Chapter Five: Knowledge

Once again regaining consciousness, I suddenly saw Wang. He was not far in front of me, with his back turned towards me, arms outstretched, seemingly shouting in astonishment, but I could not hear any sound. I also saw Zhi Yu, brandishing a long sword, thrusting it towards Wang's protruding belly.

Soon, the Kun family couple had lulled the child to sleep, and then they extinguished the campfire. Everyone lay down. I lay on the side of the hut near the door, unable to stretch my legs. In winter, I had to endure the piercing cold wind, but there was no other way; after all, I was not one of their family. Beside me was the child, and beyond that, the Kun couple. The Kun couple sometimes made very strange sounds and tossed and turned. I lay on the side of the hut near the door, unable to stretch my legs. In winter, I had to endure the piercing cold wind, but there was no other way; after all, I was not one of their family. Beside me was the child, and beyond that, the Kun couple. The Kun couple sometimes made very strange sounds and tossed and turned. I knew what they were doing, so I turned my back to them, trying hard to cover my ears with my sleeves, not looking, not listening. At that moment, I always thought of Ran, remembering her beautiful smile.

When far away, all the stars appear as mere points of light; as one approaches, they suddenly become infinitely large. I am surrounded time and again by countless clusters of light, a magnificent sight that I believe no one else has ever witnessed. Time flows by, yet at the same time, it remains still. The clusters of light transition from sparse to dense, and then back to sparse, until finally, only a few bright stars remain, slowly gliding through the darkness.

According to historical records: In the spring of the fourteenth year of King Tan, in the second month, Peng Liuqing conspired to assassinate his sovereign in the Stone Palace

In the dreamlike and surreal situation I find myself in, what I perceive seems to be the same; time is in disarray, yet space and stars operate in an orderly manner. What is right, and what is wrong? I cannot comprehend.

The place where I awoke was on the outskirts of the capital of the distant Chen Kingdom in the east. Lying in the middle of the field without any known background, I was once suspected of being a spy sent by another country. The lord—Duke Chao Shang of the Chen Kingdom—sent two warriors to interrogate me. I could not explain my circumstances; even if I did, no one would believe me. I simply stated that I was a descendant of the Feng family, who had been exiled and had wandered here.

I also hope that the beautiful dream floating among the stars will reappear, but it does not. The hardships of the day, although they will soon lead me into slumber, only ever manifest in the dream as the scene of struggling to move forward in the lingering valley. ... I am searching for a way out, but cannot find it ...

I feel a sense of fulfillment and joy that I have never experienced before

I still cannot move, possessing knowledge yet lacking awareness. I once again witnessed the scene from not long ago in the book, and at the same time, I saw myself, clad in iron armor, wielding an iron sword, charging towards the direction of my current consciousness. The sense of fullness retained by that dark star within me was becoming increasingly intense. Suddenly, I broke free from some object that had been confining me and shot forward towards the self that was charging ahead.

I struggled to rise again, lifting the torch once more. Looking to the left and right, the great river stretched into the unknown distance. I gazed at Ran, but she too seemed uncertain about which way to go. I no longer wished to waste even a shred of energy, including the strength to turn around. I grasped Ran's arm and, facing forward, trudged along the riverbank with great difficulty.

I became a direct slave of Chuoshan, assigned to a large collective consisting of more than sixty households. This group mainly comprised slaves, with two or three households being human captives from the war, tasked with cultivating two hundred acres of land under Chuoshan's name. At the beginning, my body was very weak, and I had no experience in farming, which led to frequent beatings by the overseer. My entire body was covered in unhealed wounds that were bleeding.

Chuo Shang, or rather his overseers, could frankly and unceremoniously "kill the chicken to get the egg." Every day, I would witness slaves dying from exhaustion or being beaten to death. More than a month after I arrived in the state of Chen, one day I saw a large group of troops marching neatly past the fields. Three days later, they returned, leading many slaves with ropes around their necks. The death of a slave was of no consequence; they could simply capture another batch—this must have been the thought of Chuo Shang and his men.

I noticed the darkest star moving directly towards me, not due to the distance, but because I knew for certain that it was gradually growing larger and brighter. By the time it reached its peak brightness, even with my eyes closed, I could feel a slight sting. However, it soon dimmed and gradually shrank, and I felt a powerful force pushing me towards this star. No, this force was coming from the star; it was pulling me in. As I got closer to it, it became smaller and its light dimmer, yet at the same time, the force pulling me grew stronger. Finally, it was right in front of me, a grayish light mass, approximately six or seven zhang in diameter, and it engulfed me... Finally, it was right in front of me, a grayish light mass, approximately six or seven zhang in diameter, and it engulfed me...

Labor is never-ending, and work at www.hetushu.com never ceases. If you work slowly, the overseer's whip will fall upon your flesh; if you work quickly and finish ahead of schedule, the overseer will immediately assign new tasks. Every noon, the wives of the workers who have just finished their textile work bring us food, which consists of a few pieces of coarse, hard bread and a small bowl of bitter water. From a distance, I can see the overseer spreading a hemp mat on the ridge, sitting upright, and ceremoniously enjoying his fine grains, meat, and soup. At that moment, I always think of my past life. Every noon, the wives of the workers who have just finished their textile work bring us food, which consists of a few pieces of coarse, hard bread and a small bowl of bitter water. From a distance, I can see the overseer spreading a hemp mat on the ridge, sitting upright, and ceremoniously enjoying his fine grains, meat, and soup. At that moment, I always think of my past life

When I responded to the will once again... No, it seems inappropriate to describe it that way. The feeling was as if I were in a dream, yet I clearly knew it was not a dream. The dreamlike sensation, the dreamlike sights, the dreamlike sounds, but... that was indeed not a dream. I found myself floating in darkness. At first, I thought I had died and was floating in water. No, there was no water around me, and there was nothing at all surrounding me! I found myself floating in darkness. At first, I thought I had died and was floating in water. No, there was no water around me, and there was nothing at all surrounding me!

"You must prove that you were once a person of distinction," said the man sent to interrogate me. I had originally thought that as long as I could establish my identity, I would receive better treatment, and perhaps even gain the mercy of the lord of Chen, restoring my family's noble status. However, I was mistaken; if I possessed a particular skill, I might be retained within the state, otherwise, I would only be suspected of being a spy and thrown into the pile of slaves to perform hard labor.

Every day at noon, after finishing lunch—this is a very brief period—the overseer has not yet eaten. He is accustomed to first sipping some soup to moisten his throat, and then he shouts for the slaves to continue working—we once again pick up our tools and head into the fields. This work continues until sunset, after which we are allowed to return home for dinner

Dinner was quite simple, but at least we could have a hot meal. We wolfed down the little food that was allocated to us, barely feeling full. After the meal, the servant wife of the overseer washed and organized the utensils, and the overseer would take this opportunity to hold his daughter in his arms, asking her what work she had done that day. In spring, she helped with sowing; in summer, she assisted with weeding; in autumn, she picked up the wheat ears by the field; and in winter, she went up the mountain to gather firewood. Sometimes I think the overseers are truly meticulous in their thinking, assigning endless tasks to such a small child.

Chen Jun is a fortunate individual. Ever since the seventh year of the Tan Wang era, when the "Dongbo" Su Kingdom helped him eliminate the dog-men tribe that had been disturbing the eastern borders, the only people within his sphere of influence were the extremely weak slaves. I later heard that he had developed a habit of attacking the slaves, plundering resources and captives, and the number of domestic slaves doubled within a few years.

Indeed, this idea only emerged long after, at that time, I did not possess the mood or leisure to contemplate such profound and impractical philosophical questions. After awakening from a dreamlike state, I spent a full year and five months as a slave, toiling hard each day under the whip and the stick, and whenever I had a moment to rest, I would immediately sink into a deep sleep, too weary to think of anything.

This is also the self, lacking form yet possessing consciousness; that is also the self, lacking consciousness yet possessing form. Ultimately, which one is the true self? In an instant, the two selves drew closer, the formless and unconscious self stumbled slightly, and then they collided.

In the past, in my position, there was no need for me to work in the fields. On the contrary, I would send my own servants to supervise and manage a large number of slaves. On days when the weather was fine and my mood was pleasant, I would drive my chariot to the edge of my fields to listen to the overseers report on the slaves' work conditions. "Do not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs," my father once advised me, "I have noticed that your servants often, in their eagerness to show off, do not allow the slaves to rest. Is it worth it to produce an extra liter of grain in the fields but lose a slave in the process?"

Suddenly, water surged into my body from both my mouth and nostrils. I coughed once, instinctively throwing away the torch, and tried to reach out to support myself against the ground—however, my hands touched nothing but river water, and my body began to sink into the river. I opened my mouth to call for help, but immediately, more river water rushed into my throat and trachea, while the intense pain in my abdomen grew more severe, causing my entire body to involuntarily curl up.

Two selves immediately merged into one. I felt a tremendous force strike my left shoulder, and I was involuntarily thrown to the right, crashing heavily beside the monarch. ... Probably at the moment of my fall, I had already fainted; the last thing I saw was the blood gushing from the monarch's abdomen, seemingly about to splatter onto my face ...

Before I joined, there was indeed some space in their shelter, but after I joined, it became difficult even to turn around. Every morning, as soon as the rooster crowed, before dawn, Kun and I had to get up, take our tools from mhetushucom.com, and start working. This period is the most leisurely time of the day, allowing us to conserve a bit of energy, but by the time the rooster crows three times and the supervisor arrives at the field, we must work very hard.

I was ordered to join a human family, the head of which is a robust middle-aged man named Kun Yuan. According to him, he was originally a farmer from the neighboring Ren State, conscripted into military service twelve years ago, and became a slave after being captured in battle. "I still have one and a half acres of farmland back home, which has now been handed over to my younger brother," he would always sigh and say.

The riverbank was covered with fine gravel, and I lay upon it, wearily closing my eyes, wishing to sink into a deep sleep. However, the terrifying thirst burned like a raging fire in my throat, preventing me from drifting into a dream where I could temporarily forget all the troubles of the mundane world. Ran pushed my shoulder, and I opened my eyes; she gestured anxiously for me to get up. Yes, I must get up, even if the future remains a nightmare, I cannot easily awaken from this living nightmare, for no one knows what the state of death after awakening truly is.

When I remembered, it must have been when I had just touched the river water. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen, and then my mind became incredibly heavy. I let go of Ran, hunched over, and tried to slowly squat down, but suddenly my legs gave way, and I fell straight towards the river. It seemed that Ran reached out to try to catch me, but he was unsuccessful, and my entire body was submerged in the cool river water.

Eight years ago, he was assigned a female slave by the overseer, and soon after, she gave birth to a daughter. As soon as the daughter learned to walk, she too joined in the arduous labor. "The child is still small, and your hut still has space," the overseer used this reason to have me join this family of three

Fortunately, the states of Peng and Chen are far apart, and there is no communication between them; otherwise, I would likely be immediately denounced as a liar. I later learned that when I appeared in the state of Chen, it was the ninth day of the fifth month in the fourteenth year of King Tan's reign, less than half a month after my exile. Even if I rode a swift horse and traveled day and night without eating or drinking, it would be impossible to arrive here in such a short time

The terms "space" and "time" refer to the dimensions of the universe; the former encompasses the directions of up, down, left, and right, while the latter spans the past and the present. I suddenly recalled a phrase I read in a book: "The universe is unknowable." However, at this moment, I feel that the entire universe is indeed knowable, and I am currently engaged in the process of "knowing" this.

Uncle Gao He has four sons, two of whom are legitimate. One is named Zhi Yu, and the other is called Xiao Zhou. "Xiao" carries the meaning of chaos. It is generally believed that the world is chaotic, while time progresses steadily and orderly. However, the late master of the original sect, Huo Ming, believed that the reality is exactly the opposite of its superficial appearance: "Yu represents order, while Zhou represents chaos." Uncle is very fond of this saying and believes it contains infinite mysteries, which is why he named his two sons accordingly. However, the late master of the original sect, Huo Ming, believed that the reality is exactly the opposite of its superficial appearance: "Yu represents order, while Zhou represents chaos." Uncle is very fond of this saying and believes it contains infinite mysteries, which is why he named his two sons accordingly

Feeling some pain on my face, I reached out with my left hand and gently touched it. Immediately, I felt a slight coolness on my cheek. Raising my fingers to my eyes, I discovered that a few droplets of water were hanging on them. Without a second thought, I put my fingers into my mouth and began to suck greedily.

I seem to be floating in the void, unable to move my limbs, and my eyes cannot open, yet I perceive my surroundings as if I were witnessing them firsthand... No, I understand them even more profoundly than mere observation. If this is a dream, where there is awareness but no awakening, it is likely what is commonly referred to as a nightmare. At such a moment, one would surely feel an intense anxiety, as if plunged into a fiery pit, with cold sweat pouring down, desperately trying to awaken. However, at this moment, my heart is more peaceful than ever before, even more serene and joyful than when I was alive. I do not wish to move; I want to float like this forever, how wonderful that would be.

***

The darkness around me began to fade, and the scenery started to change. I sensed a bright star sweeping across from afar, its soft light seemingly ready to envelop me entirely. Gradually, it receded, but then another bright star appeared, followed by the third, the fourth... In an instant, countless stars surged around me. No, they were not surging; they paid me no mind at all. They were simply following their own paths, moving swiftly forward. Gradually, it receded, but then another bright star appeared, followed by the third, the fourth... In an instant, countless stars surged around me. No, they were not surging; they paid me no mind at all. They were simply following their own paths, moving swiftly forward.

This direction is probably east. We support each other as we move toward the unpredictable darkness. The torch in our hands is gradually dimming. I do not know what time it is now; I only hope that the sun can rise in the east—night brings fear, while daylight is much gentler than it.

The Seven Arts of the Scholar—"Poetry, Rites, Archery, Charioteering, Horsemanship, Swordsmanship, and Law"—I have indeed studied them all, yet none are deemed worthy of significant attention by the gentlemen. Coincidentally, last year, the State of Chen experienced a severe drought, leading to concerns over grain reserves. Although there was no shortage of scholars, there was a lack of slaves to cultivate the land. Consequently, I had my hair cut short, had characters tattooed on my arm, and began living among the slaves.