Under One Person: Starting with the Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul

Chapter 119 Worship and Recollection

Following the rugged mountain path, the three arrived at the mountain gate, where a four-pillar, three-bay stone archway stood in the morning light.

Lu Jin stood at the foot of the mountain gate, looking at the two characters "Sanyi" hanging high above, and remained silent for a long time.

This is his sect, and also the starting point of an old dream from which he could never escape his life.

Lu Lin also stared intently at the plaque. He had practiced the Trinity Method since childhood and was full of curiosity about the Trinities who only existed in the stories of his elders.

Looking at the mottled mountain gate, Li Chang'an didn't feel much, as if he were just strolling through an ordinary scenic spot or historical site.

"Let's go in." Lu Jin took a deep breath and stepped over the threshold of the mountain gate first.

Upon entering, the first thing that catches the eye is a large bronze cauldron with three legs and two handles, standing in the center, its body covered with verdigris.

The cauldron is a ritual vessel, placed within the main gate of the sect, symbolizing "establishing the foundation," establishing the legacy, establishing the lineage, and establishing the incense offerings. Lu Jin stood before the cauldron for a moment, then reached out and gently stroked its cold surface, saying, "When I first came here, it wasn't even as tall as this cauldron!"

Behind the large cauldron was a wide expanse of bluestone, but it was overgrown with weeds, some of which were already knee-high.

On both sides of the square are red brick houses of varying heights, with upturned eaves pointing straight to the sky. The buildings are layered and built against the mountain.

The magnificent framework of the entire building is still there, but it appears somewhat dilapidated due to long-term neglect. The walls are covered with vines, and a corner of several side halls has collapsed, revealing dark oak trees underneath.

This is the softest, yet most untouchable place in Lu Jin's memory.

In recent years, he has rarely returned to the mountain. He even moved the memorial tablets of his master and fellow disciples to the Lu family compound.

Because every time he returns here, seeing this familiar scene and thinking about those vivid people and events from the past, it makes him restless and intensifies his inner demons.

To some extent, this is also a form of escapism.

It's as if as long as he doesn't come back, it's just that he went down the mountain, while his master and fellow disciples are still on the mountain, meditating and cultivating every day amidst the morning bells and evening drums.

And so it came, only to shatter this dream with its own hands.

Looking at the overgrown weeds in the yard, Lu Jin felt as if a huge rock was pressing on her chest, making even her breathing heavy.

But he still mustered his spirits and led Li Chang'an and Lu Lin on a tour of the former site of the San Yi Gate.

He walked and stopped, pointing at the buildings along the way, like a rambling old man, talking about trivial things from his childhood.

"This side hall used to be the dining hall. Back then, resources were scarce, but Master always managed to get us some meat."

"This open space is the training ground. My fellow disciples love to spar here."

"This is the kitchen. Senior Brother Changqing was caught stealing food by his master and was punished by having to carry water for a month."

They didn't go to the Ancestral Hall, where the ancestral tablets had long been removed, leaving only a thick layer of dust.

After touring the front yard and living area, Lu Jin didn't linger and strode towards the back mountain.

In the shady area behind the mountain, there is a flat woodland.

Here, there are countless graves.

The remains of Master Zuo Ruotong, as well as all the fellow disciples who died tragically back then, are buried here.

Sixty years ago, Lu Jin, alone, buried an entire generation of the Sanyi Clan here, one handful of soil at a time.

Lu Jin walked lightly along the stone path in the middle of the graves, as if afraid of disturbing their eternal rest. He introduced the graves in a low voice as he walked.

"This is the tomb of Senior Brother Zhuge. He was a clerical man. His remains were taken away by the Zhuge family and buried in Zhuge Village."

"Back then, he was the life of the party in the entire Sanyi School. He loved to pull us aside and share all sorts of random, trivial things."

He talked about the everyday life of his village, and the strange and interesting stories circulating in the area. I rarely went down the mountain before, and I heard a lot about the outside world from him.

A smile appeared on Lu Jin's lips: "However, he's also a loose tongue. There are some secrets that must never be known by him, otherwise it's as if the whole sect knows. This personality is somewhat like that old geezer Zhang Zhiwei."

"However, the one thing he's better than Zhang Zhiwei is that if he talks nonsense, we can gang up on him and beat him up."

"That old bastard Zhang Zhiwei, I could barely beat him a move or two even in my old age."

"When I was young, I couldn't beat him at all, and I didn't dare to fall out with him."

Lu Lin and Li Chang'an followed behind, listening quietly.

Lu Jin walked to another grave: "This is Senior Brother Shuiyun's grave. You should call him Uncle Shuiyun."

He seems very serious on the surface, but he's actually quite funny. He often secretly takes me down the mountain to play.

"When we were little, I used to spar with him all the time. But when I grew up, he couldn't beat me anymore. Every time he lost, he would come up with all sorts of lame excuses."

"This is Senior Brother Changqing's grave. He and Senior Brother Shuiyun were in the same batch of disciples who entered the Sanyi Sect, so the two were very close and almost inseparable."

As Lu Jin spoke, scenes from that year vividly surfaced in his mind.

The master is both a teacher and a father, treating him sincerely, teaching him how to be a person, and passing on his skills.

Although Uncle-Master Chong seemed stern, he would carry him on his back to wander in the mountains, and the two of them would laugh happily.

Senior Brother Chengzhen is aloof, but he will grant Chengzhen's wish to see the second stage of rebirth.

He still remembers the way his senior brother Chengzhen's black hair faded, resembling drifting clouds. He looked aloof, but in reality, he was a very beautiful and gentle woman.

He still remembers the tone of his master's voice when he preached.

My uncle handed me some hot tea.

The noisy competition between the fellow disciples in the courtyard —

But in the end, he was the only one left, covered in blood.

And the root of all this is because—

"Snapped!"

Lu Jin was patted on the shoulder and came back to her senses, her eyes bloodshot.

He turned his head and looked at Li Chang'an, whose white hair was flowing in front of him, and the bloodshot veins gradually disappeared.

"Grandpa, what are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought!" Li Chang'an asked softly.

Looking at the graves covering the mountain, Lu Jin's voice was hoarse: "Grandpa was thinking that he had made many wrong choices over the years."

Lu Lin quickly comforted him, "Grandpa, everyone in the martial arts world says you have lived a flawless life. Everyone says you have done nothing wrong, so you don't need to worry about it."

Lu Jin shook his head and said, "The so-called flawless life is just a facade, nothing to be taken seriously. Even if others don't think you're wrong, some things, once done wrong, are simply wrong."

Li Chang'an said, "If you made the wrong choice, then so be it, Grandpa. Don't keep tormenting your past self. He was standing in the fog back then, and he was actually very sad and confused."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin suddenly couldn't hold back anymore, and tears streamed down her face.

He was indeed very sad and confused. It wasn't just him; all his fellow students back then felt the same way.

"Grandpa, what's wrong?"

This made Lu Lin a little flustered.

"It's alright, it's alright. Grandpa is just easily moved by some past events. It's not your fault, it's not your fault. Come on, let's go pay our respects to our master and ancestors."

Lu Jin wiped his face haphazardly with his sleeve, took out incense, candles, and paper money for the sacrifice from the pouch he carried with him, lit three sticks of incense and burned a stack of paper money in front of each grave.

The smoke dissipated in the mountain breeze, and the ashes of the paper were swept up by the wind and drifted over the pine forest behind the mountain.

Lu Jin knelt before Zuo Ruotong's grave and kowtowed three times.

Lu Lin and Li Chang'an also knelt down and respectfully kowtowed three times.

Afterwards, the group swept the graves, cleared the weeds, and tidied up the entire cemetery.

By the time I finished tidying up, it was already evening.

Lu Jin stood in front of the cemetery for a long time, then slowly turned around and looked at his two disciples.

"Let's go home. We'll come back in a while and do some proper cleaning and repairs."

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