Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 248 The Eight Immortals Debate
That night, Zhao Yifu and Huigu chatted about the past while drinking.

After such a long separation, the things they had experienced together in the past seemed to have become very interesting. Reliving them over and over again, they always found joy in them.

The next day, the cock crowed... Oh, that was the Pleiades star official announcing the dawn.

Zhao Yifu was dragged by Huigu to listen to the sermon again.

During this period, Master Li would preach here, and everyone cherished this opportunity.

This time, Zhao Yifu did not stand out. Like all the other disciples, he sat quietly on his cushion and listened attentively.

In fact, the so-called listening to the teachings means listening to Master Li’s insights on cultivation in the immortal realm.

Or it can be said that it is the ancestors' cognition and understanding of all things in the world at different stages.

As Zhao Yifu listened, he suddenly felt something was wrong. He seemed to understand what Master Li was talking about.

I wanted to ask a question, but I was worried about disturbing others, so I started scratching my head...

In fact, Master Li was paying the most attention to him. Seeing him scratching his head, he was about to stop and ask something, but he saw that the boy suddenly became quiet again.

Seeing this, Patriarch Li nodded, then deliberately ended the sermon a little early and said, "That's all for today. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

The disciples paused for a moment, and then some began to ask questions.

They were very active and tried their best to show themselves in front of Master Li.

Zhao Yifu watched as everyone kept pestering Grandmaster Li with questions and couldn't help but ask, "Xiaohui, I guess these people are all celestial beings from this world, right?"

Upon hearing this, Hui Gu smiled sweetly and said, "I know what you want to ask... Well, this celestial being does look a little silly."

Zhao Yifu couldn't help but say, "Don't say that. They are just simple-minded and haven't experienced much hardship. That's all."

After a pause, he sighed, "Just by looking at these, you can tell that this heaven is not like the human world."

He was genuinely praising her instead of being sarcastic.

At this time, Master Li was probably annoyed by the questions, and he also found that he had given Zhao Yifu several looks, but the boy ended up chatting with his wife beside him the whole time, which made him extremely dissatisfied.

So, Grandmaster Li asked directly, "Master Fu Yin, I see you seemed to have gained something and also had some questions just now. Why don't you ask now?"

Zhao Yifu quickly stood up and clasped his fists, saying, "Master, please forgive me. I just didn't want to interrupt you brothers..."

Grandmaster Li snorted coldly and said, "Tell me your problem quickly."

"I want to see why your Chunyang Patriarch values ​​you so much."

At this time, the brothers and sisters who were asking questions also stopped. They all looked at Zhao Yi Fu with the same dissatisfaction... Oddly enough, at this time, these Chunyang disciples actually sympathized with Master Li.

Seeing this, Zhao Yifu was no longer hesitant and asked, "Excuse me, Master, are you talking about the way of the celestial immortals?"

Just one question silenced the entire audience, and even made Grandmaster Li sit up straight in astonishment.

He asked, “How did you tell that?”

Zhao Yifu said, "What the ancestor said is the mystery of the operation of all things in the world, encompassing everything and being endless."

"Many of these things were new to me, so I was mesmerized by them."

"It's just that there are some things that I personally practice, but they are slightly different from what the master said. However, these parts are very consistent with what the master said, and they seem to be self-consistent..."

This disciple has been stationed in the Heavenly Prison for twenty years, and has often wondered how to continue to make progress and how to reach the elusive realm of the celestial immortals... Now, after hearing the Grandmaster's teachings, the disciple suddenly feels enlightened.

Although I have doubts in my heart, I also understand that I have to resolve these doubts by myself before I can become a celestial being!

The senior brothers and sisters beside him were all a little dazed after hearing this, and felt that Zhao Yi Fu was being extremely disrespectful to the master!
How could it be that the master asked him to ask questions and he said "no need to ask"?

However, before these Chunyang disciples could even begin to protest, Grandmaster Li exclaimed in astonishment, "That's right, that's right. You're so smart, you shouldn't be here to listen to my teachings!"

Everyone was stunned when they heard this and didn't know what was going on.

Grandmaster Li beckoned to Zhao Yifu affectionately and said, "Tell me, what is the celestial being in your mind like?"

Zhao Yifu paused, hesitated, and said, "I'm afraid what I'm thinking is disrespectful..."

Grandmaster Li waved his hand and said, "We are all family here, so how can there be any respect or disrespect?"

Zhao Yifu thought the same thing and said aloud, "Disciple, what is a celestial being?"

"'Heaven' refers to the universe, and 'immortality' means freedom. Therefore, what I, the disciple, dream of becoming an immortal, is to 'be free and unfettered with the universe'!"

"But the universe is vast, and the Way of Heaven is profound. This is clearly not something that cultivators of my generation should possess, or at least not something we can currently reach... This has always been the biggest problem plaguing me."

"Yet, both yesterday and today, I've listened to the Grandmaster's teachings, all about the mysteries and mysteries of the universe... Thinking of this, I suddenly understood what a 'celestial immortal' is."

"'Xian' still means freedom, while 'Tian' refers to the universe and heaven that we cultivators have realized for ourselves!"

"Therefore, the disciple's 'Heaven' should be sought and realized by himself."

Grandmaster Li was very pleased to hear this and said, "Excellent! This is a very wonderful statement."

"But if you want to understand the universe on your own, it's not an easy task."

"The reason our ancestors became our ancestors is naturally because they passed down many correct things. You can absorb those good things with confidence."

Zhao Yifu asked in confusion: "That is..."

Patriarch Li said meaningfully, "If you have some free time, you can review the Pure Yang Scripture of Seeking the Tao. It is the essence refined by your Patriarch Pure Yang, and it is also the foundation of our sect's inheritance."

After hearing this, Zhao Yifu suddenly realized what was going on and quickly thanked him.

He often reviewed the "Chun Yang Seeking the Tao Sutra" when he was in the mortal world, and he didn't expect that he still couldn't let it go in this heaven.

A truly good inheritance is probably like this: you think you no longer need it, but when you reach the next level and need it, it is still there to guide you.

Next to Zhao Yifu, Huigu's eyes were bright and she felt a sense of pride.

Seeing that he had awakened, Grandmaster Li felt that he was a teachable child. He said, "Alright, go and cultivate on your own. It seems that in Chunyang Palace, another celestial being will be born in a thousand years at most, or a hundred years at least."

"By then, I'm afraid there will be one more immortal among the Eight Immortals, hahaha..."

He smiled frivolously and then left.

The group of disciples who were listening to the sermon in the palace felt uncomfortable.

What Zhao Yifu had just said wasn't profound, and they understood it. But it was precisely because they understood it that they realized the difference.

Why do they listen to the sermon?

Isn’t it because you want to listen to the experiences of those who have been there before and find ways to get promoted yourself?
As for what Zhao Yifu meant by "seeking it on your own", they actually didn't even dare to think about it.

Because the insights conveyed by the teachings of a celestial being like Grandmaster Li were already extremely profound to them. They didn't even have time to learn what was already there, so how could they possibly think of seeking it on their own?

They didn't know why Zhao Yifu was so confident, but they knew that people with such awareness were beyond their reach.

Then Zhao Yifu began his practice.

He once again took out the "Chun Yang Seeking the Tao Sutra" that he had copied in Moshan on the mortal world, and then carefully read and polished it over and over again, and found that he had indeed gained a new understanding.

Even many obscure points have become clear, because this part of the content actually corresponds to the situation in heaven.

There were also some things that he originally thought he understood, but after reading them again, he had a completely different understanding, which made him have a deeper understanding of Chunyang Taoism.

Especially since Chunyang Palace was the first place in the heaven to face the rising sun, the enlightenment of the first ray of true yang between heaven and earth flowed into Zhao Yifu's heart like a clear spring.

All kinds of insights came one after another, and Zhao Yifu, as he was used to, spread out a pen and paper and wrote down all his insights.

Yiyi habitually crawled out from his sleeve and prepared to grind ink.

As a result, at this time a white cat rushed ahead to grind the ink, and foolishly dyed its originally pure white fur a lot black.

Seeing this, Yiyi did not fight with it, but sat quietly beside it to help Zhao Yifu organize the papers.

As soon as one piece of paper is finished, the next one will be immediately replaced.

Hui Gu was just thinking that she should come and help serve, but she was met with Achou's very vigilant and intimidating eyes.

Hui Gu was speechless for a moment. At this time, Sister Yi Yi meowed and raised her paw to press down, as if asking Achou to calm down.

Then he meowed at Huigu, as if to say, "It's you, you're back?"

Huigu was confused. What was it like for a concubine to feel like the first wife?

She grabbed Yiyi's head and rubbed it speechlessly, then walked out puzzled.

Forget it, I won’t bother them anymore.

Aren’t there enough strange things happening around Zhao Yifu?
Two days passed unknowingly. Huigu sat in front of the gate of her yard with her chin propped up, looking up at the blue sky and counting the white clouds.

At this time, Patriarch Chunyang came with Patriarch Li.

She quickly stood up and said, "Greetings to the two ancestors."

Grandmaster Li said with a smile, "I'm leaving soon, but before I leave, I'm worried about that kid Fu Yinzi, so I invited Chunyangzi to come and see him... By the way, what has that kid been doing these past two days? I told him not to come to listen to the teachings, and he really didn't come?"

Hui Gu said, "He must have gained some insights from what you said earlier, Master, and has been writing books these past two days."

Grandmaster Li was surprised and said, "Writing a book? That's really rare. Can I take a look?"

Hui Gu nodded and said, "Disciple will lead the way for the Grandmaster."

As he said that, he pushed the door open and went in.

Then the two ancestors saw... Zhao Yi Fu was holding a book and cursing.

Hui Gu looked over in surprise and said, "Jun Xin, have you finished writing it?"

Zhao Yifu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "I won't be done until I win the argument. It's still early!"

Hui Gu then suddenly realized, "You added what you just wrote to that book... Is it questioning the Pure Yang heritage?"

Zhao Yifu said, "It was questioning my understanding... I didn't expect the angle of its questioning to be so tricky, it caught me off guard."

At this time, the Pure Yang Patriarch could not help but step forward and ask, "What are you arguing about with the demon spirit in the Taixu Forbidden Book?"

When Zhao Yifu saw that it was the Pure Yang Patriarch, he quickly said, "I wrote down my insights from rereading the Pure Yang Scripture on it, but the demonic spirit was dismissive, so I started arguing with it."

Then he thought of something and said quickly, "Master, please forgive me. The evil spirit only questioned my understanding, not the Pure Yang Scripture of Seeking the Tao itself."

Upon hearing this, Grandmaster Chunyang laughed heartily and said, "So that's how it is. How did it question this? Tell me about it."

After hearing this, Zhao Yifu hesitated for a moment and then raised one of the questions.

After hearing this, the Grandmaster Chunyang laughed and said, "This question is simple. You can answer it like this..."

Then he spoke of a profound and mysterious understanding. Zhao Yifu was mesmerized by it, and at the same time found that these insights could completely encompass his original understanding, and there were many extensions and angles that he had never thought of.

He immediately bowed to the Chunyang Patriarch and then quickly wrote down these contents.

Suddenly he burst into laughter and said, "Nothing to say, right? The Grandmaster is worthy of being the Grandmaster. He silenced it in an instant."

He looked at the master with joy and said, "It has to be the master again."

Grandmaster Chunyang smiled and asked, "Anything else?"

Zhao Yifu then asked another question.

This time, Master Chunyang thought for a moment before answering.

Zhao Yifu was naturally delighted again.

Just as Grandmaster Chunyang was about to ask more, Grandmaster Li suddenly said, "Master Chunyang, you're being partial. These questions are all excellent, and your answers are even better... If that's the case, why can't you benefit all the disciples?"

Upon hearing this, the Pure Yang Patriarch was also moved and said, "Since that's the case... Fu Yinzi, how about you prepare three questions and ask them in public during your daily sermons?"

Zhao Yifu was a little worried when he heard this, but then he thought about how the Pure Yang Patriarch must be a Golden Immortal, with an extremely noble status in the Heavenly Court, perhaps even stronger than the Heavenly Sun Mu Lu. So, it should be fine, right?
So he nodded and said, "Okay."

Only then did Patriarch Chunyang nod, and at the same time he felt some pressure in his heart.

He has discovered the mystery of this 'Taixu Forbidden Book'.

Any words written on it would be questioned by the evil spirit in the book, and that evil spirit was originally half of Mu Lu, and his cultivation level was not inferior to his...so this question and answer between him and Zhao Yi Fu could actually be said to be a discussion between two masters of the same level!

If he couldn't answer the questions raised by Zhao Yi Fu, it would be a huge embarrassment.

He couldn't help but say, "First, copy down your own insights for me, so I can see where you've reached."

Zhao Yifu didn't think there was anything wrong with it. He shook his sleeves and "printed" out a fresh copy.

Grandmaster Chunyang picked up the insight and looked at it, then nodded approvingly and said, "It's not easy to have such insight at your age."

"Okay, I'll take this insight first. Prepare the three questions for tomorrow."

Zhao Yifu quickly responded.

Seeing this, Grandmaster Li immediately perked up and said, "Okay, okay, this is interesting. I'll stay and listen too."

Grandmaster Chunyang glanced at him unhappily and said, "Fellow Daoist Li, aren't you still going to Daoist Fellow He's place to get some free drinks?"

Grandmaster Li laughed heartily and said, "There's no rush to drink. Besides, isn't there good wine here?"

He sniffed and stretched his neck towards the room where Huigu stored the wine.

Seeing this, Hui Gu could only helplessly say, "Disciple will go get some wine for the master."

Grandmaster Li smiled with satisfaction and said, "My dear disciple, Grandmaster will not drink your wine for nothing!"

Patriarch Chunyang smiled and pointed at Patriarch Li, looking as if he couldn't do anything to him.

And then, Chunyang Palace was bustling with activity...

The Grand Master Chunyang began to preach in person, which was a very significant event for the entire Chunyang Palace.

Naturally, everyone is looking forward to this.

But then they found something wrong, because Master Chunyang was not preaching seriously at all, he was just answering someone's question.

It’s Zhao Yifu again!
It's really enviable and jealous!

but……

The three questions Zhao Yifu asks every day are so wonderful and profound!
Many disciples had never thought about this problem before Zhao Yifu raised it, or had never had that kind of understanding.

Zhao Yifu's questions were divided into two steps. The first step was to express his own feelings... Just this point alone could benefit many disciples.

The second step is to raise questions from a very tricky or even extreme angle.

To be honest, this way of asking questions is still very confusing, at least it makes those Chunyang disciples feel confused.

They didn't understand why Zhao Yifu asked the question in such an extreme way?

However, Patriarch Chunyang answered the questions very seriously, and sometimes even discussed them with Patriarch Li before giving his answer.

Sometimes, after getting the answer, Zhao Yifu would immediately raise another question, and the master would answer it again.

Sometimes Zhao Yifu would write and draw on a book, and then raise questions.

At this time, the problem will generally become more extreme, or even extremely evil...

Whenever this happened, Patriarch Chunyang would think very carefully and then give an extremely comprehensive and detailed answer.

At first, this kind of question-answering could be completed very early, and some disciples who did not understand would choose to gather together to discuss. Occasionally, someone would bravely ask Zhao Yifu a question, and Zhao Yifu would patiently answer it.

The simplicity of nature and man is very obvious at this time.

After Zhao Yi Fu answered the questions several times, these Chunyang disciples simply asked Zhao Yi Fu to give them a detailed explanation after the master answered their questions.

Zhao Yifu did not refuse and was happy to share his insights with everyone.

Don't think he's being overly generous; in fact, the process of sharing and retelling is also a process of further reflection and solidification. Furthermore, the path of the Celestial Immortal requires the practitioner to cultivate a complete inner circle. These insights all come from Zhao Yifu's own experience, a part of his own inner circle, and are merely valuable references for others.

His final understanding of the "Pure Yang Seeking the Tao Sutra" was that it was a "reference book" that taught practitioners how to comprehend the universe.

It’s just that it has its own methodology, and what Zhao Yifu is discussing with Master Chunyang at this time is that methodology.

The extreme hypotheses he raised were questions about the scope of application of the methodology, and Master Chunyang's answers were not only detailed annotations to this methodology, but also a very important improvement for himself.

Master Li saw this point, so he shamelessly followed along and listened to the lecture.

His emotion at the end of one sermon reflected his current mood: "I really don't know how this guy came up with so many extreme situations. If he hadn't brought it up and asked me to figure it out on my own, I wouldn't have come up with so many key points in a thousand years."

That’s right, this is the magic of “Taixu Forbidden Book”: trying to deny the information recorded in it from all angles.

According to Zhao Yifu's understanding, this is a top-level "argumentative person".

The reason why he has the confidence to seek the way to immortality on his own is because of the "help" of this "argumentative person".

He can write down any insights he has, no matter how simple they are, in the book.

Then the book will naturally start to argue with him.

He tried to find a way to answer the question, and the two sides argued from shallow to deep until Zhao Yifu had a complete understanding of this aspect.

The question-and-answer session in Chunyang Palace continued, and gradually Zhao Yifu's questions made it difficult for Chunyang Patriarch to answer them.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Master Li started to call for help.

Just like that, from some unknown time on, the eight ancestors came together to answer Zhao Yifu's questions.

The eight ancestors came from the same lineage, so naturally they all gained something from studying together.

Of course, the one who gained the most was Master Chunyang.

However, it used to be possible to answer the question on the same day, but gradually it became necessary to wait three days to answer the question after Zhao Yifu made the request.

In fact, during these three days, Zhao Yifu himself also participated in the discussion of the eight ancestors, trying to find a way to refute the hypothesis he proposed.

Although Taixu Forbidden Book was a "top argumentative person", he was ultimately defeated in this situation.

When Zhao Yifu's last question was answered, the entire group of Eight Immortals showed a very relaxed look.

This was a rare grand gathering of the Eight Immortals, and everyone gained something from participating.

A skinny old man with white hair and beard said happily, "I have recorded all the words of the Taoist friends at this conference. How about compiling them into a book called 'The Eight Immortals of Chunyang Palace Discussing Taoism'?"

The Grandmaster Chunyang shook his head and said, "What's this about the Eight Immortals discussing the Dao? It's nothing more than 'Eight Immortals answering a disciple's question.'"

Grandmaster Li immediately burst into laughter and said, "Chun Yangzi is right. Let's not flatter ourselves. How about calling it 'The Eight Immortals' Answers to Fuyou's Sayings'?"

Zhao Yifu said quickly, "Master, you are too kind. This cannot be allowed. Absolutely not."

The gentle and beautiful He Zushi also said softly, "That's inappropriate. Isn't this like roasting Fu Yinzi on the fire? How about calling it 'Eight Immortals Replying to Their Disciples' Words'?"

The other ancestors gave face and thought it was a good idea.

Upon hearing this, Grandmaster Chunyang smiled and said, "Okay, it's settled."

"inappropriate!"

"That's totally wrong!"

Suddenly, a patriarch with his chest exposed and holding a large fan shook his head repeatedly.

Grandmaster Li quickly asked, "Brother Zhengyangzi, what's wrong?"

The immortal named Zheng Yangzi pointed at the papers in front of the skinny old man, the ink still wet on them, and said, "Take another look at those questions... If you ignore my answers and mistake them for affirmations..."

He drew out his words, suggesting something.

Chun Yangzi was the first to be moved and said, "This... this... seems to be a very profound magical scripture?"

Zheng Yangzi nodded and said, "It's still the devilish scripture that is completely opposite to the Pure Yang Dao of you and me."

“If this book were to be disseminated, I’m afraid some people would find it difficult to find the right answer and might end up going astray!”

Zhao Yifu always felt that these words were pointing at him, but this had no effect on him, because there were still fewer demons in his mind?

Chun Yangzi was hesitant at first, but then he said generously, "In any case, it perfectly explains some omissions in the Chun Yang Seeking the Tao Sutra. We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater."

"not to mention……"

He stopped talking halfway through, and didn't continue with the 'what's more'.

He simply looked at Zhao Yifu and said, "Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. It's time for you to join the Sword Immortal Alliance."

"But you can stay in Chunyang Palace for a while. I will prepare some self-defense items for you."

After hearing this, Zhao Yifu quickly responded and expressed his gratitude.

Huigu was also happy. Firstly, because she could spend more time with Zhao Yifu, and secondly, she was happy that Zhao Yifu could start the life he wanted.

She has indeed seen through the tribulation of love. She no longer seeks to possess the one she loves, nor does she pursue a long-term companionship. Instead, she seeks to relax and enjoy the soul.

In short, it is the ability to control your emotions freely.

(End of this chapter)