145: Chapter 145 Lao Tzu imparts the Tao
---
Within the Chaos, Lu Mingyuan walked.
He didn't know how long he had been walking.
Here, there was no time.
Only walking.
Walking step by step.
Suddenly, he stopped.
Because someone was ahead.
A person, standing in the Chaos.
Gray-white hair, a gray-white beard, and a gray-white Daoist robe.
Standing there like an old tree.
Like a mountain.
Like... the Dao itself.
That was Laozi.
---
Lu Mingyuan stepped forward quickly and gave a deep bow.
"Disciple Lu Mingyuan pays respects to the Ancestral Master."
Laozi looked at him and smiled slightly.
That smile was very faint.
So faint it was as if he wasn't smiling at all.
But in that faintness, there was something.
There was a sense of closeness, like looking at one's own child.
"Rise."
Lu Mingyuan straightened up and looked at Laozi.
Laozi also looked at him.
He looked for a long time.
Then, Laozi asked:
"Are you tired of walking?"
Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment.
"A little."
Laozi said:
"If you're tired, rest for a while. Once you've rested well, walk again."
Lu Mingyuan asked:
"Did the Ancestral Master come to let this Disciple rest?"
Laozi shook his head.
"No. This poor Daoist came to preach the Dao to you."
Lu Mingyuan was stunned.
"Preach the Dao? In the Zixiao Palace, didn't the Ancestral Master already preach?"
Laozi looked at him.
"What was preached in the Zixiao Palace was for everyone to hear. What is being preached now is for you alone."
He paused.
"Do you want to listen?"
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"I do."
Laozi said:
"Then sit down."
---
Lu Mingyuan sat down.
Laozi also sat down.
Two people, sitting in the Chaos.
Surrounded by an endless gray haze.
There was nothing.
Only the two of them.
Laozi spoke.
"Do you know what 'One' is?"
Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment.
"One is the beginning. One is the foundation. One is Taiji. One is the Dao."
Laozi nodded.
"Correct. And also incorrect."
Lu Mingyuan asked:
"Where is it incorrect?"
Laozi said:
"One is the beginning, and also the end. One is the foundation, and also the branches. One is Taiji, and also Wuji. One is the Dao, and also the Myriad Laws."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"One is not a single thing. It is a name. It is the name we gave it. It originally had no name. But in order to speak of it, we had to give it a name."
He paused.
"Therefore, One is not One. It is the One spoken of for convenience."
Lu Mingyuan listened.
As he listened, he remembered the words of his Master Xuanweizi.
"Heart as the Mysterious Pivot. The pivot is the center."
He looked at Laozi.
"Ancestral Master, what is the relationship between the Heart and the One?"
---
In Laozi's gaze, there was light.
That light was gratification.
"Good question."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"The Heart and the One are the same thing, and yet they are not."
Lu Mingyuan asked:
"How so?"
Laozi said:
"The Heart is the Heart, and the One is the Law. The Heart is the substance, and the One is the application. The Heart is the root, and the One is the branch. The Heart is the source, and the One is the river."
He paused.
"But the Heart can also be the One. When you use your Heart to merge with the Dao, the Heart is the One. When the One returns to the Heart, the One is the Heart."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"When you were at The Rift, standing before the Demon Tide, what were you thinking in your Heart?"
Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment.
"I wasn't thinking anything. I was just standing."
Laozi asked:
"If you weren't thinking anything, then who was the one standing?"
Lu Mingyuan was stunned.
Who was the one standing?
He had never thought about this question.
He thought for a moment.
"The one standing was... this Disciple?"
Laozi shook his head.
"Incorrect."
Lu Mingyuan asked:
"Then who was it?"
Laozi said:
"The one standing was the Heart. It was the Heart that thought of nothing. It was the Heart that was simply standing. It was the Heart that had merged with the Dao."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"At that time, the Heart was the One. The One was the Heart. Heart and One were not two. That is why you could stand. That is why you could block the Demon Tide. That is why you could walk here alive."
---
Lu Mingyuan listened.
As he listened, he suddenly remembered something.
At The Rift, once, when the Demon Tide came, he truly hadn't thought of anything.
He didn't think of fear, didn't think of retreating, didn't think of life, didn't think of death.
He was just standing.
He was just fighting.
He was just doing what should be done.
At that time, there was no self in his Heart.
There was only the act of standing.
Now that Laozi mentioned it, he finally understood that it was 'Heart and One as Not Two.'
He looked at Laozi.
"Ancestral Master, I think I understand."
Laozi asked:
"What do you understand?"
Lu Mingyuan said:
"I understand One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones."
Laozi raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Tell me about it."
Lu Mingyuan said:
"One Qi is the One. The Three Pure Ones are the Myriad Laws. One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones is the One giving birth to the Myriad Laws. But the Myriad Laws eventually return to the One. The Three Pure Ones are still the One Qi."
He looked at Laozi.
"Just like when I was at The Rift. When I was standing, it was the One. But the things I did while standing were the Myriad Laws. Fighting the Demon Soldiers was the Myriad Laws. Saving the Loose Cultivators was the Myriad Laws. Setting up formations was the Myriad Laws. But when I did those things, there was only standing in my Heart. That is the One giving birth to the Myriad Laws, and the Myriad Laws returning to the One."
---
Laozi smiled.
That smile had a little more in it than before.
A little more happiness.
"Correct. And also incorrect."
Lu Mingyuan asked:
"Where is it incorrect?"
Laozi said:
"What you speak of is the principle. But One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones is not just a principle. It is a law. It is a technique. It is the Dao. It is something that can be used."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"Do you know why this poor Daoist is called Laozi?"
Lu Mingyuan shook his head.
Laozi said:
"Because this poor Daoist is old. So old that I've forgotten how long I've lived. So old that I've seen too many things. So old that I know everything will pass, and only the Dao will not."
He paused.
"But in all the time I've lived, the most precious thing I've seen is not the Dao. It is the Heart."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"You have a Heart. A true Heart. Not the Heart that thinks of this and that, but the Heart that thinks of nothing when standing. That Heart is very precious."
He reached out his hand.
"Come, this poor Daoist will teach you One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones."
---
Lu Mingyuan looked at that hand.
That hand was very old.
As old as tree bark.
But in that hand, there was something.
There was the root of the Dao.
There was the source of the Law.
He reached out his hand and grasped it.
In that instant, he saw everything.
He saw Pangu Creating Heaven.
He saw the Three Thousand Demon Gods fall.
He saw the Chaos shatter and the heaven and earth first divide.
He saw the Vicious Beasts run rampant and the Three Tribes rise.
He saw the Dragon-Han First Calamity and Luo Hou bringing Chaos to the world.
He saw the Witch-Demon War and Hou Tu transforming into Reincarnation.
He saw the Investiture of the Gods Calamity and the destruction of the Jie Sect.
He saw the Journey to the West Pilgrimage and the eastward transmission of the Buddhist Sect.
He saw the arrival of the Dharma Ending Age and the invasion of the Dark Heavenly Emperor.
He saw The Rift, the Demon Soldiers, and those who had died.
He saw himself standing before The Rift.
He saw himself walking here step by step.
He saw... everything.
---
Then, he saw Laozi.
Laozi stood before him, looking at him.
That gaze pierced through time and space.
It pierced through Karma.
It pierced through everything.
Laozi spoke.
"Do you see it?"
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"I see it."
Laozi asked:
"What do you see?"
Lu Mingyuan said:
"I see everything."
Laozi asked:
"What is everything?"
Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment.
"Everything is the Dao. Everything is the Law. Everything is the Myriad Laws returning to the One. Everything is the One giving birth to the Myriad Laws."
Laozi nodded.
"Correct. And also incorrect."
He paused.
"Everything is the One. Everything is also you."
---
Lu Mingyuan was stunned.
"Me?"
Laozi said:
"Yes. You."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"Those things you saw are all in your Heart. Pangu Creating Heaven is in your Heart. The fall of the Three Thousand Demon Gods is in your Heart. The Dragon-Han First Calamity is in your Heart. The Witch-Demon War is in your Heart. The Investiture of the Gods Calamity is in your Heart. The Journey to the West Pilgrimage is in your Heart. The arrival of the Dharma Ending Age is in your Heart."
He paused.
"The Rift is in your Heart. The Demon Soldiers are in your Heart. Those who died are in your Heart. When you stood before The Rift, that too is in your Heart."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"Everything is in your Heart. You are everything."
---
Lu Mingyuan stood there and listened.
As he listened, he suddenly felt that something had cleared.
It wasn't the kind of clarity from a sudden realization.
It was the kind of clarity that was always there, but he just hadn't seen it before.
He looked at Laozi.
"Ancestral Master, I understand."
Laozi asked:
"What do you understand?"
Lu Mingyuan said:
"I understand the true meaning of One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones."
He looked at Laozi.
"One Qi is the Heart. The Three Pure Ones are the things transformed from the Heart. Transforming into the Dao, transforming into the Law, transforming into the Myriad Laws. But what is transformed is still in the Heart. If the Heart does not change, the Myriad Laws naturally return. If the Heart moves, the Myriad Laws naturally arise."
He paused.
"But the Heart is not unchanging. The Heart changes. The Heart transforms. The Heart gives birth to the Myriad Laws and also retracts them. When transforming, it is the Three Pure Ones. When retracting, it is the One Qi. Between transformation and retraction lies the Dao."
Laozi looked at him, his gaze full of gratification.
"Correct. This is One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones."
He reached out and tapped Lu Mingyuan's brow.
In that instant, Lu Mingyuan felt something enter his Heart.
That thing was very light.
As light as a breeze.
But in that breeze, there was something.
There was the seed of the Dao.
There was the root of the Law.
There was the source of the Myriad Laws."
---
Laozi withdrew his hand.
"This poor Daoist has planted One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones in your Heart."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"In the future, when you want to use it, it will be there. When you don't want to use it, it will also be there. When it is there, you will know that the Heart is the One and the Myriad Laws are the Three Pure Ones. If the Heart does not move, the Myriad Laws naturally return. If the Heart moves, the Myriad Laws naturally arise."
He paused.
"But you must remember."
Lu Mingyuan asked:
"Remember what?"
Laozi said:
"The Heart is the One and also the Myriad Laws. The Myriad Laws are the Three Pure Ones and also the One Qi. One and Three are not two things. They are two names for one thing. They are two states of the same Heart."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"When you were at The Rift, when you were standing, it was the One. When you were fighting the Demon Soldiers, it was the Three Pure Ones. But standing and fighting are the same thing. It is one Heart doing different things."
He paused.
"This is the true meaning of One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones."
---
Lu Mingyuan stood there and listened.
As he listened, he suddenly remembered something.
He remembered when Laozi passed him 'One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones' in the Zixiao Palace, he said a sentence.
"This poor Daoist passes you One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones not for you to learn, but for you to understand."
Now he understood.
It wasn't learned.
It was understood.
It was something that should have been understood all along.
He looked at Laozi and gave a deep bow.
"Thank you, Ancestral Master."
Laozi shook his head.
"No need for thanks. This is what you deserve."
He stood up.
Lu Mingyuan also stood up.
Laozi looked at him.
"This poor Daoist must leave."
Lu Mingyuan asked:
"Where is the Ancestral Master going?"
Laozi said:
"Back to the Zixiao Palace. Back Beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens. Back to the place where I should return."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"You must continue to walk forward. Many people are still waiting for you ahead. There are many Daos waiting for you to realize. There are many calamities waiting for you to pass."
He paused.
"Remember, the Heart is the One. The Myriad Laws are the Three Pure Ones. One transforms into Three, and Three returns to One. When transforming, do not be attached. When retracting, do not be greedy. Between transformation and retraction lies the Dao."
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"This Disciple has remembered."
---
Laozi turned around, preparing to leave.
After taking two steps, he suddenly stopped.
He did not look back.
"By the way, there is one more thing."
Lu Mingyuan asked:
"What is it?"
Laozi said:
"One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones can transform into more than just three. It can transform into countless ones. Because the Heart is infinite. The Heart can give birth to the Myriad Laws and also to the Myriad Myriad Laws. 'Three Pure Ones' is just for convenience of speech."
He paused.
"How many laws your Heart can give birth to depends on how much of the path you can walk. The more of the path you walk, the more laws will be born. The more laws are born, the richer the Heart will be. The richer the Heart, the deeper the Dao."
He continued to walk forward.
"Therefore, walk the path more. Only by walking the path more can you give birth to more laws. Only by giving birth to more laws can you deeply realize the Dao. Only by deeply realizing the Dao can you truly transcend."
His figure gradually disappeared into the Chaos.
Finally, one last sentence drifted back.
"Child, walk the path well."
---
Lu Mingyuan stood there, looking in the direction where Laozi had disappeared.
For a long, long time.
Then, he gave a deep bow.
"Thank you, Ancestral Master."
He straightened up.
He looked at the Chaos ahead.
The Chaos was still the same Chaos.
Gray and hazy, with nothing.
But in his Heart, there was something.
There was the Dao.
There was the Law.
There was the root of the Myriad Laws.
There was the Heart to walk the path.
He took a step.
He continued to walk forward.
As he walked, he suddenly remembered a sentence.
That sentence was what Laozi had just said.
"How many laws your Heart can give birth to depends on how much of the path you can walk."
He smiled.
That smile was very light.
As light as a breeze.
But in that breeze, there was something.
There was the kind of steadiness from finally knowing how he should walk.
He walked.
Step by step.
Not fast.
Not slow.
Just walking.
---
As he walked, light appeared in the Chaos ahead again.
That light was different from the last time.
The light last time was bright and dazzling.
The light this time was green.
Green like the sky.
Green like a sword.
Green like... the Jie Sect.
Lu Mingyuan looked at that light.
He knew that someone else was waiting for him ahead.
There was still a Dao to be passed.
There was still a Law to be taught.
There was still a path to be walked.
He continued to walk forward.
Toward that green light.
Toward the next person waiting for him.
Toward the path that should be walked.
---
In the Zixiao Palace, Laozi returned.
Yuanshi Tianzun looked at him.
"Finished passing it on?"
Laozi nodded.
"Finished."
Sect Leader Tongtian asked:
"Does he understand?"
Laozi said:
"He understands."
Jieyin asked:
"Does he truly understand?"
Laozi smiled slightly.
"He truly understands. He understands even better than we did when we first understood."
Zhunti asked:
"How is that possible? Back then, we..."
Laozi interrupted him.
"Back then, we were listening to the Dao. He is walking the path. By listening to the Dao, one understands the principles. By walking the path, one understands the Dao. Principles are on the lips, but the Dao is beneath the feet. He has walked it, so he understands."
Nüwa nodded.
"Correct. He has walked at The Rift for two years, which is more than what we understood sitting in the Zixiao Palace for twenty thousand years."
Hou Tu said:
"Because he is in the mortal world. At The Rift. Between life and death. There, the Dao is not preached, it is walked. The Law is not heard, it is used. The Heart is not cultivated, it is standing."
Yuanshi Tianzun looked into the depths of the Chaos.
"Then let's see how he uses those Daos."
---
Within the Chaos, Lu Mingyuan continued to walk.
Toward that green light.
Toward the Dao of the Jie Sect.
Toward the next person waiting for him.
He walked.
In his Heart was the One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones planted by Laozi.
Beneath his feet was the path he had walked himself.
Ahead were unknown Daos, unknown Laws, and unknown calamities.
But he was not afraid.
Because he was walking the path.
Because as he walked, he would know.
Because as he walked, he would understand.
Because as he walked, he would arrive.