Chapter 67: A chance encounter

“How big is it?” Gu Xindao’s expression was a bit strange when he faced my question. After a long while, he said, “No one can say exactly how big it is. I’ve only been here twice, but I’ve heard some exchanges before. That…”

Gu Xindao stopped here, as if he didn’t know how to say it, but this piqued my curiosity, and I urged him repeatedly, “Xindao, you’d better say it quickly, I’m itching to know.”

“I didn’t know how to describe it before, so let me tell you a few facts. Someone crossed the mountain gate and found themselves on a continuous mountain range. The scenery was like the golden peak of Mount Emei. There were also ancient Taoist priests who opened altars to preach. The meaning of the Tao they spoke of was profound and mysterious, and it was difficult to understand. However, one suddenly had a revelation in one’s heart, and one gained a lot. But someone crossed the mountain gate and found themselves in a vast desert. The sun rises and sets, and it also contains the essence of heaven and earth… There are many more facts, but in short, this is a place that is hard to describe. Gu Xindao organized his words for a long time before he could roughly describe to me how big this place was.

I was shocked to hear this. Personally, I had actually gone in search of the so-called Kunlun because my master had disappeared, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I rejected the idea of space in my heart, but I had no choice but to prove it and pursue it.

This ghost town, according to Gu Xindao, has such a vast space. Is it trying to prove the theory of space to me? Or is it that the existence here is as big as the heart, and the space is as big as the heart? It implies the ultimate truth of Buddhism, the world of the mind, contained in the sand and gravel, in a leaf. It is big or small, depending on your heart, the heart of the world, and then you will see what?

But I didn’t want to reveal my thoughts, so I just said to Gu Xindao, “You said that those people have discovered the existence of Tao here, but we haven’t discovered much in this ordinary town.”

Gu Xindao smiled and looked at me, saying, “You should put aside the business and take a moment to appreciate this small town. It may not be without the way of heaven and earth.”

Cultivating the mind has always been my weakness. My master said that it was my character that caused me to have too many concerns and attachments, that I was indecisive and unable to see through things. Looking at Gu Xindao’s expression, I could see that he was far more powerful than I was.

I listened to what he said, put aside the deal for the time being, and put aside Kunlun. From the perspective of a bystander, I began to savor this small town. After all, I am a cultivator, a Taoist priest. I have no choice but to pay attention to my own heart of Tao, even if the possibility of its perfection is very small.

So I walked around the town, stopping and pausing to think. Here I saw the ordinary, the common, the bustling and the lively, the lonely and the lonely…

I don’t know how long I walked, but suddenly I realized that I had seen life or the secular world. When I stood back and looked at it, I realized that all the tracks of life really seek inner peace in the ordinary.

Just like the affection between parents and children, you need to be filial to find peace of mind.

Just as with your wife, you need to love her to find peace of mind.

Just as with friends, you need loyalty to find peace of mind.

Just as with your children, you need responsibility to find peace of mind.

When all these feelings are combined, and there are no regrets or guilt, they will become a peaceful emotion that fills your heart, and you will finally be liberated, because you no longer have to carry the burden. You have done your best, and this is the return of a perfect circle!

There is another kind of peace that you must have, and that is the peace that comes from being kind to all of humanity. You are not a burden to others, you are kind to others, and your heart is naturally peaceful and complete.

This is the true meaning of practicing the heart in the secular world, practicing the true nature of the heart in relationships, not being attached to cause and effect, not letting people down, and doing your best in every role you play…

This realization made me suddenly stunned. I suddenly understood why my master said that I was too emotional and it was difficult for me to achieve a complete heart. Because of my deep emotions, I inevitably have attachments and desires. Just like my attachment to Ru Xue, I love her, and I will deliberately want to be with her. Even if I can’t be with her for some reason, it is against my will. This creates a sense of attachment and entanglement. A heart is not free at all. How can it be complete?

I simply cannot understand. I love her, that’s all, and that’s enough. The rest is just formality.

I love her, and that is a kind of inner peace, because my love is sincere, and it is enough not to betray her. Being together is a kind of desire.

I had such an epiphany in this small town, but epiphany is one thing, and achieving peace of mind is another.

Here, I saw the gap in my heart. Yes, it was a gap.

Seeing me standing there in a daze, Gu Xindao smiled and asked me, “But have you had an epiphany?”

I nodded and said, “Yes, I have! I suddenly understood why Zhuangzi could face his wife’s death so calmly. Because he was at peace within himself, he had nothing to be sorry for. What is there to be sad about when everything is over? He didn’t let her down in this life, and he didn’t need a funeral to express his feelings of concern and attachment after she passed away.

Gu Xinda suddenly asked me, “Can you do that?”

I shook my head and said, “I’m not that free and easy. This is the difference between the state of mind of a sage and that of an ordinary person.”

Gu Xinda sighed and said to me, “Let’s go, we’re almost at the market.”

I was shocked and said, “This is a quiet town, where can there be a market?”

“What do you think? How do those people in the mountains and deserts get to the market? This opportunity to realize the Dao is too precious. It’s magical here. Even the evil Dao has their own Dao to realize, but you are destined to stay here for a short time. The core figures of the upper echelons come to this ghost market, sometimes not for trading, but just to realize the Dao. I came here once and knew that it was almost time, so I told you that we were almost at the market.” Gu Xindao said to me in a rather mysterious way.

I was puzzled, but I could only follow Gu Xindao’s lead. After walking for a while, at the end of an alley, a round door appeared, just like the gate of an ordinary garden, but the door had the same aura as the mountain gate.

I can’t say why I had this feeling, but it really did have the same aura.

Before I could ask anything, Gu Xindao said, “That must be the gate. After passing through that gate, we will be at the market. It seems that you and I are both unlucky in this ghost market.

“Why do you say that?” I was puzzled.

“Entering the market, if there is no fruit in the transaction, you will automatically leave this ghost market and have no chance to return to these places. In other words, the chance of encountering your own fate is only in the time before going to the market. In the market, it is purely a transaction, and there is no such thing as fate. Everything is clearly marked and priced.” Gu Xinda explained to me.

I let out a sigh, and felt a little regret in my heart. I could only hope that Kunlun’s news would be found in that market. After all, it was so magical here, and I was really confident that I would find Kunlun’s news here, even though before the transaction here, the skeleton official had poured a lot of cold water on me.

The alley was very quiet, but occasionally there were a few passers-by who ignored us. I didn’t have the confidence that I would bump into anything else, but just when I was less than ten meters away from the round door, an old man passed me by.

He also passed by without paying any attention to me, and I looked at him curiously. He was the most modern person I had met in this small town. Judging from his clothes and appearance, he should be from my master’s generation, or perhaps even a little earlier. After all, there were still some features of the Republic of China, so I took a look at him.

Then I and Gu Xindao walked toward the round door. But after a few steps, I suddenly heard a strong voice in my head (in a spiritual state) ring out: “That kid, you stay right there.”

I was suddenly very surprised. The people here ignored us. Gu Xindao said that if someone speaks to you, then it is fate.

I turned around and saw the old man looking at me from behind, his expression vaguely agitated.

I was also excited and asked, “Sir, are you calling me?”

“Yes, I’m calling you. Can you hear me if I call someone else? Don’t call me sir, it sounds awkward. Just call me Lao Dao!” The old man put away his excited expression and said to me calmly.