Chapter 141: The Path Is Long And Obstructed
“What he meant is probably the Supreme Principle of Heaven and Earth, right?” Lu Yun suddenly understood and asked softly.
“You’re indeed smart, at least smarter than me!” Lu Xian nodded approvingly and said: “Correct, it’s the Supreme Principle of Heaven and Earth. The bull-nosed Daoist calls it the Way, the Taoism’s Way. But they’re all the same thing. Zhang Xuanyi told me that once one comprehends the Way and understands principles, one can fully know all things under Heaven, discern Yin and Yang creation, and then the chasm between Xiantian and Houtian becomes a smooth path.”
“That powerful?” Lu Yun finally understood why Lu Xian had been in secluded cultivation for over a decade without fail—it was because of this supreme temptation of ascending to heaven in a single step!
“Exactly that powerful!” Lu Xian said with unwavering conviction: “Whether Confucianism, Taoism, or Buddhism, the purpose of cultivation is all to seek the Way, achieve enlightenment, and understand principles. The ancient sages recorded in those classics all first attained the Way, and only then could they praise the transformations under Heaven and participate with Heaven and Earth!”
“Alright,” Lu Yun nodded half-believingly and asked the most important question: “Then how can one comprehend the Way and understand principles?”
“Yeah, how can one comprehend the Way and understand principles?” A thick bitter smile appeared on Lu Xian’s face: “Zhang Xuanyi’s answer was to follow nature.”
“Uh…” Lu Yun was instantly dumbfounded: “Isn’t that the same as saying nothing?”
“Can’t say it that way,” Lu Xian shook his head with a bitter smile: “Although all methods return to one and different paths lead to the same destination, the paths to seeking the Way are each different. For example, Buddhism speaks of sudden enlightenment, relying on wisdom roots; they in Taoism speak of the Way follows nature, so following nature is their path to seeking the Way.”
“So after I came back, I browsed Taoism classics and learned from them to calm my mind in emptiness, unconcerned with everything, adapting to the times—this has been a decade in a blink.” Lu Xian’s tone was filled with sigh as he said this. “A decade, a decade, yet the Great Road remains elusive, far beyond reach.”
“So, does that mean the Vice Sect Master has wasted these ten years?” Lu Yun asked softly. He knew very well that whether practicing martial arts or seeking the Way, it was a race against time. Because the human body goes through a process from growth to decline, and with the aging of the physical body, no matter how high one’s cultivation was before, one must face the sorrowful fate of declining essence and blood within the body and withering meridians.
That’s why the Investigative Bureau set the rule in the rankings not to include those over fifty. It’s because after forty, the body actually begins to slowly slide from its peak, and by fifty, a major decline is almost inevitable. Although the Investigative Bureau’s classification is somewhat arbitrary—after all, everyone’s situation is different, and those with exceptional talent can still have bodies not inferior to the young even at fifty.
But overall, the vast majority of people still cannot resist this law set by Heaven and Earth. Thus, the vast majority acknowledge the Investigative Bureau’s regulation.
Legend has it that only by reaching Xiantian and transforming true qi into vital energy can one nourish flesh, blood, and meridians with it—not to mention reversing aging, but restoring the body to peak state and gaining a lifespan unattainable by ordinary people is still possible.
This is why Zhang Xuanyi and Lu Xian were willing to abandon all glory and power to wholeheartedly pursue the Great Road.
.
“Wasted?” Lu Xian shook his head and said frankly: “Can’t say that. In these ten years of the Way follows nature, my progress has been great—both in cultivation and realm, far higher than before.” He sighed and said: “It’s just that the Great Road is ethereal and distant; blindly remaining still and inactive cannot open that door.”
“So the Vice Sect Master began to deduce bamboo?” Lu Yun asked softly.
“Yes.” Lu Xian nodded: “After ten years without attaining the Way, seeing it was a dead end, naturally one must think of change when at the end of the road. Two years ago, I realized that although the Way is everywhere, it is actually far beyond reach. The path to seeking the Way is long and obstructed—how can one succeed by just sitting in quiet purity? One must take the initiative, step by step, steadily approaching the Great Road.”
“Makes sense.” Lu Yun nodded in agreement. He had always believed that all things in this world must not wait or rely on others—one must strive for them oneself.
“Then I thought for another full year and figured out another thing: since reason is everywhere, contained in all things under Heaven, why aim too high and hope for instant success? As long as I deduce the reason in one thing today, and tomorrow deduce the reason in another thing, accumulating day by day, month by month, year after year—like drops forming a river, sand piling into a tower—sooner or later, I will suddenly penetrate it all and finally know the Heavenly Principle!”
As he said this, Lu Xian’s expression was extremely solemn and also very heartbreaking, just like personally sending his beloved daughter off in a flower sedan. Raising children takes over a decade to adulthood, and it took him equally over a decade to comprehend this reason! Now sharing it with others naturally felt like sending his daughter off in marriage—both solemn and sad.
But just as a grown daughter cannot be kept, keeping her only breeds worry, the same goes for reason—keeping it bottled up too long is too uncomfortable not to say it.
Who knew that despite Lu Xian’s generous sharing, Lu Yun did not appreciate it—his face remained calm, showing little shock or admiration, let alone sudden enlightenment…
This made Lu Xian very displeased, as if he were cherishing a worn broom. He immediately said unpleasantly: “What’s with you? Don’t you have a feeling of sudden enlightenment?”
“…” Lu Yun swallowed and had to say against his conscience: “It’s indeed very enlightening.”
“Then what’s with that expression?” Lu Xian huffed.
“It’s that nearly suffering qi deviation from deducing bamboo before made me think: even deducing the reason in a mere bamboo takes so much effort. There are endless things under Heaven—if we deduce them one by one, even till death we couldn’t grasp even a fraction of reason.” Lu Yun flattered Lu Xian a bit, then said frankly: “So, this disciple privately thinks the method is not wrong, just afraid it can never be completed.”
“Sigh…” Lu Xian seemed poked in his soft spot and instantly deflated: “To be honest, I’ve already deduced for nearly a year before and still haven’t fully understood the reason in the bamboo. So when you all arrived, I had you join in deducing too. Actually, I was thinking maybe I got into a dead end and wanted to see if you could deduce something to give me inspiration.” He looked apologetically at Lu Yun: “Didn’t expect it would actually harm you, nearly causing qi deviation…”
“So forgive this disciple’s bluntness,” Lu Yun said softly: “Even if we deduce the reason in bamboo, it probably won’t be of much use. The reason in a bamboo, a cat, a handful of soil, or a breath must be entirely different. Even if we had endless lifespan to deduce the reason in all things under Heaven, but with those billions of reasons all different, even diametrically opposed, how could we unify them into that one sole reason?”
“If we had that wisdom to return all to one, we’d have achieved enlightenment long ago, so why neglect the root and pursue the frills, wasting effort on bamboo and bricks?” When Lu Yun spoke, he deliberately changed the subject to “we” to create an atmosphere of discussion. This was to subtly make Lu Xian see him as an equal fellow seeker, believing he could provide inspiration and jointly comprehend the Great Road. As long as Lu Xian developed even a sliver of that notion, the later matters would be much easier…
“Indeed…” Lu Xian sighed deeply upon hearing this: “Last night I pondered bitterly all night and finally understood this reason—didn’t expect you to see through it at a glance.” After saying that, his face showed no dejection; instead, he was full of enthusiasm: “But no matter, I’ve figured it out—the reason contained in one bamboo or one stone is not only minuscule but also too elementary; we can’t waste precious time on this.
As he spoke, he raised his head, staring at Lu Yun with extremely fervent eyes, as if to swallow him whole, saying word by word: “I should use my limited time on the most worthwhile thing to deduce!”
