In the modern world, at the top of Yuxu Peak, Lu Cheng is fully prepared and wants to open up the small world of skulls.
He sent Lu You and Lu Chan 500 tons of gold powder each, enough for them to consume for many years. A total of 1,000 tons of gold powder is quite a big deal!
He contacted Jiang Qiuyun, Lu Qingshan, Guan Sangyue, Guan Qingfeng, Lu Xinghuan and Lu Xuanku respectively, and explained to each of them that he would be in seclusion for a long time, at least one Jiazi, maybe two or three Jiazi.
For a long time afterwards, he did not appear in the world.
Jiang Qiuyun handed over the task of imitating the purple ribbon fairy clothes to Tao Qianqian, handed over the task of researching the soul lamp to her daughter Lu Qingyan and son-in-law Ling Shiqiu, and handed over the task of researching the Yin-Yang Mirror runes to Mei Lingshang and Lu Songxi.
Two years passed in the blink of an eye.
In the summer of 2755, Lu Laoquan completed all courses and received three doctorate degrees.
On July 7, he and Yu Wanyue held their wedding at Lingyin Villa.
The wedding was very lively, with thousands of guests. Because White Snake and Lu Yideng are both world-famous people, they have made too many friends.
Comparatively speaking, the young couple Lu Laoquan and Yu Wanyue were unsatisfactory and did not even have any outstanding achievements! It’s useless to get three PhDs! A doctorate is just a past background and does not represent a contribution.
People's evaluation of Lu Laoquan is relatively low, saying that "a tiger father produces a dog son" and "the white lady's son is very ordinary".
In fact, Lu Laoquan is already a fifth-level innate monk. No matter which sect he gets, he is an outstanding elite talent. He just keeps a low profile and does not show it.
He wants to be a traveler and explorer. The more he hibernates his skills, the longer he can live.
After the two got married, they began to travel domestically. The places I go to are basically famous mountains and rivers. I stay here for a few months and there for a few months. Do not leave the country or go to remote areas, the risk is low.
Unknowingly, 10 years passed, in 2765, Lu Laoquan completed the Golden Elixir. This year he was only 38 years old.
After waiting for another seven years, Yu Wanyue advanced to the golden elixir.
Then, the two returned to Chang'an and settled in Yunzhu Villa.
In 2774, their son Lu Wenbo was born.
In the blink of an eye, seven years later, Lu Laoquan advanced to the third level of the Golden Elixir and began to leave home and explore around the world.
Yu Wanyue did not follow him, but went to Lingyin Villa to let her son learn Confucian mental methods from his grandfather Lu Yideng.
Lu Wenbo started practicing martial arts at the age of 6, Confucianism at the age of 7, witchcraft at the age of 9, and studied with several old masters at the age of 12. The life path of the fifteenth generation eldest son of the Lu family has begun again.
Some people are reborn, and some people are aging.
On the first floor of Yuxu Peak, there are several specially decorated garden villas. Jiang Qiuyun's father Jiang Fangcheng, Lu Cheng's father Lu Tianming, and mother Rao Yuqiu all live here.
They have not advanced to the golden elixir, but they have lived to be 800 years old, purely relying on the longevity elixir and the abundant spiritual energy on Yuxu Peak for support.
At this time, Jiang Fangcheng was already very old, with a white beard hanging down to his chest. He walked tremblingly to the table, spread out the rice paper and started writing.
He writes a word every day and has been writing for nearly 800 years. All the words have been collected.
This time he wrote a poem by Su Shi: "The world is a big dream. How many times in life are there cool autumns? The wind blows in the night and the leaves are already singing in the corridor, which can be seen on the brows and temples. The drunkards often worry about the lack of guests, and the moonlight is blocked by clouds. Mid-Autumn Festival Who can share the lonely light with me, looking northward sadly?"
After finishing writing, he said to the serving maid: "Qingxi, go and call Qiuyun."
This maid is not an ordinary woman invited from outside, but a descendant of a side branch of the Lu family and belongs to the 26th generation of the Lu family. The lateral branches reproduce very quickly, and the fastest one has reached the 30th generation (Lu Cheng is 780 years old, calculated as a 25-year-old generation), while the direct branch has only reached the 15th generation.
Lu Qingxi hurriedly reported to Jiang Qiuyun.
Jiang Qiuyun rushed over and looked at the calligraphy spread on the table. She had a bad premonition: "Dad, how is your health? Have you taken the nectar water I gave you a few days ago?"
Jiang Fangcheng shook his head and said: "I have lived long enough. Since your mother left, I have lived for another 400 years. The longer I live, the more deserted I feel."
Jiang Qiuyun blamed herself: "Dad, it's all my fault. I only focused on cultivating myself and didn't take good care of you."
Jiang Fangcheng said leisurely: "I don't blame you. The prime years will never come back again, and it's hard to wake up again. I should encourage you in time, and time waits for no one. I have lived enough, it is better to go back!"
"Dad, don't think like that. If you drink nectar water, you can live forever!"
"Zhuangzi said: 'Weary of the world for a thousand years, go and go to immortality'. I have lived for 800 years, the same age as Peng Zu. Peng Zu has gone, what should I do in the world? I have experienced everything that needs to be experienced. It's nothing. It’s so nostalgic that I can escape from my body. Maybe my soul will remain alive and I can visit another world.”
Jiang Qiuyun persuaded him in every possible way, but Jiang Fangcheng was determined to leave!
Jiang Qiuyun hesitated in her heart whether to force-feed her father the nectar. With her early stage fifth level of Heavenly Witchcraft, it was not difficult to restrain her father. But doing so was against his father's wishes.
There is no doubt that people have the right to choose death. Even if the whole world disagrees, a person can still choose this path, as long as he no longer misses the world, as long as he is determined enough!
Because Lu Cheng was not there, Jiang Qiuyun called his son Lu Qingshan and daughter Lu Qingyan.
The three of them tried to persuade each other, but Jiang Fangcheng was impatient and agreed temporarily.
However, that night, he passed away!
Jiang Fangcheng was free from illness and passed away with a peaceful expression. He was not a Buddhist monk, but close to a Confucian monk.
The Confucian view of life and death places emphasis on life before death, not after death. If you can preserve your original intention and fulfill the requirements of heaven, it doesn't matter whether you live a short or long life.
Confucianism believes that although human life is limited, the spirit can last forever. There is a saying of "three immortalities": "The most important thing is to establish virtue, the second is to perform meritorious service, and the third is to establish words. Even if it lasts for a long time, this is called immortality."
Confucianism does not regard death as suffering, but regards "the uncultivated virtues and the unlearned learning" as personal suffering. The greater suffering comes from the failure to realize its social ideals.
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Lu You, a writer in the Southern Song Dynasty, wrote a poem before his death: "I know that everything will be in vain after I die, but I will not see the same sadness as all the nine states. Wang Shibei set the day of the Central Plains, and he never forgot to tell Nai Weng for family sacrifices." The pain before his death was unbearable. to the unification of the Song Dynasty.
Wen Tianxiang wrote a poem before he was executed: "Since ancient times, no one has ever died, leaving a loyal heart to illuminate history!"
Therefore, for Confucians, suffering does not lie in how to die, but in whether one can achieve "benevolence" and "achieve righteousness". "Suffering lies in the failure to complete the virtuous deeds."
Jiang Fangcheng is not a standard Confucianism cultivator. He has no grand ambition to save the people, nor can he cultivate the awe-inspiring aura that runs like a rainbow. That's why he feels that living in the world is boring and he might as well go back!
