Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 155 The Fire Will Not Go Out
When the sun was high in the sky, the survivors in Peach Blossom Spring held a funeral for the dead.

In theory, when a Taoist dies, he should be buried in a simple burial, so that he can return to his original state and return to nature. In more extreme cases, he may even choose to be buried in the sky, "using the heaven and earth as the coffin, the sun and the moon as the jade pendants, the stars as pearls, and all things as the gifts."

However, considering the possible revenge from the Ghost Kingdom and in order to let the deceased rest in peace, Ren Yuan discussed with the other sect leaders and finally decided to carry out cremation.

The families and fellow disciples of the fallen Taoists lit up piles of firewood with tears in their eyes. Piles of flames blazed fiercely, and the 108 fallen Taoists were given eternal life in the flames.

Ren Yuan, as the leader of the Taoist sect, led everyone in reciting the "Chapter on the Eradication of the Three Evil Paths and the Five Sufferings, Refining the Corpses and Receiving a Comfortable Rebirth" to open a path for the souls of the dead and do good deeds so that their souls can be liberated and refined.

Then he said to the Taoists who were immersed in grief: "They will be remembered forever! Since the Taoists suffered, all the sacrifices will not be forgotten - but the premise is that we must never give up!"

The Taoists looked at Ren Yuan intently, and listened quietly to the leader's instructions:
"It is because we have never given up that we have come this far, and they will always be remembered by us. But if we give up one day, all the sacrifices we made before will be meaningless."

"We have paid so much. Are we willing to let all the sacrifices made in the past become meaningless?" Ren Yuan asked loudly.

"We are unwilling to accept this!" The Taoists responded in unison, their voices echoing in the valley, as if the mountains were answering them.

It is precisely because they are unwilling to give up that they persist until now...

"So, today we agree that no matter how hard the road ahead is, we must persevere!" Then Ren Yuan continued, "Believe me, there must be hope at the end of despair! Life is full of spring and autumn, and everyone has experienced storms and rains. As long as we don't give up, we will definitely be able to see the moon after the clouds clear!"

"Will that day really come?" The Taoists were somewhat excited, but more of them were unconvinced. After all, when they were at the end of their rope, chicken soup alone was far from enough.

"Absolutely!" Ren Yuan gave everyone three reasons. "I'm not saying this out of thin air, I have a basis for it."

"I'd like to hear the details." The Taoists said one after another.

"First, the biggest characteristic of this world is impermanence. Over the past two hundred years, the Northern Dynasty has established more than 20 countries, and the regimes have been changing like a revolving lantern. Our Southern Dynasty is no exception, having experienced four dynasties in a hundred years. It is uncertain whether Daliang will exist in twenty years. Who dares to say that the Buddhist religion will always be prosperous, and who dares to say that our Taoism will never be revived?!"

"Yeah." The Taoists nodded, and suddenly felt that the future was not so bleak anymore.

"Secondly, it is the Buddhist religion itself. It is completely opposite to our Taoist sect that advocates tranquility and inaction and worships nature. They compete with the imperial court for population, land tax, and temple construction, devouring a large amount of money. They are destined to become a major threat to the country. In the future, they will either completely drain the country and destroy it together. Or the king will lose his patience and ruthlessly destroy Buddhism! For example, Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty destroyed Buddhism. In just a few months, there were no more monks in the country!"

"Great!" Upon hearing this, the Taoists felt as if they had taken betel nut gas-relieving pills, which cleared away all the burdens in their chests and made them feel extremely refreshed.

"The third and most important point is that Taoism still has indomitable seeds like you!" Ren Yuan pointed at the Taoists and said excitedly: "As long as we persevere to the end, our Taoist tradition will not be destroyed. As long as the Taoist tradition is not destroyed, Taoism will definitely have a day of revival. Because a single spark can start a prairie fire!"

"Yes!" The Taoists' shouts shook the sky. They were finally injected with infinite power.

This strength is extremely important for people who are about to travel 2,000 miles and face countless difficulties and obstacles.

"Finally, I wish you good luck." Ren Yuan bowed deeply to everyone: "See you alive!"

"May you be blessed with infinite happiness, leader. Take care and see you again when you are alive!" Everyone bowed their heads and bid farewell to their new leader.

~~
"Oh my goodness, Lao San is now telling the Taoists to die, and they won't even blink an eye." This scene stunned Chen Baxian: "This kid is incredible, I always thought he was just a pure little virgin." "Because you are blind." A Yao was not surprised at all, and said proudly: "Our old family knows it."

"Haha, that's right. The entire Fangxian Township obeys his orders." Tianliangzi smiled and said, "This kid may really be able to break something in the future."

"Break something?" Upon hearing this, Chen Baxian looked at Ren Yuan steadily, his eyes became firm, as if he had made some kind of decision.

~~
When it comes to escaping, the sooner the better. After collecting the ashes, the large group immediately set off, leaving the paradise where they had lived for two and a half years.

Ren Yuan and A Yao saw Tian Liangzi off. Su Xiaoxiao also walked up to Bao Ren and whispered, "Take care."

Bao Ren looked at Su Xiaoxiao, who was always 19 years old, with complicated eyes. After hesitating for a moment, he whispered, "Are you still going to Beijing after all?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going there for that person." Su Xiaoxiao was very perceptive and immediately understood what Bao Ren meant. She smiled and said, "The love in our past lives is all gone. Now, I just can't let go of my brother and sister."

As she spoke, she glanced at Ren Yuan and A Yao and said, "These two silly kids are such a worry."

"It's wrong for you to say that about the leader." Bao Ren felt relieved and was in the mood to joke. "All of our Taoist colleagues will be unhappy."

"You old men let A Yuan be the leader of this lousy alliance, so you have no good intentions." Su Xiaoxiao stamped her feet lightly and snorted, "Anyway, if you dare to cheat him, I will never reconcile with you!"

"Don't worry. The Dao Sect is in such a bad situation. How could they betray their own people? They just want to take advantage of the people who answered the call and get through this disaster."

At this time, he saw Ren Yuanchao waving his hand, so he hurried over and bowed, "What do you want, leader?"

"Take these." Ren Yuan handed a package to him. Bao Ren took it and saw that it was all the external pills that Miss Nan had obtained with her magical powers.

"Leader, don't you want to leave some?"

"Take them all." Ren Yuan said, "I guess copper coins may not work well in Yunnan, oh no, in Central and South China, but this thing will definitely work well. When you get there, take out a few coins to make some arrangements, and give a few more as resettlement fees."

"You know what? I remember they used shells as money there." Bao Ren nodded and said, "But they don't need that many."

"I didn't ask you to use it all. I mainly left it for everyone to take." Ren Yuan said: "No matter what, survival still depends on hard power. Let everyone become stronger quickly so that they won't be bullied over there. With a stable environment, everyone can practice with peace of mind."

"I understand the leader's intentions." Bao Ren nodded heavily and said, "After they are settled, let them practice hard for ten years and then come back to take back our old land!"

"That's the truth." Ren Yuan clasped his fists happily and said, "Take care."

"Take care." The two said goodbye to each other.

(End of this chapter)