The Dao Attained

A shooting star streaked across the horizon and fell into the small town. No one noticed.

The next day, the sun rose as usual. Aside from one more figure now living in the small town, nothing had changed.

The sun rose and the moon set; clouds gathered and scattered.

Time quietly slipped away. The years never stopped for anyone, but continued flowing forward, slowly and inexorably.

Ever since the bustle and warmth of mortal life in the small town had moved He Mu, he had lived here, having split off a strand of his consciousness to become mortal and comprehend the truth.

Before he knew it, He Mu had lived in this small town for three years.

For those three years, He Mu had not used the slightest bit of magical power or divine ability. It was as though he had forgotten the Great Dao. Like a true mortal, he worked at sunrise and rested at sunset, living peacefully in the small town according to humanity's oldest rhythms.

The small town was so remote that cultivation was virtually nonexistent here, and no cultivator had ever been seen visiting.

Ever since He Mu arrived, life in the small town had remained peaceful. Though its inhabitants were all mortals, they lived ordinary yet happy lives.

In this brilliant age, the people of the small town might never achieve anything dazzling, but they always had a peace of their own. That peace brought warmth and contentment, as though they had found their final home.

Three years was not a particularly long time, even for many ordinary people. Yet in those brief years, He Mu had come to understand many things anew and met many people through a mortal's eyes.

For those three years, he had become the most ordinary of hunters in the small town, making his living by hunting in the mountains. Through this, he gained insight into the mortal world and came to know many of the town's residents.

In He Mu's eyes, Butcher Wang's household was well-off, yet he was always troubled over his youngest son, worrying about his studies; Auntie Wu loved to chatter, but she was genuinely kindhearted and always lent a hand whenever another household was in trouble;

Mister Zhou looked stern and old-fashioned, but he, too, had a warm heart; the Chen Family's daughter seemed cold and distant, but she was kinder than anyone...

All of this offered He Mu a certain enlightenment. He understood that when he truly grasped it, he would be able to advance further and reach the very end of the human world amid this boundless mortal dust.

That morning, He Mu went out as usual, intending to hunt in the mountains and observe the natural world among the peaks and rivers.

Just then, an enthusiastic shout interrupted his thoughts.

"Little He! Up so early again? Going into the mountains today?"

Seeing that it was Auntie Wu, He Mu answered with a smile.

"Yes, I'm heading into the mountains. Are you going to work, Auntie Wu?"

"Yes, off to work!"

Brimming with enthusiasm, Auntie Wu continued.

"You're not getting any younger, you know. Why aren't you thinking about finding a wife so you can carry on the family line? You don't seem the least bit anxious about it."

As though all aunties possessed this gift, she went on chattering.

"Just you wait. I'll introduce you to a couple of nice girls later. With everything you have going for you, you mustn't settle for less! Let me think. Mister Xu's family in the north of town..."

He Mu smiled and humored Auntie Wu. After exchanging pleasantries, he turned and headed toward the mountains outside town.

A mortal's perspective allowed He Mu to notice many details he had long neglected: the morning dew in the woods, the gentle breeze in the valleys, the wildflowers beside mountain streams. The mysteries of life flowed through nature, ordinary yet real.

In the blink of an eye, another four years passed.

In his seventh year after arriving in the small town, He Mu finally chose to leave.

A peaceful life no longer suited him. He had already fully gained the insights offered by such ordinary tranquility.

Before leaving, he also left an opportunity for these friends in the mortal world. Perhaps one day, this small town would no longer be ordinary either?

But did that count as the best arrangement? Even He Mu himself could not say.

The future of it all could only be left to time and fate.

He Mu had fully grasped the true essence of the mortal world's natural simplicity, but the Dao of the mortal world he had gained was not yet complete.

After all, the great mortal world held more than ordinary life and nature. The simplicity and tranquility of common people were part of the mortal world, but so were the struggles of the boundless age. The succession of dynasties and the changes of the age were all encompassed within the rolling dust of mortal life.

After he pondered it carefully, this strand of He Mu's divine consciousness quivered. Perhaps he ought to witness the rises and falls of the great age.

This time, however, He Mu spent far longer comprehending the great age amid the rolling dust of mortal life.

He became a fortune-teller, an innkeeper, a carpenter who made coffins, a pawnshop owner, and even a veteran soldier who fought with no thought of survival...

This time, He Mu set aside all his concerns and immersed himself completely in the changing tides of the age.

During this period, He Mu's path was not always smooth sailing. On the contrary, unable to use divine power, his incarnation also encountered setbacks and failures. Whatever a mortal faced in life, he faced as well.

He watched the struggles of one life after another at close quarters: their births, their deaths, their rises, and their declines. All of it stirred He Mu's Dao heart.

Time passed, and dynasties changed.

In the blink of an eye, a thousand years had gone by.

For a thousand years, He Mu had lived through every dynasty, seeking the mysteries of life and death and comprehending the true essence of the towering mortal world. Through his great wisdom and extraordinary comprehension, the essence of the Red Dust Immortal accumulated within him, bit by bit.

The Great Dao of the mortal world, which had always lacked something, grew ever more harmonious and natural. The true essence of mortal life manifested fully within it. From the tiniest individual to all living beings in the mortal world, from the years in a single corner to the changes of history, it expounded everything in the great age.

At last, divine power surged around He Mu once more. The lofty Great Dao of the Heavenly Venerable coursed through his body again, radiating supreme power revered by all the heavens. For a moment, the myriad Daos bowed in submission, lifting He Mu high into the vault of heaven.

High above, He Mu stood alone in the void and murmured to himself.

"My Dao is finally attained."

These two chapters were a little quiet, but things will gradually build toward a climax afterward.

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