All Things Have Their Destiny

Chapter 3: All Things Have Their Causes and Conditions

At this moment, Ye Qin inexplicably stretched his head forward. Though the handwriting was somewhat blurry, he could barely make out the content.

"Heaven and Earth are the thieves of all things; all things are the thieves of humanity; humanity is the thief of all things."

"When the three thefts are in harmony, the three powers are at peace."

These words slowly seeped into his mind, taking root and sprouting, impossible to shake off.

Ye Qin stood frozen on the spot.

"So familiar... like I've heard this somewhere before."

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall where he had heard these words. Was it in a dying haze? Or perhaps from a past life?

That strange feeling surged through him again.

Ye Qin was certain he had never read this ancient text before, so where did this sense of familiarity come from?

A voice in his mind kept urging him to continue reading. His groggy consciousness grew clear, as if yanked back to the mortal world.

The more Ye Qin read, the more captivated he became. These few short lines seemed to reveal the infinite mysteries of the universe—a shock beyond words.

It was as if someone had parted the mist before his eyes, revealing a brand-new world. Or like a sudden enlightenment, so profound that he could even ignore the pain wracking his body.

Ye Qin's wounds still bled, but at this moment, he felt nothing at all.

For some reason, though these words should have been obscure and difficult—he had always dreaded classical Chinese—he now understood their meaning with ease, as if some secret had suddenly clicked into place.

According to the ancient text:

[The Way of nature is still, thus Heaven and Earth give birth to all things. The Way of Heaven and Earth permeates, thus yin and yang prevail.

Since animals and plants all possess spiritual nature, why can we not believe that the vast atmosphere filling Heaven and Earth contains a kind of Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Energy? Or that the origin of life between Heaven, Earth, and humanity is one and the same?

Animals are born close to nature, with rich senses. From ancient times to now, though animals have spirit, they lack wisdom.

Humans are the opposite. Though they possess wisdom, they eat the five grains, cycle endlessly through the mortal world, and have lost their spiritual nature.

All things in the world give birth to and overcome each other, waxing and waning. Nothing is perfect—this is the way of yin-yang balance.]

The more Ye Qin read, the more astonished he became. The content was unprecedented, its ideas thought-provoking, stirring a storm within his heart.

Most importantly, it introduced a key concept—cultivation.

Since ancient times, countless people had sought immortality and the Dao, but no one had ever succeeded.

Perhaps it was because they were shackled by Heaven and Earth and their own species.

Take humans, for example. Though they were the spiritual leaders of all things, they inherently lacked Spiritual Energy and could not get close to nature.

Animals, though favored by Heaven and Earth, able to use their innate abilities and specialties, and deeply connected to nature, lacked wisdom—everything they did was by instinct.

Thus, both animals and humans had inherent flaws, yet they balanced yin and yang, following the cycle of all things.

It had to be said that though ancient times lacked science, the thoughts of the ancestors were earth-shattering. Even many modern scientific insights might not reach the root of things as ancient thought did!

"The sun and moon have their measures, great and small have their fixity. Thus sacred merit arises, and divine intelligence emerges. The mechanism of theft—none under Heaven can fail to see it, none can fail to know it. The noble man who obtains it guards his body; the petty man who obtains it treats life lightly."

As the wind stirred the pages, Ye Qin read word by word, each line striking like a thunderclap. A string deep within his heart seemed to be plucked.

The sun and moon had fixed measures. Only by understanding these principles could great merit arise—this was the so-called "Heavenly Mechanism."

Yet these things could not be seen by ordinary people. Only those with comprehension could perceive them.

"I was once human, but now I've been reborn and transmigrated as a snake. I have both human wisdom and animal spirituality—so is this my Heavenly Mechanism?"

Ye Qin's breathing grew rapid. His bright red forked tongue flickered constantly in the air, betraying his turbulent emotions.

A shocking idea emerged in his mind.

This was his "Heavenly Mechanism." Did it mean he possessed an unprecedented opportunity—the conditions for cultivation?

Humans and animals, due to their innate shackles, could not cultivate or harness the Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth. But for Ye Qin, this obstacle simply didn't exist.

Because he was human, and he was also an animal!

He knew it sounded far-fetched, but since transmigrating and being reborn as a snake was already a reality, cultivation didn't seem all that absurd?

It was just that no one had ever done it before!

"Observe the Way of Heaven, execute the actions of Heaven—that is all. Heaven has five thieves; he who sees them prospers. The five thieves are in the heart, enacted in Heaven. The universe is in the hand; all transformations arise from the body."

Reading the content of the ancient text, Ye Qin's resolve to cultivate grew even stronger.

Watch the trajectory of Heaven's movement, fulfill the mission Heaven had bestowed.

All things have their causes and conditions. In the unseen, it was as if an invisible thread connected everything.

Ye Qin had once been resigned to death, but now his mindset had undergone a complete transformation.

He had thought being transmigrated as a dying snake was a cruel joke from the heavens, but he never expected it to be a unique bridge—more accurately, his opportunity.

If he could seize it, a snake could transform into a flood dragon. If he let it go, his body would perish and his Dao would vanish.

If he could truly cultivate, perhaps he could heal his injuries. Before, waiting for death was forced by circumstance. But now, a glimmer of life lay before him.

Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, even if it was nothing more than an impractical fantasy, Ye Qin would still give it his all.

"Either way, I'm waiting to die. Might as well try—what if I actually survive?"

Even if he failed, Ye Qin had nothing to lose.

All living beings seek survival, not death.

Before, there was simply no way—after all, there had been no hope of survival. But after reading the contents of that ancient text, Ye Qin's mind suddenly cleared. He found a new path, a different approach.

Besides, he had a feeling—maybe he really could succeed in this cultivation.

Ye Qin was a man of action. The moment this thought entered his mind, he immediately put it into practice. And time was running out.

"Still... how do I even cultivate?"

The book gave no record of this. He would have to figure it out on his own.

They say the hardest part of anything is the beginning. That saying proved true.

Ye Qin recalled the novels and TV shows he had read and watched. They all said something about sinking qi into the Dantian, sitting cross-legged in meditation, and drawing qi into the body.

So the question was—where was a snake's Dantian?

The structure of a human and a snake were completely different. They weren't even the same species.

Throughout history, only the philosophy of human cultivation had been passed down, but no ancient sage had ever succeeded in practice. Let alone a snake.

His cold, bestial pupils seemed somewhat dull. They lacked the typical ruthlessness and cruelty of a snake, instead carrying a trace of humanity.

Ye Qin realized then that cultivation sounded easy in theory, but in practice, it was incredibly difficult. Nothing like what he had imagined.

Because everything required him to explore, to search, to forge his own path.

End of this chapter