Chapter 123: Beating the Basin and Singing

Yuzhou.

This place, which has experienced floods, droughts, and was even hit by a falling star from the night sky, has not had an easy life.

What's more, there are followers of the White Lotus Sect, who are constantly gathering people, attacking cities and seizing territories, raising the banner of rebellion, and hoping to take advantage of the opportunity to make a career.

Everyone understands the importance of autumn harvest, especially since there are many plains here, most of which are flat and there are no dangerous places, but the grain output also ranks first among the months.

Rebelling here is no different from setting fire to the granary.

Of course, the temple will not really ignore this place. The four-nation coalition can wait for a while. The White Lotus Sect wants to destroy Dayue now! Naturally, they will send troops to suppress it first!

Wars broke out from time to time, and the people, who could once barely make a living by relying on the food from the fields, were forced to make a choice.

Either be conscripted or join the White Lotus.

In a year like this, it is impossible to farm peacefully.

Qingpingzi was walking among the villages, holding a compass-like instrument in his hand.

The village was very quiet, not a single person was seen for a long time.

Next to him was a boy who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old. He had a palm-sized turtle on his head. The turtle shell was dark black with a few white spots.

"Master, where are we going?"

The young man held a piece of straw in his mouth and muttered, "I've been to this village before. There were many people here before. What a pity..."

What a pity, he didn't say anything else.

Qingpingzi ignored him and just stared calmly at the instrument in his hand, his eyes constantly looking at something.

Zou Dan said no more. He poked the pebbles on the ground with his toes out of boredom and followed Qing Pingzi's footsteps, walking forward.

At a certain moment, Zou Dan suddenly heard singing.

singing?

Curiosity flashed in his eyes. How could anyone still be in the mood to sing when the village had become like this?

Seeing that Qingpingzi wasn't paying attention, he secretly took the opportunity to walk towards the direction where the singing came from.

Soon he saw it.

In front of a thatched hut, there was a boy who looked no more than eight or nine years old. He was holding a broken basin, beating it like a musical instrument and singing loudly.

Zou Dan moved closer and stared at the young man again and again.

He was a very thin guy, with a pale face and skinny body, and even his singing was weak.

But there was clearly a smile on his face, and I don't know why he was happy.

Under his feet, there was a rolled-up straw mat.

If Zou Dan was not mistaken, there should be a human body inside! Even a brave man like him couldn't help but feel a little scared. He stared at the boy blankly and asked, "Are you a human or a ghost?"

When the boy saw him, he was not surprised at all. Instead, he asked, "What ghost? Have you ever seen a ghost?"

Avoiding his question, Zou Dan pointed to the straw mat wrapped under his feet and asked, "Who is this?"

"My mother."

The boy said calmly.

"Dead?"

Zou Dan's eyes widened. "When?"

"This morning," the boy said.

"Your mother gave birth to you and raised you. Now she has unfortunately passed away. It would be fine if you were not sad, heartbroken, or crying, but you actually sang while beating a clay pot? Don't you think this is too much?"

Zou Dan was full of confusion, and even the turtle on his head cast its gaze towards the young man.

Normal people would feel sad when their relatives or friends die, let alone the death of their biological parents.

Anyone who doesn't cry loudly will be regarded as an unfilial son by the villagers.

He must not even dare to show a smile, and his sadness must be felt by others.

Could it be that his mother was very mean to him, so he was singing so happily at this time? After hearing this, the boy finally got up from the ground.

It's not that he didn't feel sad at all. His eyes were indeed red with an indelible sadness, but he was clearly smiling. Two completely different emotions appeared on the same person's face, which inevitably looked a little strange.

"I felt sad at first, and couldn't stop crying. But then I thought about it. My mother was originally lifeless. Not only was she lifeless, but she also had no form. Not only was she lifeless, but she also had no breath.

In the vague and elusive state, the most primitive thing undergoes changes to produce breath, undergoes further changes to produce form, and undergoes further changes to produce life.

Now she has changed into death, which means she has no life. This change is like the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. Now she is resting peacefully between heaven and earth, but I am still crying. Why?

"Everything returns to nothing, life returns to death, this is the law of the universe. I will always accompany my mother, isn't this the truth? If so, why do I have to cry so hard and shed tears at this moment?"

He walked to the side of the straw mat, gently placed his palm on the mat, and said, "From now on, mother will not be afraid of cold or heat, will not have to work hard, will be able to rest and sleep, without any burden."

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

Zou Dan listened in a daze as the young man told him profound principles that were difficult for ordinary people to understand.

In a trance, it seemed as if Qingpingzi was preaching in my ears.

This boy is not ordinary!

It’s just that I don’t really like his ideas.

"The four seasons run, and yin and yang go back and forth. Everything in the world is constantly changing. It is precisely because of the changes that a colorful world is born. All things in the world return to one, and one gives rise to all things. A person's life is in it and is affected at every moment.

"When people are in this world, they are trying to understand the changes of yin and yang, the mysteries of the five elements, and the principles of heaven and earth. After death, when they return to heaven and earth, they lose all direction and return to chaos. How can they not be sad?"

Zou Dan's views are similar to those of the young man, but he is obviously more positive and proactive. He corrects the young man's words with a slightly reprimanding tone.

But the turtle on his head had retracted its head into its shell at some point, as if it didn't want to listen to the two people's long-winded speeches.

At some point, Qingpingzi came here, stared at the young man, and asked with great interest, "What's your name?"

The young man looked up at him and said calmly, "Zhuang Sheng."

"Did you think of what you just said?"

Qingpingzi looked at him with great satisfaction. This was a good candidate for cultivating Taoism!

"When you're hungry and can't sleep, you always have to think about something."

Zhuang Sheng nodded.

“Yes, very good!”

Qingpingzi put away the tools in his hand and invited, "Are you interested in learning Taoism from me?"

"Tao? What is that?"

Zhuang Sheng looked confused.

"That's what you said, the principle of the operation of heaven and earth. We people call it Tao." Qingpingzi said.

"Is Tao something that people can pursue?" asked Zhuangzi.

"Humans can't do it, but immortals can. When a person has mastered enough 'Tao', he will be an immortal in the eyes of the world. As the saying goes, seek immortality and ask for the Tao. On the way, the immortal will come. You can get rid of the shackles of the world and seek the supreme mystery."

Qingpingzi said firmly.

Zou Dan rolled his eyes secretly.

The master started again (end of this chapter)