Lanke Chess Edge -
Chapter 179: Obey the Teachers Orders
Hu Yun jumped out of the cave, his big fluffy tail swinging behind him. He could see that Lu Shan Jun was struggling to suppress his joy, but he didn’t quite understand why.
Ji Yuan glanced at the red fox and then looked back at the huge tiger with glowing eyes.
“Let’s go and find a suitable place. Your cave is too dark, and the trees outside the cave are too dense, so it’s not bright enough.”
Ji Yuan pushed off the ground and leapt forward as if the earth itself shrank for him. The tiger and the red fox quickly followed, accompanied by the mountain breeze.
As Lu Shan Jun bounded off and followed Ji Yuan away, he looked back at his cave. It was a dark cavern hidden in the shadow of the forest. Even if the light of the stars and moon shone down, the only small spots of brightness remained were through the dense tree trunks.
‘Is Sir using the cave to represent my state of mind? Upon leaving the dark cave, my mind is now open and bright!’
Ji Yuan’s simple words just now made Lu Shan Jun’s mind clear. Even his tiger fur seemed to be glowing with spiritual light. He felt an emotion growing in his heart, a sense that ‘Mr. Ji is here to show me the way.’
Ji Yuan, who was traveling in the front, glanced sideways. He had no idea what Lu Shan Jun was thinking but he felt that this tiger spirit was indeed very talented, and definitely outstanding among the monsters. At the very least, he was much stronger than the red fox behind him.
Ji Yuan did not wander aimlessly in the mountains. As he was coming here, he had spotted a suitable place from his position in the sky. They arrived there after traveling through the mountains for just over a quarter of an hour.
It was an oval-shaped rock, about three square zhang, lying on a ridge surrounded by scattered trees, like a large scattered boulder.When they reached the rock, Ji Yuan jumped up onto it with a light leap, followed by the tiger and the red fox.
The moonlight was perfect, and the stars shone brightly. In the deep forests of Niu Kui Mountain, where few people had ever trod, the huge rocks were illuminated and shone brightly in the moonlight.
The man, the tiger, and the fox sat down together on the boulder.
Hu Yun didn’t feel like it was that big of a deal, but Lu Shan Jun felt a sense of sacred ritual in his heart. He sat down on the bright moon-white platform next to his master, listening to his teachings.
Ji Yuan responded to Lu Shan Jun’s respectful intent to some extent. This tiger spirit treated him with the utmost politeness at every turn. This kind of sincerity was rare. After having met him, the changes in his temperament were growing ever more clear.
“You are all animals in the mountains who have gained enlightenment. Hu Yun is new to cultivation. Although he has spiritual energy, he does not yet know the difficulty of cultivation. The King of the Mountain has gone through more than a hundred years of hardship since he has refined his horizontal bone; counting the nearly two-hundred years it takes for a tiger spirit to grow to that point, you have already experienced the suffering in seeking the Tao.”
Ji Yuan was not sitting straight, but rather supporting his body as he leaned back on one hand. He reached up to the top of his head with his right hand to pull out the black jade hairpin. His long hair swayed in the wind like a waterfall, casting a layer of reflected glow in the moonlight.
He raised his hand and held the ink-colored jade hairpin under the moonlight. His pale gray eyes, the jade hairpin, and the bright moon aligned in a straight line. One could faintly see that the rough-cut black jade hairpin was gleaming with light.
“Stay close to the red, and you become red;1 this is a shorter path to spirituality! Whether you are monster or human, what do you think is the meaning of cultivating immortality?”
At this moment, Ji Yuan’s words were profound, and his sidelong glance at Lu Shan Jun and Hu Yun made them uncomfortable looking at him directly.
“Tiger Shan Jun, you are older than Hu Yun. Tell me what you think.”
“Yes!”
The tiger spirit was so nervous that he even felt as if he were sweating. Sweat was already oozing out from between his paw pads.
“To reply to your words, Sir, I believe that the purpose of cultivation is transcendence and longevity. Whatever desire can be obtained. You will not be troubled by disasters, nor harmed by spirits. You can be at peace wherever your heart desires!”
“Alright, well said!”
Ji Yuan’s praise was sincere. He had only met the tiger spirit a few times, but each time brought him many surprises. If having taken him on as a disciple previously was an accident, he now acknowledged it as reality.
Hu Yun disapproved of Lu Shanjun’s words.
‘Isn’t that just doing whatever you want? So what if you’re the biggest and fiercest? Why is Mr. Ji praising him?’
However, when he saw Ji Yuan glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, he straightened his body and posed as meticulously as the tiger.
Ji Yuan laughed and set the jade hairpin down beside him. He seldom let his long hair down. He used to think it was too feminine, but now he didn’t mind.
If the body is relaxed and the mind is not scattered, one could find peace wherever the heart led them. Ji Yuan came to his own understanding of Lu Shan Jun’s words, and he had also learned something tonight.
Strictly speaking, this was the first time that Ji Yuan has solemnly imparted the essence of cultivation. His thoughts and ideas were meticulously arranged, and even his introduction to the lecture was not casually done.
Ji Yuan glanced at the rigorous and serious tiger and the red fox who was trying his best to concentrate, then leisurely recited a chapter of a book that did not exist in this world.
“There is a fish in the North Sea, named Kun. Kun so large that no one can see where the thousands of miles of its length ends. He changes into a bird, named Peng. Peng’s back is so broad that no one can see where the thousands of miles of its length ends. When it flies in anger, its wings are like clouds hanging from the sky…”2
Ji Yuan then omitted the discussion on the “Qixie” from the original text, simplified the passage down to its essence, the final line.3
“Those who take advantage of the virtue of heaven and earth, and control the battle of the six Qi energies such that they can travel in the infinite, who would they stop for? Therefore, it is said: The most perfect person has no self, gods and men have no merit, and sages have no name.”4
After he had finished reciting the long article, he saw that Hu Yun frowned, Lu Shan Jun was somewhat shocked and somewhat pensive. He really couldn’t figure it out and was afraid that he was missing the point. He could only memorize so many of the words; the first of the last two sentences was still shocking, but the second sentence miraculously returned him to calm.
Ji Yuan directly ignored the red fox’s reaction and asked Lu Shan Jun.
“What do you think?”
This time, the tiger spirit didn’t answer right away, but thought hard and recalled the words carefully. After a long while, he hesitantly looked at Ji Yuan.
“Sir, does the path you recited just now have a name?”
Ji Yuan smiled.
“This piece is called ‘Xiaoyao You’!”5
On the bright moon-white platform, Lu Shan Jun’s tiger body trembled. He bent forwards again and solemnly bowed to Ji Yuan.
No answer was given, and Ji Yuan didn’t ask any further questions. There was a unique rhythm to the night that seemed to make both parties understand the other’s intentions. This feeling was magical, but very pleasant.
Ji Yuan looked at the bewildered Hu Yun, and shook his head with a smile. In the end, his conduct and character were still far behind.
“Monster cultivators absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to refine their bodies, generating demonic energy, transforming it into spiritual energy, and giving rise to supernatural powers. They seek the way of the Tao, hoping that the principles of the turning of the sun and the moon will conceive the spiritual world inside their bodies. Demonic cultivators put strength first, envy and hate the virtue of the human body… Little do they know that the way to unlock the heart is not limited to any race, and the opportunity to cultivate the mind can be born in ordinary beings…”
Ji Yuan spoke slowly. Lu Shan Jun wished he could materialize a small notebook and write everything down, but he didn’t dare to be distracted even in the slightest.
He could feel that every word Mr. Ji spoke tonight was profound. To use a turn of phrase from Ji Yuan’s previous life, it was full of practical information.6
When compared to the cultivation path of ordinary monsters, Ji Yuan paid more attention to the refinement of the spiritual realm, to the harmony of the yin and yang, and to the virtue and morality of the bonds between heaven, earth, and humans.
Why were monsters called “monsters”? Why were they so often lumped together with demons and evil spirits? The nature of their minds, their cultivation methods, as well as their own actions and deeds all contributed to the present definition.
“Refine the body to cultivate the monster body. Refine your mind to cultivate your spiritual wisdom. Purify your body and mind to conceive your own spiritual techniques. Thus, the path of monster cultivation can also become an immortal path!”
As soon as these words fell, the bright moon in the sky was covered by dark clouds. The rock upon which they sat was no longer a bright white platform, and Ji Yuan’s voice stopped.
“Boom…”
A faint sound of thunder sounded in the clouds, and Ji Yuan knew that it was a trace of connection between heaven and man, and that the “man” here could be connected with a “monster.”
Before Lu Shan Jun transformed, wherever there had been an opportunity for a key breakthrough, it would easily attract a similar “connection.” The stronger the Qi, the more likely it was that thunder would really strike.
In fact, it was similar to when Hu Yun had refined his horizontal bone previously. However, Hu Yun’s demonic energy was extremely weak, and he was under the shade of the jujube tree, so the dark clouds in the sky only caused a few rumbles of thunder, and nothing more happened.
Of course, there were exceptions. For example, if this occurred during a natural thunderstorm, and a monster deliberately ran to an open area to break through in their cultivation, they would probably turn into an oversized lightning rod as a taunt to the heavens, and the thunder would without a doubt strike them down.
“Alright, this is both fate and law.7 There is a beginning and an end—let’s leave it at that!”
Ji Yuan paused for a long time before saying these words. It woke both Lu Shan Jun, who was deep in thought, and Hu Yun, who was thinking hard.8
“Haha, although it’s not very likely, I am also on this stone platform, and it would be very inappropriate if I were to be struck by lightning!”
The gentleman’s joke made both the tiger and the red fox subconsciously look up at the sky. The bright moon and stars had already been covered by dark clouds.
Ji Yuan picked up the black jade hairpin from the promontory, smoothed his hair with one hand, causally inserted it back into his bun, then stood up.
“Practice well and take care of yourselves. Now is not the time to be undisciplined and unrestrained…”
Having said this, Ji Yuan paused for a moment before looking at Lu Shan Jun.
“You are not allowed to casually proclaim that I am your master.”
As he said this, Ji Yuan stepped forward a little. A light mist spread out from under his feet, glowing in the light, and his whole body was lifted away into the air.
Lu Shan Jun’s entire enormous tiger body was stiff on the rock, his eyes showed showing various emotions: dazedness, dullness, disbelief, all of which turned into endless ecstasy.
In a panic, the tiger stood up and knelt down repeatedly to salute the figure that was flying away in the sky.
“This disciple will obey the master’s orders! Roar-!“
The ferocious tiger’s roar and startled the forest, and countless animals in the mountains were awakened. A strong wind blew across the mountain ridge, and countless birds took flight and circled high above. However, Lu Shan Jun couldn’t contain his excitement.
“ROAR!… ROAR!”
- 近朱者赤，近道者灵 A similar idiom is 靠着朱砂的变红，靠着墨的变黑 — “Reddened by cinnabar, blackened by ink” In other words, who you are is impacted by who you are around, so choose your company wisely. If you’re around good people, you are influenced by their good character; if you are around bad people, you will be influenced by their bad character.
- This excerpt is from the first chapter (Xiaoyao You) of the Zhuangzi, one of the two ancient, foundational texts of Taoism. It was written by Zhuang Zhou/Zhuangzi and consists of stories that exemplify the ideal Taoist. This chapter is said to symbolize the “liberated state,” a state of free wandering. There are probably official English translations of this text but I didn’t look them up – unless someone feels strongly about it
- See here for full text
- As with pretty much every single philosophical & religious text, I invite you to analyze it and sit with it yourselves. It’s an interesting practice, even if some is lost in translation. I will continue to do my best to analyze what JY and the characters take away from the passages and why they might be used in certain scenes in the first place, but keep in mind that everyone can have their own interpretation (even if that interpretation is “I have no idea what was just said”)
- 逍 (xiāo): some kind of prefix? 遥 (yáo): distant/far away, 游 (yóu): to walk/to travel/to roam
- Lit: “full of dry goods” – can be stored and used far in the future XD
- Referring to how he has to stop because of the thunder. Basically, the heavens were like “JY PLEASE stop spouting mystical secrets that break reality” and JY is like “haha whoops sorry ’bout that”
- T/n: LOL the contrast here is absolutely hilarious
If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report