Seeking the Tao in the Mortal World

Crown Prince’s Mansion, garden pavilion.

Li Qinglin and Qin Yi sat opposite each other on the stone table. It was already dark with the moon hanging in the middle of the sky. The breeze was blowing lightly. The garden was full of fragrant.

There was no servant around. Li Qinglin warmed the wine himself. Watching the flames of the small stove flickering by the pavilion, he was a little lost in thought.

Qin Yi stared at him for a while. He felt that Li Qinglin was a super contradictory person. The perception was extremely complicated. In fact, he could see that some of Li Qinglin’s gestures were not pretentious. Just like he was warming the wine with his own hands at this moment. He was definitely not just putting on a show of modesty, because it was unnecessary. What was the difference if it were a servant maid warming the wine? On the contrary, from the moment they met, he had been doing the chores himself unlike a prince. In many cases, Qin Yi always felt that he was more like a warrior or a pure martial artist.

But such a warrior did a lot of things that only a cold-blooded politician would do.

“Stop looking at me.” Li Qinglin smiled suddenly, “Although I have a somewhat similar face to Qingjun, I’m not a woman disguised as a man.”

Qin Yi was also amused and laughed out loud, “You rarely joke.”

“I said it, because I don’t have that much mental energy. If I was still full of dreams like Qingjun, then I would also like to joke.” Li Qinglin laughed, “Who doesn’t want to smile every day? With a gloomy face and a stomach full of schemes, it isn’t a good feeling.”

“Then you…” Qin Yi pondered for a while before asking, “Why did you choose such a feeling?”

“One must always have an ideal and work towards it. Otherwise, what’s the use of drifting with the tide and living numbly all one’s life?”

Qin Yi was startled, then he remembered what Liu Su said during the banquet, but both of them had different views. One thought if one couldn’t think freely, what was the use of living? The other thought if one lived without an ideal, he was just a walking dead, so why bother living?

I thought Liu Su would comment on this, but the stick had been silent.

Li Qinglin asked again, “What is Brother Qin’s ambition? Traveling leisurely in the forest, making friends with pines and bamboos, not getting involved in the hustle and bustle of the mortal world, and being free and at ease?”

Qin Yi hesitated for a moment, then replied, “Maybe.”

Li Qinglin smiled, “Although we have different ambitions, I don’t think there is anything wrong with it. This is the lifestyle of a noble person. The most horrible is that one lives a mediocre life and tries to convince himself that being ordinary is valuable. Instead, I will comfort myself that I’m ordinary and valuable. That is foolish.”

Qin Yi’s face was a little hot. I seem to be the latter…

But I also know why Liu Su didn’t comment because there is no conflict between what Liu Su and Li Qinglin said. In essence, they all have a kind of ideal and pursuit. The essence is the same, so there is nothing to dispute about different pursuits.

On the contrary, I thought I’m pursuing a simple life, but in fact, I’m just a walking dead… Because I don’t know what’s my pursuit. Even though I once pretended to tell Li Qingjun that people should know their own pursuit, I actually don’t know mine.

He finally asked back, “So what exactly is Brother Li’s ambition? South Li Kingdom’s power?”

“Heh…” Li Qinglin couldn’t help laughing, but he didn’t answer immediately. He slowly turned off the fire, lifted the flagon and poured a cup of wine to Qin Yi as if he was sorting out his words.

Qin Yi didn’t urge and just looked at him quietly.

“Brother Qin is the people of my South Li Kingdom, and you are also an apothecary.” Li Qinglin held the wine cup, staring at the liquid in the glass, “In your eyes, is the South Li Kingdom considered a patient?”

“Hmm…” Qin Yi sighed, “Yes.”

“Father is devoted to Taoism and has no interest in kingdom affairs. Even the news of the West Savage Kingdom’s invasion is not as important as his elixir.” Li Qinglin said slowly, “In terms of kingdom affairs, he listens to the evil taoist’s nonsense than his son’s words. After the southeast earthquake, he didn’t help the people first, but he let the State Preceptor do a ritual; when the enemy invaded our kingdom, he did not mobilize troops and prepare for battle, but instead prayed to the heavens for guidance.”

Qin Yi was silent.

“The emperor is like this, and the subjects are even worse. At the court, Dong Hua is flattered by everyone. No one is discussing official matters and learning Taoism. Some people even dare to wear Taoist robes to the court. Not only did the father not feel disobedient, but he also wore it himself. What a joke.” Li Qinglin said with a smirk, “In the outside world, beastkins are rampant. Everyone disrespects the emperor and instead worships the temple. Every family’s production is abandoned, the couples practice abstinence, the sexual life is disrupted, and even the population has dropped. Brother Qin, this country is not just sick, but terminally ill.”

Qin Yi nodded slowly. He didn’t know much about the kingdom economy and the people’s livelihood, but since Li Qinglin said that, the kingdom really had come to an end.

“When did it all start? It was when my father listened to Dong Hua and began to ask about Taoism and longevity. This is the crux of everything.” Li Qinglin said, “I have also persuaded, formed gangs, and even framed him. It is useless to try to remove Dong Huazi from the political level. I’m just a second prince. I don’t have enough political capital.”

Having said that, he finally drank the wine he had been weighing for a long time.

Qin Yi raised his head and looked directly into Li Qinglin’s eyes.

“I let Ye Ling assassinate Brother.” Li Qinglin said calmly, “He was also practicing Taoism like father, but that was still fine. But he absolutely shouldn’t have brought this trend to the army. That is the final bottom line of my South Li Kingdom. Since then, I suddenly had the idea to get rid of him, then I will be the crown prince myself. Maybe there will be salvation. You said I’m doing it for the power? Yes, I want this power, if I’m not in this position, I will not be able to save South Li Kingdom.”

Qin Yi sighed softly and silently drank the wine in his cup.

Liu Su suddenly said, “Ask him, what would he think if there is really a method of longevity in the world.”

Qin Yi asked. Li Qinglin thought for a while, then he smiled, “Brother Qin is a taoist, so you must believe this. No wonder you will ask this question… But as I said, beastkins and monsters have existed and longevity is just a rumor. How many emperors pursued this way, but no one achieves it? I don’t believe that.”

Qin Yi insisted, “I mean if, if there is any.”

Li Qinglin shook his head, “I’m a crown prince. This is my kingdom. My responsibility is to make the people live in peace, make the kingdom strong, make the people prosperous, and fight against foreign enemies outside. If possible, open up territories and shake the world. Even if I have to die immediately, I didn’t live in vain. Longevity? What’s the use of being able to live forever? Without my responsibilities and forgetting my own ambitions, even if I live in vain for thousands of years, I’m just a walking dead.”

Liu Su smiled softly, “Interesting person.” But it didn’t let Qin Yi continue to ask.

It was Li Qinglin who asked Qin Yi, “Brother Qin, I haven’t listened to your story recently, but I still listened to Ye Ling recount some of your Journey to the West intermittently. The end must be to obtain the scriptures and become a Buddha?”

Qin Yi nodded and said, “Each has his purpose, but Tang Seng and Monkey King have become Buddhas.”

“Then… I have a question, I wonder if Brother Qin can answer it?”

“What question?”

“The story of the Six-Eared Macaque…” Li Qinglin said slowly, “Is the one who was killed Six-Eared Macaque or Monkey King?”

Qin Yi’s heart skipped a beat, and his eyes widened in surprise.

This was indeed mentioned by the netizens, but he never thought that Li Qinglin, who only listened to some segments intermittently, would think so too. Did you crossover too?

“Why are you so confused?”

“After the Six-Eared Macaque incident, Monkey King acted like 2 different characters. He was no longer wild, so I have this doubt. I always wonder if the Monkey King had been cheated by the Tathagata to die in this battle, and it was the Six-Eared Macaque who get the scriptures on his behalf.”

Qin Yi had no choice but to explain, “That’s not a story I made up. There is indeed an original work. The titles of these chapters in the original work clearly indicate the mind monkey. Therefore, in general explanations, it is believed that the so-called Six-Eared Macaque is actually Sun Wukong’s own mind monkey. After being removed, the wildness was taken away.”

Li Qinglin poured the wine silently and drank it down.

“What’s wrong?” Qin Yi wondered, “Is there any problem with this plot?”

Li Qinglin said faintly, “I’d rather believe that the Monkey King was dead than accept the Monkey King who swept the heaven with a stick crossed his knees and became a Buddha.”

Great news! We’re thrilled to announce a special 7-day trial exclusively on Patreons. If you’re still unsure about how our early access chapters work or if you’re looking to gain more trust in our translations, this is the perfect opportunity for you to join us. Discover what unfolds next by accessing the chapters before anyone else! Your support means the world to us!<a href=https://ko-fi.com/sdmwtranslation>Click here to access our Patreon page.