The sun was sinking toward the west, and the glow along the horizon blazed like a raging fire, casting a hue that looked almost like blood at sunset. The entire small town—its streets, houses, river, and pedestrians—was bathed in red. Li Qiu raised his head to look. The sun was no longer dazzling, but after staring at it for long, his vision was filled with a crimson tint. Turning back, he was struck by a sudden realization and thought to himself: "The sun rises every morning and sets every night. Countless years have passed, countless people have seen the sun, and the sun has seen countless people. Yet while the generations of men who beheld the sun have all lived and died, only the sun remains here forever. The ancients once said, 'The men of today do not see the moon of ancient times, yet this moon of today once shone upon the ancients.' This sentiment shares a wondrously similar charm with the scene before me now."
Then he thought: "I will not be like those men of old. I shall toil diligently to attain the Great Dao, achieve longevity, endure as long as heaven and earth, and shine as brightly as the sun and moon. Only then will I not have lived this life in vain."
With his resolve thus hardened, his stride grew firmer and steadier, as if every step would leave deep footprints in the blue bricks of the pavement.
Chapter 24