As they say, "When leaving, the mortal bones and flesh are heavy, but once the Dao is achieved, the body feels light and so does the spirit. In all the world, no one is willing to make a resolution, but those who resolve to cultivate the mysteries will come to understand them." It was difficult to cross the sea at that time, but today it's very easy to come and go. The farewell words still ring in the ears, yet in a moment, the eastern seas are in sight.
It wasn't long before the overwhelming sea that once left Lu Yu and Monkey both in despair came to an end, and a piece of land appeared before Lu Yu, marking the arrival at the Great Chen Kingdom.
As soon as he entered the territory of the Great Chen Kingdom, a wave of the earthy essence rose up instantly.
Lu Yu gazed at the vast earthly essence before him, carefully feeling its mysteries. He couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder immortals choose to live hermitically. This earthy essence pervades, pollutes the magical body, and confuses the Daoist heart. Any carelessness would likely lead to being ensnared by desires, forever losing the chance with the Great Dao."
However, from another perspective, this earthly essence, by amplifying desires, can help those on the path of the Celestial Immortal Dao to cultivate the Five Qi within themselves more quickly.
Anger harms the liver, joy harms the heart, pondering harms the spleen, sorrow harms the lungs, fear harms the kidneys. The liver represents wood, the heart fire, the spleen earth, the lungs metal, the kidneys water.
The five organs correspond to the Five Elements, and the innate Five Qi of a person is harbored within these five organs, while human emotions and desires precisely stimulate these organs and viscera, thereby enabling cultivators to seize opportunities and stimulate the Innate Qi.
This is also why immortals often frolic in the mortal realm, as they need to find their own opportunities in this vast earthly essence to stimulate the Five Qi within.
As Lu Yu stepped into the earthly essence, he immediately felt as though he was carrying a great mountain on his back, amazed at the strength of this earthly force. However, having cultivated up to this point, he was no longer the Ignorant Youth. He only felt slightly uncomfortable at the start, but after a short while, he could block out these influences, slightly adjusted his state, and then once again embarked on his journey towards the home of his memories.
The hometown in Lu Yu's memory was a small village with no more than a hundred households, where the sound of chickens and dogs could be heard, and people rose at sunrise and rested at sunset.
However, when he saw his hometown once again, he was shocked, as the scenes remembered no longer existed. The once peaceful and serene village had now fallen into disuse, devoid of human life, with only exposed white skeletons narrating the past.
Lu Yu looked at everything before him, his mind filled with myriad thoughts. The memories buried deep in his soul surfaced one by one; he was familiar with every inch of the land in this village, it had been his playground during his youth.
He could still clearly remember the voices and faces of everyone in the village, his parents and brother and sister-in-law from this world, and his nephew who had been five or six years old when he had left home.
Lu Yu felt very strange, as if his soul had transcended his body. The scenes from the past reappeared, as if telling him that at this moment, he was both the Lu Yu who came from Earth and the scholar who had lived in the Journey to the West world for many years.
These emotions converged in his heart as if he had knocked over a bottle of spices, with all sorts of flavors mixed together. For a moment, as emotions and desires intertwined, Lu Yu could clearly feel his organs trembling, as if something was inside them.
"Alas!" a long sigh exhaled from Lu Yu's mouth.
Descending from the clouds on foot, walking along the familiar path, the once well-maintained road by the villagers was now overgrown with wild grass, obviously no longer inhabited.
Looking around at the familiar scenes, Lu Yu couldn't help but lament how time flies, and things change with it.
As he walked and lamented, it wasn't long before Lu Yu followed his memory and arrived at the gate of his home in this world.
A small courtyard with four rooms was his home in this world, a property his parents had worked their whole lives to accumulate, now left to weather and decay.
Crumbled walls and grass growing wildly—the once vibrant clay tiles were now fully covered with moss, and some buildings had collapsed under the years of deterioration.
As he entered the courtyard, though it was in ruins, the original layout was still preserved. The old apricot tree he had always looked forward to with his older brother was still there, albeit mostly withered, and it seemed it was nearing its death.
"Who's there!" A cautious voice echoed from inside the house, abruptly pulling Lu Yu back from his endless memories.
A teenager dressed in ragged clothes appeared from the main house. He was probably seventeen or eighteen years old yet looked malnourished, except for his eyes, which shone bright like the stars above, filled with vigilance and wariness.
This was a boy with a story, Lu Yu judged the instant he saw him.
However, before he could speak, the teenager seemed to think of something and, holding a long spear, charged at Lu Yu.
"If you want to wipe us out completely, first ask my long spear!" the boy shouted in anguish.
To his surprise, this tender-looking scholar before him seemed very frail, yet he effortlessly dodged the attack and simply pressed a hand on the boy's shoulder, immobilizing him.
Remembering the execution of his entire family, thinking how his kin had tried everything to send him away yet he still hadn't escaped the pursuit, failing the expectations of his family and those for himself, a mix of anger and despair surged a newfound strength within him.
Instantly, Lu Yu felt a tremendous force emanating from the body he was holding down, knowing that although he had cultivated both his physical and spiritual aspects, his strength, while incomparable to naturally exceptional beings like the monkey, was definitely beyond the ordinary.
Yet, the force from the teenager almost made him lose his grip, and upon closer observation, he noticed white radiance flickering around the boy.
"Star Force?" Lu Yu muttered.
Whenever there was great chaos under the heavens, the Star Lords who governed the rise and fall of human realms would descend their star force to merge with those aligned with their destiny, thus fulfilling their divine roles. And those individuals would be central figures in the calamities of the mortal realm, destined to command wind and rain in their era.
"You cur! Why not just kill me quickly? What's the point of toying with me like this?" The boy, seeing that his pursuer had made no further move, perceived it as an insult and could not help but burst out cursing.
Liu Yu, however, examined the boy with interest and said, "You are quite impertinent, young man. Not only have you occupied my house without permission, but now you curse me. What is the reason for this?"
These words made the boy pause in place, ceasing his struggle.
It was then that he took a proper look at Lu Yu, realizing he was a very refined gentleman, dressed like a scholar, with a unique aura that naturally commanded respect.
Instantly, the boy's sun-tanned face flushed crimson, and he stammered, "Sorry, I did not know the house still had its owner."
At that moment, the boy felt a deep sense of shame inside. Born into a distinguished family, he had never experienced such embarrassment over living situations.
"It's alright. I have been away from home for many years and only returned today, so I can't blame you," Lu Yu comforted the boy.