Chapter 98
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“What do you mean by ‘a little interesting’?”
“Are you saying that the way I eat is very interesting?!”
“I think so too!”
Yun Qin didn’t quite catch what the black-robed Daoist before her had said. She was only immensely pleased with her own [Fairy Yun Qin’s Dining Method], eagerly recommending it. The refined and handsome middle-aged Daoist couldn’t withstand the young girl’s boundless enthusiasm for her favored way of eating, so he could only sigh helplessly yet gently and say: “Alright, alright, don’t rush, don’t rush. I’ll give it a try, I’ll give it a try.”
First, he tried the delicate and translucent osmanthus cake. It melted in his mouth with a light sweetness.
Then, he sampled the one that looked denser and heavier—its sweetness instantly elevated to another level.
The young girl had already brewed fragrant tea.
So, the black-haired Daoist took a sip. The tea’s clear and sweet taste transformed upon his tongue. If it were a certain Daoist brother of his, he surely wouldn’t approve—
For he believed tea should remain light and untainted.
Yet, this Daoist found it rather enjoyable.
Thus, he praised: “Delicious!”
“Hehe, tasty, isn’t it?”
The girl in white robes and green skirt beamed with pride, then sighed in regret.
“It’s a pity I came in such a hurry today and only brought osmanthus cake.”
“Oh? If not osmanthus cake, what else would you have?”
“If properly prepared, one should first rinse their mouth with clear spring water. After that, the best accompaniment would be finely sliced peach preserves.”
“The texture should be chewy and slightly firm, ideally with a bit of tartness. The osmanthus cake, being soft and sweet, pairs perfectly with the fruit preserves—the sourness cuts through the richness, while the gentle sweetness makes the preserves even more delightful. This way, no matter how much you eat, you won’t get tired of it.”
The black-robed Daoist looked at the earnest young girl before him and couldn’t help but chuckle. “You have quite the varied taste.”
The girl hugged her knees, nibbling on her osmanthus cake, and said matter-of-factly: “A little variety is good too.”
“The world is full of flavors—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy. One should taste them all. And the affairs of the mortal realm should also be seen and experienced more.”
“Wouldn’t it be dull to live like my parents, eating only plain food?”
The black-robed Daoist slightly raised his eyes and asked with a smile: “What about cultivation, then?”
Yun Qin pondered for a moment before replying,
“As for cultivation, one should observe all kinds of methods. The more one sees, the broader their horizons will become.”
The Daoist smiled and nodded. “Drawing from a hundred schools, observing the spirit of all beings, and forging one’s own treasure.”
“Your understanding is quite good.”
Yun Qin said: “But I don’t like that path.”
The black-robed Daoist asked: “You see the path clearly, yet you don’t like it? Why?”
The young girl answered as if it were only natural: “Because it’s too exhausting.”
“Cultivation is about refining the self.”
“If even I don’t enjoy it, yet force myself to cultivate, wouldn’t that path be too tiring? It’s better to follow one’s heart and act freely.”
The Daoist asked: “Following your heart and acting freely—aren’t you afraid of falling into indulgence and madness?”
Yun Qin curiously replied: “Would that really happen? Isn’t cultivation about refining one’s nature and life?”
“So, Uncle, is refining one’s nature and life the same as cultivating desires?”
“Is the human heart and nature nothing but desire?”
The black-robed Daoist chewed over her words for a moment before breaking into a smile.
“To distinguish between indulgence in emotions and indulgence in reckless desires. Hahaha, good, very good.”
“With such a mindset, even the [Eight Hardships] of the Daoist Xuan Sect likely wouldn’t be able to stop you.”
“Innocent and free-spirited, very good. Just a little foolish.”
The young girl widened her eyes, then retorted: “You’re just idling around here being lazy—how dare you call me foolish?”
At that, the black-robed Daoist laughed even harder.
After their laughter and idle chatter, as they sampled various snacks, Yun Qin remarked: “Uncle, you really know a lot!”
“Do you want to eat anything else? If my friend sends something next time, I’ll bring it for you.”
The black-robed Daoist chuckled and thanked her.
Yet, he had already sensed that within that faint wisp of aura from before, there was a young Daoist—Yun Qin’s friend. A thought of interest rose in his heart. That boy was able to comprehend the “Decree” character from the Supreme Scarlet Spirit Script and even reverse-deduce a rudimentary form of his own method. Though it was merely a direction, it was still quite impressive.
Perhaps, he was worth teaching!
As soon as this thought arose, it was impossible to suppress.
It surged intensely, reaching its peak.
The Daoist was filled with confidence.
Once I leave,
I shall make contact with him.
First, I will entice him to learn the Dao. Then, I will use my incarnation to enlighten him—at times offering admonitions, at times guiding his cultivation.
Yet, the moment he thought of this, he went [from prosperity to decline].
Forget it. Too exhausting.
The black-haired Daoist lazily dismissed the thought. It was enough to think about it.
Having eaten and drunk his fill, he grew sluggish. He enjoyed taking in disciples, but over the long years, he had come to understand one thing—there were only two truly joyful moments in the process of taking disciples.
The first was when he accepted them.
The second was when he kicked them out, washing his hands of them and finally getting to rest.
Most disciples were unbearably dull-witted, their comprehension pitifully poor. Teaching them was tedious. At times, frustration swelled within him—so much so that he had half a mind to grab his sword and spar with his Daoist brothers for an hour or two to vent his irritation. Forget it, forget it. There were 668 Supreme Scarlet Spirit Scripts in total. While some had managed to master all of them, this one had barely grasped a single character.
Interesting, but not very.
Not worth leaving for.
He yawned, stretched out his arms, and lay down on the Taiji Diagram. Propping his face with one hand, he lay on his side, watching as the young girl seemed to be searching for something. Yet, when he recalled how that young Daoist had merely [observed without taking], he found it somewhat amusing. Thus, he chuckled and said: “Speaking of which, this osmanthus cake—your friend went through some trouble for it, didn’t he?”
“Since I’ve already ‘met him’ in a sense, I should leave him a gift.”
“A gift?”
“Hah, just a few words. You can pass them on to him.”
The refined Daoist smiled, then sat up languidly and began to speak:
“In this world, there are two paths of cultivation. And what are these two paths? The first is external, the second internal.”
“The external path can be revealed. The internal path cannot.”
Yun Qin, filled with curiosity, asked: “Revealed? Not revealed?”
The middle-aged Daoist raised the jade ruyi in his hand and lightly tapped the girl’s forehead. “Ow!” she yelped, clutching her forehead with both hands as she glared angrily at the uncle.
The middle-aged Daoist smiled and said: “That which can be revealed is what others can perceive; that which cannot be revealed is profound and subtle—known only to my own heart and the Great Dao.”
“There are yet two more distinctions. And what are these two? The first is action, the second is inaction.”
“The path of action allows one to attain; the path of inaction leads to no attainment.”
The young girl murmured in confusion: “Attainment, no attainment?”
She felt as if she vaguely understood something, yet it remained elusive, like mist slipping through her fingers. In the end, she decided not to dwell on it.
For each time she was about to speak and interrupt, the black-robed Daoist would slightly raise the jade ruyi in his hand, making as if to strike her.
Thus, the girl obediently fell silent.
She simply hugged her knees, sitting there, her wide eyes brimming with silent protest—like a little kitten puffing up in defiance yet utterly lacking in intimidation.
The refined, black-robed Daoist lowered his gaze and continued his discourse with an air of casual indifference, his tone unhurried.
“There are yet two more distinctions. And what are these two? The first is that which can be attained, the second is that which cannot.”
Up to this point, his tone remained calm. But in the next moment, it surged with boundless grandeur, vast and limitless:
“The Dharma which can be attained has a beginning and an end; The Dharma which cannot be attained has neither beginning nor end.”
“Neither beginning nor end. Neither action nor inaction.”
“Since one has never attained it, what is there to abandon?”
“Is this not absurd?”
“One who follows the lowest path treads a course with a beginning and an end—the path of action.”
“Yet they fail to see the highest path, which has neither beginning nor end—the path of inaction.”
“Is this not absurd!”
Each word seemed to carry an unfathomable profundity. The girl listened in contemplation. She lifted her gaze and, in that instant, it was as if she saw the handsome Daoist sitting calmly atop the Taiji Diagram, his voice serene and boundless. Behind him, an expanse of endless sky seemed to stretch infinitely. When he lowered his eyes, it almost felt like an illusion—she seemed to see two indistinct auras standing behind him. One was a solemn man. The other, was a smiling elder.
And in that instant, the aura around him became unimaginably vast and profound.
Vague and indistinct, distant and unfathomable, the girl did not cling to what she saw.
Yet, she seemed to glimpse the kind old man smiling: “Action and inaction.”
She seemed to see the solemn man lowering his gaze: “Neither beginning nor end.”
For a brief moment, an immense and ancient presence seemed to press upon her. But in the blink of an eye, it all faded away—nothing more than illusions conjured by the shifting flows of energy. In the next instant, the jade ruyi lightly tapped her brow. She awoke to find only the handsome yet slightly indolent middle-aged Daoist before her, his hand still holding the jade ruyi. He chuckled and said:
“All things, all laws, all Dao—exist solely within the heart. It is but a single thought. Since you cultivate, there is no abandoning it.”
“Learning is an act of the acquired self, a beginning—but where there is a beginning, there must also be an end.”
“To have a beginning and an end, to cultivate through action—this is the lower path of cultivation.”
“To be without beginning or end, to cultivate through inaction—this is the higher path. There is no need to learn it, for it is but a glimmer of radiance from one’s own spiritual nature.”
“One who understands this truly comprehends.”
“Simply tell him this.”
The young girl sat in a daze for a long while, as though she had grasped something. She closed her eyes in contemplation, her expression unreadable. Meanwhile, the black-robed Daoist leisurely picked up his cup of tea and sipped it slowly.
After a long time, the girl opened her eyes and said: “Uncle.”
The refined Daoist lifted his gaze.
“Hmm?”
“Can you write it down for me?”
“Your explanation was too abstruse—I can’t remember all of it.”
The middle-aged Daoist froze for a moment. Then, he burst into laughter, shaking his head helplessly.
Finally, he chuckled and said:
“Alright, alright, I’ll write it for you.”
He pondered, recalling his past habits and experiences in instructing disciples.
Such a casually spoken passage—
Who knew how many years it would take for that person to truly comprehend it, or how much effort it would require to cultivate and master?
His nature was carefree and unrestrained. Though he called it a gift, there was an undeniable trace of casualness in it. Seeing that the other party only observed but did not take it, he could not help but comment—Observe but not take?
You wish to take it, yet you lack the ability.
A young Daoist. Young in years, yet bold in speech.
Might as well strike a little blow to his arrogance.
Then, at the end of the passage, he casually inscribed five characters—【Yuchen Great Dao Sovereign】.
Wondrous beyond words. Yet, the others who saw it did not recognize the writing at all, as if they could not even perceive these five characters.
He handed the paper to Yun Qin before him with a smile. “Just give this to him.”
“Let’s see what he has to say.”
After that, they continued their idle chatter, speaking of the heavens and the earth, avoiding any discussion of cultivation.
Yun Qin already had some respect for this senior who dared to slack off inside the Shangqing Library Pavilion. But as he openly shared countless methods—how to slip away unnoticed before Shangqing disciples, how to evade their detection techniques—each one detailed and thoroughly tested, it became evident that he possessed a staggering amount of real-world experience. This left the young girl even more in awe.
Just how many searches had this senior managed to evade?!
Such mastery in slacking off—
It was no mere respect anymore.
It was reverence!
After a day of idle talk, one big and one small found themselves to be kindred spirits, their conversation full of amusement. As Yun Qin was about to leave, the black-haired Daoist patted her shoulder. Yun Qin turned back, only to see the refined Daoist still smiling as he said: “Remember, remember—do not speak of this to anyone.”
Yun Qin nodded in agreement and promptly departed.
The moment she stepped away, the entire second floor of the pavilion dimmed, leaving not even a single doorway.
A realm of utter darkness, like the deepest depths of the universe.
The black-haired Daoist withdrew his gaze with a faint smile and opened his palm. Lying within was a single long strand of hair—one he had plucked from Yun Qin’s locks when he patted her shoulder.
But at this moment, the long hair had shed its original black color.
It shifted and transformed, faintly emanating a thread of radiant Buddhist golden light.
The Daoist lowered his gaze and murmured indifferently,
“…Glazed Buddha Light?”
“Quite the long reach.”
As if sensing an unprecedented pressure, the strand of Buddha Light began to spread, shifting unpredictably. From a single thread of radiance, ten emerged, then a hundred, then a thousand, then countless billions, each illuminating a different facet of the world. Within the light, Dharma conches resounded. Lotus platforms bloomed and withered. Within the conches, assemblies of monastic disciples chanted scriptures. Upon the lotus platforms, Buddhas sat in contemplation. Boundless Buddhas across infinite worlds—All opened their mouths to speak.
The Daoist’s five fingers curled inward.
Countless worlds—All were extinguished.
His wide sleeves hung low as the Daoist stood in thought.
“Today, I’ve eaten my fill and had my drink, yet the noise keeps me from sleeping.”
“Perhaps, I should go out for a stroll.”
PS:
Daozang—The Supreme Numinous Treasure Primordial Yang Wondrous Scripture, Volume Six, Contemplation and Practice Chapter, Middle Section
