Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 13: On the Dao, Junior Brother

"Road to Road, very Avenue"

When Chen Xiuyuan opened his eyes again, he was slightly taken aback. Everything in front of him had changed. He first looked around, but suddenly found that the endless steps had disappeared and been replaced by a small courtyard.

There were also two old men in the courtyard, two old men with a sage-like demeanor.

"Greetings, esteemed seniors."

Chen Xiuyuan spoke first, breaking the silence.

"Are you here to become my disciple?"

Opposite him was a tea table with a teapot and two teacups on it. To his left was a kind-looking old man, and to his right was a slightly stern-looking old man.

The one who spoke was the elderly man on the left.

"Yes."

Chen Xiuyuan didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point.

"Since you want to become an apprentice, what are your reasons?"

This time, it was the old man on the right who spoke, his indifferent eyes showing little emotion.

Chen Xiuyuan frowned. Although it was just two simple sentences, he felt as if the old man in front of him had seen through everything about him, and this feeling made his heart tighten.

Hearing this, he did not answer immediately. His mind stirred, and a series of thoughts surged into his mind. There should not be many Taoist masters from the Heavenly Sect who could give him this feeling. In addition, at this time, the right is respected. If he was not mistaken, this old man should be that master from the Taoist Heavenly Sect—Bei Mingzi.

Conversely, several answers to the other party's question flashed through his mind, but he immediately dismissed them all.

If the old man opposite me is indeed the person I suspect, then trying to fob me off with some high-sounding answers might backfire.

After some thought, Chen Xiuyuan followed his heart and said, "See the world, see all living beings, see yourself; seek a heart free of hindrances, a heart as still as water, a heart at peace."

Upon hearing this answer, the two old men opposite him narrowed their eyes. The teachings of the Heavenly Sect were about the unity of heaven and man and the supreme detachment from emotions. What Chen Xiuyuan said seemed to be in line with the Heavenly Sect's intentions. But was this answer a bit deliberate?
After a slight pause, Chen Xiuyuan continued, "I also wish to seek immortality through the Dao."

Upon hearing the words "immortal immortality," the two elders' gazes changed once again. For a long time, neither of them spoke, their eyes remaining fixed on Chen Xiuyuan.

Chen Xiuyuan seemed to sense their gazes, but he wasn't reserved. These were just his own thoughts, and he spoke frankly about them.

His calm gaze was like a pool of autumn water; a gentle breeze would stir up ripples, but the water would eventually return to its calm state.

Seeing Chen Xiuyuan so composed, the old man on the right spoke again.

“Young man, if you ask for too much, you will lose sight of the essence of asking. Once the thought arises, how can you talk about having a calm mind? I have spent 150 years and still haven’t reached the state you’re talking about.”

Chen Xiuyuan was stunned, not because of the other party's doubts, but because of the time period: 150 years. If he hadn't misheard, this would have been an outrageous number.

The other party then continued, "The Heavenly Sect emphasizes the unity of heaven and man. Most of its disciples cultivate the Way of Ruthlessness, which emphasizes the supreme ruthlessness, following the natural order of heaven and the times, and the natural way. Using the word 'seeking' loses the essence of the natural way."

Chen Xiuyuan was taken aback by the other person's words. What the other person said seemed to make a lot of sense, but he did indeed have his own reasons for wanting to become a disciple. He remembered that the white-haired girl seemed to have answered a similar question before. At that time, her answer was, "Do I need any other reason to become stronger?" Later, she was accepted as Bei Mingzi's last disciple.

But that was the other party's answer, not his own, and the other party's answer was also imperfect to Bei Mingzi.

Perhaps his answer was not perfect in Bei Mingzi's mind, but since he had this opportunity to see a true Taoist master, he wanted to know and understand what the other party was thinking.

"If the heart has no desires, then why cultivate oneself? I once heard a saying: 'The Tao follows nature, and yet nothing is left undone by doing nothing.'"

"One should not do what one can and then leave it to fate. If one is in a quagmire and does nothing, then one should give up on oneself completely. I think that is a waste of one's life."

“I don’t know what ‘Tao’ is, but I believe that all living beings have ‘Tao’. Struggling to survive, turning the tide, and following the natural order should all be a kind of ‘Tao’. Doing certain things may bring about changes, and these should also be within ‘Tao’.”

"At dawn, when people see the sun rising, they know it's daytime and people begin a new day. Some people go to work in the fields. Perhaps one day a torrential rain will fall, causing a complete crop failure. Would they then give up?"

The two elderly men were good listeners, listening to Chen Xiuyuan's words without interrupting until finally, when Chen Xiuyuan asked his own question.

The old man on the left suddenly spoke up: "From a personal perspective, he should indeed continue to work because they need food to fill their stomachs. But from another perspective, this calamity is simply the natural order of things. Even if we wanted to change it, it would be of no use. So what difference would it make whether we work or not?"

Sitting there, Chen Xiuyuan's gaze flickered slightly. What the old man said was actually the concept of the Taoist Heavenly Sect: to take a detached view of the world and for all things to return to the cycle of the Heavenly Dao.

The old man on the right stood up, his gaze leaving Chen Xiuyuan and turning to look higher up.

“If the mind is attached to something, then there is gain; if there is no attachment, then there is no gain or loss. Because there is no attachment, there is no loss.”

"Although you are concerned about gains and losses in your words, you are not concerned about them in your mindset, which is very good."

"What exactly is the Tao? We are all exploring it. I cannot give you the answer; you need to find it yourself."

The old man on the left was taken aback when he heard this.

He then looked at Chen Xiuyuan again and laughed.

"Uncle-Master, I almost got fooled by this little guy."

Chen Xiuyuan scratched his head, seemingly understanding but not quite, but he didn't care. Tianzong was just one of his choices, not his only one.

Seeing this, the old man shook his head inwardly. No wonder his martial uncle valued the little guy so much before. Whether someone is willing or not, there is a world of difference between them.

"From now on, your name will be Qingxu. If you have any questions, you can come to me."

After saying this, the other party's figure slowly disappeared from the spot. Seeing this, Chen Xiuyuan's eyes twitched. Tianzong had definitely come to the right place.

"Congratulations, junior brother!"

Upon hearing this, the old man on the left smiled and shook his head. It was the first time he had ever seen his martial uncle talk so much to a child!
Upon hearing this address, Chen Xiuyuan was taken aback.

"Junior brother??"

(End of this chapter)