Try Being a Sage

After Fang Qing and the others went upstairs, they saw some old classmates.

There were men and women, some in high spirits, others downcast.

Three years was enough for some people to make a small fortune, while others had stepped into the halls of marriage—though those halls might turn into walls or graves after one entered them.

One female classmate had married someone she did not love. Her husband drank heavily every day and sometimes even beat her. She lived unhappily.

Others had married well. Their husbands were department managers at famous companies, or had already been promoted to vice presidents.

Those female classmates spoke with radiant expressions, clearly hoping for praise and envy from others.

Fang Qing watched these many facets of the Human World without much thought. Once they went to Mount Tai, all of this would become fleeting echoes of the past.

"Fang Qing, what have you been doing these past few years? Where are you working now?"

At that moment, someone turned the conversation toward Fang Qing.

It was a man speaking. A faint smile hung on his face, and it was unclear whether he was sincerely asking or hoping to make Fang Qing a laughingstock.

Fang Qing felt that he was probably hoping to see him embarrassed, because the man was Liu Yunzhi. In the three years since graduation, he had started a company of modest scale and could be considered one of the more successful classmates.

People with a little success naturally did not like watching their classmates crowd around someone else at reunions. They preferred everyone's attention to be on them.

At this reunion, Fang Qing's bearing was noticeably different from everyone else's. It made many people curious and caught the attention of quite a few women.

For example, Lin Jia, the prettiest female classmate present, kept her eyes on Fang Qing and chatted with him on and off, wanting to know how he had changed so much over the past three years.

Liu Yunzhi asking Fang Qing where he worked was naturally meant to give him a chance to show off his own achievements.

"I hold a 'high position' at home. I do nothing much every day, just read books and drink tea."

Fang Qing spoke with the calmness of an Ancient Well.

"Oh, so you're mooching off your parents at home?"

Before Liu Yunzhi could speak, another man beside him did. His tone seemed rather disdainful, with a hint of jeering.

"I'm not interested in money. So I stay home and mooch off my parents. I can't compare to all you big bosses."

Fang Qing smiled.

"..."

"?"

The classmates were all stunned.

Good grief, he actually said he was not interested in money? That was far too pretentious.

The real purpose of a class reunion was to talk about money, family, and show off as hard as possible. Yet he said he was not interested in money.

Then what the hell was there left to show off?

The man who had tried to needle Fang Qing earlier had a changing expression on his face. This Fang Qing was actually this arrogant?

He was about to say something when Wang Ziwen laughed. "Our classmate Fang Qing is a recluse who has transcended the mundane world. Reading books and drinking tea, like Tao Yuanming or Wang Wei from the books—how enviable."

"Yeah. I'd love to say I'm not interested in money too, but I still have to live! Damn it, that idiot boss makes me work overtime every day, and the pay is pitiful. I really want to quit and slap my resignation in his face!"

One classmate began complaining, filled with resentment yet also deep envy for Fang Qing.

Hearing about Fang Qing's life, he was immensely envious. Drinking tea and reading at home—what a carefree life that was. Unlike him, who had to work or starve to death.

After finally graduating, he still had to work, but his resentment was so heavy it could feed ten Evil Sword Immortals.

"Exactly! I'm so jealous of Fang Qing. My damned boss is heartless too!"

Once the topic turned to bosses, everyone suddenly had plenty in common to talk about, and the atmosphere grew lively.

Some cursed their bosses together, some talked about cosmetics and designer clothes, while others criticized current affairs and spoke loftily.

Especially after everyone had a few drinks, the topics broadened even further. They talked about everything.

Sitting among his classmates, Fang Qing remained completely clear-headed.

This reunion did not actually mean much to him. He had not been in this world for long, so how could he have such deep feelings for his classmates? These supposedly familiar old classmates were, in truth, people he was meeting for the first time.

"Fang Qing, what books have you been reading lately?"

Ye Fan walked over, somewhat curious about Fang Qing.

"I've been reading the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon lately. I think what it says is quite good."

Seeing Ye Fan approach, Fang Qing smiled faintly.

"You're reading the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon too? So am I."

A trace of surprise appeared on Ye Fan's face before he sighed. "The people of ancient times all lived to be a hundred in spring and autumn, yet their movements never declined. That era really was enviable."

"Qibo told the Yellow Emperor that the people of ancient times understood the Great Dao. They modeled themselves after yin and yang, harmonized with the arts of calculation, ate with moderation, lived regularly, and did not overexert themselves. Thus, they could live out their natural lifespan and depart after reaching a hundred years. In our world today, the pressure is too great. Our minds are unsettled, affairs are restless, people are exhausted, and we harm our bodies. It is not a good era for cultivating oneself."

Fang Qing said, "If one wants to cultivate a lifespan like those of ancient times in this world, one must calm the mind, focus the spirit, read, and nurture one's nature."

Surprise appeared on Ye Fan's face. "It seems you really absorbed the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon. No wonder you're not interested in money and just stay home reading and drinking tea."

Even Ye Fan felt that saying "not interested in money" sounded unbearably pretentious.

"Just reading and drinking tea is still not enough. You also need to practice the Eight Brocades and the Eight Sections of Vajra. Perhaps then you can live longer."

Fang Qing spoke. He did not mention the Purple Haze Skill or the Longevity Art, instead bringing up the Eight Brocades and the Eight Sections of Vajra.

Although these two methods of exercise could not compare at all to the Purple Haze Skill or the Longevity Art, if one persisted with them, they truly benefited ordinary people's bodies.

Strengthening the body and improving health was no joke.

Even the old Taoist masters of Wudang practiced the Eight Brocades and the Eight Sections of Vajra in the real world.

"I've heard of these two exercise methods as well. But I'm very curious—what cultivation methods did they practice in the Yellow Emperor's time?"

Yearning appeared on Ye Fan's face. "The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon mentions four kinds of people: True Persons, Supreme Persons, Sages, and Worthy Persons. I wonder whether we will ever have the chance to reach such levels."

"A True Person grasps heaven and earth, holds yin and yang, and has a lifespan equal to heaven and earth, with no end in sight. That is the Dao of life. It is difficult to reach in this age."

Fang Qing spoke of the "True Persons" in the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon.

That realm was extremely profound.

"As for Supreme Persons, they possess pure virtue and complete Dao, harmonize with yin and yang, roam between heaven and earth, and see and hear beyond the eight directions. They are extraordinary figures as well."

"A Sage dwells in the harmony of heaven and earth, has no anxieties of thought within, takes serenity and joy as their task, and does not weary the body with worldly affairs. If we work at it, perhaps we can still manage that."

Fang Qing smiled. "As for the final Worthy Person, they follow the laws of heaven and earth, emulate the sun and moon, distinguish the constellations, comply with and reverse yin and yang, and discern the four seasons. Unless we can cultivate, we can only try being Sages."

"..."

Listening to Fang Qing, Ye Fan thought, Fortunately, I've read the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon too. The Sages in that book are different from Confucian sages and the sages people ordinarily imagine. Otherwise, saying that would get you criticized easily.

Sages—how could one become one so easily? From the Spring and Autumn period until now, there seemed to have been only two or three Confucian sages.

But the Sages in the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon were indeed easier to become.

Having no anxieties of thought within, taking serenity and joy as one's task, and not wearying the body with worldly affairs—this classmate Fang Qing truly seemed to be doing exactly that.

"In this era, let's first work hard to become Sages."

Fang Qing smiled and watched his old classmates grow increasingly heated as they talked, waiting for the next activity.

There were indeed more activities afterward: eating, bragging, and then going singing.

Some classmates who had fallen in love during their school days but broken up after graduation had much to say. As they sang, they began to cry.

However, after the singing ended, some male and female classmates seemed to go to rooms together to talk intimately and share the sorrow of not seeing each other for three years.

Class reunions always involved some exchanges.

Soon, the next day arrived.

And soon after that, everyone decided to go to Mount Tai.