Chapter 108 White, Robe-like, Floating Clouds in the Sky (1/2)

The next morning, Shen Lian looked no different than before. Ruoxi thought what she saw last night was just a dream.

Starting that day, her brother assigned her to visualize objects. And that object was the bead wristlet.

The bead wristlet was placed on the table while she imagined there was a sense of Qi around the atmosphere. She concentrated on the nine beads as she dives deeper into her thoughts.

It was a boring activity and she did not want to continue playing after a while. But her brother was unusually strict and would only allow her to stop when she could not hold it anymore.

When she was practicing the character ‘Yong’, she felt a lot more relaxed. Every brush and stroke seemed light and easy.

In fact, the origin of practice and cultivation was similar to this case. From the very beginning of time, there were no preachers to preach and teach. However, people were still able to obtain supernatural powers and even outdone life and death.

It all happened because one person or one group of people had a thought about power beyond heaven and earth. They followed the command of their mind and achieved something beyond common sense.

All things came from something and something came from nothing.

That was also why Qing Xuan emphasizes that ”if one wishes to go further in practice and cultivation, one must first cultivate one’s heart”.

The psyche was dependent on material needs. However once the psyche reached a certain great level, it could conversely, affect materialism. When Buddha spoke of dreams, he mentioned Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly in his dream1.

Ruoxi did not understand these principles but the calligraphy writing that she once felt was dull was now more joyful and fun. More importantly, practicing it was no longer as torturous as it used to be.

Moreover, in a Chinese saying, ”The plan and length of a day are determined in morning”. The earlier the start of the day, the slower time seem to pass throughout the day.

That was because the speed of time was determined by the experience of doing something.

Ruoxi felt that she had a productive day but it was not even noon yet. She rested on the small table and heard a strange sound of a wooden fish. It seemed far away but it also felt like it was next to her ears. The sound made her relaxed, her eyelids became heavier and she fell into deep sleep.

Shen Lian was concerned that he could be facing a life or death matter, as he had yet to reach his peak, just like the sun had yet to shine its brightest for the day.

When he heard the sound of the wooden fish, he left his place. He walked like a ghostly spirit on the street and arrived by the river in no time.

At the wide Anping Canal, boats come and go. The most striking scenery here was not the boat in the river but the Grand View Bridge that spans across the long river.

The scenery of the long river can be viewed on this bridge. It was built at an ideal location where it joined the part of Shendu City that was separated by the river.

The bridge was of a stone arch bridge; an old monk stood by the edge of the stone block while pedestrians walked past him. It looked like he was in own realm where the surroundings did not bother him at all.

When Shen Lian walks towards the monk, it felt like the scenery behind him was fading. The fading out did not happen in reality but it was more of spiritual feeling.

The old monk who focused on the river moved his attention to Shen Lian.

That old monk was Kuhui and he was holding a silverish grey wooden fish on his hand. Shen Lian had seen that fish many years ago when he was still weak and fragile. The wooden fish was named ”Tai Wei”; it was named after the Taiwei Pavilion of Qing Xuan.

The sound it produced was known as the Dinghun Melody. A person without spiritual wisdom will not be able to hear it. Tai Wei was originally from Qing Xuan but somehow ended up in the possession of Ling Chongxiao many years ago.

When there was no light, the world would be in darkness. But in the spiritual world, the light from the material world would not be able to penetrate it.

If Shen Lian were to close his eyes, he would be able to see the old monk as a lighted lamp.

According to Buddhist scriptures, practice and cultivation were lighting up a light. If the light was lit, the bier will not conceal.