3 The Perfect-Stage Meditative State

The servants were all surprised when Ding Hao became serious and stern.

But they have been bullying this piece of trash for more than ten years, it was not something that would change with just a threat.

When they saw Ding Hao attempting to meditate, the servant with the dress went into the room once more. She was careful this time. Looking up, she checked to see if there was anything atop her. There was no incense ash. There was nothing there. 

She knew that was not the end of it. A shadow flashed past her, and she retreated with fear. 

Thump! A sharp cone-shaped object pinned hit the place she stood moments ago, pinning itself to the wall. The servant lifted her head. Ding Hao was holding the other candle holder, glaring at her.

"You piece of trash, how dare..." the servant was shocked. If she moved a second too late she would have been stabbed by the candle holder. That ending was a scary one.

"You are my servant. If I killed you, the most they would do to me was take away my celestial seed identity! But if you harm me, you will need to die! You tell me, do I dare?" Ding Hao's eyes flashed with a fierce look, and he threw the candle holder at her.

"Ah!" The servant in the red dress finally got scared. She screamed and ran.

That's how the world works. The kind ones are often bullied. The previous Ding Hao was too kind. He did not manage to guard his right, and people bullied him. The current Ding Hao was a completely different person. These people finally learned their lesson. They dare not disturb him any longer.

"I can finally meditate."

This time Ding Hao did not need to pretend to meditate. He had the stone under his tongue. He calmed himself down and started meditating.

"Enjoy wine and songs while we can, life is short. Quiet the heart. Quiet the Mind"

And Ding Hao entered into a meditative state the next second.

…

When he entered the state, a group of soldiers marched down the street that was close to the Ding family estate. The soldiers carried a litter, and a horse followed the litter. 

"Stop! Stop!"The litter curtain opened and a middle-aged man shouted.

"What's the matter? Dean Min." A man riding a white horse came to ask him.

The man in the litter pushed the curtain aside and came out. He looked overjoyed. "Lord Ling, I sensed it! It is in the vicinity. A perfect-stage meditative state. A really perfect-stage meditative state. Someone entered the perfect-stage meditative state!"

"A perfect-stage meditative state? Impossible. There are less than five people who can enter a perfect-stage meditative state in Wuzhou! I don't remember anyone of them staying here. How can there be someone entering the perfect-stage meditative state here? Dean Min, could it be that you sensed it wrongly?" The Lord of Wuzhou City, Ling Yunxiao, said in disbelief. 

"Impossible!" Dean Min was excited and said, "I have a level two psychic celestial gene. My celestial gene is most sensitive to the silence of the mind. I'm very sensitive to people entering the meditative state. I could sense it whenever someone in the Jiuzhou Academy entered the perfect-stage meditative state! This person was able to enter the perfect-stage meditative state. He must be quite a talent. I want to recruit him. He must study at the Jiuzhou Academy!"

Ling Yunxiao said happily, "That's great! God bless Wuzhou! Another talent is born!"

He then ordered the soldiers, "Go to the homes around here and ask who was meditating, and come report to me immediately!"

"Yes sir!" The soldiers replied and went and asked around.

"Is someone meditating?"

" Knock, knock. Open the door!"

"Is someone meditating?"

All the soldiers were knocking on the doors on both sides of the street, and they asked the same question when the door was opened "Is someone meditating?"

"Meditating?" Ding Laosi opened the door of the Ding family. His mustache twitched, and he asked, "Soldier, why are you looking for the person who is meditating?"

The soldier said, "Good news! Good news! Dean Min of the Jiuzhou Academy came back to visit his parents. He sensed that someone entered the perfect-stage meditative state, and he wanted to invite the person to join the Jiuzhou Academy. He wants to train him!"

"Good news indeed! Please wait a moment, soldier. Let me ask the members of my household."

Ding Laosi looked for a servant and said, "Quickly, go and see if Junjie or Juncai was meditating? If they were, the Ding family is in luck! If they join the Jiuzhou Academy, then the next step is to enter the Celestial Cultivation Realm!"

The servant replied quickly, "The eldest master is out and the little master is reading."

Ding Laosi was disappointed. He then asked, "Then who else was meditating? If they are recruited it is good for our family too. It would be beneficial to my sons too."

The servant shook her head. "Nobody was meditating." She stopped, as though she remembered something, and mumbled, "Housekeeper, the piece of trash maybe … was meditating…"

"The piece of trash! Impossible!" Ding Laosi was shocked. He sneered and said, "That piece of trash is not even awakened at 15 years old. How is it possible that he could achieve the perfect-stage meditative state!"

The servant asked hesitantly, "What if it was him?"

"It is impossible!" Ding Laosi sneered, "Little piece of trash. I doubt that he even knows how to meditate! Even if he knew how to meditate, he would only achieve the lower-stage meditative state! A piece of trash will always be a piece of trash!"

Then he walked to the door, smiled, and said, "Soldier, I'm sorry to inform you that no one was meditating in our home."

"Sorry for interrupting." Soldier thanked him and went to the next house.

After a few moments, Dean Min and others came back and sighed, "There were a few people who were meditating. Unfortunately, they were not the ones I was looking for. How disappointing."

Lord Ling laughed and said, "Maybe the timing wasn't right just yet."

"I'm afraid so." Dean Min could only leave with a disappointed heart. He went back to the city lord's mansion alone.

A long time after they left, Ding Hao woke up from meditation.

"It feels wonderful!"

He opened his eyes after two hours of meditating. Ding Hao could sense that everything around him was fresher, more colorful, and he could hear everything clearly. He nodded, "It must be that my six senses are strong. My sight and hearing have become clearer. This surely is a different world. All senses become so much stronger after meditating!"

Ding Hao was satisfied with the result of the current mediation. Unfortunately, he did not awaken the celestial gene while in the perfect-stage meditative state.

"That's alright, celestial channels are just the conception and governor vessels. I've collected much energy with my long term meditation practice. The channel will eventually be opened, not a problem!" Ding Hao nodded with confidence after he thought of that. He stood up.

"Why don't I go out and have a look now that I've come to this world."

Ding Hao entered the main hall and called Ding Laosi, "Housekeeper, I want to go out for a walk and buy something. Give me some money."

Ding Laosi thought, 'This piece of trash had the audacity to ask me for money?' His face changed, "Master, you must know that things are very expensive. The book that I bought already costs 10 taels of silver! Have you ever calculated the household expenses? If I didn't pay out of my own pocket, the Ding family would have gone bankrupt a long time ago! You have the audacity to ask me for money? No!"

"No?" Ding Hao sneered and said, "You said that household expenses are a large amount. Then let me ask you, the monthly offerings of 50 taels of silver provided by the country, where did that go? The Ding family was a nine-great-roomed-house, and now there are only five great rooms left. You sold it. Where did the money go? Ding Laosi, I'm warning you, don't think that I don't know what is going on! You better give me some money now. If not I will get the books out and we will go to the city lord to have a look and see!"

"You!" Ding Laosi was shocked. The piece of trash was behaving like an entirely different person. Amazing!

At that moment, a tough and tall woman came in. It was Ding Laosi's wife Mrs. Ding. Mrs. Ding shouted as she was coming in, "Little piece of trash, you have the audacity to ask for money? And ask to check the books? The Ding family couldn't even afford a bookkeeper. If I didn't ask my family for some money, how could you afford to pay the servants? You piece of trash, go and think about it!"

At this moment, another servant in. "Housekeeper, the little master did not want to eat. He only wanted to eat the meat of a woolly monster."

Seeing the current situation, Ding Hao knelt in front of his ancestor's wooden statue and knocked his head on the floor thrice. "Ancestor look at this! The Ding family is in such poor shape! Your great-grandson is called a piece of trash, and the housekeeper's son is called little master! They have woolly monster meat for meals, and I have not even tasted the meat of a woolly monster."

Mrs. Ding paled when she saw that he was praying to the wooden statue. She was scared but she still said, "Your ancestors have not apparated in a long time. Maybe they disappeared from the celestial world a long time ago!"

"Ancestor, did you hear her? Please apparate once you are done with important matters. Come and help me!"

Although the Ding family's ancestor had not apparated in a long time, there was no evidence that showed Ding Yibai was dead. Ding Laosi was a little scared. He scolded his wife, "There is no place for a woman to speak here! Scram!"

After he chased Mrs. Ding out, he gave two taels of silver to Ding Hao and said, "Master, there's very little money left in the family. I've already spent some money to purchase the book you wanted. There are only two taels of silver left. Here you go."

The housekeeper of the Ding family finally gave him two taels of silver. Ding Hao took it and left.

Walking on the streets was an eye-opener for Ding Hao!

He saw there were shops on both sides of the streets. The shops were filled with goods. In workshops, the workers used their celestial power to produce goods. There was no one on the farm, but the crops were well grown. He looked up at the sky. The sun was shining, and everything was well and ordered. 

"This world is amazing. This is the peak of an ancient civilization. Everyone uses their celestial power to create a better life. There are no natural disasters. No earthquakes or typhoons. There is no sickness. This is heaven compared to earth!"

Although this was an almost perfect world, there were poor people here, and they were being discriminated against.

Ding Hao saw some beggars along the street. Everybody looked down on them.

They had no job, no income. They could only beg for a living. The people of this world would rather allow food to rot then feed the beggars. Life as a beggar was terrible. 

"Don't tell me this will be my life?" Ding Hao clenched his fist tightly and thought, 'There are six months left, I will awaken my celestial power, I will!'

A medicine shop appeared in front of him as he finished that sentence. He strolled into the shop to have a look.