darknovel Chapter 39 Primordial True Nature
Chapter 39 Primordial True Nature
When Fang Shi realized, through the progress of Qi cultivation on the panel, that he was in reality—or perhaps an illusion that could have a real impact on and interfere with reality—he understood that the Minor Concealment Technique could not dispel illusions.
Its sole purpose is to serve as an indicator, reminding Fang not to become completely immersed in the illusion.
It's like being aware that you're dreaming while you're asleep, rather than being immersed in the dream.
This, of course, does not change how the dream actually unfolded.
Dreams are just as they are.
Qi Xueyi is to Fang Shi this dream. Even if Fang Shi relies on the Minor Concealment Technique to avoid being immersed in it, it is ultimately just an illusion.
Fang Shi reached out and touched his side.
The straw mat was ice-cold; my fingertips could only touch the rough, dry straw stems, leaving no trace of warmth.
He lay in the darkness for a moment, then got up, lifted the curtain, and went outside.
The night wind rushed in, carrying the earthy smell of the ruins.
"Brother Zhao, Brother Zhao."
He patted the tent next to him.
There was a rustling sound from inside, and Zhao Hu mumbled something indistinctly. The curtain was lifted a corner, revealing his sleepy face.
"Brother Fang? What's the matter so late?"
Fang Shi squatted at the tent entrance, and Fu Guang shone from behind him, shrouding his face in shadow.
"Brother Zhao, I have a question for you."
Zhao Hu rubbed his eyes and asked, "What is it?"
Fang swore, "Have I ever been married?"
Zhao Hu was stunned, staring blankly at him for a long while before finally saying, "Brother Fang, what are you talking about?"
Fang Shi remained expressionless and asked, "Have I ever had a wife?"
Zhao Hu stared at him for a long time before finally snapping out of it: "Brother Fang, are you dreaming? Where did you get a wife?"
"But your question reminds me of something else. I heard during the day that your skills have reached the advanced stage. Eighteen years old, Brother Fang, you've reached the advanced stage. We people have practiced our whole lives and are still struggling to get started, but you've reached this point quietly."
He sighed and said, "You're on track to reach the mid-stage of Qi Refining. For people like us, reaching the mid-stage of Qi Refining in this lifetime is already a blessing; reaching the late stage can only be hoped for in the next generation. You should start thinking about getting married."
Fang Shi didn't interrupt him, but quietly squatted at the tent entrance, carefully observing every expression on his face.
After talking for a while, Zhao Hu came to his senses, smiled sheepishly, and said, "By the way, Brother Fang, you woke me up in the middle of the night just to ask this?"
Fang Shi thought to himself: It seems the Purification Talisman's effect is localized. Within the talisman's effective range, all distortions will temporarily return to normal. But the pollution from the turbid air is so severe—however, no matter how powerful something is, the Three-Plate Observation System ultimately has a way to deal with it.
Even a purification talisman drawn by a rogue cultivator like myself, who is only at the early stage of Qi Refining, can dispel these anomalies. This shows how remarkable the skills of the experts in the temple are.
Seeing that he remained silent, Zhao Hu continued, "Brother Fang, if you really want to get married, I can introduce you to a few girls. I know a few families in Qiyuan Town, and their daughters are all of marriageable age, good-looking, and have good personalities. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
Fang was about to reply.
[Small Breathing Skill Proficiency -1]
"Who wants to introduce a girl to my husband?"
A voice rang out, crisp and clear, with a hint of anger.
Fang turned around.
Qi Xueyi was already standing behind him at some point.
She was wearing a moon-white blouse, her hair was disheveled, and her face still had the flush of someone who had just woken up, but her eyes were already covered with a layer of frost.
Zhao Hu's face immediately froze.
He chuckled twice and said, "Oh, it's Sister-in-law Qi. It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. Brother Fang just told me that he sees how hard you work taking care of the family and wants to find someone to help you with the chores. I'm just... looking for someone for him."
As he spoke, he shrank further into the tent, pulling the curtain down halfway so that only half his face was visible, and he smiled sheepishly.
Fang Shi looked down and saw that the purification talisman on his chest had completely turned to ashes. He thought to himself: After the purification talisman's effect disappeared, Zhao Hu immediately showed signs of recognizing Qi Xueyi, and even the conversation he had with me just now was a natural transition.
But this transition is far too abrupt and completely illogical. I've misunderstood; an illusion only needs to immerse someone in it, why should logic be considered?
Qi Xueyi ignored Zhao Hu and turned to stare at Fang Shi, her eyes slightly red and her lips tightly pressed together. After a long while, she said, "Why didn't you tell me first if you wanted to find help? I work so hard to manage the household chores, and in the end, you want to find someone else to do it for me? What's the point of me staying by your side then?"
"I'm ignoring my husband."
After she finished speaking, she turned and left. Her moon-white shirt flashed in the night before disappearing behind the tent.
Fang Shi remained crouched, watching the direction in which the white figure disappeared, without immediately getting up to chase after it.
Inside the tent, Zhao Hu peeked out cautiously, then lowered his voice and said, "Brother Fang, I'm sorry, I didn't know Sister Qi was listening in there. Um... you should go and coax her, don't let her get really angry."
After saying that, he pulled the curtain down and went back inside.
However, Fang Shi remained unmoved.
He remained squatting at the entrance of Zhao Hu's tent, not leaving for a moment.
Seeing this, Zhao Hu lifted the curtain again and said, "Brother Fang, why aren't you going after her? What are you still standing here for? Couples don't hold grudges overnight. Hurry up and go over and coax her a bit, and the matter will be over. If you just squat there like this, what if Sister-in-law Qi has a mental breakdown and something happens to her? You'll regret it then."
Fang Shi suddenly said, "I'm thinking about what is real and what is fake."
Zhao Hu was taken aback.
Fang Shi didn't wait for his reply and continued speaking on his own: "Once upon a time, there were people from the Western Barbarians who said that all things in the world are nothing but illusions and dreams. Suppose a person's head is suspended in a vat, and he is given magical powers to see mountains and rivers, the sun and moon, relatives and friends, and his wife and children. Everything he sees and hears is real, but there are no mountains and rivers, no sun and moon, no relatives and friends, and no wife and children outside the vat. This person thinks he is standing between heaven and earth, but in reality, he has never left the vat even half a step."
Fang Shi's gaze fell on Zhao Hu's face, and he said, "Brother Zhao, if you were a brain in a vat, would you know whether you are real or not?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Hu said, "Brother Fang's words remind me of a passage in the 'Dong Shen Jing' (a classic text on traditional Chinese medicine).
The *Dong Shen Jing* states: "The primordial true nature descended into the Great Void. The essence of the parents combined to form the physical body. The physical body is illusory; the true nature is real. The illusory contains the real, and the real relies on the illusory. When the illusory perishes, the real does not; when the physical body decays, the nature does not."
"Brother Fang, you ask me whether it's true or false, and I'll answer you—this body of mine is formed from my father's essence and my mother's blood; it's false, and after a hundred years it will decay and rot. But my primordial true nature comes from the Great Void; it was present from the moment of my birth. This true nature does not depend on a vat for its existence, nor does it depend on an illusion for its survival."
"Brother Fang, you stand here tonight, able to think, to question, to ask the question, 'What is true, what is false?' This shows that your true nature is at work. If you were merely a brain in a vat, controlled by others, how could you generate such questions?"
After he finished speaking, he smiled and said, "Brother Fang, you're so smart, and you've already mastered the techniques. Why are you getting so hung up on this? Stop thinking about those abstract things and hurry up and go after Sister-in-law Qi. If you don't go soon, she'll run away in anger."
Fang Shi had not yet gotten up.
[Small Breathing Skill Proficiency -1]
That clear voice came from behind again, saying, "Zhao Hu, don't talk nonsense! What? I ran away in anger? I would never leave my husband!"
Fang turned back again.
Qi Xueyi had turned back at some point and was standing three steps behind him, hands on her hips, cheeks puffed out.
Zhao Hu shrank back sheepishly and said with a forced smile, "Sister-in-law Qi, I was just worried about you..."
Qi Xueyi continued, "Furthermore, what you just said about the Primordial True Nature is clearly nonsense. 'The Primordial True Nature descended from the Great Void'—that's incorrect. If the True Nature doesn't rely on form, how can its existence be seen? You say it comes from the Great Void, but where is the Great Void? You say it existed at birth, but where were you before birth?"
"The Classic of Purity and Tranquility says: 'Introspect your mind, and you will find that your mind has no mind; look outward at your form, and you will find that your form has no form; observe things from afar, and you will find that things have no things. Once you understand these three, you will only see emptiness.' If even your mind is empty, your form is empty, and things are empty, then where can your 'primordial true nature' reside?"
Zhao Hu wanted to argue.
Qi Xueyi continued, "The Dao De Yi Shu says: 'The Great Earth gave me form, labored me with life, eased me with old age, and rested me with death.' Form is given by Heaven and Earth, not something that springs out of the void on its own. If true nature is innate, then where does the true nature of an infant who dies go? Tell me."
Zhao Hu finally couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Sister-in-law Qi, you...you're just making excuses..."
Qi Xueyi said, "Then you should come up with a reason."
Zhao Hu hesitated for a long time, unable to think of any scripture to refute him, so he simply said, "Fine, fine, I can't argue with you. Then tell me, what is true?"
Qi Xueyi laughed, a laugh like a cat that had stolen a fish, and said, "Think for yourself."
She turned around, took Fang Shi's hand, and softened her voice, "Come on, husband, let's go back and rest. There are only a lot of people talking nonsense here; it's no fun staying here."
Fang Shi was pulled to his feet by her and could only obediently follow her towards his own tent.
Once inside the tent, the curtains fell, blocking out the white light from outside.
Qi Xueyi let go, groped her way to lie down on the straw mat, and then reached out her hand to him.
Fang Shi stood for a moment, then finally lay down in the darkness.
Her arms immediately wrapped around his waist, and she snuggled into his embrace like a cat that had found its den.
Her breath brushed against his neck, warm and ticklish, carrying that familiar fragrance.
What kind of fragrance is it?
Fang Shi thought for a long time before finally remembering: it was the scent of gardenias. There were no gardenias in the Sanpan Temple area, and it took him a lot of effort to recall it.
"My husband."
"Um."
"You're not allowed to go out in the middle of the night anymore."
"Um."
"And you're not allowed to let Zhao Hu introduce you to any girls."
"Um."
"If you want children, just tell me. I... it's not that I don't want them."
Fang Shi did not respond.
Qi Xueyi then fell silent.
The tent fell silent, with only the breathing of the two people, one heavy and one light, mingling together.
I don't know how much time had passed, but then I heard her voice again in my arms.
"Truth is neither something sought externally, nor something guarded internally. Truth resides where truth is, and falsehood resides where falsehood is. If you ask about truth and falsehood, then it is truth and falsehood. If you do not ask about truth and falsehood, then truth and falsehood are already there. Just as the sun and moon move through the sky, regardless of day and night, day and night naturally alternate; just as rivers flow into the sea, regardless of the tides, the tides naturally arrive. You are in my heart now, and I am in my heart now—this is truth. Why ask whether a jar is not a jar, or a brain is not a brain? The questioner asks his own question, and the answerer answers his own question; we are both in a dream, so why distinguish between dream and reality?"
"Um."
[Small Breathing Book Proficiency -1].
……
The next day, Fang Shigang arrived at the stone house.
Han Laoliu then smiled and said, "Young friend, you've arrived? The purification talisman you drew yesterday was quite good. Let's continue today."
Fang Shi cupped his hands and said, "Senior, you flatter me. I was merely following your instructions and imitating you exactly. I am not worthy of such praise."
Han Laoliu said, "You're too modest. Come, come, I've finished drawing this simple sketch for you today. You just need to finish it, add the finishing touches, and imbue it with spirit. Let's hurry up and try to draw several batches."
Fang Shi responded, walked to his desk, sat down, and began drawing talismans...
[Purification Talisman Proficiency +1]
[Purification Talisman Proficiency -1]
【…】
[Purification Talisman Proficiency +1]
【Purification Talisman (Beginner): 28/100】
In just one morning, he drew about twenty talismans, increasing the success rate from 60% to 80%.
Han Laoliu sat opposite him, holding a scripture book open in his hand. He would occasionally look up at Fang Shi, then look down at his book again.
As noon approached, Han Laoliu finally closed his book and said, "Young friend, have you noticed that those early-stage Qi Refining talisman cultivators who came with you are able to spend half an hour cultivating in the spiritual veins every day, living a pretty comfortable life?"
Fang Shi continued writing, saying, "This junior did not notice."
Han Laoliu laughed and said, "You didn't notice, but I did for you. After they finish drawing the simple sketches every day, they go to the spiritual vein to cultivate. Although it's only for half an hour, it's an incredible stroke of luck for their level of cultivation."
He changed the subject, "However, you are different from them. Your skills have already reached a high level, and you are destined to break through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Right now, mastering your skills is much more important than temporary cultivation. Once you have a solid foundation in this level of mid-grade talismans, you will be able to draw talismans more efficiently in the future, and you will be able to break through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining much faster."
Fang Shi said, "What you say is true, senior. I understand."
Han Laoliu nodded in satisfaction and picked up the scripture again to read it.
……
In the afternoon, Han Laoliu suddenly said, "Young friend, come with me to check the effectiveness of the batch of purification talismans delivered yesterday."
Fang Shi's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Senior, are we going to Zone B?"
Han Laoliu shook his head and said, "District B? Even I can't get into that place now. It's District A. Sanpan Temple selected a few households to put up talismans and test their effectiveness."
As he spoke, he walked out with his hands behind his back.
Fang Shi didn't ask any more questions and followed after him.
The two walked one after the other through the tent area, making several turns, until they arrived at a row of stone houses.
Fang Shi recognized that this row of stone houses was very close to the Yi-character area and was newly built just like the Yi-character area.
Han Laoliu stopped in front of a stone house and said, "We've arrived. This is the place to test the talismans."
Just as Fang Shi was about to ask about the selection criteria, a loud crash was heard—the tightly closed wooden door in front of him was suddenly smashed open from the inside, and a figure staggered out.
It was that woman who threw a tantrum.
Her hair was more disheveled than usual, her eyes were wide open with bloodshot eyes, her lips were dry and chapped, and there was drool hanging from the corner of her mouth.
She stretched out her hands, groping in the air, and said, "I can't tell! My dear, I really can't tell!"