Chapter 4: The Woodcutter's Axe, the Dao in the Mortal World

The mountain road was rugged, but Su Chen's speed down the mountain was much faster than when he came up.

His goal was clear—find that woodcutter.

He remembered the woodcutter saying that he chopped wood every day and would carry it to the market to exchange for money.

Although the Mountain of Spirit Terrace and Square Inch was a blessed land of immortals, there was a small town not far from the foot of the mountain, providing for the daily needs of nearby mountain folk.

Su Chen didn't go directly to the town to try his luck; he chose a clumsier but more effective method.

He returned to the forest where he had previously met the woodcutter.

The woodcutter chopped wood every day, so he must have his regular paths and fixed logging areas.

Sure enough, after searching in the forest for half a day, Su Chen found an area with a large number of recent logging traces.

A faint pine scent still lingered in the air, and some discarded small branches were scattered on the ground.

He didn't make a sound, just found a hidden high ground, sat cross-legged, and waited patiently.

The sun gradually slanted westward, and when the afterglow of the sunset dyed the forest a golden red, a familiar figure finally appeared in Su Chen's field of vision.

The woodcutter was carrying a heavy load of firewood on his shoulders, his forehead covered in sweat, humming a tune, walking slowly along the small path.

His pace was steady and powerful, each step landing on solid ground.

Su Chen leaped down from the high ground and landed silently in front of the woodcutter.

The woodcutter was startled by the sudden appearance of the figure, and upon seeing it was Su Chen, he breathed a sigh of relief, a look of surprise on his face.

"It's you? That little brother who sought immortality? Why are you back? Did the immortal not accept you?"

Su Chen had a look of loneliness on his face, but he bowed respectfully: "I've made you laugh, elder brother. The immortal said I had no affinity with him and has already sent me down the mountain."

Hearing this, the woodcutter showed sympathy and sighed: "Alas, immortal affinity is hard to come by; little brother, don't take it to heart. There is more than one path in the world. Going home, marrying, having children, and living a stable life might not be a bad blessing."

This was the simplest comfort of an ordinary person.

Su Chen shook his head, looking at the woodcutter with burning eyes: "Elder brother, I am unwilling. I traveled ten thousand miles to seek immortal affinity, and now to return empty-handed, I am truly unwilling. Little brother has a presumptuous request; I wonder if elder brother can agree?"

"Oh? Tell me about it." The woodcutter was curious.

"I want to stay in this mountain for a while." Su Chen's tone was very sincere, "Little brother still has some travel expenses, so I can provide for myself."

"I just want to find a place to stay nearby, to listen to the Dao rhyme of the immortal mountain every day; perhaps one day my luck will turn, and I will have a new opportunity."

"I see that elder brother is a straightforward person; can you let me build a thatched hut nearby to stay for a while? I can also help you with some heavy lifting; I definitely won't eat or live for free."

He didn't directly say he wanted to go to the woodcutter's house, choosing a more circuitous way to avoid arousing the other's vigilance.

The woodcutter sized Su Chen up.

The young man before him, although dusty, had bright eyes and polite manners, not looking like a cunning person.

He remembered the respect this young man had shown him in their previous conversation, and felt a bit more favorable toward him.

He thought for a moment and smiled: "Why build a thatched hut? My house is dilapidated, but there is still a spare room for storing sundries; it can be cleaned up for someone to live in. If you don't mind, you can stay for now. But I must make it clear, my family is poor, and I have nothing good to treat you with."

"If elder brother is willing to take me in, little brother is already grateful; how could I mind!"

Su Chen was overjoyed and bowed and saluted again.

Just like that, Su Chen followed the woodcutter all the way to his home at the foot of the mountain.

It was a simple hut built of yellow earth and thatch, surrounded by a fence in the courtyard, with a few old hens clucking.

Under the eaves, an old woman with white hair was sitting on a small stool, quietly feeling for something.

"Mother, I'm back." The woodcutter put down the firewood and walked up quickly.

"You're back, are you tired today?" The old woman looked up; her eyes were grey and white, clearly blind for a long time.

"Not tired." The woodcutter smiled, then introduced Su Chen: "Little brother, this is my mother."

He said to his mother: "Mother, this little brother is from afar and wants to borrow a place to stay for a few days; I've already agreed."

Su Chen stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Greetings, grandmother."

The old woman listened to Su Chen's voice, a kind smile appearing on her face: "Good, good, having another young man in the house makes it lively. Come in and rest."

Over the next few days, Su Chen settled down in the woodcutter's house.

He cleaned the storage room until it was spotless, got up before dawn every day to fill the water vat in the courtyard, and then followed the woodcutter up the mountain.

He didn't mention seeking the Dao again, just silently helping the woodcutter chop wood.

Seeing this pampered young master doing rough work without complaint, the woodcutter felt even more favorable toward him.

Su Chen's goal, naturally, was that "abandoned axe has profound sounds".

He soon found an old axe in the corner of the woodshed, full of notches and with a blade so dull it could be used as a hammer.

The handle had become smooth and oily from years of holding, and it was stained with some dried black marks.

This should be the "abandoned axe".

He didn't rush to touch it, just carefully observed every move of the woodcutter when they chopped wood together every day.

The woodcutter's way of chopping wood was simple, direct, without any fancy techniques.

Raise the axe, chop down, day after day, year after year.

But in the eyes of Su Chen, the former number one expert in the Jiang Kingdom, he saw a different kind of charm.

Every time the woodcutter swung the axe, the force was used just right, not a bit more, not a bit less.

His breathing, his heartbeat, seemed to form a unique, harmonious rhythm with the action of swinging the axe.

"Watching the chess game until the axes rot, chopping wood with a ding-ding sound..."

That profound song often echoed in Su Chen's ears.

One day, Su Chen finally couldn't help but ask the woodcutter for advice during a break: "Elder brother, I see you chopping wood, and you always seem to be able to chop at the most effortless place; is there any trick to this?"

The woodcutter wiped his sweat and smiled honestly: "What trick is there? It's nothing more than practice makes perfect. Wood is like people; it has its own grain and temper. Look at this tree; the grain runs this way, so you chop along the grain, and it's naturally effortless. If you go against it, it will go against you, and you'll be exhausted without being able to chop it open."

Along the grain?

Su Chen's heart moved, as if he had grasped something.

Returning home that night, he finally walked into the woodshed and picked up that forgotten old axe.

The axe was extremely heavy, heavier than he had imagined.

When his palm grasped the smooth handle, a strange feeling surged into his heart.

He felt as if he could feel the focus and simplicity of the woodcutter holding it and chopping wood day after day, night after night.

He closed his eyes, and the woodcutter's words and actions from the day appeared in his mind.

Along the grain...

All things have their "reason".

Wood has wood reason, stone has stone reason, water has water reason.

What about cultivation? Does the heaven and earth Dao also have its "reason"?

Could he use this mortal axe to obtain his own "reason"?

Su Chen took the axe and walked into the courtyard.

He didn't chop wood, just imitated the woodcutter, slowly raising the axe and chopping down.

No target, just empty swings.

Once, twice, a hundred times...

His movements went from raw to smooth, and gradually, he forgot he was swinging an axe, forgot everything around him.

His world was left with only this simple action of rising and falling.

He didn't activate the secular martial arts he had learned; what drove his body now was the purest force of flesh and blood.

When he had swung the axe countless times, his mind was completely immersed in it.

He "saw" the wind flowing in the air, the grass crawling on the ground, and even heard the heartbeat of the old hen in the corner of the courtyard.

The whole world seemed to have become a huge painting composed of countless textures.

And the axe in his hand was the brush that could follow the texture and slice open the painting!

"The Dao is in the mortal world..." Su Chen muttered to himself.

He finally understood that what Patriarch Puti taught the woodcutter was not some profound immortal art, but the simplest and most fundamental cultivation method.

This axe wasn't chopping wood; it was chopping the heart!

It was a supreme method to cut off distracting thoughts and see one's true nature!

Su Chen opened his eyes, a brilliant light erupting in them.

He raised the dull axe, aimed at a hard wooden stake in the courtyard, and chopped down!

A dull "pfft" sound.

The hard wooden stake split in the middle, the cut as smooth as a mirror.

Su Chen looked down at his hands, and a weak but extremely pure warm current was born from his limbs and bones, slowly flowing into his dantian.

This energy was not the martial artist's internal strength he had practiced for eight years, but a more original, purer energy.

If Su Chen had a master to teach him, he would know that he had successfully stepped into the first realm of immortal cultivation—Refining Essence into Qi. ===== CHAPTER 5 =====