Chapter 193: Worldly Experience
After the food and wine were served, the two of them started eating directly, with no sense of awkwardness from meeting for the first time. They were more like two old friends who hadn’t seen each other in years. Their conversations completely lacked any trace of cultivators. The more they talked, the more compatible they felt, as if there was some connection between them.
Although one was older and the other younger, their way of talking after drinking was exactly the same.
The boy started by saying, “Holy crap, Er Bai, I’m not bragging to you, but to put it crudely, before I attained enlightenment, I always felt like life was just melodrama, sometimes I was an idiot, innocent like a child, and sometimes like a scholar, full of curiosity about everything, wanting to understand anything I didn’t know. The reason I could attain enlightenment, besides these two points, was cultivating my heart in the mortal world. After many melodramatic experiences, I saw the world. Of course, when I say seeing the world, I don’t mean going to some fancy restaurant to eat, or traveling the world, but when human nature unfolded before me, I wasn’t panicked, instead, I gained peace and composure. So I no longer overestimate my relationships with anyone, nor do I underestimate the profit-seeking rules of human nature, I just do my own thing, letting go of what comes and goes.”
The old monk also spoke similarly, “That’s right, brother. If a cultivator hasn’t seen this much of the world, what kind of cultivator are they? You’re really something special, and it’s not because you gave me money and treated me to a meal that I’m praising you like this. That’s absolutely not true; I’m not that kind of person.
Just now, when I saw you telling that old woman’s palm, the things you said were not something an ordinary person would say. When ordinary people tell fortunes, they flatter and scare people, wanting to pocket all the silver from their pockets.
You, on the other hand, directly pointed the way for people’s souls to find joy and peace. Your cultivation level is not low.
Furthermore, the difference between cultivators and ordinary people when it comes to experiencing the world is truly vast. Cultivators have experienced the myriad forms of life, seen the Way of Heaven and Earth, observed the myriad forms of sentient beings, seen the best without being pleased by external things, known the worst without being saddened by them. Though flowers may dazzle, they do not intoxicate the ambitious spirit; with poetry in their belly, they do not boast. They have seen the light and darkness of the world, experienced the complexity, variability, joy, and anger of worldly people, yet they can remain calm and unhurried, as if they are in a state of tranquility and oneness with the world.
As for ordinary people? The cowherd has his worldly experience, the painter has his worldly experience. The cowherd mocks the painter for not having the cowherd’s worldly experience, and the painter mocks the cowherd for not having the painter’s worldly experience. What’s more, some people have seen what they consider grand occasions, mistaking the occasion for worldly experience. Alas… to put it bluntly, that’s all just one leaf blocking the mountain.”
The boy continued, “Yes, yes, yes, like us brothers bragging right now, that’s our bragging worldly experience. Those who watch us brag have the worldly experience of watching bragging. Simply put, worldly experience is about seeing all aspects of the world. Those who haven’t seen gods say there are no gods in the world. Those who have seen gods say there are gods in the world. So, do they exist? To put it bluntly, why bother? First, it doesn’t affect drinking water or eating, and second, it doesn’t affect going to work or making money. We just spend all day overthinking. Let’s just do whatever comes our way, what’s there to dwell on? If there’s wind, ride the wind; if there are waves, tread the waves. If you encounter a ghost, don’t panic first, ask it what the hell it wants! If it has something to say, say it. If it can help you, speak nicely and don’t scare me. Helping is just helping, it’s nothing. If it’s ungrateful and tries to show off, then kick its ass! That ghost is a round lower than a human anyway, why should we be afraid?”
The old monk said, “Who says not? Where do all those farting things come from? If we can save them, we save them; if we can’t, we transcend them! Isn’t it low-key enough to be a good person? And we can still be bullied by ghosts? Why did this humble monk cultivate back then? Wasn’t it because some idiotic female lust ghosts kept disturbing this humble monk? It made me feel guilty, and all year round, my mind was always thinking about the season of revival and mating. This drove me crazy. I went to the doctor and said too much is bad, too little is also bad. So what’s good? I was at a loss. In a fit of anger, I decided to become a monk, hahaha.”
Hearing the old monk’s words, the boy burst out laughing, “Hahaha, I used to be the same! I always had lustful thoughts, but it was a bit different from those truly shameless lustful people. Mine were random. If anyone had even a slight intention of communicating with me, and if they were somewhat good-looking, I would let my wild horses run free. It made me feel like a breeding pig, why couldn’t I control my lust!”
After attaining enlightenment, oh my god, little by little, the desire lessened, and I only indulged in such things occasionally. Before, when my needs were high, I used to say that even a bull needs to breed only once every six months, so is once a day not much for me? Guess what happened?
“What happened?”
“I didn’t touch my partner for several months after cultivating. My partner learned from me and asked me, saying: Even bulls need to breed once every six months, why don’t you ever want to?”
Er Bai, I was so helpless. Every time I said, I’m not a bull, what does it have to do with me if a bull breeds or not? Hahahaha.”
Hearing this, the old monk laughed uncontrollably, “Hahaha… no wonder this old monk finds you so likable. You’re exactly like this old man back in the day, hahaha.”
Just as the two unorthodox cultivators were drinking some idiotic wine and talking nonsense in an unseemly manner, a man and a woman’s shouting and cursing erupted from the restaurant doorway.
“Let go of me, you thug! I don’t know you, let go of me.”
“Wife, wife, please don’t go, okay? I will definitely give you the best life, believe me, I’ll give you my best, even if it costs me my life.”
“Get away from me, don’t touch me, you thug, you drunkard, I don’t know you. If you don’t let go, I’ll call the police!”
Hearing these words, the two unorthodox cultivators felt nothing was out of the ordinary and had no intention of getting up to check. In their eyes, everything was normal.
Who knew that in the next second:
“Damn it! Drunk on some bullshit wine, are you crazy? Let go of me!”
“Slap!”
“Clang!”
“How are you doing!”
Amidst their shouting and cursing, another person joined in, and it seemed like a fight had broken out.
At this point, the two people inside who were talking nonsense became a little restless and quickly rushed out to check.
