Seeking the Tao in the Mortal World

Qin Yi thought: This painter is really interesting.

He should be a very righteous person, righteous to the point of being somewhat pedantic. He is definitely not pretending.

But he seems to be related to the Myriad Shinra Sect and is protected by it. Is he the same character as Meng Qingying? They are totally different.

As Jing Ze was drawing, he felt Qin Yi looking at him, so he couldn't help asking, "Why are you looking at me like this?"

Qin Yi asked, "You’re wandering at the door of immortal cultivation, but you can enter the door with a little guidance from someone, do you know?"

"I do."

"Myriad Shinra Sect is a first-class demon sect, one of the best in the world, did you know that?"

Jing Ze looked at him again, "I did."

"Since Myriad Shinra Sect is protecting you, why don't you learn from Myriad Shinra Sect?" Qin Yi asked, "This is an immortality chance that people ask for, but you refuse it? Are you stupid... …”

Qin Yi blushed and said, "Shut up. He doesn’t have to worry about being possessed."

Jing Ze answered, "Myriad Shinra Sect is a demonic sect. Their way is inconsistent with my way. If I join the sect, I will definitely do a lot of things that are against my will. So they invited me several times, but I didn’t join them."

Qin Yi asked curiously, "They invited you because you are a genius?"

"Just because I have a Soul Shake Brush passed down from my ancestors. Using this brush to draw portraits has the wonderful effect of soul catching, which is consistent with some spells of Myriad Shinra Sect. But this requires the painting to draw the spirit of the other person. There is no point in seizing the pen if they don’t know the painting way, so they of course hope I can join.”

"Now wonder Myriad Shinra Sect even protected you instead of forcing you."

"Maybe they hope I'm sincere, because they want to recruit a disciple with the same direction instead of a dog. Otherwise, they can just make me a puppet. Why bother inviting me?" Jing Ze sighed, "So they just make my life miserable. Sooner or later, I will lose my own self and join their sect.”

"Interesting, you and Myriad Shinra Sect are both very interesting." Qin Yi smiled while stroking his hands.

The fire in the temple was getting bigger and bigger, extending toward the nearby peach forest, but they were blocked by some invisible force.

But the protective power of Jing Ze's paintings was too weak. The protection would break soon.

Qin Yi couldn't bear to let such a beautiful peach forest burn down, so he made a seal.

Strangely enough, the fire rose into the sky instead of spreading to the peach forest.

Jing Ze looked at it in amazement and asked, "Is this move difficult?"

"It's not very difficult. What's required is control, not power." Qin Yi smiled and said, "Do you want to learn?"

Jing Ze thought for a while, then shook his head and smiled, "The spring breeze is warm, the evil lair has been destroyed, and the peach forest is becoming more and more gorgeous. Mister must have an aesthetic appreciation, so do you want to have a drink under the peach blossoms?” ℟ÁℕóʙЕś

Qin Yi looked him over and said, "You seem to have no money."

Jing Ze said, "You can treat me today."

Qin Yi laughed.

Deep in the peach forest, there was a stone pavilion to rest. People often took a break here to enjoy the scenery in their outing. After the fire, there were no tourists, which made the place quiet instead.

Qin Yi went to a wine shop outside and bought wine. The two of them sat across from each other in the stone pavilion and had a drink.

Jing Ze seemed to have not had a drink for a long time. After only a small sip, drunkenness emerged on his face, but his expression became more distant. He looked at the peach forest as if he was reminiscing.

Qin Yi knew that he wanted to tell the story, so he did not rush him. This feeling of spring breeze and a cup of wine gave him the inspiration to make a poem, but unfortunately, he didn’t have the literacy.

"My family is an heirloom of calligraphy and painting. When I was very young, my paintings were highly praised by Kingdom Qian celebrities and I was hailed as a child prodigy." Jing Ze finally said, "But in fact, although I had some talent, I didn’t deserve praise. Because the painting skills passed down in our family are not mortal skills but immortal way. It would be strange to not become famous to paint with the immortal way.”

Qin Yi said casually, "Your immortal way has not been passed down completely? Is the code lost?"

"Yeah. We have skills but no way." Jing Ze said, "So when I was a young boy, I went out to study, studied under famous teachers, and visited famous mountains and rivers, trying to find the real way of painting."

"But you came back with no progress?"

"Mortal painting skills are of no use to me anymore... If I want to paint the soul, I need to seek immortals." Jing Ze looked into the distance in ecstasy and whispered, "It is said that the Myriad Tao Immortal Palace has a way of painting that our ancestors learned from. So I went through all the hard work and found the Myriad Tao Immortal Palace.”

Qin Yi stopped asking. It was obvious that the trip to Myriad Tao Immortal Palace made Jing Ze a little disappointed.

Sure enough, Jing Ze said, "In the Myriad Tao Immortal Palace, there are indeed people who are proficient in music, poetry, calligraphy and painting, but..." He paused and sighed, "It's different from what I imagined."

"Why?"

"It's full of bookworms, painting fanatics, piano fanatics, chess fanatics, even foodies, gamblers, and sex addicts. Everyone is obsessed with something. They claim to be the thousand ways of the world. There are also lunatics in the mortal world, but they are at a different level. They are only doing what they obsess with and nothing else. Brother Qin, as a cultivator, do you think this is an immortal?”

Qin Yi smiled bitterly, "Am I a cultivator? At most, I’m an explorer. I also want to know what an immortal is."

Jing Ze said decisively, "In my opinion, such an immortal is no longer a human being. It is not an immortal way to me nor is it the painting way in my heart. I was young that time, so when I said that, the Myriad Tao Immortal Palace no longer wanted to accept me, and I returned to my hometown with no regret."

At this point, he drank the wine in one gulp and smiled, "Over the ten years of confused exploration, all spent hesitating on the road. My way of painting is still stagnated. I’m ashamed of my ancestors."

Qin Yi raised his glass and said, "But I think you are about to achieve your own way."

"Huh?" Jing Ze shook his head, "Brother Qin, I’m really lost."

"What you seek is not skills, but the way. And there are thousands of ways. It's normal for other people's ways to be different from yours. As long as you have your own way, just walk through it."

"My own way..."

"Brother doesn’t care about fame and reputation, and gains and losses; you don’t collude with the evil ways; you don’t bother about what people said about you. You just want to leave a mark on the beautiful scenery in your heart. Although you aren’t obsessed like those of the Myriad Tao Immortal Palace, you dedication is unwavering. How is it not a way?"

"So this is the way..." Jing Ze stared at the peach blossoms in the distance with straight eyes, "I have my own way, so why should I ask for other people's way? It turns out that I have been searching for the donkey while riding it."

He suddenly took out the half-painted peach blossom from the painting basket, and took out a gleaming paintbrush.

The colors splashed and scattered like stars. Thousands of branches bloomed from the scroll. The shadow of peach trees was slowly emerging in the scroll. They became densely packed and vigorous, finally showing their brilliance in the sky.

Qin Yi watched the huge aura penetrated into Jing Ze's body, then it turned from virtual to real and overflowed three of his dantians. His mind was moved, and his soul was enlightened.

His mind was as flexible as the piano melody, and his three dantian was combined into one, forming the immortal embryo.

This artist, who has never even started the Qi Training Stage, actually forms an immortal embryo and achieves the Piano Heart Stage...

Qin Yi was speechless, but not too surprised.

Because he seemed to have never been cultivating, but in fact, he had been cultivating for a long, long time, which was different from the starting point of an ordinary mortal.

It didn’t matter if he trained his spiritual force because he was just a painter who retained beautiful moments, not a fighter.

He had attained enlightenment.

Jing Ze stood up, bowed to Qin Yi, and said, "Thank you, tao friend. The success of my paintings in the future will all be attributed to your guidance."

Do you still think that you have achieved nothing? In terms of cultivation level alone, you have surpassed me all of a sudden… Are you the one with cheat codes or me?

Qin Yi wanted to complain, but he also knew that if he wanted to succeed in cultivation, he might not succeed.

This was a different way.

Liu Su was saying, "It's very interesting. Qin Yi Qin Yi. I’m looking forward to Myriad Tao Immortal Palace more and more. This place must be very interesting."

Qin Yi asked Jing Ze, "Brother Jing, I’m going to Myriad Tao Immortal Palace. Do you want to visit it again? Maybe you will gain new insights this time."

Jing Ze thought for a while and smiled, "I’m goin, but I want to go slowly so that I can paint the beauty that I have missed along the way. I will not go with Brother Qin."

"That's alright. Since we are both searching for immortality, we will meet again in the future. I hope Brother Jing will improve by then." Qin Yi bowed and walked into the peach forest.

Seeing him leave, Jing Ze pondered for a moment, then unfolded the scroll and quickly drew a painting.

The painting was Qin Yi in a green shirt and cloth shoes. He had a carefree demeanor, floating in the peach forest like an immortal.

"At the awakening of insects, heaven and earth came alive, all things flourished, and an immortal revealed his presence."

It was called "Painting of the Immortal Trace".

It was puzzling for future generations that the immortal in this painting was holding a mace for some reason. This kind of vulgar weapon should ruin the immortal intention, but it seemed to be surprisingly harmonious in the painting as if nothing was unusual.

TL:

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