Under One Person: I Have a Billion Taoist Gods Within Me

Chapter 47: Sitting and Discussing the Dao with Zhuge Liang (1.2 words, please subscribe)

Li Yuan shook his head slightly: "Please enlighten me, Marquis Wu."

"

Zhuge Liang remained silent for a moment, his gaze seemingly piercing through the interior scene, through the long river of time, looking towards a place extremely far away.

In that gaze, there was a sense of vicissitude, wisdom, and also a hint of—

It's a complex matter that even he can't fully let go of.

"Throughout my life, I have calculated the secrets of heaven and foreseen the future."

"I know that the Han dynasty cannot be restored, that the Shu Han dynasty will eventually perish, and that the world will ultimately belong to the Sima family."

"I know about the Five Barbarian Invasions, the migration of the elites to the south, the transition from the Sui to the Tang Dynasty, and the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties."

"I know—I can't change anything."

His voice was calm, yet carried an indescribable desolation.

That is the desolation of someone who sees everything clearly but is powerless to change it.

Li Yuan listened quietly.

He knew that what Zhuge Liang said was true.

One of the greatest extraordinary individuals in history, a genius with profound knowledge of both ancient and modern times—

He could see far more than anyone could imagine.

Zhuge Liang continued, "But I know that what I cannot change does not mean that those who come after me cannot change it either."

"What I see is merely an outline, a grand trend woven from countless intertwined causes and effects."

"This trend cannot be changed by one person alone."

"but--"

His gaze fell on Li Yuan again, and the light in his eyes became incredibly profound: "If there is someone who can see further, stand higher, and make a move when cause and effect are still uncertain..."

That "general trend" may not be unchangeable.

Li Yuan listened quietly.

He understood what Zhuge Liang meant.

What Zhuge Liang saw was the "general trend".

It is a "torrent" formed by countless intertwined causes and effects, which is difficult for human beings to shake.

And he, Li Yuan—

From the moment he was born into this world, what he possessed was the ability to "see" beyond the "great trend" and into the distance.

What he saw was not the "general trend".

What he saw was—

Under the "general trend," there are countless tiny "causal relationships" that can be stirred.

Above the "great trend," there is a "heaven and earth" that can be re-founded and redefined.

Beyond the "general trend," there is "another path" that has existed from the beginning.

Zhuge Liang looked at him, and for the first time, a genuine glimmer appeared in those eyes that seemed to see through the ages—

look forward to.

"I've been waiting for you here, just to ask you one question."

Li Yuan nodded slightly: "Lord Wu, please ask."

Zhuge Liang stared directly at him, speaking each word clearly and distinctly: "Are you—ready?"

This problem is extremely simple.

It's so simple that no one would think it has any profound meaning.

But Li Yuan understood.

He understood what Zhuge Liang was asking.

It wasn't asking whether his cultivation was ready.

It wasn't asking whether his Daoist heart was ready.

The question wasn't about asking him directly, but rather whether he was ready for everything that was about to happen.

As for that catastrophe that would sweep across China and burn everything.

For those countless lives that will pass away, those traditions that will collapse, and those legacies that will turn to ashes.

As for the things he must do—those things that may burden him with countless causes and effects, and subject him to endless karma—

Even things that change the fate of countless people—

Are you ready?

Li Yuan remained silent for a moment.

Then, he raised his head slightly and met Zhuge Liang's eyes, which seemed to see through the past and present.

That gaze was as calm as still water.

Yet it also seems to bear the weight of an eternal night.

"Marquis Wu".

He spoke softly, his voice low but exceptionally clear: "Before I descended the mountain, my master said—"

'

"The Great Dao is fifty, Heaven evolves into forty-nine, and man escapes to one."

"The younger generation themselves may be the biggest variable."

"At that time, I was still pondering what the word 'variable' truly meant."

"Until this moment."

"What Zhuge Liang could see, I, the younger generation, can also see."

"1

"What Zhuge Liang could not see, I, his junior, can also see."

"The impending calamity, the flames of war that will engulf the land, the countless lives that will be lost—"

"I saw it clearly."

"Like looking at this courtyard full of lights."

"Like looking at a sky full of stars."

"As if seeing—"

He looked directly at Zhuge Liang, and a glint of light, barely perceptible to others, appeared in his gentle eyes: "Look at him sitting opposite the Marquis of Wu at this moment."

Zhuge Liang's pupils contracted slightly.

Li Yuan continued, "Marquis Wu asked if I am ready."

"The junior's answer is one."

He paused slightly, his voice still calm, yet carrying an indescribable weight: "From the moment I was born into this world, I have been preparing."

"From the moment I placed my first piece, I have been waiting."

"Waiting for an opportunity."

"Waiting for an opportunity to truly see the big picture."

"Wait for one—"

He looked at Zhuge Liang, a very faint smile appearing on his lips: "An opportunity to sit and discuss the Way with the sages of the past."

Zhuge Liang was stunned.

He quietly looked at Li Yuan, at this young Daoist who had finally arrived here after traversing seventeen hundred years.

Those eyes, which seemed to see through the ages, now shone with a complex and indescribable light.

I feel relieved.

I feel relieved.

There was an expectation that even he couldn't explain.

"it is good."

Zhuge Liang suddenly smiled.

That smile lacked its usual composure and depth, revealing only one thing—

It felt like I could finally relax and feel relieved.

"I have been waiting for you to say those words for seventeen hundred years."

He raised his hand and gently waved his feather fan.

The void that enveloped this interior suddenly began to change.

Countless points of light emerged from nothingness.

Each of those points of light contained an ineffable message.

Some are formations.

Some are talismans.

Some of them are military strategies.

Some of them are Qimen Dunjia.

Some of them are things that even Li Yuan cannot see through at a glance.

The points of light converged, eventually coalescing into a flowing river of light between the two.

Zhuge Liang's voice slowly echoed within this interior space: "This is what I have realized throughout my life."

"Formations, talismans, military strategy, Qimen Dunjia, Yin and Yang, Five Elements, astrology and calendar"

"Everything that I know, understand, and create is contained within it."

"I have been waiting for you here for seventeen hundred years, all for this moment."

"So that I may entrust these to you."

Li Yuan gazed calmly at the ever-flowing river of light.

He didn't accept immediately, but instead looked at Zhuge Liang: "Why did the Marquis of Wu choose a junior?"

Zhuge Liang looked at him, and in those eyes that seemed to see through the ages, there was only one thing—

It was as if he were looking at his most proud successor with a kind expression.

"Because you can see what I cannot."

"Because you can do what I cannot."

"Because you can remain so calm in front of me."

"This mindset, this composure, this self-awareness."

"I have met countless people in my life."

"Some people are filled with fear and unease when they see me."

"Some people who meet me show me great respect and awe."

"Someone has come to see me, trying to get something from me."

"Someone came to see me, trying to prove something."

"Only you—"

'

He looked at Li Yuan with admiration in his eyes: "You look at me as if I were a worthy fellow traveler."

"Neither humble nor arrogant."

"Neither demanding nor refusing."

"You're just here."

That's all.

"In my life, I have seen countless geniuses and extraordinary people."

"But someone like you..."

He paused, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his mouth: "I have never seen this before."

Li Yuan listened quietly without interrupting.

After Zhuge Liang finished speaking, his gaze fell once again on the ever-flowing river of light.

"Go."

"These are yours."

"I have done all that I could."

"The rest—"

'

He looked at Li Yuan, and in those eyes that seemed to see through the ages, there was only one thing—

As if looking at a ray of hope: "It's all up to you now."

Li Yuan remained silent for a moment.

Then, he solemnly bowed deeply to Zhuge Liang.

This bow was deeper and heavier than ever before.

"I will remember this."

Zhuge Liang nodded slightly and returned the gesture with a half-bow.

The figure with the feather fan and silk turban began to slowly fade away.

Like the morning mist dissipating, like a candle flame going out.

But his eyes, which seemed to see through the ages, remained fixed on Li Yuan until the very last moment.

In that gaze, there was relief, expectation, and a hint of indescribable relief.

It's as if it's saying, "What I've been waiting for has finally arrived."

"What I did, I can finally let go of."

"The best in the world"

"It's up to you now."

The figure disappeared.

Only that river of light remained, silently suspended before Li Yuan.

Li Yuan stood silently for a long time.

Then, he raised his hand.

The river of light slowly flowed into his brow.

The moment the light entered his body, what he felt was not the infusion of knowledge, the influx of information, or any process that could be described as "learning".

Rather, it is a deeper, more mysterious, and more ineffable "fusion".

It was as if the Marquis of Wu from 1,700 years ago had transformed all the formations, talismans, military strategies, Qimen Dunjia, Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and astrology he had comprehended throughout his life into streams of "intention" and poured them into the depths of his mind.

He doesn't need to "understand" those "meanings".

Because they are things he can understand.

They were merely "seen" by him.

Then, it quietly resonated with and naturally merged with the divine court guarded by all gods in his inner world's Great Luo Palace.

Like all rivers flowing into the sea.

Like all streams flowing into the same source.

Li Yuan opened his eyes.

There was now an indescribable light in those gentle eyes.

Within that radiance lay reverence for the wisdom of Zhuge Liang, and a profound understanding of the countless mysteries contained within that river of light.

He turned and looked into the depths of the interior.

There, the majestic Daluo Palace still stands, and all the gods continue to protect it as before.

However, next to the shrine of the Celestial Master Zhang Daoling, a new shrine has already taken shape.

A phantom figure sat atop that divine throne.

Wearing a feather fan and a silk turban, and a wide robe with large sleeves.

His face was clear of tumors, and three long strands of his beard fluttered gently in the wind.

His brows held a wisdom and profundity that seemed to understand the world and the past and present.

It was none other than Zhuge Liang, the strategist.

Li Yuan stared at the illusory figure, gazing at it silently for a moment.

He didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly, as if greeting a long-lost friend.

The illusory figure seemed to sense his gaze as well, and a very faint smile appeared in its eyes that seemed to see through the ages.

It was as if it were saying, "Go."

"The rest is up to you."