Chapter 21: The Way of the Red Dust

  The Three Saints' Taoist temple is a small town next to Bamboo City with a liangfen shop.

  That's right, Liangfen shop.

  Watching San Sheng Mu change her clothes, opening for business, several idle old men beside hurriedly came to patronize, their eyes greedy, clearly not for eating liangfen.

  "Are you going to mingle with the worldly?" Lin Huang guessed at the profound meaning of San Sheng Mu.

  "What's wrong with you?"

  "The peas have been soaked."

  "There's still grinding to be done."

  The three saints changed their appearance, but still spoke briefly and to the point. Lin Huang raised an eyebrow, but didn't refute them either.

  Honestly arrived at the back kitchen, ground the soaked peas into a pulp, and under Qin Sheng's guidance, separated out pea starch, then started making liangfen.

  "First add some water and stir well."

  "Add another five portions of boiling water, remember to add some salt, and stir vigorously."

  "Simmer."

  "When there is no bubble and grain."

  "Put it in the refrigerator."

  The method of making liangfen is not complicated, Lin Huang quickly made a portion and looked at San Shengmu.

  "Make one out. The oil, salt, sauce and vinegar are all there."

  Lin Huang was somewhat impatient, but still cut a piece of liangfen and mixed it well.

  The three saints also didn't stand on ceremony and began to taste.

  "Not clear enough, there are air bubbles in the middle. Failed."

  "The cut-out starch noodles vary in size. Failure."

  "It's too salty, failed."

  Lin's eyebrows jumped up and down, and he suddenly felt like he had been deceived by San Sheng Mu.

  "As a saint."

  "When one law is understood, all laws are understood."

  "But can't make good liangfen."

  "You can also call him holy."

  "Ridiculous."

  "Very ridiculous."

  Lin An fell silent for a moment, nodded, and without saying anything, turned around and went back to the kitchen to remake another dish.

  "Not salty enough."

  "Not spicy enough."

  "Not sour enough."

  Lin's eyebrows furrowed completely, "Many mouths are hard to satisfy, I am a saint, but not a cook."

  "It's hard to please all mouths."

  "Just give one flavor."

  "One flavor covers up a hundred flavors."

  Lin Huang began to think, he had already figured it out, San Sheng Mu was using Liang Fen to hint at him.

  "You're too stupid."

  "It's a good thing."

  "I didn't accept you as my disciple."

  Lin Huang didn't respond and retreated to one side, watching San Sheng Mu make liangfen (a type of Chinese noodle).

  The steps are the same, the actions are the same, but it's just a small thing like making liangfen. With the methods of a saint, you can even guarantee that each one comes out exactly the same.

  "So the key is in the final seasoning?" Lin Huang's gaze passed over.

  Qin Sheng's liangfen only uses salt, Qi Sheng's liangfen only uses vinegar, and Shu Sheng only uses chili peppers.

  "Can you eat the liangfen made this way?"

  Lin Huang couldn't help but laugh as he watched San Sheng Mu deliver three bowls of liangfen upstairs.

  A moment later, it was the admiration of everyone.

  "I've had cold skin from so many places, but yours is the most delicious."

  "It's too delicious."

  "Good, thirty-two good."

  "It's really that delicious." Lin Huang didn't believe it and walked forward. The first bowl was made by Qinseng, who only put salt in it.

  Just one mouthful and Lin was stunned, it was all salty flavor, too much salt had been added, a bit bitter, a bit salty, eating it was bitter and salty, but in his heart it was warm.

  The second bowl was made by the Chess Saint, who used only vinegar.

  Sour, sour to the bone, sour after that is sweet, breathing between all the sweet and sticky taste, as if everything is sweet.

  The third bowl was made by Shu Sheng, she only used chili peppers.

  The entrance was not spicy at all, but once it reached the stomach, a ball of fire rose up.

  "Sour sweet bitter spicy, what you've made isn't liangfen, it's home, it's love, it's life, it's your way."

  Lin Hu slowly opened his mouth, understanding that San Sheng Mu was about to point something out to him.

  He likes eating liangfen.

  "So he only taught us how to make liangfen."

  "For three thousand years."

  "I find worldly life bitter, so I use only salt."

  "I find worldly life too complicated, so I just use vinegar."

  "I find worldly life too complicated, so I just use chili peppers."

  The Third Saint Mother finished speaking and looked at Lin Huang, "What does the mortal world look like to you?"

  Lin Huang thought for a moment and shook his head, "I don't know."

  "You don't even know about the red dust."

  "Do you still want to cut off worldly desires?"

  "Ridiculous."

  Lin Huang now knew that San Sheng Mu was indeed guiding him, and he hastily asked for guidance: "To transcend the mortal world, how can one become a god? And why did you interrupt my ascension to half-god?"

  "Can't become a god."

  "To survive."

  "He is half-god."

  The three saints' mother's answer made Lin Huang take a cold breath, he didn't dare believe it, "Half-god is walking the wrong path?"

  "Can become gods. Nature will not make half-gods."

  "The way of God is forward, not backward."

  "There's no logic in going halfway."

  The three holy mothers looked at Lin Huang for a moment.

  "In the mortal world, illuminate the path, guard the path, and then use my path to replace the heavenly path, that is the Three Steps of Treading on God."

  "The way is not yet clear."

  "Cut off worldly desires."

  "Cannot become a god."

  Lin Huang took a deep breath and bowed solemnly to the Three Holy Mothers. He was almost led astray, "What teachings do you have for me?"

  "Three Paths to Godhood."

  "The Way of Heaven, The Way of Earth, The Way of Man."

  "If one walks the heavenly path, eliminating emotions and desires, it is a path of slaughter, destruction, and ruthlessness."

  "If walking on the right path, loving without killing, is the way of salvation, the way of protection, the way of benevolence."

  "If one walks on a human path, worldly dust cannot be severed. This is the way of attachment, the way of sentiment, the way of madness."

  Lin Huang nodded, "I severed worldly desires, precisely to tread the heavenly path, and use apathy to prove the way."

  "You can't do it."

  "Without experiencing the hardships of the world, where did you get such great cruelty and ruthlessness?"

  "It's no use even if we take a shortcut."

  "Without experiencing worldly sufferings, where does your great compassion and benevolence come from?"

  "If one walks on a human path, worldly dust cannot be cut off."

  "So now, you cannot sever worldly ties."

  Lin Huang hesitated for a moment, sighed, and knew that San Sheng Mu was right. He didn't have the great cruelty to eradicate emotions and desires, and it was impossible to achieve enlightenment without emotions. And if he took the earthly path, where would his great compassion come from to save and protect all living beings?

  "So I won't be able to cut off this worldly life now." Lin Huang rubbed his brow and looked at the Third Saint Mother.

  "And what about you? Are you taking the human path or the earthly path?"

  The three saints fell into a rare silence. After a long while, the Holy Mother of the Zither finally let out a faint sigh and said: "We have taken the wrong path. In this life, we cannot become gods."

  "But I have no regrets."

  "Why regret."

  The Chess Saint and the Book Saint each received a Dao, saw Lin Huang was puzzled, and continued.

  "Our way was originally the local way."

  "Enter the Way through music, chess, calligraphy and painting."

  "It should be universal salvation for all living beings."

  "But he died."

  "It doesn't matter if you don't want it."

  "It doesn't matter if it's not done."

  "May you become a god."

  "Forgot all the troubles of this mundane world."

  "This world is sour."

  "This world is chaotic."

  "We will not take this road."

  The words were simple, but Lin Huang understood them clearly. He looked deeply at the Three Holy Mothers and asked a question, "In ten million years, why has no one become a god?"

  "Hundred Saints Revolutionize Heaven."

  "Humanity is greatly flourishing."

  "When humanity is prosperous, how can one become a god?"

  Lin Huang was shocked, for ten million years no one had become a god, and it turned out to be because of the Hundred Saints Revolution, the rise of humanity.

  Suddenly, Lin Huang thought of a question and asked, "Could it be that among the three thousand divine spirits and the countless living beings, no one has become a god through the way of man?"

  The three holy mothers nodded silently.

  "With a heart in the mundane world, how can one become a god?"

  "Only heaven's way can be divine."

  "Earth can become spirit."

  "Humanity, no one becomes a god."

  Lin Huang's face turned solemn, "As people say, if no one can become a god, then I definitely won't choose that path."

  "Never had before."

  "Not now doesn't mean never."

  "You have not yet illuminated the path, but you can still make a choice."

  "If you want to follow the Way of Heaven, just remember that the Way of Heaven is not benevolent, it treats all things as straw dogs."

  "If you want to walk on solid ground, remember that the earth is humble and carries all things with virtue."

  "If you want to walk on the path of humanity, find a persistent thought, and this life will be uninterrupted."

  "Whatever."

  "First sell three days of Liangfen."