I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 80 The Old Taoist Asks About Heaven and Earth

Jiang She sat up straight, looking like he was all ears.

"Please speak, sir."

Li Yuan and his companion, along with the old mountain god and the middle-aged Qingyunzi, were also waiting to listen carefully. Sanshui secretly tugged at his junior brother, and the two children sat up straight, tilting their little heads up to look at their grandmaster, wanting to hear the stories of their senior uncles and masters.

Master Jiwei stroked his beard and smiled, recalling the events.

"When I took on my first disciple, I had just glimpsed a corner of the Daoist arts and thought I had mastered the arts of immortals, possessing countless abilities and having a wide range of places to go in the world."

He then descended the mountain and roamed the land with his sword.

"In moments of exhilaration, I once killed a malevolent demon with a single sword stroke and cut off the head of a bandit. I felt no fear, only a sense of ecstasy that I had never known before."

"When I saw someone wanting to become my apprentice, and he was such a fine and promising person, I accepted him without hesitation."

"Travel together, enjoy the breeze and admire the moon."

"We once drank together on the mountaintop, and also stayed in caves in the wilderness, sleeping with tigers. How delightful it was for master and disciple to travel together."

Sanshui listened and asked.

"and then?"

Master Jiwei said gently, "Then, he died."

"what?"

Sanshui found it hard to believe.

Master Jiwei lovingly stroked the child's twin buns.

He said, “Seeking the Way is a very difficult thing. Many people embark on this path with high aspirations, but if one out of ten can truly enter the inner sanctum, that is considered a lot.”

"He entered the Dao through swordsmanship, taking the Daoist name Mingfeng. He was incredibly brave, but this left him with many hidden injuries."

He died at the age of fifty.

Sanshui and Chuyi's voices were muffled.

"Can't Taoist practices prolong life?"

"That's true."

Master Jiwei said, “Through cultivation, people can strengthen their foundation and thus attain a long life, living out their remaining years and enjoying a lifespan of one hundred and twenty years.”

"Your senior uncle has not yet made up for his lack of foundation."

"It has already withered away."

Jiang She heard Ji Wei mention three more disciples, one of whom was the disciple from Hongdao Temple.

Seeing his fellow disciples either uninterested in the path of cultivation or perished on their journey, he felt sorrow and, after descending the mountain, never returned. He preferred to spend his life amidst the incense offerings of the mortal world, bowing to the Three Pure Ones every day.

He burned incense and lit fires, opened the furnace to refine elixirs, and associated with literary figures and poets, seeing sentient beings every day.

Jiang She listened and thought for a moment.

"Actually, it's not entirely wrong."

Master Jiwei nodded.

He said regretfully, "What you say is true. I didn't think of it at the time, and I had some ulterior motives."

"Who says it's wrong to go down the mountain, or that it's wrong not to want to cultivate?"

He had just mentioned four disciples.

Some possessed youthful chivalry, yet died young. Others descended the mountain to slay demons, only to be killed by them. Still others, upon descending the mountain, found their life partners and entered the mortal world.

There are also those who abandon the path of Taoism, stay in Luoyang to guard a Taoist temple, and associate with nobles.

He was skilled in medicine and had studied under Sun Simiao for a period of time, dedicated to helping people and saving lives.

Think about it now.

Both are correct.

At this moment, the middle-aged man, Qingyunzi, suddenly spoke up: "Senior brother... he has indeed returned."

Jiwei Zhenren's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

His hand gripping the teacup suddenly tightened.

After a long time, Jiang She saw the Immortal Jiwei and asked.

"what?"

The middle-aged man said, "I once heard a Taoist priest from Hongdao Temple mention that before the old abbot passed away, he always wanted to return to his hometown, saying it was some kind of mountain, which I think is Yunmeng Mountain."

Master Jiwei's hands suddenly began to tremble violently.

As he listened to Qingyun speak, the ease and composure he displayed when telling stories to others was gone.

"Those Taoist priests said—"

“A year, six months and a month before the old abbot passed away, he went out three times, wanting to return to his homeland.”

"We haven't even seen where the mountain is."

"We didn't see anyone coming down from the mountain either."

"It seems that he has lived in the mortal world for a long time and is about to die of old age. His magic has weakened and he can no longer open the barrier to see his master."

Master Jiwei remained calm after his disciple returned.

He calmly accepted his disciple's death, and calmly accepted that his disciple's belongings were puppets that sucked people's life essence.

He talked to Jiang She about the disciples he had taken on, recounting the joys and hardships of his journey, speaking calmly and eloquently.

Only now, my hands are shaking terribly.

The room was quiet, and Jiang She and Li Bai did not speak.

After a while, Jiang She heard a low sound.

"Huaizhen..."

Upon hearing his voice, Jiang She suddenly realized that, in many ways, cultivating the Tao is a very cruel thing.

He did not know the disciple named Huaizhen. In his old age, before his death, he returned three times to Yunmeng Mountain, where he had studied Taoism in the past.

What were their thoughts and feelings?

At such an advanced age, the rocks that he could once easily leap over now required him to climb step by step. The master and fellow disciples he used to be able to cheat on were now hard to even see. In the end, he became just like the ordinary people down the mountain.

Can't ask for it.

It's unacceptable.

Is it that I started cultivating the Tao too late in this life, or has the Great Tao misled me?

Jiang She remained silent, waiting quietly for Master Jiwei's thoughts to churn until he calmed down.

"That's right..."

Master Jiwei sighed, his expression unreadable, a mixture of sorrow and regret.

"I misunderstood him."

He looked at Jiang She and said apologetically, "I was out of line just now, please forgive me, guest."

Jiang She shook his head, speaking gently and softly: "I am already very grateful for the Sect Leader's many words to me."

Master Jiwei bowed.

He asked cautiously:

"I would like to ask you about something."

Jiang She said, "Please ask, Master."

"We've heard of your profound Taoist skills, and Qingyun also says you have an understanding of this world. We've cultivated for a lifetime, yet we know nothing..."

"How does Heaven and Earth view us?"

"Have you grasped its meaning?"

Master Jiwei asked in a low voice, "I have sought the Dao for three hundred years and have made some progress. My death is still far off. Logically speaking, this should be the time when I feel most gratified and carefree."

However, on the path of life, relatives and friends passed away, and many disciples died before him.

Non-vegetation, ruthless Practice makes perfect?
The Old Deer Mountain God and Qingyunzi also wanted to know the answer to this question, and they both looked over.

Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu hadn't yet grasped the essence of the matter, but they had a general feeling that the question was vast and profound. Sanshui and Chuyi hadn't thought that far ahead yet; they were just secretly grabbing a fruit from the table, sharing it with the elders who were talking above, and also trying to talk to the cat.

Jiang She pondered for a long time.

"The sect leader wants to ask me how Heaven and Earth view the joys and sorrows of mortals or cultivators."

"Yes."

Seeing that Jiang She remained silent, Master Jiwei said, "If you find it difficult, you may choose not to answer."

"It's not that I'm making things difficult for you."

Jiang She thought for a moment, then used ants as an example and asked:

"What is the sect leader's view on insects and ants?"

Master Jiwei thought for a long time, and considered saying that mayflies and ants live only a day and die at dusk, but then felt that this answer might not be quite right.

Jiang She: "The sect leader doesn't actually look at insects and ants on a regular basis."

Master Jiwei nodded in agreement.

"That's true."

Jiang She then said, "Heaven and earth also see us this way."

Master Jiwei was astonished.

Jiang She changed to a more relaxed tone: "Therefore, Lao Tzu said, 'Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs.'"

"It doesn't mean that the world is cruel."

"Instead, there is neither love nor hatred."

He said, "Let nature take its course and let life and death be without any bias. All living beings are the same; there is no distinction between grass, trees, insects, ants, and humans."

"Perhaps so, in the eyes of many people, heaven and earth are indifferent and heartless."

Jiwei Zhenren remained silent.

He had read the Taoist scriptures many times and understood this sentence, but when he asked this question, it was because he had learned of the past and his resolve to follow the Tao wavered, causing him to question his practice.

He bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for your guidance, fellow Daoist!"

Jiang She smiled, helped the other person up, and declined the courtesy. "Anyone can say nice things."

"Also, I have something else to say."

Master Jiwei immediately said, "Fellow Daoist, please speak freely!"

Jiang She pulled out a slip of paper from his sleeve. There were words written on it. He glanced at it and handed it to the sect leader, Master Jiwei.

"This is……"

“These are the names of those spirits, and the places they lived in. I have written them down on paper.”

【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)