Boom!
Elder Dong froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.
He had only asked casually, and his definition of a "worthy person" was simply a "virtuous individual," akin to a gentleman.
Little did he expect the young man's answer to make his head spin!
Governing the heavens and earth, perceiving the sun and moon, distinguishing the stars, understanding yin and yang, and classifying the four seasons…
Each phrase seemed to depict a realm Elder Dong had never seen or heard of!
Each word felt like a blow to his spiritual crown, forcibly widening his horizons!
It made Elder Dong glimpse another world, another life!
"Do such people truly exist in this world?" Elder Dong murmured, his face filled with confusion.
"Whether they do or not, won't you know once you see?" the young man said.
Then, as if a ghost, he appeared before Elder Dong.
He raised a palm and pressed it onto Elder Dong's forehead.
"What are you doing?" Elder Dong cried out in alarm, thinking the young man meant him harm.
But in the next moment, he was filled with shock and disbelief, ceasing to resist.
Before his eyes unfolded a bizarre and surreal scene!
The world was no longer as he knew it, but had become profoundly mysterious, with distinct yin and yang.
The sun and moon were no longer as he knew them, but resembled balls of fire formed by lines.
Everything in the world presented itself in a completely different guise from usual.
In a daze, Elder Dong seemed to see a hibiscus flower in full bloom, each petal glittering with crystalline light, opening in the morning and wilting by dusk, oblivious to the passage of time;
He saw a summer cicada clinging to a towering tree trunk, chirping incessantly, dying after the summer, unaware of autumn or winter;
He saw a giant turtle swimming leisurely in the sea. A casual sweep of its claw would cause five hundred years to pass;
He also saw a colossal tree connecting heaven and earth, named the Chun tree, whose every fallen leaf marked the passage of eight thousand years;
And further, he witnessed a Roc soaring into the sky, its back like Mount Tai, its wings like the clouds of the sky, piercing the mist, bearing the blue sky, disregarding all of history and the vastness of the universe, heading towards the Southern Darkness.
In the face of these visions, Elder Dong suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of insignificance.
It was akin to learning that Earth was but a speck of dust in the Milky Way, and humanity merely a bacterium.
All the achievements Elder Dong had previously prided himself on became utterly worthless, laughable.
"Hoo!"
It took a full quarter of an hour before Elder Dong let out a long sigh, freeing himself from that emotion.
He gazed steadily at the young man and asked three words: "Who are you?"
The young man smiled faintly and replied, "My name is Ying Chen. The one who guided Professor Li to unearth Bai Qi's true tomb and awaken Bai Qi's sword."
Elder Dong's face showed surprise: "It was you?"
"I knew it! Professor Li had never doubted the tomb of Bai Qi for so many years, yet suddenly he began to question it and accurately located the true tomb. It turns out you were guiding him from behind!"
"But, I still have the same question… Who exactly are you?"
Ying Chen smiled again, but this time, his answer went beyond the superficial, revealing some of Ying Chen's background.
"It is said that the Yellow Emperor classified cultivators into four types. The lowest level is what I just described as a 'worthy person.' Though they understand yin and yang and know truth, their lifespan is still limited. The next level up is the 'sage.' At this stage, one is no longer bound by the physical body; the form is unconstrained, and the spirit is not dispersed. Further up are the 'supreme beings.' Supreme beings can be considered immortals, with indestructible bodies and eternal spirits, capable of soaring through the heavens on the wind, their hearing and sight extending for a thousand miles. As for the highest realm, it is called the 'true being.' Reaching this state allows one to perceive the origin of the universe, utilizing the power of yin and yang to replenish oneself. Their lifespan is commensurate with heaven; as long as heaven and earth exist, their life is eternal."
Here, Ying Chen paused slightly.
He continued, "As for me, I can only be considered a worthy person, or at the beginner stage of a sage. In the future, perhaps I will have the chance to regain the supreme being realm. As for the highest realm of true being, that depends entirely on talent and opportunity. It cannot be forced."
"What?" Elder Dong's body trembled, unable to believe.
From Ying Chen's words, it seemed he had once reached the supreme being realm! And due to some reason, had fallen to his current state as a worthy person! If what Ying Chen said was true, was the person standing before him a living immortal?
"You're not tricking me, are you?" Elder Dong asked, half-believing, half-skeptical.
Ying Chen scoffed, "Do you think you are worthy of me tricking you? Besides, can I trick others but not you?"
"You've been in archaeology for so many years, have you not gained even a shred of understanding about immortal cultivation? Do you truly believe that so-called cultivation is merely like that of current Xuanmen practitioners, who know some spells and divine abilities but are still bound to die within a hundred years and be constrained by heaven and earth?"
"I…" Elder Dong faltered.
Indeed, in his decades of archaeology, he had encountered countless similar literary texts and inexplicable events. He had always suppressed them with a firm conviction. But now, he could no longer hold back!
The visions Ying Chen had shown him by pressing his palm to his forehead were so real, so vivid. While he felt his own insignificance, he also yearned to transcend it! He, with one foot in the grave, craved to find a new path in his twilight years, to reignite the second spring of his life! Even if he couldn't become a Roc or a Chun tree, merely living for five hundred years like the great turtle would be enough!
Elder Dong's mind became unsettled, his expression fluctuating between gloom and joy, his breathing alternating between rapid and prolonged. He was like an intelligent robot undergoing a world-shattering reconstruction, trapped in a brief logical chaos.
Ying Chen did not disturb him, merely stood by, quietly waiting for Elder Dong to make his own decision.
Finally, after half an hour, Elder Dong let out a long breath and looked at Ying Chen. His gaze was piercing as he asked, "What do you need me to do?"
"And what can you do for me?"
Two questions, striking at the heart of the matter. This was the difference between Elder Dong and Professor Li. To win over Professor Li, weaving tales of national righteousness was sufficient. After all, Professor Li was a bookish sort; when given the chance to sacrifice for his ideals, he would do so without hesitation and with pride.
But Elder Dong was different. Having lived a long and eventful life, national righteousness could no longer move him. Fame and reputation meant even less. Only benefits that perfectly aligned with his needs could sway him. And Elder Dong lacked neither money nor fame; others could not offer him benefits that could move him. Only Ying Chen, grasping Elder Dong's desires instantly, knew what Elder Dong wanted and seized his psychological weakness! Immortality! This was a word that even ancient emperors found difficult to resist, and Elder Dong was equally susceptible to its temptation! Look, Elder Dong was already preparing to negotiate terms with Ying Chen. He even picked up the purple clay teapot, which he rarely used for outsiders, and poured Ying Chen a cup of tea.