Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

The Two Elements View.

Cheng Mo got busy early in the morning.

Cheng Mo slaughtered the chicken, plucked its feathers, and gutted it with fluid, effortless movements.

Duoduo squatted down beside her and watched without blinking.

"Senior brother, is this chicken dead?"

"He's dead."

"Shall we have this for lunch?"

"Yes, poached chicken."

Cheng Mo pointed towards the pond: "Let's go fishing later and make boiled fish."

Duo Duo immediately stood up: "I'll go get the fishing rod!"

Cheng Mo called out to her, "You don't need a fishing rod, just take a net."

Duoduo ran to the woodshed and soon came back dragging a net bag that was even longer than herself.

Cheng Mo took the net, walked to the edge of the pond, and looked into the water.

The fish were swimming leisurely at the bottom of the water, with one or two occasionally floating to the surface to blow bubbles.

Cheng Mo bent down, the net went into the water, and the fish scattered instantly, keeping their distance.

But there are always one or two that react slowly.

"You're the one!" Cheng Mo flipped his wrist, scooped up the bottom of the net, and a plump grass carp was scooped up.

The fish struggled desperately in the net, its tail thrashing loudly.

"Wow!" Duoduo clapped her hands. "Senior brother is amazing!"

Cheng Mo carried the bucket towards the kitchen, with Duo Duo following behind, chattering away: "Senior brother, how do you make poached chicken? Is boiled fish spicy? Can I eat spicy food?"

Cheng Mo answered each question without stopping his work.

Put the chicken in the pot, slice the fish, and marinate it to remove the fishy smell.

After finishing his preparations, he wiped his hands and said to Duoduo, "I'm going to sit outside for a while. You can play by yourself."

Duoduo nodded and ran to find her master.

Cheng Mo came to the edge of the cliff alone and sat down on a large stone slab.

He had sat on this stone slab for over a decade, and it was worn smooth long ago.

Below is a bottomless valley, and in the distance are rolling mountains, lush and verdant, layer upon layer.

Cheng Mo just sat there, looking into the distance.

……

Inside the Taoist temple.

Duo Duo found Cheng Shou: "Master, Master, let's go feed the chickens, ducks, and geese!"

Cheng Shou waved the book in his hand: "No rush, let me tell you the story of waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump first."

Duoduo sat down obediently.

Cheng Shou opened the book: "Waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump is a story about a person who found a rabbit that had run into a tree stump and died. He stopped working and just waited there every day to find the rabbit. In the end, he didn't find the rabbit, and his fields became barren."

Duoduo thought about it carefully and said to her master, "This story tells us that people cannot be lazy."

Cheng Shou smiled and patted her head: "Yes, our Duoduo is really smart."

Cheng Shou put down his book, smiled, and took her hand: "Come on, Master will take you to feed the chickens, ducks, and geese."

The master and apprentice walked towards the back mountain. Suddenly, Duoduo stopped and stared blankly at the edge of the cliff. Cheng Mo was sitting there.

"Master...Master!" Duoduo gripped Cheng Shou's hand tightly, her voice trembling. "Senior brother! Senior brother is sitting there! It's so dangerous!"

Cheng Shou looked down at her and chuckled, "Your senior brother has been sitting there for over ten years. There's no danger. He just likes to look at our mountain from there."

Duoduo said thoughtfully, "Oh, so that must be what Senior Brother meant by experiencing nature."

She looked up at Cheng Shou and said seriously, "Then let's not bother him."

Cheng Shou smiled even more broadly, bent down and picked her up: "Duoduo is so sensible."

Duoduo perched on his shoulder and asked, "Master, are the chickens, ducks, and geese on our mountain delicious?"

Cheng Shou raised an eyebrow: "Of course, it tastes much better than the ones down the mountain."

Duo Duo drooled, "Why?"

Cheng Shou chuckled: "You ate well, that's why."

Duoduo became interested: "Let me see what they eat."

The master and apprentice talked as they walked towards the back of the mountain.

The sound grew farther and farther away, fainter and fainter.

At the edge of the cliff, a slight smile appeared on Cheng Mo's lips.

Looking out at the empty valley before me, I slowly closed my eyes, immersing myself in the beauty of nature.

The sounds of wind, birdsong, insects chirping, and leaves rustling.

He was so familiar with these sounds that he could tell which birds were calling in which grove of trees and which insects were chirping under which rock without even opening his eyes.

The time he spent in Biyou Village allowed him to "see" nature from a different perspective for the first time.

But back then, I always felt like there was a thin film between us, as if something was folding the real world.

And now, I'm back in the place I know best.

Hearing familiar voices and feeling familiar atmosphere.

No distracting thoughts, no worries.

When the mind is clear and lucid, consciousness is in harmony with heaven and earth.

That moment——

He saw himself.

He saw heaven and earth.

boom--

My consciousness exploded.

Cheng Mo "saw" a chaotic, hazy expanse, with nothing in it.

There was no sky, no earth, no light, and no sound.

Then, the first point of light appeared in the chaos.

The light exploded, turning into countless light points that scattered and flew in all directions.

The points of light gathered, dispersed, gathered again, and dispersed again.

Gradually, a shape appeared.

Something is coalescing, taking shape.

Heaven and earth began to separate.

The pure air rises, and the turbid air descends.

Mountains and rivers began to take shape.

Plants and trees grow, and birds and beasts appear.

The world transformed from chaos into a vibrant and thriving place.

Cheng Mo's mind raced.

The world changed color.

A thought suddenly occurred to him, and a grassland appeared beneath his feet.

Then, a river appeared on the grassland.

Turning again, a mountain appeared on the other side of the river.

There is a Taoist temple on the mountain.

It's exactly the same as the Yin-Yang concept he grew up with.

Cheng Mo stood on the grassland, looking at the Taoist temple.

He took a step forward.

With that one step, one had already arrived at the entrance of the Taoist temple.

The moment he pushed open the door, he saw people standing in the yard.

Cheng Shou stood there, smiling as he looked at him.

Duoduo stood to the side, holding a foxtail grass in her hand.

The big yellow dog lay on the ground, its tail wagging back and forth.

A lynx crouched on the wall, squinting in the sun.

Cheng Mo paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Interesting."

Then the thought changed again.

The courtyard was empty; there was nothing there.

Cheng Mo stood in the empty courtyard, looking up at the sky, where clouds drifted by.

He made the cloud into the shape of a flower, and the cloud became a flower.

He made the cloud take the shape of a bird, and the cloud became a bird.

He made the cloud into the shape of a fish, and the cloud became a fish, swimming in the sky.

Cheng Mo raised his hand and made a light sweeping motion.

A door appeared in front of them.

Push open the door, and behind it lies another world: skyscrapers, bustling traffic, flashing neon lights, and crowds of people.

This is the world of my past life.

Cheng Mo stood on the street, looking at those familiar scenes.

He opened another door, behind which lay the sea, with its azure waters, white sand beaches, and seagulls flying overhead.

He stood on the beach, the waves washing over his feet again and again.

He seemed to have become the creator.

You can have whatever you want.

Change it however you want.

Cheng Mo was having a great time, commanding the wind and rain in the interior.

……

in reality.

Duoduo was squatting next to the chicken coop, watching the chickens peck at their food, her little face full of smiles.

Cheng Shou smiled, looking very kind.

Suddenly, Cheng Shou's expression changed, and he looked up sharply in the direction of the Taoist temple.

The Qi of Heaven and Earth is converging in one direction.

Cheng Shou grabbed Duo Duo's arm and said, "Let's go."

Duo Duo was pulled back by him, her short legs moving incredibly fast: "Master, what's wrong?"

Cheng Shou didn't speak, but pulled Duo Duo to find the source. In no time, they found Cheng Mo sitting quietly on the edge of the cliff.

The old Taoist priest felt the Qi of heaven and earth constantly gathering into his body, and his expression changed unpredictably.

Duoduo looked towards the cliff, her little mouth slightly open.

In her eyes, her senior brother was surrounded by colorful Qi.

Red, yellow, blue, green, purple...

The various colors intertwined, like fireworks during the Chinese New Year, or colorful lanterns hung at a temple fair.

The Qi surged in from all directions and gathered on my senior brother.