Chapter Four Initial Enlightenment

  One period of the lecture on "Tao Te Ching" has ended, and it is already the time when the moonlight first rises. Ji Ruochen hastily finished dinner and followed Yun Feng Daochang to Tai Chang Palace where Ziyang True Man lived.

  The Ziyang True Person's lineage resides on a mountain peak that is directly opposite to the Moganshan Peak, and among all the peaks, it is the farthest from the Moganshan Peak. Between the two peaks, five giant rocks float in mid-air, connected by twelve iron chains to form a bridge, maintaining its connection with the Moganshan Peak. If the nine-lineage disciples want to go to the Taishang Dao Palace, those who have sufficient cultivation can ride on their flying treasures, while those who are slightly weaker must step on the chain bridge. However, the peaks of the Xuanxu Mountain are extremely high, and the mountain wind is fierce, making it difficult to walk on the swaying iron chains. Nevertheless, even the mediocre disciples who cultivate for three years and lay down their foundation can still cross the bridge unimpeded.

  Ji Ruochen didn't have such abilities, so he needed Yun Feng Daozhang to support him in order to walk across the bridge once. He hadn't even entered the door yet, and this time crossing the rope bridge was enough to scare his soul out of his body. But Yun Feng Daozhang said that crossing the rope bridge multiple times at this time was a wonderful way to temper one's will. So Ji Ruochen, despite being extremely frightened in his heart, still forced himself to move forward step by step on the rope bridge.

  The moonlight was cold and clear, the wind howled, and Ji Ruochen's body only had a Taoist robe and a set of underwear. Although he had lived in the harsh and cold land outside the pass for a long time, how could he withstand the chill of this high-altitude mountain wind? In less than a moment, his lips were already purple, and his face was as pale as frost. As if responding to the mountain wind, the thick iron chain under his feet kept shaking, and it would shake violently from time to time. The iron chain flashed with a clear light in the moonlight, and after being trodden on by countless Taoist priests over the years, it had become extremely slippery. Every three or five steps Ji Ruochen took, his foot would slip off the edge of the iron chain. Below the iron chain was an abyss of thousands of feet, and looking down, all that could be seen was a dark and profound void, with no bottom in sight, only a thin layer of cloud drifting around the waist of the mountain peak. Although Ji Ruochen was pulled back by Yun Feng Daochang every time he lost his footing, those repeated scares were enough to make his heart and gall split, leaving him fearful and trembling.

  In the bleak mountains, at first, you could still hear Ji Yifeng's faint and hoarse cries for help. Later on, his determination gradually solidified, and he couldn't be heard crying out anymore.

  At the moment he stepped onto Taichang Peak, Ji Ruochen let out a long sigh, his legs softened, and his whole body was extremely weak, as if he had fainted. But this walk under the moonlight on the bridge had already left something different in his heart.

  Before long, Ji Ruochen stood in front of Zi Yang Zhenren. Although his Taoist robe was drenched with cold sweat and his feet were floating, there was a hint of approval in Zi Yang Zhenren's eyes.

  Two young Taoist boys had arranged the seats for Ji Ruochen, lit a stove of Donghai Lushen Xiang to refresh and calm the mind, and then retreated with their heads bowed. Now was the time for Ziyang True Person to transmit the teachings, and the taboos were extremely strict. As the leader of the sect, although what he was transmitting tonight was only the basic lessons that everyone in the Dao De Zong knew how to do, without his permission, anyone who approached within ten zhangs of the Jing She would be killed without exception.

  Dai Ji sat cross-legged, and the Purple Yang True Person stroked his beard, saying: "If dust, it is said that when the outline is raised, the eyes are wide open. Therefore, tonight's lesson is to tell you one by one about the main classics of my Taoist moral cultivation, so that you can know where to strive for in your future cultivation. Otherwise, my Taoist moral sect inherits the tradition of Guang Chengzi, with three main scriptures and three auxiliary scriptures, as well as 27 key articles. In addition, there are 3,600 miscellaneous studies, and other Taoist collections total 50,000. In this vast ocean of Taoism, where would you go to seek the path?"

  Upon hearing this, Ji Ruochen took a deep breath, sat up straight and listened intently, not missing a single word.

  Ziyang Zhenren took a sip of tea and continued, "My Dao De sect originated 3,700 years ago, founded by the Three Pure Ancestors. At that time, the Three Pure Ancestors' Dao number was still Zhen Hong, hiding in the mountains to cultivate. The ancestors had already reached the end of their immortal fate, discovered Guang Chengzi's ascension to immortality, and obtained the Three Pure True Scripture in six chapters. Because this scripture describes the three realms of Yu Qing, Shang Qing, and Tai Qing, after a hundred years of cultivation, the ancestor changed his Dao number to San Qing Zhenren, found the Xixuan Mountain cave heaven blessed land, built a small Daoist temple, and thus established the lineage of our sect. If you're interested, you can go to the Taishang Daode Palace in the future to read the history of our sect's transmission. This scripture is not forbidden for disciples to watch."

  "The Three Pure Ones Scripture was left behind by Guang Chengzi when he ascended to the heavens, and it naturally contains the ultimate secrets of heaven and earth. However, if one is not a person with great wisdom and roots, it is difficult to understand the subtle and grand meaning within. Therefore, from the ancestors of the Three Pure Ones down to my generation, all the true immortals of our sect have devoted themselves to this scripture, leaving behind countless insights and enlightenment. Two thousand years ago, our sect had Xuan Kong True Person, who possessed great wisdom and achieved complete merit and virtue, and ascended to the heavens in a divine body. Before his ascension, Xuan Kong True Person spent three days compiling the handwritten notes of all the true immortals of our sect into 27 essential articles, as a supplement to the Three Pure Ones Scripture. Only then did our sect experience a revival."

  "These three pure scriptures are also assisted by the Tai Xuan, Tai Ping, and Tai Qing scriptures, collectively known as the Three Pure Six Scriptures. The six scriptures are profound and abstruse, difficult for ordinary people to understand. Therefore, the True Person of Mysterious Emptiness corresponds to the realms of Sheng, Xian, and Zhen with the Three Purity Realms, each realm divided into nine levels, named in sequence as Above, High, Tai, Heaven, True, Spirit, Ling, and Ultimate. Each has a corresponding Daoist scripture. These three pure six scriptures and twenty-seven assistants are the Orthodox Method of Flying Immortals of my Dao De Zong."

  This lengthy and grandiose speech left Ziyang True Person nodding his head and licking his dry lips, while Ji Ruochen listened with a dizzying and bewildering expression, completely at a loss for what was being said. Fortunately, he had some wisdom and roughly understood that the Dao De scriptures consisted of twenty-seven volumes, which needed to be cultivated one by one; when they were all completed, it would be time to ascend to heaven as an immortal or a sage.

  Ziyang Zhenren paused for a moment, then downed the tea in his cup in one gulp. Disregarding Ji Rufei's slightly pale face, he stroked his beard and continued: "Apart from the Feixian Zhengfa, our sect has numerous auxiliary scriptures that cannot be ignored. These miscellaneous scriptures are divided into twelve major categories: First, Benwen; Second, Shenshu; Third, Yujue; Fourth, Lingtu; Fifth, Pulu; Sixth, Jieliu; Seventh, Weiyi; Eighth, Fangfa; Ninth, Zhongshu; Tenth, Danding; Eleventh, Lianqi; Twelfth, Chuanji. Each category contains between 200 to 600 scriptures, totaling 3,600 scriptures in all. In addition to these miscellaneous scriptures, there are also 50,000 volumes of Daoist classics and countless handwritten notes by our ancestors..."

  When it comes to the Taoist canon and the notes of the ancient saints, Ziyang True Man's enthusiasm was greatly aroused, and he spoke at length on a grand theory, speaking for more than two hours. The tea in that pot had long been drunk dry by him. However, Ziyang True Man's mastery of the Taoist teachings was so refined that with a wave of his hand, he summoned a clear spring, and using true fire as a catalyst, in an instant, another new pot of tea appeared in his hands. Ziyang True Man spoke with great enthusiasm, often uttering grand theories and wonderful phrases that had never been spoken before, revealing the depth of his understanding of the Taoist teachings, which was indeed worthy of his revered status. But how could Ji Ruochen, who had just begun to learn to recognize characters today, possibly comprehend the profound meaning behind Ziyang True Man's words? This move by Ziyang True Man was truly like playing a lute to an ox.

  Ji Ruochen had already heard so much that he was dizzy and sleepy, but the immortal master was still preaching, how could his disciple not listen carefully? So even if ten sentences were incomprehensible to him, he still forced himself to sit up straight, gritted his teeth and memorized them by rote.

  It wasn't until late at night, when the Purple Sun True Person finished his lengthy and grand speech. Even though Ji Ruochen had been wandering since childhood and was accustomed to a life of hardship, he still felt sore all over from sitting for so long, with his legs going soft.

  Up to this point, Ziyang Zhenren had given a mnemonic verse to Ji Ruochen, instructing him to follow the verse and practice twice a day, absorbing the essence of the sun in the morning and the moon's glow at night, saying that this was the beginning of the path to ascension. Ji Ruochen carefully memorized it and asked a few more questions before finally exhausting himself and retreating.

  This grand theory made Zi Yang Zhen Ren feel refreshed and invigorated, with a radiant glow on his face, as if he had reached another level of enlightenment. He watched Ji Ruochen's departing figure, stroking his beard with a satisfied smile, unable to express the contentment in his heart.

  After that, Ji Ruocheng practiced the breathing and movement exercises taught by Ziyang True Man every morning and evening. For the first half of each month, he studied Taoist teachings in the Tai Chang Palace, and for the second half of the month, he received instruction from Qixian True Man in the Tai Shang Dao De Palace. Every evening, he would listen to the old gentleman's lectures on literature and character analysis. And every night, when he walked back and forth across the bridge, Yun Feng Dao Zhang was always watching over him.

  Thus another month passed in haste, and the Taoist temple gradually returned to calmness.

  At this time, the northern land was already in the late autumn and early winter season, with occasional heavy snowfall. Although the Western Mystic Mountain had a Dharma array to protect it, the peak was warm and spring-like all year round, but it also gradually showed signs of coldness.

  At this time, the vast snowy plain was swept by a cold wind, and dark clouds hung low. In the center of the snowy plain, a young man in tattered clothes stood upright, looking around in all directions with a bewildered expression, seemingly at a loss. A gust of cold wind struck, and he shivered with cold, hastily withdrawing his hands into his sleeves. Amidst the howling wind, several faint wolf howls suddenly echoed through the air. The young man's face changed drastically, and he immediately cocked his head to discern the direction from which the wolf howls came, then looked up at the sky, observing the weather, before choosing a direction and taking off in a frantic sprint!

  The hungry wolf came extremely quickly, and the young man had not run a few steps before a giant wolf burst out of the wind and snow. Its mane was like iron, its fangs were dripping with saliva, and it ran silently through the snow, its bright green eyes fixed on the young man.

  The young man seemed to know he couldn't escape, and suddenly stood still, turned around to face the hungry wolf, ready to fight to the death. The wolf slowed down its pace, started circling around the young man. It was so hungry that it only circled twice before jumping up, bringing a gust of evil wind biting towards the young man's throat!

  The young man pinched his left hand, and with his right hand, he faced the ferocious wolf. He shouted: "Tian Yu exterminate, break!" However, when he finished his incantation, it had no effect whatsoever. In that brief moment of hesitation, the ferocious wolf was already in front of him! The young man suddenly rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding the wolf's pounce. But at this critical moment, instead of running away, he turned around and charged towards the wolf, grabbing its ears and biting down hard on its neck!

  One man and one wolf rolled over and over, fighting to the death for half a day, without seeing who would emerge victorious. The young man was extremely familiar with the nature of wolves, looking like he had fought several battles before, and at this critical moment, he had already brought out all his potential, barely managing to fight the ferocious wolf to a draw. However, he was still young after all, although he had bitten the wolf's neck until it was bloody and blurred, but his strength was exhausted, and he could no longer hold down the wolf, being thrown to the ground with one swipe. The wolf bit down on the young man's calf, its sharp teeth scraping against bone, making a series of sounds that made people's teeth ache.

  It bit down on the young man and dragged him all the way into the depths of the snowy wilderness.

  Ji Ruochen let out a loud cry and suddenly sat up, only to realize that it was just a dream. However, his legs were throbbing with pain, as if he had really been bitten by the wolf in his dream. Ji Ruochen took off his shoes and socks, rolled up his pant legs, and carefully examined them. The skin on his legs seemed fine, but there were many scars crisscrossing them. On his right calf, there were two rows of round scars that looked like they had been bitten by a wild animal, and the bites were very deep and severe.

  Ji Ruocheng gently stroked the scar on his leg. At that time, he was only seven or eight years old and had wandered from Guannei to Saiwai when he accidentally encountered a hungry wolf roaming in the Gobi Desert. Although he was young at the time, he also had a fierce and brave spirit in his bones, and it was a matter of life and death, so he fought back desperately and struggled for a while. Just as the hungry wolf finally bit down on Ji Ruocheng and was about to drag him back to its den to devour him, the owner of the Longmen Inn happened to be passing by and heard Ji Ruocheng's cries for help. He rushed over on horseback, chopping into the wolf's head with a large iron cleaver, and then took the barely breathing Ji Ruocheng back to the inn to rescue him, thus saving his life. The scar on his right leg was left by that hungry wolf.

  In the six years at Longmen Inn, Ji Ruochen had clothes to wear, food to eat, and a place to sleep that could shield him from wind and rain, allowing him to rest easy. In fact, it was already the happiest period of his life since he could remember. Even thinking back now, the scolding by the landlady's wife seemed particularly endearing. Although Longmen Inn couldn't compare to the luxurious Taishang Palace in any way, for some reason, he still had a glimmer of hope that he would return to that humble inn on the desolate desert one day.

  This place is good, but it's not my home.