Under One Person: The Seeker of the Dao in the Lü Family

Chapter 265 Old Cups for New Wine, Wise Eyes and Clear Minds

"Hopefully, no fool will dare to cause trouble."

Lu Qian shook his head and stopped thinking about it. Although he could sense that the mentality of these seniors had changed, he could not detect the changes in those who were more observant.

Sometimes, growing older is not simply a matter of accumulating numbers.

It's like two forty-year-olds, even if you combine their experiences and put a total of eighty years of their lives into one person.

That person's actual age was definitely not eighty years old, and in some aspects, he was incomparable to an eighty-year-old man.

The passage of time, though gentle and tender, like the continuous flow of a river, holds mysteries that cannot be judged by common sense.

Although Lü Qian was enlightened about the present and understood his past life, and had experienced the fleeting dream of wealth and power, he was still just a spirited young Taoist.

He could sense that beneath the skin of those older figures, there seemed to be another face, a more vibrant and youthful one.

"Time flies and leaves its mark."

"There are no other faces, they are all just yourself, and the same true heart."

Lu Qian shook his head, seemingly understanding something, and welcomed the guests with Lu Xiao. As he saw more and more people, his eyes became more lively and profound.

The people and things at the entrance of Lüjia Village seemed to reflect another scene in his eyes, with various principles intertwined, as if he were directly facing the essence of all things.

Lu Qian's eyes flashed with wisdom, and in his eyes, all things seemed to transcend appearances. Through these appearances, he saw the Dao he had been pursuing and the truth he had come to understand.

This change did not bring Lü Qian the joy of a breakthrough in his mindset. Instead, he shook his head and said, "Wrong, wrong. This is attachment to appearances."

"What I see is not a mountain, what I see is not water; although I have seen the truth, I have only seen the truth as I see it."

The flickering light of wisdom faded in Lü Qian's eyes, and the brilliant crimson-gold patterns in his pupils became deeper and more profound, as if etched with the sediment of time, becoming even more clear and insightful.

Such a change happened in the blink of an eye. Lü Qian still greeted the guests with Lü Xiao as usual, and there was no change in his actions.

However, in those clearer pupils, what was reflected was no longer the essence of all things; the complex and chaotic principles and theories, like reflections in a mirror or the moon in the water, vanished completely, revealing the normal scenery.

Lush green hills, red ribbons fluttering in the wind, and a bustling crowd of guests arriving for the banquet...

Looking at this ordinary and normal scenery, Lü Qian smiled slightly, and a sense of joy indeed arose in his heart. "The truth should be to see through the illusion and return to the original state of seeing mountains as mountains and water as water."

"boom!"

It was as if the sound of creation resounded in his heart, and the sound traveled through his heart meridian to his limbs, bones, and internal organs, finally echoing in his mind.

Within the bright and clear Lingtai Cave Heaven, the little figure formed from Lü Qian's primordial spirit sat cross-legged, holding a sword. Golden light shone brightly, and a serene and ethereal atmosphere filled the entire Lingtai Cave Heaven.

"clang!"

As a sound like a grand bell resounded, the once quiet and ethereal Lingtai was stirred up, as if invisible dust was being stirred up by the sound waves, and the originally tranquil and ethereal Lingtai Cave Heaven instantly became shrouded in mist.

In the thick fog, the billowing dust blurred the figure of the primordial spirit and obscured the shining golden light, leaving the Lingtai Cave Heaven shrouded in darkness.

"Ah!"

In an instant, a thunderous roar resounded from the chaos and darkness, shaking and reverberating throughout the entire Lingtai Cave Heaven. A dazzling brilliance followed closely behind, as if a dazzling bolt of lightning had cleaved through the darkness and chaos of the Lingtai Cave Heaven, restoring its previous clear and radiant appearance.

The invisible dust, along with the thunderous light, disappeared into the even clearer and more brilliant golden glow.

The golden light made the Lingtai Cave even more dazzling and clear, as clear as a mirror.

After all the strange changes ended, the little primordial spirit that had been sitting cross-legged with its eyes closed, holding a sword and a flower on its head in the center of the spiritual platform seemed to come alive, and its face showed the same smile as Lü Qian.

Together with Lü Qian outside, it slightly parted its lips and softly uttered, "Good!"

As Lu Qian spoke these words, he slowly exhaled a breath of fresh air. The five elements circulating and refining within his body became even more fluid and natural. Streams of essence flowed throughout his body, dispelling the invisible dust within his flesh and blood.

"Amitabha Buddha, congratulations to Benefactor Lü on attaining wisdom and enlightenment."

Not far away, an elderly monk in monk's robes with a kind face walked slowly toward the entrance of Lüjia Village, followed by a robust middle-aged monk.

"I have met Zen Master Jiekong and Master Baowen!"

Lu Qian smiled and bowed to the old monk. He sensed a certain familiarity with the high monk he shouldn't know, and the image of a reckless young monk flashed through his mind.

"No need for formalities, we are both travelers on the road."

A smile appeared on Zen Master Jiekong's kind face. He looked at Lü Qian's deep, clear eyes, which were like a bright mirror, and nodded approvingly.

"Bodhi has no tree, the bright mirror is not a stand; originally there is nothing, so where can dust alight?"

As Lü Qian listened to the "Bodhi Verse" from the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, he naturally understood the profound Zen wisdom contained within it.

He returned a Taoist greeting to Zen Master Jiekong, and then recited a line from Su Dongpo's "Ode to the Red Cliff": "We are but mayflies in the vastness of heaven and earth, a mere grain of millet in the boundless ocean."

"Hahaha, wonderful, wonderful! Young benefactor Lü has already grasped the true meaning."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zen Master Jiekong laughed heartily a few times, leaving the monks Lü Xiao and Baowen beside him completely bewildered. However, they both knew that their cultivation was insufficient and their understanding was poor, so they could only stand aside as listeners.

"What a pity, what a pity. Young Master Lü is a promising candidate for Zen Buddhism, it's just a shame he's a few steps too late."

The smile on Zen Master Jiekong's face faded, and he looked at Lü Qian with some regret. Finally, he sighed, "So be it. Fate brings us together, and there's no need to force it."

"Indeed!"

Lü Qian nodded and smiled at the regret on Master Jiekong's face.

Just now, Lü Qian witnessed the fleeting nature of life, discerned truth from falsehood, and gained his own wisdom and understanding.

The Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, Huineng, had a disciple named Xingsi, also known as Qingyuan Xingsi. He was one of the two most prominent Dharma heirs under the Sixth Patriarch.

He had a theory, which is known to the world as the three realms of "seeing mountains as mountains and water as water".

These three realms, along with the Sixth Patriarch Huineng's "Bodhi Verse," have been interpreted in various ways, with countless insights and understandings emerging.

But for Lü Qian, he has already gained his own insights from it.

His realization was that one should follow one's own heart and emulate the will of Heaven!

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Chapter One!