Collection of strange powers and chaotic gods

Chapter 265 The old man in the wild

According to legend, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, there was a scholar somewhere. Once, he was walking alone among the bushes in the wilderness.

Suddenly, the scholar heard the sound of reading in the distance.

He couldn't help but feel very strange: in the open wilderness, with no shop in front, no shop in the back of the village, and no people nearby, how could there be such a sound of reading?

The scholar followed the sound and found that the sound of reading came from a cemetery.

When I got closer, I saw an old man sitting in the middle of the tomb, and there were more than a dozen foxes next to him, each holding a book and squatting down to read aloud.

When the old man saw him, he stood up to greet him. The foxes who were reading also stopped and stood up like people holding their books.

The scholar knew that he had met the fox fairy, and then he thought, since these foxes know how to read, they must not harm anyone.

So he felt relieved, exchanged greetings with the old man and the foxes, and then everyone sat on the ground.

The scholar asked: "Why are you studying here?"

The old man said: "We are all cultivators."

The scholar was a little curious about his unexpected answer: "Can one also cultivate immortality through studying?"

The old man said: "There are usually two ways for us foxes to achieve immortality: one is to collect essence, worship the sun, moon and stars, and gradually reach the point of spiritual transformation, and then we can cultivate into the real fruit. This is the transformation from demons. Seek to become an immortal.

However, if during the process of cultivation, one becomes obsessed with evil and enters the path of evil, then one violates the rules of heaven and can only become a demon but not an immortal, and one will also be punished by heaven! Although this road to immortality is fast, it is dangerous. "

The scholar asked: "What is the other way to cultivate immortality?"

The old man said: "Another way is to first cultivate our fox's body into a human form. After we become a human, we can then practice the inner elixir, and then we can become an immortal. This method is to seek immortality through human beings."

The scholar asked again: "Then it is easier for us humans to cultivate immortality than it is for you foxes?"

The old man said sternly: "It's easy to say it, but it's really difficult to achieve the right results! Even if you humans use the method of inhalation and guidance to practice, you won't be able to succeed overnight. You must persist for a long time to achieve success. Perfection. Although this road is tortuous, it is safe and will not lead to the devil's path.

However, no matter you, humans, or us foxes, your body cannot change naturally, it must change according to your heart. Therefore, first read the books of sages to cultivate your mind. Once you understand the principles of the Three Cardinal Guidelines and the Five Constant Virtues, your state of mind will change, and your body will change accordingly! "

The scholar said: "I have benefited a lot from what you said!"

As he said that, the scholar borrowed the old man's books to read. They were all books that humans usually read, such as the "Four Books", "Five Classics", "The Analects of Confucius", "The Classic of Filial Piety", "Mencius", etc., but the books contained There are only scriptures without any annotations.

He couldn't help but asked strangely: "These scriptures are very profound and have no annotations. How can you explain them to those little foxes? How can they understand them?"

The old man said: "When we read, we only seek to understand the truth, not to understand. The words of the sages in the book are not very difficult to begin with. After my teaching, clarifying and explaining the meaning of the words, the little foxes can understand the meaning of the book. What else is there to do with the gist of the annotation?”

The scholar felt that his remarks were a bit strange. Although he did not dare to agree with them, he was at a loss and did not know how to refute him.

In order to cover up his embarrassment, the scholar changed the topic of chat. He asked the old man: "How old are you this year?"

The old man replied: "Haha, if you want to ask me my age, I can't even remember it myself! I only remember that when I first read these scriptures, the world was full of hand-written books, and there were no engraving-printed books."

The scholar was shocked and asked hurriedly: "So, you have experienced several dynasties. Do you think things in this world are any different?"

The old man replied: "In general, they are not too far apart. It's just that before the Tang Dynasty, there were only Confucian scholars in the world. After the Northern Song Dynasty, it was often heard that someone was a sage. That is to say, there is a small difference in this aspect."

The scholar couldn't understand the meaning of his words for a while, and was too embarrassed to ask for advice. He felt that he was ignorant, so he excused himself to hurry and said goodbye to the old man.

Later, when the scholar passed by here, he met this old man on the road.

The scholar wanted to talk to him enthusiastically, but the old man ignored him, turned around and walked away!