Chapter 39 Cave
I also climbed up the rope ladder. It was a whole new experience. Hanging in midair, the wind blew, and I felt helpless. Only the rope ladder could be grasped.
Fortunately, the process was not very long. After only twenty minutes, I finally reached the bottom of the ladder and once again felt the ground beneath my feet. I was truly standing here in Dashichi.
And when I stood here, I realized why Su Lao told me that he was so eager to come to Dashi!
The reason is the atmosphere here, yes, the pure atmosphere, the abundance that can be felt with every breath – the aura!
It is difficult to explain what qi is, but in the world of cultivators, this kind of breath has always been recognized and can only be understood but not described.
It is not the kind of component in the air that is analyzed, such as oxygen or carbon dioxide, but a kind of aura that contains spirit, not a specific kind of air that can be captured. You can think of it as the pure aura of all things, or as the original, pure, life-giving aura of the planet.
It is because of its existence that life can be born on this planet.
Therefore, cultivators have never agreed with the idea that life originated because the planet had the right environment. It is a simple truth that there are countless life forms in the vast universe. Perhaps the creatures on this planet need oxygen and sunlight to survive, but do the creatures on other planets need these things?
The interpretation left by the cultivator from the ancient classics is that whether there is life in a place and whether there is high-level life depends on whether the planet has a spiritual aura or a spiritual energy field. Although it is a common understanding that the spiritual aura of this world is becoming thinner and thinner with the passage of time,
I can’t help but worry that after thousands of years, the planet’s aura will be truly depleted, and the creatures on the planet will have to face what the consequences will be. As Master said, if the aura is depleted, as long as the aura is still there, isn’t the planet just a cycle of life?
What I care about is how such a place can still exist on this land of China? The aura is so abundant that practicing here, even without many aids, will be much faster than practicing outside. No wonder Master Su told me that the cultivators here have the most resources… Of course, this is only the “surface” of cultivation. The “inside” of cultivation still lies in the tempering of the heart and the tempering of the soul. Otherwise, where would there be the matter of Master Hongren’s attainment of the truth?
“Do you feel it? Xiao Chu, even if you don’t get anything from the trade fair, isn’t it worth it to come here? It’s a pity that you have to leave after only ten days. It’s really hard to let go.” Old Su paced up to me and said with some annoyance in front of me.
I smiled. Yes, for cultivators, this place is really hard to give up. Not to mention anything else, even if you enter the profound state of meditation here, it should be much easier than in other places, right?
The guide led our group of ten people here and waited, silent, not saying where we were going, let alone what we should do next.
After arriving here, I was a little anxious, anxious to find my fellow students. What was the point of him leading us here and standing here without saying a word?
But it seems that I was the only one who was anxious. The rest of the people were waiting peacefully. After arriving here, their faces were filled with joy, and they didn’t care about the delay at all. I was also forced to wait silently.
Fortunately, this wait didn’t last long. After about 20 minutes, we heard the sound of hooves approaching. It was the carriage.
“Those with invitations are eligible to stay in the cave. Get on the carriage.” When the carriage came, the guide, who had been silent, finally spoke up and took us on three more carriages.
The carriage was speeding across the grassland. I realized that when I was actually in this harmonious and beautiful scenery, I felt so different. I found that everything became more vivid and more real in my eyes. Occasionally, some animals on the grassland would chase after the carriage. When they caught up, they would look at us curiously with their big eyes, not at all afraid of strangers.
“The local people are forbidden to hunt or kill the animals here. All the resources for living here are brought in by the local people from outside, or they find them themselves, and plant some medicinal herbs and plants.” Mr. Su seemed to be very familiar with this place, and he introduced it to me all the way.
The carriage was speeding up, approaching the huge cave along the way. When we got to the bottom of the cave, I discovered that there was a large open space there, with tents densely packed in the open space. I had not noticed this before because of the obstruction of the view from the mountainside.
“Those without invitations are not eligible to live in the cave, and can only live in tents outside. However, even the tents outside are already a rare experience for cultivators.” Su Lao explained to me in time.
I nodded without saying anything. At the moment, my thoughts were completely off the market. Although I was shocked by this place, I was more concerned about the whereabouts of my fellow students. Would they have an invitation? If not, then they should be living in this tent, right? But this tent is so densely packed, how am I going to find them?
Time was pressing, and the most I could stay here was until the end of the fair, which would be about a week. What if I couldn’t find them?
In the midst of my worries, the carriage stopped, and the guide himself opened the door for us and said, “We’re here.”
Only when I got off the carriage did he smile again and say to me, “It seems that you are not very happy. Unlike others, if they can live here, they are generally very happy.”
I looked at the guide, and perhaps because of my behavior on the road, he was deeply suspicious of me. If I didn’t explain, I was afraid that I would be targeted by the so-called Snow Mountain.
So, I avoided everyone’s gaze and whispered to the guide, “I may have something on my mind, but I have no other intentions for this place or the city. No, I have no greed at all. Of course, you can choose to believe me or not.”
After saying this, I kept my mouth shut. This was the best expression I could think of, but the guide whispered in my ear, “It’s hard for others to believe you if you even hide your true face, isn’t it? I hope everything you told me is true, otherwise…”
He didn’t say any more, but I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. He had seen through my disguise? How did he figure it out? Could it be that everything that the person in the disguise had done for me had already become ineffective? Judging from the time, this should not be possible, right?
I wanted to ask the guide, but he stood in front of us as if nothing had happened, saying that he would lead us into the cave and into our rooms. Once inside, according to the rules, everyone’s invitation would be taken away.
After that, he led us into the cave. When I stepped into the cave, I realized what a truly grand gesture it was! I can’t describe the specific feeling of the first glance, but I can only say that if this place is discovered, will it become the eighth wonder of the world?
The cave is first of all a long flight of steps leading to the upper part of the cave. The steps are made of bluestone and can hold ten people walking side by side. On both sides of the steps are neat buildings with a typical Tang and Song Dynasty style. As you climb up the steps, it is like a city in the sky.
As we continued, we soon reached the end of the stairs. There was a huge platform here, and the walls on both sides of the platform were also reinforced with bluestone, but there were still stairs and the entrances to some small caves on it.
On the platform, there are three huge statues, but they are not the three immortals of Taoism or the various Buddhas of Buddhism, but three cultivators, two Daoists and one monk. The statues are extremely vividly carved, and even the indifferent, tranquil, and wise eyes of the characters are completely expressed.
But these three huge statues look very strange to me. I have no idea who they are.
On either side of the statues are the buildings on the platform, neatly divided according to the huge cross here. Behind the statues are stairs leading to the upper level, but judging from the way the people stopped, he would not take us any further.
“I’ll take you here, and someone else will take you from here.” As he spoke, another person appeared, dressed in a white linen robe that was completely out of place in modern society, with long hair flowing down his shoulders, and he suddenly appeared before our eyes.
Unlike the indifferent guide, he had a warm smile on his face, and he looked somewhat similar to the fox man, Chengxin Ge. At this moment, the guide stood next to him and was talking to him in a low voice. I clearly noticed that several times, the guide’s gaze seemed to fall on me.
The white-robed man’s expression did not change, and he wore a smile on his face from beginning to end. After the guide finished speaking, he nodded to indicate that he understood, and then looked at us and said, “Next, I will lead you to your respective rooms. Everything in the city, including all activities, will be explained in detail in the rooms. The time spent here will be arranged freely by everyone.”
After saying that, he paused for a moment, and his gaze seemed to linger on me, adding a sentence: “Of course, as long as it doesn’t violate the rules.”