Life and death are like a dream
So she replied, "Then this disciple has offended you." She then stood up, carefully approached, and reached out to touch Li Wujiu's body. He was indeed warm to the touch, and she could feel his heartbeat and pulse, which were extremely faint.
Li Wujiu's voice smugly echoed in her mind: "How about it? I really am alive, aren't I?"
A-Qiu was a little confused about whether he was a human or a ghost, and said, "Then why don't you speak to me from inside my body, but instead speak to me from inside my mind?"
Li Wujiu said sullenly, "That's naturally because I'm in a meditative state. If I don't want to break out of this state, I can only communicate with my mind."
A Qiu had only heard descriptions of Li Wujiu from two other people before. In Xiao Yu's words, he was a venerable elder with an ethereal, otherworldly air, whose every word and action was full of profound meaning, and who was indifferent and unrestrained.
In Gu Yi's words, Li Wujiu was a confidant who was half teacher and half friend. His actions contained the principles of Heaven but were not pedantic, and he was humorous and witty.
Now that she was personally dealing with Li Wujiu, she found that this senior had a rather carefree and easygoing nature. It seemed that even life and death were not a big deal for him. The melancholy she felt from his brush with death was instantly half dispelled.
Ah Qiu finally asked, "Senior, what exactly is it like to enter the life-or-death barrier?"
Li Wujiu simply said, "Like a dream."
Along with these two words, A Qiu could sense a multitude of images coming one after another.
It was a clear and vivid perception of existence, like Zhuangzi's dream of a butterfly, yet it also clearly understood that all changes and transformations are the result of causes and conditions arising from opposition and harmony.
It is the unity of "existence" and "external environment".
Li Wujiu said, "If we consider it from the perspective of human consciousness, I can sit here and know everything that moves around the mountain. The grass grows tall and the birds fly, the fish leap and the insects chirp, all of which are within my observation."
Ah Qiu said, "Therefore, you already knew when my master and I came in."
Li Wujiu said with a smile, "Even earlier. I knew you had arrived outside the cave." He then added with surprise, "And now you still call him master?"
A-Qiu said awkwardly, "If I don't call you Master, what should I call you?"
Li Wujiu said, “In the human realm, father and son, ruler and subject are placed before husband and wife. But in the heavenly realm, husband and wife are the first in order, because the Dao is divided into Yin and Yang, which is the beginning of all things’ changes. Qian is heaven, Kun is earth. When Qian and Kun were first separated, heaven and earth were first divided. Regardless of whether you have a formal title or not, you are already husband and wife. This is an unchangeable fact.”
After saying that, he solemnly added, "Sister-in-law."
A Qiu was embarrassed and speechless. After a moment of hesitation, she resolutely said, "Sect Leader Li, please don't address me like that. The reason I went against his wishes was to save his life. Now that I have inherited the Ghost Valley's legacy, my primary duty is to complete his unfinished work as his disciple. Moreover,"
She said deeply, "Sect Leader Li, you also need me to do this."
Whether Li Wujiu can successfully break through the barrier depends on whether Gu Yi can complete the great task of unifying the north and south in his lifetime. However, Gu Yi has lost his power and his appearance has changed, making it impossible for him to appear before everyone again. At this moment, this burden has been handed over to her shoulders.
Li Wujiu was silent for a moment, then spoke again, saying, "I have a question."
A Qiu was also surprised. From the moment Li Wujiu spoke until now, his tone had been nonchalant, but now it seemed unusually serious.
Aqiu replied, "Sect Leader, please speak."
Li Wujiu said, "Is your willingness to take on this mission your own wish, or is it because it is Gu Yi's wish?"
Without a second thought, A-Qiu replied frankly, "Of course it's because of him."
Facing Li Wujiu, she had nothing to hide, nor did she feel the need to. She said, "The only thing I have done since childhood is to practice martial arts in Lanling Hall. Obeying my master's orders is the only thing I should do. I know that the common people need to be pitied, but I am not so arrogant as to think that the common people cannot live without me. It's just that my master has a world he wants to see. He was able to enter the pass for a hundred years for this, so I naturally have to do my best to help him."
She admitted that she wasn't that noble, but she heard Li Wujiu chuckle in her heart.
Before she could react, she heard Li Wujiu say, "That's what I think too. So don't feel too much pressure."
A Qiu finally understood that Li Wujiu's words were specifically aimed at her statement, "And Sect Leader Li, you also need me to do this," to tell her not to feel too burdened by him.
Li Wujiu muttered to himself, "Actually, the world existed in our hearts before we saw it. I don't know if it's absolutely right for someone as persistent as Gu Yi to dedicate his life to transforming the external world. But everyone has their own wishes. I hope he can get what he wants in this life, after all, he has worked for it for too long."
A Qiu suddenly remembered something and said, "Does the sect leader know all that your esteemed disciple Xiao Yu has done in the Hidden World Sect? She..." She immediately remembered that Li Wujiu was forced into seclusion, which was partly due to Xiao Yu's efforts. It was unlikely that he was completely unaware of Xiao Yu's style and personality.
She didn't want to criticize Xiao Yu in front of Li Wujiu, so she simply said, "The direct reason why Master came to the Southwest was that Xiao Chang'an impersonated a disciple of the Hidden World Sect and went to the capital. Master left him in the palace, but he deliberately withheld the 'Transformation Pill' that the Hidden World Sect had made for Master, so that Master could no longer hide his identity."
Li Wujiu murmured, "Xiao Chang'an! Xiao Chang'an!"
Aqi said no more, as this was now an internal matter of the Hidden World Sect.
Li Wujiu calmly said, "The palace needs the Flying Phoenix Guard. Gu Yi told me about this a long time ago. The person I originally designated before entering the pass was Xiao Yu."
A Qiu was initially taken aback, but then understood: That makes sense. As the daughter of the powerful Xiao family of the north, Xiao Yu's background was similar to that of Shangguan Yuqi and Pei Yu, making her an ideal candidate for the Flying Phoenix Guard. Because the Flying Phoenix Guard itself is clearly a path for women to enter the world and serve in officialdom.
Li Wujiu said, "I don't know why it was Xiao Chang'an instead. But I took Xiao Yu as my disciple back then for Gu Yi's sake."
His thoughts seemed to have sunk into the distant past.
He still remembers that before Gu Yi left the mountain, he asked him what he would do in the future.
At that time, within the vast Hidden Sect, there were only the two of them; the rest were ruins, leaky courtyards, and alchemy furnaces that had been gathering ashes for centuries.
He thought for a moment and then said, "I will probably take in some disciples."
Gu Yi said dismissively, "Teaching disciples takes a lot of effort and requires a special opportunity. With your cultivation level, you have at least a hundred years left. Why are you in such a hurry to take on disciples?"
He said very slowly, "Inheriting the sect is only one reason. Another reason is that I think you will have someone to rely on in the future."
Gu Yi was eating and almost choked. He paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Then you should go outside the mountain; it will be faster to find someone there. Otherwise, if you sit here in the mountains and wait, you might not see a single seeker of the Dao even in a hundred years."
At this point, A Qiu finally vaguely realized the cause of Li Wujiu's life-or-death ordeal.
It was still because of Gu Yi's desire to engage with the world.
Just as Li Wujiu was about to continue, A Qiu interrupted him, saying, "If you had never met your master when he came out of seclusion in your life, would you have just spent your whole life peacefully in the mountains?"
Just like many of his predecessors in the Taoist tradition who lived a solitary and unproductive life, he spent his years in the mountains, watching the white clouds rise and fall, and thus lived a carefree and leisurely life.
At this moment, on behalf of Gu Yi, she felt an even greater sense of guilt towards Li Wujiu.
Li Wujiu was a man who never fought with the world and only helped Gu Yi without ever harming him. Little did he know that the two choices that caused him the most harm were both made because of Gu Yi.
The first time was when he took Xiao Yu as his disciple.
The second time was to answer Xiao Chang'an's bet.
Li Wujiu smiled and said, "Gu Yi didn't stop me from taking on disciples because he was afraid I would be lonely after he left."
A Qiu was speechless. After a moment, she asked, "Do immortals also feel lonely?" Although she had never seen an immortal, in her mind, Li Wujiu was an immortal-like being.
Li Wujiu laughed again and said, "He thought I would."
A Qiu was speechless again, never expecting Gu Yi to have such a sensitive side. But Li Wujiu's next words surprised and amused her even more:
"And I certainly will."
Before Gu Yi broke through his cultivation barrier, he lived in seclusion in the sect's secret realm for a long time. Although he had previously experienced going down the mountain to the bustling marketplace to practice medicine and help the world, he was ultimately not a person of the mortal world and viewed the world mostly with curiosity.
But these days of chatting with Gu Yi were a novel experience for him.
Gu Yi's insights were always remarkable, and when he taught Gu Yi calligraphy, reading, and interpersonal skills, Gu Yi would surpass him with just a little guidance. In the end, Gu Yi was not a dull or boring person if he were willing to speak; he just didn't like to chat with people most of the time.
Gu Yi was the crown prince a hundred years ago. He was outstanding in both literature and martial arts and was also well-versed in worldly affairs, but he was not familiar with the current situation of the world. With a little guidance from Li Wujiu, he was able to understand the current affairs and answer questions fluently. He even saw things more clearly than Li Wujiu, which often gave him a sense of novelty.
Therefore, when Gu Yi was about to leave the mountain, he truly felt a sense of loneliness.
People only know that a day in the mountains is like a thousand years in the world, but they don't know that a thousand years in the mountains is just like a day. Time flies by like an arrow, passing by in a hurry, yet the years seem to leave no trace on him.
Therefore, not long after Gu Yi left, he also went down the mountain to travel.
When I met Xiao Yu, he was on the streets of Luoyang, carrying a white cloth banner with the words "Ziya the Divine Calculator" in black characters, mingling among the refugees at the foot of the city wall.
That was Luoyang after the devastation of war; nine out of ten houses were empty. The Northern Qiang had only recently pacified the city and were currently purging and confiscating various forces within it. Most of the shops on the main streets had been looted, and even small vendors dared not set up their stalls, for everyone's life was at stake.
Since ancient times, the poor have consulted fortune tellers, while the rich burn incense. But in these difficult times, with no certainty about tomorrow, the poor have even less spare money to consult fortune tellers. His charade stands out all the more.
Li Wujiu came here because Luoyang was a large city, once bustling with people. Historically, many highly accomplished individuals had hidden themselves in medicine, divination, and astrology. He reasoned that in prosperous times, everyone was preoccupied with fame and fortune, so few sought the Dao. But in times of hardship, scholars often had no official rank to earn, which might lead to more people turning to the Dao.
Among the refugees, an old man saw him in his tattered robe, carrying this banner. Although most of the people on the journey were also impoverished, he couldn't help but sneer: "You young man, you have such a handsome face, yet you don't study literature or martial arts, nor do you farm or blacksmith. Instead of finding a proper way to make a living, you learn this trick of swindling and cheating. If your ancestors were watching, wouldn't they be furious with you!"
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