ROCH - Why doesn't XLN age after 16 years?

[goodrick]

I haven't read the novel, but seen a couple of TV adaptations. In all the adaptations that I saw, XLN was never shown aged although Yang Guo was considerably aged with white hair. Was it ever explained why XLN never aged? I didn't quite understand that part.

[jadebunny9]

Antioxidants. Lots and lots of them.

Actually, her martial arts helps her to stay young. Now that would be one MA that I'd like to find in a cave at the bottom of a cliff.

[goodrick]

Can someone give more specifics around what exactly were the martial arts she practiced and why those helped her stay young when pretty much everyone else in the wulin world aged, including her disciple and husband Yang Guo?

[PJ]

I think it's largely genetic. She inherited unworldly genes from her parents that gave her the beauty she is famous for, including anti-aging effects.

[goodrick]

I think it's largely genetic. She inherited unworldly genes from her parents that gave her the beauty she is famous for, including anti-aging effects.

Thanks PJ. Just to clarify, is that how the novel and JY explicitly explain her anti-aging or is that your understanding of why she never aged?

[Suet Seung]

The Ancient Tomb sect's internal energy (nei gong) allowed her to age significantly slower than others? Take Wu Ya Zi's case in DGSD, before he transferred all his internal energy over to Xu Zhu, he didn't look like a 70 year old man. He still had black hair and afterwards his hair was white and his skin was wrinkled. Well, it seems like both sects's MA allowed them to retain their youth.

[Doc Kwok]

Thanks PJ. Just to clarify, is that how the novel and JY explicitly explain her anti-aging or is that your understanding of why she never aged?

Strictly speaking, the novel never stated that she did not age at all. What YG said (that she looked just the same, but he had became old) sounds more like he was contrasting their relative rates of aging than a literal statement of fact.

The narration said that due to XLN following the ancient tomb inner cultivation from childhood that they looked about the same age when they were married (despite XLN being a few years older), but after the reunion YG looked much older because XLN, being alone at the bottom of a valley, could easily follow the ancient tomb tenets again but YG did more-or-less the complete opposite.

The ancient tomb inner cultivation was based on the principle of '12 fews, 12 manys'. A rough translation would be:

1. Fewer thoughts - many thoughts leads to a negligent spirit.
2. Fewer ideas - many ideas disperses the vitality.
3. Fewer desires - many desires harms wisdom.
4. Fewer affairs - many affairs leads to weariness of form.
5. Less talking - much talking leads to rushed qi.
6. Less laughter - much laughter leads to damage to the liver.
7. Fewer worries - many worries leads to fear of the heart.
8. Less happiness - much happiness leads to overflow of intention.
9. Fewer joys - many joys lead to confusion.
10. Less anger - much anger leads to instability of the meridians.
11. Fewer fondnesses - many fondnesses lead to incurable obsession.
12. Less ferocity - much ferocity leads to a burning lack of peace.

At the end was a warning - if the 12 manys are not eradicated, then that would form the foundations for death.

[wkeej]

The ancient tomb inner cultivation was based on the principle of '12 fews, 12 manys'. A rough translation would be:

1. Fewer thoughts - many thoughts leads to a negligent spirit.
2. Fewer ideas - many ideas disperses the vitality.
3. Fewer desires - many desires harms wisdom.
4. Fewer affairs - many affairs leads to weariness of form.
5. Less talking - much talking leads to rushed qi.
6. Less laughter - much laughter leads to damage to the liver.
7. Fewer worries - many worries leads to fear of the heart.
8. Less happiness - much happiness leads to overflow of intention.
9. Fewer joys - many joys lead to confusion.
10. Less anger - much anger leads to instability of the meridians.
11. Fewer fondnesses - many fondnesses lead to incurable obsession.
12. Less ferocity - much ferocity leads to a burning lack of peace.

At the end was a warning - if the 12 manys are not eradicated, then that would form the foundations for death.

very interesting. thks for sharing.

[goodrick]

Thanks Doc Kwok

[Ken Cheng]

The ancient tomb inner cultivation was based on the principle of '12 fews, 12 manys'. A rough translation would be:

1. Fewer thoughts - many thoughts leads to a negligent spirit.
2. Fewer ideas - many ideas disperses the vitality.
3. Fewer desires - many desires harms wisdom.
4. Fewer affairs - many affairs leads to weariness of form.
5. Less talking - much talking leads to rushed qi.
6. Less laughter - much laughter leads to damage to the liver.
7. Fewer worries - many worries leads to fear of the heart.
8. Less happiness - much happiness leads to overflow of intention.
9. Fewer joys - many joys lead to confusion.
10. Less anger - much anger leads to instability of the meridians.
11. Fewer fondnesses - many fondnesses lead to incurable obsession.
12. Less ferocity - much ferocity leads to a burning lack of peace.

At the end was a warning - if the 12 manys are not eradicated, then that would form the foundations for death.

The irony is that practicing these twelve "denials" might prolong life, but that life is something of a living death.

[PJ]

Doc, the 12 principles of Ancient Tomb aren't that different from the principles followed by Taoists and Buddhists. Yet those guys look OLD - at least that's the impression I get So I tend to think XLN's anti-aging effect is due to more than following those rules.

[Suet Seung]

On the same subject of anti-aging, didn't Zhou Bo Tong learn from XLN on how to produce honey that changed his white and graying hair into black again? Did that bit exist in the novel or just something added in TV adaptations?

[PJ]

The irony is that practicing these twelve "denials" might prolong life, but that life is something of a living death.

It may be hell to someone who isn't used to it. But one who is used to it will be just fine.

[PJ]

On the same subject of anti-aging, didn't Zhou Bo Tong learn from XLN on how to produce honey that changed his white and graying hair into black again? Did that bit exist in the novel or just something added in TV adaptations?

In the novel, he did appear younger after 16 years. However it wasn't just because of XLN's bees. JY tells us it was due to his carefree personality and stress-free, nature-immersing lifestyle.

[Ken Cheng]

You know, the paradoxical irony is that if Little Dragon Girl indeed maintained her youthful appearance during those sixteen years by practicing those twelve denials, then logically, during all that time, she really didn't give a damn whether she ever saw Yeung Gor again at all.

To me, that's a delicious idea.

[goodrick]

I think my question is answered, meaning it doesn't look like JY explicitly mentioned the reason behind XLN's ability to remain young looking. It reads like it is purely speculative and everyone seems to have a different opinion of what that reason may be.

[PJ]

You know, the paradoxical irony is that if Little Dragon Girl indeed maintained her youthful appearance during those sixteen years by practicing those twelve denials, then logically, during all that time, she really didn't give a damn whether she ever saw Yeung Gor again at all.

You can learn something from her

[Doc Kwok]

I think my question is answered, meaning it doesn't look like JY explicitly mentioned the reason behind XLN's ability to remain young looking. It reads like it is purely speculative and everyone seems to have a different opinion of what that reason may be.

No - adherence to the 12 principles was explicitly stated to be the reason for her relative youth compared to YG (the passage listing the principles immediately follows the couples' first exchange of words). To reiterate, apart from YG's words (which can be interpreted as hyperbole) it is never stated that XLN looked unnaturally unaged, just that she was much younger-looking than YG, who was her junior by a few years.

[Ken Cheng]

No - adherence to the 12 principles was explicitly stated to be the reason for her relative youth compared to YG (the passage listing the principles immediately follows the couples' first exchange of words). To reiterate, apart from YG's words (which can be interpreted as hyperbole) it is never stated that XLN looked unnaturally unaged, just that she was much younger-looking than YG, who was her junior by a few years.

There's also the matter that Yeung Gor looked extraordinarily old for someone who was merely in his mid thirties, on the account of his prematurely white hair.

[kidd]

This reminds me of the comments i often heard about stars people have not seen for a long time. They always go 'he didn't age at all', 'he still look the same as before' when the truth is, if you put the guy's old picture and his current picture side by side, you can indeed see that he has aged.