Chapter Thirty: Lesser Immortals' Small Troubles, Greater Immortals' Big Headaches

  "The Great Way is simple, its key lies in preserving truth. Firmly preserve your thoughts, quietly introspect, and keep the mysterious truth in mind, so that inside and outside correspond."

  This was the practice method taught by my master when I was young, and at that time, I thought I had already understood it. I even used this passage to answer Yu Chen Xuan Huang's question. Now that I have left Tiantai Mountain, I realize that there is a world beyond this one, and I am just like a tiny star in the vast Milky Way, what I see, know and can do are all too little.

  Morning light shines through the clear water, illuminating the dense and intricate spells around. A new day has begun, after a whole night of trying and striving, Dao Jing sits wearily in the courtyard, gazing at the sky outside the door, feeling that his distance from it seems to have grown even farther.

  "Nothing is nothing, non-being is being...". This is the first essential point of "Lingbao Wupian", the Taoist scripture whispers quietly, trying hard to recall all possible helpful knowledge.

  He repeatedly tried, only to find that the curse that bound him was similar to a Spirit Sealing Array. This array was both restrictive and protective, requiring a specific incantation to enter or exit. The problem was that he didn't know what the incantation was, nor did he know how to activate it. Unlike the Spirit Sealing Array, this one had no array eye, making it even more baffling. He reluctantly turned his head to look at the door, wondering if he really had to face a blank wall and reflect on his actions. Just thinking about it made him feel embarrassed.

  The master has never punished himself like this before. There are light and heavy, urgent matters at hand, the Tiantai Mountain is unstable at the moment, even if it should be punished, it should be done by the master himself. In fact, whether the master does not allow him to return or has other ideas about Yu Xuan? The master's personal disciples are indeed not all in Tiantai Mountain, but the Tongchen Palace's magical powers are mysterious and its influence is not ordinary. To arrange for Yu Xuan to be here, what is the master's intention?

  Dao Jing thought of He Yu talking to himself with a proud and stern expression, which was quite different from the style of his master. It's really unknown why he accepted him as a disciple.

  Last night, after exerting himself fully and being cursed with a backlash that disrupted his inner energy, for an instant he felt as if the universe had changed and the study room of Mount Tiandai appeared before his eyes. He was kneeling at a long table, holding a brush and copying ancient scrolls. This was the task assigned to him by his master, which he had to do every day. However, the text was profound and difficult to understand, making it dull to copy. It was a clear autumn day, with crickets chirping softly in the quiet atmosphere. He was distracted by the red leaves outside the window, while his master sat calmly on the platform, intently reading a bamboo scroll.

  Why don't...

  He held a pen in one hand, pretending to write seriously, while the other hand secretly drew talismans under the desk. With a burst of true energy, a strand of his spirit immediately split off, quickly escaping through the window and recondensing into its original form.

  This one and the one inside writing quickly are both me, this is the master's personally taught inner vision splitting body technique, at that time this move was used most skillfully. After listening for a while, there was no movement in the room, Dao Jing sneaked away happily and ran to the sword platform.

  Although he didn't know why the magic had lost its effect after a quarter of an hour, he didn't care and just put away his notes. He looked up at his master, whose gaze was still focused on the middle book, with only the corners of his mouth slightly raised as if smiling.

  He suddenly opened his eyes, but saw that the sky and earth were dark, with only the faint glow of curses in sight: "It was just a dream..."

  His eyes were vacant, lost in thought. Meanwhile, two blurry figures sneaked up to the gate in the morning light, whispering to each other as they walked. Dao Jing didn't even need to look to know who it was.

  "Your injury has just stabilized, and you've also had a shock. You should be resting well, what are you doing here?"

  Lu Jian stuck out his tongue and said, "We don't trust you, we heard from Master Xūwú that you were locked up by He Yu, and it seems like his magic is very powerful. How about it, have you thought of a way to get out?"

  Dao Jingxin said: "I've thought of a way, why are you still standing here in a daze when you should have left long ago?"

  But seeing the two people's worried faces, he still felt a bit relieved in his heart. Seeing Duanmu Chengyan covering her shoulder and looking weak, he couldn't bear to let them worry about him anymore, so he just said "I'll think of a way, you're affecting my thinking."

  "Oh, are you hungry?"

  I'm starving!

  Dào Jìng took a deep breath and revealed a big smile: "I'm not hungry."

  Luoyi Fox looked at the empty stone table in the courtyard, then looked at Dao Jing's belly, and finally looked at Du Mu Yang.

  Duanmu Chengyang let out a sigh and slowly pulled out a paper package from his bosom.

  "Do you want to eat a meat bun?"

  I want to eat!

  But the curse blocked it in the middle, and this wish obviously couldn't be fulfilled. Perhaps hunger can stimulate potential, Dao Jing looked at Duanmu Chengyang and suddenly had an idea: "Can you help me with something?"

  He Yu sat quietly in the inner hall, gazing at the yellowed painting on the wall, lost in thought. The incense smoke curled up, and the first ray of sunlight passed through the window lattice onto his body. In the closed room, a gentle breeze suddenly arose, dispersing the light blue smoke column from the censer. Along with it, his shadow gradually became blurred, transforming into a wisp of smoke that drifted into the painting.

  The morning rain had just stopped, and a gap in the dark clouds opened up in the sky. A golden light spilled towards the edge of the Heavenly Lake, shining down on a figure clad in lake-blue.

  He Yu knelt down on one knee: "Your subordinate pays respects to the master!"

  "Get up."

  "Yes! Master, Young Master is still in Tong Chen Palace and has already recovered his consciousness and cultivation."

  "Oh?" Xuan Yi's pale and cold face finally revealed a faint smile: "Very good, thank you for your hard work."

  He Yù thought for a moment, then locked himself in and reported the matter to his master. Although he firmly believed that what he did was to make Dào Jìng have some enlightenment and grow up as soon as possible, after all, that was his master's only disciple. Wanting to explain his approach might require some effort.

  Xuan Yi listened calmly and quietly turned his head to gaze at the rippling light on the surface of the Tian Lake, his eyes distant. He said softly: "I know you have good intentions, but Jing Er has grown up by my side since childhood and has never experienced any hardships or difficulties. My greatest hope is that he can grow up safely and happily, and be able to live a life that suits him in the future, which is enough."

  "Master, there are signs of unrest in the immortal realm at present. Although I will do my best to serve you, the young master also needs to strengthen himself. Even if you don't want the young master to get involved in troubles, you should still let him have the power to protect himself. Perhaps you can let him stay with me for a while and focus on his cultivation, or maybe let him leave your side and go through a period of tempering alone, so that he can learn to be independent and be better prepared for the future..."

  "Is it also good to take over the family business here? And Yu, you don't understand a child's heart. For Jing Er, Tian Tai Mountain is just his home. Maybe he has reached the age where he should accept training, but the purpose of all this is so that in the future he can have the right to choose his own life. Moreover...” Xuan Yi turned back to look at his old friend, his tone softening as he spoke slowly: "A hurricane cannot break a bird's wings, your curse may be strong, but it also cannot block his desire to return home."

  He Yuding stared at his master, momentarily speechless.

  Water vaporizes into gas, gas condenses to form clouds, clouds gather to become rain, and rain falls back into water. The cycle repeats endlessly, just like countless events, big or small, are linked together to form the life journey of every individual. Past events give rise to future causes, and future events bear the consequences of past ones; the natural order is a continuous cycle that will not come to an end even when life stops. Immortals possess long lives that ordinary people cannot attain, but it's not for enjoying the beauty of this world; rather, it's for shouldering and resolving all these causal relationships.

  The life given by heaven will never cease, and the burden of reincarnation will continue until the end, only then can one return to heaven without regret.

  There have been many times when Xuan Yi thought he had reached the end. When playing the flute to summon cranes on Mount Song, on the eve of welcoming the Western Queen Mother's holy chariot, and even at the moment when he took the life of Taotie with his own hands in Suoshan, he had thought so. However, fate did not give him such an opportunity, and he is still alive today, or rather, the master god of Tiantai Mountain is still alive.

  As for whether it was himself or not, after experiencing the magic array, he didn't want to think about it anymore.

  Dispel evil spirits, uphold the pure and clear wind. The dispelling magic array itself is a purely righteous immortal medical Taoist method, but what happened next was something he didn't expect.

  The law array slowly operated, but in his calm heart, a person's voice sounded.

  Perhaps it was at the top of a majestic mountain, or perhaps under a Japanese cedar tree. Xuan Yi suddenly didn't know where he was. Everything in his line of sight was a deep crimson, but like the cold flames that flickered on the surface of the sea, there was no real warmth. Amidst the flashing lights, a black figure appeared. It was very familiar, yet also made one feel estranged.

  That person said: "Long time no see!"

  "Who are you?"

  "This is the most difficult question in the world, I am neither human nor any living being, my identity still needs you to grant."

  That person asked himself: "Have you ever had any wishes?"

  "It has happened."

  "Is there still anything to regret?"

  "Me too."

  "You're an immortal, why haven't you transcended worldly desires and become free from cravings?"

  "No things, no desires, then no sentient beings. If there are no sentient beings, where do the immortals come from? I plan for the blessings of all living beings, just like seeking material desires for myself, why need to transcend?"

  "Hmm, there are many gods in heaven, but it's not like you're indispensable."

  "It is indeed so. But since I am already here, I must do something to justify my existence."

  "What is the Way of Heaven? This is just your own words, I think in the end you may not get what you want. Just like how you'd rather suffer and try to get rid of me, but didn't think that it's precisely your suffering that allows me to be reborn!"

  "But you will still be eliminated in the end."

  "I should have dug out your heart to see if it's made of ice back then. How can you not be warmed up, how can you not be nurtured? As long as there are still people alive by your side, I won't die. Just like your precious disciples, just like the common people you've been protecting with all your heart, no matter whether they're from the past, present or future, all their sufferings are bestowed upon them by you. Perhaps one day when you look back on this path of becoming a deity, you'll clearly see that you haven't truly gained anything."

  The soul fire is bright and extinguished, the cold and hard words continue:

  "Wait until that day, and I'll hear how you speak then."