Chapter 26: Say Hello! |
Niu You Dao and Yuan Gang had only just reunited and still had much to talk about, so they rode at the back, conversing freely between themselves.
Ahead, Shang Chao Zong heard Shu Qing muttering to herself, "airplane, tank..."
He turned around, looked at the two friends behind him, and couldn't help but chuckle as he said, "They don't want to talk about it, but Shu Qing remembered? Then why didn't she ask?"
He couldn't discern Shu Qing's reaction under her bamboo hat.
"They don't want to talk, but I don't think Niu You Dao is the kind of person who speaks nonsense. He simply says nothing at all. Even if he were to speak, I have a feeling that even if he started to explain, it would be a waste of his time for him. Are some things not worthy of our attention, or are we unworthy of theirs? Especially with Yuan Gang's disdainful look."
Chao Zong waved his hand and said,
"Shu Qing, you're contradicting yourself. I don't understand you at all."
Shu Qing: "I don't quite understand either. It's such a strange feeling, as if they don't want to tell us because even if they did, we wouldn't understand. As if they belong to a higher society, even much higher than us."
Chao Zong sighed: "Perhaps he thinks that as a master, there are things that we... mere mortals wouldn't understand."
"Mr. Lan, why did he initially agree to take us to the village, but then abruptly refused?"
Lan Ruo Ting: "Perhaps it was to protect the village. This Yuan Gang truly might not want the village to have any contact with us."
Chao Zong: "Everyone knows this place now. Is it really that difficult to visit this village? What's the harm if we visit it?"
Lan Ruo Ting: "Prince, didn't you notice? There's a village by the mountain, and that village is not ordinary. Most likely, it's secretly guarded. The moment a group approaches the village, a whistle sounds, and the entire village is ready to resist enemies. It's highly probable that they were constantly raided by government troops."
The troops galloped along the path.
Niu You Dao and Yuan Gang galloped behind, each recounting what had happened to him over the years. So delighted were they to reunite that they didn't even notice the clouds of dust.
Niu You Dao held nothing back from Yuan Gang. From the moment he awoke in the ruined temple to passing by their village, he laid it all out. He also told him about the Qian and Kun Means of the bronze mirror.
"Lord Dao, does that mean the Supreme Purity Sect wants to harm you?"
Niu You Dao, sighing, replied, "80 to 90 percent. After all, Tu Han didn't kill me and even warned me. As for how I harmed them, I don't know myself. And why they waited until now."
Yuan Gang: "The Supreme Purity Sect could have easily killed you. Why did they truly wait until now?"
Niu You Dao: "That, I don't understand either."
Yuan Gang: "Lord Dao, how do you plan to handle this?"
Niu You Dao:
"It seems staying with these people isn't safe. Once we reach the Southern Mountain Monastery, the Supreme Purity Sect will presume I'm dead. Then the threat from their side can be considered eliminated. After that, the heavens and earth are vast. With our abilities, we can go anywhere we please."
After the two men discussed everything, Niu You Dao began teaching Yuan Gang cultivation so he could protect himself in these turbulent times. It was a pity that he couldn't take those cultivation methods from the Supreme Purity Sect, because teaching cultivation by words alone was inconvenient. Fortunately, Yuan Gang had roamed and traveled extensively over the years, and grasping such intricate concepts wasn't difficult for him.
Throughout the journey, deep in thought, Yuan Gang suddenly spoke:
"The world of cultivators interferes with the world of ordinary people, and they've even entangled every state in internal strife. This is difficult for me to understand."
Niu You Dao smiled:
"Some things are hard to grasp. For those with limited understanding, it's even harder to find meaning in complex matters. But things that are hard to understand don't mean they're meaningless. Have you read 'Investiture of the Gods'? During the battles of the Shang Dynasty, how many cultivators participated there? Figures like Taigong Wang and Nezha, one could say, became entangled in the mortal world. Our situation is quite similar to what's described in 'Investiture of the Gods'." (Investiture of the Gods: a 16th-century novel attributed to Xu Zhonglin, reflecting legends about heroes from the end of the Shang and beginning of the Zhou Dynasties. Taigong Wang: a military advisor and general during King Wen of Zhou and King Wu of Zhou, considered the founder of Chinese military science and author of the treatise "Six Military Strategies." Nezha: a Daoist protective deity and dragon-slaying god, originating from Buddhist mythology, officially revered under the titles "Marshal of the Central Altar" and "Third Lotus Prince.")
Yuan Gang was speechless, then furrowed his brows and asked:
"Lord Dao, if I'm to believe your words, are there truly people in this world who can fly?"
Holding the reins, Niu You Dao chuckled:
"Such celestials must be seen with one's own eyes. If you're simply talking about the ability to fly, then yes, such individuals exist. However, as I understand it, there aren't many such people in this world. Those who truly cultivate are already at the highest stage. And everyone below them merely fulfills the desires of their superiors. In ordinary life, they do not reveal their true faces."
"Are there really flying celestials?" Yuan Gang shook his head. Though it was his trusted friend speaking, he still replied with disbelief:
"That's not scientific!"
Niu You Dao waved his hand:
"It is scientific. You just haven't touched upon its essence."
Yuan Gang asked in surprise:
"Scientific? Where's the science in that?"
Niu You Dao thought for a moment. He pondered how to explain it to his friend, then said:
"I used to be like you, disbelieving in immortals and deities. However, after spending five years in the Supreme Purity Sect, I've come to understand a few things. Look!"
He gestured to Yuan Gang and raised his palm. A circulation of air appeared above it, and the dust that reached them also swirled above his palm. When everything dispersed, he asked again:
"Did you see what I just did?"
Yuan Gang:
"That, Lord Dao, you used to do that before. That's all your Qigong technique." Yuan Gang knew that Lord Dao had always been a man of profound knowledge in their previous life.
Niu You Dao nodded:
"Qigong, precisely. But where did this power come from? Can you explain it?"
Yuan Gang shook his head. He couldn't guess before either. He only knew it was Qigong.
Niu You Dao said:
"When you practice breathing techniques, deep within the body, all organs open up, and you can sense that the body begins to absorb something from the unseen world. According to Daoist teachings, this is none other than the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth. I wandered in the dark like that, holding the same opinion. But after coming here, I compared a few things and seemed to understand what this spiritual Qi of heaven and earth truly is."
Yuan Gang was calm at first, but couldn't hold back and curiously asked:
"And what is it?"
Niu You Dao:
"If we use scientific language, this substance could be called dark matter. Have you heard of dark matter?"
Yuan Gang seemed startled:
"You're talking about the substance smaller than an electron or a photon, which is difficult to capture and observe? The one scientists are constantly racking their brains over? Is that what you mean?"
Niu You Dao nodded his head:
"Exactly, I've understood something regarding this. The so-called spiritual Qi is precisely dark matter. The so-called spirits and ghosts are not unfamiliar to you. They seem to exist and yet seem not to. But in some canons of the Supreme Purity Sect, I read that they do, in fact, exist. I believe that spirits and ghosts are accumulations of dark energy. After a person's death, their thoughts and consciousness are preserved in dark matter, forming what is called a ghost. In principle, you and I were most likely formed this way too. And the only difference between us and ghosts is our ability to think. The universe is vast, and there are many things that people don't understand. But that doesn't mean these things don't exist. It just means we haven't understood them yet."
Yuan Gang was speechless.
"Don't look at me like that. There's nothing surprising here. If I'm right, all this internal and magical power is nothing more than the ability to control dark energy, and the amount of internal energy you can control. That's all." Niu You Dao smiled slightly, waved his hand, and pushed away the stream of dust.
"I also discovered here that the spiritual Qi of this world is much more potent and abundant than in ours. This means there's much more dark matter here. I've tested this many times. Furthermore, the speed of cultivation here is much higher than in our world. As it turns out, this is because there is more spiritual Qi here. Consequently, there are also more cultivators here. Then the founder of the Wu Kingdom, Emperor Shang Song, pierced a hole in the sky. But what happened next... I don't know for sure. By the way, have you practiced Qigong?"
Yuan Gang nodded his head:
"After I got injured, I immediately started practicing Qigong and other self-defense techniques."
Niu You Dao said with interest:
"True Qigong involves breathing exercises, and if you've been doing that, you must have also absorbed spiritual Qi or dark matter. And if I'm right, your cultivation should be much better now than before."
Yuan Gang was speechless. Indeed, Lord Dao was right. He hadn't understood before why he had made such progress. But now, he seemed to understand everything.
Niu You Dao said with a smile, "I've cultivated the Qian and Kun Means; it's a good technique. Later, I'll examine your body and see if it's suitable for cultivation. If it is, you should cultivate the technique too."
Yuan Gang shook his head:
"I have no interest in meditation. For me, something more practical is better."
Niu You Dao:
"Don't be stubborn, this world isn't like the last. Is it so bad to be strong enough to protect yourself? To achieve longevity and remain perpetually young?"
Yuan Gang shook his head:
"To waste time sitting? What's the point of prolonging life then? Movement is life!"
"Monkey, I'm telling you..."
"Lord Dao, don't try to persuade me. I'm not like you, delving into the mysterious. It doesn't interest me. I prefer an active life more. You must understand."
"Ahhh, I won't persuade you." Niu You Dao sighed and then, chiding him again, said: "However, you should practice Qigong well. I think your Qigong is not simple. Previously, the things we found must have contained cultivation keys. I don't know what happened in ancient times, but the spiritual Qi became weaker. Time passed, and the sensation and receptiveness to spiritual Qi worsened. The effect in cultivation was no longer the same in our world. But here it's different; you'll understand when the time comes."
Yuan Gang merely grunted, and after a moment of silence, asked:
"Lord Dao, what do you plan to do next?"
Niu You Dao looked around and said with a laugh:
"As the saying goes: 'Since we're here, we might as well settle in.' I'll say just one word to the world!"
"One word?" Yuan Gang didn't understand and asked:
"What word?"
"Hello!" Niu You Dao declared, and, cracking his whip, galloped forward with all his might.
"Hello?" Yuan Gang was astonished, then he, too, looked around, cracked his whip, and chased after his friend.