to shake the guy.
Turning to her, he said, "Teacher Li, he's gone. See you."
She froze, realizing he'd seen through her. A faint blush colored her cheeks. Waving it off, "We agreed on tutoring. No need to stand on ceremony."
Xu Ruizhi didn't argue. Math was his relative weak point—a good chance to shore it up.
"Alright, thanks for the trouble, Teacher Li."
"Which hospital?"
She asked, back to her usual cold poise. But Xu Ruizhi had glimpsed her other side—less frosty, more intriguing.
He smiled. "City Center Private Hospital."
"That's far. Bus'll take an hour and a half now."
She frowned at the sky.
"I've got an e-bike. Wait here a sec."
She nodded slightly.
He dashed to the nearby e-bike stand, returned quickly, parked it, and said, "Teacher Li, hop on."
"I'll drive—you're just a kid, unsafe with an adult aboard."
She said worriedly.
"I'm sixteen already—not a kid. Fine, you drive."
He grumbled.
"Hop on."
She mounted upfront, posture elegant, curves accentuated, pale skin glowing, one long leg exposed—temptingly alluring.
Xu Ruizhi sat behind. She started the bike and sped toward the hospital.
She was going fast, so he warned, "Teacher Li, slow down."
"Sorry, this is my usual speed. Time's not for wasting on roads."
She shook her head, accelerating more.
Xu Ruizhi sighed helplessly. Stubborn beauty teacher.
Soon, he couldn't take it—the wind howled past his ears, pores prickling, like a leaf in a gale.
"Teacher Li, can I hold your waist?!"
His shout cut sharp through the wind. She paused, glanced back—his face flushed, eyes wide with terror.
She laughed.
Xu Ruizhi stared, stunned. She could smile! He'd thought her perpetually icy.
But no time to admire—he felt death imminent.
She coughed lightly, hiding embarrassment.
"Hold on tight!"
He wrapped his arms around her slim waist. A faint fragrance filled his nose; his heart skipped.
She felt his firm chest against her, trembling briefly before regaining composure, face cool again.
On the narrow e-bike, their bodies rubbed constantly, drawing closer. She sensed his breath on her cheek, ticklish.
His head on her shoulder, eyes dipping to her chest.
In class, it hadn't seemed huge. Up close, though, the contours were full—not matching Mom's peaks, but bloody tempting. Mouth dry, he peered: white bra, snow-white skin, irresistible.
Then, the Huangdi Neijing in his mind pinged info. Thrilled, he hadn't expected this function—Li Wenshi's sensitive spot: nipples. Touch there for aphrodisiac effect.
He swallowed, cursing his weakness. Since meeting her, dirty thoughts plagued him, craving cheap thrills.
The Huangdi Neijing's hint: one dual cultivation session with a girl to enter the basics, side effect gone.
But... easier said. No girlfriend even.
Li Wenshi flushed too. Teacher or not, she was a girl—knew a bit about such matters, but inexperienced. Feared ambiguity with him.
She avoided his gaze, feigning nonchalance, steering coldly.