The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 317 The Master?! (3k)

Upon hearing this, Du Yuan couldn't help but glance at him and say:

"You're probably just overthinking it."

Unexpectedly, the elegantly dressed young man waved his hands repeatedly and said:

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. Such a person is completely at ease with every word and action. Especially since he is a member of the Buddhist lineage."

"It's a pity that I didn't listen to the words of my ancestors and master in the past and didn't study the various schools of thought properly. As a result, I have achieved some success in all of them, but it's all minor success and not up to standard. I also can't understand the Buddha's enlightenment."

Du Yuan had no choice but to turn away and look at him sideways.

After all, he didn't really think much about it at the time; you're just scaring yourself.
Finally, when they returned to the Cui family, Du Yuan asked the elegantly dressed young man one last question:
Have you thought it through?

The elegantly dressed young man sighed deeply and said:
"Sir, whether I've thought it through or not, I have to go. After all, I owe this debt, and I have to repay it!"

With a creak, the door was gently pushed open.

The moment she saw the person approaching, Madam Wang, who was sitting upright in her chair, trembled violently, and her fingertips unconsciously clenched the dress on her knees.

She steadied herself, forced herself to rise, and stepped forward. Her gaze fell on the richly dressed young man who was bowing to her, and her voice tightened:

"I want to ask you, my child, is it truly impossible for you to come back?"

There wasn't a trace of a sob in her voice, but the trembling tone of her words made it clear to anyone that she was trying her best to hold on.

The elegantly dressed young man lowered his eyes and said, word by word, "It is Mother."

Madam Wang took a deep breath and gripped the edge of the table tightly with both hands to keep herself from fainting.

She still wouldn't give up, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Tell me the truth, how exactly did my son die?"

The elegantly dressed young man made no attempt to conceal his identity, and spoke without hesitation:
"He drowned. It was not my doing; I merely borrowed his body to return to life."

"Then why did he drown?" Madam Wang's eyes were already red and bloodshot. The sobs she had been holding back were now almost uncontrollable, and her questioning became increasingly urgent.

"He...he..."

The elegantly dressed young man hesitated for the first time, unable to finish his sentence.

Madam Wang's heart clenched suddenly. She stepped forward, grabbed the richly dressed young man's sleeve, and her voice rose sharply, filled with an almost desperate urgency:
"Tell me! Why did my son drown?"

The elegantly dressed young man finally sighed, slowly took out a jade pendant from his robes, and handed it to her.
"because this."

The jade pendant was not the imperial gift bestowed upon him by the emperor, which he usually wore at his waist. Instead, it was a piece of jade that could not even be called "ordinary"—it was crooked in shape, and its surface was covered with cracks of varying depths. It was barely holding together, held together by some unknown glue, and looked particularly ridiculous.

"This, this is."

Madam Wang's pupils suddenly contracted, and she abruptly raised her hand to cover her mouth.

Seeing her distraught state, the elegantly dressed young man softly continued the story for her:
"This is the birthday gift you personally gave him when he was just old enough to remember things. At that time, you specifically told him that jade is brittle and easily broken, and that he should 'stop moving and think quietly,' hoping that he could restrain his mischievousness, learn to be quiet, and become a gentle and refined gentleman in the future."

"But he..." The richly dressed young man's words were interrupted by Madam Wang's sobs.

She covered her face, tears streaming down her face through her fingers, her whole body trembling.
"But how could he remember that! He was such a young child, how could he understand these principles? He smashed the jade that very day. I was furious and hit him for the first time. He was so scared that he ran away crying, and when I found him again, his hands were covered in blood."

"But I didn't have time to feel sorry for him; instead, I hit him again, hoping he would remember this lesson."

"Yes, but his hands were covered in blood because he wanted to put it back together and show it to you. But he didn't get the chance; you wouldn't listen to anything I said. Afterward, he felt it wasn't quite right, so he was too embarrassed to show it to you."

Having vaguely understood something, Madam Wang slumped into a chair at the table nearby:

"Did he drown?"

"By the Qingzhou River, drunk, he was thinking of someone while looking at an object when he accidentally dropped it into the water. In his haste, he jumped into the water to try to retrieve it, but he forgot that he couldn't swim and that there was no one around to prevent accidents."

At this point, Madam Wang was speechless and could only slump in her chair, weeping uncontrollably.

The elegantly dressed young man stepped forward, holding the broken jade in both hands, and carefully handed it to Madam Wang, saying:
“Mother, this is the only thing he could give you, so please keep it safe. And please remember, his greatest fear before he died was that you would be distraught, so when I asked him if he had any last wishes.”

"He kept begging me to take care of you as if you were his mother. So, Mother, please, please take good care of yourself!"

Unable to reply, Madam Wang could only clutch the broken jade tightly and nod repeatedly.

At this point, both Du Yuan and the elegantly dressed young man knew they should leave for the time being and withdrew from the room.

After closing the door.

Du Yuan frowned at the elegantly dressed young man and asked:

How much of it is the truth?

The elegantly dressed young man shook his head and said:

"The broken jade is real, but he didn't fall into the water to retrieve it. He just got drunk and accidentally fell in."

There wasn't even any melodramatic plot involving greed or infighting among powerful families; it was simply a drunken madman who slipped and fell into the water and drowned.

Ordinary, yet perfectly fitting his absurd life.

"He didn't ask me to take care of his mother, because all I found was a corpse, with no lingering spirit or obsession."

The elegantly dressed young man turned to look at Du Yuan and said:
"Therefore, the touching story of not having any lasting obsessions or worries before death was just something I fabricated to appease Madam Wang." "Therefore, if the capital really changes drastically and I can't succeed, I will flee immediately and will not even think about saving anyone, not even the Langya Wang family or Madam Wang."

Finally, he said one more thing to Du Yuan:
“Sir, I am not like you. My path is really small, so small that I can only calculate in such a distant way.”

His master always told him that the path of their sect was far inferior to even the self-liberated Buddhists in its coldness and incompetence.

Because only in this way can people like them have a chance to attain the Great Dao.

Du Yuan gazed intently at the elegantly dressed young man before her, staring for a long time before finally speaking:

"But is the origin of the shattered jade true?"

"Yes."

"Then wasn't Lady Wang's kindness towards him genuine?"

"Yes, but that's none of my business, sir."

Du Yuan didn't rush to refute, but slowly raised her hand and pointed to the direction of the richly dressed young man's heart—where the piece of jade that had been glued together had once been kept.

It also carried with it the brief moment of consideration he had just shown to Madam Wang:

“I understand that you are afraid of being burdened by human relationships and karma when you seek the Tao. But my Confucianism says, ‘Everyone has a heart of compassion, a heart of shame, a heart of respect, and a heart of right and wrong.’ These four hearts are not unique to the sages; they are the innate hearts given to us by God when we are born as human beings.”

"You say that Madam Wang's kindness has nothing to do with you, but when you made up that last wish just now, wasn't it because you were afraid that she wouldn't be able to live if she heard the truth?"

“You are willing to tell the story of the broken jade in such detail. Isn’t it because you remember her expectations for the child back then? This is your compassion at work. It’s not that it’s ‘unrelated’. You’ve just classified it as an ‘obstacle to the pursuit of the Way’.”

The elegantly dressed young man did not answer, but stood there with a deep frown.

Because he remembered that these four sentences did not seem to be found in many Confucian classics.

So my first reaction was to think about the origins of Du Yuan.

When it comes to profound discussions, no one will be swayed by the words of others, especially a cultivator who has reached such a level.

Just as children don't understand the words of the elderly, they only truly understand when the time comes.

Whether it was too late or there was still room for maneuver at that time, only heaven knows!

Du Yuan added, "Our Confucianism also says, 'The Way is not far from man.' You say your Great Way is 'small,' so small that you can only be detached and calculating."

"The broken jade is real, the loving mother is real, and your thoughtfulness just now was also real. If you have to reject even these things, even if you achieve your goal, will it truly suit your heart?"

Du Yuan knew that her words would hardly persuade an ancient cultivator.

However, he could tell that the elegantly dressed young man was not actually suited for the path he was talking about.

Because his heart was not as 'dead and detached' as he thought.

None of the preceding words stirred the elegantly dressed young man's heart for even a moment; only the last sentence, "Even if you obtain it, will it truly suit your taste?" touched him slightly for a brief moment.

As his Dao heart wavered, he lowered his head and said:

"Sir, before we have attained the Great Dao, neither of us is qualified to discuss these matters."

How can one speak of whether the Great Way is truly the Way before one has attained it?

"The Great Way has not yet been attained, but the hearts of the people have already been revealed. What is there that cannot be discussed?"

The elegantly dressed young man fell completely silent, his mind in turmoil.

At this moment, he thought about a lot.

The sect, the patriarch, that green robe, and the desolation seen in the southwest, Qingzhou, and even in Hanqiu Palace.
But in the end, the image remained fixed in front of his ancestral hall.

"Sir, please do not disrupt my main road any further."

Seeing the richly dressed young man bowing deeply, Du Yuan said nothing more, only nodding and saying:
"Since that's the case, I won't say anything more. But you must remember this: don't wait until it's too late to realize your mistake!"

Upon hearing this, the elegantly dressed young man abruptly changed the subject, saying:

“Sir, you speak of the four hearts, and also say that the Way is not far from man, and that it is said to be a Confucian saying. Although I am not proficient in any of them, I still know whether they exist or not. Your words should not be the talk of a small family, but the talk of a great family, and should be written extensively in the classics. So why have I never heard of them?”

?

Don't you have Mencius or the Doctrine of the Mean?
Du Yuan was a little surprised this time.

Not knowing how to answer, Du Yuan could only smile and turn away.

Upon seeing this, the richly dressed young man was initially puzzled, then stared in astonishment.

Since Confucian classics don't mention it, then it must be the work of the person in front of us!
He created his own classics and spoke of Confucianism, yet he was not included in the literary tradition. In addition, he was acquainted with the Taoist priest, who in turn was acquainted with the Buddhist priest.
Could it be a gentleman who initiated the literary tradition and rose to a high position?

If that's the case, why are the three masters starting new ventures and making moves in the mortal realm ahead of time?

Am I overthinking things, or underthinking them?!

In an instant, the elegantly dressed young man was drenched in sweat.

(End of this chapter)