Year after year, year after year.
In the blink of an eye, another ten years passed.
Three years ago, Su Dao died of old age. He left during the winter of that year. He struggled to get through that winter. He wanted to live for a few more months so that he could see the next year's willow catkins.
However, while his thoughts could comprehend the world, his body could not change the cycle between life and death. That winter was thick. Snowflakes danced all over the city. All of the rivers in Su City were covered in a thin layer of ice. He stared at the snowflakes falling from the sky as if they would last for an eternity.
Wang Lin pushed the wooden chair he was sitting on as he walked through the streets of Su City. Wang Lin, who was already close to the fourth floor, was filled with a sense of calmness and vicissitudes. He wore a white robe and silently pushed Su Dao as he walked.
The winter this year was especially cold. The falling snowflakes were blown by the cold wind and landed on the two of them.
Early in the morning, the bell of the Su Mountain Temple rang in the distance. The sound of the bell could cleanse one's heart.
"Lin 'er, I'm going to leave now …. I've never had any children in my life. Your three Elder Brothers have passed on a lot of principles to me, but you're the only one whose thoughts are similar to mine …. I know that you've already gained some enlightenment regarding Karma. Although it's still vague, you'll eventually understand it. What you need to pursue is not just Karma.
Master will give this mansion to you. "
Su Dao's voice was weak as it mixed with the wind and fell into Wang Lin's ears. Wang Lin silently pondered and sadness appeared in his eyes.
Su Dao had been with him for 17 years. During these 17 years, Wang Lin had grown from a teenager of 18 or 19 to a middle-aged man. Following Su Dao, Wang Lin had learned a lot, learned a lot, and understood a lot.
The snow was very heavy, and as the bell rang, the snow covered the world, the city of Su, and the street Wang Lin and Zhao Jiuge were on was completely covered.
The creaking sound of the wooden chair being pushed was so weak that it was almost undetectable. Only the two lines of marks on the ground could be seen. It was like life. When one looked back, one could see the beginning, but when one looked forward, one could not see the end.
Snowflakes fell and covered the two lines of marks on the ground. They gradually merged together, and even the starting point could not be seen.
"Send me … to Su Mountain outside the city …" Su Dao's aged voice was even weaker, but his eyes were bright. He looked at the sky and earth as if he could see the end of his life.
Wang Lin silently nodded and pushed the wooden chair. Creaking sounds could be heard as he slowly walked forward toward Su Dao's destination.
The snow was getting heavier and heavier. Facing the wind, he allowed the snowflakes to fall on his face, onto his hair. He allowed it to melt and turn into a cold that was transmitted into his heart.
Wang Lin pushed the wooden chair and walked out of the ancient street. He walked out of Su City. In the distance, he saw the small mountain outside Su City.
The mountain was not tall, but it had a spirit.
The god couldn't see, but when he closed his eyes, he could see every blade of grass and every tree on the mountain. He could feel the breath of the mountain in the cold wind. That was enough.
After following the bluestone covered mountain path to the peak, Su Daozheng slowly closed his eyes. He faintly felt that he could not hold on any longer, but his slightly closed eyes revealed the same bright light as seventeen years ago.
The eyes were the window to the heart. Su Dao's body would decay, but his thoughts, the path of his life, had already appeared and would never disappear.
"Carry me, go … there."
Su Dao's voice became even weaker. Wang Lin walked before him and carried Su Dao on his back. He followed the direction Su Dao pointed and walked out of the bluestone path. Under the snow, he walked step by step toward a place no one would go.
At the end of the path was a lonely grave. That grave existed in the snow as if it was waiting for something. It seemed like it had been waiting for decades until today.
Su Dao sat before the grave and looked at the tombstone. There were no tears in his eyes, only gentleness.
"I'm here … You said you wanted to always look at me, so I buried you here so you could always look at me at home."
Su Dao murmured as he touched the tombstone. His old face gently pressed against the tombstone and he forgot the coldness.
Or it could be said that the coldness of the tombstone turned into warmth in his heart.
He slowly closed his eyes. There was a gentle smile on his face and he stopped breathing … Su Dao, returned to the ruins.
Wang Lin stood there for a long time. He turned around and looked at the foot of the mountain behind him. From this position, he could see the city of Su and Su Dao's mansion.
A powerful sense of melancholy filled Wang Lin's heart. He was confused. He was still thinking about what kind of existence this world was.
Was it his previous life, his reincarnation, or was it a dream?
However, no matter which one it was, it was impossible to clearly explain everything. It was as if the eternal circle between true and false made it impossible to find the beginning and the end.
Half a month after the seventeenth year, another grave appeared next to the lonely grave on Su Mountain. They were no longer alone.
Three years after Su Dao's death, Wang Lin was 39 years old.
His parents were also brought here from the mountain village many years ago. However, his parents were used to life in the mountain village and were not used to the city of Su. After living there for a few months, they returned to their hometown and lived an ordinary life in the mountain village.
In the winter of the year Wang Lin was 39 years old, Wang Lin stood in the courtyard and looked at the falling snow when he received an imperial edict from the Emperor of Zhao.
This was the fifth imperial edict in the three years after Su Dao's death.
The contents of the five imperial edicts were roughly the same, but the words were more flowery than the last. All of them wanted Wang Lin to go to the capital and become the Emperor's tutor.
In 20 years, Wang Lin's name rose among the people of Zhao. Although he never left the city of Su, every year, the scholars would come to visit him and listen to his teachings.
All of this was related to Su Dao, but at the same time, it was also related to Wang Lin himself. In these 20 years, some officials, nobles, scholars, and scholars were all convinced by Wang Lin's words.
Everyone knew that Wang Lin was Su Dao's successor. Especially after Su Dao's death, this point was deeply engraved in people's hearts.
However, nothing was absolute. There were still a lot of people who didn't approve of Wang Lin's existence. They believed that Wang Lin was not worthy of being called a great scholar, and the Emperor of Zhao was the leader of this group.
Before Su Dao's death, there were only scattered voices, but in the three years after Su Dao's death, there were more and more voices, and they became louder and louder.
In the end, during the three years that Wang Lin was silent, these voices became voices of doubt.
Wang Lin didn't care about this kind of thing. He lived a peaceful life with Big Fortune as his companion.
Wang Lin's silence made those who doubted him even more presumptuous. They admitted that Wang Lin was Su Dao's disciple, but they believed that Wang Lin was someone who fished for fame and was not worthy of being called a scholar.
Under the influence of people with ulterior motives, this matter slowly became more intense. Even such voices appeared in the entire country of Zhao.
As for this, Wang Lin continued to ignore it. He watched the sun rise and set, watched the changing of spring and autumn, comprehended the heaven and earth, understood cause and effect, and searched for signs of life and death and true and false. He searched for the beginning and end of everything.
Even though he was also confused, he continued to experience life.
He didn't want to pay attention to these complicated matters, and he didn't want to prove anything. To him, these things were meaningless. They were like children playing and arguing.
However, the more he was silent, the louder the voices became. What was even more fatal was that of Su Dao's other three disciples, other than Su San, who was already old and sick, the other two all stood out and questioned Wang Lin.
As a result, the Country of Zhao was in chaos, and even the common people were affected. The voices were like a storm that swept across the country of Zhao.
There were even people who found Wang Lin's exam papers from 20 years ago and began to criticize him. They used the excuse that Wang Lin was only an Elementary Scholar and arrogantly criticized him.
Under such chaotic voices, the imperial edicts from the capital of the Country of Zhao came for the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth time, all directed at Wang Lin.
What was even more excessive was that it affected Wang Lin's parents. His parents were already old and could have spent their remaining years in peace and be respected. However, due to the constant clamor, even the drivers in the mountain village somehow found out about this. As the rumors spread, the people in the mountain village began to point at Wang Lin's parents, causing them to feel anger in their hearts.
The old man was already old, and under this anger, Wang Lin's father fell ill.
In the winter of this year, Wang Lin stood in the yard with a letter in his hand. This letter was written by his mother and asked his Fourth Uncle to send someone to deliver it.
In the letter, she told Wang Lin that his father was fine.
As he read the letter again and again, a hint of anger slowly appeared in Wang Lin's calm eyes.
Wang Lin folded the letter and put it in his pocket. He looked at the falling snow and slowly said, "It's a bit too much."
He originally had no intention of proving anything. No matter how loud the voices of the Country of Zhao were, it wouldn't move him at all. The word "Confucian" was an empty title and he didn't care.
He was like an old man who just wanted to slowly comprehend the world.
However, there was a limit to everything. Wang Lin's bottom line was his parents.
His parents' anger, his parents' pain, and his parents' sorrow were Wang Lin's anger, his Wang Lin's pain, and his Wang Lin's sorrow.
"Dafu, make the arrangements. I want to give lectures for 10 years. Within 10 years, I welcome people from all over the world to come to Su City to discuss with me.
If anyone thinks they have surpassed me, then they can take this mansion from my hands. "Wang Lin waved his sleeve and left.
Behind him was the old Dafu. Just like 20 years ago, his expression was filled with excitement. During these three years, he had also been extremely angry. Those who were respectful to him in the past not only gradually distanced themselves from him, but they also began to speak to him coldly.
Today, after hearing Wang Lin's words, he was filled with pride and anticipation. He quickly went to make the arrangements.
"Hmph, my young master is still the most heroic. 10 years of lectures. Hehe, I want to see the expressions of those who caused trouble after failure."