140: Chapter 140, Fourth Debate
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Inside Zixiao Palace, Xuandu's question was still echoing.
"The paths you walked, the places you stood, the things you did—was it 'action' or 'Wuwei'?"
Lu Mingyuan stood there, looking at Xuandu.
Xuandu also looked at him.
That Taoist's gaze was very indifferent. It was as indifferent as autumn clouds, like winter snow, as if he cared about nothing at all.
But Lu Mingyuan knew that this was the Human School.
This was Laozi's only Disciple.
This was a person who truly understood 'Wuwei.'
He thought for a moment and spoke.
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"Senior Xuandu, I shall answer you."
He looked at Xuandu.
"The path I walked, the place I stood, the things I did—they were action, yet also Wuwei."
Xuandu did not speak, he only looked at him.
That gaze was waiting.
Waiting for him to continue.
Lu Mingyuan said:
"To call it action, it truly was action. Walking step by step, standing in one place after another, doing one thing at a time. At The Rift, we set up arrays, we killed enemies, we saved people. That was all action."
He paused.
"To call it Wuwei, it was also Wuwei. Because when walking, I never thought about where I would end up. When standing, I never thought about what I would become. When doing, I never thought about what I would achieve."
He looked at Xuandu.
"It was just walking, just standing, just doing."
---
Xuandu listened and remained silent for a while.
Then, he asked:
"Then how do you know if the path you walked was the right one?"
This question was very deep.
Inside Zixiao Palace, everyone looked at Lu Mingyuan.
Lu Mingyuan did not answer immediately.
He thought for a moment.
Then, he said:
"Senior Xuandu, I do not know."
Xuandu raised an eyebrow.
"You do not know?"
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"Correct. I do not know."
He looked at Xuandu.
"At The Rift, Demon Soldiers charge forward every day. New parts of The Rift tear open every day. Loose Cultivators are injured and die every day. I do not know if what I do today will be useful tomorrow. I do not know if this direction is the right direction. I do not know if this path will lead to a dead end."
He paused.
"But I still walk. I still stand. I still do."
---
Xuandu looked at him, and something appeared in his gaze.
"Why?"
Lu Mingyuan said:
"Because if you do not walk, you will never know right from wrong. If you stand still, you will never find the right place. If you do nothing, you will never know what should be done."
He looked at Xuandu.
"My Master once said something."
Xuandu asked:
"What was it?"
Lu Mingyuan said:
"Master said, cultivation is like walking. If you walk the path beneath your feet well, you will naturally know how to walk afterward."
He looked at Xuandu.
"Before, I did not quite understand. Later, I did. When walking, you do not know what lies ahead. But as you walk, you eventually find out. Which path is open, which path is blocked, which path goes far, and which path does not—you only know these things by walking."
He paused.
"This is Wuwei. It is not about not doing, but doing without a predetermined outcome. It is not about not walking, but walking without staring at the finish line."
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Xuandu was silent.
For a very long time.
Then, he asked:
"And if you walk the wrong way?"
Lu Mingyuan said:
"If I walk the wrong way, I change direction."
He looked at Xuandu.
"At The Rift, I have walked many wrong paths. I have stood in the wrong place many times. I have done many things wrong. When I am wrong, I change where I stand, I change the direction I walk, and I change the way I do things."
He paused.
"Being wrong does not mean the walking was in vain. It means I know that this path is blocked. I know that I cannot stand in this place. I know that this thing cannot be done this way. The more I know, the more the right path is slowly revealed through trial."
He looked at Xuandu.
"This is Wuwei. It is not about not making mistakes, but not being obsessed with the mistake. It is not about not taking a wrong path, but not stopping on a wrong path."
---
Xuandu looked at him for a very long time.
Then, he suddenly asked:
"Little friend, have you read the tao te ching?"
Lu Mingyuan said:
"I have read a bit. Not much."
Xuandu asked:
"Then do you know of 'doing nothing and yet nothing is left undone'?"
Lu Mingyuan said:
"I know a little. Wuwei is not about doing nothing. It is about doing things naturally, doing things without force, and not being obsessed with the results after doing them."
Xuandu nodded.
"Correct. Then do you feel that the things you did were 'doing nothing and yet nothing is left undone'?"
Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment.
"Senior Xuandu, I do not know if they were. But I know that the things I did were things I had to do."
He looked at Xuandu.
"At The Rift, when the Demon Soldiers charge, you have to stand. When a Loose Cultivator is injured, you have to save them. When The Rift tears open, you have to block it. That is not a choice; it is an obligation."
He paused.
"When you have to do something, you just do it. After doing it, you just forget it. Not seeking reward, not recording Karma, not calculating gains or losses. That is Wuwei."
---
A light appeared in Xuandu's eyes.
It was the kind of light that appeared when seeing something interesting.
He continued to ask:
"Then this poor Taoist asks you again—where did that 'obligation' you spoke of come from?"
Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment.
"It came from the heart."
Xuandu asked:
"The heart?"
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"Yes. The heart. When seeing the Demon Soldiers charge, there is something in the heart that makes you stand. When seeing a Loose Cultivator injured, there is something in the heart that makes you save them. When seeing The Rift tear open, there is something in the heart that makes you block it."
He looked at Xuandu.
"That thing is not something thought up. It comes out naturally. Like wanting to eat when hungry, wanting to drink when thirsty, or wanting to sleep when tired. It is natural."
He paused.
"That is Wuwei. Because that is nature."
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Xuandu fell silent.
For a very long time.
Then, he smiled.
That smile was very faint.
Faint like autumn clouds.
But within those clouds, there was something.
There was the relief of finally finding someone who understood.
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"Little friend, Ancestral Master Laozi taught that 'the Dao follows nature.' That 'thing that comes out naturally' you spoke of is the Dao."
He took a step forward.
"Where is the Dao? The Dao is in the heavens, and it is also in the heart. It is within all things, and also in that moment when you have no choice but to act. When you stood before The Rift, that thing that made you stand was the Dao. When you saved the Loose Cultivators, that thing that made you save them was the Dao. When you blocked The Rift, that thing that made you block it was the Dao."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"You do not seek results; you simply do it. After doing it, you just forget it. That is 'doing nothing and yet nothing is left undone.'"
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Lu Mingyuan stood there, listening.
As he listened, he suddenly felt as if something had cleared.
It was not the clarity of a sudden realization.
It was the clarity of something that was always there, but previously unseen.
He looked at Xuandu.
"Senior Xuandu, I am reminded of something."
Xuandu asked:
"What is it?"
Lu Mingyuan said:
"At The Rift, there was one time when the Demon Tide receded. We counted the numbers and found that twelve Loose Cultivators had died. There was one Loose Cultivator whom I buried with my own hands. When I buried him, my heart felt very heavy."
He paused.
"But after that sorrow, the Demon Tide came again the next day, and I still stood at the front. I still did what needed to be done. I still stood where I needed to stand."
He looked at Xuandu.
"At that time, I did not understand why I could still stand after such sorrow. Now, I seem to understand."
Xuandu asked:
"What do you understand?"
Lu Mingyuan said:
"I understand that the standing was not because I wanted to stand. It was because I had to stand. It was the Dao that made me stand. Sorrow is the human heart; standing is the Dao Heart. The human heart will feel sorrow, but the Dao Heart will not retreat."
---
Xuandu looked at him, his gaze full of gratification.
"Little friend, you have finished answering this debate of mine."
Lu Mingyuan cupped his hands.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior."
Xuandu shook his head.
"It was not guidance. It was confirmation. The Dao was already in your heart; I merely helped you speak it out."
He turned and walked toward his seat.
After a few steps, he suddenly stopped.
He did not look back.
"Little friend, the Human School speaks of 'Wuwei.' It is not about not doing, but not forcing. It is not about not contending, but not contending recklessly. The things you did were what should be done. The places you stood were where you should have stood. That is Wuwei."
He continued walking forward.
"Continue to walk. Continue to stand. Continue to do. When you have walked enough, stood enough, and done enough—you will naturally know when to stop and when to go."
He walked back to his seat and sat down.
As he sat, the light on his body changed.
It was no longer an indifferent light.
It was a natural, gentle light, like a spring breeze.
But within that breeze, there was something.
The root of the Dao.
The soul of nature.
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Inside Zixiao Palace, there was a profound silence.
Then, someone gently clapped.
It was Zhenyuanzi.
He looked at Lu Mingyuan, a light in his eyes.
"Little friend, I have lived for a hundred million years, but I have never seen anyone debate like you."
Lu Mingyuan asked:
"How did I debate?"
Zhenyuanzi said:
"It was not a debate. It was a journey. You laid out the path you have walked for them to see. They saw it, and they understood. They understood, and they were convinced."
He paused.
"This is a true debate."
Lu Mingyuan smiled.
"Senior overpraises me."
Zhenyuanzi shook his head.
"It is not overpraise. It is the truth."
He sat down.
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Yuanshi Tianzun's voice rang out.
"The fourth debate is concluded."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
There was something in his gaze.
It was an appreciation for someone he found increasingly difficult to see through.
"The fifth debate, the Loose Immortal asks."
He looked down from the stage.
"Zhenyuanzi, you come."
Zhenyuanzi stood up.
He walked to the edge of the stage and looked at Lu Mingyuan.
His gaze was very gentle.
As gentle as an old friend.
But within that gentleness, there was something.
The seriousness of wanting to ask a true question.
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"Little friend, I have a question."
Lu Mingyuan cupped his hands.
"Please speak."
Zhenyuanzi asked:
"You just debated 'Wuwei' with Xuandu and answered very well. I want to ask—the paths you walked, the things you did, and the Dao you obtained, is it 'Carefree' or 'not Carefree'?"
Inside Zixiao Palace, everyone's gaze fell upon Lu Mingyuan once more.
Waiting for him to answer.
Waiting to see how this young man would handle the Loose Immortal's debate.
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Lu Mingyuan stood there, under the weight of those gazes.
He did not panic.
He simply thought for a moment.
Then, he spoke.
"Senior Zhenyuanzi, I shall answer you."
He looked at the ancient immortal.
"The path I walked, the things I did, and the Dao I obtained—it was Carefree, yet also not Carefree."