"Whose voice was that?"
Fang Yun asked, but suddenly gave a rueful smile after asking. "Of course, it's the original text of The Analects. Zilu asked Confucius how to treat ghosts and gods. Confucius asked in return: if people cannot even treat other people properly or practice the most basic benevolence, righteousness, and morality, why consider how to treat ghosts and gods, which are even further removed from humanity? Zilu then asked Confucius what happened after death, and Confucius replied with these words: 'Not yet knowing life, how can you know death?'"
While alive, people still had many truths about life, intimately connected to themselves, that they had yet to understand. What need was there to investigate the truths of what came after death?
People walked the path of life, not the path of death.
Then why did I think of death? Fang Yun asked himself.
Oh, because I was worried my literary guts would shatter.
Then why was I worried my literary guts would shatter?
Because the dust covering my literary guts was growing thicker.
Why was more dust gathering on my literary guts?
Because I lost myself, unable to distinguish what I had done wrong or what sins I had committed.
Then when did dust begin gathering on my literary guts?
When I began worrying that my mind would fall into confusion.
Why was I worried my mind would fall into confusion?
Because this place is dangerous. I must stay alert to every possible problem.
In the Ancient God Pagoda, fierce spirits and saint spirits are dangerous, Demon Barbarians and vicious creatures are dangerous, and the dried corpses in the Treasure Pavilion are dangerous. Why would my own thoughts be more dangerous than all of them? Do I believe I am the greatest danger?
At this thought, Fang