Chapter 1: Wandering in Qing City, a lone donkey searches for a winding path, sees a strange tree, and a young boy returns to Hong Meng.
Chen Zhenyuan woke up in a daze, as if he had just gone through a long sleep. He was still a bit dizzy and heavy, but also felt a little clear-headed and light. Out of habit, he took stock of his surroundings, but couldn't help being shocked.
Before and after, a vast expanse of misty haze, infinite and boundless. Neither heaven nor earth, nor left or right, can be distinguished. Although only a small space of one square zhang can be felt, it seems grand and majestic, ancient and desolate. Being in the midst of it, one cannot help but feel a sense of loneliness and melancholy. The space is filled with a grayish misty air that seems to be cloud yet not cloud, fog yet not fog, unclear and indistinct. These mists are heavy and substantial, stretching out endlessly, their extremities unknown, flowing along fixed paths, seemingly slow yet actually fast, appearing chaotic yet following a certain rule. As they flow past one's body, there is a thread of continuous absorption, as if being replenished with energy, the spirit refreshed, the body becoming agile, extremely comfortable.
At the same time, Chen Zhenyuan found himself drifting in a certain unknown direction with the clouds and mist around him.
Is this a dream? If it's a dream, why am I so awake? Why is everything around me so real? He moved his body, trying to break free from these air currents. But he was shocked to discover that he had no body, only a wisp of spiritual consciousness left, and yet he still had a clear mind, in this airflow, like dust in a whirlwind, drifting aimlessly, without control.
He is a man who goes with the flow, and since he found it impossible to control, he gave up the futile struggle.
"Soul talk, it turns out there's really such a thing!"
Chen Zhenyuan couldn't help but let out a silent sigh, finally confirming that he was already dead. Memories of his past life involuntarily resurfaced in his mind once again.
Chen Zhenyuan is also a promising young man in modern society. Although he was born in a rural area and lost his parents at a very young age, his uncles and elders treated him kindly, not only providing for his basic needs but also supporting his education through thriftiness. As a result, Chen has been exceptionally responsible since childhood, able to be self-reliant, diligent, and hardworking, with consistently excellent grades. Unexpectedly, he continued studying all the way to the doctoral stage.
Since studying for a master's degree, Chen Zhenyuan's life has gradually become more affluent due to the generous scholarships and subsidies provided by his unit. Not only did he have a girlfriend, but he also developed many hobbies. Among all his hobbies, he liked traveling the most.
Maybe it's because of family reasons, Chen Zhenyuan has been a bit lonely emotionally since childhood. He especially likes the flowers, grasses, trees, insects, fish, birds and beasts in nature, and sometimes he can stay alone in the wilderness for half a day. As long as he is alone in nature, quietly contemplating, he feels that all the plants and animals around him are full of vitality, thriving, and his heart is filled with joy. After growing up, he likes to visit famous mountains and rivers, and admire rare flowers and strange grasses. Over time, he has become a "donkey friend" and also a "lonely donkey".
It's not easy to be a "lone donkey", they usually have their own grand plans, infinite love for nature and deep understanding of life. While enduring the hardships of loneliness, they also experience the joy of travel more deeply. As the saying goes: "Those who eat bitterest are the best." They are also the most hardworking and fearless of all donkeys. Generally speaking, future donkey leaders will emerge from among such people.
June's scorching sun is like fire, Chen Zhenyuan's long-awaited summer vacation has finally arrived. He already had a complete plan for this summer trip, clothes, backpacks, mats, sleeping bags, shoes, tents, water bottles, maps, compasses, lighting, sunglasses, knives, protective gear/medicine, etc. are all ready, just waiting for the holiday to arrive, and then head to Sichuan.
He had planned everything, but his girlfriend was not happy. They had been dating for over two years and neither of them had met each other's parents yet. His girlfriend wanted to meet them sooner so that their relationship could progress further. Both of them had their own plans and couldn't come to an agreement. Although his girlfriend usually supported him, this time she stood firm. In the end, they rarely quarreled, and his girlfriend went home by herself. Before leaving, Chen Zhenyuan promised he would return early and then go to his girlfriend's house to let her wait at home first. However, his girlfriend was still angry and didn't respond, and got on the train without a care.
Unable to resist the strong temptation of Bashan and Shu water, Chen Zhenyuan threw away these troubles and set off on schedule according to his plan.
Mount Qingcheng is located in the southwest of Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province. It was formerly known as Jangren Mountain and covers an area of over 100 square kilometers with a peak elevation of more than 1,800 meters. It is a branch of the Qionglai Mountains and borders Mount Minshan to the north. The mountain is covered in lush vegetation and has a serene landscape.
Jianfu Palace, Yuqing Palace, Yuanming Palace, Wudongtian, Tianshi Palace, Shangqing Palace... Chen Zhenyuan walked through these scenic spots and arrived at Chaoyang Cave, where Ningfeng True Lord was said to have cultivated his true self.
Chaoyang Cave consists of two caves, large and small, not far apart. The larger one is more than 20 meters deep, while the smaller one is only a few meters deep. Inside, there are stone rooms that are very spacious. The two caves are hidden inside the mountain body, with towering cliffs outside, winding mountain paths, old vines, ancient trees, strange peaks and rocks, often shrouded in mist and fog. Only the cave entrance is open and clear. Every time it's sunny, when the sun rises in the east, the cliff wall shines with golden light, like a layer of scattered gold; looking down at the plain, fields, villages, and houses are clearly visible.
After touring the second cave, Chen Zhenyuan was following the crowd to leave when he suddenly found that on the vertical rock wall at the edge of the cave, there were shallow pits at regular intervals, and above the pits, there were some green moss, apparently no one had ever set foot.
"Could this be an undiscovered path that nobody has ever found?"
Chen Zhenyuan couldn't help but feel curious and excited, so he found a secluded spot where no one else was around and carefully made his way down the narrow path.
On one side was the abyss, on the other, a precipice. Chen Zhenyuan moved like a spider, using all four limbs to carefully tread on each depression. Gradually moving further and further away, he slowly made his way around Chaoyang Cave and arrived at the other side of the precipice.
Walking on the cliff, every step is difficult, and there is no room to turn around or retreat. Even Chen Zhenyuan, a donkey friend who likes adventure and solo travel, couldn't help but sweat coldly and feel some regret in his heart. Fortunately, after walking for not long, he saw a stone platform between the mountains, on which was lush and verdant, as if there were some grasses and trees. Chen Zhenyuan's heart relaxed, and the idea of exploring and hunting for wonders surged out of his heart even more irrepressibly.
On the stone platform, there is nothing but a small tree. Only the green branches are lush and dense, the leaves are shaded and forest-like, the tree shape is round and harmonious, like a canopy. On the trunk of the tree, each branch splits in a very regular pattern, not too many or too few, in pairs facing each other. The leaves are wide and long, resembling banana leaves.
Chen Zhenyuan saw the tree and couldn't help but feel extremely excited. Although he was a Ph.D. in engineering, like most of his friends, he also had a deep understanding of biology. This was clearly a species of tree that he had never seen before!
At this time, Chen Zhenyuan felt that the tree in front of him was shining brightly, as if it had a subtle connection with him. He couldn't help but walk closer to the tree.
Just as his hand was about to touch the trunk, a large black snake suddenly darted out from the stone crevice beside him and bit his hand quickly.
Chen Zhenyuan didn't even have time to give himself first aid before he felt a chill spreading rapidly from the wound throughout his body. Suddenly, he felt dizzy and the small trees in front of him seemed to expand infinitely in his eyes. He knew he was done for.
"Will I never have the chance to go to her house again, and how sad will she be?" Before losing consciousness, Chen Zhenyuan's heart surged with intense guilt towards his girlfriend.
It's already a case of people and ghosts taking different paths, no matter how much regret there is, it's useless. Chen Zhenyuan couldn't help but let out a long sigh, feeling an unprecedented sadness and loss in his heart.
However, he was a person who adapted well to his environment. After being heartbroken for a while, he put aside his worries and began to observe his surroundings.
It's unknown how long it has been and how far he has drifted, but the surroundings seem to have remained unchanged. Chen Zhenyuan, who had just slightly recovered from his grief, couldn't help but feel a little scared. There was no sunlight, no color, no sound, no communication, and the entire world seemed to be just him alone. This kind of loneliness that is more terrifying than death might drive anyone mad. Even the life of a vegetable person would be better than this. If it's like this, then having one's soul dispersed after death would actually be a great blessing.
"Heaven will not cut off a man's road, there will always be a way to solve it." Chen Zhenyuan's mindset, which was tempered from adversity, took effect. He first comforted himself and tried to stabilize his emotions, not thinking about the worst-case scenario. At the same time, he racked his brains for a solution.
If there is still a spirit after one's own death, then it means that most of the ancient myths and legends about immortals and Taoist cultivation are true. If those are true, then after one's own death, one's soul should go to the underworld, take the Yellow Spring Road, cross the Naihe Bridge, pass over the River of Forgetfulness, arrive at the Pavilion of Yearning for One's Hometown, and drink Meng Po's Broth, forgetting all memories of past lives. But now, there is nothing here, and memories of past lives have not been erased.
No, this definitely isn't the underworld. The underworld can't possibly be so empty and desolate. Chen Zhenyuan immediately denied this guess.
However, the existence of consciousness is real. Although I don't have a body, I have memories, can think, and can sense within a certain range, although this range is very small.
If there was a way to cultivate and expand one's senses, to strengthen one's spiritual awareness, how wonderful that would be! Chen Zhenyuan couldn't help but think this. However, in his past life, he was just an ordinary person, growing up in modern society, believing in science and technology, without even any religious beliefs, let alone any cultivation methods.
After a long time, Chen Zhenyuan couldn't think of any other way and simply stopped to let himself rest. He recalled the comfortable feeling of absorbing the air flow around him earlier and intentionally or unintentionally started experiencing it again.
Chen Zhenyuan was after all a clever person, and after experiencing it several times, he found that his senses around him had become clear. Suddenly, he had an epiphany: the gray misty cloud flow beside him actually had such a wonderful effect, absorbing these flows wasn't exactly a cultivation method?
It is indeed:
Encountered life and death changes
Understood the cause and effect of past lives.
To know how calamity and fortune come about,
See you next time.
;
