Notes on Longevity

Chapter 191 If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening; even if there is no moon on the night, the stars will still shine brightly.

Xiao Changgong stared at the divine ape with doubt in his eyes and asked, "But isn't life always like that?"

He began his cultivation journey as a little fox, first gaining intelligence and then transforming into human form, thus breaking free from the fox's lifespan limit of only a dozen years. "If you are born, you will die. So what is right or wrong?"

He was puzzled.

“You’re right, life and death are natural laws. But I’ve lived for thousands of years and I don’t want to have lived in vain. I’m always trying to find the meaning of life and the rights and wrongs.”

The divine ape sighed, "Finally, hard work pays off. I seem to have found meaning in my search and in the game with myself, but I dare not say whether it is right or wrong."

Xiao Changgong remained confused; he didn't understand the meaning behind the divine ape's words. In his mind, life and death were intertwined, differing only in the timeframe. He also didn't understand the meaning of life itself.

Seeing Xiao Changgong's helplessness, the divine ape smiled silently. He thought that if his own time hadn't come, he would never have been able to find Xiao Changgong. In these mountains and forests, there were many demons with superior intelligence than him, but those demons were not worthy of his attention. Yet, it was this Xiao Changgong, who lacked intelligence and acted without restraint, who became the only demon he could confide in.

Xiao Changgong thought for a long time. He thought about the people and things he had encountered when he went down the mountain, and everything they had done and said, but he still couldn't find the meaning of what the divine ape was talking about: "Then what is the meaning of what you are talking about?"

Xiao Changgong was too exhausted to think. He was just a minor demon and had no idea what these old guys were thinking.

"A coincidence," the divine ape said calmly.

"Coincidence?" Xiao Changgong couldn't stand it anymore. After going around in circles, he finally returned to this point. He spread his legs, placed his hands on the ground behind his back, looked up at the divine ape, and finally sighed before patiently asking again, "Why is the meaning of life just coincidence? Does that mean that our appearance in this world and our existence are all just coincidences?"

“You could say that.” Seeing that Xiao Changgong had calmed down, the divine ape smiled with a hint of relief. Sitting cross-legged, it suddenly looked up at the starry sky and then slowly said, “It’s a coincidence, but also cause and effect.”

"Cause and effect?" Xiao Changgong was puzzled. Wasn't it just a coincidence? How did it turn into cause and effect?

"All things in the world are formed naturally, such as the famous mountains that one must climb to the top of, or the channels that flow eastward to the sea. Nothing is not a coincidence, and nothing is not a cause and effect."

Do you know how this mountain was formed? Do you understand why this sea gathers?

Xiao Changgong was taken aback upon hearing this, and shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

"It is the work of nature, the way of nature, the result of countless causes and effects." The divine ape lowered its head, looking at Xiao Changgong, who was shaking his head, and said, "The Dao Ancestor once said: 'There is something undifferentiated and complete, which existed before heaven and earth. Silent and empty, it stands alone and unchanging, ever-present and inexhaustible, and can be regarded as the mother of heaven and earth. I do not know its name, so I call it Dao, and I give it the name Great. Great means flowing, flowing means far-reaching, far-reaching means returning. Therefore, Dao is great, heaven is great, earth is great, and man is also great. There are four great things in the realm, and man is one of them. Man follows the earth, earth follows heaven, heaven follows Dao, and Dao follows nature.' Therefore, what I have understood in these thousands of years of searching and playing games is coincidence, the way of nature, nature, the law, the intention of the living, and the meaning of the dead. This is the meaning of life."

"I still don't understand after listening to you say so much." Xiao Changgong suddenly sat up straight, and looked up at the eyes of the divine ape as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, the divine ape was first surprised, then laughed and said, "Of course you don't understand. If you could understand what I mean, wouldn't all my thousands of years of cultivation have been in vain?"

"Then why are you saying so much?" Xiao Changgong lowered his head speechlessly, fiddling with his fingers.

"It's not that I talk too much, but what I'm saying is cause and effect, or you could say it's the natural course of things." The divine ape smiled despite Xiao Changgong's boredom. Its rough yet gentle voice continued: "The Tao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to all things. This is cause and effect, and it is the process of everything."

"Just as the Tao is the cause of everything, the Tao giving birth to One is the beginning of the process."

"The Tao gives birth to One, which is the cause, the beginning of something. It's like you were originally a little fox, but one day you suddenly realized your own Tao, and then you gained intelligence and understood the breath of heaven and earth. From then on, you began your cultivation."

Xiao Changgong was somewhat confused, but he also gleaned something from the conversation, so he asked, "You mean, I am the Dao?"

"From three comes all things, and you are one of the laws of the Tao. You are also the cause of all the things you encounter in your life. The process and the resulting impact, whether good or bad, is the origin of one begetting two, and two begetting three."

Xiao Changgong finally understood a little, but as soon as the divine ape spoke, he became confused again, so he asked, "Why?"

“You are one of the myriad Dao methods, and so am I. But in your life, I am merely a process of the Dao giving birth to one to three, and then to all things.”

"It's like this: you caused trouble after you came down the mountain, and then I found you. This is the cycle of 'one begets two, two begets three.' The first is the trouble you brought yourself, and the second is that I found you because of it. Your troubles extend to others, and this is the cycle of 'one begets two.'"

"To put it simply, it's about the impact and consequences of an event. I'm seeking you out because I'm afraid you'll cause trouble; you hurt someone without caring about them, and they hold a grudge and are determined to seek revenge. This is what is meant by 'one becomes two.'"

Xiao Changgong nodded upon hearing this, he understood, "You mean that one thing can affect not only me, but everything around me that is related to it."

"That's right." The divine ape nodded with satisfaction, shaking his head happily, "You little fox have finally come to your senses."

"Then, two begets three, and three begets all things, which means that from the origin of one thing, it continues to spread, causing its influence and all its connections, right?"

The divine ape suddenly fell silent. Xiao Changgong, seeing him lower his head and remain silent, thought he had said something wrong. He wanted to continue asking, but then the divine ape said, "That's right, that should be it."

"Should be?" Xiao Changgong scratched his head, somewhat puzzled. According to the divine ape, this was how it should be, so why was it "should be"?

“You hurt someone, so I came to find you, but that person held a grudge, and what those around you saw, heard, and spread was another matter entirely. This is the cause that gives rise to the effect. But this is merely the cause, not the effect.”

"In this world, every cause has an effect. If the cause has occurred but the effect has not yet been completed, it means that this matter is not over. All things are generated, each with its own path and its own cause, and the cycle of birth continues. Thus, the impact of an event is called coincidence. When the causes of two people overlap and meet, it is called union, and all of this will have a result. However, new causes and effects will also be born again in this process."

Xiao Changgong fell into confusion again. He could no longer understand the cause and effect and coincidence that the divine ape was talking about, and he even felt a little sleepy.

But he fought off his drowsiness, though he didn't want to listen to the divine ape say any more. Instead, he asked it, "Then what do you mean by the meaning of life?"

The divine ape was taken aback. He hadn't expected Xiao Changgong to ask so directly. He said, "As for the meaning of life, it is not only living things that have life."

Xiao Changgong was even more confused, and he asked again, "Isn't it only living things that have life?"

"No, no." The voice of the divine ape echoed in the cave, accompanied by its laughter.

"The meaning of life lies in the thing itself that has life, not just in being able to breathe or the growth of every blade of grass and tree that we can see."

Xiao Changgong shook his head. He felt as if he were being tortured in a prison cell, in excruciating pain.

He really couldn't understand why these old guys who had lived so long were all so talkative, whether in the human world or in the mountains.

Seeing Xiao Changgong's somewhat impatient expression, the divine ape made no change and continued to slowly pour out its heart, "Living is a symbol of life. That is why I say that life is not limited to living things."

Xiao Changgong felt helpless listening to the divine ape's contradictory words, but since he couldn't defeat it, he could only obediently endure it. He didn't speak, but just watched it, watching it slowly speak about the so-called meaning of life.

"You often walk among people, and you must have seen many strange and wonderful things, such as sugar figurines and kites. Their short lifespan depends on people's attitude and definition of them. Once a sugar figurine is made, it is eaten; that is its fate. A kite is abandoned after its string breaks or it is damaged; that is also its fate. A copper coin, a pendant—their lifespan also depends on people's definition."

"And among these, the most captivating is the porcelain kiln. A handful of clay, a bucket of water, and a stove of fire are all it takes to create something extraordinary."

“I have lived among humans and have seen with my own eyes how these things are made by being burned in a fire.”

"During the firing process, it is necessary to control the temperature and the timing of taking it out of the kiln. If it is too early or too late, a piece of porcelain made with painstaking effort will become a failure. They are abandoned, smashed by the craftsmen who have poured their hearts and souls into making them, and eventually forgotten. The sound of them breaking is heartbreaking and extremely sad."

"The porcelain kilns that are made will be sold and go into the hands of different people. The bowls made from the kilns are used to hold food, while the vases are used to hold flowers or are collected by people with a discerning eye. In different eyes, they have different values ​​and different meanings, and this is the meaning of their lives after the porcelain kilns are made."

"Whether it's porcelain, pottery, or other types of kiln products, the moment they are made is the moment their lives begin. And as I just said, the meaning of their lives varies in the hands of different people. Kiln products that have been passed down for thousands of years and appreciated and collected by later generations, as well as newly fired pieces, depend on how the craftsman defines them."

"And so is the meaning of human life."

"The moment you are born is the beginning of your life. No one knows why they came into this world, so the meaning of life lies in growth, in experience, in the growth of your thoughts. After decades or a hundred years, when you look back on the past, you can smile calmly and say, 'So this is life.' Or you can remain silent and say, 'So this is life. Oh well, that's how it is.'"

Xiao Changgong frowned as he listened. He had never thought of these things in all his years, spending his days indulging in the pleasures of playing at the foot of the mountain or the carefree days on the mountain. He had never considered these things until today, when the divine ape captured him and brought him here.

So he asked, "Since you already understand so clearly, why are you still getting hung up on right and wrong?"

"As you said yourself, everyone has their own ideas, and a porcelain kiln can have different meanings in the hands of different people, so why are you so fixated on right and wrong?"

This time, Xiao Changgong understood, but what puzzled him was the divine ape's dilemma.

Upon hearing this, the divine ape felt a tremendous, earth-shattering roar in its heart, a roar that only it could hear.

He kept asking himself, "Yes, why?"

"I understand everything, so why do I keep getting hung up on right and wrong? Everyone is different, and what I think and understand is something that even an immortal might not be able to answer."

He stared at Xiao Changgong in astonishment. After a moment of silence, he suddenly burst into laughter in his cave: "You little fox, I knew it was the right decision to come here today."

The divine ape laughed wildly, its rough laughter making Xiao Changgong's ears ache. He quickly covered his ears, his face contorted in pain and pain.

He shouted at the divine ape, "Old man, what's wrong with you? What are you laughing at?"

Xiao Changgong's voice was drowned out by his wild and deafening laughter, "I never thought that my thousand-year-old knot in my heart would stop there. Now that it's clear, why dwell on it anymore!"

The laughter finally stopped, and Xiao Changgong was so shocked by the divine ape's voice that his internal organs felt like they were in disarray. He saw the divine ape suddenly reach out its giant hand and grab him, saying, "Little fox, my time is almost up. Today you have resolved my inner conflict, and I will grant you a great opportunity."

"What do you mean by 'my time is coming'? What are you talking about?"

Xiao Changgong vaguely heard the voice of the divine ape and hurriedly asked, but his thoughts were still scattered by the laughter from before. He only heard the divine ape say, "I have cultivated for over six thousand years and possess three supreme skills, which I will impart to you today. As for how much you can learn, that depends on your destiny. In my cultivation so far, besides resolving my inner conflicts, I still have one wish: to see the faces of true immortals and see if they are different from us."

Under the bright moon, in the stone cave surrounded by stars, laughter still echoed.

No one knows how much time passed before Xiao Changgong, who had been stunned by the divine ape's laughter, woke up on the stone platform, only to find that the divine ape was nowhere to be seen.

He scrambled to his feet in a panic, nervously looking around. He shouted into the cave, "Old man, where have you been?"

There was no reply, no response. He suddenly remembered that before he lost consciousness, he vaguely heard Him say that His time was coming to an end. Thinking of this, he felt even more panicked. "Could it be..."

He dared not think any further. In his mind, the divine ape was a being that lived as long as heaven and earth, so how could it possibly have a lifespan?

Logically, the divine ape should have acted this way. However, the cause and effect in the universe are intertwined, and there will eventually be a day when they are resolved. The divine ape had also heard a saying: "If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening."

The reason He felt His time was coming to an end was perhaps because the cause and effect in His heart was about to be resolved, but the fire needed to start the kiln was still missing. After much deliberation, He finally chose Xiao Changgong.

Xiao Changgong lived up to His expectations. Although Xiao Changgong lacked something, it was precisely because of this that Xiao Changgong was able to help Him "ascend to immortality immediately".

Xiao Changgong called out, and at the same time, he noticed some changes in his body. It seemed that He had really taught him a few things.

"Has He really left?"

Xiao Changgong sensed the changes within his body and simultaneously used magic to try and find out what was going on.

Sure enough, He really left.

As Xiao Changgong searched within his magic, a scene emerged in his mind as it collided with the three opportunities left behind by the divine ape.

It was a little monkey, running through the forest, disappearing into the lush foliage, its whereabouts difficult to find. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by, and a loud roar came from the ground. A divine ape, tens of feet tall and entirely red, appeared in the forest.

He leaped onto a cliff in the mountains, then turned and looked towards a certain direction on the horizon, letting out a hoarse roar.

Finally, He turned His gaze to the center of the picture.

There stood a person, and that person was none other than Xiao Changgong.

Once he saw it clearly, he laughed wildly and jumped off the cliff, rushing towards Xiao Changgong.

He was so shocked by what he saw that he immediately opened his eyes.

He stood in the spot where the divine ape had stood, breathing heavily and looking nervously and sadly, gazing at the place where he had once sat.

"If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening; even without a moon, the stars are still bright in the night."

(End of this chapter)