Chapter 1167 - Looking Back With a Smile
Because he didn’t even understand the difference between the two questions.
“A old friend once told me that the rain is born from the heavens and dies on the earth. The middle is life… But does the rain really come from the heavens…. Rain comes from the void and has nothing to do with the heavens. The rain falls on the earth and nourishes all life, but it has nothing to do with the earth. It is just the fate of rain!
“The rain forms from water vapor, and water vapor comes from all living things. The rain naturally needs to return to them. This is a cycle, a cycle of karma, and it can also be considered fate.
“There is the law of fate. It is invisible, but it surrounds all life and quietly changes everything…” Wang Lin looked at the sky and randomly waved his hand. A thunderous rumble came from the sky and then water vapor gather from all sides. Dark clouds appeared, and a moment later, rain fell from the sky.
“Look at the life of a raindrop. Is there any raindrop that falls in a straight line… I observed rain for a long time like I was viewing life, but I didn’t see any drop of rain fall straight without changing its trajectory. They… always change due to the wind or the clouds or their own weight, adjusting the place they will land. Do you see the unwillingness from the rain?
“Do you know why it is like this?” Wang Lin withdrew his gaze and looked at Li Qianmei.
Li Qianmei looked at the rain, and after a long time, she softly said, “Where the will of the heavens exists, fate will change.”
“The life of a raindrop is very short, but due to cycle, it is very long… Cultivators like us have very long lives, but due to the will of the heavens, it is also very short.
“However, in just in the short life of a drop of rain, it struggles countless times to escape the control of fate. In order to fight fate, it keeps changing where it will land!
“And the long lives of cultivators like us are not something the rain can’t compare to, but how many are willing to desperately struggle to the death to escape the clutches of fate like the rain? To struggle until death to resist the arrangement of the heavens. To struggle until death to defy the will of the heavens!”
Wang Lin waved his sleeves and the sky rumbled and the rain was pushed back into the clouds. The dark clouds collapsed and the rain turned into water vapor that dissipated into the world.
“You changing the fate of the raindrop makes you the will of the heavens. The moth will be burned by the fire. If you blow out the fire, making it so the moth can’t die in the fire, then you have changed the fate of the moth. If fate wants someone to die but you save them, then you are the will of the heavens! There is a saying from ancient times: ‘Are those who call themselves kings and lords more noble than us?’ This saying embodies this truth!
“The celestials also had a saying: ‘Once a man achieves dao, his chicken and dogs will rise to heaven.’ This is another embodiment of this truth. This is my answer to your second question!”
Wang Lin’s voice was resolute. After he spoke, everything became quiet. As Lu Yuncong stared at Wang Lin, his mind trembled. His eyes were filled with a complicated expression, but he couldn’t help but respect this ordinary man in white.
The other party’s words had fallen on his mind. Lu Yuncong silently pondered for a moment and then clasped his hands at Wang Lin. He didn’t speak, but his action revealed his admiration.
Li Qianmei looked at the sky and confusion filled her eyes. She let out a sigh and looked at Wang Lin. This time her gaze was very different. She bit her lower lip and softly said, “Little Sister is convinced by Brother Lu’s dao.” As she spoke, she waved her right hand and took out a jade and pill from her storage space. She gently sent them over.
“This is an semi-complete pill infused with a rank 10 beast soul. The list of herbs and method required to finish the pill are inside the jade.” She hesitated a bit before looking at Wang Lin and whispering, “Little Sister has one last question to ask.”
Wang Lin was the first person she had met who made her ask the third question. There was a trace of complexity in her eyes as she carefully looked at Wang Lin as if she wanted to engrave him in her mind.
No else one knew the importance and significance of these three questions to her.
“I hope Brother Lu can resolve Little Sister’s third question…” For some unknown reason, there was a trace of red on Li Qianmei’s face.
Li Qianmei looked at Wang Lin and softly said, “The third question still is ‘what is heaven…’”
Wang Lin silently pondered and closed his eyes. Time slowly passed, and after seven minutes, Wang Lin opened his eyes. He looked at Li Qianmei and calmly spoke.
“What you’re asking is about not heaven, but dao.”
Li Qianmei pondered a bit and gently nodded.
“I have always been thinking about this question as well. I once thought that I found the answer, but looking at it now, that answer doesn’t seem complete…”
“I wonder what the answer Brother Lu obtained was. Can you tell Little Sister?” Li Qianmei’s gaze was pure as she looked at Wang Lin.
Li Yuncong stood on the side and let out a sigh in his heart. He felt like he was a third wheel. He shook his head and simply sat down on the ground. He waved his right hand, took out a jug, and downed a big gulp.
Wang Lin pondered a bit and slowly said, “I’m the fish, the dao is the net, and the river is the heavens. The fisherman who controls the net is fate!”
When Li Yuncong heard this, his right hand stopped. He pondered a bit, and after a long time, he seemed to gain enlightenment. He looked at Wang Lin, then his right hand reached at the void to take out another jug of wine and he threw it at Wang Lin.
Wang Lin caught the jug and took a big gulp.
Lu Yuncong let out a sigh and looked at Wang Lin with a complicated look. Although this person looked ordinary, he had an aura that made him yield.
“My child was really damned. Dying to him could be considered his fortune…” Lu Yuncong wasn’t an ordinary person. After drinking a mouthful of wine, he untied the knot in his heart.
Li Qianmei frowned as she gently massaged between her brow and softly said, “Teacher once said something similar. He once said that a person is the ant, dao is the mountain, and will is the heavens. If the heavens are angry, the dao moves with the heavens. If the ant is angry, it also has the strength to move the mountain!”
As she spoke, looked at the ground. She placed down a white cloth and also sat down.
“Dao isn’t the net or the mountain, but a thought! This thought varies from person to person. Some people regard it as a net, while others regard it as a mountain…” When Wang Lin heard Li Qianmei’s words, he began to ponder, and his eyes gradually grew brighter.
“Dao is a thought? A person is a person because they have thoughts, so they can separate from their body, merge with the world, and ponder about the unknown…” Lu Yuncong also seemed to gain enlightenment, and he seemed to mutter to himself.
Li Qianmei thought for a bit and smiled. “Brother Lu’s way of thinking is very peculiar.”
The three of them seemed to have forgotten the passage of time and began to chat in the courtyard. The originally murderous aura had been washed away by this dao debate. Night came and the moon hung high in the sky. This caused the shadow of the moon to appear before all three of them.
The three of them forgot about time as they debated dao, but this made the lives of the people outside bitter. The old man originally wasn’t anxious, but after waiting for more than half a day, he began to frown.
He didn’t understand why they hadn’t returned after such a long time with the Sect Master’s cultivation and Li Qianmei.
After several more hours, the anxiety in the old man’s heart became even stronger. He vaguely had a bad feeling. He clenched his teeth and no longer hesitated. He took control of the tiger beast and headed to the continent of Mo Luo along with more than 30 Purple Dao Sect core disciples!
However, just as they closed in, before they broke through the protective barrier, a commanding voice echoed.
“Back off! Without my order, you’re not allowed to take half a step into the continent of Mo Luo!” This voice belonged to Lu Yuncong. The old man was startled and quickly controlled the tiger to retreat. However, his heart was still puzzled.
Inside the courtyard, daylight enveloped the yard. Wang Lin looked at Lu Yuncong, and Lu Yuncong silently sat there drinking wine. He understood that he was not an opponent for this man in white. Even if the entire Purple Dao Sect came, it wouldn’t make any difference.
Wang Lin looked at Li Qianmei and calmly said, “For the third question, I can only say that dao is like a thought.”
Li Qianmei revealed a smile, and it was very beautiful. She looked at Wang Lin and softly said, “Thank you, Brother Lu, for resolving Little Sister’s doubt. I hope Brother Lu inform me once he finds the answer to the third question. From now on, Little Sister won’t be asking others these questions.”
Wang Lin was startled. He looked at Li Qianmei, and after pondering for a bit, he nodded.
Lu Yuncong let out a sigh and stood up. He clasped his hands at Wang Lin and said, “Fellow Cultivator Lu, with our night of dao debate, our past enmity is gone! However, you must return that Yin Celestial Flag to me!”
Wang Lin’s gaze was calm and he shook his head.
“You…” Lu Yuncong took a deep breath and bitterly smiled.
Lu Yuncong let out a sigh and said, “Fellow Cultivator Lu, this Yin Celestial Flag doesn’t belong to the Purple Dao Sect. It was sent by the main sect to be nourished. It must be returned after 100 years. If you don’t want to return it, I won’t insist, but once the 100 year period is up and the main sect comes asking for it, don’t blame me for telling them the truth.”
“The Yin Celestial Flag is something that belongs to the main sect?” Wang Lin’s expression was neutral, but thoughts flashed through his mind.
“It is! Forget it. Since you don’t want to return it, I won’t insist. Farewell!” Lu Yuncong clasped his hands. When he looked at Li Qianmei and saw that she had no intent to leave, he couldn’t help but feel bitterness in his heart. He clasped his hands at Li Qianmei and left.
After Lu Yuncong left, Li Qianmei looked at Wang Lin and gently smiled. She held up her jade flute next to her mouth and began to play. The sound of the flute echoed. It was filled with warmth and elegance. It was graceful like a gentle sea breeze and made it so people couldn’t help but be immersed.
This flute contained a tranquil charm, like the life in a village or the clear, mountain stream. It washed away all the dirt in one’s heart. It was like a rainbow bridge that connected two people so the estrangement between them would disappear.
Feeling the quiet and elegance in the song, Wang Lin closed his eyes. It was as if he had gone back to planet Suzaku and saw that woman playing the zither, or the blind woman in the Demon Spirit Land...
The flute song entering his ears mixed with the zither in his heart. It was difficult to distinguish them.
Lu Yuncong left accompanied by the sound of the flute, and the bitterness in his heart became even stronger. He looked at the Origin Sect and let out a sigh before leaving without looking back.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of the flute dissipated. Li Qianmei stood up and looked at Wang Lin before walking toward the gate of the courtyard. Then she stopped and looked back with a smile.
Just as this smile bloomed, Wang Lin opened his eyes.
“Brother Lu, the continent of Peng Lai will be holding an auction that only occurs every 30 years. Are you interested in going?”