Food gives me an entry, I will be invincible if I stay alive

Chapter 140 Enlightenment in the Mortal World: Human or Immortal?

Amidst the whistling wind, Chen Xu spared some attention to examine the newly acquired spiritual materials through the smoke-filled kitchen.

He can now use his ability to travel through the Netherworld five times a day. He has already used it three times today, so he will save the last two chances for now.

We're just traveling; there's no need to use the Netherworld Passage.

This doesn't mean he anticipated there would be another crisis today; it's just a habitual act of caution.

As we continued our journey, fields and villages gradually appeared along the roadside, and the original desolation began to fade away imperceptibly.

This world is truly fascinating; within ten miles, two seemingly completely different worlds can appear.

From desolate and quiet to vibrant and full of life.

As the sun set, Chen Xu saw that the firelight on Pufeng Mountain in the distance seemed to have dyed the entire sky into fiery clouds.

Occasionally, you'll encounter pedestrians along the way: peddlers carrying loads, cowherds herding cattle, and farmers washing their hands and feet in the stream in the fields beside the road...

People also saw the magnificent sunset in the distance, but ordinary mortals did not realize that it was a raging fire; they only discussed it, saying:
"How beautiful the sunset is today! It's just like the storyteller's tales... where immortals are tending fires in the heavens."

"What kind of storyteller is this, spouting nonsense! How could an immortal start a fire? Immortals don't need to cook, so why would they need to start a fire?"

This statement stumped those around them.

The shepherd boy, riding his ox, spoke with a smug air, head held high and chest puffed out:
“Listen to me, what I’ve heard is true! Immortals live on air and dew, they don’t eat anything. Why would they need to make fires?”

"Then, if no one is lighting a fire, how did those large clouds in the sky come about?"

The shepherd boy choked for a moment, then hurriedly said, "Clouds are just clouds. Just as there are morning clouds, there are evening clouds in the world."

This is something that happens naturally with sunrise and sunset, and has nothing to do with whether or not there is fire burning in the sky.
According to you, if there are fiery clouds in the sky, it must be immortals lighting fires. Do those immortals have nothing better to do than light fires for us morning and night?

This left the others speechless, unable to respond to his words, and they could only awkwardly say:

"That immortal drinking dew and breathing in the wind is not right either. Humans need to eat, and immortals also need to eat."

How can you have strength if you don't eat? Even immortals are human...

Hmm, that's interesting.

Chen Xu was strolling along, and although he habitually kept an eye on his surroundings as a precaution, he really paid no attention to the conversations of the pedestrians on the roadside.

But without noticing, the words of the people by the roadside reached my ears, and somehow they carried an indescribable charm.

He paused slightly and turned to look at the people talking.

But standing by the roadside were not only shepherds and farmers, but also a young Taoist priest leading a donkey.

The young Taoist priest looked very familiar; it was none other than the young Taoist priest Xuan Yi whom Chen Xu had seen in Jichuan County!
At this moment, the young Taoist Xuan Yi was focused on listening to the conversation between the shepherd boy and the farmer, completely unaware that Chen Xu was walking by the roadside.

When the shepherd boy was rendered speechless by the farmer's words, he suddenly started clapping his hands.

The shepherd boy, embarrassed and annoyed by the applause, hurriedly said, "What's wrong with you, Taoist priest? I've already said that immortals drink dew and breathe in the wind. You're supposed to be a Taoist practitioner, so why don't you listen to me and instead applaud this person?"

The young Taoist priest blinked and said, "But he said that immortals are also human beings, which I think makes a lot of sense. Shouldn't we applaud?"

The shepherd boy exclaimed anxiously, "How can an immortal still be human? Once you become an immortal, you naturally cease to be human!"

Xuan Yi said, "If immortals aren't human, why are they called immortals and not something else?"

The shepherd boy was stunned again.

Now it was the farmer's turn to say smugly, "I knew it! Even immortals need to eat. Just like our Emperor needs to eat, who in the world doesn't need to eat?"

The shepherd boy was speechless.

Xuan Yi clapped again: "Absolutely right, absolutely right. Immortals were originally made from mortals, and emperors were also made from mortals. Who in this world can live without eating?"
Heaven and earth give birth to humankind, and the five grains provide nourishment. Without nourishment, one cannot live; therefore, food is the most important thing for people!

How wondrous! I, a humble traveler, have hurriedly traversed countless sacred mountains and wondrous realms without ever comprehending this principle, yet now I have grasped it beside such an ordinary little path.

"Wait, what exactly have I realized?"

He tossed and turned, over and over, shaking his head, his expression seemingly intoxicated.

The donkey he was leading immediately neighed and suddenly reared up on its front hooves, leaping forward in a flash.

The young Taoist priest Xuan Yi immediately became anxious. He said angrily, "Ancestor, why are you running away again? Oh dear, I'm trying to comprehend the Tao, why are you running away while I'm comprehending the Tao?"

"Don't you feel uncomfortable if you don't go against me for a day? Hey hey..."

The donkey was running too fast, and the young Taoist priest had no choice but to run after it as fast as he could.

As he chased after him, he finally spotted Chen Xu, who was also standing by the roadside dressed as a scholar.

The young Taoist priest immediately tilted his head, his eyes lighting up as he said, "Scholar, I feel like I've seen you before!"

Chen Xu smiled slightly but did not reply.

The young Taoist priest raised his eyes again and looked in the direction Chen Xu had come from, then quickly said:

"You...you came from that direction. Did you see any experts pass by in the direction of Pufeng Mountain?"

Chen Xu shook his head this time.

Xuan Yi slapped his thigh and sighed, "Alas, I want to find a master, but I always find it difficult. Why do I always miss out?"
"Hey, hey, donkey! Donkey ancestor, donkey, don't you dare touch people like that!"

For some reason, the gray donkey seemed to be charging towards Chen Xu.

Its fierce aura immediately frightened Xuan Yi, who rushed over and grabbed it.

Xuan Yi was furious: "Stupid donkey, Brother Donkey, ugh, you're really driving me crazy! Don't you know how strong you are? You just bump into people like that, aren't you afraid of hurting them?"

Let me tell you, if you cause me any bad karma, I'll send you back to the Taoist temple.

I'll never take you out again!

The gray donkey, its reins pulled, snorted and growled, but ultimately stopped running and charging recklessly.

Chen Xu then held the mouse in his arms, nodded slightly to Xuan Yi and the gray donkey, and then turned and left.

His clothes fluttered in the breeze, and he walked with ease.

Xuan Yi watched his retreating figure and murmured to himself, "This man has an extraordinary bearing; he must be one of the best among scholars."

He wasn't in the city, but came to the countryside; perhaps he was also there to gather inspiration and gain enlightenment.

"Sigh, why didn't I keep him here? Perhaps I could have gained something from discussing philosophy with him."

But the person had already gone far away, and Xuan Yi couldn't help but stamp his foot and sigh, feeling inexplicably melancholy.

Chen Xuren had already walked away, but he was still savoring the various exchanges he had just heard.

Indeed, as Xuan Yi said, one can find enlightenment even by the roadside in the countryside.

The "Dao" is not only the Dao of Taoism, but also the Dao of Confucianism, the Dao of Heaven and Earth, and the Dao of all things.

A single word from an ordinary person can sometimes be a profound enlightenment for a spiritual practitioner.

How wondrous are the ways of the world!

(End of this chapter)