Volume Four: High Mountains and Flowing Water Chapter Thirty-Three: The Life of a Mortal

The path of learning is long and arduous, and students pursue their craft to secure a living. In this human world, there are no shortcuts to survival; one does not seek immortality, but rather the means to sustain oneself. Chen Chen has embarked on his life’s journey once more, a path that is long and distant.

Without the ability to survive, without any value to one's existence, there are times when even the simple act of breathing is met with disdain. This is a realistic world, neither cruel nor naive. Without accomplishment, survival is merely a handout from others. Living in such a pragmatic world, Chen Chen finds little mercy or pity. The journey is never easy for anyone; only through effort—persistent, relentless effort—can one’s life stretch further and reach toward success.

Passing by the school gate, Chen Chen sees the custodian, an elderly man, diligently sweeping away the debris. This is his job, the labor that sustains his existence. He does not let his advanced age or idle time cause his later years to wither away. He does not let the obscurity of life turn his days into a blur. That sense of purpose, the heavy weight of reality, is right before one's eyes.

As a representative of the new generation, Chen Chen considers the nature of his existence. He has yet to grasp the full length of the road beneath his feet or perceive the decades of accumulation that built the skyscrapers around him, but that does not mean the world is not functioning in precisely that way.

Chen Chen enters the school, where the flowers and grass sway in the breeze. Young students rush toward their studies one after another, their faces marked by a tender innocence, much like his own.

"Good morning, teacher!" As the language arts teacher enters the classroom, the students stand in unison to offer their greetings. The teacher gestures for them to sit. The students settle down, sitting upright and attentive, the noisy chatter fading away as they wait for the lesson to begin.

Chen Chen is a newcomer among this cohort, and there are many such classes in the primary school he attends. He retains fragments of memories from past lives, though the deeds of his former selves—those who could turn clouds into rain with a flick of the hand—have largely become things of the past. Life’s graceful journey can span many years in the blink of an eye; it can be so romantic and joyful, yet so agonizingly bitter.

Not every individual understands the gains and losses of every step. Those with knowledge proceed with calculated caution, gradually walking toward wealth and success. Those without it drift aimlessly, day after day, remaining unchanged. Physical strength is depleted, time is spent, resources are consumed, and savings are exhausted. Another day passes in mediocrity, as if merely surviving by the skin of one's teeth is enough.

In a classroom of over a hundred students, the teacher instructs them in reading and writing. Chen Chen, at the age of a young student, observes the endless green mountains and clear waters that have flowed for aeons. The endless stars flicker, the seasons shift, and another sixty-year cycle passes. Having died and been reborn, having transmigrated through the cycle of reincarnation to become human once more, Chen Chen recalls in a trance that in some past lives, he was as humble as a mayfly, as lonely as a wandering spirit without kin or companion.

In the vast human world, such a state is insignificance itself. Yet, in other lives, he has stood above all living things, where even the lowest creatures bowed before him, a lingering soul sharing the sky with the sun and moon, only to return through the hurried passage of time. In still other lives, he felt he was someone else, sinking into the human realm, where in countless incarnations, he was everywhere, yet he was not truly himself.

When the dream ends, the guests depart; when the dream ends, the soul returns. So it is with the floating life, a dream that leaves behind only remnants in the human world.

The forty-five-minute language lesson concludes, and the teacher departs with the textbooks. A class ends, leaving behind a few grains of genuine knowledge. The teacher leaves, and the students feel a lingering reluctance to let them go.

Chen Chen has acquired some basic literacy in that classroom. The twenty-six phonetic sounds, and the numbers from one to ten—these basic concepts, which adults find so trivial, serve as the steps for the novice to climb the ladder of the Great Way. These lessons will become the foundation of their academic progress, helping them grow until, one day, they have the ability to plant their own tree of life.

When the time is right, they will taste the fruits they planted. When the time is right, they will display their talents.

After the language lesson, other subjects follow. Chen Chen reflects as the teacher on the podium changes. Same location, same classroom, yet different instructors and different subjects. They say the strong do not worry about food, clothing, or shelter, while the weak are anxious about their next meal. Chen Chen does not dare to be arrogant or negligent. In the early stages of human life, one must strive to accumulate substance.

Although this mode of existence is monotonous and dry, it is better than those who, having gained a little, succumb to corruption and decay. The path before him is the only one he has, and he must walk it, unless he no longer wishes to strive like a human being. He must grow, becoming a person of utility. The world is never short of those who idle away their lives; only when one remains useful will the world continue to cultivate and retain such talent.

Or, if one does not accumulate and build a foundation in youth, then in later years, when one is in a foreign land—without parents to rely on, without friends to help, or even if friends are present, they are too powerless to aid in a crisis—the helplessness and despair would be profound. In such a society, building a foundation in one’s youth is best. At the very least, when the time comes to rely on one's accumulated talent to survive, it will be enough to overcome the challenges life brings.

Chen Chen opens his textbook, which is filled with knowledge to be learned. It is a mathematics book, covering the foundations of the subject: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9...

Since the birth of civilization, much has turned to the dust of history. In the history of the nineteen aeons, civilizations that once flourished, like the Maya or Atlantis, have left behind only remnants—the descendants of those who survived. Their cultural artifacts remain, and those bloodlines have slowly merged into new civilizations and races, continuing to propagate.

Chen Chen studies arithmetic diligently, though his current level is still far from the heights of those lost civilizations. Yet, mastering the basics allows him to stay slightly ahead of his peers and live the life he desires. He calculates as well—how much pocket money remains, how much time is left to meet the challenges to come.

The dream of the past, with its endless memories, has finally brought liberation. Do not linger on what is gone, and do not give up on those still struggling. Every actor who plays the role of "Chen Chen" has their limitations. One must not cross boundaries or deviate from one's own track of existence. Even if there is parting or death in the future, it is a destined occurrence, and one must simply live on with tenacity.

The name "Chen Chen" has appeared many times throughout the long years. Some were truly named Chen Chen, while others have long since exited the stage of history, turned into a grave, a mound of yellow earth. The current Chen Chen shares the name, yet he is simply the Chen Chen of today. He is distinct from them, a new Chen Chen.

The math class ends, and Chen Chen has grasped new knowledge. He learns the basic arithmetic methods and begins to understand new concepts. Those who played the role of Chen Chen in past lives have finally returned to their own lives. The new Chen Chen walks on, carrying a thread of obsession. In the human world, there are still regrets, unfulfilled wishes, lingering connections, and worldly attachments.

In his purest state, perhaps he is just the new Chen Chen. Those who were once named Chen Chen—who lived and died and now have graves—have finally returned to their resting places, now that they have confirmed that the new Chen Chen is a fresh, living entity. Perhaps the newborn Chen Chen has received the gift of knowledge from those past, both real and false.

Living in the human world, whether one leads a mundane life or becomes a legend, Chen Chen exists. From birth until today, he has bid farewell to the empty names and disturbances of all previous Chen Chens. He lives only as the Chen Chen of today, fulfilling the celestial, earthly, and human destiny of this name in this lifetime.

In the name of Chen Chen, he establishes himself in the world. He wards off the grievances and disturbances that the name brought in the past, becoming a clean and untainted new life.