Chapter 1 The Sound of the Wind

This was a silent and boundless grassland. The verdant long grass was like an ocean, rolling and surging with the wind. A man and his children trudged across this endless land, heading towards the rising sun, a long journey without end.

The sky above the grassland was perpetually covered in dark clouds, but the light was not dim. The sun's radiance pierced through the heavy haze, still bright and warm. The clouds even weakened the sun's heat, allowing people to walk for a long time.

They were travelers who knew neither their destination, their end point, nor their reason for traveling. They didn't need food or rest, nor would they suffer any harm. The tall man walked slowly with the boy and girl, sometimes silent, sometimes speaking. What remained constant was this boundless grassland, seemingly verdant but actually barren.

Sometimes, the man would stop to discern the direction of the rising sun. Sometimes, the boy would stop to contemplate why they were moving towards the sun. Sometimes, the girl would stop to worry if all of this would ever end. They had questions for each other, they asked each other, but they couldn't find any answers. But they all continued to walk forward. If one person couldn't go on, the other two would cheer them on. If everyone couldn't go on, they would all rest together until they could continue.

Because they were a family. Although they had no memories and everything was hazy, they were a family, so they would keep moving forward.

[Father, why are we moving forward?] the boy asked. [What is the reason for all of this?]

[Dad, why are we going forward?] the girl asked. [What is the meaning of all of this?]

[I don't know, perhaps there is no reason or meaning to it all,] the man replied. He was always the leader, and although he had stopped to rest, he never lost his way. [But I want to move forward. Perhaps wanting is a reason, and moving forward itself is a meaning.]

The grassland was boundless. Even with infinite time, they couldn't walk even a fraction of its infinity.

However, even on this seemingly unchanging grassland, there were some man-made traces, or perhaps special spectacles.

In the process of moving forward, they saw many things: the remains of extinguished bonfires, ancient statues of gods. They saw a huge rift suddenly appear in the center of the grassland, the bottom of which was filled with a rushing river.

They saw the bones of beasts and men, none of which were broken or scattered. But they also saw things disappear. In the distance, they saw an ancient god sighing in the sky above the distant grassland, and then slowly disintegrating, turning into a torrential rain of spiritual light, washing over all things on the grassland.

[Will we shatter like that too?] Reaching out to catch the rain, the boy stared as the spiritual light dissipated in his palm, muttering to himself, [If, in the end, I don't like rain, can I turn into wind?]

The girl squinted, staring at the rainbow in the sky, and shook her head slightly. [I don't know... but I still want to keep walking.]

The man silently raised his head, looking up at the sky where the rain was falling. The silent grassland was filled with the rustling sound of the rain, as if he was holding an umbrella for a beautiful lady in the rain. A small umbrella naturally couldn't protect two people, and they were both soaked in the rain, but they were both smiling, laughing loudly.

This softened his gaze, and some long-forgotten memories surfaced in his mind. But soon, these memories faded away, and the man became serious again. He turned his head and said to the boy and girl, [It's time to continue.]

So they continued to walk, walking for a long time.

Because they didn't want to disappear yet, they shouldn't disappear.

Until they heard a voice.

"Do you remember who you are?"

The voice was gentle, but its core was as passionate as a flame. Just hearing the voice, it seemed possible to imagine its owner laughing and raging, because only fire could leap so joyfully, and only fire could burn so fiercely.

[...I don't remember.]

The man was the first to answer, frankly admitting, [Is it important?]

"It's not important," the fiery voice said. "It's enough if someone else remembers."

[What if no one else remembers either?] the boy asked. [Will we disappear?]

"No, you won't," the fiery voice said. "You won't if you don't want to."

[But what can we do if we don't disappear?] the girl asked. [Do we just keep walking like this?]

"Yes," the fiery voice said. "You can keep walking, as long as you keep wanting to, you can keep walking."

[Who are you?]

They asked in unison.

"I am Zhuzhou," the fiery voice replied, and then asked, "And who are you?"

Then they fell silent.

A long silence lasted for the time it took the sun to rise and fall seven times in the sky.

They really didn't remember.

"There are six stages of death," the voice of Zhuzhou said. "You are sinking."

"The death of fighting spirit makes the living like walking corpses."

"The death of the spirit makes the body like a plant."

"The death of the body makes the soul like a withered leaf."

"The death of the soul makes memory like floating dust."

"The death of memory causes existence to begin to collapse, like an extinguished fire."

"Finally, the death of existence is complete nothingness."

As the three showed expressions of terror, Zhuzhou laughed, "But don't worry, before nothingness, you can still wait."

"Wait until true nothingness descends equally upon the infinite myriad beings. That is the seventh heaven created by great love."

The voice of Zhuzhou said, "You have lost your fighting spirit, lost your spirit, and even forgotten your memories. No underworld can accommodate you. You are only one step away from nothingness."

"It's just that there are still people in the world who are thinking of your existence, and you yourselves haven't given up, so you can walk here."

[Where is this?] the man asked, confused. [Why are we here?]

"This is Samsara," Zhuzhou replied. "The place where all love gathers, all tears gather, all memories and existences are released in rotation, and the true spirit sets out again."

[I don't understand,] the boy shook his head. [We're just walking forward.]

"So you haven't started Samsara yet," Zhuzhou replied. "You are still clinging, unwilling to disappear."

"So you haven't disappeared, and you're still walking."

[What about the others?] the girl tilted her head. [There should be many people in Samsara, there shouldn't just be Dad and brother.]

"Apart from the cause and effect of birth, people are never necessarily connected in the world," Zhuzhou replied. "And haven't you already seen them? Those extinguished bonfires, broken camps, wide canyons, towering mountains, ancient statues of gods, and the gods who turned into rain. They are all there, and in their eyes, you are also a different sight."

Zhuzhou said, "You are not on the same line, just occasionally intersecting, sometimes for a long time, sometimes for a short time."

"In the distant future, the three of you will also separate, but not yet."

The wind blew across the grassland, and the silence was not abrupt amidst the clamor of the grass and trees, because a sound like a sea tide was swaying in the wind.

Zhuzhou was waiting patiently.

[Who still remembers us?] the man asked softly after a long silence, his voice trembling slightly. [I want to know.]

[I want to know too,] the boy raised his head, his eyes brightening.

[Yes, I want to know too,] the girl clutched her father's and brother's clothes.

Zhuzhou smiled.

"I won't answer that question," he said, and then raised his hand, pointing to the sky above the boundless wilderness, "But the heavens will answer your questions."

With that finger pointing to the sky, the clouds at the top of the sky began to surge. Cracks appeared in the heavy haze, and rays of bright sunlight, like sharp swords, also like stairs, fell from the dark clouds to the earth, turning into a winding, spiraling staircase leading straight to the top of the sky.

This staircase seemed to be making sounds, the sounds of pious prayers, of thoughts that could never be broken. Someone was using memories to maintain it, and someone else was using their divine power to strengthen it.

The staircase made of light was like a rope woven from spider silk, seemingly fragile and about to shatter and dissipate at any moment, but it was stubbornly strong beyond imagination.

"Go forward," Zhuzhou said. "You have always been moving forward, but there has never been a ladder for you to climb. Keep going, and you will get your answer."

[I don't understand,] the man hesitated for a moment. He looked up at the sky along the staircase, until his eyes ached. [The heavens never respond to us.]

"Now they will," Zhuzhou said. "But I will only help you this far. You have to walk the rest of the way yourself."

[I don't believe it, the heavens are always deceiving people,] the boy pouted, seeming a little sulky. [And even if we climb to the heavens, what can we do? This is too absurd.]

"The essence of all things is absurd," Zhuzhou replied. "But as long as you believe, it has meaning."

[What do we need to be careful of?] the girl blinked, staring at the staircase. [It's very fragile, I'm afraid.]

"Don't look back, don't look down. The soil is also fragile, but because you believe, it is strong," Zhuzhou laughed. "Keep walking, just like you used to walk forward."

"Oh, right," Zhuzhou reminded. "Even if you climb to the heavens, you still need to wait a long time."

"You have only left Samsara, you have not truly returned to the world, but don't worry, an old woman has already embarked on a journey for you."

"Although she is already very old, I believe she will definitely succeed, and use her own hands to snatch you back from death. I have already blessed her."

The man's heart throbbed, and his eyes finally became lively.

Although he still didn't remember who the person who made his heart throb was, there were still instinctive marks on his not-yet-completely-pure true spirit.

[Just...] He was a little embarrassed, but he still managed to say it, [Just a blessing?]

"I will do many things," Zhuzhou smiled. "But only in innovation, only in making your own destiny better, and only in changing the world will I give blessings."

"Because I am not worthy to define happiness for you, so please be sure to work hard. If you lose too many times in the battle to obtain happiness, I am afraid I will also be powerless."

The family of three looked at each other for a while, and they laughed.

The family members tidied each other's clothes, tied each other's shoelaces, combed each other's hair, straightened each other's collars, and restored their disheveled appearances from the long trek.

They didn't ask how many times they could lose.

They didn't plan to lose even once.

Soon after, the man, the boy, and the girl set off, and they stepped onto the staircase.

Zhuzhou stood on the grassland, looking up at them as they stepped onto the journey to the heavens step by step.

This was a very long journey, perhaps until the story ended, until the books rotted, until the poems chanted by time disappeared with the wind, they still would not have reached the high heavens.

But that didn't matter. They had already embarked on a journey named better, happier, and more perfect.

And just as Zhuzhou was watching all of this with a smile, the grassland began to vibrate slightly.

Heavy and deep, dark and compassionate, a gray mist that encompassed all things emerged from nowhere, as if something ancient and long-lasting, infinitely distant, was emerging from all things, lingering around Zhuzhou's body.

The gray mist surged, and endless spiritual sounds and names turned into the clamor of the boundless grassland, and a laughing voice sounded.

[Such a bad child,] He said, [To actually use the Seal of Samsara like this.]

"Samsara is for people to rob the execution ground," Zhuzhou replied easily, shaking his head. "Moreover, this is not a netherworld prison. They could have left anyway. I just blessed them."

[But still a bad child,] He chuckled. [You are breaking the order of Samsara.]

"Samsara is for surpassing and breaking," Zhuzhou also replied with a smile, but also seriously. "I always remember that."

Having received a satisfactory answer, the gray mist gradually receded. [Good child... no, I can't say that to you.]

Before leaving, He changed his words. [Continue your journey, Innovation.]

[I bless you.]

"Thank you very much." Nodding slightly, Zhuzhou then raised his head, turned into a ray of light, and flew towards the heavens.

And as he rose higher and higher, the endless grassland began to blur and change. It gradually transformed into another appearance, an incomparably grand structure, so large that it could not be seen to have edges or ends, so vast that it was more like it encompassed the multiverse rather than being located within it.

A thick gray mist surrounded the complex and profound structure, but it released a warm scent.

Too grand, too complex. The gray-black light emerged from it, penetrating the entire sealed multiverse, one of the thirteen rays of light.

That was the macro-structure called Samsara, tight, vast, surpassing space-time, cause and effect, and even the entire multiverse. Compared to it, the naturally born multiverse avenue was as weak and laughable as plasticine made by a slug.

But it was still just a simple tool, originally used to remember all names, and later to allow all names to be remembered.

The myriad things within it had not truly died, not waiting, but persistently moving forward, just like that family, they had not died. Their wives and mothers were still praying, remembering them. Only when no one in the entire multiverse could remember them would their true spirits be reborn.

And the souls that fell off the true spirits, everyone knew, were truly dead. All causes and effects had dissipated, and only nothingness could embrace such remains, until the infinite end, until the last person gave up.

The youth did not look back. The netherworld did not allow looking back. Since he was determined to leave, he had to leave.

Opening his eyes, Su Zhou used his Great Dao incarnation to gaze at the heavens of the world beyond the distant multiverse. A great sun pupil was gazing at him, and everything had only passed in an instant.

"Thank you."

He said easily, "I never expected that someone would actually give me a hand. Thank you, you must be a good person, right?"

"I guess we can shake hands?"