Volume Two: Taking a Quest Chapter Ten: The Meaning of Life

From the Ghost Gate of the Underworld to the Realm of the Evil Dragon, Chen Chen has experienced much. Within the Ghost Gate of the Underworld lie his once-beautiful memories and a past he cannot easily sever. Yet, that was ultimately the starting point for him to bid farewell to the past and embark on a new life.

That lingering past was merely the story of a middle-aged man who once held sway over the world. The Chen Chen of those days still had many attachments and cherished memories, but that was, after all, a previous life—another span of time he had once lived through. Though it was a hurried struggle for survival, it was, for the most part, an indelible chapter in the mottled life of an ordinary man.

To let go of the past and lay down what once was—that is, in the end, only the memory of another. To the new Chen Chen, those bygone days have long since been divided into "before" and "after" at the Ghost Gate of the Underworld.

What is true, and what is false? Some pasts are merely the pasts of others. And as for who he is—perhaps he is but an actor, currently playing the role of Chen Chen. Like the him of yesterday, the him of today, and the him of tomorrow—yet is he always the same "him"? Even if it were the same individual, had others walked into the story in the past, believing themselves to be that very person? Or did they realize only in the end that much of it was merely a dream? A very simple dream, a performance of pretense, perhaps a mere coincidence, or perhaps just a fated encounter.

Everything is indescribably marvelous, and it is sheer luck to have met just so. A chance encounter, a chance for variety, a chance to have had many people by one's side. Or perhaps, to have once been lonely and adrift. In a foreign land, seeking one's own dwelling, or perhaps striving to find one's own belonging. Famous mountains and great rivers always have their masters, so one packs their bags and heads to distant lands. How many truly wish to return home? And how many, in the midst of aimless drifting, slowly come to understand the reality of survival, realizing that behind many frustrations lies nothing more than destitution? Or perhaps it is simply that, along the way, one was not sufficiently prepared to attain all that one desired.

Human affairs are complex and manifold. Drifting through the world, one feels the presence of many guests when in power, and the desertion of friends when power is lost. The heavens and earth are ancient and vast, and the Six Paths are ever-turning in reincarnation. The current Chen Chen has, at last, completed his own journey, moving forward with much in tow and much growth within.

Perhaps one day, he will understand where he came from and where he must return. When he falls into stillness once more and opens his eyes again, he may be able to sigh, "I have returned," rather than being immersed in the story or lost in the beautiful illusions constructed by others.

The Realm of the Evil Dragon, without one noticing, has become the Realm of the Divine Dragon. Perhaps some shifts, some redistributions, have allowed for a new balance between the Ghost Gate of the Underworld and the former Realm of the Evil Dragon. The Underworld is, after all, the Ghost Gate, a gate where ghosts and wandering souls reside. Though the Evil Dragon bears the intent of a dragon, its ultimate purpose is to sustain life.

The order of life and death must be observed; the entanglement of the two is, in the end, a matter of affection. The order of life sustains life until death; the order of death, when the time comes, eventually leads back to life. At the entrance of the Ghost Gate of the Underworld, a sign was eventually posted: "No Entry for the Living." Perhaps this place had only recently been established, or perhaps everyone was quietly waiting for the emergence of successors satisfactory to each realm.

Within the Ghost Gate, some eventually chose to cultivate the Three Good Paths, seeking liberation from the Underworld. Some attained the path of humanity, some the path of the Asura, and some the path of the heavens. Others, perhaps due to their inherent nature or because their malice had not yet been purged, were reborn into the Animal Path of the Three Evil Paths. Though this was less than ideal, they at least attained a physical form—a body they might have envied long ago. In that lifetime when their souls had nowhere to rest, they finally attained the physical form they longed for, finding their salvation.

Whether of the Three Good Paths or the Three Evil Paths, each is but a station on the great road of life and death, following a smooth path forward. Perhaps one does not know when one might appear, drifting and wandering, in the next path. To walk smoothly is the primary choice; as for those drifting, unsettled lives, that is mostly the trickery of fate. To survive in a stable life, without disrupting order or the wheel of the Dao—that is the goal.

Chen Chen is, at times, a member of the world of the living. As such, he must continue to strive to maintain his livelihood and conduct what business he can. In the world of the dead, there are also those who wish to earn a living; once they are granted the grace of a powerful being to enter the cycle of reincarnation, do they not then become members of the living world?

In these days, Chen Chen sometimes observes the celestial phenomena at night, watching the shifting of the Seven Stars and the movement of the stars and constellations. The sun, moon, and stars remain in their orbits, and every galaxy follows its established order and trajectory, moving with methodical precision. In every stage, there is an independent "him," an independent Chen Chen, limited to each specific episode. It is irreplaceable and unalterable—an independent life experience, lived one stage at a time. Once it has passed, there is no place for regret, and even less room to let others walk into his lifeline, his emotional thread, or his career path.

When the plot reaches the right moment, turning into a beautiful tale of a pair living together in harmony, one must continue forward in peace and fulfillment. A beautiful tale is hard to come by; perhaps one of the thoughts that keeps one surviving is simply having a companion by one's side. That companion is kind, relatively loyal, and regardless of the outcome, it was the choice each made at the beginning. Once a happy union is formed, it naturally gains the witness of heaven and earth. Such celebrations have been passed down since long ago. Back then, there were no such things as marriage certificates, yet those who persisted were ultimately a pair upholding the will of heaven and earth.

Chen Chen began to live the life of an ordinary person, without any excessive flair. In the novice village, having work to do—that is the best business of all. During the day, Chen Chen follows the others into the mountains to gather medicinal herbs, working hard; the amount of money earned is secondary. The most important thing is having a trade, like the wild Job's tears occasionally found in the mountains, the beautiful honeysuckle in bloom, or the myriad kinds of spiritual herbs.

Years have passed since then, and medicinal herbs remain the most common product of the mountains; the key is sustainable production. By continually sowing a few seeds, perhaps in the near future, they will take root and sprout, adding a new plant to the harvest. There is no need to seek far and wide, no need to run about in search of survival. I have heard of powerful beings who carried a single root of a celestial herb or a spiritual medicine, struggling to survive in foreign realms. Perhaps they were once invincible, or were waiting for the herb to bear spiritual fruit, or simply trying to maintain their existence.

Life is not easy for all beings; they toil for trade, they toil for a new life. Forsaking the ethereal methods of distant lands, they find the manifestations of heaven and earth right before their eyes. Chen Chen has begun his day-to-day labor and way of life again. Perhaps, without him noticing, a beauty has taken a liking to him, yet the gains and losses are always found in the struggle and the choosing.

To keep one's duty, to do one's work well, to guard one's beloved, and to cherish one another—the nature of men is mostly the same, yet how many can truly understand the shifting fates of the world and the intertwined destinies of all beings? As life moves forward, how many can hold onto the things or people they wish to protect? In the end, it is merely a matter of who possesses greater strength. Once two people have committed to each other, those who would disrupt that wedding or break that bond are simply unforgivable. As for a marriage certificate, that, too, is sometimes an indispensable item.

Life goes on, stage after stage; how many things go as one wishes? Forsaking the three thousand vanities of the world, one longs only for a lifetime of mutual devotion. Chen Chen did not stay long in the novice village. The stories of that place, or the territory held there, could continue to produce much of what is needed for survival. The deep soil there might still offer chances to take root and sprout. Or perhaps, with a simple reach, one could gather the provisions needed to sustain life. After all this, Chen Chen continues to accept tasks; he must keep striving, to complete his true life in the place where he has the ability to survive.