Chapter 99: Enlightened by the Book of Changes!

  18 million in exchange for a treasure like Qian Kun Chui, this is something that Chen Da Sheng never thought of.

  "It's rare to see you in the library, what are you reading?" Han Ruoxue asked curiously, looking at the two books in Chen Dasheng's hand.

  Chen Dasheng shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing, just passing time."

  Han Ruoxue took a look and saw that they were the "I Ching" and the "Tao Te Ching". She couldn't help but feel a little puzzled, "How can you read this kind of book?"

  Chen Dàshèng smiled, "Personal hobby!"

  "Huh?"

  Han Ruoxue was taken aback, never expecting Chen Dasheng to have such a hobby. Those two books looked brand new, clearly not many people had read them. Chen Dasheng's hobby was indeed somewhat unconventional.

  The two of them whispered to each other for a while, and then, so as not to disturb others, they went back to their own affairs. Chen Daxing also picked up the Book of Changes and began reading it.

  To learn Drunken Immortal's Stance of Gazing at the Moon, one must gain enlightenment from the Tao. These were the last words South Palace Wooden Bridge left for Chen Dasheng before he departed.

  The footwork of the Wu Xian, Chen Daxing had been coveting in his heart for a long time. Such a skill was placed in front of him, but he couldn't practice it, and Chen Daxing's heart felt like a cat scratching. These two days, he still wanted to rely on his extraordinary brain to comprehend the Drunken Immortal's Moon-Gazing Step, but what made him disappointed was that the key points recorded on the brocade were obscure and difficult to understand, with the preceding words not matching the following ones, and he simply couldn't make out what they meant. Even if he practiced the footwork according to the steps printed above, it would only be a mere formality.

  Today, Chen Dashi finally couldn't help but come to the library, wanting to find a few books related to Taoist studies. After searching back and forth, he only picked out the Book of Changes and the Tao Te Ching from the bookshelf. These two works are considered to be the culmination of Taoist classics, and he believed they should be helpful to him.

  The book was not the original, and it was impossible for the library of Chengdu University of Technology to have the original. They were all printed copies, and how much difference there was between them and the original Taoist scriptures, Chen Daxing had no way of knowing. As soon as he opened the book, a wave of ink fragrance wafted out.

  The book was divided into two parts, the left side being the original text and the right side being the interpretations and annotations of so-called masters. When Chen Daxing saw the annotations, a smile spread across his face. He didn't understand Taoist teachings at all, and even if he could memorize the entire text on the left page with his exceptional memory, he still wouldn't have understood it. The annotations next to him were a great help, no matter how accurate they were. For Chen Daxing, who didn't understand anything, they were enlightening.

  The Book of Changes, which interprets the trends of heaven and earth, is said to be able to predict the future with ease. It encompasses rich knowledge of astronomy, geography, military affairs, science, literature, agriculture, and more, allowing people from all walks of life to draw wisdom from it.

  It observes the heavens above, the earth below, and the affairs of man in between. It is vast and profound, containing the ultimate principles of yin and yang within heaven and earth. The 'I Ching' can be said to be the most precious treasure of Taoism.

  "Heaven is one, Earth is two; Heaven is three, Earth is four; Heaven is five, Earth is six; Heaven is seven, Earth is eight; Heaven is nine, Earth is ten. The numbers of Heaven are five, the numbers of Earth are also five, and they complement each other in their positions. The total number of Heaven is twenty-five, the total number of Earth is thirty, so the total number of Heaven and Earth is fifty-five. This is why changes occur and spirits operate."

  While looking at the original text, and also looking at the notes afterwards, Chen Dasheng soon became immersed in the world of I Ching, his eyes fell on the scripture, and he couldn't move them away.

  Han Ruoxue sat beside him, occasionally stealing glances at Chen Dasheng. Under the slanting sunlight outside the window, Chen Dasheng's focused expression paired with his angular face unknowingly struck a chord in Han Ruoxue's heart.

  "How can he like reading this kind of book? But when he gets serious, it's actually quite endearing. Ah, what am I thinking?"

  Han Ruoxue hastily shifted her gaze back to the test paper, a faint blush spreading across her face as if she had done something wrong.

  But at this moment, Chen Daxing did not have the slightest perception of all this. At this moment, in his world, there was only the I Ching, and everything around him did not exist.

  "The number of the Great Expansion is fifty, its use is forty-nine. Divide it into two to represent duality, hang one to represent trinity. Invert it with four to represent the four seasons, return the remainder to the beginning to represent the intercalary month, thus after a second inversion, then hang."

  The I Ching's description of the ultimate principle of yin and yang is quite similar to his own understanding of Tai Chi, and through mutual verification, Chen Daxing felt that he had gained a great deal, and many obscure points had become clear.

  In the vast and profound world of consciousness, a majestic Taiji Bagua virtual shadow gradually took shape, shining with golden light. A thread of mysterious and abstruse Taoist truth escaped from the Bagua virtual shadow, revealing an extraordinary and mystical aura, ancient and beyond the ordinary.

  Chen Daxing was suddenly puzzled and couldn't understand, then seemed to have a sudden realization, his face full of rich and varied expressions. Han Ruoxue sitting on the side saw it too, and felt very curious.

  What a strange person!

  Time passed minute by minute, the sun slowly set, and the sky gradually darkened. Han Ruoxue finished a test paper, stretched lazily, yawned, and turned her face to see Chen Dasheng still staring at that book in a daze.

  It was already dark outside, and Han Ruoxue felt hungry in her stomach. She stretched out her hand in front of Chen Dasheng and waved it back and forth, "Dasheng, what are you doing? Let's go eat!"

  The Eight Trigrams diagram in his mind suddenly dissipated, and Chen Daxiong instantly came back to his senses from that mysterious and ancient sea of consciousness. The face that was imprinted on his eyes was Han Ruoxue's beautiful and unparalleled face. "What did you say?"

  Han Ruoxue felt a bit helpless upon hearing this. Why was this guy being so silly? She quickly repeated, "Look, it's already past six o'clock, let's go eat dinner?"

  "Is it past six?"

  Chen Dashi was taken aback by her words. The sky outside the window had darkened, and when he looked at the phone screen handed over by Han Ruoxue, it was indeed almost seven o'clock.

  It's almost seven o'clock now, Chen Dasheng couldn't help but feel a little surprised. Unconsciously, nearly five hours have passed, just like suddenly losing several hours. Chen Dasheng had no idea how these five hours passed, and when he thought about it, it seemed like the blink of an eye, yet it felt like a long, long time.

  He looked down and saw that he had only read less than a quarter of the Book of Changes, but Chen Daxiong felt like he had gained a treasure. This Book of Changes was indeed very mysterious and profound. If it were an ordinary book, with his memory and comprehension abilities, he would have finished reading many books in five hours. But this Book of Changes, he had only understood a quarter of it, which showed just how vast the amount of information it contained was.

  Looking back, that unspeakable feeling was really intoxicating. If it wasn't for Han Ruoxue interrupting me just now, I'm afraid I wouldn't have known when to wake up.

  "What's wrong?"

  Looking at Chen Daxing's dazed expression, Han Ruoxue asked curiously.

  Chen Dashi shook his head, closed the book, and smiled at Han Ruoxue, "Nothing, are you hungry? I'll treat you to dinner, will you do me the honor?"

  Han Ruoxue smiled and said, "You've helped me so much, it's only right that I should treat you!"

  "Is it that good?" Chen Dashi's face was filled with a thick smile, "Alright then, the timing is just right, let's go eat at the cafeteria!"

  "Eat at the cafeteria?" Han Ruoxue was taken aback.

  Chen Dàshèng nodded, "That's right, it's been a long time since I've eaten in the cafeteria, I've forgotten what everything tastes like!"

  Han Ruoxue's gaze swept across Chen Dasheng's face, knowing that Chen Dasheng didn't want her to spend money. Seeing the smile on Chen Dasheng's face, Han Ruoxue couldn't reject his kindness either, so she nodded and narrowed her eyes into a slit, "I just topped up my meal card today!"

  "Looks like I'm still pretty lucky!"

  Chen Daxing burst out laughing and picked up those two books, then walked towards the exit with Han Ruoxue.

  He borrowed a book and walked out of the library. A gentle breeze blew, and Chen Daxing couldn't help but close his eyes and take a deep breath, with an intoxicated expression on his face.

  At this moment, Chen Daxing felt that his mind was extremely clear and awake, as if he could hear the breathing of all things, and had an illusion of being integrated with heaven and earth in the dark.

  "It seems this afternoon wasn't wasted after all!"

  Opening his eyes, a hint of a smile appeared on Chen Dashi's mouth. After this afternoon, his realm had improved a lot. He could feel that as long as he was willing, he could break through to the third-level martial artist realm at any time.

  It seems that in the future, I still have to read more books! Chen Dashi tightly grasped the two books in his hands. Although these Taoist scriptures look like they give people a headache, they actually contain many heavenly truths, including the true meaning of martial arts, which can be found from them. For his cultivation path, it is undoubtedly a great help.

  ——

  Thanks to book friend "Ice Wind Magic Universe" for 5.88 yuan reward, Gui Gu knocks in gratitude!

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