Chapter Seventy-Seven: Lost in Fantasies

This time, Guan Wen slept for what felt like an eternity, at least three days and nights by his own estimation, so long that every bone in his body ached.

A lowing— the cry of a cow— startled him awake.

He lifted his head to see an old blue-gray ox grazing leisurely, its steps unhurried, tail flicking gently to chase away the buzzing insects.

To the right of the ox, an old man sat cross-legged on the ground, holding a branch and continuously writing on the yellow earth before him.

Guan Wen walked closer and lowered his gaze. The old man had written: “The reason why rivers and seas can become the king of all valleys is because they are good at placing themselves below them; therefore, they become the king of all valleys. So, when the sage wishes to be above the people, he must, by his words, humble himself below them. When he wishes to precede them, he must place himself behind them. Thus, though the sage is above, the people do not feel burdened; though ahead, the people do not feel harmed. Therefore, the world is happy to push him forward and never tires of him. Because he does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him...”

It was a chapter from the Dao De Jing, discussing the art of ruling the world as a great king. All the characters were written in ancient seal script; Guan Wen could only recognize half, deducing the rest from context.

When the old man finished, he slowly snapped the branch in two, tossed the pieces aside, stood up, mounted the blue ox, and drifted away.

On the ground, the lines “the king of all valleys” and “because he does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him” struck a chord within Guan Wen, making his spirit as light as the white clouds overhead, his mind suddenly broad and open, all the tangled doubts in his heart dispersed.

He stood in this utterly unfamiliar world, far from the Summer Palace, far from his missions of demon suppression, and far from all the troubles that had dogged him since birth.

The “Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons” existed in a realm beyond humanity, a state beyond human concerns, so naturally they thought in ways beyond what humans could conceive, and thus were free from human worries. So the Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons were joyous and free, able to directly apprehend the truths of Buddhism, advancing without limit in their own domains, possessing powers and achievements beyond the human. In this way, was it not better to be “other than human” than merely human? Guan Wen spun in a hazy reverie, feeling as if he were shedding his mortal shell, rising beyond the world of dust into a superhuman realm.

If death could bring escape from the human state into something greater, then he would rather die immediately, cross that boundary, and cast off all human thought. As this thought took hold, his body floated horizontally in the air, limbs splayed as if drifting in the dead sea, not breathing, not struggling, utterly languid and at ease.

Was such a death not the greatest joy in the world? If dying felt so wonderful, would humans ever again fear death? At that realization, his whole being felt a rush of delight, as if he had ascended to the realm of immortals. This feeling— of casting off everything, of returning to the innocent state of a newborn— was truly wondrous.

In that process, Guan Wen had moved from life to death, completing the cycle that spans a human lifetime. Humans come into this world without conscious thought, naked and empty; they leave it likewise, empty of awareness. Whatever is gained here must ultimately be given back, not a single thing taken along.

In his mind, Guan Wen realized who the old man writing the Dao De Jing was, but then thought: does it matter whether I know or not, or who he is? I know him, but he does not know me; or perhaps we know each other, or neither of us knows the other— what difference does it make? Let it be. Let dust return to dust, earth to earth, let everything dissolve into oneness and vanish with the dirt. Let all I have ever known be passed on to others, for I am going—

Unconsciously, he had achieved the greatest breadth of spirit possible in this world, caring for nothing, embracing everything, possessing nothing yet standing above all. It was precisely the highest state described in the Dao De Jing, “not contending, so that none can contend.”

All creatures on earth are driven by self-interest, not even kittens, puppies, or the smallest insects are exceptions. Yet, if a person can comprehend the state of non-contention, they have already transcended the ordinary. In the records of history, only three ancient gods ever achieved this: Nüwa, who mended the sky day and night; Shennong, who tasted all herbs to save humanity; and Yu the Great, who exhausted his strength and wisdom to control the floods.

The universe contains three realms: the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm. It was still Tang Jue’s voice, coming from nowhere and drifting to nowhere.

The Realm of Desire has six heavens: the Heaven of the Four Great Kings, the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, the Yama Heaven, the Tusita Heaven, the Heaven of Delight in Creation, and the Heaven of Controlling Others’ Creations. Beings born in these six heavens possess male and female desires, thus the name “Realm of Desire”...

The Realm of Form contains eighteen heavens: the Heaven of Brahma’s Retinue, the Great Brahma Heaven, the Heaven of Brahma’s Assembly, the Heaven of Infinite Light, the Heaven of Radiant Sound, the Lesser Light Heaven, the Heaven of Limited Purity, the Heaven of Boundless Purity, the Heaven of No Thought, the Heaven of Limited Purity, the Vast Fruit Heaven, the Heaven of Birth by Merit, the Cloudless Heaven, the Heaven Free from Troubles, the Heaven Free from Heat, the Heaven of Good Manifestation, the Heaven of Good Vision, and the Heaven of Ultimate Form. In these eighteen heavens, there are only men and no women, and thus no desires between the sexes. Nevertheless, their bodies and forms can still be seen...

The Formless Realm has four heavens: the Heaven of Infinite Space, the Heaven of Infinite Consciousness, the Heaven of Nothingness, and the Heaven of Neither Thought Nor Non-Thought. Those who dwell in these highest four heavens have no visible form, existing purely in spirit— thus, “Formless Realm.” The “Heavenly Beings” of the Eight Divisions are beings living in these various heavens, and the heavenly kings, such as the Lord of Shakra and the Great Brahma King, are among them. All things are impermanent; all beings in the six realms are subject to reincarnation, and none can escape death. Before death, heavenly beings exhibit five signs: their robes become soiled, flowers on their heads wither, their bodies reek, sweat forms under their armpits, and they no longer delight in their thrones— these are called the “five decays of heavenly beings”...

Guan Wen felt that death was like a river from Kunlun rushing toward the sea— unstoppable, uncontrollable, one could only be swept along with the current. Even the leaders of the Eight Divisions, the heavenly beings, could not escape death— how much less could humans?

You came into this world with the greatest secret buried deep in your mind— what is it? Tang Jue whispered in his ear.

Guan Wen vaguely felt as if something had bored through his skull— perhaps a surgical drill or forceps. There was no pain, but a chill ran into the depths of his brain.

I... don’t... know... he answered slowly.

Of course you know, because it is your own secret. Like the hidden pearl formed in the deepest recess of an oyster’s body, only the oyster knows. Tang Jue’s voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, warm and soothing.

Exorcism... exorcise... demons... Guan Wen seemed to recall something.

Tang Jue immediately countered: No, no, it’s not about exorcising demons. Think again.

A clue... a thread running through history, finding the critical point... the key to killing the witch, in a book... in a book... Guan Wen felt the needle probing deeper into his mind, searching ceaselessly, like a glutton savoring a spiced fish head.

Which book? Try to recall its name. Tang Jue was patient, gently guiding him.

It was a book chronicling a world-shaking war, the name... the name... Ah— Guan Wen suddenly felt the needle pierce the most sensitive spot in his brain, making him cry out in agony.

With that cry, he woke instantly, realizing he was lying flat on a suspended wire mesh, barely the size of a single bed, rotating slowly in midair.

Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss— that familiar, hair-raising sound of venomous snakes flicking their tongues filled the air.

Baoling— Qingcheng— Xiao Huo— Guan Wen called out the names of three people, the ones to whom his fading consciousness still clung.

He knew he was still in the Summer Palace, still under the control of that Tang Clan fiend, known as Kalle but truly Tang Jue.

When his mind cleared, he realized he was in an authentic snake den. The ceiling, corners, walls, and floor writhed with venomous serpents, their heads triangular, tongues scarlet, bodies dazzling with every color— their toxicity was clearly lethal.

Compared to this predicament, the earlier ring of snakes was child’s play.

Tang Jue, Tang Jue, where are you? He understood that everything before him was Tang Jue’s doing. Unless Tang Jue died, the nightmare would never end.

No one answered. Instead, a strange, monotonous bamboo flute began to play, eerily similar to the snake-charmer’s flutes of India, its shrill, mournful notes grating on the ear.

Once the music sounded, every venomous snake stopped moving, raised its head, opened its mouth, and sprayed forth clouds of multicolored smoke. The vapor quickly spread through the den, thick with a suffocating poisonous stench.

Guan Wen’s body was chained to the wire mesh by a dozen iron chains— escape was impossible. At first, he could hold his breath to avoid the poison, but after several minutes he was forced to breathe again, and was soon lost in the toxic haze.

“You are a most unusual person— able to retain your memory even within my ‘Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons’ secret art. You see, this technique is called the ‘Eight Lives and Eight Deaths of the Eight Divisions’ because it allows a person to fully recall the eight cycles of reincarnation in their life. In other words, the ‘death’ in a hundred-year span isn’t true extinction. What is true ‘death’? Only after experiencing all eight cycles of reincarnation does one finally and utterly disappear. I know you understand this, because we are both people of the highest intelligence, aren’t we?” Tang Jue’s voice floated over again.

“I am dead... died in your snake den, so this life is completely over, isn’t it?” Guan Wen asked weakly.

“That’s right.” Tang Jue replied crisply.

“Then why not just let me die outright? Why make it... so... complicated?” Guan Wen could barely draw breath.

This time, he felt as if he were undergoing open-chest surgery, his entire chest cavity split wide, every organ and vein exposed to the poisonous air.

“I must find that secret— the one hidden within you, unknown even to yourself...” Tang Jue let out a sinister laugh.

“What is it? What is it?” In a state worse than death, Guan Wen was consumed with grief and could not free himself.

“Yes, what could it be?” Another voice joined Tang Jue’s. “There was a time when I carefully dissected you, cut by cut, almost grinding you into mincemeat, reducing your bones to powder...”

That voice pressed close to Guan Wen’s ear, breathing in short, hot bursts, like some monstrous beast about to devour him whole.