Gou Zai Xi You Dao Chang Sheng

"This disciple would not dare! Absolutely not dare to reveal our sect's secrets!"

Sun Wukong immediately prostrated himself and kowtowed.

The patriarch's expression softened slightly, and he gently waved his whisk:

Go ahead.

Whatever trouble you cause in the future, it will be your own doing; just don't mention me.

Sun Wukong bowed again, and when he stood up, his eyes were red.

Although he was unruly and unconventional, he was not ungrateful.

Over the past ten years, the patriarch has imparted the Great Dao to him, bestowed upon him supernatural powers, and shown him the grace of being reborn.

It is naturally difficult to part ways at this sudden moment.

"Master..." The monkey's voice was choked with emotion.

The patriarch had already closed his eyes and no longer looked at him.

Sun Wukong knew that his master had made up his mind, so he dared not say anything more. He bowed three more times before getting up.

He looked at Li Yan and scratched his face:

"Senior brother, you...you really won't come with me? Flower Fruit Mountain is wonderful!"

The mountain is full of peaches, big and sweet! And my monkeys too…”

Li Yan was torn between his own conscience and his own will.

A prophetic edict, the patriarch's expulsion of his disciple, and Sun Wukong's invitation...

He took a deep breath, and in his Niwan Palace, the Heart Mirror hung high, reflecting his own Dao Heart.

On the mirror, the Mustard Seed Cave slowly rotates, starlight and earth element intertwined.

Though it is only a small space, it contains infinite possibilities.

If left in the mountains, this grotto will eventually solidify into a beautiful bonsai landscape.

If one descends the mountain, this grotto-heaven might crumble in the wind and rain, or it might evolve into a real world.

long silence.

Li Yan slowly rose, straightened his gray-brown Taoist robe, and bowed deeply to the ground before his ancestor.

"Grandmaster."

"This disciple wishes to follow Junior Brother Wukong down the mountain."

This statement came out.

The patriarch slowly opened his eyes.

Those warm eyes now revealed a complex expression.

He stared at Li Yan.

After a long pause, he let out a soft sigh:

"Li Yan, do you know...?"

"When Wukong went down the mountain, he was causing a public disaster."

Despite its grand scale and complex cause-and-effect relationships, there is ultimately a discernible thread and a predetermined course.

"And you..."

The patriarch's tone grew increasingly somber:

"You are walking the path to the celestial realm, cultivating the way of encompassing all things."

"This path values ​​accumulation most and fears stagnation most."

Your cautious and steady nature is a good thing, but too much of a good thing can be bad.

"If you stay in the mountains now, I can guarantee you peace and tranquility for ten thousand years, until you decay and perish with the mountains."

But your path will also end here.

"If you descend the mountain..."

The patriarch's gaze pierced Li Yan's mind:

"The mortal world is vast and complex, and cause and effect are like a net."

Every step you take is weaving a web; every connection you make is forming a knot.

"The evolution of the grotto-heaven requires the absorption of the true meaning of all things."

These myriad phenomena are not in the mountains, but in the human world, in the mortal realm, in life and death, in love and hate, and in the hearts of all living beings.

"After you descend the mountain, everything you see, hear, experience, and feel will be integrated into the cave and become resources for your evolution."

"However, even within resources there are impurities, toxins, and the fires of calamity."

"If your Dao heart cannot be like a bright mirror hanging high, constantly being wiped clean, then demonic obstacles and calamities will surely arise within your grotto heaven."

The voice was chilling:

"More importantly..."

"You are based on the stars and the earth, reflecting the vast universe."

Walking through the world is like being in a mirror, reflecting all living beings and the universe itself.

"The scene reflected in the mirror contains both beauty and ugliness, light and darkness."

"The more you see, the more you reflect, the faster the cave heavens evolve, but the more, more complicated, and deeper the karmic consequences you become entangled in."

"When you evolve to the realm of the Cave Heaven, you will become a small world within yourself, containing laws that generate their own cycles."

"At that time, your every move will resonate with the outside world and trigger a chain of changes."

"Perhaps your unintentional words could enlighten the demons."

Perhaps you can disturb the earth's veins with just a casual action.

Perhaps you are just walking around normally, but you will be caught up in a huge karmic entanglement...

"This is not your wish, but the way of nature is beyond your control."

The patriarch paused slightly at this point, a rare solemnity appearing in his eyes:

"That's why I asked you earlier if you wanted to stay on the mountain?"

"If you stay, I can shield you from the secrets of heaven, sever your karmic ties, and allow you to cultivate in peace."

"If you descend the mountain..."

The patriarch spoke slowly and deliberately:

"The trouble he causes in the future, and the consequences he incurs, may be even greater, more mysterious, and more difficult to resolve than what Wukong did."

The pine trees outside the window still rustle in the wind, like the ever-flowing river of fate.

Sun Wukong was dumbfounded, scratching his head and looking at his ancestor and then at Li Yan, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Li Yan was shocked and cold sweat broke out on his back.

The patriarch's words were like a thunderclap, completely shattering any hesitation in his heart.

Li Yan closed his eyes.

Within the Niwan Palace, the mirror of the heart reflects oneself.

In the mirror, the gray-robed youth appeared calm, but a flame burned deep within his eyes.

That is the desire for immortality, the yearning for the other side of the Great Dao, and the obsession with transcending reincarnation.

After more than a decade of arduous cultivation, the grotto-heaven is beginning to take shape, and the path to immortality is within reach.

How can we stop here?

How could I bear to decay along with the mountains ten thousand years from now?

A long silence followed.

Li Yan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze now clear and bright.

He bowed again: "Disciple is willing to descend the mountain."

As the five words fell, ripples seemed to spread throughout the quiet room.

The patriarch glanced at him.

That gaze seemed to pierce through the river of time, glimpsing a vague future.

There are sparks that ignite prairie fires, mountains that crumble and tsunamis that rage, gods and Buddhas that weep blood, and heaven and earth that are turned upside down...

In the end, everything fell silent.

The patriarch slowly closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh:

"...Never mind."

He said to Sun Wukong:

"Wukong, you go and wait outside the cave."

I still have a few words to say to your senior brother.

Although Sun Wukong was curious, he dared not disobey and scratched his head.

He glanced at Li Yan again, then turned and left the quiet room.

The stone gate slowly closed.

In the quiet room, only Li Yan and the patriarch remained.

The stone gate slowly closed.

In the quiet room, only Li Yan and the patriarch remained.

The rosin cigarette smoldered long ago.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, spilling onto the ground like clear, still water.

The patriarch remained silent for a long time before finally speaking:

"Li Yan, since you are determined to go down the mountain, let me give you a few more words of advice."

"You must remember this."

"First, when walking in the world, observe more, listen more, think more, speak less, move less, and avoid getting involved in cause and effect."

"It's not that I'm teaching you to be indifferent, but rather that your path is unique."

Every word and action can trigger unpredictable changes.

Being careful in speech and action is the way to preserve oneself.

"Secondly, the evolution of the grotto-heavens must be carried out step by step."

Do not be greedy for quick success and rashly attempt to swallow up things you cannot digest, or you will surely suffer a backlash and your foundation will crumble.

"third……"

The patriarch's tone grew increasingly solemn:

"You are not allowed to mention Fangcun Mountain to outsiders, and you are even less allowed to say that you are my disciple."

"If you dare to divulge even a single word..."

The image of the birth and death of stars flashed once again in the eyes of the patriarch.

"Even if you escape to the Thirty-Three Heavens and hide in the depths of the Netherworld, I will still personally annihilate you... body and soul."

The last four words sent a chill down Li Yan's spine, and he prostrated himself on the ground:

"This disciple will remember! I would never dare to reveal the secret of our sect!"

The patriarch nodded slightly.

With a flick of his finger, a stream of chaotic light flew out and entered Li Yan's brow.

"Since you are unwilling to learn the Somersault Cloud, I will teach you another escape technique."

"This method is called the 'Zhou Tian Xing Yi Bu' (Circular Star Movement), which was used by ancient star officials to patrol the heavens and conforms to the mechanism of the movement of the stars in the celestial sphere."