Yin-Yang Arts is one of the core foundations of the Sanxuan Sect. Liu Xiaolou began studying it when he was fourteen, memorizing scriptures, learning commentaries, and listening to lectures from his teacher, Master Sanxuan.

By the time his teacher passed away, he had already studied for four years. Without that foundation, he wouldn't have been able to explain difficult concepts to Wanderer Dai.

Still, his understanding of the Yin-Yang Arts remained superficial. He hadn’t truly delved into it. With almost every method, he knew what to do, but not why.

It was simple; he had never actually practiced it. He hadn’t even seen it firsthand. The reason was that he hadn’t reached the proper age or laid a solid foundation.

According to the Three Mysteries Scripture, one could only begin practice after turning eighteen and unlocking all five meridians. He was nineteen now, so the age requirement was met. But in the fifth meridian, he had only unblocked five acupoints. Right now, he was working on the sixth, the Neiguan. In other words, his foundation wasn’t stable yet.

That’s why he politely turned down Sister Qing’s offer to “give him some guidance.” He didn’t believe she could offer anything useful anyway.

But what she said next made him start to reconsider. Sister Qing said, “When I say I’m like half your master’s wife, I’m not just trying to get close for no reason. Back in the day, your teacher Master Sanxuan often came to First Alley; not to hang out, but to cultivate. He used to say the Three Mysteries Scripture only truly shines when paired with  cultivation.”

“That part’s true…”

“Xiaolou, do you know why I was always the one to receive your master when he visited?” Sister Qing asked. “It’s because I’ve trained in martial arts. I’ve opened parts of the Pericardium and Kidney meridians. But for various reasons, I couldn’t link all three together, so real cultivation was never in the cards for me. Still, my understanding of the meridians is far beyond what most women can claim.

“Every time your master came to see me, we’d study the Yin-Yang Arts together; identifying acupoints and meridian lines, observing how the body responds when energy flows through. I could offer real, physical feedback about how true qi enters, how fast, how deep, how strong or subtle. So, Xiaolou, do you really think I have nothing to teach you?”

Liu Xiaolou opened his mouth but couldn’t get a word out for a while. “Even if that’s true..." he said at last, “it’s still not the right time. The scriptures say you shouldn’t begin Yin-Yang cultivation until all five meridians are open. Maybe… maybe we can revisit this after I finish the fifth.”

Sister Qing blinked. “How much longer do you think that’ll take?”

Liu Xiaolou gave a helpless smile. “How can I say for sure? I just opened the Jianshi acupoint on the Pericardium. I’m still pushing through Neiguan. After that, there’s Daling, Laogong, and Zhongchong. If things go well, maybe six months. If not… it could take a year or two.”

Sister Qing gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t stress, Xiaolou. Stay calm and take things as they come. Cultivation’s like bedroom arts; the more you rush, the harder it is to truly get in. And even if you do manage to force your way in, the true qi won’t stay long. It'll just pour out all at once…”

“I’m not rushing!” Liu Xiaolou said quickly.

Sister Qing chuckled and gently patted his head. “Alright, alright. Xiaolou’s not rushing... As it happens, your master's wife has already opened the Pericardium meridian, and I’ve practiced dual cultivation with your master before. If anything’s unclear to you, you can test it on me. I’ll show you how he used to go about it. Maybe it'll give you some insights...”

Liu Xiaolou sighed. “There you go again with the ‘master’s wife’ thing. That doesn’t really count… Besides, I still haven’t finished the five meridians…”

“I’m not asking you to start dual cultivation with your ‘teacher’s wife’ right this second. I just want to help you break through the Pericardium Meridian. You can use your hands. I’m not even taking my clothes off.”

With that, she walked into the bedroom, grabbed a quilt, and laid it out across the veranda. Then she stretched out on it and waved him over.

“Come on! Don’t you remember what your master always said? ‘What you learn from books will always feel shallow; real understanding comes from doing.’ You can’t just lock yourself in a room and fumble around on your own. And even when you’re fumbling, the door should be open!”

Liu Xiaolou tilted his head, eyeing the master’s wife, or rather, Sister Qing. She was lying across the quilt. He had to admit, her words made a certain kind of sense. Maybe it was worth a try?

He glanced at the courtyard gate, still ajar, and called out to Big White, “Go shut the door!”

The goose climbed out of the pond, waddled over and nudged the door shut, then returned to the water, craning its neck to curiously watch what was happening on the veranda.

Liu Xiaolou took a deep breath, sat cross-legged beside Sister Qing, and held his hand over her body, tracing the air above her slowly, hesitating to actually make contact.

She couldn’t help but laugh, gently taking his wrist and guiding his hand toward her.

“The Hand Faint Yin (Pericardium) Meridian starts at the middle finger,” she said, “and runs alongside the Hand Greater Yin (Lung) Meridian. They join at the inner elbow... then pass along the inner upper arm... and meet under the armpit. Haha, Xiaolou, that tickles…”

"Right, it spreads around the ribs, front and back… a branch enters the armpit and continues inward… spreading through the chest... mm...mm”

“... connecting at the diaphragm…”

“Alright, alright, I know you know. How could you not? I just mean... men and women are built differently. Even the positioning of the meridians varies slightly. Not by much, but still... in cultivation, even the tiniest deviation can lead you miles off course. You have to be precise with this...”

“Now, let’s go back to Neiguan. Try channeling your true qi in to probe the acupoint… just like that… yes, just like that…”

“Try pushing through the acupoint. Ha! Mine’s already opened, so of course you’re able to break through in one go…”

“Wait, no! Stop! Slow down…”

“Mmph… Young people… you can’t just charge ahead all the time. How do you usually push through your own acupoints? Why is it that as soon as you’re with me do you turn so... forceful? You need to control yourself; pay close attention. Feel it. Sense your master’s wife properly…”

“Yes… this is exactly why your master used to say: ‘Effort made when young only bears fruit in old age…’”

Though Sister Qing had never formally cultivated, during the process she frequently shared Master Sanxuan’s methods and her own physical insights with Liu Xiaolou. Her guidance helped him a great deal. He corrected many of his bad habits when it came to breaking through acupoints and came to understand deeper, more refined methods.

Two hours later, with sweat glistening on her skin, Sister Qing finally sat up. Liu Xiaolou, meanwhile, seized the moment to incorporate his new insights into his own practice. He could faintly sense that the way his true qi flowed into Neiguan acupoint had become more effective.

Sister Qing got dressed and stepped out for a bit. When she returned, she brought back some cooked meat and wine, placed them on the table for him, and quietly watched him for a while without saying a word. Then she set down a small silver ingot next to the dishes, slipped outside, and made her way back to the mouth of First Alley.

Mama Zhang had long since finished her sunflower seeds. When she saw Sister Qing return looking completely radiant, she couldn’t help but ask, curious, “Where’ve you been out fooling around?”

Sister Qing just smiled, lips pressed together, and said nothing. She hummed a little tune as she strolled back into the alley.

Mama Zhang called after her, “It’s just getting dark! Prime business hours; where are you going?”

“I’m tired. I’m calling it a night,” Sister Qing replied over her shoulder.

...

The next day, around lunchtime, Sister Qing stopped by a restaurant, picked up a basket of food and drinks, and headed off to see Liu Xiaolou again.

Liu Xiaolou wolfed down the food in a hurry, then asked eagerly, “Yesterday you mentioned my teacher used to talk about the combination of building, piercing, and clearing. I’ve been thinking about it all night. I understand what piercing and clearing mean when approaching an acupoint; but what exactly does building refer to? I’ve gone over the Yin-Yang Scripture again and again, and that word doesn’t appear anywhere.”

Sister Qing laughed. “Look at you, all anxious... Alright, where’s the mat?”

“Big White! The mat!”

“That goose is something else. Nearly got himself cooked yesterday…”

“Hurry, lie down, Sister Qing… So what’s building all about?”

“Mm… ha… huh… ah… hoo…”

“What?”

“The five tones. Building refers to the five tones.”

“Oh… so, sound?”

“What did you think it was? Did it sound nice? Want me to do it again?”