180: Chapter 180 Sudden Enlightenment
Buzhou Mountain Ruins, early morning.
Lu Mingyuan was woken by the chirping of birds. He opened his eyes and saw that the sky was already bright, the clouds were drifting, and the wind was blowing. His body was still weak, his Dantian was still empty, and his Meridians were still injured. But something in his heart was moving, growing, and breaking through the soil.
Baize was not on his shoulder. It squatted on a nearby rock, looking east, towards where the sun was rising.
"Baize." Lu Mingyuan sat up. "What are you looking at?"
"Watching the sunrise."
"Is it beautiful?"
"Beautiful. It's beautiful every day. I've watched it for hundreds of thousands of years, and it's still beautiful."
Lu Mingyuan also looked over. The sun had just peeked over the horizon, red, round, and warm. Its light spilled over Mount Buzhou, over the ruins, and over him. He closed his eyes, feeling the light. The light was warm, as warm as a mother's hand. The light was soft, as soft as a lover's hair. The light was alive, as alive as a newborn infant.
He recalled what happened yesterday. Saving that person, mending The Rift, resolving those hatreds. Those hatreds were still in his body, not dispersed, not dissipated, not extinguished. They were in his Dantian, in his Meridians, in his heart. They were moving, struggling, resisting. They didn't want to be mended, didn't want to be resolved, didn't want to be transcended. They wanted to go back, back into The Rift, back into the darkness, back into despair.
But they couldn't go back. Because The Rift was sealed, because light had entered, because love had entered. They couldn't get out, so they could only stay in his body. As they stayed, they changed. They softened, warmed, brightened. It was no longer hatred, but understanding. No longer resentment, but release. No longer enmity, but forgiveness. No longer pain, but growth.
"Baize," Lu Mingyuan said, "I understand."
"Understand what?"
"I understand what 'completion' is. It's not filling a void, but opening one's heart. It's not eliminating hatred, but understanding hatred. It's not suppressing resentment, but resolving resentment. It's not returning vengeance, but letting go of vengeance. It's not forgetting pain, but transforming pain into strength."
Baize turned its head and looked at him. "And what else?"
"Also... completion is not confrontation. Confrontation is treating the other as an enemy. Completion is treating the other as a patient. Confrontation is wanting to win. Completion is wanting to save. Confrontation uses force. Completion uses heart. Confrontation leads to more hatred. Completion leads to more love. Confrontation is a dead end. Completion is a path to life."
"And what else?"
"Also... completion starts with completing oneself. I also have flaws. My flaw is impatience. Impatient to mend the sky, impatient to transcend demons, impatient to resolve darkness. But impatience is a flaw. Impatience is a leak. Impatience means not being complete enough. I must first mend my own impatience before I can mend others' flaws. I must first transcend my own restlessness before I can transcend others' resentment. I must first resolve my own stubbornness before I can resolve others' hatred."
"And what else?"
"Also... completion is not a one-day affair. It's a day-by-day affair. Mend a little each day, three hundred sixty-five points a year. Thirty-six thousand five hundred points in a hundred years. Three million six hundred fifty thousand points in ten thousand years. As you mend, you mend more. When there's more, it brightens. When it brightens, the night recedes."
Baize flew over and landed on his shoulder. "You finally understand."
"I understand. But there's still a gap between understanding and doing. There's still a long way to go between knowing and becoming."
"Then walk. Walk slowly. Take one step at a time. Live one day at a time. Live one year at a time."
Lu Mingyuan stood up, standing on the summit of Mount Buzhou, standing in the morning light. His body was still weak, his Dantian was still empty, and his Meridians were still injured. But his heart was full, as full as the ocean, as full as the sky, as full as the Universe.
---
Buzhou Mountain Ruins, noon.
Lu Mingyuan sat alone on the mountaintop, meditating. He didn't circulate any Cultivation Technique, didn't guide any Spiritual Qi, and didn't Cultivate anything. He just sat, and sat, and sat. He was completing himself. Completing his impatience, completing his restlessness, completing his stubbornness.
Where is the impatience? In the heart. That heart was too impatient, eager to see results, eager to see effects, eager to see the dawn. But the sky doesn't brighten in one day; it brightens day by day. The sun rises a little each day and sets a little. Rising and setting, setting and rising. As it rises, it brightens. As it sets, it darkens. Bright and dark, dark and bright. No joy in brightness, no sorrow in darkness. When it's bright, it's bright; when it's dark, it's dark. Brightness is natural, and darkness is also natural.
Where is the restlessness? In the Qi. That Qi was too restless, restless like fire, restless like wind, restless like thunder. But Qi isn't produced by restlessness; it's nurtured. Nurturing a breath of Qi takes day after day. Nurture a little today, nurture a little tomorrow. As you nurture, the Qi becomes sufficient. When it's sufficient, it's no longer restless. When it's no longer restless, it's stable. When it's stable, it can mend more.
Where is the stubbornness? In the thoughts. That thought was too stubborn, insisting that one is right, insisting that completion is the only Righteous Path, insisting that darkness must be completed. But the Dao is not one path, but ten thousand paths. Completion is one, confrontation is another. Sealing is one, suppressing is another. Killing is one, transcending is another. Every path is a way, every path can be walked. Which path to take depends on the person. Which path to take depends on the time. Which path to take depends on the place. One cannot assume that because they chose the path of completion, others' paths are wrong. One cannot assume that because they see the light, those still in darkness don't want to come out. One cannot assume that because they have stood up, those still kneeling don't want to stand.
Impatience, restlessness, stubbornness, mending them little by little. Like mending The Rift yesterday, mending it foot by foot, inch by inch, thread by thread. Very slow, as slow as a snail crawling. But it is mending, getting better little by little.
Those hatreds, resentments, enmities, and pains in his Dantian were also changing. They weren't extinguished; they were understood. Once understood, they dissolved. Once dissolved, it was no longer hatred, but understanding. No longer resentment, but release. No longer enmity, but forgiveness. No longer pain, but strength.
That understanding, release, forgiveness, and strength entered his Dantian, entered his Meridians, entered his heart. They were mending his flaws, mending his impatience, mending his restlessness, mending his stubbornness. As they mended, his heart became complete. When it was complete, he was no longer impatient. When it was complete, he was no longer restless. When it was complete, he was no longer stubborn.
No longer impatient, he could wait. Not wait for results, but for the process. Not wait for dawn, but for sunrise. Not wait for completion, but for the act of mending.
No longer restless, he could be stable. Not stable for results, but for the process. Not stable for dawn, but for sunrise. Not stable for completion, but for the act of mending.
No longer stubborn, he could let go. Not let go of results, but of the process. Not let go of dawn, but of sunrise. Not let go of completion, but of the act of mending.
Wait, be stable, let go. These are the three remedies for himself. Impatience, restlessness, stubbornness are the three poisons. Wait, be stable, let go are the three antidotes. Poisons must be dissolved, flaws must be mended, and the heart must be complete.
---
Buzhou Mountain Ruins, dusk.
The sun was about to set, the horizon was red, like fire, like blood, like the wings of a Phoenix. Lu Mingyuan opened his eyes and looked at the red. He remembered the blood of the South Heaven Gate, the blood of Mount Ling, and the blood of the human world. That blood was still in his heart, not dry, not faded, not forgotten. It was there, reminding him, reminding him why he had to mend, why he had to transcend, why he had to resolve.
Baize landed on his shoulder. "How are you doing?"
"Mended a little. A little less impatient, a little less restless, a little less stubborn. Not much, just a little. But a little is still mending. Mend a little each day, three hundred sixty-five points a year. As you mend, you will complete it."
"What about your Dantian? Your Meridians? Your body?"
"Also mending. Very slowly, as slow as a snail crawling. But it is mending. Mend a little each day, three hundred sixty-five points a year. As you mend, it will heal."
"Then will you go to mend The Rift tomorrow?"
"Yes. While mending myself, I will mend The Rift. While mending The Rift, I will mend myself. Mending myself is to better mend The Rift. Mending The Rift is also mending myself. Because those hatreds, resentments, enmities, and pains in The Rift are also a part of me. I am them, they are me. Mending them is mending me. Mending me is mending them."
Baize said nothing. It just looked at Lu Mingyuan, at this scholar who walked out of Heyin City, at this person who almost lost himself yesterday. There was no longer impatience in his eyes, no longer restlessness, no longer stubbornness. Only light. That light was very weak, as weak as a firefly. But that light would not be extinguished, no matter how strong the wind, no matter how deep the darkness, no matter how heavy the despair.
That light was called waiting. That light was called stability. That light was called letting go. That light was called Lu Mingyuan.
---
Buzhou Mountain Ruins, night.
The moon rose, round and bright, like a mirror. Lu Mingyuan looked at the moon, watching its light spill over Mount Buzhou, over the ruins, and over him. He thought of Xuanweizi, of the old man who taught him Cultivation in the Ancient Temple on Zhongnan Mountain. He remembered the old man's words—"Cultivation is walking. Walk the path beneath your feet well, and you will naturally know how to walk the path ahead."
He thought of the path he had walked. The scholar's study in Heyin City, the Ancient Temple on Zhongnan Mountain, the Talisman Arts of Longhu Mountain, the Sword Dao of Wudang Mountain, the Sword Pavilion of Qingcheng, the Zen Martial Arts of Shaolin, the Yuelu Academy, the Beggars Gang of Junshan Mountain, the Hidden Weapons of the Tang Clan, the Sword Dao of Mount Hua. Step by step, step by step. He walked very slowly, as slow as a snail crawling. But he was walking, walking step by step. As he walked, he reached here. As he walked, he reached Mount Buzhou. As he walked, he reached the front of The Rift. As he walked, he reached the path of completion.
This path was still very long, so long that he couldn't see the end. But he was no longer afraid. Because he knew that no matter how long the road, it was walked one step at a time. No matter how far the sky, it was mended inch by inch. No matter how deep the darkness, it brightened thread by thread.
In his heart, that small tree was still growing. One zhang one, one zhang two, one zhang three. Very slow, as slow as a snail crawling. But it was growing, growing in the darkness, growing in resentment, growing in despair. As it grew, it would grow large. Once large, it could mend more. Once more was mended, it could brighten more. Once more was brightened, the night could recede.
He closed his eyes, feeling that tree. Its roots were in his Dantian, deeply and firmly embedded. Its trunk was in his Meridians, growing straight and upright. Its branches and leaves were in his heart, spreading wide and far. Its flowers were above his head, blooming brilliantly and fragrantly. Its fruits were outside his body, abundant and sweet.
That tree was called Xuan Shu. That tree was called Myriad Manifestations. That tree was called Lu Mingyuan.
---
Above Mount Buzhou, the wind rose.
In that wind, there was the smell of blood, the smell of sweat, the smell of tears. But in that wind, there was also something else, the light emanating from those who had been mended. That light was very weak, as weak as a firefly. But that light would not be extinguished, no matter how strong the wind, no matter how deep the darkness, no matter how heavy the despair.
That light was called Epiphany. That light was called letting go. That light was called moving forward. That light was called Lu Mingyuan.
His state of mind completed a leap at this moment. It was not a Breakthrough in cultivation, but a Breakthrough of the heart. It was not a leap in power, but a leap in wisdom. It was not an elevation of Realm, but an elevation of understanding. He knew who he was, what he had to do, and how he should do it. He was no longer impatient, no longer restless, no longer stubborn. He waited, he was stable, he let go.
He opened his eyes, looking at the moon, at the stars, at the night. That night was no longer terrifying, because the stars were shining, because the moon was illuminating, because his heart was glowing. That light was very weak, as weak as a firefly. But that light would not be extinguished, no matter how strong the wind, no matter how deep the darkness, no matter how heavy the despair.
That light was called the seed of a Quasi-Saint. That light was called the opportunity for Breakthrough. That light was called Lu Mingyuan.