Changsheng Temple was old and dilapidated, and seemed rather deserted, with few people around. Walking into the temple, Gu Qingfeng only saw one or two junior Daoists sweeping the grounds. He inquired about Da Fuzi, but to his surprise, these junior Daoists did not recognize the name.
Could it be that Da Fuzi had changed his name and gone into hiding?
He wasn't sure.
Gu Qingfeng hadn't heard Old Man Mei mention it either.
The temple wasn't large. Just as Gu Qingfeng was about to release his divine sense to probe for Da Fuzi's presence, another Daoist walked out from inside the temple.
"Excuse me, but are you Fellow Daoist Gu?"
Gu Qingfeng's brow furrowed slightly, feeling somewhat puzzled inside, but he nodded nonetheless.
"Our temple master has been awaiting Fellow Daoist Gu for quite some time. Please follow me."
This only deepened Gu Qingfeng's confusion. He asked, "Might I ask who your temple master is..."
"The master of Changsheng Temple."
The master of Changsheng Temple?
Could it be that legendary old Daoist who had lived for who-knows-how-many years?
How did he know Gu Qingfeng was coming?
And he had been waiting for a while?
This matter was rather peculiar.
Gu Qingfeng followed the Daoist inside, walking down a corridor until they arrived at a garden.
In the garden stood a large tree. Beneath the tree was a pavilion, and within the pavilion sat an old Daoist with hair and beard as white as snow. The old Daoist sat upright and proper, holding a cup of fragrant tea, gazing at an unfinished game of chess.
For some reason, seeing this scene gave Gu Qingfeng a sudden sense of déjà vu, as if he had been here before, and back then, the old Daoist had also been sitting just as properly, drinking tea and observing the chessboard.
Could it be a memory from that time he barged into Changsheng Temple?
He wasn't clear.
Gu Qingfeng truly had no impression of it.
"Fellow Daoist Gu, it's been a long time."
The old Daoist's voice carried a peculiar quality—neither loud nor imposing, yet it gave one the feeling of fleeting clouds and the vast changes of time.
The old Daoist stood up, looked at Gu Qingfeng, and gestured with his hand in invitation.
"Have we met?"
Gu Qingfeng didn't stand on ceremony. He walked over and sat down.
The old Daoist picked up the teapot, poured a cup of clear tea for Gu Qingfeng, and said with a faint smile, "When Fellow Daoist Gu was cultivating at Shangqing Sect all those years ago, this humble Daoist was fortunate enough to have crossed paths with you once."
"So it really did happen. I thought it might have been an illusion."
Gu Qingfeng lifted the teacup. A very peculiar aroma wafted over. He set the cup down again and said, "If I'm not mistaken, when we met back then, it was also here?"
"Indeed."
"But why don't I have any impression of it?"
The old Daoist merely smiled and shook his head, offering no response.
Gu Qingfeng pressed further, "What did you do to me back then?"
"Why would Fellow Daoist Gu say such a thing?"
"Because after I returned, I distinctly felt a strange change occurring in my body. As for what kind of change, I couldn't say clearly myself. But the feeling was vivid. Yet, I have absolutely no memory of the incident of barging into your Changsheng Temple that year."
"Fellow Daoist Gu should be aware of the Buddhist concept of Sudden Enlightenment."
Gu Qingfeng nodded and replied, "'The deluded may study the scriptures for kalpas, but enlightenment occurs in an instant. In that instant, all false thoughts are extinguished. It is like suddenly seeing one's true nature. Sudden Enlightenment of Bodhi is the absence of thought—when the mind is not stained by any dharma, that is the absence of thought, and that is Sudden Enlightenment.'"
"I never imagined Fellow Daoist Gu would possess such extraordinary insight into Buddhist Sudden Enlightenment. Truly remarkable, most remarkable!"
The old Daoist exclaimed in astonishment, nodding repeatedly. "I suppose Fellow Daoist Gu has experienced no small number of Sudden Enlightenments on your journey thus far."
An old monk resided within Gu Qingfeng's Nirvana Bone Jade. Gu Qingfeng had listened to him expound on Buddhism quite a lot. Were it not for that, he wouldn't have comprehended a Great Unfettered Heart. As for Sudden Enlightenment, in his five hundred years of cultivation, he had indeed experienced it many times.
However, he didn't mention this matter. Instead, he waited for the old Daoist to continue.
Sure enough, after a moment, the old Daoist spoke, "Buddhism has Sudden Enlightenment, while our Daoist school has Forget the Self."
"Forget the Self?"
Although Gu Qingfeng had never personally experienced the Daoist concept of Forget the Self, he had read about it in some ancient texts. It was said that Forget the Self was a supreme state pursued in Daoism, and that only by entering this state could one rediscover one's original self.
Because this Daoist concept was too mysterious and profound, Gu Qingfeng only understood the gist of it. As for what the Forget the Self state truly entailed, he wasn't too clear.
"The reason Fellow Daoist Gu has no impression of that past event is because, after you arrived here that year, you entered the Forget the Self state of our Daoist school."
"That happened?"
Gu Qingfeng was somewhat skeptical.
"Fellow Daoist Gu, please look."
The old Daoist pointed at the unfinished chess game on the board. "That year, Fellow Daoist Gu entered the Forget the Self state while gazing at this very game of unfinished chess."
The chess was Black-White Chess, also known as Heaven and Earth Chess.
It was also called Yin-Yang Chess, Tai Chi Chess, Chaos Chess, and so on.
It had many names. Rumor had it that this Black-White Chess had been passed down since antiquity. Exactly how ancient this 'antiquity' was, no one could say for sure.
Legends said that Black-White Chess contained all the Dao principles between Heaven and Earth, and even held the mysteries of the eight characters: Heaven, Earth, Profound, Yellow, Cosmos, Primordial, Vast, and Wild. If one could master Black-White Chess thoroughly, one would comprehend the principles of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
At first glance, this sounded rather exaggerated.
But Gu Qingfeng knew it was not exaggerated in the slightest. At least, he didn't think it was. Since he had learned Black-White Chess, he had increasingly felt that this game was not simple—to be precise, it was extremely complex, truly all-encompassing, as if it contained the very principles of Heaven and Earth.
As his experience grew and his knowledge expanded, he found Black-White Chess to be increasingly profound and marvelous, mysterious beyond measure.
It wasn't unheard of for someone to achieve Sudden Enlightenment through a single game of Black-White Chess. In fact, there were quite a few such cases.
Gu Qingfeng himself was a firsthand witness. Back in the Great Desolate Heavenly Realm, when playing Black-White Chess with those old fiends from the Nine Netherworlds, he had experienced Sudden Enlightenment.
But as for Forget the Self...
He truly had no impression of it.
Now, looking at this unfinished chess game, although it felt familiar, it was only a sense of familiarity—nothing more. He asked, "What did I comprehend when I entered the Forget the Self state that year?"
"That, I'm afraid, is something only Fellow Daoist Gu yourself would know."
"But I don't know."
"All things have cause and effect."
Cause and effect again.
Gu Qingfeng looked at the old Daoist, feeling somewhat amused. "Cause and effect is a Buddhist concept. Do you Daoists believe in that stuff too?"
"Buddha is originally Dao."
These four short words from the old Daoist struck Gu Qingfeng's heart with tremendous force. The feeling was like seeing a glimmer of light in endless darkness, yet this light seemed both close at hand and impossibly far away.
A long time later, Gu Qingfeng regained his composure. He picked up the teacup, took a sip, frowned slightly, and then drained it in one gulp.
"Fellow Daoist Gu, how is the tea?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head. "Not great."
"Haha! Fellow Daoist Gu truly speaks his mind swiftly. Worthy of being a hero of your generation."