Under One Person: I Have a Billion Taoist Gods Within Me

Chapter 70 "Human life is precious!"

Those are footprints.

A pair of footprints sunk into the ground.

Right in the very center of the Tai Chi symbol, where the black and white fish meet.

Right between the eyes of those two fish, on that winding dividing line, were clearly imprinted a pair of footprints.

The footprints were deep, as if someone had stepped on them with all their might.

But it's very clear, so clear that you can even distinguish the outline of the toes.

The strangest thing is the direction of those footprints.

It's directly opposite the cave entrance.

Directly facing the direction from which Wugensheng came in.

It was as if that person had turned and left after leaving those footprints.

Step down from those footprints.

Then, without looking back, he walked out of the pavilion.

Wugensheng squatted down and carefully examined the footprints.

His brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and then he stood up and looked around.

The pavilion was completely empty, except for the Tai Chi diagram and footprints.

Four bare stone pillars.

The pavilion roof was empty.

There were no carvings or patterns on the surrounding stone walls.

There is only this pavilion.

This is the only image.

Only these two footprints.

Wugensheng scratched his head and walked around the pavilion.

There is no hidden door.

There is no organization.

There are no hidden passages.

He then went out of the pavilion and searched carefully around the cave.

The cave is not large; apart from the pavilion, there are only rough stone walls on all sides.

Wugensheng walked around the stone wall, touching it inch by inch, carefully examining every crack and pressing down hard on every protrusion.

There was nothing there.

Wugensheng returned to the pavilion and looked at the footprints again.

His brows furrowed even more deeply.

"We've explored every other area..."

"But there was nothing here, except for this pair of strange footprints."

Wugensheng stood there, looking down at the footprints, motionless.

The blue light inside the cave, from who knows where, quietly shone on him, on the tai chi diagram beneath his feet, and on his deep footprints.

a long time.

Wugensheng raised his head and looked in the direction of the cave entrance.

That was the direction he came from.

That's the direction those footprints were facing.

Wugensheng suddenly remembered a question:

Why did the person who left the footprints leave them here?

Did he step on it on purpose?

After stepping on it, why did you turn around and leave?

Where did he go?

He walked out of the pavilion, out of the cave, out of the valley—and then what?

Wugensheng took a deep breath, suppressing the surging thoughts in his heart.

"Since Daozi Liyuan guided me here, and this place is so extraordinary, it is obviously impossible for it to be like this now."

There must be something there.

"There must be something I haven't discovered yet."

Wugensheng squatted in front of the footprints, his eyes fixed on the deep imprints, motionless.

The blue light inside the cave shone quietly on him, on his furrowed brows, and on the thoughts churning in his dark, bright eyes.

Wugensheng closed his eyes and calmed himself down.

Let's start from the beginning.

From the moment you step into this valley.

The aura outside the valley was prepared for him; only his divine spirit could pass through it safely.

The group of golden monkeys—they guarded the valley—let him in.

That monkey king—that golden figure over two meters tall, that straight spine like a human's, those bright and piercing eyes.

Those patterns—they were teaching him about the universe, correcting his meridians, and instilling in him those ancient and simple mysteries.

What are those three words at the end of the canyon?

And these strange footprints.

These are all beads on a single line.

There must be some kind of connection between them.

There must be.

Wugensheng opened his eyes, his gaze falling once again in the direction of those three words.

Although he was separated by a stone wall and could not see it, he knew that the three words were outside, above the entrance to the cave.

What is a person...?

Wugensheng murmured these three words repeatedly, his voice extremely soft, as if he were chewing or savoring them.

The definition of a person is very broad...

Everyone understands that a creature has hands and feet, can speak and think, and can walk upright.

But if we connect it to this Twenty-Four Heavenly Valley...

If one were to connect with those creatures outside, who have been steeped in this aura for many years and have become far beyond ordinary animals...

If you connect this to that monkey king who's almost become a spirit...

Wugensheng's eyes suddenly lit up.

"That monkey king!"

"That monkey king underwent such a transformation precisely because of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley. It was the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley that taught that monkey king how to become a human!"

He suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the pavilion, his footsteps hurried, making a "tap-tap-tap" sound on the bluestone slabs, each step faster than the last.

"Yes! That's right!"

"That monkey king must be the answer to 'What is a human being?'"

Wugensheng became more and more excited as he spoke, his voice growing louder and louder, echoing through the empty cave.

What was the most obvious transformation that occurred in the monkey king?

"What makes it completely different from ordinary monkeys outside?"

He stopped in his tracks, his eyes gleaming, as if the Monkey King were standing right in front of him.

"It can walk upright like a human!"

"It's because it can straighten the spine and head, which only humans can straighten!"

As Wugensheng spoke, he subconsciously straightened his back, tilted his head back, and made his spine into a straight line.

"Look at those bipedal animals—cats, dogs, bears, monkeys—they can all stand on their two hind legs; they can all stand."

"But they can't stand up straight."

"Their spines are bent, and their heads are bowed."

"Therefore, their energy cannot circulate smoothly, so they cannot become human."

"They can mimic human posture, but they can never possess human spirit."

"Only humans can stand tall with their spines and heads held high."

Wugensheng's voice grew increasingly steady and deep.

"Only when both mind and body are in an upright state can the breath flow smoothly."

"This is the principle of cultivating oneself before cultivating oneself. Without cultivating oneself, one cannot be called a complete person."

99

After saying that, Wugensheng took a deep breath and looked up.

The dome was hidden in the darkness, and its height could not be seen.

But he seemed to be able to see the sky, to see that infinitely high and all-encompassing sky.

"And when a person straightens their spine and head, standing upright on the ground—"

Wugensheng's voice suddenly rose, echoing like a great bell in the empty cave.

"That is true integrity, standing tall and upright!"

Four words exploded in the cave.

Reaching for the sky and standing on the earth

The echoes came in layers, wave after wave, lingering on and on.

Wugensheng stood there, upright as a pine tree.

He suddenly remembered when he was a child, the first time that Master Feng corrected his posture.

Master Feng said: Stand up straight, don't hunch your back.

He was puzzled and asked why.

Master Feng said: What makes a person human is the ability to breathe freely.

When the spine is bent, the qi (vital energy) becomes blocked; when the qi is blocked, the person becomes useless.

He didn't understand back then.

At that moment, he understood.

"Head to the sky, feet firmly on the ground..."

""

Wugensheng lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the footprints.

Those footprints were right beneath his feet.

Right in front of him.

"The Baihui acupoint is the highest acupoint on the head."

As he spoke, Wugensheng stretched out his hand and pointed to the very center of his head.

That spot, when touched, has a slightly indented area; that's the mark left after the fontanelle closed when the baby was born.

Taoists say that it is the Heavenly Gate, a place where humans connect with the heavens.

"And the foot's foothold in the ground is..."

Wu Gensheng paused for a moment.

My gaze fell on the footprints, and on a specific spot within them.

"Yongquan acupoint!"

Wugensheng squatted down and extended his right hand, but did not move immediately.

Instead, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and let your mind completely calm down.

The Qi within his body surged slowly with his thoughts.

The current, now smoother and more obedient than before, was shaped by the smoothing of the veins.

It started from his dantian, flowed down along the newly opened meridians, through his legs and ankles, and finally surged into Wugensheng's right hand.

It grew thicker and brighter.

At his fingertips, a point of light condensed, almost visible to the naked eye.

The light was extremely faint and soft, like the faint glow of a firefly's tail.

But it does exist.

Wugensheng opened his eyes.

Looking at the tiny glimmer of light on his fingertips, he suddenly felt a little dazed.

This is his.

This is something he has lived for over twenty years but has never truly understood.

He did not hesitate any longer.

My fingertips gently touched the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of the foot.

Take a breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

Nothing happened.

Wugensheng frowned.

He was about to pull his hand back, ready to try again, ready to try a different approach...

suddenly...

"Boom—!"

A deafening roar came from beneath our feet!

The entire cave was trembling!

Wu Gensheng was startled and quickly took a few steps back, staring intently at the Tai Chi diagram.

The black and white Tai Chi symbol was slowly splitting apart from the middle!

The location of those footprints is the dividing line!

The Tai Chi symbol split in two, slowly sliding to both sides along the winding dividing line.

As the Tai Chi symbol separated, a bottomless passage was revealed below.

The passage was spiral-shaped, extending downwards in circles, swirling and swirling until it disappeared into the endless darkness.

Looking down from the cave entrance, you can only see the first few rings; beyond that, you can't see anything at all.

Only the endless darkness, like the maw of a giant beast, awaits to devour everything.

Wugensheng stood at the edge of the passageway, peering down.

He was stunned when he saw it.

The walls of that passage were also covered with patterns.

Those patterns are exactly the same as those in the canyon outside.

Some resemble winding streams, some resemble swirling clouds and mist, some resemble thunder and lightning, and some resemble undulating mountains and rivers.

Every scratch and every line is exactly the same as the patterns on the outside.

But they are denser.

More complicated.

It went even deeper.

The patterns spiraled down, following the direction of the passage, layer upon layer, densely covering every inch of the stone wall.

They seemed to be guiding visitors, step by step, circle by circle, towards the depths.

Wugensheng straightened up and took a deep breath.

The cold wind rushed into his mouth and nose, instantly clearing his mind.

He glanced back at the pavilion behind him, at the now separated Tai Chi symbol, and at the spot where he had just stood.

Then he smiled.

The smile was faint, yet profound.

"I see..."

Wugensheng murmured, his voice drifting gently in the wind.

"So those footprints weren't meant to be touched, but rather to be traced."

He looked down at his right hand, at the finger that had just touched the Yongquan acupoint.

"No, it should be said that those footprints represent 'human beings' themselves."

Wugensheng raised his head and looked at the spiraling passageway.

"A person who stands tall and upright."

"And every step you take into this passage is a step deeper into the heart of that 'person.'"

Having said that, Wugensheng did not hesitate any longer.

Step into the spiral passage.

The moment he stepped inside, a question suddenly came to mind:

Who is the person who left the footprints?

Wugensheng shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

Who is Luo?

When will he get it?

There is only one thing he needs to do now—

Keep going.

The passageway was very poor.

The beggar, Wugensheng, was unaware that he had left Siya.

One lap, two laps, three laps...

He counted the laps, silently memorizing them. How many laps is one?

It's about fifty steps, two laps is one hundred steps, and three laps is one hundred and fifty steps.

When Wugensheng had counted around thirty rounds, he got the count messed up.

It wasn't that he forgot, but rather that the information conveyed by those patterns was becoming increasingly dense and intense, making it impossible for him to concentrate on counting those unimportant numbers.

Those tattooed items seemed to come alive at that moment.

They are no longer just carvings on the stone wall, but have become beams of light, wisps of air, and streams of energy.

It flowed into Wugensheng's body through his eyes, his nose, his ears, and every pore of his body.

Those messages—

Regarding Zhou Tian.

About meridians.

Regarding key points.

Regarding cultivation methods that he had never heard of or imagined.

They are no longer about indoctrination.

They are surging.

It is pouring out.

It is not given.

Wugensheng felt as if he were in a great river, being swept up and pushed by the surging torrent, rushing towards the unknown depths.

But he didn't panic.

Because he could sense that with each step forward, the information became clearer.

With each step he took, the circulation of Qi within his body became smoother.

With each step forward, the previously blocked meridians are gradually cleared.

Those once vague key points are now clear one by one.

Those things that had once puzzled him, baffled him, and left him unable to understand, now all had answers.

Wugensheng was unaware that he had left Siya.

A quarter of an hour?

An hour?

one day?

Wugensheng did not know.

All he knows is to walk.

All I know is to keep going, round and round, step by step, down.

I don't know how long I've been gone.

Finally, light appeared ahead.

The light was extremely faint and soft, completely different from the endless darkness overhead.

It wafted out from the end of the passage, pale and bluish-white, like the light of dawn before sunrise.

Wugensheng quickened his pace.

They walked faster and faster.

They walked faster and faster.

Finally, he practically jogged out of the passage.

Before us lay another cave.

On the stone wall directly in front of them, four large characters are carved.

Wugensheng took a few steps closer and looked up.

"Human life is precious!"

Wugensheng carefully chewed over these four words, repeating them over and over in his mouth.

Human life... is precious...

Human life is...rare...to...be...obtained...