Chapter 54

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

As Qi Wuhuo turned and left, the sea of flowers behind him gradually closed, like a door shutting. As the floral expanse sealed itself, the serene sanctuary—like a realm of immortals dwelling in the mortal world—vanished from his senses. Qi Wuhuo approached the elder and handed him the jade slip. The elder did not show sadness or disappointment. His expression remained gentle and serene, reflecting a vast, boundless compassion that allowed his disciples to choose their own paths.

Such grand compassion, so vast and boundless in its gentleness, appears almost devoid of emotion when viewed by others.

The palm of his hand over the jade slip and the characters Yumiao dissipated. However, he did not shatter the jade slip as he had done before. Instead, he handed it back to Qi Wuhuo. This time, his approach was different than with Senior Brother Yuyang. With a gentle tone, he said: “Return in five hundred years. Ask her the same question again.”

“See how she answers then.”

Qi Wuhuo seemed to be deep in thought. As long as he is pursuing the Dao, can he wait?

The old man turned and led Qi Wuhuo away, slowly departing. This time, he did not ask Qi Wuhuo what he felt. The elder and the youth walked leisurely along the road outside of Yumiao’s secluded dwelling. On both sides, flowers bloomed, their fragrance rich and intoxicating. The flowers had grown as tall as the boy’s waist. As they passed along the path, butterflies danced in the air, some alighting gently on the youth’s shoulder.

After a long silence, the young man asked: “Teacher, is this what a Dao companion is?”

The old man shook his head and replied with a gentle smile: “Of course not.”

“The teachings and methods passed down by our Daoist sects are numerous, and the lineages have diverged over time, leading to many interpretations. However, just as there are misunderstandings about Essence, Qi, and Spirit, there are also misunderstandings about companions, wealth, and land. Among these, the concept of ‘companion’ is particularly misunderstood. A Dao companion does not refer to a mundane husband or wife. If a spouse were the same as a Dao companion, why would we need to invent a separate term for it?”

“This was originally because the decrees of heaven are unpredictable.”

“Even those who tread the Dao must face calamities, illnesses, tribulations, and the realities of life and death.”

“A Dao companion is someone who supports you through sickness and aids you through life and death. That is what a Dao companion truly means.”

The old man chuckled and added playfully: “In other words, someone who lends a hand on the path of cultivation.”

“The original meaning was this: walking this path together, if you die, I will bury you and continue forward; if I die, you must not grieve. Everywhere there are verdant mountains—where, then, is not a place to return? After burying me, keep moving forward, seeking the path and pursuing the Dao. A Dao companion, in essence, is no more than this.”

At first, these words carried a trace of jest, a lighthearted tone. But as they continued, Qi Wuhuo suddenly felt an overwhelming vastness in their meaning. In just a few sentences, the elder’s words far surpassed the compassion of his senior sister’s one-person focus. The youth’s footsteps paused slightly as he looked at his teacher’s back. Strangely, though it seemed only a step away, that figure now felt impossibly distant.

The old man stopped, turned his head, and looked at him.

Gently, he asked: “Wuhuo, what is it?”

Qi Wuhuo shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

After a moment of thought, he asked, “Senior Sister and Senior Brother should also understand that one should not be attached to fame or misunderstand the meaning of Dao companions, right?”

The old man replied: “Indeed. But there is a difference between [Knowing the Dao (zhī dào)], [Holding onto the Dao (zhí dào)], and [Attaining the Dao (zhì dào)].”

“These are three distinct realms.”

“Knowing does not guarantee practice, and practicing does not ensure arrival. The Great Dao is not something that can be attained simply by making a vow. The road is fraught with hardships, trials, and countless torments. It is because solitary cultivation often leads one into dark corners that a Dao companion is needed.”

“Thus, when it comes to Dao companions, one must first choose the person and then form the bond.”

“One must not fall in love, for love binds the heart; one must not be ignorant, for ignorance leads to emotional estrangement.”

“There are three harmonies for Dao companions: clarity of heart, wisdom, and shared ambition.”

“And three disharmonies: lack of clarity, lack of wisdom, and lack of ambition.”

The old man reached out and gently patted Qi Wuhuo’s head before suddenly teasing: “What’s this, Wuhuo? Are you thinking about finding a Dao companion too?”

“Should I introduce you to that exiled immortal from the Cui family?”

“That banished immortal truly is someone with a Dao heart as resilient as iron.”

“One day, even without relying on the Heavenly Emperor’s decree, they could still gather the three flowers atop their head and ascend on a radiant cloud.”

Qi Wuhuo never imagined the conversation would suddenly turn to him, and his expression froze slightly, his face tinged with a faint redness. Composing himself, he replied earnestly: “Teacher, please don’t joke about such things.”

The old man burst into hearty laughter, as if teasing this upright and pure-hearted young disciple brought him rare joy.

Stroking his beard, he sighed with a hint of sentimentality: “A Dao companion is also a fundamental aspect of cultivation. It is not about romance or love, but about mutual reflection and support along the path of the Great Dao.”

“Is love inherently wrong? Of course not. Who among us does not have feelings of attachment?”

“It’s just that it is not the way of our Dao.”

“As I’ve told you, we seek Dao companions.”

“They have their own choices, and those choices are valid. But so are ours.”

“They walk their path, and we walk ours. There is no right or wrong, no higher or lower. It is simply a matter of choice. When fate aligns, we walk together for a time; when fate ends, we part ways. There’s no need for attachment, no need for worry.”

“Fate arises and fades.”

“That is all.”

“Your Senior Sister has taken a different path for now, so you can wait for her a little longer.”

The old man led the youth onward. Qi Wuhuo’s heart gradually began to grasp some insights, yet those realizations remained indistinct—unclear, vague. It felt as though countless ideas and principles clashed in his mind. Even as he pondered, his own inner qi gradually settled, like an unyielding stone containing a hidden jade, being struck by the hammer of worldly experiences. It was poised on the brink of unveiling but had yet to fully open.

With a gentle voice, the old man said: “Let’s go. Time to meet the next one…”

And so, the young Daoist understood that this journey of questioning his innermost heart had yet to conclude.

He acknowledged respectfully, “Yes, Teacher,” and followed behind the old man, step by step, moving forward.

This was a path unimaginably long, measured by the lives and experiences of each disciple of the Dao.

In the days that followed, Qi Wuhuo met several more of his senior brothers and sisters, one by one.

Each had their own obsessions. Every single one of them was extraordinarily talented, far surpassing Qi Wuhuo’s current abilities. Some found solace in the mountains and rivers, with no desire to pursue the Great Dao. Others delighted in playing games among mortals, performing miracles, and gaining renown in the human world. Qi Wuhuo personally retrieved their jade slips, and each time, the old man would ask him: What have you learned?

Each time, he also asked: Were their choices right or wrong?

Each time, Qi Wuhuo answered: They were not wrong.

But with every encounter, the young Daoist spent more and more time in contemplation.

Finally, when the old man posed the question one last time, he felt a sudden clarity. He answered:

“Disciple understands now.”

“They each have their own attachments and choices, but none of them are wrong. Seeking to leave one’s name in history is not wrong. Finding solace in mountains and rivers is not wrong. Having love and desiring to stay together across lifetimes is not wrong either. These things, like choosing the Great Dao, are simply individual choices.”

“Who is to say that the vastness of the Great Dao, in the eyes of all beings, must necessarily surpass what they pursue?”

“If that were the case, wouldn’t the boundless world become dull and uninteresting?”

The old man laughed, saying: “Well said.”

He looked genuinely pleased and remarked: “For Wuhuo to comprehend this on your own shows you have truly received this gift. If you were a stubborn stone, this journey would have served only as a warning without further meaning. At that point, we would part ways here. But now, it is different. I can share with you a glimpse of the higher realms of cultivation, a knowledge befitting the profundity of the term ‘Xuan’.”

The old man flicked his sleeve and casually seated himself on a green stone beneath two pine trees. Smiling warmly, he asked:

“Wuhuo, do you know what immortals are?”

Qi Wuhuo nodded and replied: “They are those who, traveling to the Northern Seas by morning and to Cangwu by dusk, attain longevity. They possess divine powers and countless wondrous methods beyond words.”

The old man asked: “Do you know the ranks of immortals and deities?”

This was knowledge the young man had not encountered before, so he said: “Please teach me, Teacher.”

The old man stroked his beard and began: “Common cultivators who tread the wrong path, relying on breathing techniques to absorb and release Primordial Qi, manipulating their Spirit but failing to cultivate both Essence and life—”

“These fall into the lowest rank, known as Corpse-Transcending Immortal.”

“Though they may live for three to five hundred years, they do not attain the Great Dao nor true freedom.”

“While they are called immortals, in truth, they are no different from ghosts.”

“This is the fate of those who take the wrong path, rushing for quick success. Wuhuo, take heed of this.”

“As for ordinary cultivators who practice breathing techniques, refine their Qi, and cultivate both Essence and life yet fail to comprehend the Great Dao.”

“By attaining a single method within the Dao and mastering one technique within that method, with unwavering faith and tireless dedication over a lifetime, some eventually align the Five Elemental Qi through trial and error. Their forms stabilize, and they finally reach the state of Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown. Such a level is referred to as a Human Immortal.”

Qi Wuhuo suddenly understood and said: “This describes Senior Brother Yuyang…”

The old man nodded, his tone calm as he continued: “Someone like him has indeed accumulated external merits, yet remains overly fixated, not even truly considered a seeker of the Dao. In the future, with occasional fortune, he may follow the path of the Earth Deities to become a Mountain God or a Land Deity. If he takes the path of the underworld, he could become a Ghost Marshal or a City God. Alternatively, he might receive an imperial decree and ascend to the Heavenly Palace as an ordinary immortal, tirelessly working without rest, rewarded only with an elixir to extend his life.”

“Though he may be called an immortal, he is nothing more than a common one. Within the Heavenly Court, the Great Emperors and Heavenly Venerables employ countless such officials.”

“In the heavens, they are heavenly officials; on the earth, earthly officials; in the waters, water officials.”

The old man then said: “Above the Human Immortal level are those who can perceive these attachments yet struggle to let them go. They have glimpsed the Dao but remain unable to free themselves, trapped within the Eight Difficulties of the Dao.”

“Such individuals are naturally gifted by Heaven and Earth but remain obstinately confused, understanding yet unable to transcend. Ultimately, they achieve only minor success.”

“They can attain longevity and dwell in the mortal world, earning the title Earthbound Immortal.”

Qi Wuhuo felt a stirring in his heart, pondering aloud: “This describes Senior Sister Yumiao as she is now.”

The old man nodded again and added casually: “Within the disciples of the Shangqing lineage, though numerous, ninety percent are merely of such caliber.”

“They still fall short of your Senior Sister.”

“However, if one day she can fully overcome her limitations, step out on her own, and cultivate with unrelenting effort, she might yet transcend and achieve true extraordinariness.”

“Reaching the state of pure Yang without the shadow of Yin, where she can manifest incarnations outside her own body.”

“Attaining Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown and Five Qi Converging to the Origin. In my view, such a person can be called a Divine Immortal.”

“In the Daoist path, one can shape the heavens and the earth; in the Buddhist path, one is called the Transformational Being, free from all constraints.”

“Of the twelve disciples who have inherited the true teachings of the Yuqing lineage, more than half are at most of such a caliber.”

Beneath the two ancient pines, the old man with white hair and a white beard spoke in his usual calm and gentle tone. Yet, the world around them had grown utterly silent.

A silence so profound it was almost terrifying.

At some point, the wind had begun to rise, and the sky was completely shrouded, the sun and moon dimmed to obscurity.

But no breeze reached this place. The flow of water had halted, and everything had stilled.

All the local Earth Deities had vanished as if all things had retreated into stillness. The old man’s voice remained soft, audible only to Qi Wuhuo:

“As for those with the innate talent of Heaven and Earth, who endure hardships to overcome tribulations, unbound by attachments yet possessing great boldness, daring to enter the calamities of the Three Realms.”

“Some preach the Dao and gather the fortunes of Heaven and Earth. Others enter calamities to dissipate malevolent qi, accumulating merits. When their three thousand merits are fulfilled and eight hundred deeds are complete, they advance step by step, presiding over the Thirty-Six Heavenly Caves and eventually returning to the Eighty-One Solar Heavens. Such beings are Celestial Immortals. If they are of the Three Pure Ones’ sect, they are called Primordial Unity Upper High Da Luo Celestial Immortals. If not, they are referred to as Primordial Unity Upper High Taiyi Celestial Immortals.”

“The top disciples of the Shangqing and Yuqing lineages, the Buddha of the Western Paradise, many of the Heavenly Venerables and Emperors of the Heavenly Court all dwell in this level.”

Qi Wuhuo’s heart and mind were deeply stirred as he listened.

The old man stroked his beard and remarked with an unchanging, tranquil tone:

“Yet even this is no more than a lower-grade path.”

And so, his words struck like a thunderclap.

PS:

The levels here draw inspiration from the <Zhong-Lü Transmission of the Dao> (鍾呂傳道集), a classic text.

This leans more toward Daoist mythology, not the Honghuang or Journey to the West style.