Chapter 299 Leaving Hangu Pass in the West
Hangu Pass is a great pass in Kyushu.
This dangerous pass is located on the plateau in the west, facing the cliff in the east, connecting to the Qinling Mountains in the south, and blocking the Yellow River in the north. It is not only a strategic location for war, but also an important hub for connecting Eastern and Western cultures.
Hangu Pass is quite majestic. The city wall alone is more than 50 feet high, and there are many dangerous war weapons on it. From a distance, it seems that an ancient beast is entrenched here, exuding a majestic atmosphere of war.
Today, the sky is clear and the sun is shining. The slight movement brings a few strands of coolness.
On the top of the city, Yin Xi, the lord of Hangu Pass, is patrolling the city with many soldiers to review public security and other issues.
Suddenly, purple air rose in the sky in the east, turning into various strange phenomena, dyeing the clear sky purple, with glittering clouds and thousands of auspicious colors. It is so extraordinary at first glance.
"What? Purple air coming from the east!" Yin Xi suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
"Uh..."
All the subordinates were stunned. They looked east with wide eyes, but saw nothing. The sky was still clear and blue. They were confused and asked curiously, "Sir, where is the purple air coming from the east?"
"Didn't you see it?" Yin Xi asked in a very strange way, pointing his finger to the east.
All the soldiers looked at each other. The sky remained unchanged. They were very surprised by Yin Xi's actions and said, "There is nothing. What happened to you, sir?"
"Hahaha!" Yin Xi laughed suddenly, and his laughter spread far away. He said excitedly, "There is an ancient saying: When a saint travels, purple air comes from the east for 30,000 miles, and the heaven and earth celebrate it! At this moment, the purple air comes from the east in Hangu Pass. Obviously, a saint will pass by Hangu Pass soon!"
All the subordinates: "..."
In this confusion and speechlessness, all the subordinates had no choice but to follow the orders of the adults and send people to clean the streets every day, while Yin Xi bathed and burned incense for several days to show his sincerity.
For example, before offering sacrifices, people must burn incense and bathe to show respect for the gods in heaven.
A few days later, an old man came from the east riding a blue bull. The old man's hair and beard were all white, but his face was surprisingly ruddy. He was wearing a yin-yang Taoist robe and a bun on his head. He had a kind of immortal temperament. There was a Taoist in a blue Taoist robe beside him who was responsible for leading the bull.
The two slowly came towards the direction of Hangu Pass.
These two people were Taoist Laozi Li Er and Duobao Taoist who had transformed into a mortal. After transforming into a mortal, Duobao Taoist went to Li Er to learn. Li Er taught him the Hinayana Buddhism and Taoist methods. Although Duobao did not understand the meaning, he respected Laozi as his uncle and followed him to learn.
Laozi saw that the Zhou Dynasty had declined and could not be saved, so he wanted to travel around the world and understand the nature of heaven and earth, so he took Duobao to the west.
"Disciple greets the saint!"
Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of the two, and Yin Xi knelt down to Laozi with a respectful face.
Yin Xi saw Laozi coming and knew that this was the Taoist saint. He did not dare to be negligent and immediately opened the city gate to greet him. When he came to Laozi, he knelt down.
"You are a dynasty official, why are you kneeling to an old man like me?" Laozi looked at Yin Xi calmly and said.
"A few days ago, I saw the purple air coming from the east for 30,000 miles, which was a shocking phenomenon. I knew that it was indescribable and it was a sign of the saint's journey. Today, when I saw you, it was indeed true. You are a Taoist saint. Now the saint is traveling west and visiting my Hangu Pass. Yin Xi is the lord of this pass, so I come here to pay my respects!" Yin Xi bowed respectfully.
"Oh?" Laozi replied indifferently, not knowing what he was thinking.
"Can the saint enter my Hangu Pass? I will serve you personally?" Yin Xi invited respectfully.
After hearing this, Laozi just frowned slightly and began to calculate with his hands. But why did he go west? It turned out that he had calculated a few days ago that he had an opportunity in the west, so he had this trip to the west. Now that he had arrived at Hangu Pass, the feeling became more and more intense, and he immediately wanted to calculate it.
After a few breaths, Laozi had no choice but to stop his actions. He still hadn't calculated anything. He looked at Yin Xi below, thought about it, and said, "Okay, then I will stay here for a few days."
"Thank you, saint!"
Yin Xi was overjoyed after hearing this and bowed. Then he personally led the green ox and led Laozi and Duobao Taoist into Hangu Pass.
For a few days, Yin Xi was respectful to Laozi and the two of them, doing everything himself, and never slacked off.
A few days later, Laozi did not get the opportunity he wanted, so he and Duobao wanted to set off again and continue their journey to the west.
Laozi rode on a green ox, followed by Duobao, and arrived at the gate of Hangu Pass. Yin Xi came forward upon hearing this, and bowed before Laozi, saying, "I, Yin Xi, am devoted to the Great Dao, and I beg the saint to accept me as his disciple."
"Since you are an official of the dynasty, the cause and effect are too deeply involved in the world, and you are not suitable for practicing Taoism." Laozi shook his head and said.
"I am willing to give up my official position and follow the saint to practice Taoism!" Yin Xi said again upon hearing this.
Laozi said nothing, but counted with his hands and found that Yin Xi and himself really had some master-disciple fate, but it was difficult for him to become a direct disciple, and he could only be a registered disciple.
"Well, I will accept you as a registered disciple." Laozi brushed his beard and said lightly.
Yin Xi was overjoyed upon hearing this, and immediately bowed and said, "Thank you, teacher!"
Laozi smiled and was about to tell the two to continue their journey westward. At this moment, a flash of light flashed through the depths of his mind, and he suddenly felt something in his heart. Why don't I leave a copy of my own classics for future generations like Yin Xi who seek Taoism? Moreover, this Taoist book cannot be a method of practicing Taoism, but it can be a method of enlightening the Tao.
As I thought about it, the thoughts in my mind became clearer and clearer. He laughed, stood up in the air, and recited loudly:
"The Tao can be Tao, but it is not Tao; the name can be named, but it is not named.
Nothing is called the beginning of heaven and earth; Being is called the mother of all things. Therefore, there is always nothing, and I want to observe its wonderfulness; there is always something, and I want to observe its fluke.
These two have the same origin but different names, and they are both called xuan. Mysterious and mysterious, the door to all mysteries. "
"Everyone in the world knows that the beautiful is beautiful, but it is evil; everyone knows that the good is good, but it is not good. ..."
"..."
"Buzz——"
Immediately, the heaven and earth buzzed, infinite wonderful sounds resounded through the sky, the sound of the great avenue penetrated the whole sky, the divine light was bright, the purple energy was vertical and horizontal, the spiritual energy of the heaven and the earth gathered together, and evolved into various mysteries.
Everyone in front of Hangu Pass was immersed in this supreme sound and couldn't extricate themselves. Yin Xi immediately took out a pen and paper and wrote down what I said for later reading and understanding.
Soon after, I stopped reciting the Taoist scriptures, and he returned to the back of the green bull again. But at this moment, the earthly aura of me became more and more intense, and there was purple energy lingering around him, and fairy energy floating around him. Gone with the wind, as if he would become an immortal in the next moment.
Lao Tzu was also very happy. He finally sorted out his teachings thoroughly, wrote the Taoist Scriptures, and spread them to the world. This is also a sorting out of his thoughts. After this time, he has found an opportunity for a breakthrough. It is indeed a great opportunity!
Yin Xi excerpted all what Laozi said, bound it into a book, and presented it to Laozi. I pondered for a few breaths and wrote the three words "Tao Te Ching" on it.
As soon as the word "three" fell, the divine light immediately surged and pierced people's eyes. After a long time, the divine light restrained and turned into an ordinary Taoist book. He threw it to Yin Xi and continued towards the west with Duobao.
In just a few breaths, the two of them disappeared from everyone's sight without a trace.
Yin Xi held the "Tao Te Ching" in his hand, feeling extremely happy in his heart. He watched Lao Tzu and the two leave in a hurry, and murmured: "He is really a god!"
After Yin Xi returned, he wanted to extract another copy of the "Tao Te Ching" and keep it to avoid accidents. However, no matter how he extracted it, the rewritten "Tao Te Ching" completely lost the special charm of the first one. Moreover, there is no method of practice, only the first book contains the method of practice.
Yin Xi had no choice but to give up and began to live in seclusion in the mountains and forests, focusing on cultivating the Tao.
Later, Yin Xi became successful in cultivation, and he never forgot Lao Tzu's great kindness and established the famous Shushan Sword Sect. Yin Xi was the ancestor of Changmei.
Therefore, there is a legend that Shushan is the Taoist tradition of Laozi.
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