The Strange Cemetery

To reach an unknown location, one cannot ride a wolf; one must walk towards the nearest light source, which appears to be over an hour's journey away. With nothing else to do along the way, Meteor chatted with Peace.

"Brother Ping An, are you a practitioner of metaphysics?"

Ping An replied, "Yes, but I still want to advise you to believe in science. Science is the most powerful Daoist magic of this era."

"Daoist magic?"

"The Tao is the law, the flight path of an airplane, the railroad track of a train, the principle governing the operation of all things. The most powerful Daoist magic in today's society is science—constantly pursuing truth and getting closer to the truth. Isn't that the process of scientific falsification? As a true person, I should be the one who speaks of science and reason in cultivating truth and discussing the Tao."

"Oh, so that's what it means. Brother Ping An, you're really cultured. You cultured people always speak in roundabout ways, as if a single word can be interpreted in many, many ways."

"I'm not smart, and I'm not very educated, so I tend to be verbose." Luo Ping'an's tone became serious and earnest. "All the world's brightest geniuses prefer concise and powerful formats."

"Oh? There's such a saying?"

"Simple things are reliable; the strongest structure is a triangle, the shortest distance is a straight line, wheels are round, houses are square, and happiness is eating, drinking, defecating, sleeping, and reaping what you sow—but complexity isn't necessarily good."

"Um"

"Young man, you are the one with great wisdom. You don't need to read many books to understand many principles and know the difference between good and evil. You are a genius."

Ping An walked forward cautiously, saying as he went.

"When people have complex pursuits, they begin to suffer. For example, they used to be happy just by being full, but later they not only want to be full, but also want to eat a variety of things, to eat everything from sour to sweet, bitter to spicy to salty, to eat exquisite and delicious food, and to eat dishes from all over the world. So one day they can't eat them anymore, and they start to suffer. What used to be a happy and joyful experience of being full has now become a luxury."

"A person goes to read books and is initially happy, but as time goes by, he finds other books increasingly boring and can no longer compare to a certain story he read before. He mistakenly believes that this is because his cultural level has improved, his aesthetic sense has become more sophisticated, and his desires have become more complex, bizarre, and outrageous. I think this is not [gaining], but [losing]."

"Children in today's industrialized era are unwilling to get married and have children, but people in primitive societies had a very strong desire to reproduce. Life was simple and barbaric back then, the cost of raising a child was low, and the mortality rate was high, yet people still did it—which is a strange phenomenon in this era."

"Are we living worse than wild beasts who eat raw meat and drink blood? Are the risks of childbirth higher than in the Stone Age? I don't think so."

"So simplicity is genius. Being able to simplify complex things makes you a genius among geniuses. As for me spending so much time explaining these things, I'm just a mediocre person who does metaphysics, not even a scientist—because science helps people solve problems, while metaphysics creates problems."

"After listening to me, you'll probably have even more questions in your mind, but I can't give you the answers. That's the biggest tragedy for us enthusiasts of metaphysics—like many self-media outlets on the internet these days, they seem to be sharing knowledge, but they're actually just making money off metaphysics by creating an air of mystery. I can do that too."

Meteor laughed heartily, not taking the Daoist priest's words to heart—he just found Brother Ping An very interesting, so he asked again.

"Brother Ping An! Does reincarnation really exist?"

Luo Ping'an immediately replied, "There definitely is."

Meteor: "How can you be so sure?"

Luo Ping'an: "History keeps going in circles, like cycles of reincarnation, with the stars changing and repeating themselves. The Earth revolves around the sun, the sun revolves around even larger stars, and the stars all revolve within galaxies. I think no living being can escape this cycle."

Bu Liuxing: "Oh"

Luo Ping'an: "Every year, more than fifty tons of cosmic dust fly to Earth. Apart from that, we are all made up of matter on Earth, and matter is indestructible."

So--

Luo Ping'an took a deep breath, as if he were recuperating after a long journey.

"What do people become after they die? They become soil and water, Dashan and rivers, and then into the bodies of animals, going around in circles for many, many years, until they return to humans. No matter how many years later, I think we will definitely be in human form by then. However, what happens after reincarnation is beyond our current understanding and control."

"There are trillions of living beings on earth, all tumbling in the material world. The geology and life forms on Earth are constantly changing, yet they all remain true to the same principle—I think this is reincarnation."

"Leaving aside technology and ruthless techniques, young man, there's a point about reincarnation that I, Luo Ping'an, am unwilling to accept."

Meteor: "Oh? What do you say, Brother Ping An?"

"Doing good deeds in this life will bring good fortune in the next." Luo Ping'an said slowly, "I disagree with this. Think about it—"

"--The idea that good deeds done in this life will bring good fortune in the next life is a lie that only a complicated and despicable person would utter. I prefer immediate karmic retribution; I wish I could receive good fortune right after doing good deeds. Once things get complicated, there's no good outcome, right?"

Meteor: "Yeah! Yeah!"

"How many people stop doing good deeds because they don't see any reward in this life?" Luo Ping'an said. "If everything had its own consequences, there wouldn't be such complicated human relationships, and there wouldn't be so many ghosts and demons."

Meteor remembered the corpse he had seen on the rocky platform at the tunnel entrance earlier.

--The corpse had not decomposed or decayed, and it did not emit a foul odor even after more than fifty years, which was really strange, so he asked curiously.

"Brother Ping An, you said that corpse had a demonic aura, why is that?"

"It's not that the corpse has any demonic aura," Daoist Master Ping'an explained unhurriedly. "Leaving aside zombies, which are things from mythical legends, this is just something to scare children, something adults talk about over tea—"

"--The corpse we saw died with its eyes wide open, never to be reincarnated. For over fifty years, no animal had eaten it, it hadn't been crushed by the forces of nature, and it could never be transformed into anything else, never to be reborn. You know, even the mummies of Egypt pharaohs were eaten by people, and used as health supplements. This corpse has been preserved for so long; there must be some incredibly powerful sorcery involved."

"I imagine that this is how I will be tortured after I die; what a cruel and extreme punishment that would be. The person who tortured this corpse must have become a demon."

"It's like casting me, a living, breathing person, into an incorruptible statue—I am no longer myself, but a monument. People will build monuments for those who are worth remembering, whether that person is good or bad, great or despicable, hoping that the monument will become a part of history."

"But using human flesh as a monument is probably not a good thing. It's like using his bones as a tomb, leaving his ugly state before death in the world forever. Even Qin Hui, a villain for all time, didn't receive this treatment—a person who can do such a thing has lost humanity and become a demon."

Meteor nodded and then asked.

"Brother Ping An, I studied in the Arcane Library and I know that there is such a group of people in the underworld who are immortal. Like you, they have even formed an Immortals Alliance. There are very few records about these people, and I am very curious about what is going on."

"Immortal life? There's no such thing as immortality, only eternal death." Luo Ping'an immediately said, "Let me ask you, young brother, if you lived forever, would you consider yourself happy or unhappy?"

Meteor immediately said, "Of course I'd be happy! I've thought about that too! If I never died, I could read so many books!"

Ping An immediately replied, "There are no books in the world that can be read all the time. No one can ever finish reading them all. Not to mention the information explosion of the Internet age, even if you were thrown into the Qing Dynasty, you still couldn't finish reading all these books. The speed of reading is limited, but the speed at which people create knowledge is getting faster and faster."

Meteor continued, "Then I can roam the mortal world!"

Ping An continued, "Playing games in the human world is a quick game; it can't escape the allure of wine, women, wealth, and power. It may seem to be free from birth, aging, sickness, and death, but when you can't play it anymore, it dies."

Meteor: "I can have many, many children!"

Ping An: "One or two children can still be called treasures, but emperors in ancient times who had more than a dozen children were the cruelest to them. Do you think they cared about their descendants? If you have more children, and the entire world becomes your descendants, they will fight and kill each other."

Meteor: "Then... I'll go out and stop them!"

Ping An: "But why should they listen to you?"

Meteor: "Me"

"So," Ping An sneered, "There is no such thing as immortality, only the puppet of power, which is eternal death."

Ping An changed his tone and became calm.

"Everyone says that the ultimate goal on the path of cultivation is Defying Heaven and Changing Fate, and fighting against heaven for life. But once the human body is locked away, it feels like an ethereal demon is constantly chasing me—I must always pursue the meaning of life to avoid becoming a demon. After all, I am already a true human, and I may no longer be able to become metal, stone, grass, trees, birds, beasts, mountains, seas, sun, moon, and stars. So I must cultivate the path of humanity, do human things, and live a human life."

Meteor seemed lost in thought and stopped asking questions, only remembering what Teacher Victor had said before—life is not a journey from passion to cold-bloodedness.

Like his teacher Victor, Luo Ping'an has a similar yet different answer to the question of immortality.

Both of these immortal figures had their own paths to achieve this, which allowed them to remain young.

Bu Liuxing remained silent, but Luo Ping'an suddenly spoke up.

"I'm sorry, I tend to be long-winded as I get older. I shouldn't have talked to you about these things, young man. Young people should always be full of energy. If I've made you uncomfortable, it's my fault."

Bu Liuxing: "Haha! Brother Ping An, you don't understand me! I'll walk my own path! I won't listen to your nonsense!"

"That's wonderful! Excellent!" Luo Ping'an immediately added, "The Qian hexagram signifies great fortune when there are no dragons to lead, and everyone becomes a dragon – it's wonderful that you think that way."

Follow the railway line out of Haofeng Ridge.

The number of billboards along the way has increased, creating a modern urban landscape.

However, it's worth noting that the meteorite observed a strange phenomenon—

"Brother Ping An! Why... why are all the female celebrities on these billboards the same person?"

Heading out from the Haofeng Ridge Tunnel, near the wilderness surrounding Shiqiu County, the billboards all bear the same image, the same face.

However, the products endorsed by this female celebrity are incredibly diverse, ranging from home appliances to agricultural products and tools, IT gadgets, food, and clothing.

Luo Ping'an looked closely and, as the flashlight beam shone on the billboard, which was over six meters high, the face of the female celebrity on the billboard appeared eerie and terrifying under the light, and her smile became strange and bizarre.

Meteor was startled. At first glance, he didn't feel anything, but under such eerie lighting, he found the actress's smile so creepy, yet it had a familiar feel to it. He pondered it carefully— Ming Ge also had this kind of smile on his face.

That was a deliberate performance, like an aggressive mimicry, a smile to appease the boss and colleagues when working overtime.

Luo Ping'an said, "Oh! This girl's name is Matsushima Seiko! I know her!"

"You know him?" Bu Liuxing was stunned. He hadn't expected that Daoist Master Ping'an was a fan of Japanese and Korean girls.

Luo Ping'an: "We not only know each other, but we also have a special connection. I went to her concert in 1982."

Bu Liuxing: "Huh?"

Luo Ping'an: "She debuted in 1980 and gained widespread attention with her single 'The Season of Bare Feet.' She was a rising star who enjoyed soaring popularity from then on, consistently topping the charts until 2006. Her record of 24 singles sold remains unbroken."

Meteor: "Huh?"

Luo Ping'an said without batting an eye.

"I've been a fan of hers for a long time. As for why I like it, it's because of 'The Season of Bare Feet.' As someone who travels far and wide, I want to explore many, many places in the world on foot. I was drawn in by the title—and then I just couldn't stop."

Meteor: "Huh?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Luo Ping'an tilted his head, looking completely puzzled. "Do you think all true immortals are detached from worldly affairs? Besides, I'm practically off the ground, untouched by worldly matters, so far removed from people. How can I be a true immortal? How can I seek the Dao?"

"That makes sense," Meteor pondered, realizing the Daoist priest's words, though rough, were reasonable. "So now you..."

Luo Ping'an interrupted, "I'm a fan of Stefanie Sun. She hasn't released a new album in the past two years, but I still like her a lot. Besides, she hasn't had any scandals!"

"Good heavens," Meteor didn't know what to say.

"Woo-woo-woo!~" Black Brother seemed to understand too. Wolf Meteor could understand wolf language. This sentence was Black Brother's way of marveling at Mr. Ping An's skill.

After fifteen minutes, the two men and the wolf finally arrived in front of a group of buildings.

This is the source of the light, and the only bright spot for kilometers around.

But what the meteor didn't expect was that this wasn't a town in the Human World, but rather a territory in the underworld.

The entrance to the architectural complex is ornately decorated, exuding a noble and sophisticated European charm. Why is it called "Little Europe"? It's similar to the European-style town that Huawei developed in Dongguan, where the courtyards, walls, castles, and towers are all European in style.

It's called the underworld because the function of the buildings is explained at the entrance of this complex next to the road sign in Stone Hill Town.

[Alice in the Kingdom of Time·Alice in the Kingdom of Time]

[Night Wanderer Engineering Construction Group · Stone Hill Town Public Cemetery]

Luo Ping'an: "Good heavens!"

Bu Liuxing: "Good heavens!"

The two stared at each other, both quite surprised.

Bu Liuxing: "Brother Ping An! We've been walking for so long! The only light we've seen is from a cemetery!"

Luo Ping'an: "The name of this grave is the title of a song by Matsushima Seiko!"

Bu Liuxing: "Is that the point?! Brother Ping An! Wake up!"

"Oh! Oh, oh, oh," Ping An came to her senses. "Seeing this scene, I felt a pang of emotion. If there were a cemetery like this in the mortal world called [Love Before BC] or [The Seventh Chapter of the Night], I think you would also..."

Bu Liuxing: "Goodness! I get it! So you're going to use underhanded tactics to boost your idol's ranking, right?"

Upon witnessing this extraordinary sight, Meteor's playful nature kicked in, and he decided to check out this incredibly modern cemetery from the old days, since it was the only source of light for several kilometers around.

Following the light, past the deserted guard post and parking lot railings, and reaching the first grave, Meteor felt something was amiss.

"Wait! Brother Ping An! Why are there no words on the tombstone?!"

Luo Ping'an stopped to examine it closely. The tombstone on the cement mound had no inscriptions or any engravings. The two walked closer to look.

The tombstone suddenly lit up--

--It's like a 32-bit pixel screen from the previous era being powered on again, projecting a cartoon character onto the screen, with an art style similar to Super Mary Bros. or Contra.

Meteor: "Good heavens!"

Ping An: "Good heavens!"

The Black Brother suddenly turned around and ran wildly towards the cemetery exit, only stopping at the intersection. The dog looked extremely frightened and peed on a pillar of the wall next to the cemetery.

The cartoon character blinked, as if it could see the two uninvited guests, and spoke fluent Japanese.

"Are you my descendants? Have you come to sweep my grave? Sorry, you'll have to watch a 15-second ad first!"