People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 387, Bei Mingzi's Enlightenment

Xu Qing, far away on Mount Taiyi, was unaware that he was being watched. At that moment, he had just stepped out of the Xinzhai (a Buddhist retreat center).

Looking at the glittering stars and bright moon in the night sky, Xu Qing's eyes showed a hint of confusion. He then looked down at the bamboo slips in his hand.

"Alas, the road ahead is long and arduous," Xu Qing said, shaking his head helplessly.

He spent the whole day studying the "Appended Remarks" of the Book of Changes. Although he has gained a preliminary and systematic understanding of Yin and Yang and Tai Chi, he feels that he would have been better off not studying it at all.

Faced with the profound knowledge of the I Ching, the things in his mind were like a leaf on the ocean. The more he understood the I Ching's discussion and interpretation of Yin and Yang and Tai Chi, the more he felt that this path was difficult and unfathomable.

"We are but mayflies in the vastness of heaven and earth, a mere grain of millet in the boundless ocean. I lament the brevity of my life, and envy the endless flow of the Yangtze River. I wish I could ride the immortals to roam the heavens, and embrace the bright moon to live forever. But I know this cannot be achieved in an instant, so I entrust my lingering thoughts to the mournful wind." Xu Qing sighed softly.

Today he only read six of the seventy-six volumes of the Book of Changes, and these six bamboo scrolls alone showed him what obscurity and mystery meant.

If he were to actually read all seventy-six volumes and glean his own understanding of the Dao from them, he estimated that he would be old and gray by then.

"How did the sages of the past manage to write such profound and unfathomable books? Could they have truly been immortals who comprehended the ways of heaven and earth, ascended to heaven, and left behind these bamboo slips for future generations to glimpse the secrets of the heavens?"

As Xu Qing finished speaking with emotion, he heard an old but powerful voice coming from behind him.

"The Book of Changes is the first of all classics. It uses analogy and imagery to convey meaning. It was created by the ancient sages who determined celestial phenomena, established terrestrial laws, observed phenomena to determine the time, and created the calendar and the Book of Changes. It is the beginning of civilization."

Xu Qing suddenly turned around and saw an old man with a white beard and hair, wearing a dark blue Heavenly Sect robe, with a calm expression not far away.

The old man stood in the bamboo forest, his aura blending seamlessly with the surrounding environment. If one did not see him in person, it would be impossible to detect his presence through mere perception.

Upon seeing the elderly man who suddenly appeared, Xu Qing was initially nervous, but then relaxed.

Only one person in the entire Heavenly Sect is capable of appearing at Xinzhai and achieving a state of harmony between heaven and man.

"Xu Qing pays respects to Uncle-Master Bei Mingzi." Xu Qing bowed respectfully to the old man.

"Little guy, you're really smart."

Bei Mingzi was not surprised that Xu Qing recognized his identity. Although he had been in seclusion on Mount Taiyi for many years, the news he heard most often when he came out of seclusion was about Xu Qing.

His senior brother accepted Xu Qing as his disciple, so it would be strange if the other party were a muddle-headed fellow.

"Uncle-Master, you flatter me. What brings you here?"

Xu Qing took a few steps forward, stood in front of Bei Mingzi, and asked with a curious expression.

Yesterday, he inquired about Bei Mingzi's whereabouts from Chi Songzi, hoping to get some guidance from him. In the original story, Gai Nie also comprehended his own path under Bei Mingzi's guidance, thus surpassing Wei Zhuang in swordsmanship and becoming the best in the world.

However, Chisongzi said that Beimingzi was in seclusion and would only emerge two days before the covenant between heaven and man to witness it.

"I heard that someone in the Heavenly Sect was going to try to comprehend the Book of Changes. Out of curiosity, I left my seclusion early and wandered around until I came to Xinzhai. I heard you lamenting your insignificance and the brevity of life, and I also heard you talking about the Book of Changes."

"I guessed that you were the fool who thought he could understand the I Ching through hard study."

Bei Mingzi reached out and tapped Xu Qing's head, shaking his head helplessly.

This was the first time Xu Qing had ever heard someone call him a fool. If anyone else had said that, he would have argued with them. But the person who said it was Bei Mingzi, who was among the top five in the world in terms of both cultivation and knowledge.

When someone speaks to him like this, he doesn't feel like they're insulting him, but rather like they're enlightening him.

"You mean the I Ching can't be studied by rote? It needs to be combined with other methods to understand it?" Xu Qing asked, somewhat confused.

"There's still hope. Come with me."

Bei Mingzi nodded slightly, then turned and headed towards the summit of Mount Taiyi.

Upon seeing this, Xu Qing immediately followed. This was a special opportunity given to him by a big shot; how could he miss it?

Who knows, after receiving guidance and enlightenment from Bei Mingzi, he might be able to obtain the seventy-two transformations taught by Bodhi Patriarch, just like Monkey King. He doesn't seek immortality, he only hopes to break through to the Celestial Master realm and defeat Xiaoyaozi at Guanmiao Terrace.

Bei Mingzi sensed Xu Qing following behind him, and his figure suddenly became illusory, but the next moment he appeared a hundred paces away.

"To blend in with the light, to mingle with the dust, to blend in with the light and to mingle with the dust?"

Xu Qing looked at Bei Mingzi's figure and recognized the move he was using.

"Harmony with the Light and Dust" is the highest principle of Taoism. It means to blend in with the light and dust, to be so clear and seemingly existent, to transform into dust and hide in the formless, to shield oneself from all aura, and to achieve the effect of short-distance teleportation through the blessing of this principle.

In the original story, Xiaomeng could only cover a distance of a dozen steps at most, but Beimingzi covered a hundred steps in an instant. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a magic technique like shrinking the earth to an inch. Before Xu Qing could finish processing his surprise, he saw Beimingzi continue walking forward and immediately mobilized his inner strength to use the wind to move.

Xu Qing opened the wind acupoints on his legs, and a blue gale surged from beneath his feet, lifting him up and chasing after Bei Mingzi.

Propelled by the gale, Xu Qing seemed to float on the steps as if he were a wandering immortal, his feet barely touching the ground. In the blink of an eye, he arrived behind Bei Mingzi.

Bei Mingzi noticed that Xu Qing caught up in just a few breaths. A smile appeared on his face, and his figure once again turned into dust and disappeared into the distance.

Xu Qing dared not relax in the slightest, closely following behind Bei Mingzi as they headed towards the summit of Mount Taiyi.

The two walked one after the other, and soon arrived at the top of Mount Taiyi.

The towering mountaintop stands amidst the clouds, seemingly only inches from the night sky, as if one could reach out and touch the stars and the moon.

Standing on the steps, Xu Qing looked at the dazzling stars in the sky, his eyes flashing with countless glints. His original feelings of disappointment, regret, and confusion instantly dissipated, replaced by a sense of contentment and peace, giving him an unprecedented feeling of ease.

"Come and sit down," Bei Mingzi said, beckoning to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing withdrew his gaze and walked towards Bei Mingzi, who was sitting on a stone stool, and sat down on the stone stool opposite him.

"The summit of Mount Taiyi is also one of the forbidden areas of the Heavenly Sect. Sages of past generations have discussed the Dao and ascended to heaven here. It is the closest place to heaven. How do you feel about coming here?" Bei Mingzi asked, stroking his beard.

"It's spectacular. After seeing such a magnificent view, I felt an unprecedented sense of peace and satisfaction. All the burdens on my shoulders and the pressure in my heart disappeared, and I felt a sense of ease I had never experienced before."

Xu Qing truthfully expressed her feelings.

Bei Mingzi nodded with satisfaction. Tianzong believed that cultivating the Great Dao should involve selflessness, merging with heaven and earth, and forgetting all emotions, thus becoming emotionless.

Therefore, the first step should be selflessness, and the prerequisite for selflessness is stillness.

With a calm mind, a calm spirit, and calm actions, one can respond to all changes with constancy. Xu Qing has already achieved a calm mind, so he can continue.

"You asked whether comprehending the I Ching requires other methods of assistance. Before answering that question, let me ask you, what is this starry sky in your eyes?" Bei Mingzi asked.

"Starry sky?"

Xu Qing looked up in confusion, gazing at the bright stars and crescent moon, with a shooting star occasionally streaking across the sky, creating a beautiful scene that captivated her gaze.

Looking at this painting, Xu Qing couldn't help but think of the records about stars in the Book of Changes: "They take shape in the heavens and on earth; their changes are thus revealed."
Just as Xu Qing was about to speak, he remembered what He Guanzi had told him: "When the handle of the Big Dipper points east, it is spring all over the world; when it points south, it is summer all over the world; when it points west, it is autumn all over the world; when it points north, it is winter all over the world."

At the same time, the knowledge about stars and the universe that I learned in my previous life also came to mind.

Various pieces of knowledge collided in Xu Qing's mind, making it difficult to grasp the key points and leaving Xu Qing's brain like mush, filled with nothing but chaos and a headache.

Bei Mingzi looked at Xu Qing, whose brows were furrowed, chuckled softly, and waited silently for Xu Qing's answer.

Xu Qing stared blankly at the night sky, then suddenly grasped a key point in his mind and spoke.

"The laws governing the operation of the universe."

Bei Mingzi looked at Xu Qing with satisfaction. He was amazed that Xu Qing had grasped this point in such a short time. He understood why his senior brother He Guanzi had made Xu Qing his disciple.

"Indeed, when heaven and earth were first created, all things were in a state of chaos, without knowledge or awareness; relying on yin and yang, the celestial bodies began in the northern wilderness... the sun, moon, and five planets rotated in one cycle; the Heavenly Emperor emerged... establishing the celestial phenomena, following the laws of the earth, and creating the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches to determine the degrees of the sun and moon."

Bei Mingzi's voice was calm, but Xu Qing seemed to see a series of paintings before his eyes, scenes of ancient people observing the stars.

Xu Qing quickly understood what Bei Mingzi meant; the other party was reminding him of the origin of the I Ching.

The Book of Changes is not only an explanation of King Wen of Zhou's virtues in self-cultivation, conduct, and governance, thus teaching future generations how to be a person and how to govern, but also a comprehensive classic covering a wide range of topics such as survival and development, enlightenment education, legal thought, and mathematical thought.

The most crucial element, and the most fundamental aspect of the I Ching, is star observation.

The Chinese people began exploring the mysteries of the universe very early on, and from this they developed a complete and profound culture of stargazing.

In ancient times, people believed in "observing celestial phenomena to determine the seasons" and established the principles of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and the Eight Trigrams.

The Eight Trigrams are connected with the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, as well as time and direction; they belong to the same system. Thus, the concepts of time and space, Yin and Yang, and Yin and Yang were born, developing into a systematic worldview that uses the unity of opposites—Yin and Yang, Heaven and Earth, and the balance of strength and gentleness—to explain all changes in the universe and human society.

The Yin-Yang Tai Chi Dao that he cultivates is precisely the most basic part of this system and the foundation of its worldview.

(End of this chapter)