Chapter 367: Not Becoming a Dragon, But Becoming a Human

In truth, there is nothing worth holding onto.

Or perhaps one thought the other would not leave, while the other thought they would be asked to stay; in any case, it was a twist of fate.

But this is not about those lingering, sentimental loves; it is about parting ways, a divergence in path—one to the left, one to the right. If there is no one to subdue and hold down both ends, they are destined to separate.

At this moment, the conflicts between the human and demon races are minor, as are the conflicts between two sects; this has already touched upon the essence of the human Dao.

Of course, neither of them realized this; they both merely believed it to be a difference in choice.

Chen Liuxian watched her leave, a strong impulse in his heart—it seemed like melancholy, it seemed like possessiveness, and it seemed like he realized he was about to lose something important.

But if he were to truly chase after her, what would that count for? This clearly was not a case of "having one's cake and eating it too." He was also a man of Yushan, and he possessed a mortal heart. To say nothing else, if he could truly build such a world with his own hands, he would not need to go to the heavens to be a God Immortal, for he would already be living the life of one.

If he followed Liu Ruyan, then who would he be failing? Would he be failing the master who taught him his skills? Would he be failing his fellow villagers?

If responsibility and desire, rationality and sensibility crush one another, then it must be responsibility and rationality that triumph over those emotions.

Seeing that Chen Liuxian had not caught up after a long time, Liu Ruyan did not know how many times she had counted down from nineteen, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one in her heart, yet her pace still did not stop.

Thus, they drifted further and further apart. Once they left the boundary of the Sanqing Mountain Daochang, the images of Fenglei Daoren and the others reverted to their original forms, though they were still unaccustomed to it for the moment.

Elder Xianhuan sighed: "Different paths, no common ground. Young one, you must be diligent and encourage yourself."

Having said this, she added: "I have watched here for three years, and in truth, I understand the Cause and Effect within it. You possess a fruit of goodness because you planted a seed of goodness; this is a matter predetermined by your past life. She possesses a fruit of evil because she planted a seed of evil; this is also a debt of karma from past lives. Although the Dharma saves all sentient beings, the prerequisite for saving all sentient beings is that the Buddha must be able to save himself and awaken himself. If one does not awaken and save oneself, then in this sea of bitterness, one is like a Mud Bodhisattva crossing a river—unable to even save oneself, how can one save others? Performing Merit, making vows, and cultivating a kind heart are all within one's own power. You must have made a vow in your previous life; now you must wholeheartedly complete that vow. Only then will there be a beginning and an end, and only then can you attain the right fruit."

Chen Liuxian seemed to have an epiphany and said to Elder Xianhuan: "I was foolish and blind before, unaware of the great matters of life, and fell into confusion. There was a moment of enlightenment, but most of the time I felt muddled, as if looking at flowers through a mist. My previous life was passable, but now it seems somewhat illusory. How can one live a plain and peaceful life? Without security, it is also like an extravagant hope."

"Later, when I had this path to walk, it was actually visibly getting better and better. When I was overseas, going from having nothing to lacking nothing, there was a sense of satisfaction in my heart. I became more and more motivated, always having energy that I could never exhaust."

"This is the Great Vow of Maitreya Bodhisattva," Elder Xianhuan said. "After the End of Dharma Era, Maitreya Bodhisattva will rebuild the human world and turn the Saha World into a Pure Land. Although True Person Xu is not a member of our Buddhist school, he is also well-versed in the Dharma. His mother once said that the Dharma he practices was all taught by his son, and later he received the heart-transmission of the Bodhisattva. When I exchange Dharma with him, I often gain a great deal; it is the supreme Dharma after all consciousness is extinguished and the six senses are severed."

Elder Xianhuan said: "This is also why he commands this old monk, and I am willing to do so. It is just that as a member of the Buddhist school, I see the four elements as empty; fame and wealth are like floating clouds to me. I have not yet seen the clear nature, cannot attain Didao, and have stirred up dust. The whisk is not clean, and I am attached to power, finding it difficult to let go."

"It is easy to pick up, but difficult to let go," Xianhuan said. "The benefactor is not yet at the age to let go; it is better to pick up a bit more."

Chen Zhangsheng said: "I don't understand these profound principles either. Picking up and letting go—I am also in a mess. I only feel that in this world, there seem to be many opportunities, but in reality, there are none. There is not much left for me to do, and many people don't even have the possibility of achieving anything. They live mediocre lives, not even as good as ants, which at least have a clear division of labor. It is like a tool: when it needs to farm, it farms; when it needs to reproduce, it reproduces. There is never a self. Is there anything that is for oneself, that is experiencing the meaning of being human?"

Xianhuan's eyes lit up: "This is having an epiphany; it is the beginning of questioning the heart. Once you have questioned the heart, you are excavating your true nature. This is the Alaya-vijnana in the Dharma. Once you understand the Alaya-vijnana, there is the possibility of a great awakening."

While Xianhuan was instilling the Dharma into Chen Zhangsheng over there, Xu Jia paid no heed. His own cultivation had reached a critical point. As Father Xu carried out the Equal Field policy in the villages around Nanchang Prefecture, the Dragon Qi of the Jiangnan West Circuit also gathered together. The configuration of the Five Dragons Holding the Saint imposed a mandate of heaven.

But Xu Jia did not directly refine and suppress this mandate of heaven; his Primordial Spirit merely borrowed it to fulfill wishes, cultivating the Qi of the "Saint King."

This is the foundation for the Primordial Spirit to govern all gods. If the Primordial Spirit is not the "Heavenly Emperor," how can it govern all gods and dispatch them sensitively? Is the territory governed by the Heavenly Emperor only this small? If it were not for the fact that Nanchang Prefecture is the capital of Jiangxi and possesses the foundation of the fortune of the Jiangnan West Circuit, it would be the so-called "Submerged Dragon."

It is just that the Qi of the Submerged Flood Dragon had already fallen upon Father Xu. Father Xu did not want to act as a dragon; before becoming a dragon, a flood dragon stirring up water would inevitably destroy farmland.

But this thing called a dragon refers to the "Emperor." So, does Father Xu want to be an "Emperor," to be a founding emperor?

Although Father Xu practiced Confucianism and Legalism, he was also greatly influenced by Xu Jia. He did not believe in "Saintly Imperial Power" and was a supporter of the idea that the people are precious and the ruler is light. At this time, following the Equal Field policy, he understood more and more that the Equal Field policy was not about letting big landlords return the annexed fields, nor was it the servile mentality of poor peasants thinking that a "Blue-Sky Official" was making decisions for them.

It is about how the "people truly become the masters." Since the people are the masters, naturally there is no ruler, nor is there a need for a Blue-Sky Official. Naturally, the Qi of the Flood Dragon became useless.

I have no desire to proclaim myself Emperor, only to help others achieve their goals. Why use a flood dragon to name me? A flood dragon? Is he worthy?

In the end, these Qi of the Flood Dragon dissipated and flowed away, turning into Profound Qi, turning into laws, and penetrating into the hearts of the common people. This was exactly what Xu Jia thought in his heart: the spiritual treasure he wanted to leave behind was ideology, was the system, which would not decay or perish with the fate of a three-hundred-year feudal dynasty. How is it right? Although it may not be right forever, under the background of the era, this set is advanced.

The power of the laws of the Jiangnan West Circuit, under the influence of this trend of thought and fortune, began to slowly decay, and would eventually fall off completely, a shackle reinforced in the hearts, minds, and thoughts of the common people.

The spine that was hunched because of the shackles, and the knees that were pressed to kneel because of the dignity of the powerful and noble, would one day stand up.

The submerged dragon is in the abyss, waiting for the time to fly.

This is precisely a flourishing and very vigorous vitality; it is a new life born and nurtured under a decaying dynasty. In the corpse of the dragon, the life of a human was born.

This situation astonished the practitioners of the world, especially on Longhu Mountain. The current Heavenly Master of Longhu Mountain, Zhang Fajing, who had old ties with Xu Jia, recalled the prophecy of the Thirty-Sixth Generation Heavenly Master about a Heavenly Master of a different surname appearing every five hundred years.

Previously, there might have been doubts, as there was also a Heavenly Master Seed in Shu who was governing the territory, making it difficult to distinguish who was true and who was false. Now, they finally understood that only Xu Jia could be called the True Lingbao Celestial Master.

Of course, perhaps it is not limited to the Heavenly Master, or perhaps there is some other identity superimposed; in any case, this is the bet for the rise of the Daoist school.

Zhang Fajing saw that in the governed territory, the hearts of the people gave birth to Dragon-Tiger Profound Qi. The Dragon-Tiger Profound Qi and the Purple Imperial Qi turned into a net, forming laws. In the place where the Equal Field policy had already been completed, it turned into a wall of bronze and iron; it was cast by the hearts of the people and formed by the will of humanity.

"Incorporate Yingtan under Longhu Mountain into the territory of Lord Xu. Please, Lord Xu, implement the Equal Field policy. Divide the fields of our Zhang Clan on Longhu Mountain, and the Zhang Clan family, all according to his words: divide the households and equalize the fields."

"This must absolutely not be done! Our Daoist property and fields alone amount to three hundred thousand mu, occupying more than half of all Yingtan. How will our Zhang Clan descendants cultivate, how will they be supported by the people, and how will they perform sacrifices?"

"Do you all want to destroy the clan?"

Immediately, Zhang Fajing took the initiative to preside over the Equal Field policy, returning the Zhang family's fields to the common people, abolishing Daoist slaves and serfs, and dismissing all those who did not possess a Dao Register. These matters were naturally very contentious. Some clan elders and Daoist sects regarded Longhu Mountain as their own private property, and the fields that had been annexed for hundreds of years, as well as the fields bestowed by successive emperors, were also considered their own.

They even felt that this Heavenly Master was crazy and wanted to revolt against himself. They believed they were the biggest reactionaries, so they directly held a clan elder meeting, feeling it was necessary to elect the next generation of Zhang Heavenly Master.

Because their vested interests were damaged, their vision was short-sighted, and they could not see clearly. This Zhang Fajing saw the elders, the sect, and even the Zhang family descendants glaring at him with anger, so he sighed: "Everyone, take care of yourselves."

Immediately, in accordance with the wishes of the Zhang clan elders, he resigned from the position of Heavenly Master, saying: "This position should never have been hereditary," and left on his own.

Not long after, the Zhang clan supported Zhang Fajing's uncle, a fifty-something-year-old Zhang clansman with mediocre talent, as the Thirty-Eighth Generation Heavenly Master. Using the "Heavenly Master Degree," they piled up his cultivation to the level of an Earth Immortal and requested an imperial decree from the new seven-year-old Emperor of the Great Ning Dynasty to make the position of Heavenly Master hereditary.

The Great Ning Dynasty did not reject this trivial matter, nor did they ask where the Thirty-Seventh Generation had gone.

When Xu Jia saw Zhang Fajing on Sanqing Mountain, he was disheveled, barefoot, and dressed in white, as if in mourning.

Xu Jia asked curiously: "You are not cultivating well on Longhu Mountain, why are you dressed like this? Did an elder die?"

"I am wearing sackcloth and mourning for them in advance," Zhang Fajing said. "They took away my 'Zhang' character and took away my 'Fa' generation name. Now only the 'Jing' character is mine. With the Zhang cap on the Li head, I am now called Li Jing."

When Xu Jia heard him call himself "Li Jing," he first thought of the prototype of Vaisravana, the Great Tang God of War, and then thought of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing, the father of Nezha, Muzha, and Jinzha.

But looking closely at his appearance, there was not a trace of Li Jing in him.

"Aren't you the Heavenly Master?"

"I observed that the heavens and the earth are about to change, and it is the trend of the times. I presided over the Equal Field policy in the clan and was deposed by the clan elders and elders, who took away my position as Heavenly Master. So I abandoned it myself. Now that I am homeless, I have come to you to seek a job."

Xu Jia looked at him in astonishment: "You have this realization?"

"Don't you think I am going against heaven?"

"Humans are also a part of heaven and earth. Who says this is not following the will of heaven? I think I am right."

Xu Jia listened: "You certainly have some ideas. Since you have changed your name to Li Jing, abandoned the thought of transcending the world, and given birth to the heart of entering the world, then just enter the world properly. Stay under my command, train the Daoist soldiers, and learn while you watch, how about that?"

"Good, I will do whatever, but I would rather go overseas. I heard you have established a Dao Kingdom overseas. How about I be your Prime Minister?"

"No need, learn first. A prime minister must rise from the prefectures and counties; if one does not go to the grassroots, how can one know what is needed?"

"Fine, then I shall start from the grassroots," Li Jing said. "When I return, I will lead the Military Official to level Longhu Mountain."

"You are quite heartless and unrighteous."

"If I go, there is still some chance of survival; if outsiders go, any one of them will die ten times over."

In the end, Li Jing was sent to the countryside of Nanchang Prefecture. His strength was beyond doubt, and he was also a man who did things earnestly.

On the other side, outside Nanchang Prefecture, the Nanchang Prefect stood on the city wall. The scenes inside and outside the city were two different worlds. The Prefect strictly guarded the city gates, not allowing them to be opened, nor allowing the common people to leave the city, lest they be bewitched or more soldiers desert. While intending to defend the city, he additionally sent an urgent request for reinforcements to the imperial court.

This Nanchang Prefect had a staff member who was proficient in the arts of heavenly secrets and divination, but he came from a heterodox background and appeared half-blind.

He said to the Prefect, "From what I see by observing the Qi, that place has turned five-colored; this is the Qi of the Son of Heaven. The Great Ning Dynasty is already a lost cause; why does the Prefect not surrender and offer allegiance?"

The Nanchang Prefect said, "Since I eat the ruler's salary, I must be loyal to the ruler's affairs; I cannot be a disloyal subject. What he does is truly unrighteous; it is the act of using an Evil Sect to bewitch people, and it cannot last long. How could there possibly be five-colored Qi? Your eyes are blind, but is your heart blind as well? Moreover, even if his Qi has become five-colored, it is only just formed. As long as I strike and scatter it, the siege will surely be broken."

"Sigh," the blind staff member heard this and only said, "This is merely foolish loyalty, though it is enough to leave a name in history. Since I have also eaten the ruler's salary and received twenty years of favor, I am willing to defy heaven and change fate. That heavenly mandate originates from Xu Jia. Xu Jia is a Ju-ren; the Prefect can first issue an order to strip him of his Ju-ren status. By attacking him with this, his virtue can be broken, and there will be a glimmer of hope."

After speaking, the blind man stabbed his own ears, then said, "Now I am both deaf and blind, and I can take the backlash of the heavenly mandate on behalf of the Prefect."

The Nanchang Prefect sighed, "I did not raise you like a soldier raised for a thousand days to be used for a moment; it was out of a heart of pity. Today, I have caused you to become even more disabled; how can I bear it in my heart? But if I spurn your good intentions, you will have suffered in vain."

Subsequently, the Nanchang Prefect wrote a denunciation, rebuking Xu Jia's father.

First, he rebuked Xu Jia's father for scolding the dragon in the past, calling it shocking rhetoric used to grab attention, and labeling him a vulgar clown.

Second, he rebuked Xu Jia's father for ransacking the home of Ju-ren Huang. Ju-ren Huang was the Ju-ren who had recommended him for the examination and could be considered half a teacher, yet he backstabbed him.

Third, he rebuked Xu Jia's father for obtaining the position of Ju-ren and seeking fame to become a Virtuous local leader, yet failing to protect the local community and instead inciting unruly people to rebel.

In any case, listing ten charges, Xu Jia's father was a sycophant with ulterior motives, disloyal, unfilial, unrighteous, and inhumane, unworthy of being a follower of Confucianism.

Finally, there was the conclusion: in view of these many actions, it was announced to the world that Xu Jia's father was stripped of his Ju-ren degree and his Xiu-cai degree.

(End of chapter)