The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

The coldest days of the year had passed. Frozen rivers were melting and old trees were sprouting. Though there was still thin snow in the mountains, spring had come quietly.

With its natural beauty and meandering paths, Mount Huamei looked like a scenic spot in River East. With birds twittering and more hunters coming in, it became more lively and beautiful.

"Ice Fairy" Ye Yuqi was out of town this time, but Meng Qi was no longer a stranger. Led by a disciple, he came into the back mountain and saw the ordinary thatched cottage. Beside it lay an undecorated grave.

Master Lu still wore the plain black gown. He was bending low with a hoe in his hand, completely lost in weeding the flowerbeds that were full of exotic flowers and rare herbs around the grave. The long sword, which was famous all over the world for its action when out of the scabbard, lay aside quietly.

Considering his realm, strength, and control of the sword, he could easily kill off weeds and pests without any harm to the flowers by waving his hand, but he didn't do so. Instead, he used the hoe slowly and leisurely with great devotion as if he were doing the most valuable and artistic thing in the world. Lost in the devotion, he could naturally forget about all his sorrow and trouble and enjoy the inner peace that words could not begin to describe.

Meng Qi stood still beside the thatched cottage. He didn't greet Master Lu or interrupt his work. Instead, Meng Qi watched it attentively and felt as if he were back to the moment when he was enjoying carvings in Maoling. He calmed himself, felt peaceful and found the wisdom in himself.

No one knew how long it was before Master Lu finally straightened up and walked back to his cottage. He put the hoe against the wall, sat down cross-legged, pointed, and said to Meng Qi, "Please sit."

He gazed at Meng Qi attentively, waiting carefully for his reply.

"Thank you for saving me. I've got nothing to repay your kindness with aside from this tree. It carries the sword from World of Dao in Seven Moves of Heaven Interception," Meng Qi said flatly. He took out the Supreme-wisdom Tree and put it in front of him. The tree was verdurous and had hidden vitality. Its branches and leaves swung with the breeze, and the sword glittered faintly.

Master Lu glanced at the Supreme-wisdom Tree and smilingly said, "You really have strong genuine Qi and obsessional karmas. You're even tied up with the Buddha and Heaven Interception."

After teasing, he sighed. "I would have definitely rejected it if you brought it to me before the turn of the year. Now, it is just in time so that I can get prepared for the next part."

Meng Qi was totally confused. What did Master Lu mean?

He thought it over but didn't ask. Instead, he said, "I can hardly forget about your swordplay that day. Your sword is famous all over the world for changing Dharma and Logos when out of the scabbard. You used it so well with mysterious changes that you managed to set rules for the world and limitations for immortals. When you brandished your sword, no one dared to disobey. You're far from being merely a Human Immortal or Earth Immortal. You're similar to one of the big powers I've met…"

Meng Qi told him the story where Yang Jian set up the monument, leaving out the beginning and the end. He stared at Master Lu in anticipation of his reply. He wondered, "Could Master Lu be in the same realm as Lord of Purity and Magic, far more powerful than a Human Immortal or Earth Immortal? Otherwise, why would such things be so similar?"

However, if it were so, guys like Gu Erduo would have been destroyed long ago!

Master Lu listened attentively and quietly. At last, he smiled as if mocking himself. "I'm far inferior to YuXu Yang Jiang. I can isolate mortals and immortals in that world, making them ascend or stay away from us, but here in our world, the Ninth Heaven, I'm still not powerful enough. Do you understand?"

"No, I don't…" Meng Qi shook his head in confusion and then frowned. "Are we in a special world where Dharma and Logos can't be easily changed just like that in the Ninth Heaven?"

This reminded him of a legend.

"Yes." Master Lu replied placidly. His eyes looked as clear as a bottomless lake. "I just ascended to be an Earth Immortal. I've achieved something else with a few features of the state of a Legend. That's why I can set rules and bring harmony to this world with the help of our place."

"A few features?" Meng Qi got a nasty shock. "But the state of a Legend should be a realm very far away from us, isn't it? Why can you feel it now?"

He didn't know about the state of a Legend and he only knew of all realms before the experience in Everlasting Valley or before what Qi Zhengyan told him. Now he was confused again because of Master Lu and he remained very much in the dark.

Master Lu breathed just like an ordinary man. The long sword was laid aside. His eyes looked deep at first, but if one looked closer, they felt pure. He smiled.

"The state of a Legend is an inevitable process no matter if you practice Kung Fu or Taoism. Normally, a Taoist consummates himself as a Divine Immortal, but in Buddhism, only Buddhas among Maha Bodhisattva and Great Arhat can sense the 'External Personality' in the dark, establish contact, wake it up and turn it into 'Internal Personality'. In Buddhism, the only way realms can be Buddha is after stepping into the state of a Legend. Some Maha Bodhisattva and Great Arhat who have unfulfilled wishes or refuse to be Buddha are known as the Immortal Venerable in Taoism."

As it was his first time to systematically know about the path after Dhamakaya, Meng Qi was rather interested. "Legend" could stand for a realm, but it was more meant for features of the realm.

Realms where Human Immortal, Earth Immortal, Divine Immortal, the Immortal Venerable (Legend) and Zhen Wu stayed? The realm of Heaven Sovereign? The realm of Taoist Primogenitor and Buddha? Meng Qi analyzed them quite excitedly.

"An old saying in Buddhism goes: The world is just like an abyss of misery. A man can be qualified to overcome it as long as he claims Dharmakaya. Legend is an important stage, connecting the 'External Personality' of all worlds. With countless power on him, he will survive the abyss of misery and will never die. He's capable of resurrection at any time unless we can trail his 'personalities' in all universes and kill them. Luckily they died of some unknown reasons, otherwise, they will live forever with enough lifespan," Master Lu added. "The Royal Advisor from Bomi whom you once met planned to replace the countless 'External Personalities' he sensed in the dark with 'other personalities' so as to claim the legend. That was why I said he was going the wrong way."

"I see." Meng Qi calmly nodded.

The story of the angler and the fish came from the state of a Legend. The broken soul of Supreme Deity Mirror really functioned to help people to sense "External Personality" in advance. The Everlasting Tribe used it for reincarnation, which was totally a waste. No wonder Blood Sea Rakshasa longed so much for it. His so-called reincarnation was only used to cover up. He honestly wanted to turn "External Personality" into "Internal Personality."

If he could make it several times, would he have the features of a legend? Could it be what Master Lu had described?

Blood Sea Rakshasa had lost the broken soul of the Supreme Deity Mirror. His scheme against Du Huaishang had been disrupted, too. What was worse, Master Lu had isolated the world, making him almost die of anger, but no one was sure if he had made similar arrangements in other worlds.

Meng Qi told Master Lu about his doubts. In the end, he said, "I thought I knew the most Secret Scrolls. Unexpectedly, you know more."

"Considering my age, it's normal that I've experienced more and visited more relics and graves than you. I always know something that you don't know." Master Lu laughed. "Thanks to you, the evil intention of Blood Sea Rakshasa has been exposed, otherwise, we would have still been deceived. If he accomplished something with the special Blood Shadow, it would be hard to deal with him. We might hardly kill him."

What he said amazed Meng Qi a lot. Sure enough, every Dharmakaya can be marvelous. Blood Sea Rakshasa was also up to something big with great ambition, even though his schemes were repeatedly disrupted by Meng Qi and some others. He may very well succeed.

"Do you mean you contacted the 'External Personality' by chance and have a few features of legend?" Meng Qi flattered with a smile.

Suddenly, Master Lu looked very gentle as he replied. "Not really. I've got a different experience. In fact, I haven't sensed 'External Personality.'"

He pointed at the exotic flowers and rare herbs beside the thatched cottage and said in a gentle voice, "My wife liked flowers when she was alive. She planted them here. Now beautiful flowers grow all over the mountains as a feast for the eyes."

He told the story peacefully, but what he said was quite touching. Meng Qi was confused about why Master Lu brought this up, but he couldn't help being moved and feeling a bit gloomy.

"My wife was an optimistic and cordial lady who always smiled. She was querulous, but never squeamish. I was too dull to express myself, but I fell in love with her at first sight. I never expected she loved me too." Master Lu said concisely with deep feelings in his eyes. He sounded so sad as he spoke gradually. "After she died, I always visited old places to think about her in case I forget her someday.

"The love for her is so strong and scorching deep in my heart. She remains unique to me. So does my love for her. With the unparalleled love and the persistence on the sword, I consider myself to be unique too—unlike anyone else.

"I often sense the 'External Personality' in my dreams. But the deeper I feel the uniqueness of my love, the more I find myself different from 'them'. As the love deepens day by day, I get gradually separated from 'them'. We're totally different. 'External Personality' isn't me. And I am just what I am.

"This is quite opposite to the normal path of assembling all personalities. I have no idea if it is a path to ruin, but since I've chosen it, following my own heart, all I can do is to explore the future."

Master Lu made no attempt to conceal his love for his wife, but Meng Qi didn't find it hypocritical or corny. Instead, the comment about "Wholehearted Sword," widely known in Jianghu, suddenly occurred to him:

"His extreme devotion brings the greatest sword, and his wife is his one and only love."