The author of the book "The Book of the Dead"

Chapter 218 The Origin of History, The Vacuum Calamity

"The hundred years of the Wei and Jin dynasties were nothing but fleeting smoke."

After seventeen hundred years of waiting, Liang Yue was no longer the same person he was when he first entered the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

History has returned to its starting point, yet something seems different.

Just like the gatehouse of Liuzhuang, its design is the same as when I was alive, but it has been repaired countless times and is no longer the original.

Liang Yue's eyes were half-closed as he contemplated the Dao and attained a clear and serene state of mind.

The world is in a vacuum, and so is the self.

With two calamities combined, there is no escape.

Liang Yue's current Taoist abilities are pitifully low; he can't even use many powerful spells. His divine sense, which once spanned tens of thousands of feet, is now only a hundred feet.

Based on previous estimates, his magical abilities could at most defend against ordinary guns and cannons. If he didn't anticipate such attacks and burrow underground, he would also be unable to withstand missiles and nuclear weapons.

In this ordinary state, Liang Yue actually had the opportunity to sense the Dao Heart.

To the outside world, Liang Yue seemed like a cloud, sometimes disappearing and sometimes appearing.

She exuded an ethereal, otherworldly aura that made one reluctant to disturb her.

Liang Yue is comprehending the Tao.

What I realized was a 1,700-year-old obsession.

Taoists attain enlightenment in mountains and rivers, temples and palaces, and even fields and landscapes.

This is the first time in history that someone has achieved enlightenment inside an off-road vehicle; it's truly unprecedented.

After a long while, Liang Yue opened his eyes.

The vehicle entered Liuzhuang.

Liang Yue stopped them, saying, "Wait a minute, let's look around here first."

The car came to a sudden, heavy stop.

Liang Yue opened the car door and got out, as if he had returned to his hometown, and strolled around leisurely.

Liuzhuang has been renovated with streetlights, water and electricity, and cement floors, but the overall framework remains unchanged.

The main buildings of Qingshan Garden still stand by the river.

"This is Liuzhuang Qingshan Garden, not a pirated version of Penglai Qingshan Garden. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Wang Ningzhi's Qingshan Calligraphy was completed here."

Since the visitor was a guest, Liang Xue patiently introduced the outsider to the family's glorious history.

Zhu Yu added from the side:

"Wang Ningzhi was the husband of the talented Xie Daoyun. Legend has it that Wang Ningzhi was extremely handsome. On the day the Qingshan Calligraphy was completed, countless talented young women in Jiankang fell in love with him."

Liang Yue couldn't hold back any longer and said, "It's all just hearsay; Wang Ningzhi was a big fat man."

"You've seen him? How could such a famous calligrapher from the Southern Song Dynasty be a fat man?"

“Who says a fat man can’t be a scholar?” Liang Yue shook his head and chuckled, then stopped and admired the river under the willows on the bank.

Then they moved on to the next place.

The alchemy room in Qingshan Garden.

The first generation of Black Dog Xiaotian's doghouse, Xie Xuan's residence, and Liu Yu's room.

Unknowingly, they arrived at the Wutong Garden in the back courtyard.

A lonely courtyard, locking away the autumn paulownia tree.

"We can't do this..." Liang Xue was about to stop her.

Wutong Garden has always been the inner residence of the Liang family, and entry is not permitted without an invitation.

An old man appeared out of nowhere.

This old man was Liang Changyun.

Liang Changyun shook his head, indicating that he should not disturb Liang Yue, who was engrossed in the scenery.

For some reason, he felt that this person looked very familiar.

I vaguely remember that it was the ancestral hall of Penglai Kingdom, and there was a portrait of an ancestor that looked remarkably like this person.

Liang Yue entered the Wutong Garden.

The original parasol trees are no longer there; they must have been planted by later generations, but they must be at least five hundred years old.

For an average person, this would be considered old, but for Liang Yue, it was still too young.

The mandarin ducks by the lotus pond are gone, not to mention the people from back then.

Liang Yue continued forward, his mind absorbed in his inner thoughts.

Even without the dazzling lights, the three people behind him could still sense that this person was extraordinary.

"You two go back first," Liang Changyun gestured for the two to leave.

Liang Yue walked toward the main house at the rear.

This is where Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai lived; later generations generally do not live here.

Passing through the corridor, you'll find small gardens on both sides.

The main gate has been sealed off, and two old trees stand facing each other in the courtyard.

With sparse leaves and fallen fruit, and a withered, yellow trunk, the tree was already showing signs of being half-dead. "Is this the loquat tree that Yingtai planted?"

Liang Yue walked towards the trees and stroked the old tree that was 1,700 years old.

In an instant, it was as if time and space had shifted.

The crowd was dense, filled with laughter and chatter.

As the sun sets in the west, a banquet is held by the lake, and music is played in the waterside pavilion.

Blurry figures mingled and mingled, clinking glasses.

Time began to flow backward, the figures gradually became clearer, and the features became familiar.

That was in Qingshan Garden in the seventeenth year of the Taiyuan era.

At the banquet held in the green hills, all the wise men and women gathered.

All eyes turned to Liang Yue.

Shi Quanzi, Xie Xuan, Zhu's mother and father, Zhu Yingtai, Wang Ningzhi and his wife, Bao Qian and Xiao Ming, Liu Yu and Lin Jian.

The younger generation includes Liu Jue, Jing Mingheyun, Tan Daoji, Liu Yifu, and others.

They've all come back.

"Third brother, why aren't you coming over yet?" Liu Yu raised his cup in greeting, while Lin Jian shook his head slightly.

"Shanbo, are you daydreaming again?" Xie Xuan's tone was tinged with sarcasm.

"Shanbo, why are you looking at me? Is there something on my face?" Zhu Yingtai's face was slightly flushed, her delicate nose was slightly wrinkled, and she stood with her hands on her hips, exuding a rather willful air, just like the tomboy she was when she was studying at Taihu Academy.

"I'm coming."

Liang Yue smiled and stepped forward to sit down. His clothes had somehow transformed into a tall hat and wide belt, and a Wei-Jin style cloak.

At this moment, he was no longer Lingbao, Jade Emperor, Xuantian Shangdi, or any other deity with various titles bestowed upon him.

Abandon all external appearances; nothing exists outside the mind.

One's mind is always at peace, while worldly affairs remain chaotic.

Forgetting both self and things, we share a boat with heaven and man.

Despite the turmoil and displacement he experienced, Liang Yue could never forget the splendor of his first life.

A mortal's life is but a fleeting moment in the vast ocean.

Perhaps the most precious thing is the fleeting eternity of a moment.

Taoism advocates returning to simplicity and authenticity. The mindset of those who achieve longevity is precisely that small yet precious childlike heart of an ordinary person.

A thousand years have passed, and Liang Yue has rediscovered his true feelings.

After the banquet ended, everyone slowly disappeared.

They may never come back, disappearing completely into the annals of history.

What we see and think about are nothing more than fragments of memories that we can never forget.

The illusion, like smoke and clouds, has vanished.

Liang Yue returned to reality, feeling lost and dejected.

This is the true mindset of an ordinary person, and it is also what he wants to pursue after experiencing the mortal world.

As the illusion faded, the vacuum tribulation of the Thunder Tribulation Ghost Immortal vanished.

The hidden blood vessels in the body are reactivated.

The Void Tribulation of the Corpse-Dissolving Immortal is a tribulation in which one loses all external things.

The more one pursues power, the less effective it becomes; one is unable to escape calamity throughout one's life, and dies of old age with regret.

When Liang Yue revisited the old place, he experienced a mental transformation and rediscovered the mindset of an ordinary person, thus breaking through the tribulation of emptiness.

Over the years, he has shouldered the responsibility of humanity fighting against gods and demons.

The ancient gods and sages of the human race all disappeared, and he shouldered all the burdens himself.

The resurgence of spiritual energy was like a countdown to his death, constantly forcing him to pursue power.

We are constantly alienated by external things and forget the way of cultivating ourselves.

Now, we are rediscovering our childlike innocence and recreating our Daoist heart.

The road ahead is smooth.

Next comes the tribulation of deluded thoughts. This tribulation may not be too severe, given that we have experienced it over a thousand years. Just hold onto your true self.

"Sir, may I ask who you are...?"

At this moment, Liang Changyun couldn't help but speak up.

He was somewhat curious as to why this outsider was so familiar with Liuzhuang.
"I?"

Liang Yue pointed with his finger, and true energy overflowed, while earth energy gathered.

Click click...

The old loquat tree is sprouting new buds.

"Liang Yue, the owner of Liuzhuang".

(End of this chapter)