Journey to the West: The Great Sage's Guide

Chapter 62 How Heavy is My Obsession?

The woodcutter, Niu Mo, spoke in a deep, calm voice, seemingly unfazed even if the sky were to collapse. He appeared completely unafraid of the mere presence of a mountain god, as if he were still a shrewd strategist in control of the entire situation.

So the young Bull Demon's face showed several changes of anger, but he eventually suppressed it, snorted heavily, and turned to leave.

The sound of footsteps echoed between the stone walls for a while before gradually fading into the distance.

The earthen platform fell silent.

The woodcutter, Bull Demon, with his pipe dangling from his lips, stared in the direction the young man had disappeared, remaining motionless for a long time.

The mountain wind blew in from the cave entrance, causing the embers in the pipe to flicker.

He took the pipe out of his mouth, tapped the ash on the sole of his shoe, and muttered to himself:

"But we never imagined that raising a tiger would become a threat—"

It turned out to be a dragon crossing the river!

The woodcutter raised his eyes, his gaze passing over the layered canopy of trees, and looked toward the direction of the mountain god's temple.

A complex expression appeared on his rugged face.

It's hard to say whether it's fear, regret, or something else entirely.

"It won't be so easy to make a name for yourself here."

He twirled the pipe between his fingers and then put it back in his mouth.

The firelight flashed briefly before dimming again.

……

In the open space in front of the mountain god temple, there is a large, round, blue stone.

The stone is flat, round, and thick, its surface polished smooth as a mirror by the passage of time, with natural rings of light blue veins.

Look closely... it actually looks like an old toad!

It was indeed the old stone toad, but at this moment it had concealed its aura, resembling a stone.

At that moment, a person sat on the large blue stone.

It was Zhong Xuan's incarnation as the mountain god.

He's about to begin his sermon.

Zhong Xuan flicked his sleeve, straightened his posture, and then looked around.

The crowd surrounded him in three concentric circles.

In addition, some people peek out from the mountain streams to listen.

Some even stood on tree branches, listening intently.

Among these listeners were spirits who had cultivated themselves into human form.

Some are just ordinary mortals.

The people's attire also looked quite varied:

Some resembled martial arts heroes, others looked like learned scholars, and still others looked like typical figures from other professions.

A group of over a hundred people, in varying voices, began to offer their compliments.

Zhong Xuan listened to these flattering words and waved his hand.

An invisible breeze swept by, and the surrounding air pressure seemed to suddenly drop, rendering everyone speechless.

He spoke in the blink of an eye:

"Tao, gives birth to one."

"One begets two."

"Two begets three."

"Three, gives birth to all things..."

The old mountain god spoke calmly, beginning with the essential points of the Daoist ancestor's scriptures, immediately captivating the listener.

The hundred or so people around all felt that the words were profound in their simplicity.

With just a few words, they seemed to weave together the profound principles of the universe's birth and transformation, which delighted everyone and made them listen even more attentively.

But that's not all.

The old mountain god lightly touched the ground with his hand, and a small blade of grass quickly grew, grew larger, aged, turned yellow, and withered.

"All things carry yin and embrace yang."

"Everything has a cycle of birth and death; the underlying mechanism is within it..."

Zhong Xuanman slowly explained the Dao, and today he talked about the transformation between Yin and Yang, life and death.

But just as he was about to finish, someone suddenly interrupted loudly: "If that's the case, then there's no real life or death in this world, is there?"

Someone else said, "Death is death, and life is life. How come after all this explanation, you can't distinguish between life and death?"

Hearing someone in the crowd say such a thing, the gray monkey spirit sneered and retorted indifferently, "Ignorant, ignorant. With questions like these, I think you should go back and read and think more, instead of interrupting the sermon here."

But just then, a handsome young man with rosy lips and white teeth jumped out from the crowd and rudely asked, "Then tell me, if life isn't life and death isn't death, what kind of life and death are you talking about?"

To everyone's surprise, after hearing this, Feng Lisheng first carefully examined the handsome young man.

Meanwhile, Zhong Xuan, who was watching the show from the side, heard a faint sound. His expression changed slightly, but he did not show it. He was just wondering to himself: If Feng Lisheng was not mistaken, this was actually Nezha, the third prince of heaven. Why was he here? Could it be that he really came to listen to a lecture?

Zhong Xuan then looked at the dark-faced giant, a bear spirit in disguise, and thought: It was this dark-faced giant who was talking to that handsome young man. The others seemed to lack any talent or aptitude; they were like pieces of rotten wood, extremely difficult to carve.

However, Zhong Xuan wouldn't be too disgusted. Rather, it's more accurate to say that the Tai Xuan Dao lineage he researched and tried to perfect was precisely to provide these rotten pieces of wood that were difficult to carve with fine details, giving them a clear and reliable path to establish themselves and transform.

Just then, Feng Lisheng, swaying his head, walked up to the incarnation of the mountain god and, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, said smugly, "I've listened to the teachings for a few more days than you have, so I can speak on this. Life and death are not just one kind of life and one kind of death, just as there are peonies and azaleas among flowers; how can they be confused?"

Just then, the black bear demon in human form, a burly, dark-faced man, shouted excitedly, "I understand! I understand now! So that's how it is!"

The Third Prince Nezha, who had come by chance to see what abilities the mountain god possessed, rolled his eyes and asked, "You black-faced clod, you say you understand, but what exactly do you understand? Tell me."

The black bear spirit immediately replied, "There is a difference between life and death. What you're talking about is definitely a false life and death, something superficial. What's truly worth learning is true life and death—in my opinion, true life and death is either eternal life that cannot be erased by countless eons, or a complete and utter death where the soul is scattered and the spirit is utterly destroyed upon death."

Feng Lisheng burst into laughter upon hearing this, which prompted others to join in, finding the black bear spirit quite ridiculous.

The young Nezha stared at the black bear spirit with a slightly puzzled look, and then noticed that after he finished speaking, he stared intently at the old mountain god on the blue stone.

At this moment, the old mountain god was dressed in plain white clothes with a few yellow patterns. He had no jade pendants or whisks on him, only a loose robe and nothing else.

Under the gaze of everyone, facing this situation and the stares of the Black Bear Spirit, he simply smiled faintly and spoke, attracting everyone's attention.

Zhong Xuan said unhurriedly, "I talk about life and death, but I don't understand life and death—or rather, I dare not say that I understand life and death or have comprehended life and death."

The Third Prince Nezha immediately shouted, "If that's the case, why are you still here preaching? Aren't you just misleading the younger generation!"

Some people who came seeking the Way and the Dharma were also moved upon hearing this, feeling that these words had caused them to lose faith.

Zhong Xuan wasn't angry. Seeing that Feng Lisheng had obediently retreated to the side and the Black Bear Spirit had also sat down peacefully, and noticing that Sun Wukong and Hu Zhijun were listening to the lecture from behind the mountain god's temple, he smiled faintly and said:

"If the profound truth of the gate between life and death is ten thousand steps away, then you can only barely touch the edge when you get there. Most of the people who come to listen to my sermon today are still in the same place, or have only taken two or three steps. So I will humbly say that I have taken five or six or seven or eight steps, and I can talk about the path I have taken, the pitfalls I have encountered, and the little experience I have gained."

Just then, a sweet voice rang out: "You old man, your words are succinct and witty, but also rather boring."

Zhong Xuan looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the speaker was a pretty and gentle oval-faced girl with a restrained aura and a gentle appearance, who was about twenty years old.

What's going on today? Zhong Xuan wondered to himself. It just so happens to be the time for the mountain god's incense offerings, and quite a few strange people have come.

He was about to speak when Sun Wukong leaped over and interrupted him: "You little brat with a sharp tongue, can't you just listen quietly?"

Before the pretty young girl could speak, the handsome boy who was Nezha in disguise spoke first: "That's right. If you really have experience with five or six, or even seven or eight steps, I'd like to hear your insights and see how they compare to mine."

These words, spoken with arrogance, enraged many, especially those who had received guidance and favor from the mountain god, who offered their condemnations. However, these condemnations were clearly insufficient to sway these sharp-tongued individuals.

Just then, Zhong Xuan suddenly pouted and let out a lifelike phoenix chirping.

His clear, phoenix-like voice startled a flock of birds nearby, and a small, emerald-green bird flew swiftly over and landed on his outstretched right index finger.

Zhong Xuan looked at everyone: "Does anyone recognize this bird?"

A man dressed as a hunter immediately answered, "That's a kingfisher! They're very common in the mountains, I recognize them."

After the hunter finished speaking, he looked around, making no attempt to hide his pride, as if he had stolen the credit from the mountain god.

Zhong Xuan nodded, then spoke a word in an unfamiliar language.

The crowd was initially puzzled, but Nezha's eyes lit up, and then he frowned.

The pretty young girl nudged him and asked directly, "This sounds like your language. What does it mean?"

A scholar-looking man in the crowd adjusted his headscarf and proclaimed loudly, "This is precisely the official, elegant pronunciation of the Han Dynasty. The Mountain God's pronunciation is extremely accurate. This word is indeed 'kingfisher'."

Many of the more intelligent people in the crowd gradually came to their senses.

Rabbit Xiaoyu, standing nearby, asked curiously, "Master, Master, in our local dialect it's called a kingfisher, and in the Mandarin of the Eastern Han people it's also called a kingfisher, so isn't this bird a kingfisher?"

Tu Xiaoyu asked in a puzzled tone, clearly not agreeing with the surface meaning and harboring deeper doubts.

Zhong Xuan remained calm and composed, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally settling on the pretty girl in the pale yellow dress. He then asked, "Fellow Daoist seems to have gained some understanding or insight. Since we've met by fate, why not speak freely and tell us, is this little green bird a kingfisher?"

The girl blinked and asked, "So, does a kingfisher always have to be green?"

Zhong Xuan smiled but did not answer.

Someone in the crowd suddenly spoke up boldly: "Kingfishers are of course green; the word '翠' (cui) itself means emerald green."

But someone immediately objected: "No, I've seen birds that look exactly the same, small with round heads and long beaks, but their feathers aren't green."

Upon hearing this, more and more people suddenly realized the truth, then became confused, and applauded in admiration.

"I see, I see. But if this kingfisher isn't a kingfisher, then what kind of bird is it?"

"What if kingfishers not only differ in color, but also in shape—some have three legs, some have one leg, some have short beaks, and some have long beaks? What then?"

"So, does that mean the kingfisher isn't even a bird anymore?"

The discussion became increasingly chaotic, and the vague understanding that had been forming was instantly disrupted by the various voices, throwing everyone's thoughts into disarray.

Even Sun Wukong was scratching his head, completely baffled.

The Third Prince Nezha stepped forward, cupped his hands in a defiant manner, and asked, "Since that's the case, Mountain God, tell me, what is this thing in your hand? Are you suggesting it's life and death?"

Zhong Xuan chuckled and shook his head: "Of course, I'm not saying it's a matter of life or death. It's just that the kingfisher we see can be called by a thousand different names."

Everyone listened intently, hoping to resolve their confusion.

The Third Prince Nezha thought to himself what he had heard when Laozi was preaching: Isn't this the distinction between name and reality? But from the perspective of this mountain god, it felt more like a clearer and more concrete explanation of the truth, and it was less mysterious than the distinction between name and reality spoken of by the Taoist patriarch.

Zhong Xuan said slowly:

"We call it the kingfisher because its plumage is as green as jade and it has wings that can fly."

"Thousands of languages ​​and countless names, murals and oral traditions all point to this bird."

"But the problem is, we say that kingfishers are green, but they are not just one color. So what if we call them yellow kingfishers or red kingfishers?"

"Not only do they differ in color, but their shapes also vary, so we created various names containing the character for bird. Just as there are countless forms of horses, countless new characters containing the character for horse have appeared—yet the written word seems endless, but human memory is incomplete."

At this point, many people became even more confused and distressed, especially Sun Wukong, whose brows were furrowed. The more intelligent and agile he was, the more he could not get what he wanted.

Zhong Xuan lowered his voice and continued:

"That's right, this bird is right here. No matter what we call it or how it changes, even if it has broken wings and eyes, it is still the same bird."

"But do we really know it?"

"We can name things, describe their appearance, weigh things, and do many other things, but is this its essence?"

Upon hearing this, many listeners trembled slightly and their teeth chattered.

Even someone like Nezha, who had already reached the realm of immortals, felt his heart pounding like a great bell, unable to find peace, as if a new door full of confusion had been pushed open.

Zhong Xuan pressed his advantage, saying with emotion, "If you ask me what this little life is, I will say I don't know."

He glanced at the bewildered audience and continued:

"If you ask me what the fundamental truth of life and death is, I can only say that I don't know."

"Moreover, what is the true essence? In my view, even if someone sees it or understands it, they cannot describe it in words."

"Therefore, today you have come to hear my sermon, and I am speaking to you about this passage on life and death. It is precisely because of this opportune moment that I have come to tell you..."

Zhong Xuan paused for a moment, and in the quiet listening,

"I may be the teacher who leads you onto the path of seeking the truth."

"But I cannot, and will never, tell you what that ultimate truth is."

"I've just taken a few more steps than you, so I can describe its current form in more ways. But when it changes in an instant, or remains still, I can't see its true appearance."

After saying this...

Whether it was the Third Prince Nezha who had provoked them earlier, the mysterious and curious girl, or the man with a face as black as charcoal, they all fell silent for a moment, their expressions blank as if they had suddenly realized something.

In stark contrast,

Of the hundreds of listeners present, more than half, whether human or demon, looked bewildered.

People like Nezha, the Third Prince, are inherently exceptional, or perhaps they are intelligent and thoughtful, or perhaps they are refined and reserved... Ultimately, they are all different, and after hearing these words, they all gained something.

But most people, even if they hear every word and phrase clearly, just like the vast majority of people, hear it and then forget it, as if they hear the splash of a stone thrown into water, and it's over and done with, leaving no trace in their hearts.

Zhong Xuan glanced at it and sighed inwardly.

Such is his aptitude, such is his aptitude.

Achieving enlightenment, and achieving enlightenment layer by layer, is not easy.

He is willing to help everyone improve their level of understanding, but alas, people are so attached to their own desires.