The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 190: The Emperor of Heaven, the Four Counties Gathered for the True Lord Banquet
The apprenticeship is over.

New disciples will have a one-month vacation.

Those who are nearby can return home.

Those who are far away should stay on the mountain.

This month is used to say goodbye to the elders at home and to adapt to life in the mountains.

There are two different worlds separated by a mountain.

No matter what your status is outside the mountain, you are just a disciple of Qiuzhen Temple inside the mountain. You have no slaves or servants, and you cannot order slaves around. You have to do everything by yourself, including chopping wood and carrying water, sweeping and dusting, ringing the bell, chanting scriptures, washing clothes and making fire.

If you can bear it, you can continue to stay in the Qiuzhen Temple; if you can't bear it, you have to leave. Only after you have endured the hardships and successfully built the foundation, will you be qualified to become an inner disciple and practice profound Taoism and mysterious magical powers.

Taking advantage of the free time, Li Zizai went down the mountain and returned home with other fifth-generation disciples from Fuyun County.

Zangdao Peak, Daoyuan.

Xuanming went into seclusion to comprehend the principles within the Bagua furnace.

Half a month later, Li Zizai returned to the mountain.

Two months later, the sun was scorching and the heat was rising. The leafy pine trees blocked the sunlight and cast their shade. After coming out of retreat, Xuanming lay in a bamboo rocking chair, rocking gently, his thoughts wandering.

His Taoism improved slightly during this retreat. When he reached the realm of practicing spirit, each progress was not easy. The difficulty was dozens or even hundreds of times that of practicing Qi. As a result, Xuanming gained a deeper understanding of the way of practicing weapons.

No wonder one must at least reach great spiritual cultivation to refine a magic weapon, and no wonder "Xuri's Experience in Spiritual Cultivation" says that refining weapons and elixirs is helpful for comprehending the truth of the universe and gaining insight into the true nature of the universe.

It turns out that when the magic weapon is refined to the last step, when the primordial spirit is used to communicate with the void and resonate with the great way of heaven and earth, the big world and the small world will complement each other, produce subtle changes, evolve all kinds of new principles, and condense into the laws of the magic weapon.

It seems that when he has nothing to do, he has to refine a few more magic weapons and also pick up the elixir. It is always good to have many skills. If you practice spiritual cultivation, you can live for more than a thousand years. In the future, he will have plenty of time to study the various arts of cultivation. When he encounters a bottleneck in his practice, he can change his thinking and perspective and learn by analogy.

What's more, Xuanming did not forget that his cheap disciple had a good talent in alchemy. Thinking of this, Xuanming's mind left the courtyard and landed on a narrow path on Cangdao Peak.

The chubby Li Zizai carried a bundle of firewood on his back and held an axe in his hand. He walked slowly, occasionally resting on the rocks along the way, and then quickly set off to continue climbing the mountain.

Compared with two months ago, this kid's body is fatter, he looks more energetic, and his short legs give him more advantage in moving around.

After calculating with his fingers and learning about Li Zizai's performance in the past one and a half months in the mountains, Xuanming was quite pleased.

Because he was his registered disciple, many people rushed to do Li Zizai's work such as chopping wood and making fire, wanting to please him and do him a favor. Although this boy smiled on the surface, he was actually clear-headed and principled.

He usually gets along very well with everyone, but he never passes on his work to others. If he really needs help, it's fine for him to help with small tasks like carrying water, but if he has to do big tasks like chopping firewood by himself, he will be stern. In his own words:

"Do your own thing."

"Since the sect has arranged for us to do these things, there must be a deep meaning behind it."

"Before I left, my father also reminded me that since I am small and my fists are small, I should behave myself and not violate the sect's rules. The higher I fly, the harder I fall."

"Since my master values me, I must be more down-to-earth and satisfy him. I must not bring shame to him."

"As a senior uncle, I must set an example and be a good role model. I cannot take the lead in ignoring the sect's rules."

Li Zizai often said similar things.

In order to keep his ears quiet, the others gradually stopped helping, and he finally shut up.

"not bad."

In the rocking chair, Xuanming murmured.

At such a young age, he has not been corrupted by sweet words, has a positive attitude, and is willing to work hard. There is nothing wrong with him.

---

Crows fly and rabbits run, half a month passes in a flash.

On sunny days, Xuanming often lay in a rocking chair to enjoy the cool air, or observe his disciples working hard, or drink tea and read scriptures to absorb wisdom, or circulate the Qi in his body to accumulate magic power and gather the star gods.

During thunderstorms, he sat cross-legged on the top of the mountain, listening to the thunder and watching the rain. Thunder roared and rain poured down. Xuanming sent the peach wood sword, spirit gourd and whisk into the depths of the thunderclouds to be tempered by thunder, while he opened his mouth to swallow thunder or draw thunder to temper his body, temper his flesh and deepen his control of the Five Thunders magical power.

After the promotion of Floating Cloud Mountain, Cangdao Peak is higher and closer to the sky, and the power of the thunder and lightning felt is also higher.

The Dharmakāya of Emperor Gou Chen was also traveling in the sea of thunder. Since his promotion last year, this deity had often traveled in the sea of thunder to refine his second Dharmakāya, the Dharmakāya of the Lord of Thunder or the Dharmakāya of the Emperor of Heaven:

He has disheveled hair and a black face, a human head and a snake body, with black qi coming out of his mouth. He is coiled around Kunlun Mountain, in control of all changes, controlling thunder, sitting high above the nine heavens, commanding the thirty-six birds, controlling the sun, moon and stars, and ruling over the five mountains and city gods, with great power and spirit.

If successful, the strength of Emperor Gou Chen's Dharma body will be greatly enhanced, and Xuan Ming will be more powerful in slaying demons and eliminating evil.

During this time, he personally wrote a few invitations and handed them to Changchunzi who was sent by Xuanxu. Now that the four counties are stable, Xuanming plans to refine the magic weapon to suppress luck and protect himself, and then go down the mountain to continue traveling around the world. Cultivation cannot be done behind closed doors, especially for spiritual cultivation, and it is even more impossible to stay in the mountains.

Different stages of practice have different needs for seeking the truth:
In order to cultivate his spiritual realm, he focused on contemplating the sutras and attaining enlightenment.

In the Qi training stage, he contemplates the sutras and practices the Tao at the same time.

To cultivate the spiritual realm, he should focus on practicing Taoism and supplement it with contemplating the scriptures.

Perhaps it can be understood that he will observe the unparalleled scripture of heaven and earth.

Because of this, Qiuzhen Temple's plan to hold a Zhenjun Banquet for Xuanming was postponed to this year. This was because of many things that happened in the past two years. Either everyone in Qiuzhen Temple had something to do, or Xuanming was too busy. Also, the various cultivation forces in the four counties also needed to rebuild their sects and recuperate.

Only today have we emerged from the Taiping Rebellion and the situation is generally stable.

Xuanming didn't like trouble and wanted to refuse, but was persuaded by Xuanxu: "Brother, the four counties have just been settled, and we need a grand event to boost morale and dilute the depression and pain left in people's hearts by the Taiping Rebellion. The Zhenjun Banquet is an excellent reason, and the scale and influence are very suitable.

In addition, Canglong Mountain collapsed, and my Fuyun Mountain took its place. From now on, there will be no monsters blocking the road between the four counties, and the contacts will become more frequent. With my senior brother's prestige and achievements, if a Zhenjun banquet is held, the four counties' spirit practitioners will definitely give him face and attend.

If some Qigong practitioners participate and discuss the Dao together, it will not only help with cultivation, but also create the beginning of exchanges between the four counties. If it spreads, it will also be a good story. It will benefit both the Qiuzhen Temple and the four counties. Why not do it?"

After thinking about it, Xuanming agreed.

As Xuanxu said, this is a good thing that kills two birds with one stone.

Discussing the Dao with several other great spiritual practitioners can not only help you appreciate the subtleties of Confucianism, Buddhism and Legalism, which will benefit your spiritual practice, but also make Tai Chi Heaven even more mysterious.

Over the years, he has been constantly studying Tai Chi Heaven, often reading "Huangting Waijing Yujing", and has gained some insights on how to evolve this Heaven. Tai Chi is the ancestor of all dharmas and the basis of all paths. To evolve Tai Chi Heaven, one must follow the path of the three giving birth to all things, turning the simple into the complex, transforming all things into the Tao, and gathering all paths into one day.

In this case, we should discuss Taoism with other Taoists frequently to broaden our horizons, learn from others' strengths, make up for our own weaknesses, eliminate the dross and retain the essence, and strengthen Tai Chi Heaven.

---

Time flies, it's late summer and early autumn.

Floating Cloud Mountain is covered with scattered red and yellow clothes.

Autumn is a time of crisp weather, with the fragrance of fruits and vegetables, perfect for banquets and gatherings with friends.

As soon as dawn broke, the bell of Qiuzhen Temple rang thirty-six times.

Although the Great Sheng Dynasty collapsed, some rules were passed down:

When the leader of a minor sect takes office, the bell will ring nine times, a total of nine.

A banquet for real people was held and the bell rang eighteen times, a total of twenty-nine.

When the sect leader takes office, the bell will ring twenty-seven times, a total of thirty-nine.

When a banquet is held for the True Lord, the bell is rung thirty-six times, which is a total of forty-nine.

When the head of the top Dharma lineage takes office, the bell rang forty-five times, a total of fifty-nine.

……

The majestic bell sounds refresh the mind, and the invisible sound waves echo in the mountains and forests, startling many birds and beasts. Birds sing, beasts roar, and roosters crow in the villages and towns at the foot of the mountain. Many people get up, light fires and cook, with smoke rising up, busy with their day's livelihood.

The people living at the foot of the mountain always habitually look at the towering Fuyun Mountain hidden in the sea of clouds in the distance when they go out. In their minds, as long as the mountain does not fall and there are Taoists in the mountain, the sky will not fall and they will feel very at ease.

But today was different from usual. A tree on the mountain was glowing, and the sea of clouds was dyed red. Set against the scorching sun, it was even inlaid with a layer of gold, creating thousands of rays of light.

"I, Zhang, gave birth to five sons before I got a daughter. Now she is old and has fallen in love with the youngest son of the Wang family next door. I think this marriage is a good one, as it is close to home and not easy to be bullied. But the old woman is unwilling to do it. I pray that the immortal will bless her to give in as soon as possible and let the two children marry smoothly."

"In order to marry Jinlian, I stole all the money my father had saved for his stepmother. I hope the immortals will bless me and Jinlian to have a smooth marriage, a happy life, and two children in three years. If this is possible, I will go up the mountain often to offer incense and send a pound of rice cakes."

……

The people were excited. Although they didn't know what was happening, they could see the strange sight in the mountains from afar. They couldn't help but kneel down and kowtow, praying for peace, seeking marriage, or seeking wealth and fame.

Floating Cloud Mountain, Seeking Truth Temple, the gate is wide open.

Zhenren Changhong, who had already taken over some of the affairs from his master Zhenren Xuantong, led the crowd out and stood guard at the door, waiting for the guests to arrive, because a Zhenjun Banquet for Uncle Xuanming would be held today.

As it concerns the face and reputation of the Qiuzhen Temple, they must be comprehensive, courteous, and demonstrate the bearing and demeanor of their school.

After one stick of incense, a ray of light came from the horizon.

(End of this chapter)