From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

That's "opposite"!

Zhao Liren has connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds, so he must balance the armed forces of his members. If they are too weak, they will become pawns in someone else's hands; if they are too strong, they will be suppressed.

Therefore, if Zhao Liren wanted to expand his gang and live a comfortable life, he could only keep increasing the number of members.

Most gangs do it this way.

Where is Sister Hong?

Lu Jin didn't see Hong Guniang and asked.

She went back first—

After completing the tasks Jiang Liu had assigned her, Hong Guniang returned to Ghost Hand Wang Cai's opera troupe. There, she joined Zhou Xun, Wu Kan, Zheng Gen, Wang Kun, and other apprentices who had been called back from the fields to help look after the children and cook meals…

# Chapter 223 The Tide Rises Over the Qiantang River

"Brother Jiang, shall we go find the White Tiger Hall next?"

Upon learning that Miss Hong had temporarily returned to take care of the children rescued from Xuanwu Hall, Lu Jin nodded secretly and then inquired about the next target.

"No, that's Zhao Qian's mission."

White Tiger Hall is a combination of a dance hall and a brothel, so there must be a lot of security personnel, but Zhao Qian, Qian Dui, Sun Li, Li Zhen and others are capable enough to handle it.

Although they weren't much stronger than Lu Mingfei, who was busy snapping photos, they at least knew how to practice Tai Chi and Bajiquan. And the best way to master these two styles was through actual combat.

The White Tiger Hall, whose main business is "forcing women into prostitution," only has security personnel who rely on their height, strength, and some fighting skills.

Zhao Qian, being a teenager, had not yet fully developed her body, but with the support of her Qi, her physical functions were stronger than those of an adult. In addition, she knew martial arts, making her a perfect sparring partner for those people.

Whether it's a mule or a horse, we have to take it out for a spin!

"Moreover, the White Tiger Hall has a rather special nature, so it's not advisable to really take action against it in the short term."

Running a brothel is not illegal these days.

And the matter of forcing women into prostitution...

To be honest, it's a truly complicated and tangled mess, involving a large number of people, and requires careful planning.

of course.

Jiang Liu was absolutely opposed to brothels.

and so--

“Come on, take your cousin with you and let’s go take a look around the Qiantang River area.”

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He decided to take action against the headquarters of the Azure Dragon Society first to vent his anger.

The Qiantang River is about eight kilometers away from West Lake, but for Jiang Liu and Lu Jin, even carrying someone on their backs, they can get there in a short time.

Arriving at the first wharf in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Jiang Liu was secretly impressed by the advanced state of shipping on the Qiantang River. Even in 1924, its scale was comparable to some of the more remote ports in the 21st century.

Facing the river breeze and listening to the rushing waves, Jiang Liu's mind and body gradually calmed down. He smiled faintly and said, "This is indeed a good place. The great waves wash away the sand, again and again. The Buddha can understand the Zen meaning, and the Taoist can observe nature. No wonder there are many temples and Taoist temples around the Qiantang River."

"The tide comes in from the Qiantang River."

Listening to the roaring sound of the river and watching the waves crashing against the shore, Lu Jin couldn't help but sigh, "Master Lu Zhishen must have realized the emptiness of the five aggregates when he heard the tide and found peace upon receiving the letter."

What does it mean that the five aggregates are empty?

The Heart Sutra contains the following line:

When Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva was practicing the profound Prajnaparamita, he perceived that the five aggregates are empty, and thus transcended all suffering and distress.

The five aggregates are form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness.

The form aggregate is related to the six senses, namely the six sense organs: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and mind.

The aggregate of feeling is the experience of the world through the first six senses;

Thoughts arise from feelings;

Xingyun: Once you have thought about something, then you act on it.

Consciousness is the foundation that governs the first four.

This is a Buddhist philosophy and a concept of spiritual practice. Everyone in the world, including extraordinary people, needs to go through the five processes of form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness to do something.

The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara does not refer to a specific bodhisattva, but rather to the practice of introspection, enlightenment, and the realization of one's true nature, which is the foundation of spiritual cultivation.

When practicing the profound Prajna Paramita, it refers to attaining profound wisdom.

Seeing that the five aggregates are empty means to see through the illusions of the world and to fully understand that people's actions are driven by these five aggregates, thus letting go.

Finally, "to deliver all from suffering" means, after seeing through this, to deliver oneself and others, to let go of attachment to all dharmas, and to universally deliver others.

However, throughout history, those who have been able to see that the five aggregates are empty either pass away directly or go to repay the sins they committed during their past spiritual practice. They can only save themselves, not others.

For example: Wu Man.

This person has not yet realized the emptiness of the five aggregates at this time. But when he realizes the emptiness of the five aggregates someday in the future, he will simply be paying back the debts he has made in the past.

For example, Master Lu, whom Lu Jin mentioned, was a hero who had killed people, set fires, eaten meat, and drunk wine. He lived a carefree life because he did not feel that he owed anyone anything in this life. Therefore, after hearing the tide coming on the Qiantang River, he saw that the five aggregates were empty and passed away directly.

To deliver from all suffering...

This sentence is about overcoming one's own physical and mental suffering. By letting go of one's attachment to external things, one will naturally no longer be plagued by suffering.

Buddhism has three stages of enlightenment: Arhat, Bodhisattva, and Buddha.

An Arhat is a person who has attained self-realization.

A Bodhisattva is someone who enlightens others.

Buddha means both self-awakening and awakening others.

According to the Buddhist understanding of the emptiness of the five aggregates in this world, and comparing it with the three stages of Arhat, Bodhisattva and Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism, Jiang Liu believes that the emptiness of the five aggregates is just the state of mind of an Arhat, self-awakening, repaying worldly karma in order to achieve self-perfection. It is not comparable to the compassionate heart of a Bodhisattva who saves all sentient beings, and is even more far from the realm of "Buddha"!

"The five aggregates are all empty? That's just Hinayana Buddhism."

What is Hinayana Buddhism?

Seeking only self-enlightenment and disregarding the lives of others, just like Wu Man who saw the emptiness of the five aggregates in the future, he was merely repaying his past debts to others and never truly thought about saving the world from suffering.

"Brother Jiang, is the concept of emptiness of the five aggregates still Hinayana Buddhism?" Lu Jin was taken aback, then asked with a smile, "Then what do you think Mahayana Buddhism is?"

"The unity of body and mind, the co-existence of form and consciousness, the integration of feeling, perception, and action into the Confucian theory of 'unity of knowledge and action,' and then actively engaging in the world—this is the Mahayana path."

Jiang Liu said calmly, “The theory of cultivation, which consists of form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness, begins with ‘form.’ However, as people grow and their beliefs become firm, the starting point is no longer ‘form’ but ‘consciousness.’ That is, what we see, think, and do is no longer determined by the organs that observe ‘form’ such as the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind, but by the mind, which is ‘consciousness’.”

Based on the principle that the five aggregates are empty, the difference between Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism lies not in the scriptures and doctrines, but in whether the practice originates from the "body and form" or from the "mind and consciousness".

If one uses the physical form to perceive the five aggregates, one can only attain Hinayana; only by using the mind to perceive the five aggregates can one attain Mahayana! If one can use both body and mind to perceive sensation, thought, and action, one is a Buddha in this very life!

"What we are doing now is practicing Mahayana Buddhism."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Liu laughed again, "Of course, since we don't practice Buddhism, I removed the word 'Buddha' and only left 'Mahayana'."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin smiled and said, "It can't be said that we don't practice Buddhism at all. After all, we have also practiced the Sixteen-Foot Golden Body Sumeru Method in the Three Realms and Nine Lands Diagram."

The Sumeru Method, which is the foundation of the spine training in that sixteen-foot golden body, is used to temper the sacrum, which acts as Mount Sumeru, and is used to support the twenty-four heavens in the future—the lumbar vertebrae, the spine, and the cervical vertebrae, a total of twenty-four segments, which are the foundation of the human body to stand upright between heaven and earth!

Of course, Lu Jin never intended to actually cultivate the theoretically existing Golden Body; he only intended to use it to strengthen his sacrum, make his spine more resilient, and improve blood circulation.

After all, the foundation of this sixteen-foot golden body technique is indeed extremely unique. It uses the sacrum as Mount Sumeru and refines the spine into the Twenty-Four Heavens, supporting the human body and its universe. It can enhance physical attributes at an extremely slow pace, even significantly accelerating his physical development...

# Chapter 224 Drawing a Circle on the Ground as a Prison

"So, are you two really here to cause trouble for the Azure Dragon Society headquarters, or to gain enlightenment about Buddhism?"

Lu Ming's legs trembled, and he spoke, slightly speechless—

Although he had some Qi, it had not yet circulated throughout his body. He was still just an ordinary person with a slightly stronger physique. When Jiang Liu carried him for eight or nine kilometers, he trembled all over.

"Brother Lu, it seems you've caught your breath."

Seeing this, Jiang Liu also ended his discussion with Lu Jin about the emptiness of the five aggregates, Mahayana Buddhism, and the sixteen-foot golden body. He pressed his hand on Lu Mingfei's back and massaged him up and down twice, causing him to kneel on the ground in pain.

"What are you doing? Ouch—"

But as soon as he let out a wail, Lu Mingfei realized that his breathing had completely calmed down, and the slight undulation of the muscles on his thighs and arms had also subsided, returning to normal.

That's incredible!

"How did you do that?" Lu Mingfei asked in astonishment.

"You were just too excited, so your internal organs thought you were doing strenuous exercise, so they worked very hard to maintain normal life activities. Now that you have calmed down, I will use my own Qi to touch the Qi in your body, soothe your internal organs, and naturally calm your body down."

After briefly explaining the principles, Jiang Liu, without waiting for Lu Mingfei to ask further questions, introduced himself: "My name is Jiang Liu, the young master of the Ghost Hand Wang Cai Opera Troupe."

"Hello, Master Jiang, my name is Lu Mingfei, I'm Lu Jin's cousin... Although I've never met Lu Jin before, I still want to thank you for taking care of him." Lu Mingfei formally introduced himself, and then immediately asked, "Are you really going to destroy the Azure Dragon Society?"

Isn't it obvious?

Jiang Liu shrugged, his gaze falling on a foreign ship sailing towards the nearby dock. His ears twitched, and he chuckled, "In this era of unprecedented upheaval, the world of extraordinary beings must also undergo a transformation. Born of ordinary people, I have no desire to fall far behind them..."

The various sects, families, and other forces in the world of supernatural beings—

We must truly integrate into this transformation.

Jiang Liu's idea was simple: since Qi and cultivation are objectively existing, how could they be confined to their own little world?

What kind of spiritual practice is this?

However, it's like drawing a line in the sand and confining yourself!

If one cultivates for the sake of cultivation, then why should immortals and Buddhas add the label of "saving all sentient beings"?

If the two major sects of Buddhism and Taoism are not seeking to gather the worship power of the masses, then they also harbor the dream of world peace. However, due to the repeated persecutions of Buddhism and Taoism throughout history, the Buddhist and Taoist sects today have a sense of family, country, and kinship. They will actively resist external enemies, but they dare not appear in the secular world on a large scale anymore.

In Jiang Liu's view, the reason why Buddhism and Taoism have been suppressed several times in the history of this world is mainly because their religious nature makes it easy for them to manipulate public opinion and disrupt social order.

On the contrary, the distance between families, independent individuals, and ordinary people in the world of supernatural beings is not that great.

However, Buddhism and Taoism are the mainstream sects in the world of supernatural beings, so on the surface these two sects can represent the entire world of supernatural beings.

at the moment.