Under One Person: The Seeker of the Dao in the Lü Family

Chapter 95 The Mountain-Suppressing Peach Wood Sword, A Fleeting Dream

There is a wonder on Wudang Mountain: a peach wood sword that has survived for over six hundred years.

This sword hangs on the cliff next to Nanyan Palace. It is said to be a feng shui sword left over from the early Ming Dynasty to protect the palace.

There are many versions of the legend about the Zhenshan Peach Wood Sword. One of them says that it was the sword of Lu Zu, which was left behind when he was playing chess on the mountaintop.

On the cliff, next to the peach wood sword, there are some round objects that look like chess pieces from a distance.

Now, as Lü Qian examines the peach wood sword in his hand, he feels more and more that it is the same one from his own Wudang Mountain.

I wonder if this sword still exists on Wudang Mountain.

Since this sword was a gift from Lu Zu, there's no need to worry about it too much.

He unpacked the empty bundle, braided it into a rope, carried the peach wood sword on his back, took three sticks of incense from the offering table, offered them to the patriarchs in the main hall, and then sat down again to meditate and continue his daily practice.

He seemed completely unmoved, as if this divine weapon was nothing more than an ordinary peach wood sword.

He was safe and sound, but Zhou Meng and Yunlong on Wudang Mountain were busy in the middle of the night because of his "fortuitous encounter".

On Wudang Mountain, in the pitch-black night, Zhou Meng and Yunlong quietly arrived at Nanyan Palace, carrying a peach wood sword that looked similar to the one they had used before.

In a flash, the two arrived at the cliff where the peach wood sword that once hung was located. The cliff where the peach wood sword used to hang was now empty, with only round chess pieces scattered among the cliffs.

Zhou Meng slung the peach wood sword, which was almost as tall as him, over his back. He looked up at the bare mountain wall and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, this kid is really good at causing trouble. Luckily, I had the foresight."

As he spoke, he handed the peach wood sword behind him to Yunlong beside him, "Go on, the hole your disciple made will have to be patched up by you, his master."

Master Yunlong withdrew his gaze from the cliff without saying anything. He simply sighed, resignedly accepted the peach wood sword, and leaped into the air.

The cliffs were steep and extremely dangerous, but Master Yunlong moved with incredible speed, like a swan soaring into the clouds.

With a few leaps, he arrived at the spot where the peach wood sword had been hanging. He stepped onto the protrusions on the cliff to stand still and carefully hung the replica in his hand as before.

Then he flipped over and pushed off, flying down the cliff face.

"Whoosh!"

Master Yunlong landed back in his original spot, his white Taoist robe fluttering in the wind. He bent his knees slightly to deflect the force of the downward rush.

After landing, he stomped his foot, and a small Tai Chi diagram appeared under his foot, dissolving all the force.

He straightened up and looked up at the mountain wall. After confirming that he had not made a mistake, he turned to ask Zhou Meng, "Master, you woke me up in the middle of the night and told me that Xiao Qian had taken the sword, but judging from his distance, he should be at the Wanshou Palace in Da Chunyang."

"To retrieve the sword from a thousand miles away? Could it be Lu Zu...?"

Before he could finish his question, Zhou Meng interrupted him, "Good that you understand, don't say any more!"

"yes!"

From Zhou Meng's attitude, Daoist Yunlong sensed the importance of the matter and immediately kept silent.

Zhou Meng tucked his hands into his sleeves, squinted at the replica on the mountain wall despite the darkness, and couldn't help but ponder in his heart.

"Having received the sword from Lu Zu, it seems he has already obtained the true Dharma, and this journey has truly gone as planned."

Thinking of this, a complex mix of joy and bitterness welled up in his heart.

He was overjoyed that the Wudang lineage was on the verge of prosperity, but also bitter that his three fellow disciples were truly going to sacrifice themselves for the cause.

He shook his head, turned around, and strolled back along the path he had come from. "I'm leaving. The mountain wind in winter is too cold; it's making my bones ache."

Yunlong followed closely behind, and the two figures gradually disappeared under the cover of night.

Under the pitch-black night, no one knew that the sacred peach wood sword of Wudang Mountain had been switched.

Retrieving a sword from a thousand miles away—what incredible skill that is, naturally unknown to outsiders.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, the sun rose again on a new day. Lü Qian, carrying a peach wood sword and a bundle containing ordination documents, stepped out of the gate of the Great Chunyang Palace.

He was dressed in a Taoist robe and carried a wooden sword. He looked handsome and elegant, with the air of a Taoist master. The light in his eyes gradually dimmed, with only an occasional glimmer of light.

He has now been taught the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique by Lu Zu, and has refined his primordial spirit, the Dao Sword, and the Dharma Sword in his hand. Many of his ghostly demons were also killed last night.

Now it seems that the [Heavenly Escape Sword Technique] is essentially a sword of the Dao heart, a sword of the primordial spirit, a sword of wisdom that cuts through the three corpses and six thieves, and eliminates anger, love, desire, vexation, annoyance, and obstacles.

The sword technique is divided into one [Dao Sword] and one [Fa Sword], which are used to cultivate one's own life force. It is also a supreme Dao technique that cultivates both life force and body.

Internally, slay the three demons and six thieves within yourself; externally, kill the demons and monsters that obstruct your path.

He looked inward and saw a golden light sealed by Dao patterns at his spiritual center, within which scriptures and jade talismans flowed continuously, but it was not clearly visible due to the Dao patterns.

This is precisely the "Dream of Yellow Millet" that Lü Zu taught us last night.

Legend has it that before Lü Zu began his cultivation, he encountered Zhongli Quan, who had come to enlighten him. Zhongli Quan tested him and was quite satisfied with him.

Then, he took out the millet and started a fire to cook. As the smoke rose, Lü Dongbin became drowsy and entered a dream in the blink of an eye.

In his dream, he experienced the entire life of an ordinary person, witnessing all the ups and downs, joys and sorrows.

When he had lived out his dream life, he suddenly smelled the aroma of millet rice, which woke him up from his dream. He had a profound awakening and began to follow Zhongli Quan to cultivate Taoism.

A lifetime in a dream feels incredibly real and long, but in reality, the millet porridge is not even cooked yet—the time difference between them is considerable.

Before the millet sorghum had even warmed, I dreamt of Huaxu.

The "Huangdi Chapter" of the "Chongxu Jing" states that the Yellow Emperor dreamt of traveling to the country of Huaxu while taking a nap during the day. Therefore, later generations used "Huaxu" as a metaphor for dreams.

This is the origin of the phrase "a dream of wealth and glory".

Looking at the sealed secret technique in his spiritual platform, Lü Qian was somewhat puzzled as to why Lü Zu wanted him to complete his cultivation in the mortal realm and ascend to the Inner Realm before practicing this technique.

Could it be that they want to use the realism of the [interior] to create a true dreamlike cycle of reincarnation?

And most importantly, why did the "Lu Zu" in the [interior scene] last night have the same face as him?

Even "Lu Zu" said that was his true form?

He shook his head and stopped thinking about it. The Tao is natural and cannot be forced.

"Next is the Chongyang Wanshou Palace."

The journey of life is still long, and this traveler has not yet finished his journey. As for where he is now?

This requires a heartfelt answer: the path is under your feet, but also within your heart.

The Monkey King told Lü Qian that the journey had not yet ended, so he, the traveler, should not stop.