Chapter 581: All Matters of the World Are Complete

Li Er left Qu Ren Li and did not go directly to Cheng Zhou.

He rode a green ox and headed northeast.

Qiguo.

He had not seen Shang Rong for a long time.

The great scholar who had taken him as a disciple, since returning to Qiguo that year, had never gone to Cheng Zhou again.

These years, Li Er occasionally asked someone to deliver a letter there; Shang Rong would reply, but the letters only discussed scholarship and never mentioned his own condition.

Li Er wanted to go see him.

The green ox traveled for seven or eight days and finally reached the town where Shang Rong lived.

It was a modest city, and the streets were relatively clean.

Li Er led the ox, inquiring along the way, and found Shang Rong's residence.

It was a tranquil little courtyard, with a few stalks of slender bamboo planted at the gate, their leaves rustling in the wind.

Li Er was about to knock when the door opened from inside.

A young man stepped out, saw Li Er, and was momentarily stunned.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Li Er?"

Li Er nodded.

"Is the gentleman..."

The young man's eyes were slightly reddened.

"He is ill, ill for many days now."

".............." Li Er said nothing, only lifted his foot and walked in.

The courtyard was very quiet.

Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Several pots of orchid grass were placed in the corner, bearing pale yellow blossoms.

A sparrow landed on the fence, chirped twice, then flew away.

Li Er crossed the courtyard and arrived at the main hall's door.

He halted, took a deep breath, and then pushed the door open.

Inside, the light was somewhat dim.

The window was half‑closed, letting in only a few shafts of sunlight that fell on the floor before the bed.

The air was filled with a faint medicinal scent, mingled with an indescribable, aged aroma.

Shang Rong lay on the bed.

He was much thinner than Li Er remembered, his cheekbones sharply protruding, his complexion as pale as paper.

The eyes that once always held a smile were now slightly closed, his brows occasionally furrowing as if enduring something.

Hearing the door open, he opened his eyes.

The moment he saw Li Er, he smiled.

The smile was faint, yet it made Li Er feel a pang in his heart.

"You have come?"

Shang Rong's voice was soft, as if afraid of disturbing something.

Li Er hurried forward and sat at the bedside.

"Sir, you..."

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask what disease it was, whether it could be cured, why he hadn't been told earlier.

But the words stuck, and he could say nothing.

Shang Rong looked at him, his gaze full of composure:

"Li Er,"

"Do you know how long I've lived?"

Li Er shook his head.

"I don't know."

Shang Rong smiled, his eyes gazing out the window as if looking far, far away.

"During the time of Shang Zhou Wang, I was the minister in charge of LiYue."

Li Er was stunned.

Shang Zhou Wang?

That was more than six hundred years ago.

Shang Rong continued, "Later, I could not tolerate Zhou Wang's reckless tyranny; I remonstrated many times, was stripped of office, and then retired in seclusion."

He paused.

"After Zhou Wu Wang defeated Yin, he wanted to ennoble me as one of the Three Dukes, but I did not accept."

"Since then, I have hidden my surname and name, roamed everywhere, and no one knows who I am any more."

Li Er remained silent, listening.

"I am waiting," Shang Rong said.

"Waiting for what?"

Shang Rong looked at him, his eyes bearing something indescribable.

"Waiting for Holy to descend."

Li Er's heart leapt suddenly.

Shang Rong continued speaking: "I observed the heavenly signs, saw the Purple Qi coming from the east, and knew that a Holy Person had already descended into the world."

"Then I left the mountains, first came to Qiguo, and settled there temporarily."

"Later, by a fortunate coincidence, I met you."

He smiled.

"From the moment I saw you, I knew you were the Holy Person I had been waiting for."

Li Er opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Shang Rong looked at him, his eyes full of relief.

"I am a person." He said:

"Not a god, not an immortal."

"Moreover, the lifespans of gods and immortals are also limited; that I can rely on those methods to survive to this day is already a great fortune."

He reached out his hand and lightly patted Li Er's hand back.

"It's time to go; there's no need to grieve for me."

Li Er remained silent for a long time.

He looked at Shang Rong's pale face, at those eyes still smiling, and a feeling he could not describe surged in his heart.

After a long while, he spoke.

"Teacher," his voice somewhat hoarse, "disciple is remiss, unable to often come visit you; today you are leaving, do you have any final teachings to impart to your disciple?"

Shang Rong looked at him, the smile in his eyes deepening.

"Yes."

He raised his hand, gesturing for Li Er to help him sit up.

Li Er hurried forward, carefully helped him up, and placed a pillow behind his back.

Shang Rong leaned against the headboard, looking at him.

"When you passed through your hometown, did you stop?"

Li Er staggered a moment, then nodded.

"Yes."

Shang Rong asked: "Why did you stop?"

Li Er thought and said: "That is the place that gave me birth and raised me, where my relatives and old friends are."

"To pass by without stopping would weigh on my conscience."

Shang Rong nodded.

"This is 'Do Not Forget Home'."

He again asked: "When you passed the tall trees, did you quicken your pace a few steps?"

Li Er nodded again.

"Yes, those great trees were planted by our ancestors; seeing them brings to mind the elders, and I dare not walk slowly."

Shang Rong nodded again.

"This is 'Respect Elders'."

After saying these two sentences, he suddenly opened his mouth.

"You see, is my tongue still there?"

Li Er leaned in to look, then nodded.

"It is."

Shang Rong then pointed to his own teeth.

"And the teeth?"

Li Er looked.

Those teeth have mostly fallen out, only a few scattered loose ones remain, also wobbly.

"They are gone."

Shang Rong closed his mouth, looking at him.

"Do you know why?"

Li Er was stunned.

He lowered his head to think, then raised his head to look at Shang Rong's aged face, at his still-intact tongue, and at his teeth that had completely fallen out.

A flash of inspiration suddenly crossed his mind.

Long ago.

On that rainy day when he encountered the Ferocious Tiger, he watched the rain, watched the earthen wall, and had also thought about it.

He raised his head, looked at Shang Rong, and said slowly:

"Teacher, are you saying… the rigid break easily, while the flexible endure?"

Shang Rong's eyes lit up.

"Ha!"

He gave a soft laugh, his smile full of relief and joy.

"All worldly affairs are finished!"

He closed his eyes and let out a long breath.

Li Er sat beside the bed, looking at him.

Sunlight streamed through the window crack, shining on Shang Rong's face, gilding his pale countenance with a faint gold hue.

Shang Rong's breathing grew ever slower.

Became lighter and lighter.

Finally, like a wisp of light smoke, it dissipated in the air.

Li Er lowered his head, closed his eyes: 'Thank you, sir, for your teachings.'