"Free the people?"
"Yes. That is why I am an Immortal. I keep myself reminded of why I am living. That is why I keep going forward."
"I see... Have you come down here before?"
"I have. Not just to this garden, but to the various areas of my Settlement. I visit the lower streets of my Settlement very often, as well."
Wei Shi looked up at Father with a ponderous glint in her eyes.
"Is this really important?"
"Hmm... why don't you think it over as we have a meal at the pavilion?"
Arriving at the entrance of the Plum Blossom Garden, an ornate stone-carved road carved a path into the garden.
The Plum Blossoms were rich in vitality; it had not been long since Spring had begun, or rather, it hadn't been long since winter had ended.
As the gentle light of Early Hour filtered through the pink roof, shadows scattered across the soil.
A building of white walls, red supports, and a layered green roof stood in contrast to the myriad plum blossom trees.
Wei Shi and Father reached the front of the building and were welcomed by a server.
"Ah..."
Immediately, the man eyed these two customers, their appearances modest, but the supposed father's appearance was shabby compared to the girl's.
Still, he would not turn down a potential customer, and turned to the other man to question.
"How can I serve you today? What kind of pavilion do you seek?"
"One next to a pond, surrounded by plum blossoms, but also an adequate view of the mountains."
"I see... We do have a pavilion which should satisfy your demands."
"Very well, please, take us to this pavilion."
Sparing a curt nod, the male server brought Wei Shi and Father through the garden.
Sure enough, there was a pavilion situated beside a small pond, reflecting the soft starlight of the myriad of stars in Night's sky.
The plum blossoms surrounded the area, by there was also a clearing which allowed one to see the horizon.
Lofty mountains rose in the distance, their dull azure-green gradually faded as it stretched into the distance.
"Does this pavilion satisfy you? To book this area, it costs five silver tablets."
"That is fine. We would like to place orders too."
"Oh?"
The male server was surprised that this modestly dressed man actually had middle-class wealth.
Receiving the payment, he also received the man's and the girl's orders, leaving quickly to prepare.
Leaning back, Father took in the view of the mountains, the occasional falling petal of a plum blossom, and the silent pond beside their seating.
"I assume you have sat at this very pavilion, too, Father?"
"Indeed. I have visited each pavilion in this garden."
"Do you not wear the same identity? If what you say is true, then someone at this establishment should recognise you."
"No. I make an effort to wear a new face each time I visit."
After indulging himself in the view, Father turned back to Wei Shi.
"How goes your cultivation?"
"You are asking this now?"
"It is important for what I wish to tell you next."
"..."
Dawn closed her eyes for a few breaths' time.
"I am beginning to tap into... what you called Divine Eye Immersion. But it strains me so; my progress has not been so quick as before."
"I see. Tell me, when you look around, what do you see?"
"Well... should I describe the myriad pink hues of the countless plum blossom petals? Or the shifting trees of the distant lands, which are swayed by the winds? Or would you like a description of the reflections in the water?"
"Neither."
"...?" Wei Shi raised her brow at Father as she questioned further, "Then... you would like for me to describe this pavilion? Or the sky? Or the storehouse of this garden?"
"Neither. Instead, I wish for you to describe what they are."
"Excuse me?"
Unable to speak up, Wei Shi merely stared at Father until he relinquished his guidance.
Raising his finger, he pointed at the trees.
"Those are trees," he pointed down, soil splayed beyond the tip of his finger. "That is soil."
As he continued to name things as simply as he could, Wei Shi became even more dumbfounded, until...
"Every one of these things makes up the world around us, but what are they? Simply defined as this or that does not wholly encompass the entirety of these things."
"Look at that tree, and the one beside it. See how it is shorter than the other one? You may presume that the taller tree is older, and the shorter is younger, but how can you be so sure? You can only check a tree's age by cutting it down and looking inside, at the rings of the trunk."
"You can not tell just by looking at the outside, but what is deeper within."
"Do not look at the superficial. Some plum blossoms may have brighter colours, but what does that mean? Do they carry more vitality than a plum blossom of another shade?"
"What of the pond? Do not look at our distorted reflections, but at the subtle nuances within, the subtle undulation, the salinity and the cleanliness. Is this the perfect pond for, say, a catfish or a koi?"
"The mountains are old and lofty, but some are older than others, made of different layers of earth, containing different formations within."
"Look into the forests of those mountains, if I asked you, 'what can you tell me about the forest?' would you respond with the various lifeforms within?"
"People are too comfortable when looking at something, never looking beyond or within. People become enraptured by the superficial and never think of what is inside.
"Look beyond the superficial, Wei Shi."
Wei Shi sat astounded by the sudden amount of information; Father's attitude changed abruptly.
He no longer had the 'feel' of a deadbeat mortal.
Wei Shi, instead, saw her father within 'Father'.
"To look beyond the superficial is to surpass the Flesh Eye Immersion, and to attain Divine Eye Immersion."