Before dawn.

The sun had not yet risen, the sky was gray, and some of the mountain roads were still not clear. A small figure walked laboriously on the mountain road. It was late autumn, the dew was heavy, and the child's pants were already wet. Because of this, the dirt roads in the mountains are full of shallow mud, which makes the already unclear road even more difficult to walk. From time to time, the child fell, and his thin pants were now covered with mud. But he didn't say anything, just gritted his teeth and stumbled forward, his eyes always looking ahead.

When we finally reached the top of the mountain, the stars in the sky had gradually faded, and the east began to glow blue in the sky. The child finally found his goal, which was a large tree on the top of the mountain. In the position facing east, there was a bare place, apparently where people often sit. Now the spot was also wet with dew, but the child didn't mind and sat down. He clasped his hands on his knees, leaned his back against the tree, and did not speak, just looked at the sky in the distance.

"Isn't it cold when you sit like this?"

The voice sounded after itself, low and gentle. The child stood up silently and saluted: "Teacher." ”

"Your mood is not right today, what's wrong?"

The child did not answer. He just stood there quietly with his head down. Slowly, tears welled up in his eyes. He said in a low and somewhat hoarse voice, "They're all gone." ”

The old man was stunned. Before he could speak, the child had already said to himself: "Dad and Mommy, they are finally gone." They'll all have new homes, they'll have their own children, and they'll not remember me or my sister anymore. I already knew they were going to go, but I still couldn't help it, teacher, no matter how I told myself if I didn't want to, I still couldn't help it!" he looked up, tears already streaming down his face.

The old man opposite him was stunned for a long time, and then sighed: "Don't cry child." You have to remember that all the joy in this world is short-lived. Isn't what we are struggling and chasing in this vast sea of desire just a moment of joy after struggling?"

The child's sobs gradually became quieter. Obviously, he didn't fully understand the old man's words, so there were many doubts in his eyes in addition to sadness.

"Is it all like this?" he looked up blankly, looking at the old man, "do people choose to give up or forget something else for the sake of their own joy? Even if it's their own children?

The old man sighed and raised his hand, but he didn't know how to comfort him. He was not a talkative person in the first place, and he never thought that a child would think about so many things in his heart. He looked at the child's eyes that were almost desperate, gritted his teeth and said, "That's not the case...... Their choices do not represent the choices of others, and not all of them are like this......"

He didn't know how to go on. Even what he was going to say didn't know how to get out. He was only afraid that if he spoke out, the child would collapse.

But the child did not wait for his answer. He lowered his head and stood still. I could see that he was trying to restrain his emotions, and the shaking of his body gradually stopped. I don't know how long it took, the child raised his head and looked at the old man again, his eyes were clear, and the confusion and sadness in his eyes seemed to have disappeared: "Don't worry, I'm fine, teacher." Today should not be the day to teach, teacher, you came to me, is there something wrong?"

The old man did not answer immediately. How could he not see that the child was forcibly controlling his emotions. But there is no way to change what he has decided, so he has to harden his heart and continue: "The teacher came today, in fact, to say goodbye to you. You can realize the Tao on your own at a young age, and your talent is too high. The teacher can give you some advice, but he can't teach too much, and you still need to find your own cultivation direction. ”

"Teacher, are you leaving?" the child's eyes and voice were full of disappointment, but he didn't say anything. He bit his lip as hard as he could. The old man didn't say anything more, and stepped forward to stroke the top of his head. The child took a small half step back, but finally held back and did not dodge.

"Teacher, will you forget me too?" he muttered.

"Such a talent, why is it such a character? The old man sighed to himself, leaned down, and put his hands on the child's shoulders, "You are still young." With your outstanding talent, many people will remember you in the future, and maybe the whole world will remember you. And today, the teacher, I want to give you a hope. Cultivate hard, live hard, and the teacher will come back one day. You can rest assured that if no one in the world will remember you, then at least the teacher will. With hope, keep alive!"

The child didn't ask anything more, and the old man didn't speak again. After staring at each other for a long time, the old man reached out and patted the child's shoulder, then turned to leave. The child didn't say anything more, he just stood there, quietly watching the old man's back as he left. At this time, the sun had risen, and the figure of the old man kept swaying in the bright light and shadow, gradually blurring until it was gone.

"Don't worry, teacher, I'll work hard. The child said suddenly.

Knowing that it was impossible for the old man to hear, he still talked to himself. The sun's rays gradually became dazzling, and his eyes were blurred, but he refused to look away, stubbornly looking directly at the sun: "I will try to live! I will become strong enough! I will make everyone remember me, just like they get up every day, and they will not ignore the sun!"

The thin body said such arrogant words, but the audience only had the sun staring at him and the mountain wind in his ears. So no one knows - even if they do, they won't believe it, but will only laugh and comment on a fairy tawgli.

Many years later, the child grew into an adult, and he stood on the highest point of his city, alone blowing the cold wind in the sky, indifferently looking down on the world he had already towered over. In the world under his feet, people looked up to him, worshipped him, sympathized with him, hated him, prayed to him with the lowest gestures, and cursed him with the most vicious language, but no one could ignore him.

"I did, teacher. He said. Although in the face of this result, all the people he wanted to appeal to were no longer there. The only thing that answered him was the cold wind of hunting in the air at a height of thousands of meters.

He is no longer aggrieved, nor is he hateful. At this time, he had already understood many things, such as-

The so-called sun is just an insignificant member of the stars.

............

It's a deep corridor.

The corridor is supposed to be underground, because there are no openings in the two walls, and such a regular cave is obviously excavated by hand, but there is no trace of excavation. The dust was thick, and it looked like no one had been here for a long time. On both sides of the walls were old oil lamps, some of which had been extinguished, and the ones that were lit and swaying in the breeze brought by walking, and which were also covered with dust.

Start.

The sound of lonely tapping sounded softly, and under the dim light, the stone path under his feet stretched straight down, with no end in sight, as if a monster's huge mouth was slowly swallowing head-on, and the faint figure was scattered on the walls and ground on both sides, constantly elongating, shortening, elongating, shortening. Countless shadows mingled together, as if a group of demons were dancing wildly.

Stop it.

I don't know how long I walked, maybe it was long, maybe it was short, and time seemed to stop here, and it was impossible to judge. The footsteps stopped, and there was still darkness dotted with two lights ahead, with no end in sight.

Turn around.

It was still dark, dotted with two dim lights, as if it hadn't turned around.

Fear came suddenly, and instantly occupied all the mind. The lights turned into golden pupils, and they came to their faces. Looking back, it's still the same.

Terrifying.

The sound of footsteps was hurried, and as he ran, he suddenly forgot the direction he was traveling. There seemed to be a howl of anger in the darkness, like a seeping shriek, and like a terrible scream. He ran selflessly until he could no longer run. When I stopped, I suddenly found that the lights had disappeared, the walls had disappeared, and there was endless darkness all around. He stopped where he was, and in horror he stretched out his hand to grope in all directions, but he did not dare to move his feet, as if all around him was a void beyond the cliff, and only an inch of ground was under his feet.

There is light.

The light came from the sky, clear, but not dazzling, like moonlight. But there was still boundless darkness beneath his feet, and the clear light was everywhere, but it did not illuminate anything but himself. In the clear light, he slowly calmed down, his fear gradually disappeared, and he slowly looked up, trying to see the source of the light.

The sky is full of stars.

Footsteps were heard.

He didn't move, footsteps coming directly in front of him, getting closer. Suddenly, a black figure appeared not far in front of him. The man was wearing a black cloak that covered his whole body and head and face, and he could not see his face clearly, only showing a mouth.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The man raised his head slightly, but still couldn't make out the face, and then his lips moved, as if to say something, and he didn't hear clearly.

"What are you talking about? I don't hear clearly. He subconsciously raised his voice. The man didn't move, his lips kept opening and closing, and the frequency was getting faster and faster. He suddenly realized that he could hear, but he still couldn't hear what was said, as if a group of monks were chanting scriptures. He wanted to ask, but suddenly found that he couldn't move, including his mouth. At this time, he finally understood that the man did not answer him, but was just chanting something to himself.

The chanting grew louder and louder, and gradually some bright points of light swam around. The light slowly spreads, the world gradually brightens, and the darkness gradually dissolves, like burned black drawing paper. The paper finally melted away, along with the black man. The golden unknown flowers at the feet are in full bloom, boundless, and the world is bright.

But the chanting did not disappear, like a bell, as if it came from heaven. He couldn't help but look up.

The sky is full of stars.

Suddenly it was dark again. The sea of flowers beneath his feet disappeared, darkness returned again, and the chanting stopped. The starry sky suddenly and slowly spun, faster and farther away. He eagerly stretched out his hand and grabbed at the sky, trying to keep it, but he was ignored. The starry sky gradually receded and became smaller, and finally converged into the only point in the darkness, like the center of the universe. And then

Return to nothingness.