Red Dust Path

The dojo of the Three Holy Mothers was a jelly shop in an ancient town beside Bamboo City.

That's right, a jelly shop.

Watching the Three Holy Mothers change her clothes and open for business, several old bachelors from the neighborhood hurried over to patronize the shop, their gazes greedy; it was clear they weren't there for the jelly.

Is she mingling with the mundane world? Lin Huang pondered the deeper meaning behind the Three Holy Mothers' actions.

"What are you standing there for?"

"The peas have already been soaked."

"There's a mill in the back."

The Three Holy Mothers had changed her look, but her speech remained concise; Lin Huang raised an eyebrow, but he didn't argue.

He obediently went to the back kitchen, ground the soaked peas into a slurry, and under the guidance of the Zither Saint, separated the pea starch before beginning to make the jelly.

"Add one part water first and stir until smooth."

"Then add five parts boiling water, remember to add a pinch of salt, and stir vigorously."

"Cook over low heat."

"When there are no bubbles or lumps left."

"Put it in the cooling box."

The method for making jelly wasn't complicated, and Lin Huang quickly finished a batch before looking toward the Three Holy Mothers.

"Make a serving. The oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar are all over there."

Lin Huang felt a bit impatient, but he still sliced a portion of the jelly and seasoned it.

The Three Holy Mothers didn't stand on ceremony and began to taste it.

"Not translucent enough, there are bubbles in the middle. Failure."

"The sliced jelly pieces are uneven in size. Failure."

"The taste is too salty. Failure."

Lin Huang's brow twitched, and he suddenly wondered if he had been tricked by the Three Holy Mothers.

"As a Saint."

"Master one technique, and you master them all."

"Yet you can't even make jelly well."

"And you call yourself a Saint."

"Ridiculous."

"Utterly ridiculous."

Lin Huang fell silent for a moment, nodded without a word, turned back to the kitchen, and made another batch from scratch.

"Not salty enough."

"Not spicy enough."

"Not sour enough."

Lin Huang's brows furrowed completely. "Tastes are hard to please; although I am a Saint, I am not a cook."

"Tastes are hard to please."

"Then provide only one flavor."

"One flavor to cover a hundred."

Lin Huang began to think; he had already realized that the Three Holy Mothers was using the act of making jelly to instruct him.

"You are too slow."

"Fortunately."

"I didn't take you as a disciple."

Lin Huang didn't respond, stepping aside to watch the Three Holy Mothers make the jelly.

The steps were the same, the movements were the same; for a trivial matter like making jelly, with the methods of a Saint, one could even ensure that every single serving was identical.

So the key lies in the final seasoning? Lin Huang's gaze shifted toward her.

The jelly made by the Zither Saint used only salt, the jelly made by the Chess Saint used only vinegar, and the Calligraphy Saint used only chili.

Can jelly made like that even be eaten?

Lin Huang found it somewhat amusing as he watched the Three Holy Mothers serve the three portions of jelly.

A moment later, the praises of the crowd rang out.

"I've eaten jelly from so many places, but yours is the best."

"It's so delicious."

"Thumbs up, thirty-two thumbs up."

"Is it really that delicious?" Lin Huang didn't believe it. He stepped forward. The first bowl was made by the Zither Saint, and she had only added salt.

With just one bite, Lin Huang froze. It was entirely the taste of salt; she had added too much, making it a bit bitter and a bit salty. Swallowing it felt bitter and salty, yet his heart felt warm.

The second bowl was made by the Chess Saint, and she had only used vinegar.

Sour—a sourness that reached deep into his bones. After the sourness came sweetness; with every breath, there was a lingering, glutinous sweetness, as if everything were sweet.

The third bowl was made by the Calligraphy Saint, and she had only used chili.

It wasn't spicy at all upon entering his mouth, but once it reached his stomach, he felt a ball of fire rise up.

"Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy. What you made isn't just jelly; it is home, it is emotion, it is life, it is your Path."

Lin Huang spoke slowly, finally understanding what the Three Holy Mothers were trying to teach him.

"He liked to eat jelly."

"So he only taught us how to make jelly."

"We have been making it for three thousand years."

"I feel the Mortal World is bitter, so I only use salt."

"I feel the Mortal World is sour, so I only use vinegar."

"I feel the Mortal World is spicy, so I only use chili."

After the Three Holy Mothers finished speaking, they looked at Lin Huang. "What does the Mortal World look like to you?"

Lin Huang thought for a moment and shook his head. "I don't know."

"You don't even know the Mortal World."

"And you still want to sever the Mortal World?"

"Ridiculous."

Lin Huang now knew that the Three Holy Mothers were truly guiding him, so he hurriedly asked for advice: "If I don't sever the Mortal World, how can I become a god? And why did you interrupt me from achieving the status of a demi-god?"

"You cannot become a god."

"It was to keep you alive."

"That is what a demi-god is."

The answer from the Three Holy Mothers made Lin Huang gasp, unable to believe it. "Is the demi-god path the wrong path?"

"If one could become a god, one would naturally not become a demi-god."

"The path to godhood can only go forward, never backward."

"There is no such thing as walking halfway."

The Three Holy Mothers glanced at Lin Huang.

"Understanding the Path through the Mortal World, guarding the Path, and then replacing the Heavenly Path with my own Path—these are the three steps to godhood."

"Your Path is not yet clear."

"If you sever the Mortal World."

"You cannot become a god."

Lin Huang took a deep breath and bowed solemnly to the Three Holy Mothers; he had almost walked down a misguided path. "How will you teach me?"

"There are three paths to godhood."

"The Heavenly Path, the Earthly Path, and the Human Path."

"If you walk the Heavenly Path, you must extinguish all emotions and nature. It is the path of slaughter, the path of destruction, and the path of heartlessness."

"If you walk the Earthly Path, you must embrace universal love and reject killing. It is the path of redemption, the path of protection, and the path of benevolence."

"If you walk the Human Path, the Mortal World cannot be severed. It is the path of persistence, the path of affection and righteousness, and the path of madness."

Lin Huang nodded. He understood this logic. "I wanted to sever the Mortal World because I wanted to walk the Heavenly Path and prove my Path through heartlessness."

"You cannot."

"Without the Mortal World to enlighten your Path, where would you find such great ruthlessness and great heartlessness?"

"The Earthly Path is also not for you."

"Without the Mortal World to enlighten your Path, where would you find such great compassion and great benevolence?"

"If you walk the Human Path, the Mortal World cannot be severed."

"Therefore, for now, you cannot sever the Mortal World."

Lin Huang hesitated for a moment and sighed. He knew the Three Holy Mothers were right; he did not possess great ruthlessness, so extinguishing his emotions and nature to prove his Path through heartlessness was impossible. And if he were to walk the Earthly Path, where would he find the great compassion to redeem, protect, and love all living beings?

"So, I cannot sever the Mortal World now." Lin Huang rubbed his brow and looked at the Three Holy Mothers.

"What about you? Are you walking the Human Path or the Earthly Path?"

The Three Holy Mothers were silent for a rare moment. After a long time, the Zither Saint sighed softly: "We chose the wrong path. In this life, we cannot become gods."

"But I have no regrets."

"How could I regret it."

Chess Saint and Calligraphy Saint spoke one after the other, and seeing Lin Huang's confusion, they continued.

"Our path was originally the Earthly Path."

"We entered the Dao through zither, chess, and calligraphy."

"It was meant to save all living beings."

"But he died."

"This path is not worth keeping."

"This divinity is not worth attaining."

"If one becomes a god."

"They forget the bitterness of the Mortal World."

"The sourness of the Mortal World."

"The spiciness of the Mortal World."

"This path, we will not take."

The words were simple, yet Lin Huang understood them clearly. He took a deep look at the Three Holy Mothers and asked a question, "For one hundred thousand years, why has no one become a god?"

"The Hundred Sages Reformed Heaven."

"The Human Path flourished."

"Since the Human Path flourished, how could one become a god?"

Lin Huang was shocked; no one had become a god for one hundred thousand years because of the Hundred Sages Reform Heaven and the flourishing of the Human Path.

Suddenly, a thought struck Lin Huang, and he asked, "Could it be that among the three thousand deities and the billions of living beings, no one has attained godhood through the Human Path?"

The Three Holy Mothers nodded in silence.

"With one's heart in the Mortal World, how can one become a god?"

"It is only heard that the Heavenly Path can lead to godhood."

"The Earthly Path can lead to godhood."

"The Human Path—no one has ever become a god."

Lin Huang's expression turned solemn, "Since no one has ever become a god through the Human Path, then I certainly cannot choose it."

"There has never been one before."

"That does not mean there won't be one in the future."

"You have yet to clarify your path, so you still have a choice."

"If you wish to walk the Heavenly Path, remember that the Heavenly Path is unkind and treats all things as straw dogs."

"If you wish to walk the Earthly Path, remember that the terrain is yielding, and Great Virtue Carries All Things."

"If you wish to walk the Human Path, then find an obsession and never let it go for the rest of your life."

"Regardless of what you choose."

"First, sell three days of jelly."