A cat that lingers beside a saint

"Meow!"

"One bite?" The old Taoist smiled and swallowed the food on his chopsticks in one gulp.

After a moment, he shook his head and said, "Not even a sip. Have some water."

"Water is formed from pure air. Although it also contains some impure air, it is much less than that of grains."

"However, given your current condition, you shouldn't feel hungry."

"Besides, you just finished your breathing exercises."

Su Bai was taken aback.

He figured out the time it took for him to cultivate himself.

In order to better absorb the essence of the moon and the sun into his body, he would generally choose to cultivate during the time when the sun was about to set and when it was about to rise.

However, his master could tell at a glance that he had only been practicing breathing exercises for a short time, which made Su Bai begin to doubt whether he was a highly accomplished Taoist master.

But it doesn't look like it no matter how you look at it.

The old man was never serious, and I never saw him meditating or practicing. In the Taoist temple, he was either sleeping or sunbathing.

Apart from wearing a Taoist robe, he didn't look like a Taoist at all.

The only possibility is that he used to be a cultivator, but not anymore.

Thinking of this, Su Bai leaped up and jumped onto the old Taoist's shoulder.

Meow~

"Am I a master?"

You're overthinking it.

"Does my appearance resemble that of a highly accomplished person?"

"Whose master isn't high above, able to fly and escape the earth, or sitting in that grand hall, enjoying the worship of disciples and the reverence of thousands?"

"I'm just a scoundrel."

"Indulging in worldly pleasures and drowning one's sorrows in dreams, even if one day one dies in bed, it is unlikely that anyone but you will discover it."

As if he had thought of something, the old Taoist suddenly turned to look at Su Bai and chuckled, "You little cat probably don't even have the ability to erect a monument or dig a hole for me."

"So be it, so be it. I'll find some time to dig a hole for myself and carve a monument. All you have to do is scoop up a handful of dirt."

Su Bai was speechless.

He felt he shouldn't have brought up that topic.

He still held his master in high regard.

I originally thought that since he was a cat and his master was a human, they would have difficulty communicating due to language barriers.

But to his surprise, his master was able to understand his cat language perfectly.

This alone was enough for Su Bai to realize that his master was no ordinary person.

As for life and death, Su Bai didn't care at all.

"Master, when I was doing my breathing exercises today, I felt a bit uncomfortable. Have I reached a bottleneck?"

The old Taoist priest had already finished eating and was clearing away the dishes while responding to Su Bai.

"bottleneck?"

"Where did the bottleneck come from?"

Su Bai was taken aback: "Didn't you say that all cultivators experience bottlenecks?"

I'm talking about people, and you're not one.

"Old man, if you can speak properly, I promise I won't tear your bedsheets anymore."

The old Taoist chuckled and put the bowls and chopsticks into the kitchen.

Then he carried a deck chair and lay down in the yard.

She looked up at the starry sky and waved to Su Bai.

Su Bai jogged a little and quickly jumped into his arms.

"Bottlenecks are something that cultivators who absorb spiritual energy will encounter."

"You absorb the essence of the sun and moon, so where does the bottleneck come from?"

"The moon and the sun alternate continuously. The essence of the sun and moon is bestowed upon the world, a gift to all living things, and you are not required to repay it."

Su Bai subconsciously licked his paws, his mind racing.

As the old Taoist priest had said, absorbing spiritual energy is a form of plundering heaven and earth, which invisibly increases one's own karma.

After all, there is only so much spiritual energy in the world. If cultivators absorb it, then the amount of spiritual energy absorbed by other living beings will decrease.

That's why things like heavenly tribulations exist.

He absorbed the essence of the sun and moon, a gift from heaven and earth.

It's like putting a whole body of fresh water in front of everyone; you can drink as much as you want, but you definitely can't finish it all.

Thinking about it this way, Su Bai understood.

It wasn't that his cultivation had reached a bottleneck, but rather that his physical body simply couldn't withstand so much essence of the sun and moon.

But isn't this still a bottleneck?

Su Bai was puzzled and wanted to ask a question, but he didn't know what to say.

The old Taoist priest glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips, and gently stroked his head with his palm.

He then got up, picked up a candlestick, handed it to Su Bai, and led him to the outside of the Taoist temple's wall.

There is a mural on the wall, depicting characters from the myths and legends that the old Taoist priest once told.

Standing at the very center of this group of mythological figures is the Jade Emperor, who is said to control the Heavenly Court and the Three Realms.

Su Bai stood on the old Taoist's shoulder, holding the lamp stand with both paws, looked at the mural, and then looked at his master.

In the light of the candlestick, the master's shadow covered the immortals on the mural.

Long ago, he noticed that his master would often stand in front of this mural in a daze when he had nothing to do.

But every time I asked why, my master would just smile and shake his head.

After a long while, the old Taoist priest finally spoke.

"You can't get fat in one bite; spiritual practice is about enduring loneliness."

"Cultivation is also about cultivating the mind; cultivating one's nature is also about cultivating one's destiny."

"While refining the primordial spirit, it is also necessary to temper the muscles and bones. Only by cultivating both body and mind can one attain the Great Dao."

"Although the essence of the sun and moon and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth are different, they are of the same nature."

"Animals absorb spiritual energy and transform into demons."

"If one absorbs the essence of the sun and moon, one becomes a demon immortal."

"However, by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon while cultivating both body and spirit, one can shed the word 'demon' and become an immortal."

"And you? Do you want to be a demon? Or a demon immortal? Or perhaps you could drop the word 'demon' and join the ranks of immortals?"

But upon hearing Su Bai's words, his blood boiled.

"Immortal! I want to become an immortal!"

Upon hearing Su Bai's words, the old Taoist priest burst into laughter.

"Keep dreaming. Anything can happen in dreams. There are no gods or immortals in this world."

"I was just teasing you, and you took it seriously? You want to become an immortal? Go become a demon instead."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, hitting Su Bai's passionate heart hard.

Although I'm a little annoyed, I've long since gotten used to it.

Master has used these words to tease him more than once or twice.

In the past, Su Bai would have taken a bite.

But today, Su Bai did not do that.

He was pondering the old Taoist's words.

The old Taoist priest said it was a joke, but though he spoke without thinking, the listener took it to heart.

By absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, one can cultivate both body and spirit.

Is this any different from his previous methods of cultivation?

Isn't it still about honing your physical strength and refining your spirit?

Seemingly sensing Su Bai's confusion, the old Taoist looked up at the sky and said slowly, "Nature is inseparable from destiny, destiny is inseparable from nature, spirit is inseparable from qi, and qi is inseparable from spirit."

"If one considers both, cultivating both nature and destiny, how can there be a distinction between Yin and Yang?"

"If the Taiyin (lunar calendar) can refine the primordial spirit, can't it also temper the muscles and bones?"

"The sun can temper the body and bones, so why can't it refine the spirit?"

"You little kitten, you're too clear about the distinctions."

The old man's words were a wake-up call for Su Bai.

It's easier said than done.

Absorb the essence of the sun and moon, cultivate your life force...

Su Bai glanced at the old Taoist priest and couldn't help but snort coldly.

It's so easy to say, "Just touch your upper lip to your lower lip and you'll be able to say it so readily. Why don't you try it yourself?"

While he had his own thoughts, it did give Su Bai a direction.

Just then, Su Bai suddenly looked up at the old Taoist priest and said, "Master, how about you teach me how to fly and teleport?"

"Flying through the air and disappearing into the ground? Aren't you afraid of falling to your death? Don't learn this, don't learn this."

"I can't just chant Buddhist scriptures and meditate, can I?"

"Reciting Buddhist scriptures and chanting mantras? Meditation and sitting in meditation? These are just self-indulgent thoughts of monks who haven't entered the path. It's like trying to catch the moon's reflection in the water; it's a waste of time to learn them."

Su Bai frowned slightly; why did those words sound so familiar?

"Then what about divination and fortune telling?"

Master stroked his beard and chuckled, saying, "Fortune telling and divination are no substitute for being a down-to-earth cat."

Su Bai pouted: "Then what am I supposed to learn? Just cultivate both body and spirit? Absorb the essence of the sun and moon? Can't you teach me something else?"

The old Taoist priest chuckled, gently picked him up, placed him in his arms, and stroked his body three times. He smacked his lips and said, "This fur is much softer than when I first picked him up."

"In this world, whatever you do, just be happy and joyful."

After saying that, the old Taoist priest paused for a moment, then added, "Oh, right, there's also freedom."