Choose the sky

The world is relative. The Middle-earth Continent is far away from Daxizhou across the ocean. The terrain in the east is higher, and the sky there seems to be higher. Clouds and mists rise from the sea and land, drift towards that place, and finally gather together and stay together all year round. This is the cloud tomb—the tomb of all the clouds in the world. In the deepest part of the cloud tomb there is a lone peak, the top of which goes straight into the void, no one knows where it leads. According to legend, the world is composed of five continents, and each continent has different scenery. Only those powerful beings who have entered the sacred realm can see all the scenery. For ordinary people, legends are just legends. They don't know where the rest of the continents are, how to get there, or that the lonely peak in the cloud tomb is the passage to other continents. Naturally, no one has ever seen the scenery above the clouds. Here, the calm clouds spread in all directions like white silk, seemingly without end, and behind the void mirror above is an endless black abyss, with countless stars in it. Suddenly, two stars lit up and became brighter and brighter. It turned out that they were approaching the mirror at high speed. Only when the two stars came to the front of the mirror could they be seen clearly. They turned out to be two groups of holy and pure white flames. Cobweb-like cracks appeared in the mirror between the real world and the night sky, and then repaired in an instant. Those two groups of sacred flames have already appeared in the real world on this side of the mirror in some miraculous way. The thin air was constantly fluctuating and deformed by burning—they were not divine fires, but its eyes. The whole world is uneasy because of the huge coming, the light keeps refracting, a mountain-like shadow appears on the cloud surface, the space begins to arch and deform, and it seems that it may be squeezed. A golden dragon appeared between the void and the clouds. The red sun in the distance was completely covered by its huge body, and the world tens of thousands of kilometers above the clouds became dark because of this. The temperature around it dropped sharply, and frost crystals began to appear in the clouds, reflecting countless rays of light, turning into a strange place. The shimmering crystal mirror surface is generally. The sky and the earth changed color because of it, this is the majesty of the top life. The golden dragon overlooked the world with indifferent eyes. It has seen the scenery on the clouds many times. The golden dragon flew towards the lonely peak in the sky, and when it was about to approach, the terrifying and huge dragon body sank into the depths of the clouds and mist, and disappeared. The endless amount of mist was broken by the terrifying and huge body. There are jagged rocks and steep rocks between the isolated peaks and cliffs. There are no plants, not even moss, and there is a dead silence, just like a grave. Just like this, I flew to the depths of the fog. After long days and nights, I don’t know how far I flew, but I was still in the fog. When encountering other things, you can only faintly see moss appearing between the cliffs, and the clouds and mist are much thicker than the top, perhaps due to self-extrusion, many crystals begin to form in the clouds and mist, which are water droplets, so the air also Wet up. The golden dragon showed no interest in these changes and continued to fly downward. There are more and more plants in the isolated peak, the clouds and mist are getting wetter, and the water drops on the cliff, gradually turning into countless streams of water as thick as green leaves. Countless thin streams of water gurgled between the cliffs and fell into the fog. The golden dragon looked at the trickle of water between the isolated peaks, and the expression in his pupils became more dignified, and the two clusters of divine fire became more and more secluded—this is the grave of all clouds and the source of all water. Countless streams of water fall from the isolated peaks, and it only looks at one of them. The golden dragon flew down silently with the stream in the fog, and experienced countless days and nights, seemingly endlessly repeating, but at a certain moment... the fog in front of it dissipated. Before the clouds, there is the ground. The lower edge of the cloud is very smooth, completely following the ups and downs of the ground, perfectly ensuring that there is a distance of five feet between the cloud and the ground, which is exactly the height of a human being, which seems to be from the creator's design. The five-foot space between the earth's surface and the clouds leads to a distant place. There is a faint light in the distance, but the sun cannot be seen. On the earth's surface, there are countless streams. The mist dissipated in front of the huge dragon's head, exposing the ground and the stream. The stream water comes from the dew in the lonely peak, clear, calm and cold. There is a wooden basin floating in the stream. There are several layers of linen in the basin. There is a baby on the linen cloth. long time. The mist on the stream blooms like a flower, with countless petals blooming, crowded, surging, breaking, and chirping. A golden faucet, bigger than a palace, slowly sticks out of the cloud and comes to the surface of the stream. superior. The five-foot distance between the surface of the stream and the fog was very narrow for it—the body of the golden dragon was hidden in the fog, and part of the dragon's head was also hidden in the fog, making it appear more majestic, mysterious, and terrifying. The golden dragon quietly looked at the stream. The tub is still undulating slightly in the stream. In the small wooden basin is an abandoned newborn baby with eyes closed and blue face. ...... The fog gradually dissipated, and everything returned to tranquility. However, the tranquility is only temporary... In the depths of the fog, even to the vicinity of the isolated peak, at almost the same moment, countless shrill and panicked whistles and howls sounded! In this lifeless world, there are so many birds and beasts hidden, the sound of flapping wings can be heard everywhere in the fog, the sound of unicorns scrambling to smash down the ten thousand-year-old giant tree, and there is even a very clear phoenix cry! An invisible line of fire formed by divine thoughts spread from the bank of the stream to the sky. The wet grass suddenly became extremely dry, and even the water plants in the stream curled up at the edges! There is still no emotion in the eyes of the golden giant dragon, noble, indifferent, dominating the world. It doesn't care about all the beasts in the world below the clouds and mists, even the young phoenix, it doesn't care, it just stares at the stream in front of it, and the wooden basin on the stream. Hundreds of thousands of streams fall from the isolated peak, and it only stares at this stream; after 30,000 years, it came to this world again, just for the baby in the basin, how can it look away? A very thin thread of light slowly fell down. The exterior of that thread was golden, while the inside was holy white, as if it could emit light by itself. Extremely smooth and perfect, especially the luster that shines from the depths adds to the beauty. The material of this light thread is like gold and jade, giving people the feeling that it should be very heavy, but in fact it is very light. It keeps swaying with the breeze on the stream, as if it is dancing, and wants to touch the wooden basin lightly, but suddenly take back. That is the beard of the golden dragon. At this time, the divine fire in the golden dragon's eyes has become no longer so eternal and stable, and the indifference has been replaced by thinking. He seemed to be hesitating about something. The front ends of the two dragon whiskers, like gentle fingers, lightly touch the edge of the wooden basin on the stream, as if they are caressing, but in fact there is no real contact. This golden dragon has passed through an extremely long time and has unimaginable wisdom, but at this time, the wooden basin seems to be a problem that it cannot solve - the emotions in its pupils become more and more Complicated, longing, vigilance, hesitation, and finally turned into a struggle, maybe unintentionally, maybe intentionally, the wind above the creek changed slightly, and the dragon's whiskers that should have been brushing the edge of the tub lightly swayed Trembling, finally touched the tub for the first time, and even brushed under the ear of the baby in the tub! It was such a slight contact that brought about an extremely drastic change—the two divine fires in the depths of the golden giant dragon’s eyes dispersed with a bang, turning into thousands of stars. In that sea of stars, there was a naked expression of coldness. And greedy desire! That desire is praise and emotion. It is a compliment to life, and it is moving because of life. It is the most primitive desire of life. The golden dragon looked at the wooden basin on the stream, opened its mouth, and the dragon's breath poured out like broken jade. The baby in the basin still has its eyes closed, not knowing what will happen next moment. The brook is shrouded in shadows. The dragon's breath fell around the wooden basin. In the next moment, the wooden basin and the baby in the basin will become the food of the golden dragon. at this moment. One hand fell on the edge of the wooden basin and pulled the wooden basin towards the stream! It was a hand full of scars, a little thin and small. In the sound of rushing water, the stream broke, and that hand held the wooden basin and ran desperately to the stream. The owner of that hand was a three or four-year-old little Taoist boy. Xiao Daotong pulled the wooden basin to the stream, hid it between the rocks on the shore and his body, then turned around, drew out the sword at his waist, and looked at the terrifying, huge golden dragon head on the stream. This is a very strange little Taoist. He was blind in one eye and missing one ear. When he ran desperately in the stream earlier, he could see that his legs were a little limp. Looking at the empty sleeves, he even had only one hand. No wonder he could only draw out his sword by hiding the wooden basin behind his back. Looking at the huge dragon head on the surface of the stream, Xiao Daotong's face was pale, and his teeth chattered, not because of being frozen by the cold stream water, but because of the fear in his heart. This was the first time he saw a real dragon. He didn't even know what a dragon was, he only knew to be afraid, but he didn't run away, but took the thin wooden sword and blocked the pot tightly behind him. The golden dragon looked at Xiaodaotong indifferently. Only superpowers who have also entered the sacred realm can see the anger and coldness in the deepest part of its pupils. Xiao Daotong shouted something, his face was pale, and he was extremely frightened, but he didn't let go of the basin in his hand. The golden dragon became angry, its breath enveloped both sides of the creek, and death was imminent. The wooden sword in Xiaodaotong's hand fell into the water, and he turned around and hugged the wooden basin into his arms. The scales on the golden dragon rubbed against the mist, splashing countless sky fires, and the stream began to burn. At this moment, a middle-aged Taoist appeared by the stream. The middle-aged Taoist looked at the golden dragon on the stream with a peaceful expression. The sky fire on the stream was suddenly extinguished. The golden dragon looked at the middle-aged Taoist and let out a dragon roar! The dragon chant was extremely long, as if it would never stop. It was an extremely complicated syllable, which sounded like the most complicated piece of music, and also like the sound of the most terrifying hurricane in nature, with unimaginable power! The middle-aged Taoist looked at the golden dragon and said a word. It was a single-syllable word, and the pronunciation was extremely weird and difficult to understand. It didn't seem like a human language at all, and the fragment seemed to contain infinite information, full of antiquity! The golden dragon understood, but it didn't agree. As a result, the fog on the stream surged violently. The dragon's breath spewed out everywhere, and the wet grassland and woods beside the stream instantly turned into a terrifying scene of fire. The little boy turned his back to the creek, didn't know what happened, lowered his head in fear, closed his eyes, and just hugged the wooden basin tightly in his arms. ... I don't know how long it took, but the streamside finally quieted down. Xiao Daotong plucked up his courage, looked back, and saw that the stream was clear, and the fires on both sides of the stream had been extinguished, only the charred trees and cracked stones were telling the horror of the previous battle. A dragon roar came from deep in the clouds. The howling sound is full of pain, unwillingness and regret. It is telling the five continents of the whole world what kind of regret it has brought about from its previous hesitation. Little Daoist was startled, holding the wooden basin with one hand, limped up the bank from the stream, walked to the side of the middle-aged Taoist, and looked timidly into the depths of the cloud and mist. The middle-aged Taoist reached out to extinguish the flames on his shoulders. Xiao Daotong thought of something and raised the wooden basin with some difficulty. The middle-aged Taoist took the wooden basin, gently picked up the baby in the basin, and placed the tip of his right finger on the baby's body through the sackcloth. The next moment, his brows frowned. "Your life... is really bad." He looked at the baby wrapped in sackcloth and said pitifully. ……… In the east of the Eastern Continent, there is a small town called Xining. Outside the town is a small stream. There is a mountain beside the stream. There is a temple in the mountain. There are no monks in the temple, only a middle-aged Taoist leading There are two apprentices practicing enlightenment here. The mountain is an unnamed green hill, and the temple is an abandoned Buddhist temple. There are two disciples, the older one is called Yuren, and the younger one is called Chen Changsheng. Xining Town is within the territory of Zhou State. The Great Zhou Dynasty established Taoism as the state religion eight hundred years ago. Until now, during the orthodox years, the state religion has dominated the world and is even more respected. Logically speaking, the three masters and apprentices should live a life of luxury, but Xining Town is too remote. , that ruined temple is even more remote, and there are few people on weekdays, so they can only live a life of simple food and drink. Daoist, naturally want to practice Taoism. There are countless practice methods in the world today. The Taoism taught by the middle-aged Taoist is completely different from other sects of Taoism. It does not pay attention to practice and understanding, ignores the fate star sitting photo, and does not care about the tempering of the soul. It is just written down: back. Yu Ren began to recite Taoist classics since he was a child, and Chen Changsheng was forced to stare at those old yellow books in a daze as soon as he opened his eyes. The first thing he knew was the room full of Taoist classics. He began to learn to recognize characters, and then began to recite the words in those Taoist classics. Reciting and practicing it from time to time, and even being able to memorize it fluently, this is the life of the two little Taoist boys in the ruined temple. When they wake up in the morning, they are reciting, the sun is scorching, they are reciting, and when the evening clock is broken, they are reciting. Spring is warm and flowers are blooming, Xia Lei is shaking, autumn wind is bleak, and winter snow is bleak. They are on the ridge, by the stream, under the tree, and beside the plum blossoms, holding the Taoist scriptures and reading and reciting them without knowing the passage of time. passed away. There is a whole room in the ruined temple that is full of Daoist scriptures. When I was seven years old, I counted them out of boredom. There are three thousand volumes. The Dao has three thousand volumes. One volume may have hundreds of characters, or more than a thousand characters. The shortest The scriptures of the Gods and Gods are only 314 characters long, but the longest scriptures of longevity have more than 20,000 characters. This is all they have to memorize. The two teachers and brothers recited non-stop, just to remember, not to understand. They have long known that the master will never answer any questions they have about Daozang, and will only say: "Remember, and you will understand naturally." For the playful enlightenment children, such a life is really unimaginable. Fortunately, the green hills are remote and few Seeing people, having nothing to linger in your mind, you can concentrate. The two Xiaodao boys have unique temperaments, and they don't find it boring. They just memorize it day after day, and several years have passed without knowing it. One day, the sound of reading that had not stopped for several years stopped. The two children sat on the rocks, side by side, with a book on their knees, glanced at the book, and looked at each other, both with dazed expressions. At this time, they had already memorized the last volume, but they had no way to continue, because they couldn't understand, the characters on this volume of Taoism were very strange - to be precise, they were very strange, those radicals and strokes were clearly familiar , combined, it becomes a completely weird thing, how to read it? What's the meaning? The two returned to the temple and found a middle-aged Taoist. The middle-aged Taoist said: "Three Thousand Great Ways, what you are reading is the last volume, which has 1,601 characters. It is said that there is the ultimate righteousness of heaven hidden in it. No one has ever been able to fully comprehend the meaning, let alone you? "Chen Changsheng asked: "Master, you don't understand either?" The middle-aged Taoist shook his head and said: "No one dares to say that he really understands, and I can't either." The brothers looked at each other and felt a little regretful, even though they were still children. , but to memorize the three thousand Taoism to this day, only one volume has failed to complete the work, so naturally I will not be happy. But after all, they are not ordinary children. They have been with the Taoist scriptures since they were ignorant, and their temperaments are also a little dull. The two are about to turn around and leave. At this moment, the middle-aged Taoist continued: "...but I can read." From that day on, the middle-aged Taoist began to teach the pronunciation of the last volume of the Taoist scriptures, teaching the pronunciation word by word. A simple monosyllable, but it needs to use a certain muscle in the throat, and it also has special requirements for the vocal cords. In short, it is not like the sound that normal humans can make. Chen Changsheng didn't understand at all. He just imitated the pronunciation taught by his master honestly like a duckling.