People are in reality, transcending the other side

Chapter 395 Fifty Years of Seeking the Way

He certainly earns a good salary, but he lives and eats at the company and is single. It's not that no one introduces him to potential partners, after all, he is considered a high-quality young man. But for some reason, he has absolutely no interest in dating and starting a family.

Instead, she would occasionally recall a grand dream she had when she was sixteen.

In my dream, I resolved to cultivate myself, to pursue the true meaning of life, to achieve sainthood, and even to become a Nirvana-like demon god and live forever in this world!
Such passionate fervor, such grandeur, indescribable youthful spirit, heroic spirit...

On the contrary, he now seems to be living the script of a lucky success, and looks glamorous in the eyes of many people. But in reality, he is just an empty shell named Li Qi. He looks good on the outside, but he is empty inside.

But reality is reality, and it trapped him.

Indeed, he has accumulated a considerable amount of savings over the years, but even if he stops working, what can he change?
He is still himself, still trapped in this mortal world, and no matter how you look at it, he seems to have changed.

Time passed by in the daily routine and Li Qi's occasional reflections. When Li Qi was twenty-eight, Sun Guang got married. His wife was a local from Tiannan, and her family also owned a company, making it a powerful alliance.

However, Li Qi knew that Sun Guang didn't actually love his wife deeply. They were just a good match in every way, and they were both of marriageable age, so it was a natural thing for them to get together.

When Li Qi was thirty-two, Sun Guang's second child was born. Sun Guang's thoughts seemed to change over time. He and his wife skipped the romance and went straight into familial affection.

Li Qi observed this, unsure how to evaluate it. Everything seemed fine, yet something felt off.

His family members became increasingly anxious as he grew older, but he still hadn't met the girl he knew at first sight.

To outsiders, he has achieved great success, but when he looks at himself, he knows he is utterly empty inside...

On his thirty-sixth birthday, Li Qi suddenly had a dream, a dream he had when he was sixteen, which reappeared when he was thirty-six.

In his dream, he possessed an aura of unparalleled power, vying with heroes from all over the world, displaying the spirit of youth...

When he woke up from his dream, his pillow was soaked with sweat.

During the day, he didn't go to the company, and afterwards he took a long leave, staying at home all day and not going anywhere. He just kept recalling the past and his dreams, the memories of the past intertwined with the various things in his dreams.

Ten days later, he realized he couldn't go on like this any longer. A small wish began to grow in his heart: the vision of cultivation. But this cultivation was no longer the childhood fantasy of fighting against heaven and earth; it was about transcending oneself and reshaping oneself...

In the following period, he first resigned from his job. Although many people tried to persuade him to stay, including his boss Ling Fuyao, his mind was made up.

Then he started exercising and reading at the same time. He hadn't done these two things for a long time since he started working. His body was weak and his mind was blank. He had to start all over again.

For a period of time, he read a lot of books, and his health improved significantly. But the more he read, the more confused he became. Cultivation is said to be a process of self-cultivation, with the Great Way within it, but he did not feel any of the Way.

Time passed day by day, and Li Qi read everything—the writings of sages, the scriptures of Taoism and Buddhism…

He tried to find what he wanted from various books, even though he himself did not know what he wanted, since the so-called transcendence of oneself is a very vague thing.

Four years later, Li Qi turned forty. Four years of reflection had changed him greatly, yet he seemed to have remained unchanged. He was still confused, unsure of what he sought, and any attempt to articulate his thoughts would be vague.

As for supernatural powers, he knew perfectly well that such things did not exist in this world... So-called cultivation was nothing more than the complete enlightenment of the mind.

So he left his house, went outside, and began his journey.

During his first decade, he traveled to many places in China, visiting Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries to communicate with the Taoists and monks there. He also talked with some so-called masters and experts from the streets. Among them were experts and swindlers. But gradually, Li Qi stopped caring about the outcome and just felt the inner peace during the journey.

In his second decade, starting at fifty, Li Qi's footsteps crossed national borders, venturing overseas to seek out wise men and pursue what he desired.

In fact, as time went by, he used transportation less and less, like an ascetic, every step he took was a questioning of himself and a reflection on life.

Indeed, he was trapped in this dimension called reality, but he could choose to seek his own extraordinary path in his own way.

In the mountains, a torrential downpour continued, and Li Qi, wearing a raincoat, braved the storm to move forward...

In the desert, amidst swirling sandstorms, Li Qi, dressed in a white robe and wearing a hat that completely concealed his face, made his way step by step toward his destination…

Sixty years old, seventy years old, eighty years old...

Time seems to have sped up suddenly. Before we knew it, Li Qi had grown old. But now, many people at home and abroad know that there was such an ascetic who pursued the true meaning of life, a true sage!
In many places, there are legends that if one can meet this wise man and communicate with him, one can gain enlightenment...

In that year, when he was eighty-two, Li Qi seemed to receive some kind of revelation, knowing that his life was about to come to an end.

Given his frail and weak physical body, the fact that he has lived to this age through such ascetic practices is a testament to his clear mind and spirit. Under normal circumstances, someone in his physical condition should have died long ago.

So Li Qi, unusually, tidied his hair and beard, cut his hair short, shaved off his beard, and then returned to his hometown.

"Qi, I never imagined that we'd both grown so old without us even realizing it..."

In Tiannan, Sun Guang already has four generations living under one roof, and his youngest grandson can already walk.

Sun Guang, who was over eighty years old, was in good spirits because he knew how to maintain his health. However, he had gained weight in his old age and looked rather plump. At this moment, he sat in a chair and looked at the thin Li Qi with a look of realization in his eyes.

"Back in our high school days, we would sit by the lake and look at each other's legs. How wonderful that was! Now..."

"Ugh!"

Sun Guang's long sigh, though seemingly out of tune, carried the vicissitudes of time.

"But you, Qi, I thought I'd never see you again in this lifetime..."

"You're back! It's so good that you're back..."

"So, have you found what you were looking for?!"

(End of this chapter)