Chapter 4: The Theory of Encountering Good Fortune through the Union of Yin and Yang, Transforming Form and Sharing Spiritual Fruits

  Last time, I mentioned that Zhenyuanzi refined his body and transformed into a different form, which caused the Hongmeng yuanqi to move strangely. As soon as he was born, he heard a "hiss" sound and couldn't help but be greatly shocked.

  Since the spiritual consciousness entered the Hongmeng world, everywhere was filled with the vast and boundless Hongmeng atmosphere. Except for the ginseng fruit tree, Zhenyuanzi had never seen any other objects, let alone living beings with spirit and consciousness. Therefore, suddenly hearing someone's voice made his heart tremble with shock. It is worth noting that in the Hongmeng, those who can cultivate the Hunyuan body are all high-ranking individuals with great spiritual powers. And at this time, the Hunyuan had just evolved into the Hongmeng world not long ago, and it was extremely rare for someone to appear so early. I wonder whether this is a blessing or a curse for myself?

  Zhenyuanzi's heart was racing with anxiety, and soon he saw a Daoist emerging from the vast expanse in front of him. The man had the head of a dragon and the body of a snake, covered in scales, hundreds of feet long, with only his head visible but not his tail. His expression was fierce and powerful, his aura sharp and unparalleled, like a razor-sharp blade unsheathed.

  Zhenyuanzi saw the arrival, his heart skipped a beat, and he seemed to have thought of something, but still felt a little confused. He hurriedly pressed down the unease in his heart, stepped forward, and bowed: "This Taoist friend, I am Zhenyuanzi, please come in!"

  The newcomer, however, did not respond and seemed to have not heard anything. He stared blankly at Zhenyuanzi, his mouth agape, as if deep in thought. His eyes shone brightly, shooting out two beams of golden light that enveloped Zhenyuanzi's entire body.

  After half a moment, he suddenly realized and exclaimed: "I understand, I understand!" After finishing speaking, his whole body was shrouded in a haze, transforming into a sturdy man of the same height as Zhenyuanzi, with a thick beard and broad face, muscles bulging, wearing short clothes, holding a large axe in his right hand. At first glance, he looked like a woodcutter.

  Zhenyuanzi didn't know the end of it, so he had to start again and pay his respects: "I am Zhenyuanzi. I don't know where you come from or why you have arrived here."

  That robust man laughed loudly and said: "What a wonderful Daoist friend, indeed a Daoist friend." After finishing speaking, he looked slightly embarrassed and said: "I was rude. My name is Pangu, I came from the primordial chaos and wandered in the vast expanse of the universe. Because I saw that when you, my Daoist friend, transformed your shape, the primordial energy of the universe moved strangely, so I searched for you until now. Just now, without your permission, I peeked at your heavenly mechanism, please forgive me."

  Pangu! It was Pangu, the great god who opened up the sky and earth! Zhong Yuansi heard this and his heart felt like it was churning over like a stormy sea. For a moment, he only felt dizzy and confused, just like a young boy seeing his idol for the first time, so excited that he couldn't control himself. He didn't even notice the meaning of Pangu's last sentence.

  To know, Pangu is the creator god who opened up the sky and earth, transformed and evolved all things. His merits are so great that they cannot be thought of, he is the origin of all things in the world, the father of all spirits, and his status is revered beyond compare.

  Pangu was born very early, before the chaos of the universe had transformed into the Hongmeng world, it was just a chaotic ball like an egg. Pangu began to take shape within it. Later, when the chaos evolved into the Hongmeng world, Pangu held a great axe and broke out of his shell, becoming the first living being in this world.

  According to legend, after Pangu was born, he wandered alone in the Hongmeng world, feeling that the world was desolate and lacking in life. He used his divine power and the great method of creation to open up the Hongmeng with his axe. From then on, the light and ethereal energy rose up to become heaven, while the heavy and turbid energy sank down to become earth. Pangu stood between heaven and earth.

  He feared that heaven and earth would merge again into their original form, so he held up the blue sky with his hands and pressed down on the great earth with his feet, separating heaven and earth. Heaven rose one zhang (a unit of measurement) every day, earth thickened one zhang every day, and Pangu's body grew one zhang every day.

  After a long time, heaven became higher and higher, earth thicker and thicker, and Pangu's body also became very tall. Finally, Pangu opened up heaven and earth, but he himself died of exhaustion.

  After his death, his breath became the wind and clouds, his voice became thunder, his left eye became the sun, his right eye became the moon, his four limbs and five organs became the four extremes and five sacred mountains, his blood became rivers, his veins became underground waterways, his muscles became fields and land, his hair became stars, his skin became grass and trees, his teeth and bones became gold and stone, his essence became pearls and jade, and his sweat became rain.

  What a great god! Now that we have the opportunity to meet, how fortunate it is! No wonder even with Yuanzi's cultivation, he also had to fly high and far away, his heart racing wildly, losing his usual calm state of mind.

  Pangu saw Zhenyuanzi's confused expression and didn't know what was going on. He called out: "Fellow Taoist! Fellow Taoist Zhenyuanzi!"

  Zhenyuanzi suddenly woke up, bowed deeply to Pangu, and said: "I'm so lucky to meet you, my friend! Your extraordinary talent is truly admirable." These two sentences were spoken from the heart.

  Pangu smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, you have my admiration. However, the method you are cultivating is secretly in harmony with the Great Dao, and it's wonderful beyond words. It surpasses mine by a hundred times! I was delighted to see this and couldn't help but use my divine inspection method to investigate further. I gained a lot from it, and many things that were unclear before became clear as day. All of this is thanks to Fellow Daoist's gift! I hope you won't mind."

  Zhenyuanzi's mind suddenly became clear: "So that's how it is, I've unknowingly taken advantage of my past life." He hastily humbled himself and said: "How dare I? This is just a method that this poor Daoist has coincidentally obtained. Since it will be beneficial to fellow Daoists, I should naturally discuss it openly with them."

  To know that in the countless ages of the past, heaven and earth were the furnace, creation was the workman, yin and yang were the fuel, and all things were the copper. After billions of years of repeated tempering and elimination, the human race stood out alone, emerged from the crowd, became the spirit of all things, and finally established its unique position, which is very reasonable.

  Just talking about the human body, it is the most harmonious with the heavenly way among all living things. The correspondence between heaven and man, the unity of heaven and man, and the harmony of heaven and man are all based on this principle. For example, the heaven is round and the earth is square, so humans have a round head and square feet to correspond with them.

  Heaven has sun and moon, humans have two eyes. The earth has nine continents, humans have nine orifices. Heaven has wind and rain, humans have joy and anger. Heaven has thunder and lightning, humans have sound and voice. Heaven has four seasons, humans have four limbs. Heaven has five elements, humans have five internal organs. Heaven has six pitches, humans have six hollow organs. Heaven has winter and summer, humans have cold and heat. Heaven has ten days, humans have ten fingers.

  The heavenly stems have twelve branches, humans have ten toes on each foot, with the penis and scrotum corresponding to them; women lack two sections, embracing the human form. Heaven has yin and yang, humans have husband and wife. The year has 365 days, humans have 360 joints. The earth has high mountains, humans have shoulders and knees. The earth has deep valleys, humans have armpits and elbows.

  The earth has twelve rivers, humans have twelve meridians. The earth has springs and veins, humans have defensive energy. The earth has grass and plants, humans have hair. Heaven has day and night, humans have sleep and wakefulness. Heaven has stars, humans have teeth. The earth has small hills, humans have small joints. The earth has mountains and rocks, humans have high bones.

  The earth has forests and trees, humans have muscles and tendons. The earth has cities and towns, humans have flesh and skin. The year has twelve months, humans have twelve sections. The earth has four seasons without growing grass, humans have infertility. All these are manifestations of the correspondence between heaven and man.

  Zhenyuanzi, having understood this section, asked Pangu for guidance on the way of transforming his body and cultivating his primordial flesh. Pangu was also open-minded and willing to share his knowledge without reservation. However, there were things he didn't understand, and he wasn't afraid to ask Zhenyuanzi for guidance either. Both sides learned from each other's strengths and weaknesses, with Zhenyuanzi benefiting more because his understanding of the Hongmeng Great Way was like the difference between soil and high mountains, small streams and oceans compared to Pangu. It was only through some pre-reincarnation memories that he could inspire Pangu. However, for Pangu, who had never encountered living beings before, let alone communicated with them, this was a huge shock.

  The two men were deeply engrossed in their discussion, sometimes arguing with each other and sometimes lost in thought. They didn't notice the passage of time at all, and they both felt like they had met too late. After a long while, they finally came to a pause. Zhenyuanzi said: "The vast universe is so vast and boundless, it's rare for living beings to exist. Since I've had consciousness, apart from my fellow Taoist friends, I haven't seen anything else. It can be seen that the connection between me and my fellow Taoists is not shallow. We have nothing to do with the world around us, we can slowly explore the great Tao, but we shouldn't rush into it."

  Another said, "Fellow Taoist has come from afar. I have just transformed and emerged with empty hands, having nothing to offer as a host. Fortunately, someone has planted a fruit tree, the fruits of which are ripe but haven't had the chance to taste yet. It's also fellow Taoist's destiny that you've arrived at this time, so it's fitting for us to share together."

  After saying this, he took down four ginseng fruits from the treasure tree, two for Pangu and two for himself, and they ate them separately.

  Pangu's expression was somewhat moved, and he said: "A gift from a fellow Taoist, I dare not decline, thank you, fellow Taoist!" Looking at the ginseng fruit in his hand, he sighed: "It is indeed worthy of being a spiritual fruit born under the Great Tao! The five senses are complete, the hands and feet are all there, and the shape is deeply compatible with the Great Tao. No wonder Fellow Taoist refined such a magical body, it's truly a deep source of good fortune!"

  Zhenyuanzi saw Pangu mistakenly thought he was in the shape of a ginseng fruit, so he transformed into a human form. He didn't reveal the truth, but said: "Although I was transformed from this fruit, I haven't tasted it yet. Please, fellow Taoist, let's eat it together and see what it tastes like?"

  After finishing, he took a bite and felt that the flavor was extremely beautiful. As soon as it entered his mouth, it melted instantly, and before he could savor it carefully, it flowed into his abdomen and transformed into a pure and unparalleled primordial energy. This primordial energy was exceptionally pure and unlike the primordial energy absorbed from the Hongmeng, it did not require refinement and naturally flowed into his limbs, making his entire body feel extremely comfortable in an instant. This one bite was probably worth several thousand years of cultivation. Moreover, there seemed to be some indescribable and inexplicable things added to his spiritual consciousness.

  Zhenyuanzi ate the ginseng fruit while circulating his Qi, consolidating his cultivation. After finishing two ginseng fruits, he unexpectedly felt that his cultivation had increased by almost a yuan period. In his heart, he couldn't help but sigh: "The pre-heavenly spiritual root is indeed wonderfully unmatched, and can be called the shortcut to cultivating the Tao! It seems that from now on, I must seek out more spiritual roots and treasures, in order to contend for the heavenly mechanism's Qi operation."

  After finishing his work, he saw that Pangu had already finished eating and was sitting aside with a smile. Zhenyuanzi looked at him initially without noticing anything unusual, but upon closer inspection, he discovered that Pangu was somewhat different from before. Previously, he was like a sharp blade out of its scabbard, his aura overwhelming; now, however, he seemed subdued, like a friendly neighbor, kind and amiable. Clearly, Pangu's cultivation had made great progress.

  Pangu saw Zhenyuanzi complete his work and first bowed his head saying: "Congratulations, fellow practitioner, on your great progress!"

  "Hurray! Hurray!"

  After finishing speaking, the two of them looked at each other and burst out laughing, feeling that they understood each other's hearts without needing to say anything.

  "Is this the first time the fruit of the Taoist friend has matured?" Pang Gu asked with a smile.

  "Is it really so? Is there no other way?" Zhenyuanzi asked in surprise.

  "So it seems that I, Pangu, have a great affinity indeed!"

  If you want to know what's wonderful about it, there will be an explanation later on.

  It is indeed:

  Qianqiu discusses Pangu

  Splitting the sky and opening up the chaos.

  Heroes often feel lonely

  How many people truly understand me?