"Do you think this is easy? The path to immortality, the way can be stolen, and the thief is the taker. This single word, 'take', is the hardest part on the road to immortality. In your cultivation journey, the challenges you encounter are not merely the enchanting beauty of Bao Guang's aura, millions of cultivation methods, millions of miraculous pills, or millions of human relationships. What will you take, and what will you forsake? If you take it, can you truly achieve immortality? If you forsake it, will you regret it in the future?"
Yu Ci's smile faded. This was no longer about ideals and practice, but a return to the Fish-Dragon dilemma, guided by the Old Daoist.
"In cultivation, one must understand this principle: humans are born between heaven and earth, not to isolate themselves. I do not know what it's like at the pinnacle of cultivation, but along the way, there are interactions and exchanges between people, some are mutually supportive, some are strangers, some are irreconcilable; interactions between humans and objects, some are inseparable, some are dispensable, some are repulsive. As for the relationship between man and the universe, the unity of man and nature, the interaction between man and nature, are clearly written in the classics.
"Such connections, though complex, involve choices and sacrifices, which is the righteous path. Without understanding the principles in this, without realizing that external objects are also the foundation of cultivation, going alone into the mountains for meditation, gloriously named the 'Death Gate', is actually nothing more than death!"
Yu Ci bowed his head in acknowledgment, "I will heed your teachings!"
But soon, he raised his head, forcing a bitter smile, "But this principle sounds complex, difficult, and ruthless."
He thought of the friends he had made recently. According to the Old Daoist's theory, in the pursuit of the grand path, if necessary, Ye Tu could be forsaken, Bao Guang could be forsaken, Little Nine could be forsaken, even his Old Daoist could be forsaken!
Is this the meaning?
The Old Daoist seemed lost in thought, then stroked his beard and laughed, "Only those who have weathered life's storms can utter the word 'ruthless'. This is good. But remember, the grand path is ruthless, yet the Thunderbolt Tribulation, despite its ruthlessness, is moving!
He laughed heartily, then began to sing, tapping his cup in rhythm:
"The path to immortality is long, and immortality is difficult, the Thunderbolt Tribulation is hard to pass. Hard to pass, yet it is a gate of life and death, a gate of life and death, yet death is not difficult."
In the Plum Snow Pavilion, the white-browed Old Daoist sang in a clear voice that resonated with the branches and leaves, causing the snow to fall with sound. His voice was not melodious, and his words were straightforward and ordinary. Yet there was a hint of self-mocking humor in his tone. Upon further thought, one could feel the bitter hardship in his words, a sorrow that squeezed one's heart.
Yu Ci knew that the Old Daoist was trying to enlighten him in this way, but it seemed he had only managed to throw himself into confusion. He wanted to laugh, but when the smile reached his face, it had already turned bitter.
This was his first encounter with the profound theories of cultivation. If all cultivators in the world practiced in this manner, how dull and stifling it would be!
This was not the Immortality he had imagined or sought after. It really wasn't!
Thus, amidst his turbulent emotions, he downed another cup of wine, feeling slightly tipsy.
His tolerance for alcohol was actually quite low. Once he had a few drinks, he became overly wild and his words tended to be startling and provocative. He glanced at the Old Daoist again. Although he didn't like the Old Daoist's earlier remarks, he admired his carefree, unbothered attitude. This Old Daoist was indeed a man of character.
Perhaps it was because of this that the Old Daoist had failed on the path to Immortality.
However, when this thought reached his lips, it transformed into a different statement. Under the influence of the wine, he exclaimed, "Good Old Daoist, you're a wonderful character!"
The unexpected praise only made the Old Daoist appear more relaxed and intoxicated. He slightly altered the melody and repeated the lyrics of the song. Yu Ci heard the phrase "Immortality is difficult" several times. Seeing the Old Daoist's white hair and aged face, how could he not feel moved? Under the turmoil in his heart, he clapped and sung along with the Old Daoist:
"Difficult is the Thunderbolt Tribulation, the gate of life and death, the gate of life and death is not difficult to die."
One voice was rugged, the other clear and transcendent; their clapping and table-thumping echoed each other, old and young. In this way, the simple lyrics seemed to come alive with flavor. When the phrase "not difficult to die" passed again, Yu Ci's emotions were like a tidal wave, passionate and surging. He slammed the table hard, causing the small pavilion to shake violently, almost collapsing. Amid the falling dust, he said bitterly:
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"Dying is not difficult, not difficult at all. The least difficult thing is the most frustrating!"
The Old Daoist stopped singing and said with a smile, "Only by facing difficulties can one achieve Immortality. Do you now understand how to walk the path of Immortality?"
"I understand, I understand."
Yu Ci had indeed grasped the Old Daoist's meaning, but it only made him feel more uncomfortable. This kind of give-and-take, this emotional detachment, seemed too artificial. He wasn't afraid of death, rather, he was annoyed by these entanglements. Why couldn't cultivation be like swordplay, where one strike could determine life or death, clear and straightforward?
When he felt frustrated, he drank. When dust fell into his wine cup, he discarded it, grabbed the wine jug, and drained it in one gulp. The wine was thin, but it rushed to his head in one go. His emotions surged, and he thought of Yu Zhou's previous words about heaven, earth, things, and people. A lump rose in his throat, and he couldn't hold back. He suddenly slammed the table and shouted:
"Why must there be a choice? To have everything in the world at my disposal, to command the obedience of all people, to harness the forces of heaven and earth, wouldn't that grant me immortality?"
The Old Daoist was taken aback at these words.
Yu Ci roared out, his mind suddenly clear. He realized he had spoken nonsense. Just as he was about to explain, he saw the Old Daoist burst into laughter. With a sudden flick of his sleeve, there was a cacophony of clattering sounds as the table full of wine cups and dishes was swept to the ground, almost toppling the stone box containing the Fish-Dragon.
At this moment, Bao Guang arrived outside the pavilion with wine, only to be startled by the scene before him.
After his laughter subsided, the Old Daoist looked at Yu Ci in silence for a long while.
For the first time in his life, Yu Ci regretted his drunken outburst. Facing the Old Daoist's gaze, he gave a bitter smile and said, "Those were words spoken in anger."
The Old Daoist suddenly broke into a smile, "Excellent!"
"What?"
"Even in anger, I could not have uttered those words."
The Old Daoist patted his shoulder and left the pavilion without looking back.
************
In the afternoon, the Taoists in the temple had finished their midday lessons. The sounds of the Taoist temple gradually rose, but by the time they reached the solitary courtyard where Yu Ci resided, they had mostly faded away, leaving the tranquility undisturbed.
Yu Ci was slowly pacing in the courtyard.
This was his tenth day back at the Still Heart Temple.
Since the day the Old Daoist had swept away, Yu Ci hadn't seen him again. Even the Fish-Dragon hadn't been handed over, and the matter of the Outer Disciples had been put aside. It seemed that his outburst had truly angered the Old Daoist, causing everything to come to a standstill.
As time passed, he felt as though he had been forgotten. Only Bao Guang would come by each day to chat, reminding him that he was still part of the mortal world.
Yu Ci wasn't without anxiety or doubts.
But as time flowed, his thoughts gradually settled. Unknowingly, the intrigues and life-and-death struggles of Sky Rift Valley had become blurry, and the sense of urgency that had always filled his heart had eased. As for the conspiracy still lurking beneath the surface, the confrontations between the "giants", and other more distant matters, they were buried deep within his heart, covered with another layer.
In this way, his heart was largely emptied, and its rhythm naturally changed.
Yu Ci found a completely new rhythm, different from his time in Sky Rift Valley, his twelve years of wandering, and even his childhood in the Twin Immortal Sect. It was leisurely and relaxed, yet his perception was extremely keen. He hadn't forgotten his past, but he was gradually changing his perspective, extracting information from it to enrich his thinking.
In simple terms, he was reflecting.
It wasn't to say that he thought there were any mistakes in what he had done before, but rather, he had discovered some valuable elements that had been inevitably overlooked in the heat of the moment.
The more abstract elements included subtle shifts in his emotional state at different times, while more tangible ones included the intricate ways in which the "Primordial Qi" was manipulated when he used the Foggy Sword Divine. These easily overlooked details contained things he had been pursuing but had been overshadowed by the more dazzling realities of the situation.
As such, Yu Ci began to enjoy strolling in the quiet solitude of his courtyard, reminiscing, contemplating, and exploring, ultimately grasping hold of those elements, for they were closer to cultivation, closer to Immortality.
His condition was improving, especially so today.
In the tranquil environment, he could even hear the harmonious chorus of his flesh and bones under the nourishment of "Primordial Qi", like the lapping of the tide against the shore in the deep of night, rhythmic and melodious, as if listening to heavenly music.
Immersed in this dense sound, Yu Ci naturally entered a state of semi-consciousness, a state of vague oblivion. His once clear thoughts and awareness now seemed like a lake overflowing its banks, flowing in all directions without any specific purpose. Yet, at its deepest point, there was a faint light, forming the core, illuminating the unfathomable Heart of the Lake. No matter how far the lake water spreads, it is influenced by the light, albeit minutely.
He inexplicably, yet naturally, thought of Ye Tu's remarks, but lost the sequence, even the shell of language, and reverted to the most direct images, the purest ideas, presented in the Heart of the Lake.
It was a set of concentric circles.
The faint light was the center, and the lake water was the blurred arc.
The spreading lake water actively connected with the outside world, occupying new territories. The outside world also communicated with the lake water, perhaps through a fallen leaf or a breeze, transmitting vague information from a far distance through these subtle changes.
The lake water itself could digest these pieces of information and respond, while the faint light at the heart of the lake, from an observer's perspective, imprinted the entire process of information input, interaction with the lake water, and the lake water's response, then shaved off the process itself, leaving only a hint of the "truth" proclaimed by the process, collecting it into its light. The faint light seemed to expand just a bit.
Then, under the illumination of the faint light, the lake water became clearer, and the feedback information was more distinct, thus the cycle repeated.
Until a sudden, vivid, and intense stimulus broke in!
*********
When your dreams come closest to you, about to become reality, when all the colors of your fantasies have faded, I wonder what everyone's feelings are.
Of course, Yu Ci being picky is a matter of his character. As for me, I welcome all the support from my friends.
...
I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e