Upon hearing that a person from the Western Niu He Continent had arrived, the Ancestor felt neither joy nor surprise.
He said, “The Flowing Dregs Kingdom is quite far from here. Why have you come all this way just to learn etiquette?”
The young man, ‘Ram’, replied, “Old Immortal, I see that there is no etiquette or rules in my country. I earnestly seek to learn etiquette, so that I may return home and teach the elders and enlighten the young.”
The Ancestor nodded and said, “Since you have come from your country, what kind of etiquette do you wish to learn?”
Ram was at a loss for words.
After pondering for a while, he said, “To teach the elders and enlighten the young is the etiquette I have been searching for, but I have found no results. Now that I see the Old Immortal, I finally understand that etiquette is here.”
The Ancestor raised his hand and pointed to Jiang Yuan, saying, “This disciple of mine possesses great talent and has written many works, all stored in a room. You may go to the room and learn etiquette there.”
The Ancestor waved his hand, indicating the way for Ram to learn.
Ram performed a hasty bow and did not dare to say more as he walked towards the cave dwelling.
Seeing Ram leave, Jiang Yuan finally asked, “Master, is this person truly from the Western Niu He Continent? Why does he not resemble the records, which state he should be sixteen elbows tall?”
The Ancestor laughed and scolded, “You child, only focus on this person's height. That is disrespectful, that is disrespectful! The people from the Western Niu He Continent were indeed sixteen elbows tall in the past, but in recent years, the Western Niu He Continent has long since declined, hence they are no longer as before.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan was enlightened and bowed, saying, “Thank you, Master, for clearing my confusion. This person's heart seems restless. Master, can he truly learn etiquette with such a temperament?”
The Ancestor said, “Child, you once said ‘the Dao is ever-present’. This can also be said in front of this person.”
Jiang Yuan understood.
The Dao is ever-present.
Thus, before the city of Luo, he saw all beings perceiving the Dao before them, yet he neither heard nor asked, still recognizing the divine.
He wished to understand the divine's mischief, hence he spoke of ‘the Dao is ever-present’.
This person's heart is restless and uncertain.
He came to learn etiquette but lacks the heart to learn it, and sooner or later, he will leave.
The Ancestor had already anticipated this, hence he did not say much.
The Ancestor had twelve words: ‘Vast Wisdom, True Suchness of the Sea of Nature, Enlightened and Complete Awakening’.
If the Ancestor had the intention to keep this person, he would surely bestow a Dharma name upon him.
Jiang Yuan did not ask further and focused on his cultivation.
...
Not long after Ram began learning etiquette, both Jiang Yuan and the Ancestor were aware of it.
Within less than ten days, Ram could not endure the silence of the mountains and sneaked down the mountain at night.
Neither Jiang Yuan nor the Ancestor obstructed him, having already anticipated that Ram would surely leave.
Just as Jiang Tong'er had said, Ram's heart was restless.
After entering the cave dwelling, he was fine for three or four days, adhering to rules and regulations.
However, as time passed, his true nature revealed itself.
He was inconsistent in listening to teachings, could not sit still, and had no etiquette in eating or sleeping.
He often asked Jiang Tong'er if there were any pleasures in the mountains.
To the Ancestor and Jiang Tong'er, Ram was merely a passing guest, someone who came by fate and would leave without it.
His cultivation in the mountains was unaffected.
Jiang Yuan continued to refine his Lung Palace, hoping to shape the Golden Sovereign as soon as possible.
Indeed, a hundred years flowed like water, and twenty years passed unnoticed.
Every day, Jiang Yuan inhaled and exhaled the Heavenly Fire, refining the Golden Sovereign with the Fire of Literature and Martial Arts, not daring to make any mistakes.
Finally, on this day, there was some progress.
Jiang Tong'er sat cross-legged on a moss-covered stone, looking inward at his Lung Palace.
He saw two objects faintly appearing within the great furnace.
He could not discern what these two objects were, only that they resembled a ‘Primordial Unity’, like a pearl, embodying unfathomable mysteries.
Jiang Yuan felt something in his heart.
Once the Golden Sovereign's cultivation was complete, it would surely shatter the heavens and astonish him, causing his heart to surge with great power.
He secretly speculated, “How can this pearl-like object become weapons? Truly strange, truly strange! Well, well, well! Once the Golden Sovereign is refined, I will take a look at its appearance and then I will know what the Golden Sovereign is.”
With progress made, Jiang Yuan felt joy in his heart and returned to the cave dwelling to report the good news to the Ancestor.
As Jiang Yuan was returning to the cave dwelling, he knew that the Zuo family was nearby.
Time had passed without him noticing, and he had not seen them for a long time, so he took a detour to visit.
He encountered a Zuo family woodcutter and exchanged greetings.
However, when he arrived at the Zuo family home, he found the head of the family absent, leaving the young man outside, who was none other than the woodcutter's son.
Jiang Yuan approached and inquired.
The woodcutter's son recognized Jiang Yuan, knowing him to be the master who practiced quietly in the mountains, and explained the situation.
Jiang Tong'er then learned that the Zuo family woodcutter had passed away, and three years ago, the woodcutter's mother had also died.
The woodcutter fell ill from grief and died within half a year.
Now, the Zuo family was left with only two members, with the son taking care of his mother, becoming the new head of the family.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan was astonished.
He had not expected that in such a short time of cultivation, two generations had already passed away.
The woodcutter's son said, “Before my father passed, he said that the master was a good person and taught me to see the master and bow a hundred times, fulfilling my father's heart. Now that the master is before me, please accept my respect.”
Saying this, the woodcutter's son knelt down, preparing to bow.
It was truly a ‘bowing for the father’.
How could Jiang Yuan accept this? He helped the woodcutter's son up and said, “There is no need for that.”
He possessed great strength, and the woodcutter's son could not resist being lifted.
The woodcutter's son insisted, saying, “Master, please allow me to fulfill my father's heart!”
Jiang Yuan had no choice but to let the woodcutter's son bow.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The woodcutter's son bowed sincerely.
In less than a moment, blood seeped from his forehead, truly a good son.
Seeing the woodcutter's son bow countless times, his form swayed, Jiang Yuan supported him again and lightly tapped the woodcutter's son, stopping the blood from flowing.
He said, “A hundred bows have passed.”
The woodcutter's son, feeling dizzy and unable to remember how many times he had bowed, upon hearing this, finally stopped.
Jiang Yuan pulled the woodcutter's son to sit down and said, “Since your father has passed, do you have any thoughts?”
The woodcutter's son said, “Master, before my father died, he said to teach me to chop firewood, and one day I would return to the Southern Zhanbu Continent, surely to be prosperous.”
Jiang Yuan could only laugh and cry, saying, “This old fellow, how could he teach you to inherit the family business? You should know that I am a cultivator. Do you have the heart to cultivate with me?”
The woodcutter's son shook his head and said, “Now that my father has passed and my mother is a widow, I am the only one left. I must serve her and ensure she has food to eat. I cannot abandon her. In the past, my father worked the land nearby, and I must take care of him at all times. I cannot leave, I cannot leave!”
Jiang Yuan gave up and chatted with him for a bit, teaching him that if there were ever tigers or leopards in the mountains, he should shout the Dharma name ‘Vast Heart’, and the tigers and leopards would retreat, preserving his life.
The woodcutter's son agreed.
Jiang Yuan then took his leave and headed back to the Xie Yue San Xing Cave.
Upon returning to the Xie Yue San Xing Cave, he saw the Ancestor on the Yao Tai.
The Ancestor saw him and smiled, saying, “Child, your cultivation has made some progress.”
Jiang Yuan replied, “Master, the Golden Sovereign is difficult to perceive in form; it must be lacking in timing.”
The Ancestor said, “Indeed, it is lacking in timing. When the fire is full and the spirit is sufficient, the Golden Sovereign will take shape.”
Jiang Yuan responded with a “yes,” though his mind was elsewhere.
The Ancestor asked, “Child, is it because of the Zuo family that your heart is unsettled?”
Jiang Yuan said, “Master? Indeed, seeing the Zuo family elder pass away today, I lament the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death. I also feel grateful to you, Master. Without you, I would find it hard to escape.”
The Ancestor shook his head and said, “This is your karmic connection. The Zuo family lives in the mountains and will inevitably experience birth, aging, sickness, and death.”
Jiang Yuan continued, “Master, I once invited the Zuo family elder and his son to cultivate, but they both refused.”
The Ancestor laughed and said, “Child, I have long said that the people of the Southern Zhanbu Continent, recognizing the divine, desire power and do not cultivate the primordial spirit. How can they easily cultivate? There is a saying: ‘Only worry about clothing and food, fearing the King of Hell will come to take you away.’ This saying encapsulates the Southern Zhanbu Continent. Child, you have already inquired deeply; the Dao is before you. Hearing the Dao but not advancing, you need not be overly concerned.”
Jiang Yuan was enlightened and thanked the Ancestor for clearing his confusion...
(End of Chapter)