Way of Choices: Book I - Youths We Were, Schoolmates

by Mao Ni

  Chen Changsheng seriously replied, "Seeking the Dao can come early or late. The early might arrive late, the late might arrive early."

  Shuang'er did not expect to hear such an answer. After staring blankly at him for a few moments, she disdainfully retorted, "Forty-nine books, one hundred times, ten days, —these are the numbers left by my young lady when she condensed her spiritual sense at the age of four. The late might arrive early? Where do you plan to arrive early?"

  Chen Changsheng pondered this question, but he realized that he didn't know how to answer.

  Chapter 22 – Just This Simple

  It was necessary to 'read one hundred times, naturally grasp the meaning,' but there were some people that only needed ten days while others needed half a year. There was truly nothing to say about this sort of comparison. It was just as Tang Thirty-Six had said, that girl often made others speechless, and Chen Changsheng naturally had no better choice than to remain silent.

  But for some inexplicable reason, when Shuang'er saw Chen Changsheng's silent, almost dull, appearance, she grew unhappy. Perhaps, she felt, since you have an engagement with the young lady, then even if your strength is far inferior to hers, you should still display a little will and ambition, no?

  Moreover, in her view, if not for the young lady's letter from South Stream Temple, Chen Changsheng might already be dead. How could he have had this chance to enter the Orthodox Academy and sit upon these clean floorboards to read and cultivate? Your undying gratitude isn't required, but you also shouldn't be so quiet like nothing happened whatsoever, right?

  Shuang'er looked at him and shook her head. She extracted a thin sheet of paper from her bosom and passed it over.

  "Since you've obtained this hard-sought opportunity to cultivate, you should cherish it and start from building your foundation, get your feet planted on solid ground. Don't think about cheating or any other sort of dishonest practices, and don't always entrust your hopes to others, especially to women." She seemed to think of something else and sternly added, "Cultivation is not that simple. Even if you have no hope, don't go around breaking broken pots.[14] Do you understand my meaning?"

  Chen Changsheng took the sheet of paper, somewhat at a loss. He didn't understand the meaning of her words, thinking to himself, I've hidden myself away in this cemetery-like academy to silently read and cultivate, but could it be that the Divine General's estate and Young Lady Xu still find me an eyesore?

  The sun outside the library was high in the sky. The rustling tree leaves scattered the descending rays of light into many specks. Fortunately, it was still early spring and the weather was not too hot. This paper carried the aroma of a woman, but there was no sweat.

  Chen Changsheng gazed at those three words in silence for a very long time.

  "Do your best."

  The words written on the paper were rather delicate and pretty, but they could not be described as astonishing. Moreover, the strokes were very straight, making them seem naive, childish, and cute. He guessed that these three words were written for him by that young lady of the Xu family all the way in the distant south. Yet no matter what he did, he couldn't associate the young girl with such naive and clumsy handwriting with that girl of the rumors who was brimming with talent.

  He understood the meaning of these words, and he could even faintly imagine the expression of the Young Lady Xu as she wrote them. Her eyes had assuredly been indifferent, her brows creased. She had been somewhat impatient, somewhat displeased, but also feeling that this really didn't matter.

  Of the three words that she wrote, the most crucial one was truthfully 'your.

  'Your' meant 'yourself.'

  Live by yourself.

  Read by yourself.

  Cultivate by yourself.

  Drink well and eat well by yourself.

  He quietly thought about it for a while, then stopped thinking about it. He put the letter away in his sleeve, stood up, walked to the bookshelves and began to search for those forty-nine books listed on the back cover of On Purification. As he searched, he thought about those words the maid Shuang'er had said to him. He couldn't help but wrinkle his brow, and the speed at which his finger traveled along the books slowed. Was it really possible to read all these books one hundred times in ten days? Just how should they be read?

  On Purification was just a general summary of cultivation—the forty-nine books on its back cover were the true object of study. Students needed to use the knowledge and wisdom contained in these books to open their minds, solidify their understanding of the world, and thus strengthen their souls.

  This was a purely spiritual side of cultivation. Ever since the Heavenly Tomes descended to the earth and humans began to cultivate, the initial step of condensing spiritual sense had always used this method. Perhaps it was because countless worthy predecessors had concluded that this method was the most efficacious and had the highest chance of success. It might also be because words were the only vehicle for one's thoughts, so in order for one to use the thoughts of one's ancestors to assist in converting one's own thoughts to strength, one would naturally have to use words to bridge this connection.

  Since this sort of method was being used, the forty-nine books listed in On Purification were naturally acknowledged by human society as the forty-nine books best able to assist one in condensing the spiritual sense. Ever since the Orthodoxy had finalized this list in the year fifteen-eighty-two, it had never been changed.

  Chen Changsheng walked along the bookshelves as he searched for those books. Although he was abnormally familiar with the ordering of books in this library, he still needed an entire hour to find all forty-nine books. He then brought them to the window and aligned them according to their order on the list.

  He did not immediately begin to read, instead going out to Hundred Flowers Lane to eat some vegetable soup and rice porridge. After that, he sat on the grass by the lakeshore, shaded by the thick forest, and rested for an hour. Only after his mind was fully ready did he return to the library and take up the first book.

  Previously, as he was searching for these books, he had already confirmed through the names of these books that he had never seen them before. Although he was somewhat regretful of this fact, he was also very curious. Just what was written in these books that could actually help humans condense spiritual sense?

  He lifted up the first book, called A Simple Gateway to Basic Solutions. He confirmed that he had never read this book before, so when he opened the book and saw those rather familiar words, he questioned whether he was seeing things, like when he saw the examination for the Heavenly Dao Academy.

  This book was very thin, but it felt quite heavy. He gazed blankly at the contents of the books, realizing to his disappointment that he had already read this when he was four. To be more precise, he could recall the contents of this book from back to front.

  It was just that in Xining Village's old temple, this book was called Classic of Embracing Simplicity.

  He was somewhat surprised because it felt like he had returned to that testing room in the Heavenly Dao Academy. He had originally felt that such a good thing could not keep happening, and now he was surprised to see it appear once more. This made him feel rather absent-minded, a daze which it took quite a while to rouse himself from.

  After awakening from his stupor, he very quickly opened the second book.

  This book was called An Anthology of Poems in Praise of the Mausoleum of Books.

  Like a clear breeze, he swiftly flipped it open and very quickly confirmed that he had also read this book. Those odes of praise written by the worthy predecessors after viewing the Mausoleum of Books were all already in his mind. It was just that back in Xining Village's old temple, when he read these poems at the age of five, this anthology was called A Splendid Record of Poetry.

  He fell silent for a few moments, then opened the third book.

  It was still the same case.

  He had also seen this book before, but its n
ame was different when he had read it as a child.

  The fourth book, the fifth book…he quickly skimmed through all forty-nine books and verified that he had read all of them before.

  The same again?

  Was this still considered a pleasant surprise? He took up On Purification once more. He was quiet for a very long time, silently thinking to himself. At some point, the corners of his lips perked up and his eyes had narrowed until they seemed like the flowing river of stars, brimming with smiles.

  He thought of Shuang'er's parting words.

  "Cultivation is not that simple."

  He raised his head, but all that met him was mottled light and shadow at the library door and the gentle caress of the cool breeze—nobody stood there. He couldn't help but feel disappointed and frustrated, as if he had lost something. If that little lady were still there, he really wanted to tell her that he really might be able to condense his spiritual sense faster than her young lady.

  But he immediately recalled that Xu Yourong had read all forty-nine books one hundred times and condensed her spiritual sense when she was only four. The newly-born spot of pride in his mind instantly dispersed as he laughed at himself, thinking, It truly is meaningless.

  His next course of action should be to use the method described in On Purification to take the words and the information in the words of the forty-nine books and engrave them in his mind, completely converting them into nutrients to strengthen his soul, and then condense his spiritual sense in one stroke.

  If this were any other person, at this critical moment, they would most likely have continued to the next stage, but Chen Changsheng glanced at the color of the sky and realized that the sun was already sinking to the west, twilight gradually deepening. He placed On Purification down, put away the books on the floor, and exited the library.

  It was time for dinner.

  He could disregard this chance to change his fate that was within arm's reach because he needed to eat dinner. If this was self-discipline, then this was a self-discipline that was excessively harsh and cruel, more similar to self-tyranny. However, it could also be described as a sort of self-confidence because he believed that this chance would not slip away.

  From the entrance examination of the Heavenly Dao Academy to the forty-nine books that he had once more discovered in his mind, Chen Changsheng had been able to confirm a few things: His master had long since prepared for him the foundation to cultivate, and his master was truly no ordinary Daoist.

  The path of cultivating the Dao was endlessly long, and he and Senior Yu Ren had bitterly studied the Daoist Canon ever since they were children. The myriad books were engraved in their hearts, which meant that he had set off on this journey much earlier than others. He had already walked a path of ten thousand li, so it was only right that he arrive at the other shore ahead of others.

  Chen Changsheng had always been very confident. Now that he had confirmed these things, he became even more confident. At this time, the twilight was deepening and the remnants of the sun were gradually fading, but in his even more open mind, a red sun was slowly rising up. How could he worry that his path forward would be dark?

  After eating dinner, he returned to the library, heated a pot of water, and brewed a cup of tea from some scented tea leaves that he had bought in Hundred Flowers Lane. He crossed his legs and sat down. His gaze slowly swept over the neat row of forty-nine books, ultimately resting upon On Purification.

  The words of these books slowly floated up from the depths of mind, returning back from his childhood memories, abnormally vivid. Then, these memories gradually began to release some sort of Qi that, according to the method outlined in the first chapter of On Purification, began to incessantly mingle in his mental world.

  Many years ago in the old temple, he had completed the opening of his mind. Now, what he needed to do was solidify his knowledge.

  He closed his eyes and began to calmly think, and then he gradually forgot to think.

  In truth, the so-called 'understanding the mind to know one's character' was not that complex.

  It was just fusing and linking them up as one.

  Time gradually passed, and from the moist ground outside the library came the chirping of insects.

  Clearly, it was still early spring.

  The darkness gradually set in, the many stars gradually brightened, and the capital bustled with the noise of people.

  The Orthodox Academy with its sole occupant was still as quiet as ever.

  The oil lamp in the library was very feeble, yet it seemed like it would never extinguish.

  Suddenly, a light hum resonated through the library.

  This sound came from between the heavens and earth.

  A wind blew through and around the building.

  Chen Changsheng opened his eyes, his eyes somewhat disappointed, and then calm, and finally brimming with joy.

  In one day and one night, he had succeeded in condensing his spiritual sense.

  Cultivating had turned out to be just this simple.

  Chapter 23 – The Sea of Stars

  Chen Changsheng smoothly stepped upon the path of cultivation without any of the difficulty described in the stories. If other people were to find out, they would definitely be puzzled even after thinking it over hundreds of times. On the other hand, he did not feel anything much, especially after he confirmed what his memorization of the three thousand scriptures of the Daoist Canon entailed.

  Of course, this was ultimately a matter worth being happy about…if one was able to condense one's spiritual sense, one was able to fix their star. If one was able to fix their star, one was able to draw in starlight and undergo Purification. If one was able to undergo Purification, one could perform Meditative Introspection. If one could perform Meditative Introspection, one could access the Ethereal Opening of the heart and understand the nature of the heavens and earth. With Ethereal Opening, one could condense the star in one's body and henceforth be immune to every illness. If one could condense the star in one's body, then one could walk amongst the Saints and ride the wind for ten thousand li. Finally, one could then conceal one's divinity between the heavens and earth, no longer bound to the wheel of fate. Perhaps at that time, defying the heavens and changing fate would no longer be required?

  To Chen Changsheng, his goal in cultivation had always been clear-cut, never deviating even once. Perhaps on his path of cultivation, he could conveniently pursue a few other things, like sights that the ordinary person could not see, experiences the ordinary person could not experience, or returning humiliation to those he had once been humiliated by, but none of that was important. What was important was the ultimate goal.

  However, he had only just condensed his spiritual sense, not even finishing the first step of cultivation, and he had already begun to consider that realm of Concealed Divinity that only existed in legends. Even Chen Changsheng himself knew that he was thinking a bit too much. If he were to speak of it, people would probably make fun of him. Fortunately, he would never speak of these thoughts to anyone.

  When compared to those of similar age, Chen Changsheng was far more taciturn, with a tendency to handle matters in a more cool-headed fashion. Thus, when he lived in Xining Village, he was often regarded by the villagers as being three or four years older than his actual age. He was keenly aware that he was able to condense his spiritual sense in one day and one night primarily because, when he was a child, his master had laid down the foundation and made the preparations, but in no way did this mean that he far surpassed a true genius like Xu Yourong.

  On the next day, he still woke up at five o'clock in the morning, washed his face, rinsed his mouth, tidied up, and ate breakfast. The events of last night had not affected his daily routine in the slightest. Only the slight exhaustion in his eyes served as evidence that he was not as calm as he usually was. This exhaustion was probably not because the smell of mold in the house had not completely faded away, but because he was truly very happy.
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  The Orthodox Academy was still bustling with activity, the artisans and laborers were at the main hall, intensely focused on cleaning and repairing. The library was still peaceful. Because of his request, no one came to disturb him, allowing him to continue his cultivation.

  Purification was equivalent to the first realm of cultivation and could be concisely divided into three steps. The first step was condensing the spiritual sense, which was also the prerequisite for all the rest. The second step was to search for one's Fated Star. This seemed like a rather mysterious step, but Chen Changsheng was not concerned about it. What he was truly concerned about was the third step: drawing starlight into the body for Purification. It was only at this step that he could finally verify what sort of effect the problem in his body would bring.