Chapter 61: Paying Back a Debt Is Actually the Solution

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Chapter 61: Paying Back a Debt Is Actually the Solution

Chen Yuan’s question left Li Xiaohua stunned.

Before this, he had thought about why he wanted to get a pet, and he had already given himself an answer: it would make it easier to find a future partner, and it could also help ward off misfortune. In short, there were all sorts of benefits to having a pet, so Li Xiaohua had decided he wanted one. But when Chen Yuan asked him the question so seriously, Li Xiaohua suddenly realized that he had never really thought about it.

Why did he want a pet, anyway? Did he want a family member, a companion, a plaything, or a tool?

To put it bluntly, deep down, he had never really decided that he was willing to accept a pet into his life. Because along with all the conveniences he imagined getting, Li Xiaohua would also have to accept all the trouble that came with them. He would inevitably have to change his daily routine for the pet: its food, the time and space needed to take it out, all the necessary supplies. All of that was something he would have to prepare for.

But if he hadn’t truly decided that he was willing to take on all of this, then sooner or later those inconveniences could make him resent the pet he had once loved, eventually leading him to neglect or abandon it.

Just look at how many stray cats and dogs there are on college campuses every year. Most of them were probably abandoned by owners who had never really thought about the responsibility involved. They kept the animals for a while, lost interest, and then simply left them behind.

It might not sound like such a serious thing, but imagine this: at first, someone treats you like a precious treasure, cuddles you in their arms, and calls you their darling. Then, simply because they no longer want you or because they’ve graduated and moved away, they casually abandon you. What would it feel like to rummage through garbage for food, with nowhere to take shelter from the pouring rain?

In fact, pets aren’t the only things that end up being shelved or abandoned like this. To put it mildly, how many things do people buy on impulse only to never use them afterward? To put it more seriously, who knows how many children in this world are brought into existence by parents who never really thought things through? Being unprepared like that always leads to consequences.

Saying you weren’t mentally prepared, hadn’t thought it through, or hadn’t considered things carefully is never an excuse. If you already knew there were all these issues, why not take the time to think them through properly from the beginning? A person can be reckless and even crazy, but they have to take responsibility for their own recklessness and craziness. The world is a harsh and practical place.

Li Xiaohua understood now that Chen Yuan did not approve of what he was planning to do. And after seriously considering Chen Yuan’s question, he also realized that perhaps he had been thinking about it far too simply.

Seeing that Li Xiaohua remained silent, Chen Yuan brought the conversation back to metaphysics.

“Pets and the like really can help you ward off misfortune. But when it comes to warding off misfortune, things get very complicated.”

“Let me give you an example. There’s a common type of story in ancient legends where a fox spirit, when facing a heavenly tribulation, hides beneath the bed of a scholar or a pregnant woman. By borrowing the scholar’s righteous energy or the protection Heaven grants to an unborn child, she can evade the heavenly tribulation. Several years or even decades later, after successfully surviving the tribulation, the spirit returns to repay the favor.”

“Let’s not worry about whether fox spirits or heavenly tribulations really exist. The important idea here is quite clear. The thing that wards off a disaster for you doesn’t necessarily have to be your pet. A person can also help someone else ward off misfortune, or even take a disaster meant for a complete stranger. But when someone wards off a disaster for someone they have no connection with, that very act creates a connection between them.

“Why does the fox spirit return to repay the favor in the story? Because she has incurred a debt of karma to the person who helped her escape the disaster. The principle is very simple: if you owe something, you have to pay it back. And if you bring reincarnation into the picture, it becomes an endless cycle. Debts from past lives and debts in this life all have to be repaid, little by little, until everything has been settled.”

Li Xiaohua was practically numb by now. All he had wanted was to buy a pet, but after listening to Chen Yuan, the whole matter seemed to be getting more and more complicated, to the point where he was completely confused about what exactly was going on.

Seeing the look on Li Xiaohua’s face, Chen Yuan knew he hadn’t understood what he meant. By comparison, even when Chen Yuan gave only a simple explanation, Yu Shenliu was able to understand him. In that respect, Yu Shenliu really could be considered Chen Yuan’s kindred spirit.

Chen Yuan sighed and said, “Fine. Let me explain how this whole business of a pet warding off misfortune actually works.”

“Let me put it in more modern terms. Suppose the Heavenly Dao is a bank. It manages everyone’s blessings and karmic debts in this world. In other words, it manages savings and loans. The disasters you are destined to encounter are your loans. You owe the bank money.”

The analogy wasn’t really a perfect one, but it made many of the underlying concepts much easier to understand.

“A debt must be repaid. That’s a universal principle. So generally speaking, no matter what little tricks you try, whether you play for sympathy or try to threaten the bank, you can’t escape repayment. That’s why a disaster destined to befall you can never truly be ‘resolved.’ The so-called ‘ways to resolve it’ are nothing more than nonsense peddled by charlatans.”

“But from another perspective, ‘resolving’ it is possible. For example, raising a pet to ward off misfortune is a method that follows the proper rules without violating that principle.”

“The process is actually very simple. You raise a pet and treat it well, investing genuine feelings in it rather than treating it purely for your own benefit. Under those circumstances, your pet becomes indebted to you. In other words, you owe money to the Heavenly Dao bank, while your pet owes money to you.

“Now you transfer your claim against your pet to the Heavenly Dao bank to repay what you owe. Once that’s done, you’re no longer involved. The debt relationship has now become one between your pet and the Heavenly Dao bank. That’s how your pet takes the disaster meant for you. Do you understand?”

This time, Li Xiaohua finally understood what Chen Yuan meant. But something as wondrous as a spirit pet protecting its master had suddenly become rather mundane after Chen Yuan explained it using banks and the like. And how had that touching exchange of emotions turned into nothing more than paying off debts? Li Xiaohua really couldn’t accept it.

So Li Xiaohua said, “But isn’t that too utilitarian?” He wore a miserable expression, looking rather dejected.

“Heaven grows old when it has feelings. Heaven is without emotion, and under its system, even feelings are something that can be calculated clearly.”

Chen Yuan didn’t think there was anything strange about it. Reality was simply that way. People valued emotions and held them up as something noble, but that couldn’t change the facts. Even Chen Yuan himself felt that his explanation sounded overly transactional, but when it came down to it, that really was how things worked.

“The key is that no matter how utilitarian my explanation sounds, genuine feelings and false ones are worth worlds apart within this banking system. If someone raises a pet solely because they want it to take a calamity for them, then they will absolutely not get what they want. Only someone who genuinely gives their heart can become the creditor in this system.”

Precisely because he understood this, Chen Yuan sometimes found himself rather conflicted. On the one hand, the world’s entire metaphysical system, the so-called Heavenly Dao, was an extremely cold and utilitarian existence. Yet on the other hand, its system genuinely encouraged sincerity and kindness.

Perhaps Chen Yuan was simply overthinking it. After all, it was only his own belief that this system was benevolent. For all he knew, other people might see the same system as one that encouraged malicious thoughts instead. It was simply a matter of perspective.

“Actually, raising a pet and keeping protective objects work the same way. In both cases, it comes down to the question of lending them money. The difference is that the things you already have are different. Every one of these objects carries your family’s blessings for you. Compared with raising a pet, these things are genuinely suited to you, and they can help you without requiring you to put in much more of yourself.”

Chen Yuan gave a simple summary. “So I suggest you don’t bother raising a pet or anything like that. Other people’s opinions don’t really matter. Take good care of the few things you already have, and good fortune will surely come to you later.”

Chen Yuan’s words left Li Xiaohua hesitating for a while. The fact that Chen Yuan had given him this kind of advice meant he clearly wasn’t trying to swindle him. After all, what kind of swindler wouldn’t try to sell you some protective talisman or the like?

In fact, Li Xiaohua’s desire to replace the protective objects he was wearing with a pet had been nothing more than a momentary impulse. He had simply gotten upset after so many people called him superstitious and couldn’t get the thought out of his head. Once he had calmed down a little, though, he had also thought that since he had already waited his turn, missing the opportunity would be a waste. After Chen Yuan had explained everything so thoroughly, he now understood the pros and cons.

He thought it over, while Chen Yuan said nothing. Li Xiaohua had to think about whether he really wanted to raise a pet, while Chen Yuan likewise had his own romantic problems to consider. And so the two fell silent.

After a long while, Li Xiaohua finally spoke.

“Mm. I thought about it, and I still want to raise a pet. Forget about the reasons I gave before. Actually, there’s another reason.

“I want to give my mom something to do. Ever since I graduated, she seems to have lost her sense of purpose in life. When I was still in school, she could at least worry about my studies and things like that. Now she’s basically got nothing to do. She stays at home all day and gets lonely. If she had a companion to keep her company, I think it might be better for her.”

Chen Yuan smiled, lips pressed together. This attitude and way of thinking was already much better than when they had first started talking.

“If that’s the case, then I can give you a few suggestions.”

“Does your mother have any particular animal she especially likes? Or is she allergic to any animals?”

Setting aside the metaphysical considerations, when choosing a pet, you should first choose one she actually likes. Plenty of people love cute, furry little animals, but as far as Chen Yuan knew, there were also people who would scream the moment they saw anything fluffy. Some people were afraid of chickens, ducks, or geese because they had been pecked by them as children. And there was no shortage of people who liked keeping spiders, centipedes, venomous snakes, or other unusual creatures as pets. You couldn’t assume that someone who looked perfectly ordinary wouldn’t have some strange hobby or another. You never knew.

“Not really. But I don’t want my mother to have too much work to do. If we get a cat or dog, who knows, maybe after a while they’ll rank higher than I do.”

Li Xiaohua was being completely honest. How many cat and dog slaves were there these days? People practically raised their pets like their own children.

“Besides, my mother isn’t in very good health. She gets startled easily, so unusual pets won’t do either. And preferably nothing that likes darting around everywhere.” Having one suddenly appear right in front of you could genuinely give someone a fright.

Listening to Li Xiaohua’s requirements, Chen Yuan raised one finger and suggested, “Then how about keeping fish?”

“Fish? Isn’t that a little too ordinary?” Li Xiaohua sounded somewhat hesitant.

“That depends on how you keep them. I don’t particularly like tropical fish and the like. They’re too much trouble. Get a few carp instead. You could keep them in a blue-stone basin or something similar, and even plant some lotus flowers in it. That would be quite elegant.

“Carp symbolize ‘the fish leaping over the Dragon Gate,’ and in feng shui they’re regarded as auspicious creatures that can harmonize the feng shui of a place. If you keep them near the front entrance, they can enhance the vitality and auspicious energy of the entire household.

“Besides, watching fish swim can be a good way to pass the time. If your mother takes care of everything herself—letting the water bask in the sun, tending the aquatic plants, cleaning the lotus flowers, stones, and sediment in the basin—it can take up quite a bit of time, so she won’t feel like she has nothing to do. It won’t exactly be using a pet to ward off calamity, but wouldn’t it achieve the effect you were looking for in a roundabout way?”

After thinking it over briefly, Li Xiaohua decided the idea was workable and immediately brightened.

“This is great! Thank you, Master Chen. The last time I went to Master Zhou, he told me to get a pet too, but he never explained why…”

Li Xiaohua’s muttering made Chen Yuan pause. So the idea of using a pet to ward off calamity had come from that “Master Zhou”? That seemed a little too irresponsible. He had thrown out the idea without properly explaining anything, and if people misunderstood him, how many of them would end up raising pets for purely self-serving reasons?

Before Chen Yuan could think about it any further, Li Xiaohua, having finally gotten the answer he wanted, stood up to take his leave.

In truth, he would have liked to chat with Chen Yuan a little longer. There weren’t many masters like Chen Yuan who could explain such mysterious things in such simple terms, and a few more words of guidance could give him plenty of things to know and show off about later. But he couldn’t stay.

After all, there were so many people waiting in line outside Chen Yuan’s shop. They came from all walks of life, and who wouldn’t want their turn to come as quickly as possible? If Li Xiaohua kept lingering, wouldn’t the people waiting behind him hold a grudge? Better to leave as soon as his problem was solved and avoid causing any more trouble.

Come to think of it, he had already spent nearly forty-five minutes at Chen Yuan’s shop. The people waiting behind him must have been getting impatient by now.

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