Chapter 164: On the top of the mountain

The vast snow-capped mountains are beautiful when viewed from afar… you don’t realize how daunting it is to be so high up.

However, when you are in it, the jagged rocks are scratching your feet, and the wind is howling in your ears… only then do you realize how stressful it is to look up at the top of the mountain, and how it can even make you feel scared.

My master and I are not professional climbers… nor do we have any climbing equipment. The only thing we can rely on is that we are cultivators, our bodies are stronger than ordinary people, and we have a unique breathing method… Apart from that, we have no other advantages.

In the face of heaven, earth and nature, you can more fully appreciate the equality of all living things… because everyone has the right to live and everyone will die… heaven and earth will not change any of their beauty to please you because you are noble or talented.

Nor will it deny you the opportunity to appreciate its beauty because you are lowly or ordinary.

It is like climbing a mountain. If you climb it step by step, honestly… the practitioner may not necessarily have a great advantage…

The mountain wind howls, and the thinner the air gets the higher you climb, making you unconsciously want to save every bit of strength. I am very grateful that my master did not want me to conquer the first peak of Mount Everest… Otherwise, I am afraid that the last day of my life will be silently dissipated among these mountains.

We set off early and by noon, my master and I had already climbed halfway up the mountain. What surprised me was that my master seemed to have a lot of experience in this area and was guiding me along the way, just as he had done every day when I was a child.

But my master is old after all. In the first third of the journey, I was always looking at his back as I walked. In the latter part of the journey, I was basically in front, and he guided me… and occasionally I needed to pull him along.

I didn’t understand what Master meant by making me climb the mountain… But during the lunch break, he took out some dried food from his bag, and I knew that he had planned this all along.

Climbing a mountain requires a lot of physical strength… During the break, I thought that Master would say something to me, but in the cold mountain wind, he just told me not to talk, to save every bit of physical strength, and then silently finished the food with me.

I almost wanted to back out… because I was afraid that I wouldn’t have enough time. I didn’t know when I would disappear. Maybe it would be late at night today, or maybe it would be when the first ray of morning light appeared tomorrow? I wanted to leave some time, I had a lot to say to my master… looking up at the top of the mountain, it seemed like it would never end… but my master didn’t give me any chance to stop, he just let me climb all the way up.

As a result, at around 6:00 p.m., I finally reached the top of the mountain. I reached out to my master, and he grabbed my hand and came to the top of the mountain with me.

At this time, there were still some remnants of the sunset… a gorgeous red color was falling on the top of the white snow-capped mountain. Right now, the entire snow-capped mountain range was in sight, and even further away… the endless mountains surrounded the snow-capped mountain range, and every mountain was dyed with this layer of gorgeous red.

It is beautiful… I want to preserve this breathtaking scenery forever. This is the greatest significance of the invention of the camera by human beings… However, although the camera is good, how can it compare to the record of a pair of eyes? The same scenery has different experiences in different people’s eyes.

Therefore, in many places, you still have to go there in person to say that you have seen it… Just like many things, you have to experience them yourself to temper a heart of the world.

“Did you see this scenery and feel that the hard work along the way was worth it?” The master stood next to me, letting the mountain wind blow his messy hair even more messy.

“Mmm.” Every time I am in front of nature, I have a different experience. I greedily look at this beautiful scenery, and I feel that even talking is superfluous.

The master smiled, sat down, patted the stone next to him, and gestured for me to sit down as well.

“When I was young, I followed your ancestor… he liked to take a few of us disciples and climb the highest peaks… he said it wasn’t to make you stand tall and see far, or to make you feel like you were looking down on everyone else, I just wanted you to experience a kind of conquest.” At the halfway point, the mountain wind was very strong, but at the top of the mountain, the wind was much weaker… but it still carried the sound of my master’s voice far, far away.

“A kind of conquest? Is it conquering the mountain peak?” I sat next to my master. The air here was already a bit thin, but for me and my master, the impact was not great.

“No, it is an early experience of conquering life… A smooth day is like a flat land, and a difficult day is like a peak suddenly rising from the flat land, with no road… So, you have to climb it! Or, you can hide under the difficulties and stay there forever, never moving forward.” As the master spoke, he looked into the distance, squinting his eyes, and then took up his pipe again.

I, however, understood the meaning of the words, the taste of climbing, which people who have never truly experienced it will never understand… The psychological pressure, the laziness that wants to give up again and again, are all real emotions. Think about it, it is no different from the difficulties encountered in life.

I nodded slightly, and the master smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth. He didn’t look at me, but said to me, “This mountain is not very high… but it is enough to let you experience the taste of it. The will of Tao Tongzi is a mountain peak in your life, but you are my disciple, and I absolutely will not allow you to give up at the foot of the mountain.”

“Master, what do you mean?” I couldn’t help but ask. In fact, I was really ready to give up… I knew that compared to the will, I was not as good as Daotongzi. I was always “weak” for various reasons, while Daotongzi’s heart was so strong in his pursuit of the Dao.

He is a person whose will is almost unmovable, which is why there was the tragedy of Wei Chaoyu!

“What do you mean? You know in your heart… what disappears is only what is suppressed. This is your life, your body, your soul… Even if it is the future of Dao Tongzi, it is all yours. Tell me why your will has failed?” The master turned to look at me, his eyes a determined light.

“But I…” Tao Tongzi’s appearance was not early, but no matter how different it was, when stripped of its will, we are actually the same. Even though I don’t know where this similarity lies, I just feel that I understand Tao Tongzi because of this similarity.

As the master said, his will is really like a mountain standing in front of me. I feel that I have no way to overcome it, because the more I understand, the more I feel that there is no way.

“Chengyi, one day you will understand that your perceived weakness will be your strength… Master has two wishes in this life. The first is to find your master. The second is to witness your growth. But in the past, this wish seemed so contradictory. I had to find your master and give up the years of being by your side… Now, I know some answers, but I don’t necessarily see that I can still witness your growth.” The master looked into the distance again, and said to me in a somewhat low tone.

“Master? Are you worried about the battle? I don’t think so. If that is the fate of our Li family, then let’s embrace it…” I stood up and looked at the scenery below the mountain. I don’t know if it was because I was on top of the mountain, but my words seemed to be more heroic.

Master laughed out loud… and then said, “Chengyi, I am very pleased with your words, but I, Jiang Lixun, have never been the type to worry about a great battle… In fact, I just want to spend more years by your side, watching you take one step after another, just like my life is taking one step after another… You are my legacy, and the legacy is not just about Taoism or theory, but more about a spirit… This is a relationship that is more connected than blood! Chengyi, therefore, you must overcome this peak in front of you… And even if Master leaves, he will not have any regrets, because by that time, I know that nothing will be able to stop you, even if it is truly a difficulty that you cannot overcome, but you will be on your way.”

“Master…” I turned around suddenly and looked at my master in the wind. He was sitting in a very lazy posture, but his expression was very calm… When I was young, he gave me the impression of a middle-aged man with a lot of experience. Now, the years have left deep traces on his face, and he finally looks like a real old man.

But even so, I still wanted to keep him… I was not there, but the Taoist monk fulfilled my wish… But now, why am I so scared?

“Master has been missing for so many years. You must be very curious to know what happened to me. You don’t ask, but you don’t want to peel away the painful years of parting… But my life and yours have been connected since the moment we met. The inheritance also includes sharing with you the little experiences and experiences in my life… I should tell you, Chengyi!” Master looked at me and wanted to light his pipe at this time.

The wind was strong on the mountain, so I quickly sheltered my master from the cold mountain wind… My master lit his pipe and looked at me with an expression of indescribable love… But I turned my head and whispered to my master, “Master, can’t we talk about this later?”

I always felt extremely uneasy.

“Talk about it later? Chengyi… do you still want to hide your condition from me? I only have a year left to live… and I’m not the only one. Everyone is like this except Ling Qing! Do you still want to go ahead of your master? Do you think I would allow that?” Master said calmly, but was questioning me.

I, standing on the top of the mountain, almost lost my balance when I heard the news, but my master grabbed me.

“How much time do you have left? You should tell me… or rather, from now on, you have to learn not to give up on yourself, and be prepared to climb the mountain. Before that, I have to tell you about me… because the next time I want to be the last time in my life, I want to prepare myself wholeheartedly.” Master held me and said seriously.

I let him hold me… with a somewhat dazed expression, the wind blew between us… Is life like this, after all, leaving no trace, or will this trace be passed down from generation to generation, forever etched in our hearts?