Chapter 90: The Great Path of Demon Sealing, a Concept Like a Scripture
The old man put down the oar and looked back at Meng Hao. Laughing, he walked over, poured himself some alcohol, and then took a drink.
“Clear up what confusion?”
Meng Hao held his cup of alcohol and then softly said, “I’m confused about something I read. It said, ‘”Ancient Dao; Tenacious Desire to Seal the Heavens….’” Shock suddenly covered the face of the old man. The blood drained from the face of the young girl. Waves suddenly surged across the North Sea, causing the boat to rock back and forth violently.
“Stop!” cried the old man. The cup of alcohol in his hand suddenly disappeared into a dark mist and he stared at Meng Hao.
Meng Hao gaped.
“Don’t say that again. I can’t explain those words to you. Neither can anyone else in heaven or earth. If you truly seek enlightenment, then enter the heart of the sea.” He closed his mouth and looked at the young girl. Some time passed, and finally her countenance returned to normal. She gave a slight nod.
Meng Hao was silent for a while, before asking, “What do you mean by the heart of the sea?”
In a tone of voice which carried deep profundity, the old man said, “There are things which have been concealed at the bottom of the sea for a thousand years. That is the heart of the sea. If you seek an answer to your questions, perhaps you should also examine your own heart.”
Meng Hao found himself lost in thought for a long time. When he finally looked up, his eyes widened in shock. There was no trace of the old man or the young girl. He was alone on the lake. In fact, the boat had disappeared too.
He stared blankly for a while, until his vision came to focus on a spot some distance away. There, on the far bank, a group of people was lowering a brand new boat into the water. It slowly entered the lake, and then laughter rang out. The sounds of the peoples’ celebratory cheers surrounded the boat.
The boat slowly approached the center of the lake. Rowing it was a middle-aged man, accompanied by a woman and a child. Meng Hao watched as, day after day, year after year, he rowed back and forth across the lake. Many years passed, and the man grew old. The man’s son grew up, and took over rowing the boat. Years and years passed. Generations and generations.
The boat, once brand new, slowly began to crack and grow old. It began to age.
Eventually it grew so dilapidated that it couldn’t be repaired. Like a life that has reached its limit, it couldn’t be forced to go on any further. It slowly sank to the bottom of the lake.
It had lived its life on the surface, and died at the bottom. Its existence had been on the waters of the lake, accompanying generation after generation of mortals who had created it. Other than them, the lake was its entire life.
In its life, the lake was its companion. No one could hear the voice of the lake, but it could. When it sank to the bottom, it died, but was also reborn.
At that moment, it awoke.
The moment it awoke, it saw a young girl standing at the bottom of the lake, smiling at him.
“Will you… accompany me forever?”
“I don’t know how long forever is, but in my past life, I could hear your voice. Now that I’ve died… I want to accompany you. I want you to be part of my next life.” At this moment it came to understand that… it was the spirit of the boat. Listening to the voice of the lake over the countless years had caused the boat’s spirit to come into being.
Before dying, its life had been the waters of the lake. After death, its spirit would protect the lake forever, into eternity.
It was then that a boat once again appeared on the surface of the lake. Inside the boat was a young girl warming a bottle of alcohol. Together, they floated to and fro across the lake.
Meng Hao’s mind shook as he saw all of this transpire in front of him. Everything grew blurry for a moment, and then came back into focus. He was once again in the boat. The old man was there in front of him, grinning at him and holding his cup of alcohol. The girl looked up at him, smiling, her chin resting in her hands.
The old man took a drink. “This is my heart. Do you understand… successor of the Demon Sealing Sect?”
Meng Hao was silent for a moment. Frustration shined in his eyes. He… did not understand.
“Don’t search too hard for an answer. If you do, the answer you find might be false. At some point in your life, perhaps you will be able to find the answer. Don’t give up.” The old man looked at Meng Hao solemnly.
“Big Brother,” said the young girl, “its aura … is beneath your feet. Don’t provoke it. Remember… the great path of Demon Sealing…” Waves once again surged across the lake in all directions, great, tall waves that seemed to touch the sky. Everything turned dark amidst the thunderous roar. The boat sank into the water.
Meng Hao didn’t leap out of the boat. Instead, he closed his eyes. After some time passed, he opened them, and found himself sitting cross-legged on the la