Qi Wuhuo said: "This is..."

The old man said, "Your senior brother."

He walked forward and Qi Wuhuo followed behind him. When they got closer, they saw the size of the tomb. It was obviously just a cenotaph.

Desolate and lonely, all the elegance and glory of the past have been washed away by the rain and wind.

A huge shock made the boy's expression serious.

The many complicated thoughts before were shattered by life and death, and evolved into the last question.

Those who have the purest heart of Tao and seek the great way wholeheartedly will die halfway, while the rest who are obsessed with self-obsession can live for thousands of years.

Why is this so?

The old man leaned over and peeled off the green moss that had climbed up the tomb, and pushed aside the covering branches to reveal the words on it. Qi Wuhuo looked at it subconsciously. The words were warm and peaceful, as if they were written casually, as if the person who wrote these words was still calm in his heart until the end, without any obsession or waves.

Qi Wuhuo recited subconsciously: "In this life of cultivation, I have met famous teachers, made good friends, and had close relatives and a loving partner. I indulged myself in the world and everything went as I wished. However, I have thirteen lingering regrets that will last until my death. I record them here."

"My first regret is that book bags are easily eaten by insects."

He paused, and subconsciously thought of his senior brother Yuyang, a practitioner who came from a family of scholars.

The latter became obsessed with his ambition to read books, and then with his great wish to pass on his fame to future generations, and ultimately could not extricate himself.

"Easy to eat..."

"The second regret is that the love is deep but the fate is short, and the beauty has a tragic fate."

Qi Wuhuo thought of his senior sister Yu Miao Zhenren again, and her resolute promise to be with him forever for the rest of their lives.

The Tai Shang lineage is not heartless, but one must not be obsessed with evil.

Xuanzhen had done the same thing before, but he didn't dwell on it.

Qi Wuhuo collected his thoughts and continued reading, "The third thing I hate is mosquitoes on summer nights. The fourth thing I hate is that the moon platform leaks easily. The fifth thing I hate is that the chrysanthemum leaves are often burnt. The sixth thing I hate is that there are many big ants on the pines. The seventh thing I hate is that there are many fallen leaves on the bamboos. The eighth thing I hate is that the osmanthus and lotus wither easily. The ninth thing I hate is that the ivy hides snakes. The tenth thing I hate is that the peanut racks have thorns..."

Xuan Zhen seemed to also have the same things that the previous brothers were obsessed with.

And there seemed to be more.

It was as if the colorful world and all the people in the world liked and regretted it. The so-called hatred was just because they liked it too much, so they felt regretful. Just from these words, Qi Wuhuo seemed to be able to see Senior Brother Xuan Zhen.

Seeing him laughing and scolding, he hated the mosquitoes flying around in the summer. He liked bamboo, but hated the hassle of cleaning up the fallen leaves. He loved to raise pine trees, but was very angry because the pine trees attracted ants and the ants destroyed the house.

Reading his writing is like seeing the person.

It was as if the thing in front of the stone tablet was not a tree branch, but the handsome and free-spirited Taoist Xuan Zhen, who looked at him with a smile and called him "Junior Brother".

The old man stood in front of Qi Wuhuo and said, "This is your senior brother, Xuan Zhen."

Qi Wuhuo said: "Senior Brother, he..."

The old man stroked the stone tablet with his palm and replied, "The Dao has fallen."

"Seeking the truth is not about strolling in a garden, or appreciating flowers and the moon. It is about taking my life back from heaven and earth. It is a difficult path to follow, step by step."

“It’s a test step by step.”

"When practicing the righteous path of Xuanmen, there are three disasters, seven calamities and eight difficulties."

"The three disasters are weapons, inner demons, and heaven and earth."

"You seek the Way, but if you fight with others with a sharp weapon and murderous intent in your heart."

“Or maybe you see injustice and draw your sword to fight with others. But you may not be as skilled as others or be ambushed by others. You may die and your soul may be dispersed, never to be the same again. This is war.”

"If I see injustice on the road, I will retreat and avoid it; or if I do things that go against my heart, causing distracting thoughts to arise."

“If we want to illuminate the universe with a little spiritual light, how can we illuminate the universe if we cannot be clear and unobstructed by ourselves?”

"Like the gradual melting of winter snow, you don't see it growing day by day, but it accumulates day by day, eventually affecting your mind, making your soul mixed, your cultivation level not improving, and eventually you fall."

“This is the inner demon.”

"The catastrophe of heaven and earth is thunder, wind, and fire. It is because you took back your life treasure by yourself, stepped out of the innate one qi, and the three flowers gathered at the top of your head, so they came naturally."

"Originally, all living things in the world are like a drop of water in a river, naturally harmonious, and all belong to the great way of one giving birth to two, two giving birth to three, and three giving birth to all things. Practitioners reverse three into two, transforming into Yuan Qi and Yuan Shen; reverse two into one, which is the gathering of the three flowers at the top of the head. This is equivalent to fighting against the current, and will naturally be washed away by the current."

“So practitioners need to [see their true nature].”

"Only when one's mind is not disturbed by external things can one perceive these disasters."

“Take precautions in advance.”

"The lightning strikes your soul, the fire burns your body, and the wind will rush in from your acupoints, destroying your cultivation and turning you into ash. Of course, there is no malicious intent in this. From the perspective of the natural operation of heaven and earth, it is just to allow you to return to the path of the three births and all things."

"If you avoid it, you will live a long life. If you can't avoid it, you will die on the spot."

"The soul flies away and returns to the universe."

"Buddhists are sad to be burned into relics in a fire, which is called nirvana; Taoists are trapped in a wind disaster, and turn into dust and leave the world, which is called sitting and passing away."

“As for those who do not follow the right path, whose souls are dark and whose thoughts are complicated, they cannot even survive the thunder tribulation.”

"Most of the Buddhist and Taoist sects are upright and pure. Naturally, there are also some extremely evil and selfish people whose thoughts are also extremely pure. The thunder tribulation cannot destroy their Taoism."

Qi Wuhuo said to himself: "My soul is scattered..."

The old man nodded and said gently: "As for the most common eight difficulties, there is no need to elaborate."

"After all, you've already seen it."

Qi Wuhuo asked: "Have I seen it?"

He paused for a moment, as if he had understood something, and said, "It's my brothers..."

The old man's voice was gentle, but it seemed that because of the many things he had seen and thought before, it sounded a little regretful to the young man: "These eight difficulties often become more and more difficult to give up as the cultivator's strength increases."

"There is a thing that is mixed and formed, and it is the first in the world. I don't know how to describe it, so I call it Tao."

"Tao gave birth to one, one gave birth to two, two gave birth to three, three gave birth to all things, evolving into all things and all laws. This is the mother of the world."

“Practice is to clarify one’s nature, return to the root, step by step walk to the One, and finally find the great way that embraces everything.”

"Everything you see now, the heaven and earth, and all living things, are all part of the Three Births and All Things. They are all correct, but they are not what we are pursuing. Some practitioners are only obsessed with one side of the Three Births and All Things, or even a part of the evolution of one of the Three Births and All Things."

"It's like entering a small path and not wanting to extricate yourself."

"It is said that one can obtain a method from the Tao, and a technique from the method. One can sit in meditation and refine the Qi, and then practice firmly and firmly, and then claim to have obtained the Tao."

"In this situation, there is no right or wrong in life, and everyone has their own pursuits; but if we look at it from the perspective of pursuing the original and most superior path, this is a big [difficulty]."

"Even the heart of Taoism is covered with dust and sinks into the eight difficulties."

"What about the three disasters and seven calamities?"

"They... don't even have the qualifications to reach the Three Calamities and Seven Tribulations."

The old man sighed, and then looked at Xuan Zhen's jade slip, and said: "And Xuan Zhen, just like you at this moment, has a pure heart of Taoism."

“But it is precisely because of this that I will never leave myself a way out. I have no worries or fears, and I only seek the great way.”

"In the final practice, in order to seek the most superior method, one must not avoid or retreat, but must face the calamity head-on, encountering the calamity of swords and weapons, the calamity of thunder and fire, and the calamity of the inner demon."

"After overcoming forty-nine disasters, I was ultimately unable to do so. I did not choose to keep my soul and follow the path of the Yin God."

"Don't have any distractions. Don't leave any room for others or yourself. Go all out."

"It died before it was accomplished."

"The first three steps before the death of the warrior are to seek the truth, cultivate the truth, and attain the truth. Then, he burst into laughter and died, disappearing into thin air."

The old man swept his sleeves over and removed the last bit of text covering the stone tablet. The remaining text was revealed, no longer as gentle, but suddenly became sharp.

When reading these last three sentences, Qi Wuhuo suddenly fell silent:

"The eleventh regret is that I want to prove the great way, but my heart is not firm."

"The twelve regrets are only to prove the great way, but my spirit is not pure yet."

"My thirteenth regret is that I have not yet achieved the great truth, and yet I have already died."

The Thirteen Hates of Xuanmen.

There were several words of hatred in his words, but without any malice, only an extremely strong feeling of regret, which was placed in the boundless and solidified heart of Tao, rising into the sky and startling the crows in the old trees.

The old man spoke calmly, but Qi Wuhuo seemed to be able to see that scene and imagine the heroism and determination of this scene.

The Tai Shang lineage has a naturally firm heart and a pure spirit. Hatred and regret are just not enough.

It seemed that the wind was blowing, and the clouds in the sky gathered and dispersed. The wind pressure was very low, and after a while, it began to rain. The rain was dripping, and after a while, it became a scene of mist-shrouded cold mountains, like an ink painting. The temperature here was warmer than where Qi Wuhuo originally lived, but since it was winter, it was naturally cold rain.

The old man opened a bamboo umbrella in his hand to protect the young man from the rain, took out a pot of wine from his sleeve and placed it in front of the dry grave.

The tree branches in front of the tomb swayed slightly, and the jade slip remained the same as it had been back then.

This is the only disciple whose Taoist title has not been revoked.

Qi Wuhuo could feel the old man's sadness.

Qi Wuhuo still said: "With your ability, can't you find my brother back?"

The old man smiled gently and said, "Found it back?"

He held up an umbrella and motioned Qi Wuhuo to follow him. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Wuhuo once had a dream. Let me ask you, if you were an official and someone was corrupt and abused their power for personal gain, what would you do?"

Qi Wuhuo said: "It should be governed according to the law."

The old man asked, "So, what if you see someone taking bribes and breaking the law for personal reasons?"

Qi Wuhuo said: "We should monitor it."

The old man asked, "What if you see someone killing someone for personal reasons?"

Qi Wuhuo said: "He should be beheaded."

The old man said gently: "So you understand."

"Life and death are the fairest things in the world. I will not break this fairness for anyone."

"A teacher is just someone who takes you into the door, points out where the road ahead is, and gives you hope."

"I changed your clothes, gave you a name, and taught you the Dao with high hopes. This is just the fate between you and me. I am [Little Master]."

"Instead of protecting the person who bullies you."

The old man said:

"Any of my disciples who fall into the world of mortals, love, reincarnation, or life and death, I will not save you."

"I'll just wait for you to realize it yourself."

"In this respect, you are actually no different from anyone else."

The old man walked up the mountain and stopped. He stood in the rain. The rain was so heavy that the sky and the earth were dim. His sleeves were hanging down. He held the umbrella for the young man and said gently:

"After all, you are my disciples."

"But all the cultivators in the world are my disciples."