The True Lord Tests His Dao (Part One)
As Su Yao listened to the mysterious voice, his mind went hazy:
Mount Zhongnan? The place where the Dao Ancestors of the Three Pure Ones preached the Dao, with its jade palaces and lotus ponds?
Wasn't Mount Zhongnan deserted long ago?
No, there was still one person!
The speaker could only be that one...
Unable to believe it, he slowly turned around and saw a Daoist standing behind him.
The Daoist wore purple robes and a Three Powers crown, with a peachwood sword tucked into his belt.
Nine-colored rosy light was embroidered on the cuffs of the Daoist robes. Even the robes of Qixia Temple's master bore only seven-colored rosy light, while his own Daozi robes had only five colors!
And as for the Three Powers crown, those beneath heaven and upon earth who could wear one could be counted on one hand.
As Qixia Temple's Daozi, he naturally knew what the nine colors and the Three Powers crown meant. He bent low in a deep bow and spoke respectfully:
"This disciple, Su Yao, Daozi of Qixia Temple, greets True Lord Xicheng of Heavenly Rosy Light, Whose Rosy Glow Illuminates the Crimson Heavens!"
"Hahaha." He chuckled softly. Tears like rosy light slid down his blurred face, and then he said in a low voice:
"True Lord Xicheng of Rainbow Clouds, Whose Rosy Glow Illuminates the Crimson Heavens?"
He paused and looked down at the bowing Su Yao:
"Does Senior Qizhenzi hate me for causing the ancestral master's Dao lineage to decline to this day, all for the sake of attaining the Dao?"
Su Yao fell silent at this. On one side was Daozheng, who had raised him and taught him his skills; on the other was the sole True Lord left in their Dao lineage.
It was naturally impossible to say that Daozheng felt no hatred. Though Daozheng had spoken of this True Lord many times without saying more, Su Yao had indeed felt Daozheng's discontent.
But what had this True Lord done wrong back then?
Had he succeeded, Qixia Temple would naturally have risen to greater heights, prolonging its life as the Immortal Dao declined. But he had failed, and both he and Qixia Temple naturally had to bear the consequences.
Yet if this True Lord were to feel discontent toward Daozheng or Su Yao because of this, he would not even need to act. He need only stop suppressing himself and reveal a True Lord's presence, and a single glance from Su Yao would turn him into rosy light that dispersed on the spot.
It was the same with Daozheng. If Daozheng did not suppress himself, how would Su Yao dare approach him? A few extra glances would turn him into Wu Earth and kill him.
He remained silent for the time it took to drink a cup of tea, then raised his head to look at the True Lord whose face he could not make out.
"Daozheng naturally bears hatred... but what Daozheng hates is that the True Lord did not accomplish his Dao, and that the True Lord did not discuss it with him beforehand, not that the True Lord failed in what he did. After all..."
He paused.
"After all, Daozheng once told me, 'If attaining the Dao were that simple, I would not have merely formed a False Core and become a Loose Immortal. I would have become a True Lord, just like the True Lord.' And though the True Lord did not succeed, he survived. Though it is difficult for the True Lord to move about, so long as he remains for even one more day, outsiders cannot easily humiliate Qixia Temple. After all, the True Lord sits and watches the world's fortunes shift like wind and clouds. A thousand years in the outside world are but an instant to the True Lord."
He took in Su Yao's words one by one and said with a smile:
"No wonder Senior Qizhenzi speaks so highly of you. But this is our first meeting, after all, so let me test you."
Su Yao nodded.
"It is this disciple's good fortune to be tested by the True Lord."
He laughed heartily at that, then pointed to the grass hut.
"Go inside and bring out two meditation cushions."
Su Yao assented and dragged his heavy body toward the grass hut.
Once inside, he took two meditation cushions from the back.
He returned outside and set them in front of the hut, one in the upper position and the other below.
Then he looked at the True Lord and gave a disciple's salute.
"Please take the seat of honor, True Lord, and expound the Dharma for this disciple!"
"Hahaha!" He laughed heartily again. In the next instant, he was already seated on the upper cushion. He looked at Su Yao and waved a hand.
"Disciples of Qixia, take your seats."
"Many thanks, True Lord." Su Yao assented, went to the lower cushion, and sat down.
Then he turned his head to look at Liu Yunhe and Li Siyi, who were still in a daze.
"Why haven't you taken your places?"
Only then did the two wake as if from a dream. They hurried behind Su Yao and assumed the positions of attendant children.
At that moment, the True Lord's mysterious voice rang out:
"What are Rainbow Clouds?"
Su Yao was startled. Why would the True Lord ask such a simple question? Hadn't Daozheng said this True Lord loved asking the most profoundly mysterious questions? He answered cautiously:
"Rosy clouds are the essence of celestial phenomena, born of the union of yin and yang, yet neither yin nor yang, and belonging to none of the five elements. Their nature is luminous but not fierce, warm and gentle, shining of itself. Their forms change from dawn to dusk, inconstant yet possessing their own constancy. At dawn they don purple robes; at dusk they are dyed in golden gauze. They gather and scatter with the clouds, brighten and fade at heaven's will."
He paused, then continued:
"For those who cultivate Rainbow Clouds, what matters is to illuminate the heart and perceive one's nature, to be hindered by no thing and enslaved by no form. Like the rising dawn clouds, they nurture all things gently without contending; like the falling evening clouds, they draw in their splendor and embrace what is true without regret. Neither shaman nor demon, neither god nor devil, with a heart clear as a mirror and a Dao in harmony with nature, such a one is an 'immortal.'"
When Su Yao finished his answer, he gazed at the True Lord's blurred face and heard him ask:
"Where does our Dao come from?"
Su Yao answered at once:
"Our Dao comes from the Jade Pure One. From Zhongnan it arose in the east, went west, turned north, and descended south."
Then he gave a soft chuckle.
"If our Dao comes from the Jade Pure One, how does the Jade Pure One view heaven and earth?"
Su Yao thought to himself:
So this was what he had been waiting for. He pondered for the time it took to drink a cup of tea, then answered solemnly:
"Jade is hard and unblemished, pure and void, untouched by defilement. Purity is limpid and stainless, mystically one with the void. We of Jade Purity view heaven and earth through the Three Powers. In heaven, the Three Powers are the sun, moon, and stars; on earth, mountains, rivers, and marshes; in humans, essence, Qi, and spirit. The Three Powers give rise to and sustain one another. The sun, moon, and stars shine upon all things; mountains, rivers, and marshes transform heaven and earth; essence, Qi, and spirit govern our bodies."
He paused, then continued:
"Among the Three Pure Ones, Supreme Purity seeks the harmony of yin and yang and the union of all things, taking nature as its guiding principle. Highest Clarity seeks to seize and transform heaven's workings, commanding ghosts and gods, and keeping watch with wind and thunder. We of Jade Purity seek for each of the Three Powers to follow its own path: humans walk the human path, immortals cultivate immortal affairs, gods and ghosts tread separate ways, and all living beings rest in their proper places without encroaching upon one another. Thus our Dao honors and prizes itself, keeps clear of the mortal world, and makes immortal cultivation its chief pursuit. We cultivate the body and nurture our nature, returning to simplicity and truth, and uniting with the Dao in truth."
When he finished, he added:
"The exaltedness of Jade Purity lies not in authority or power, but in the exaltedness of the Dao, of virtue, and of truth. Exalted but not arrogant, honored but not conceited, it stands above all things without contending with them, and dwells ahead of all living beings without being stained by the world. This is called 'exalted beyond compare, honored alone without equal.'"
Having finished, he lowered his head slightly and waited for the True Lord's judgment.
He was silent for a long time before asking:
"But do the Three Powers presiding above and balancing the world not contradict all living beings resting in their proper places?"
Su Yao respectfully bowed again, then answered:
"True Lord, you see all clearly. The Three Powers presiding above and balancing the world do not contradict all living beings resting in their proper places. On the contrary, they are two sides of the same whole, each bringing out the best in the other.
"The Three Powers are heaven, earth, and humanity.
"Heaven covers all things, earth bears all things, and humanity dwells between them, taking part in transformation and nurturing life.
"The balance of the Three Powers is not imposed through forced allocation, but established by setting out their governing principles and rules.
"For example, the sun and moon move in their courses and the four seasons follow one another: this is heaven's governing principle. Mountains and rivers lie spread out and waterways flow: this is earth's order. Human relations have their constant rules and the Immortal Dao has its ranks: this is humanity's order.
"Once these governing principles and rules are established, all living beings can naturally rest in their proper places.
"Dragons lurk in the depths, phoenixes soar in the heavens, tigers roar in the forests, and fish swim in the water. All follow their own natures without encroaching upon one another.
"Immortals cultivate Rainbow Clouds and keep clear of the mortal world; humans walk the human path and do not trespass upon immortal pursuits.
"Is this not the work of the Three Powers maintaining balance?"
When he finished, he looked toward the True Lord in the seat of honor, only to see him shake his head.