Hermit in the Mountains

After planting a patch of Chinese medicinal herbs, Gu Changsheng would use the "Taiyin Spirit Rain Technique" to irrigate the field every day. After that, he would sit cross-legged on the edge of the field to contemplate the changes in the seed's germination mechanism.

After finishing his daily tasks, he would go deep into the mountains to find withered trees to comprehend and absorb the "power of decay".

Gu Changsheng gathers the essence of the sun and moon and breathes in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth every morning and evening, and during the day he comprehends and absorbs the power of the withering and flourishing of trees.

Over time, the "Tree of Withering and Flourishing" in the sea of ​​consciousness grew thicker and stronger, entering the flowering and fruiting period, and was about to enter the state of transformation.

One morning, after finishing his morning exercises, Gu Changsheng fed his three pets, cultivated medicinal herbs, and irrigated the herb field.

It was delivery day, and he returned to the living room of the wooden house to wait for Yang Dashan's arrival.

Inside the stove, the smokeless charcoal had been burning all night, leaving only a little warmth. The kettle on the stove was not steaming; only lukewarm water lay still inside.

Gu Changsheng sat cross-legged beside the stove, his left hand holding a copy of the Taoist scripture "Taiyi Jinhua Zongzhi" and studying it, while his right hand picked up the kettle and poured himself a cup of warm water to soothe his throat and stomach.

He quietly read the "Hundred Days of Foundation Building" chapter in the Taoist scriptures, comparing his own transformation with the records in the scriptures.

"One Hundred Days to Build a Foundation" is more like a general outline for cultivation.

One hundred days is just a figurative number. Some people can complete the "Foundation Building" in one hundred days; some people need half a year, one year, three years, five years or ten years to complete the "Foundation Building"; some people can never enter the door in their entire lives and can only be blocked outside the "Foundation Building" door.

Gu Changsheng preferred the phrase "Foundation Building and Self-Refining," which runs through the entire "Hundred Days Foundation Building" practice and is also the starting point for Taoist internal alchemy cultivation.

"Foundation building" is about repairing the body and replenishing vital energy to restore health and lay a solid material foundation for cultivation, so as to strengthen the foundation and prevent the leakage of vital energy.

"Self-cultivation" is about purifying one's mind, eliminating desires, overcoming distracting thoughts and bad temper. It is not only about cultivating the mind but also about spiritual practice, in order to eliminate the dross and retain the purity, and to understand one's true nature.

Replenishing the body's three treasures—essence, qi, and spirit—to achieve a state where essence is abundant without leakage, qi is sufficient without the need for food, and spirit is sufficient without the need for sleep, and subduing one's restless mind, is the foundation-building and self-refinement process. Only then can one hope to step into the next realm and have the opportunity to unlock the door to the Great Dao.

Gu Changsheng compared his own changes one by one, and they did indeed match the contents recorded in the scriptures, except that his own changes were many times more powerful than those recorded in the scriptures.

He thought of a saying on the internet: "The rich rise to power through technology, while the poor rise to power through mutation."

He used to be a poor, unemployed man, and he truly defied fate by undergoing a mutation.

Life is the ultimate form of death, and death is the ultimate form of life.

He underwent a mutation while teetering on the brink of life and death, seizing an opportunity to defy fate and open a door to cultivation.

The stories of "The Yellow Millet Dream" and "The Dream of Nanke," recorded in ancient Chinese books, about attaining immortality overnight, bear a striking resemblance to his own experiences.

The story goes that he attained enlightenment and ascended to heaven overnight. He was able to open the door to cultivation and see a different world, which was already a great fortune.

Such opportunities to "enter the Tao" are rare and hard to come by; he knew how to be content with what he had.

The road has been paved, and I will take it one step at a time, being down-to-earth. I feel more at ease knowing that I have made every step by myself.

"Woof woof woof..."

The warning sound from Big Yellow outside pulled Gu Changsheng back to reality.

A moment later, Big Yellow, with its golden fur, led Yang Dashan to the door of the wooden house.

Big Yellow wagged its tail and ran to Gu Changsheng, begging for praise, "Woof woof woof..."

Yang Dashan placed the bamboo basket on his back at the door, bent down to take off his mud-covered liberation shoes, and stepped into the living room wearing socks.

As he walked, he recalled the changes on the mountain and praised with a smile, "Brother Gu, you've made this barren mountain better and better."

With a smile, Gu Changsheng gestured to the cushion beside him, "Brother Yang, sit down and let's talk."

With his left hand, he turned the water glass that was upside down in the wooden tray right side up, and with his right hand, he picked up the kettle, poured a glass of warm water, and placed it on the small wooden table on the left.

He gestured with his left hand to drink water, "Warm water, to moisten my throat."

"Thank you!" Yang Dashan plopped down on the mat on the ground, picked up his water cup and took a small sip. The water was just the right temperature, so he drank it all in one big gulp.

Seeing this, Gu Changsheng poured the other person a glass of water.

Yang Dashan stopped drinking water, pointed with his left hand to the bamboo basket by the door, and said, "I've brought everything you asked me to bring."

Gu Changsheng wasn't in a hurry to collect the goods. "Leave them there for now, we'll collect them later. I asked Brother Yang to deliver the goods up the mountain today because I need your help with something."

"Brother Gu, please let me know if there's anything I can help you with."

"The peach saplings and bamboo along the roadside have taken root. I plan to expand the planting area and need Brother Yang's help to purchase a batch of saplings in Chang'an City."

"No problem. How many saplings do you need? I'll drive to the city tomorrow and bring them back for you."

Gu Changsheng revealed his planting plan: "One hundred seedlings each of Golden Thunder Bamboo, Golden Jade Bamboo, Sweet Bamboo, Peach Blossom, Plum Blossom, and Agarwood."

"Also buy Qinling white tea, grapevines, fresh peaches, and ten osmanthus trees and ten mulberry trees."

"That's a lot, let me write it down." When Yang Dashan heard that Gu Changsheng wanted to buy more than a dozen kinds of saplings, six or seven hundred saplings, he quickly took out his phone from his pocket.

Gu Changsheng gestured for him to stop, saying, "Brother Yang, you don't need to write this down. I'll send you a purchase list later."

"Brother Gu is really thoughtful." Yang Dashan scratched his head and silently put away his phone.

He realized that his small van couldn't carry all 700 saplings at once. "I bought a lot of saplings this time, and my van can't carry them all at once. I need to call a truck."

"Brother Yang, you can just find another car, I'll cover the cost."

"You'll also need to find five people to help with the transport, planting, and watering of the saplings. Each person will receive 3,000 yuan for their labor."

Gu Changsheng estimated that five people should be able to plant 600 saplings in three days. They would need to carry the saplings three kilometers and fetch water from the foot of the mountain to water them once a day. The wages would be about 1,000 yuan per day.

"Okay, Brother Gu, I'll find the right people when I get back today and have them prepare the tools. We'll go up the mountain together tomorrow," Yang Dashan replied solemnly, nodding.

After chatting for a few minutes, Gu Changsheng put the supplies in the kitchen and escorted Yang Dashan to the bottom of the mountain road.

Yang Dashan returned to the village and soon found ten strong young men. He instructed them to prepare tools such as hoes, buckets, and bamboo baskets, and to go up the mountain to work as soon as the saplings arrived the next day.

He then personally called his cousin, briefly explained the number of saplings he needed to transport, and asked his cousin to add a few compartments to the truck to store the saplings.

The next day at noon, Yang Dashan and his cousin had already brought all the saplings back and led ten villagers into the mountains.

When Yang Dashan and his companion were pulling the saplings back to the village, a luxury car worth tens of millions of yuan was following behind them.

The luxury car arrived at an intersection, turned onto a stone bridge, and drove towards a beautiful little courtyard by the stream.