Brother Nine went straight to the point. Through special training and practical operations, you are now qualified for most of the work in the universe. We have a special mission for you today.
I said casually that it didn't matter. As long as I had the Metauniverse as my backing, I could complete any mission.
Brother Nine smiled a little helplessly and said," We can't be your backup for today's mission. We're also looking for the reason. Before the problem is solved, you might need to complete this mission alone."
I asked curiously. What was going on? Why was it so mysterious?
Brother Nine said directly that today's mission was related to me. When we were conducting a routine inspection of the time and space, we discovered that there were abnormal movements in the time and space around me. When we wanted to continue investigating the truth, we discovered that the spacetime was sealed. Some of our detection tools and spacetime methods were all ineffective. We didn't know what happened there. We also found a wormhole near Laozi. We speculate that there should be an unruly space-time traveler who transmitted his consciousness to Laozi's era through this wormhole and lurked around Laozi.
Why did he do that? I asked curiously.
If we're not wrong, he wants to take away the other book,'Theory of Technique'.
What was 'Theory of Technique'? What was the use of taking it away?
Laozi has two works in total. One is the Tao Te Ching that you are familiar with, and the other is this Skill Theory. I won't explain too much about the Tao Te Ching. Technology Theory was a book that surpassed modern civilization. Many of the contents involved the secrets of the universe and level 2 civilizations. This technology theory must not be circulated before it was decrypted, or it would cause serious space-time chaos.
I asked suspiciously," Who am I? How does he know about a level-2 civilization?" Besides, wasn't it better for a civilization to be more advanced? Why would the introduction of an advanced civilization cause so much trouble?
I have more secrets. I'm sorry, but we can't unlock them yet. You just need to know that he's not a mortal. " As for the introduction of more advanced civilizations into the real world, there have been people who have tried this before, but they have all failed and suffered a catastrophe.
Someone tried this?
The Mayans had once tried to transform society by using a civilization that surpassed reality, but they had no choice but to disappear after failing. I'll show you an unencrypted video later. In the video, it's an experimental video of an advanced civilization that violated the laws of development and was projected into ancient China by a large computer. The results there would answer the questions in your heart. Sometimes, advanced technology was much more destructive than barbaric weapons. The simplest example was that cold weapons and conventional weapons were not that scary, but nuclear weapons, dark matter, and antimatter weapons were unbearable for humans. This was why both Tesla and Einstein burned the manuscripts.
I continued to ask, what advanced technology did Einstein and Tesla leave behind in the manuscript? Why destroy it?
I'll tell you what I left behind in the future. There were many reasons for the destruction, but the biggest reason was the awe of advanced technology. Let's get back to the main topic. We've already reached an agreement with Laozi that only the Tao Te Ching will be passed down to the world. As for the technical theory, it can't be announced before it's decrypted. But now that the spacetime is sealed, we suspect that the unruly space-time traveler must have gone after that skill book. Right now, we can only use the only wormhole to send your consciousness to Yi Xi at Hangu Pass. They should still pass through Hangu Pass, so that is the best place to stop the unruly time traveler from obtaining the skill. Since that time and space is sealed, we may not be able to contact each other after you arrive at Hangu Pass, nor will we be able to use some of our techniques. Therefore, you may have to fight alone many times. The task is very difficult, so you have to be mentally prepared.
How can I know who the unruly space-time traveler is? Will he transfer his consciousness to me?
That's impossible. I've said it before. I'm not a mortal. We can't transfer your consciousness to me. That unruly traveler probably doesn't have that kind of technology. As for who the unruly traveler is, you need to judge for yourself and adapt accordingly.
I asked one last question. Since that spacetime was sealed, would I be in danger? Would I not be able to return? Besides, we can't use advanced technology. I don't have a chance of winning if that time traveler uses advanced technology.
We've also considered this and conducted many experiments. We discovered that the only wormhole can only transmit consciousness, but it can't transmit advanced technology. I believe that this was deliberately set up by the unruly space-time traveler. As for whether you are in danger or not, I can tell you responsibly. Of course not. Although that time and space has been sealed, it can't be sealed for a long time. We are currently investigating the reason, and I believe that it will be resolved soon, so you won't be in danger.
I let out a long sigh of relief and said, I now completely trust you. Can I watch that video now?
Of course.
The video was only five minutes long. The first segment was about how the Mayan civilization used advanced civilizations to transform society and how the Mayan civilization disappeared from the surface of the earth. The second paragraph was about how an advanced civilization was suddenly projected into ancient China. The first paragraph was indeed very good. People accepted new technology, and their production efficiency was greatly improved. They invented many advanced tools and calendar, and also discovered many mysteries of the universe. The people were happy and the country was rich and strong. All of this was better than expected, but later on, sorry, all of this involved the environment, ethics, and even human survival problems brought about by technology.
I can't decipher the above for the time being, so I can only keep you in suspense.
A minute later, my consciousness was transferred to Yi Xi, the commander of Hangu Pass. As far as I know, Yi Xi was also a very great philosopher. After Yi Xi obtained the Tao Te Ching, he went into seclusion and focused on studying it. His contributions should also be remembered by future generations.
Let's not talk anymore. Let's get back to the main topic. My clothes were similar to those of the Shang Dynasty. I had a few personal guards by my side, but they obviously didn't notice anything unusual. It's afternoon now, so I called over an official called Lei Wen, who is similar to the head of the guards. I briefly asked him about the situation in the city recently, and then got to the main topic. I asked him to send people to guard all the gates of Hangu Pass. In the near future, an old man riding a green bull will come to Hangu Pass. I must invite him to my side as soon as possible.
Levin seemed to be a straightforward person. He didn't ask much and went down to make arrangements. This saved him the trouble of explaining things to him.
There was still some time before the sky turned dark, so I asked the guards around me to bring me around on the grounds of patrolling. Hangu Pass is now a holy land of Taoism, located in Lingbao City of Henan Province. However, it was obviously not prosperous when I came here. There were also some small merchants and pedestrians on the street, but it was not prosperous or lively. Some people saw us coming to the street and pointed at us from afar, but they did not seem to be afraid of us.
I came to the city wall again. The city wall looked very strong, but it was not neat. There was a sentry post every five steps and a sentry post every ten steps on the city wall. There were more than a hundred soldiers standing there. When they saw me coming, they all stood far away with their hands down as a form of respect for me. I told everyone to do their own jobs and make yourselves at home.
After everyone agreed, they went to their own places. There was clearly no war going on right now, and everyone seemed very calm.
I leaned against the city wall and looked west. It was even more desolate there. There was no life in the yellow soil and black mountains. The sun was setting now. The sunset glow in the western sky and the desolate scenery outside the city complemented each other. It was a pity that I didn't have Yi Xi's talent. Otherwise, I might have been able to leave behind some classic poems. For some reason, such a scene easily made people have the urge to plan their lives properly. It was as if they could have a deeper understanding of the world and produce some philosophical thoughts.
It's already dinner time. When I returned to Yi Xi's residence, the servants had already prepared the dishes. The dishes were mostly meat, and the cooking was simple. There weren't many condiments. There were also some almonds, which were obviously after-meal fruits. I took two simple bites and let them take it down.
I was just about to return to my bedroom to rest when Lei Wen hurriedly ran in. He said that when the city gates were about to close at night, an old man with a green ox cart and his two disciples came to the city gates. They seemed to be the people I was looking for. They had already been invited to the entrance hall of Yi Xi's mansion for me to make a decision.
I quickly got up and jogged to the entrance hall. An old man sat in the main seat of the hall, and two young people stood behind him. The old man's hair and beard were all white, and he had a kind expression. He was wearing a light blue robe. His clothes were simple, but they were especially clean. This is Laozi without a doubt. I went up to kneel and said,"Old man, you have worked hard. I hope you can forgive me for not welcoming you."
Laozi quickly got up and held his hands and said,"Your Excellency is too polite. I am just a commoner. General, you don't have to be too formal."
I quickly said, Sir's name is like thunder piercing my ears. Today you can come to our Hangu Pass, it really brings light to our humble Hangu Pass. Sir, why don't you move to my living room for a chat?
I was stunned for a moment before nodding. With the help of two young men behind me, I slowly followed Levin and I to the living room of the General's Estate. It was already winter, and there was a stove in the living room. It was as warm as spring. I let Laozi sit in the main seat, and Laozi sat down after being polite. The two young men stood behind me again. I looked at them and cupped my hands. I wonder who these two are?
Laozi replied,"These two are my disciples. The taller one is the senior brother named Ziyi, and the shorter one is the junior brother named Xingxiang." They were worried about me going out alone, so they always served me and accompanied me. I greeted the two of them one by one and asked them to sit down together. I sat opposite them.
I asked them if they had eaten dinner. I said that they had already eaten, so I didn't stand on ceremony.
I asked Levin and the guards to leave the study and stand guard from afar. Without my orders, no one is allowed to approach. Laozi and his two disciples had an imperceptible look of caution on their faces. I ignored him and continued to treat him politely.
After some small talk, my eldest disciple, Zi Yi, who had been silent all this while, looked at me with a scrutinizing gaze and said," Don't beat around the bush. You're not Yi Xi at all. You'd better do your homework when you come from the Yuan Universe. What's the point of bringing light to my humble abode? That's what the Yuan Dynasty said." If I'm not wrong, you were sent by the universe to supervise my teacher.
It seemed that Ziyi was the unruly time traveler. " That's good. I don't have to lay the foundation for my identity anymore. I told Laozi directly," Senior, I'm indeed not the real Commander-in-Chief Yi Xi. I'm an Emissary Yuan. The purpose of my visit this time is to fulfill my promise with the Primordial Universe Committee and not let the techniques spread to the world..."
Before I could finish, Ziyi stopped me. She turned to me and said," Master, it seems that the Meta-Universe Committee still doesn't believe you. They even sent people to monitor you."
I quickly replied," Of course not. I came here because I discovered that someone had come to this era without permission. Their goal was obviously that technique manual, but that technique manual couldn't be passed down to the world yet."
Ziyi ignored me and continued to tell Laozi," Master, your hard-earned work has been destroyed just like that. I feel sorry for you."
I also rushed to tell Laozi that Teacher's painstaking efforts would definitely be passed down to the world, but not now. If this scripture was published too early, it would not bring about eternal fame, but it was very likely to cause endless harm.
Ziyi no longer tried to persuade Laozi, but told me directly," I'm tired of hearing about the rules of development of things, about how early contact with advanced civilizations will lead to disaster." And they'll definitely say that I'm an unruly traveler, right?
I didn't expect him to admit it so quickly. I'll be honest with him. You're right. The Metauniverse Committee has indeed defined you as an unruly time traveler. I also agree with the Metauniverse Committee. Ancient Egypt, Maya, and Atlantis all came into contact with advanced civilizations too early, causing the order of time and space to be chaotic and eventually heading for extinction.
Ziyi was not convinced. She said coldly," The human civilization is not even a level one civilization. The level two or even higher civilizations in outer space are fine. Why can't Earth accept a level two civilization?" Moreover, just because their civilization could not do it did not mean that the Chinese civilization could not do it either.
I was a little angry and snapped, are you going to use civilization as an experiment? Are you sure you can succeed? Can you bear the responsibility if you fail? Have you deduced the outcome of this?
My series of imposing questions gave me the upper hand. Laozi was also looking at his so-called disciple, Zi Yi, with an inquiring gaze.
Ziyi was speechless for a moment, but she still wanted to quibble. I waved my hand and said," Don't say anymore. You've told me too much along the way. Perhaps my work shouldn't have appeared too early."
With that, I took out a bamboo scroll from my bag. After looking at the bamboo slip, he said,"It seems that I have to destroy it myself." After saying that, he pretended to throw the bamboo slips into the furnace. At this time, Ziyi no longer cared about the so-called master-disciple relationship. He suddenly stood up and came to Laozi's side. I also quickly stood up and blocked between him and Laozi. Ziyi was completely anxious. He reached out to push me away. I grabbed his hands and we entangled with each other. Ziyi shouted," Xingxiang, what are you still standing there for? Don't let Master burn the bamboo slips. Hurry up and take away that scripture." Ziyi said take, but in fact, she was snatching.
I was completely stunned. It turned out that they didn't send one person over, but two people. At first, Xingxiang was a little embarrassed and said," Master, although we are not your real disciples, we really admire you. These days, we have been persuading you to publish that scripture to the public for the sake of Master's eternal reputation. We have no ill intentions. Why are you so stubborn?"
'I said, stop talking. I've been thinking about this question these days. I still can't let civilization take the risk.' After saying that, he was about to throw the bamboo slip into the furnace.
When Xingxiang saw that Laozi was really going to burn the bamboo slips, he no longer hesitated and went forward to snatch the bamboo slips. The four of us were entangled together. Ziyi and I were no longer polite and completely intertwined. Laozi and Xingxiang were still more civilized. We just grabbed the bamboo slips and refused to let go. Without any high-tech means, we can only rely on brute force to solve the problem.
Although Yi Xi was a Hangu Pass commander, his strength was obviously not enough. I can only maintain it. We are clearly at a disadvantage. I suddenly remembered that Lewin and my guards were still outside. I hurriedly shouted,"Lewin, hurry up and help."
Fortunately, Levin wasn't too far away. He arrived at the living room in a short while, but he was the only one there. However, one of them is good. I quickly ordered, Lei Wen, quickly protect the teacher and snatch the bamboo slips.
Lei Wen didn't answer, but went forward and grabbed the bamboo slips. Lei Wen was a military officer after all, so he was stronger than us. He snatched the bamboo slips from Laozi and Xingxiang's hands.
I finally let out a sigh of relief. The four of us were no longer entangled. I ordered Levin to burn the bamboo slips.
To my surprise, Lei Wen smiled at me and said,"Lord Yi, no, Emissary Yuan, you definitely wouldn't have guessed that we had sent a total of three people to snatch this strange book." Originally, we wanted Ziyi and Xingxiang to instigate a rebellion on the road, but Mr. Lao Zi didn't give in. I wanted to transfer my consciousness to Yi Xi, but Yi Xi's consciousness was encrypted by the universe, so I could only use Lei Wen's. Now, it seems that we can only resort to force. Although there were some twists and turns, the outcome was still good. Oh, right, your guards have already been knocked out by my sleeping pills. Their lives will not be in danger, but they will need to sleep for a day or two. After saying that, they opened the bamboo slips and began to look through them.
I was so angry that I quickly went up to snatch it, but the quilt stopped me. We rubbed together again. I shouted, but no one helped.
Laozi sat at the side and shook his head helplessly. At this moment, Levin and Xing Xiang had already run out of the manor and disappeared without a trace. Zi Yi saw them walk far away and suddenly pushed me away. Then, he bowed down and said to Laozi," Although I'm not the real Zi Yi, I really admire you. I'm sorry for today." After saying that, he strode away.
After a few steps, I knew that it was impossible to catch up with them. I could only return dejectedly. My mission had failed. " I'm also blaming the Metauniverse Committee for not doing their homework. How could I possibly deal with three of them alone?
I'm still in the living room. After the panic just now, I'm much better now. The only thing that consoled me now was that I could see such a Sage in such an environment.
Laozi saw my sad face and advised,"You've already done your best, let nature take its course." This sentence echoed his usual style.
Indeed, I'm already powerless to reverse the situation. The rest will have to be thought of by the Metauniverse Committee. Since he was already here, he should just take it as it was. This mission was not completely meaningless. After all, for any modern person, being able to see me was enough to make them excited and satisfied.
The Metauniverse Committee still hasn't summoned my consciousness back through the only wormhole. I could ask this old man whom I admired endlessly for advice. Thinking of this, I humbly knelt down and said,"I shocked you just now. You're not injured, right?"
Laozi smiled and shook his head.
I continued. Although my mission failed, there might be other ways in the universe. It's a blessing that you're not hurt.
Laozi was very easy-going. He started to ask all kinds of questions about me, and I answered them one by one. Slowly, I began to enjoy the atmosphere of talking with Laozi. I struck while the iron was hot and said that I admire you very much. Can I ask you a few questions face to face? The old man was obviously more relieved than me. He smiled and said,"Of course."
I have a question. I have read your Tao Te Ching. The opening of the Tao Te Ching says that Tao can be said to be Tao, unordinary Tao, name can be named, and unordinary name. However, Tao Te Ching is expressed in the form of Tao and name. Is it also like what you said about the Tao Te Ching?
Lao Tzu said,"My original words are not like this. My original words are that Tao can be Tao, but not eternal Tao. Name can be name, but not eternal name." These were the words I had specially left for this world. These two sentences were also the eternal truth. The main meaning was…Dao and name could be summarized, but they were like the universe, endless. Just like how humans in reality could only observe the quantum entanglement and double-slit interference, they could never explain the true secrets. No matter what, humans, including the Spacetime Concept, could not exhaust their Dao and name. When humans reached a certain stage of development, they could only use a certain level of Dao and name to guide their thoughts and actions.
As expected, he was not an ordinary person. He even knew quantum theory and double-slit interference.
I asked why humans could never explain the double-slit interference and quantum entanglement.
It was very simple. It was a rule that another dimension had set for this dimension. Rules could not be explained.
What is the other dimension you are referring to?
Lao Tzu smiled and said nothing.
What kind of explanation is this? I didn't understand it at all. I could only change the topic and ask. Your Tao Te Ching used a lot of negative words. Therefore, many people think that letting nature take its course and governing by inaction in the Tao Te Ching are a little negative. What do you think?
This was a misunderstanding of my words. My view was to govern by doing nothing and let nature take its course. This was not negative. It was only natural for people to work at sunrise and rest at sunset. If they still rested after sunrise, it would be negative and violate the law of development. Therefore, people should work hard when they should work hard and struggle when they should. This was called letting nature take its course. The Tao Te Ching was a precious spiritual wealth accumulated by humans at a certain stage. For those who had some experience, at least those who could understand the Tao Te Ching. The Tao Te Ching had great guiding significance for these outlooks on life. The excessive use of the word 'no matter' was to let those who understood the Tao Te Ching feel relieved and know how to let go. However, for a young man who was ignorant of the world and a young man who had no desires and was passive in the world, the Tao Te Ching was of little significance.
To put it bluntly, I am just a young man who doesn't know the world. I felt that this statement was too fresh, so I couldn't agree or refute it. I could only ask, what do you think of the dispute between Confucianism and Taoism in the future?
Lao Tzu smiled bitterly." In our time, Confucius and I both felt that our thoughts were different in many ways, but we both respected each other's views. We complemented each other more than slandering and contradicting each other. However, in later generations, there were indeed many contradictory thoughts in Confucianism and Taoism. Many of them were imposed on us by later generations. For example, I never said that I would be absolutely benevolent. Benevolence was almost exclusive to Confucius. I also had the expression of benevolence in my thoughts, but it was not as profound as Confucius 'benevolence.
With my level, I can only look up at these two sects from the bottom of the pit. I don't dare to evaluate them. So, I continued to say,"Many people now say that your thinking is similar to the Western liberal thinking and feminine thinking. Do you agree with this view?"
Lao Tzu said: For individuals, there are many similarities. However, my thoughts and pursuit are mainly about the freedom and nature of the entire society. There are still many differences between freedom and freedom in the West. In addition, my thoughts weren't designed for women, but there were indeed many characteristics that were soft and gentle. Actually, women's wisdom was also great wisdom. They seemed to be more emotional and less rational, but they were more suitable for life and survival...
To be honest, it was quite stressful for a mortal like me to talk to a Saint because I didn't understand many things. I could only pick up what I could understand and record them down. After chatting for a while, I said that it was a pity that I still hadn't completed the mission. I really didn't know what would happen.
Laozi smiled bitterly and took out the bamboo slip of Tao Te Ching from his bag and put it on the table. Then, he took out a silk book from his undergarment. To me, I was actually a little reluctant to part with this skill discussion book, but now it seemed that he was really a big problem. With that, he threw the silk book into the fire. I looked at Laozi in surprise.
I said, don't be surprised, that's fake.
I said, then what did they take away? I remember that Levin even took a look at it, but they didn't realize that it was fake.
Laozi said that the book was also very advanced, but it was not a technical theory. They did not have high-tech means to support it, so it was not easy to see through it.
It seems that my mission did not fail, but it doesn't matter whether I come or not. Sir didn't violate the agreement with the Meta-Universe Committee. I pushed the Tao Te Ching in front of me and said," Without you, I wouldn't have been able to get rid of them so easily. My guess is correct. They have already returned to their era through the wormhole." My true disciples, Ziyi and Xingxiang, are already waiting for me outside. It's time for me to leave Hangu Pass and continue my journey.
I asked where you were going after leaving Hangu Pass.
Laozi replied,"The names of my two disciples are where I belong." It's time for you to go back. After you go back, ask the Meta-Universe Committee to fix the loophole as soon as possible. I don't want to be disturbed again.
I took a deep bow and asked,"Will we still have a chance to meet again?"
Laozi smiled and said," Of course, I also like to visit the original universe when I'm free."
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