149: Chapter 149 Houtu imparts the Dao

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Within the Chaos, Lu Mingyuan walked.

Towards that earthy yellow light.

The light grew closer.

And thicker.

Thick as the earth.

Thick as tens of thousands of years.

Thick as the resting place of countless lives.

Then, he saw it.

A person, standing in the earthy yellow light.

That person was very plain.

Plain as soil.

But within that plainness, there was something.

There was the profoundness of bearing everything, thus saying nothing.

There was the serenity of watching countless lives come and go, thus seeing everything with detachment.

There was the compassion of overseeing life and death Reincarnation, thus understanding everything.

That was Lady Houtu.

The Lord of Reincarnation.

The one who, in Zixiao Palace, said to him, "This poor Daoist thanks you on behalf of those who have died."

---

Lu Mingyuan quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply.

“Disciple Lu Mingyuan greets Lady Houtu.”

Lady Houtu looked at him and smiled.

That smile was very plain.

Plain as soil.

But within that soil, there was something.

There was the warmth of seeing a familiar child and feeling joy in one's heart.

“Rise.”

Lu Mingyuan straightened up and looked at her.

Lady Houtu also looked at him.

For a very long time.

Then, she spoke.

“Do you know why this poor Daoist came to find you?”

Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment.

“Please enlighten this Lady.”

Lady Houtu said:

“Because you buried many people at The Rift.”

She looked at Lu Mingyuan.

“Iron Ox, and those nameless Loose Cultivators. You dug graves, placed them in, and covered them with soil. When you covered them with soil, you said one thing.”

She paused.

“You said, 'Rest in peace.'”

---

Lu Mingyuan was stunned.

He hadn't expected Lady Houtu to know about these things.

Those days and nights at The Rift, those moments of burying people, those times he said “Rest in peace”—

Lady Houtu knew it all.

Lady Houtu looked into his eyes.

“This poor Daoist oversees Reincarnation; every person who dies, this poor Daoist knows. Where they come from, where they go, what they did in life, what they think in death. This poor Daoist knows it all.”

She paused.

“But do you know why this poor Daoist remembers you?”

Lu Mingyuan shook his head.

Lady Houtu said:

“Because when you said ‘Rest in peace,’ you were serious.”

She looked at Lu Mingyuan.

“Many people also say ‘Rest in peace’ when burying others. But they only say it. Once said, it's forgotten. Once buried, they leave. But you are not like that. When you say ‘Rest in peace,’ you have them in your heart. After burying them, you still remember them. When you leave, you still carry them with you.”

She paused.

“You carried them, walking such a long road. You carried them, standing in Zixiao Palace. You carried them, debating so many times. You carried them, receiving so many Dao.”

She looked at Lu Mingyuan.

“They are all within you.”

---

Lu Mingyuan stood there, listening.

As he listened, his eyes reddened.

He thought of Iron Ox.

He thought of those nameless Loose Cultivators.

He remembered their cold bodies, tightly closed eyes, and faces that would never smile again when he buried them.

His heart ached when he buried them.

It hurt as if cut by a knife.

But after burying them, he still left.

After leaving, he still remembered.

After remembering, he still carried them.

After carrying them, he still walked.

He looked at Lady Houtu.

“Lady, Disciple... Disciple doesn't know what to say.”

Lady Houtu smiled.

That smile was very plain.

Plain as soil.

“No need to say anything. Everything you did is what you said. Your remembering them is what you said. Your carrying them is what you said. Your walking for them is what you said.”

She took a step forward.

“Do you know why this poor Daoist is called Houtu?”

Lu Mingyuan shook his head.

Lady Houtu said:

“Because this poor Daoist is earth. Is the great earth. Is the one who bears everything.”

She looked at Lu Mingyuan.

“Between heaven and earth, all things grow on the earth. People live, treading on the earth. People die, buried in the earth. Earth bears life, and also bears death. Earth bears laughter, and also bears tears. Earth bears everything, saying nothing.”

She paused.

“This poor Daoist is that earth.”

---

Lu Mingyuan listened.

As he listened, he suddenly remembered something.

He remembered that at The Rift, after every burial, he would sit on the ground for a while.

Sitting on the soil.

Sitting beside those who had died.

As he sat, he felt something transmit from the earth into him.

That something was very heavy.

Heavy as a mountain.

But within that heaviness, there was something.

There was the feeling of being supported.

There was the feeling of being received.

There was the feeling of being forgiven.

He looked at Lady Houtu.

“Lady, Disciple... Disciple seems to understand.”

Lady Houtu asked:

“Understand what?”

Lu Mingyuan said:

“I understand why you are earth.”

He looked at Lady Houtu.

“Because earth receives everything. The living walk on the earth. The dead sleep in the earth. The happy laugh on the earth. The sad cry on the earth. Those who do right stand on the earth. Those who do wrong kneel on the earth.”

He paused.

“Earth says nothing. But earth receives everything. It receives the good, and it receives the bad. It receives the right, and it receives the wrong. It receives the living, and it receives the dead.”

He looked at Lady Houtu.

“Lady is the one who receives everything.”

---

Lady Houtu looked at him, and there was light in her eyes.

That light was gratification.

“Yes. This poor Daoist is the one who receives everything.”

She extended her hand.

“Come, this poor Daoist will impart something to you.”

Lu Mingyuan reached out and grasped it.

In that instant, he felt it.

He felt a great, great heaviness.

That heaviness was not burdensome.

It was a profound heaviness.

It was the profoundness of bearing countless lives.

It was the profoundness of having witnessed countless lives and deaths.

It was the profoundness of saying nothing, yet understanding everything.

He stood within that profoundness.

Standing profoundly.

But as he stood, he saw.

He saw many, many people.

He saw those he had buried.

Iron Ox, and those nameless Loose Cultivators.

They were all within that profoundness.

Lying profoundly.

But as they lay, they were there.

They were truly there.

Not in a dream.

Not in memory.

But in the earth.

Lying quietly in the earth.

But as they lay, there was something on them.

Light.

Light that grew from the earth.

---

Lady Houtu's voice came from within that profoundness.

“Do you see it?”

Lu Mingyuan nodded.

“I see it.”

Lady Houtu asked:

“What do you see?”

Lu Mingyuan said:

“I see those who have died. I see them lying in the earth.”

Lady Houtu asked:

“What are they doing in the earth?”

Lu Mingyuan watched.

As he watched, he discovered something.

Things were growing on those lying in the earth.

Grass, flowers, trees.

New life.

He looked at Lady Houtu.

“They are... growing things.”

Lady Houtu asked:

“Growing what?”

Lu Mingyuan said:

“Growing grass, flowers, trees. Growing new life.”

Lady Houtu asked:

“Why?”

Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment.

“Because the earth... will transform them into new life.”

Lady Houtu smiled.

That smile was very plain.

Plain as soil.

“Yes. The earth will transform the dead into the living.”

She paused.

“This is Reincarnation.”

---

Lu Mingyuan stood there, listening.

As he listened, he suddenly felt something click.

He looked at Lady Houtu.

“Lady, Disciple understands.”

Lady Houtu asked:

“Understand what?”

Lu Mingyuan said:

“I understand what Reincarnation is.”

He looked at Lady Houtu.

“Reincarnation is not dying and living again. It is turning the dead into nourishment for the living. It is planting their light in the earth to grow into new light. It is burying their hearts underground to give birth to new hearts.”

He paused.

“Iron Ox died. But his light is within Disciple. Those Loose Cultivators died. But their hearts are in the hearts of the living. They lie in the earth, but the things that grow from them live above the earth.”

He looked at Lady Houtu.

“This is Reincarnation.”

---

Lady Houtu looked at him for a very long time.

Then, she reached out and patted his shoulder.

That hand was very heavy.

Heavy as the great earth.

But within that heaviness, there was something.

There was the approval of the Lord of Reincarnation.

There was the blessing of the Mother of Earth.

There was something that countless deceased people had entrusted her to pass on.

She looked at Lu Mingyuan.

“Child, you are right.”

Lu Mingyuan was stunned.

“Child?”

Lady Houtu smiled.

“Yes. Child.”

She looked at Lu Mingyuan.

“This poor Daoist oversees Reincarnation and has seen countless people. But I have rarely seen anyone like you.”

She paused.

“In your heart, you carry so many who have died. On your body, you bear the light of so many who have died. Every step you take, they follow. Every action you perform, they watch.”

She looked at Lu Mingyuan.

"You are their Reincarnation."

---

Lu Mingyuan stood there, listening.

As he listened, tears streamed down his face.

They weren't tears of sadness.

They were tears of finally having the deepest part of his heart articulated.

He looked at Lady Houtu.

"Lady, this Disciple... this Disciple doesn't know how to thank you."

Lady Houtu shook her head.

"No need to thank me. Your living for them is thanks. Your walking for them is thanks. Your standing for them is thanks."

She paused.

"You let them live again in your life. That is thanks."

She withdrew her hand.

Lu Mingyuan emerged from that profound feeling.

But that profound feeling remained.

In his heart.

Deep and thick.

Within that profound feeling were the deceased.

There was Iron Niu, there were those Loose Cultivators.

There were countless people he had never met, but Lady Houtu had let him see.

They were in that profound feeling.

Lying quietly.

But as they lay, they grew.

Growing grass, growing flowers, growing trees.

Growing new light.

That growing light flowed from his heart.

Flowing onto the path he walked.

Flowing into the deeds he performed.

Flowing onto the people he met.

---

He looked at Lady Houtu.

"Lady, this Disciple has one more thing to ask."

Lady Houtu said:

"Ask."

Lu Mingyuan asked:

"Reincarnation is managed by the Lady. Does the Lady get tired?"

Lady Houtu was stunned.

Tired?

No one had ever asked her that question.

She had managed Reincarnation for hundreds of millions of years.

She had seen countless people come and countless people go.

She had witnessed countless lives and deaths, countless joys and sorrows.

She had seen countless people ask her questions, beg for her help, plead for her mercy, or ask her to help find the deceased.

But no one had ever asked her—

Are you tired?

She looked at Lu Mingyuan.

His eyes were very sincere.

It was the sincerity of genuinely wanting to know if she was tired.

She suddenly smiled.

That smile was very simple.

As simple as earth.

But within that earth, there was something.

There was the warmth of being cared for.

"Tired. How could I not be tired?"

She looked into the depths of Chaos.

"For hundreds of millions of years, watching so many people come and go. Watching them live, watching them die. Watching them laugh, watching them cry. Watching them love, watching them hate. Watching them do right, watching them do wrong."

She paused.

"But even if I'm tired, I must manage it. Because if no one manages it, they will fall into Chaos. If no one receives them, they will be unwanted. If no one collects them, they will have nowhere to go."

She looked at Lu Mingyuan.

"This humble Daoist is earth. Earth cannot say it is not tired. Earth can only receive. Continuously receive. Forever receive."

---

Lu Mingyuan stood there, listening.

As he listened, he suddenly remembered something.

He remembered that at The Rift, after every battle, he wanted to rest for a while.

To rest for a while meant to not care about anything.

But he knew he couldn't rest.

Because if he rested, the Demon Soldiers would come.

Because if he rested, the Loose Cultivators would have no one to lead them.

Because if he rested, those who died would have no one to stand for them.

He had to keep standing.

Always standing.

Forever standing.

He looked at Lady Houtu.

"Lady, this Disciple understands."

Lady Houtu asked:

"Understand what?"

Lu Mingyuan said:

"I understand why earth is earth. I understand why the Lady is the Lady. I understand why Reincarnation is Reincarnation."

He looked at Lady Houtu.

"Because someone always has to receive. Someone always has to manage. Someone always has to collect. If no one receives, it scatters. If no one manages, it becomes chaotic. If no one collects, it ceases to exist."

He paused.

"This Disciple was also earth at The Rift. Receiving those Loose Cultivators, managing those battles, collecting the hearts of those who died. This Disciple is tired, but this Disciple cannot stop. If I stop, I would let them down."

He looked at Lady Houtu.

"Lady, this Disciple will continue to be earth. The earth for those who died. The earth for those who live. The earth for this path."

---

Lady Houtu looked at him for a very long time.

Then, she smiled.

That smile was very simple.

As simple as earth.

But within that earth, there was something.

There was the relief of finally finding someone who understood.

She looked at Lu Mingyuan.

"Child, you have understood the Dao of Reincarnation."

She turned and prepared to leave.

After two steps, she suddenly stopped.

She did not turn back.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Lu Mingyuan asked:

"What is it?"

Lady Houtu said:

"Those people you buried, they asked me to bring you a message."

Lu Mingyuan was stunned.

"What message?"

Lady Houtu said:

"Thank you."

She paused.

"Thank you for still remembering them. Thank you for still carrying them. Thank you for still walking for them. Thank you for still standing for them."

She continued to walk forward.

"They said, from within the earth, they are watching you. Watching the path you walk, watching the deeds you perform, watching where you stand. They watch you, and their hearts are joyful."

Her figure gradually disappeared into the earthy yellow light.

Finally, a message came through.

"Child, walk well. They are watching."

---

Lu Mingyuan stood there, looking in the direction where Lady Houtu had disappeared.

For a very long time.

Then, his tears flowed again.

But this time, it wasn't sadness.

It was the warmth of being remembered.

It was the warmth of being thanked.

It was the warmth of being watched.

He bowed deeply towards the earthy yellow light.

"Thank you, Lady. Thank you all."

He straightened up.

He looked at the Chaos ahead.

Chaos was still Chaos.

Hazy, with nothing there.

But in his heart, something more had been added.

Lady Houtu's Dao of Reincarnation had been added.

The 'thank you' from the deceased had been added.

The warmth of 'they are watching' had been added.

The profoundness of earth, the thickness of earth, the earth that receives everything had been added.

He took a step.

Continuing to walk forward.

As he walked, he suddenly remembered a sentence.

That sentence was what Lady Houtu had just said.

"You are their Reincarnation."

He smiled.

That smile was very light.

As light as wind.

But within that wind, there was something.

There was the reassurance of knowing how he should live.

He walked.

Step by step.

Not fast.

Not slow.

Just walking.

---

As he walked, in the Chaos ahead, light appeared again.

This time, the light was white.

As white as jade.

As white as order.

As white as... Yuanshi Tianzun.

Lu Mingyuan looked at that light.

He knew someone else was waiting for him ahead.

There was still Dao to be imparted.

There were still methods to be taught.

There was still a path to walk.

This was the seventh.

Laozi, Tongtian, Jieyin, Zhunti, Nüwa, Houtu—

Six Saints, six Daos, six Legacies.

Now, only one remained.

Yuanshi Tianzun.

The Lord of Chan Sect.

The Guardian of the Dao of Order.

He continued to walk forward.

Towards that white light.

Towards that last person waiting for him.

Towards the path that must be walked.

---

In Zixiao Palace, Lady Houtu returned.

Yuanshi Tianzun looked at her.

"Finished imparting?"

Lady Houtu nodded.

"Finished imparting."

Laozi asked:

"Did he understand?"

Lady Houtu said:

"He understood."

Tongtian asked:

"How did he understand?"

Lady Houtu said:

"He said he is the earth for those who died. He receives for them, manages for them, collects for them. He is tired, but he cannot stop. If he stops, he would let them down."

In Zixiao Palace, the Saints fell silent.

Within that silence, there was something.

There was a profound sense of being moved.

Nüwa spoke.

"What he said is even more profound than what this humble Daoist realized back then."

Jieyin nodded.

"Indeed. He is the Reincarnation of those who died."

Zhunti said:

"He is earth. He is the one who receives everything."

Yuanshi Tianzun looked into the depths of Chaos.

"Then let's see how deeply he can comprehend at this humble Daoist's place."

---

Amidst Chaos, Lu Mingyuan continued to walk.

Towards that white light.

Towards Yuanshi's Dao.

Towards that last person waiting for him.

He walked.

In his heart was Laozi's One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones.

In his heart was Tongtian's Dao of Jie Sect.

In his heart was Jieyin and Zhunti's Emptiness and Existence are Not Two.

In his heart was Nüwa's Creation and Vitality.

In his heart was Lady Houtu's Reincarnation and Bearing.

In his heart was the 'thank you' from those who died.

In his heart was the warmth of 'they are watching'.

In his heart were the paths he had walked, the deeds he had done, the people he had met.

His heart was empty, yet full.

Profound, yet light.

He walked.

Step by step.

Towards that white light.

Towards that order.

Towards that last one.

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