Chapter Twenty-Four: A Dream of Nanke
1488 Words
A delicate, vibrant peony bloomed in Fang Yi's palm.
Just moments before, there had been nothing there, yet now a flower was in full bloom!
Even Zhu Daxian and Xiao Li could faintly smell the peony's fragrance, somewhat like a rose, a delicate scent they couldn't quite describe.
This transformation from nothing to something was astonishing.
Zhu Daxian was completely mesmerized, frozen in place for a moment.
Xiao Li was startled, her gaze towards Fang Yi changing, becoming curious, as if pondering how the peony had materialized.
After thinking for three or four seconds, she seemed to realize something, snapping out of her reverie, and blinked, asking, "Are you performing magic?"
"Magic?" Fang Yi chuckled, shaking his head slightly and sighing, "Mortal eyes cannot recognize my supernatural powers. Very well, today I will demonstrate my extraordinary skill to open your eyes."
Before Zhu Daxian could say anything, Fang Yi made another move.
Xiao Li watched as Fang Yi tossed the peony in his hand into the air.
Immediately, a crane's cry rang out.
Then, the peony transformed into a crane with pure white feathers except for the black edges of its wings and neck, circling beneath the small shop's ceiling.
Xiao Li's pupils contracted sharply. If the peony could be conjured up using magic by hiding it in a sleeve, this crane, half a person's height, was impossible to conceal, especially since the young man before her was only wearing a thin outer garment. Therefore, there was only one possibility: this young man named Fang Yi truly possessed unbelievable magical powers!
Zhu Daxian remained completely mesmerized, his eyes seemingly glued to the crane.
"This place is too small; my crane can't roam freely," Fang
Yi's calm voice rang out. Then, he gently clapped his hands, and the scenery before them rapidly changed.
The three of them were originally inside the shop, outside, just as night fell and a light rain was falling.
However, at this moment, a ripple flashed through the space, rapidly expanding.
Wherever the ripples reached, the scenery transformed. The ground beneath their feet became a pavilion, surrounded by rippling green water. A small lotus bud emerged from the water, revealing its pointed tip.
The next moment, the lotus bloomed, and a dragonfly, seemingly appearing from nowhere, landed on the edge of a lotus leaf.
It was a true depiction of Yang Wanli's famous line from "Small Pond": "A small lotus bud has just emerged, and a dragonfly has already alighted on it!"
Xiaoli exclaimed in disbelief, covering her mouth with her hand, utterly astonished. Conjuring a peony was not unusual, conjuring a crane was magical, but conjuring a vast, shimmering lake was beyond magical; it was terrifying!
Zhu Daxian finally came to his senses, his eyes filled with growing shock.
The scenery before them continued to change.
Splash! Another lotus bud emerged from the water and bloomed.
Then, the entire lake seemed to boil, with thousands upon thousands of lotus blossoms bursting forth from the water.
In an instant, a breathtaking scene unfolded before her eyes: lotus leaves stretching to the sky, an endless
expanse of green, and lotus blossoms blooming red in the sunlight! The crane that had been circling earlier let out another joyful cry before plunging into the lake, creating ripples that spread
across the green water. A drop of water even splashed onto Xiaoli's face. She touched it, her fingers damp and cool, as if the drop were real. Suddenly, as if realizing something, her expression changed drastically. She walked to the red pillar supporting the pavilion and knocked on it, producing a loud "bang!"
It was real!
Everything here was real!
Xiaoli couldn't help but swallow hard. She turned her head and looked at the seemingly ordinary Fang Yi with eyes filled with awe and fear, finally understanding what a divine being truly was.
"What a beautiful sight!" Zhu Daxian couldn't help but exclaim.
Fang Yi, hands behind his back, asked with a smile, "How is my method?" Master
Zhu replied, "Exquisitely wonderful."
Fang Yi asked again, "In that case, am I worthy of the title 'True Man'?" Master
Zhu pondered for a moment, then said, "In ancient times, there were True Men who could uphold heaven and earth, grasp yin and yang, breathe in the essence of life, independently guard their spirit, and whose muscles were as one. Therefore, they could live as long as heaven and earth, without end. This is their way of life. Although your immortal methods are profound, you do not seem to have the ambition to encompass the universe. In my opinion, you are not worthy of the title 'True Man'."
From his initial anger towards Fang Yi to his current address of "Master," Master Zhu's change was considerable.
Xiao Li knew that her master, born into a Taoist family and knowledgeable of ancient secrets, was usually very polite to people. However, those addressed as "Master" were few and far between, all of whom were Taoist elders, highly respected figures, for whom such a title was appropriate.
Yet, at this moment, he was addressing this young man in his early twenties as "Master."
It seemed a bit excessive.
Xiaoli, however, was clear-headed and knew that the man before her was no ordinary person. His every gesture and movement seemed to change with the seasons. It wouldn't be unreasonable for her master to call him "Master," or even to describe him as a celestial being.
Given this, why did her master say that this man didn't deserve the title of "True Man"?
Xiaoli couldn't understand.
Of course, she didn't know that Zhu Daxian was incredibly excited.
Knowing that the "True Man" had disappeared for hundreds of years, Zhu Daxian naturally didn't want to miss this opportunity to witness his divine power again.
"What's so difficult about having the universe in your heart?"
Fang Yi laughed, flicking his finger, and the pavilions, lotus flowers, and everything else
before him collapsed. The scenery rapidly changed.
For some reason, everything before him seemed to have turned into nothingness.
Then, a point of light was born from the nothingness.
Xiaoli was still wondering what this point of light was.
But at that moment, the point of light exploded with a blinding light!
As the light gradually faded, the entire space-time became pitch black.
"Where is this?" Xiaoli couldn't help but ask.
Zhu Daxian also looked puzzled and confused.
Fang Yi pointed into the distance, "Look."
Xiaoli and Zhu Daxian looked in the direction he pointed.
Suddenly, a streak of light like a shooting star ripped through the void in the distance.
A star hundreds of thousands of times larger than the sun, burning with endless flames, suddenly rose into the sky!
The next moment, ten, a hundred, even tens of thousands of stars rose from all directions, reflecting each other and transforming into galaxies.
The magnificent starry sky was majestic, grand, and deeply awe-inspiring!
Xiaoli and Zhu Daxian's expressions visibly turned to astonishment.
They never expected Fang Yi's cultivation to be so profound, bringing them to the depths of the endless starry sky in the blink of an eye!
Just as they were still in awe...
Fang Yi's calm voice came again, "Lao Tzu said: There is something undifferentiated and complete, which existed before heaven and earth. Silent and still, it stands alone and unchanging, ever-present and inexhaustible. It can be regarded as the mother of all things. I do not know its name, so I call it 'Tao.' Tao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to all things. All things carry Yin and embrace Yang, and through the interaction of these two forces,
they achieve harmony. I lead you to witness the birth of the universe to illustrate the Tao within my heart, which is as vast as the universe, not to seek the title of a 'True Man.'" As his words faded, the magnificent starry sky shattered.
Like a mirror being broken, all the scenery suddenly vanished.
A blinding light shone.
Xiao Li and Zhu Daxian looked around in confusion, only to find that they were back in the shop. The blinding light came from the fluorescent light above their heads.
They could hardly distinguish between reality and illusion.
One moment they were deep in the starry sky,
and the next they were back in reality?
Xiaoli and Zhu Daxian exchanged a shocked glance, then looked outside and found that a light drizzle was still falling from the night sky.
It felt like a dream, yet it was so real that they couldn't distinguish reality from illusion.
In that instant, Xiaoli and Zhu Daxian cautiously looked at Fang Yi, who stood there, their eyes filled with awe.
At that moment, they had only one thought: So there really are immortal beings in this world who can hold up heaven and earth and control yin and yang!
- Writer
