Chapter 299 Going West Through Hangu Pass

Hangu Pass is a great pass in Kyushu.

This strategic pass is located in the west of the plateau, east of the cliff, south of the Qinling Mountains, and north of the Yellow River. It is not only a strategic location for war, but also an important hub for connecting Eastern and Western cultures.

Hangu Pass is quite majestic. The city wall alone is more than 50 feet high, and there are many dangerous war weapons on it. From a distance, it seems that an ancient beast is occupying this place, exuding a majestic atmosphere of war.

Today, the sky is clear and the sun is shining. The slight movement brings a few strands of coolness.

On the top of the city, Yin Xi, the lord of Hangu Pass, is patrolling the city with many soldiers to review public security and other issues.

Suddenly, purple air rose in the east, turning into various strange phenomena, dyeing the clear sky purple, with glittering clouds and thousands of auspicious colors. It is so extraordinary at first glance.

"What? Purple air coming from the east!" Yin Xi suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"Uh..."

All the subordinates were stunned. They looked east with wide eyes, but saw nothing. The sky was still clear and blue. They were confused and asked curiously, "Sir, where is the purple air coming from the east?"

"Didn't you see it?" Yin Xi asked in a very strange way, pointing his finger to the east.

All the soldiers looked at each other. The sky remained unchanged. They were very surprised by Yin Xi's actions and said, "There is nothing. What happened to you, sir?"

"Hahaha!" Yin Xi laughed suddenly, and his laughter spread far away. He said excitedly, "There is an ancient saying: When a saint travels, purple air comes from the east for 30,000 miles, and the heaven and earth celebrate it! At this moment, the purple air comes from the east in Hangu Pass. Obviously, a saint will pass by Hangu Pass soon!"

All the subordinates: "..."

In this confusion and speechlessness, all the subordinates had no choice but to follow the orders of the adults and send people to clean the streets every day, while Yin Xi bathed and burned incense for several days to show his sincerity.

For example, before offering sacrifices, people must burn incense and bathe to show respect for the gods in heaven.

A few days later, an old man came from the east riding a blue bull. The old man's hair and beard were all white, but his face was surprisingly ruddy. He was wearing a yin-yang Taoist robe and a bun on his head. He had a kind of immortal temperament. There was a Taoist in a blue Taoist robe beside him who was responsible for leading the bull.

The two slowly came towards the direction of Hangu Pass.

These two people were Taoist Laozi Li Er and Duobao Taoist who had transformed into a mortal. After transforming into a mortal, Duobao Taoist went to Li Er to learn. Li Er taught him the Hinayana Buddhism and Taoist methods. Although Duobao did not understand the meaning, he respected Laozi as his uncle and followed him to learn.

Laozi saw that the Zhou Dynasty had declined and could not be saved, so he wanted to travel around the world and understand the nature of heaven and earth, so he took Duobao to the west.

"Disciple greets the saint!"

Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of the two, and Yin Xi knelt down to Laozi with a respectful face.

Yin Xi saw Laozi coming and knew that this was the Taoist saint. He did not dare to be negligent and immediately opened the city gate to greet him. When he came to Laozi, he knelt down.

"You are a dynasty official, why are you kneeling to an old man like me?" Laozi looked at Yin Xi calmly and said.

"A few days ago, I saw the purple air coming from the east for 30,000 miles, which was a shocking phenomenon. I knew that it was indescribable and it was a sign of the saint's journey. Today, when I saw you, it was indeed true. You are a Taoist saint. Now the saint is traveling west and visiting my Hangu Pass. Yin Xi is the lord of this pass, so I come here to pay my respects!" Yin Xi bowed respectfully.

"Oh?" Laozi replied indifferently, not knowing what he was thinking.

"Can the saint enter my Hangu Pass? I will serve you personally?" Yin Xi invited respectfully.

After hearing this, Laozi just frowned slightly and began to calculate with his hands. But why did he go west? It turned out that he had calculated a few days ago that he had an opportunity in the west, so he had this trip to the west. Now that he had arrived at Hangu Pass, the feeling became more and more intense, and he immediately wanted to calculate it.

After a few breaths, Laozi had no choice but to stop his actions. He still hadn't calculated anything. He looked at Yin Xi below, thought about it, and said, "Okay, then I will stay here for a few days."

"Thank you, saint!"

Yin Xi was overjoyed after hearing this and bowed. Then he personally led the green ox and led Laozi and Duobao Taoist into Hangu Pass.

For a few days, Yin Xi was respectful to Laozi and the two of them, doing everything himself, and never slacked off.

A few days later, Laozi did not get the opportunity he wanted, so he and Duobao wanted to set off again and continue their journey to the west.

Laozi rode on a green ox, followed by Duobao, and arrived at the gate of Hangu Pass. Yin Xi came forward upon hearing this, and bowed before Laozi, saying, "I, Yin Xi, am devoted to the Great Dao, and I beg the saint to accept me as a disciple."

"Since you are an official of the dynasty, the cause and effect are too deeply involved in the world, and you are not suitable for practicing Taoism." Laozi shook his head and said.

"I am willing to give up my official position and follow the saint to practice Taoism!" Yin Xi said again upon hearing this.

Laozi said nothing, but counted with his hands and found that Yin Xi and himself really had some master-disciple fate, but it was difficult for him to become a direct disciple, and he could only be a registered disciple.

"Well, I will accept you as a registered disciple." Laozi brushed his beard and said lightly.

Yin Xi was overjoyed upon hearing this, and immediately bowed and said, "Thank you, teacher!"

Laozi smiled and was about to tell the two to continue their journey westward. At this moment, a flash of light flashed through the depths of his mind, and he suddenly felt something in his heart. Why don't I leave a copy of my own classics for future generations like Yin Xi who seek Taoism? Moreover, this Taoist book cannot be a method of practicing Taoism, but it can be a method of enlightening the Tao.

Thinking about it, Laozi's thoughts became clearer and clearer. He laughed, stepped into the air, and chanted loudly:

"The Tao that can be spoken is not the real Tao; the name that can be named is not the real name.

Nothingness is the beginning of heaven and earth; existence is the mother of all things. Therefore, always nothingness is to observe its wonders, and always existence is to observe its luck.

These two things, with the same origin but different names, are both called mysterious. The more mysterious, the more mysterious, the door to all wonders."

"Everyone in the world knows that beauty is beauty, and this is evil; everyone knows that goodness is goodness, and this is not good...."

"..."

"Om——"

Immediately, the world hummed, and infinite wonderful sounds resounded through the clouds. The sound of the great way penetrated the whole sky, the divine light was brilliant, the purple air was crisscrossed, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathered to evolve various mysteries.

Everyone in front of Hangu Pass was immersed in this supreme wonderful sound, unable to extricate themselves. Yin Xi immediately took out paper and pen, and wrote down what Laozi said, leaving it for later review and understanding.

Soon after, Laozi stopped reciting the Taoist scriptures and returned to the back of the blue ox. However, at this moment, Laozi's otherworldly temperament became more and more intense, and he was surrounded by purple air and fairy air, as if he would ascend to heaven in the next moment.

Laozi was also very happy. He finally sorted out his doctrines thoroughly, wrote Taoist scriptures, and spread them to the world. This was also a sorting out of his Taoist thoughts. After this time, he had found an opportunity for a breakthrough. It was indeed a great opportunity!

Yin Xi excerpted all of Laozi's words, bound them into a book, and presented them to Laozi. Laozi pondered for a few breaths and wrote the three words "Tao Te Ching" on it.

As soon as the three words fell, the divine light immediately became bright and dazzling. After a long time, the divine light was restrained and turned into an ordinary Taoist book. He threw it to Yin Xi and continued to go west with Duobao.

But after a few breaths, the two disappeared from everyone's sight without a trace.

Yin Xi held the Tao Te Ching in his hand, feeling extremely happy. He watched Laozi, the two men and the cow leave, and murmured, "He is truly a god!"

After Yin Xi returned, he wanted to excerpt another copy of the Tao Te Ching and keep it to avoid any accidents. However, no matter how he excerpted it, the rewritten Tao Te Ching completely lost the special charm of the first copy, and there was no method of cultivation. Only the first copy contained the method of cultivation.

Yin Xi had no choice but to give up and began to retreat to the mountains and forests, cultivating the Tao with all his heart.

Later, Yin Xi succeeded in cultivation and did not forget Laozi's great kindness. He established the famous Shushan Sword School, with Yin Xi as the ancestor of Changmei.

So there is a legend that Shushan is Laozi's Taoist lineage.

……