Folklore: The baby starts the game, and the mother takes off her painted skin

"Has the Luo family compound always been like this?"

Liu Bai was somewhat surprised when he saw the dilapidated courtyard that looked like a haunted house. He had initially thought that the courtyard would have red walls and green tiles, but he had never imagined that...

“It has always been like this.”

The old man nodded, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

"Just say what you want to say. Do you still want me to treat you?"

“I dare not.” The old man lowered his deer head quickly to show that he was as humble as dust. “It’s just that I don’t quite understand why you want to come to the more dangerous Luo Family Courtyard first. It should be better to go to the Soul Cleansing Cliff first.”

"Young Master is smart. He certainly would not think of challenging this difficult place first, so he probably has his own ideas."

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to try the difficult one first."

Liu Bai had no intention of explaining to this old sinister man. If he could prove his truth in the Luo family compound, then everything would be easy to explain. But if not, it would be embarrassing to explain it.

Immediately, his thoughts swept across Xumi. In addition to the first plant of the Misang Vine he got from the earth dragon, he got three more on his way to escape.

If the four Misang Vines are not enough to prove the truth, then Liu Bai can only say... this is his fate.

After all, even God is on his side. If he still can't prove the great way, what else can he say?

"Should I go in first and then swallow the vine, or should I eat it first and then go in?"

"Eat before going in. After you go in, you can wander around the Luo family compound. If you see something that interests you or you have an idea, you can sit down there. You will then be drawn into the illusion of the compound, and the effect of the Vine will then manifest itself."

Liu Bai could have chosen not to answer the old Yin man's question, but the old Yin man did not dare not to answer Liu Bai's question.

"Okay, wait for me outside. Of course, you can leave if you want."

While Liu Bai was speaking, he had already taken out a plant of the Vine and began to swallow and bite it in big gulps.

It tastes a bit bitter and tastes like Chinese medicine.

But after swallowing it, it has a sweet aftertaste. Overall, it is not bad.

Just after eating a plant of the Mist Vine, Liu Bai felt as if he was floating in the air. Just standing there, he felt like he could float up at any time.

It's not the kind of floating where the body is suspended, but the sublimation of the soul level.

Beside him, the old sinister man was still saying "I dare not" and making some oaths that he himself probably didn't believe, but Liu Bai turned a deaf ear to him and strode through the dilapidated gate of the Luo family compound.

As soon as he took a step forward and stepped into the Luo family compound, Liu Bai felt as if he had passed through a layer of space and arrived in another world.

Looking back, there was clearly only a door between us, but when I looked again, it was foggy outside and I couldn't see anything clearly.

Now that you have entered the Luo family compound, you can't leave without taking a trip to the fantasy world.

Not only did the old Yinren tell him this, but there was also a similar record in the booklet given by Zhang Cang.

Seeing this, Liu Bai no longer hesitated and turned around. At the foot of the steps connecting the front yard to the main hall, there was a skeleton sitting there.

The robes he was wearing had long since decayed, and the exposed bones were dotted with golden spots.

This means that the skeleton sitting here was once a person who had attained enlightenment during his lifetime... He came here to attain enlightenment, most likely to seek an opportunity for transcendence.

Thinking of transcending and attaining enlightenment, and becoming a demigod.

It’s a pity that he still passed away here.

Liu Bai walked forward and saw a sentence engraved on the stone slab in front of the bones.

"I have lived for a thousand years in vain, and I have failed the great Dao and you."

Still a lovesick man... Liu Bai didn't see any Sumeru on his body, it was empty, so he walked around him and entered the hall.

Compared to the empty front yard, there are more things in the hall, with coffee tables and chairs, although they are also covered with dust and cobwebs.

Liu Bai didn't check whether these things were good or bad. If they were really good...it would not be his turn.

However, there is a corpse sitting on the chair on the right side of the door.

There are no golden spots on the bones of his body, which means that at most he is just a deity.

Liu Bai wandered around the hall for a while. The feeling of his soul floating in the air was still there, but he didn't realize anything.

So I had to pass through the front yard hall and come to the second courtyard.

The second courtyard is divided into a main hall and a side hall. There are also some rooms on the left and right for servants to live in. In comparison, they are much more spacious.

Liu Bai walked and stopped here for a long time, during which time he came across several corpses and even saw a divine Sumeru.

But even so, he still didn't find the place that could make him gain some insights.

No matter where I look, it seems ordinary.

The same thing happened when I entered the backyard. I saw many bones of the deceased seniors, some of which had even turned into dust.

But Liu Bai never grasped that feeling.

Going further, the only thing left is the kitchen. If there is still no place with ideas in the kitchen, then... I can only go through it again from beginning to end.

Liu Bai didn't take a detour, but climbed over the wall from the backyard and went through a corridor door to the kitchen.

As soon as he entered the door, Liu Bai's eyes were attracted by the pond on the right side of the door.

The pool is not big, and the things inside are even simpler.

Withered lotus leaves and dead willows in late autumn.

These six words alone are enough to say it all.

But it was this scene of decay that made Liu Bai want to go forward and take a look... Here it comes.

He felt a little dizzy in his soul, but he was clear in his heart.

After going around in circles for so long, I didn't expect that I would finally find the way in the kitchen.

There are no dead bones by the small pond, but there is a handful of yellow soil. When you get closer, you can vaguely see some bones that have not yet completely decayed in the yellow soil.

Liu Bai moved away a little and sat down beside the willow tree.

The lotus pond is not big, only about ten feet long. Perhaps it is because it has not been dredged for a long time, resulting in most of the pond being silt, and the water in the pond is only as high as a stick of incense.

There were even fewer lotus flowers, with only three or two lotus leaves and a withered lotus flower with only the stem left, and some withered and fallen willow leaves around it.

The wind blew ripples all over the pond.

Liu Bai looked at this scene and felt that countless branches grew in his mind. Some of them connected to the willow tree and became willow leaves, while some of them sank into the water and became lotus roots.

He didn't know what was going on, nor did he know how to understand it.

He could only watch and feel the part of his soul that had transformed into willow leaves falling from the treetops, some falling on the water and some falling on the shore.

But no matter what, as long as they are out of the tree trunk, it is as if they are out of his control.

No feeling anymore.

The part of the soul that turned into lotus root was also constantly growing. Lotus leaves grew on the water surface in late autumn, and then lotus buds grew out.

Flowers bloom and fall.

But it’s only a fleeting moment.

As the lotus withered, part of Liu Bai's soul also died. Fortunately, the soul in his body was still nourished by the Mist Vine, which continuously grew branches, allowing the willow leaves to fall and the lotus to bloom and wither.

Only a moment passed like this, and Liu Bai realized something was wrong.

If this goes on, he won't be able to comprehend anything. Once the effect of the Vine is exhausted, what will be consumed next will be his own soul.

All of a sudden, he finally understood why there were so many skeletons in the Luo family compound.

For example, the skeleton sitting in front of the millstone, its soul was probably ground away by the millstone. Another example is the corpse next to the grindstone, which has not yet completely decayed, which probably used its soul as a knife to grind clean.

For example, the infatuated man who I met in the front yard at the beginning was right under the eaves at that time.

Liu Bai guessed that it must have been raining when he came, and his soul was drowned by the water dripping from the eaves.

……

After all these things, the disaster finally fell on Liu Bai. Although he had many thoughts, he didn't know how to stop the soul from dying for a moment.

He finally realized the weirdness of the Luo family compound.

It's impossible to guard against it.

After a brief panic, he calmed down. If he wanted his soul not to be swallowed by the Luo family compound, he had to stop the willow leaves from falling and the lotus flowers from blooming and withering.

But how can this be done?

The first thing Liu Bai tried was naturally to cut off the connection between his soul and the outside world, but this was simply impossible.

Even if he cut one, a new one would soon appear next to it.

This ensures that your soul is constantly drawn to the outside world.

In other words, this is the power of the Luo family compound!
"What should I do?"

Liu Bai couldn't figure it out, so he started asking about the origin of this world.

"Don't worry, I'm thinking."

That voice, regardless of gender, rang in his heart.

Liu Bai: "..."

"You are really useless."

Liu Bai couldn't help it this time, and for the first time he spoke out his truest thoughts.

"Why are you in such a hurry? If it doesn't work, I can just take you out by force. You won't die."

The origin of the world at this moment seems very indifferent.

“Haha…Okay.”

Liu Bai didn't say anything else, nor did he ask any further questions like "How can I attain enlightenment if you take me out?"

In short, the origin of this world is not afraid of death, so what is he afraid of?
After pondering for a while, Liu Bai came up with a solution, and asked, "If I release my entire soul at once, can I break through this cage?"

"No, someone has already tried it, and the result is death."

"And even if you can, what use will it have on you if you do that?"

"The real purpose of this Luo Family Courtyard is to make up for the lack of your state of mind. It is to let you come out of it through your perception. So if you want to achieve something here and understand the great way, it still depends on your own ability."

The Origin of the World spoke many words in one breath, which was extremely rare.

It also made Liu Bai silent. No matter what, what it said this time did make sense.

This place is just like this.

How can one understand the truth and make up for one's state of mind? Liu Bai couldn't help wondering why he didn't feel anything in other places, but only by this small pond.

And the soul does not turn into this pool of water or this willow tree.

Instead, it turned into willow leaves falling in the wind and lotus roots growing in time.

For a moment, Liu Bai's thoughts kept jumping along with the radiating soul, and one answer after another came to his mind.

But every time the answer appeared, he would subconsciously overturn it.

So he fell into this never-ending self-affirmation. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he only felt that the soul he was emitting began to gradually decrease, and even began to consume his own soul.

Only then did he realize something was wrong.

Immediately, without caring about anything else, he took out another plant of the Mystic Vine from Xumi and swallowed it in a few mouthfuls.

With this treasure as a supplement, the feeling of emptiness that made the soul feel like it was being sucked out gradually disappeared.

Before he could accomplish his goal, he had already consumed a whole plant of the Despair Vine. Fortunately, Liu Bai was not completely without any insights.

This enlightenment is to understand one's original mind, which is inseparable from the shrine.

Liu Bai naturally recalled the feelings he had when he was casting the shrine. At that time, he sat on the top of the city wall for a long time, recalling the past for a long time. In the end, he found that most of his memories were on Madam Liu.

Today... is no exception.

Liu Bai was wondering why his soul turned into a willow leaf instead of this willow tree; or in other words, why it became a lotus root instead of the mud that nourishes the lotus root?
After thinking about it for a long time, he finally understood.

"Because I have a subconscious feeling in my heart that this willow tree is my mother, and this mud is also my mother."

"I am just a leaf growing from my mother. No matter what happens, I have my mother standing behind me. This makes me fearless."

"This is my happy place, but now it has also become my... shackles."

"If I am always protected by my mother, how can I grow up? How can I prove my own path?"

When he thought of this, Liu Bai finally understood.

I also know what is missing in my state of mind.

What I lack is a heart that can grow into a towering tree!

I am used to enjoying the blessings, but I have never thought that the strong ones bring blessings to others. How can I become a strong person if I only enjoy the blessings brought by others?
How to prove your own truth?

This is the case with me. If I keep hiding under my mother's wings, how can I get through this difficult time with her?

If I can't even attain enlightenment, how can I have the face to go back and see her!
"I want to prove my truth and grow into a taller tree, so that I can bring blessings to my mother!"

"The Dao that I have attained cannot hold me back. The Dao that I have attained will surely be extremely powerful, unprecedented and unrivaled!"

"How can the illusion world of the Luo Family compound trap me? I want to exterminate ghosts and gods!"

Liu Bai had more and more thoughts in his mind, but without exception, they all made his determination to pursue the Tao more determined.

Gradually, the vines emanating from his soul no longer headed towards the willow leaves and lotus roots.

On the contrary, these vines are entangled around the willow trees or submerged in the mud at the bottom of the pond.

After a while, Liu Bai, who had his eyes closed, opened them.

The chaotic look in his eyes dissipated, and instead, emanating from him was an indomitable aura.

The state of mind fills in the last gap.

The state of mind is completely harmonious.

Liu Bai sat there for a while, but a sentence suddenly emerged in his mind.

"My body is like a towering willow tree, my heart is like mud in a pond, I quietly comprehend the wonderful method of the wind singing, and finally the lotus will bloom with fragrance."

With this thought in mind, Liu Bai slowly stood up.

But after a brief moment of joy, he felt a little depressed again.

The state of mind is harmonious, but what about the Tao?
How to prove the truth is still elusive.

But after just thinking about it for a while, he was no longer in a hurry. There was no point in being anxious, not to mention that there was a Soul-Cleansing Cliff waiting for him.

If you find nothing there either, that's when you should worry.

"How long have I been in this Luo family compound?" (End of this chapter)