The Spiritual Attainment of Minghe

Kong Xuan returned to the Jiang Tribe with Lieshan after accepting the boy as his apprentice. He settled down inside the mountain close to the tribe and taught Lieshan the ways of cultivation with some preaching now and then. Under his guidance, the boy grew little by little and finally became known as the God Farmer.

Ever since the Human Tribe learned how to fish and hunt as well as the prohibition against incest from Fuxi, they had increasingly few casualties in their fight against the wild beasts. Their newborns also became stronger along with the increase of meat in their diet and more humans survived than ever before.

But another big question came up. That was their sustenance. Due to the increasing population, fishing and hunting weren’t enough to meet everyone’s needs anymore. The fowls and beasts that they could hunt also decreased in number and that food supply could no longer serve its purpose. The major challenge the Human Tribe now faced was solving the issue of their food.

Despite the achievements the God Farmer had made since becoming Kong Xuan’s disciple, the wish he had made before had always haunted his mind. Now that he had grown up, it was the time to ask for a solution.

Kong Xuan stretched his hands and a Five Colored Nine Fringed Grain appeared on his palm. The God Farmer asked, "Master, is this the stuff that birds often feed on? Could this also be edible for my tribesmen?"

Kong Xuan smiled. "Yes. Plant this in the soil and irrigate with water until its maturity. Then it will be edible for humans." The God Farmer was overjoyed and thanked his master before hurrying back to his tribe. He found a piece of open space and planted the Five Colored Nine Fringed Grain in the soil. From that day on, he took care of it every day and night. He did what Kong Xuan told him to do and irrigated the seed with water.

Eventually, the seed grew. Seeing this, the God Farmer rubbed some of the grains and put them into his mouth. Fortunately, it tasted good. Therefore, he hastened to teach his tribesmen what he had learned. They didn’t believe him in the beginning but all their doubts were quelled after following his instruction to plant some grains by themselves. They were overjoyed by the abundant harvest.

Thus, more and more followed the God Farmer’s lead to cut down trees, eliminate weeds, and open up wasteland for farming with their axes, hoes, and other tools. After all their hard work, they finally reaped the grains they sow.

The grain didn’t meet all the needs of the Human Tribe. After all, it wasn’t enough to actually solve the food problem for the tribe. The God Farmer naturally understood the situation.

After pondering on the issue, he was inspired by the grain. If there were more plants like the grain that could provide an endless food supply as long as they were planted annually, then their sustenance problem would naturally be solved.

No one could tell what was edible and what was not at that point in time because the Five Grains grew with weeds and the herbs with flowers. To resolve this problem, the God Farmer tasted and experimented with each of the plants. Often, he accidentally consumed poisonous plants in his research. If not for Kong Xuan, he would have already been dead.

After many trials, he finally found something edible out of those plants. He picked out rice, millet, grain, wheat, and beans as the Five Grains. That was why his descendants honored him as the Ancestor of Five Grains and the God of Agriculture.

The lives of his tribesmen improved after learning about the Five Grains. But the weather was beyond their control and the irrigation for the Five Grains became their biggest problem. Sometimes, natural disasters would ruin nearly all their crops.

So the God Farmer started to thinking about the solution to the lack of water. No idea came to him after much consideration, thus he was forced to ask for his master’s advice. He relayed his troubles to Kong Xuan on their rendezvous and waited for an answer.

Kong Xuan noticed in the anxiety in his disciple’s eyes and smiled. "Water doesn’t only exist in rivers, lakes, and seas, but also underground." He then closed his eyes and went to cultivation again. His answer confused the God Farmer but decided to leave his master alone.

After returning to his tribe, he contemplated his master’s words. Shortly after, he called several strong men and ordered them to start digging in an open ground. When the men dug about 17 meters beneath the ground, water suddenly gushed.

The God Farmer was elated to see the gushing water and he introduced the method to his tribesmen. So he gradually strengthened his tribe by teaching his tribesmen to dig a well and irrigate the crops. The other tribes nearby theirs joined him, thus expanding the Jiang Tribe.

The God Farmer built his reputation by his deeds and his name became well-known in the Human Tribe. Over in Chen Du, Fuxi soon learned of his name and became very interested in him because he had unexpectedly solved the sustenance problem that had plagued Fuxi for so long. It seemed like the God Farmer was a real Great Sage.

By now, Fuxi had been the Human Sovereign of the Human Tribe for about half a century. He knew that his merit was fulfilled after creating the Eight Trigrams. This meant he didn’t have much time left in the tribe, so he had begun looking for his successor.

Fuxi decided to meet the God Farmer to see if he was dedicated to the Human Tribe and if he had what it took to be the new Human Sovereign. He left Chen Du for the Jiang Tribe. Those in the Jiang Tribe heard of the sovereign’s visit and couldn’t hold back their excitement and sense of honor.

Fuxi met the God Farmer and pulled him aside right after the former paid his respect. He asked the God Farmer questions about the administration of the Jiang Tribe and observed his behavior at the same time. His answers satisfied Fuxi and indicated that he was truly a Great Sage. Fuxi thought the God Farmer had a better understanding of administration than he did.

Fuxi said, "God Farmer, your comprehension of administrative affairs surprised me. Come to Chen Du with me. Having sat on the throne for almost a century, I’m now too old for all this work.After you familiarize yourself with the works of the Human Tribe, I’ll pass the crown to you. I hope you’ll lead the Human Tribe to a brilliant future."

God Farmer was astonished and hurried to say, "I’m no more than a farmer. How can I take the throne as the sovereign? My lord, please find a qualified person to carry such burden which I can’t deal with."

Fuxi smiled. "Don’t underestimate yourself, son! Solving the food problem has always been the cardinal task for us, which I have no idea how to cope in the past. Now, you’ve succeeded! What a contribution! You’re capable of what I do. There’s no need to decline my offer."

The God Farmer was of reverence and awe to hear that from Fuxi. He determined that the sovereign had made his mind and eventually agreed to leave for Chen Du and succeed the crown after thinking over the situation.

Before he left, he thought of Kong Xuan and went to bid his master farewell with the sorrow of departure.

Kong Xuan noticed his sorrow and smiled. "Son, don’t be sad. You can leave for Chen Du now. I’ll meet you there someday." The God Farmer was delighted and his worries were expelled. He left with Fuxi upon returning to his tribe.

He went to Chen Du with Fuxi, but the abdication of the Human Sovereign wasn’t a casual affair that could be done easily. Besides, he had yet to familiarize himself with the administrative affairs of the Human Tribe. So Fuxi made the God Farmer his assistant, paving the way for him to be the future Human Sovereign.

No one in the Human Tribe opposed Fuxi’s decision to name the God Farmer as his successor. After all, they were only able to fend for themselves and eliminate starvation thanks to the God Farmer and his Five Grains. They thought it was a good idea to name the God Farmer as the sovereign.

Considering the God Farmer had been accepted by the chiefs of the other tribes and his solid reputation, Fuxi declared in public his decision to pass the crown to the God Farmer in three years. He then sent his men to invite the other chiefs of the Human Tribes to attend the ceremony.

The God Farmer felt the pressure on his shoulders once he was informed of Fuxi’s declaration and became more diligent than ever. Fuxi was gratified by God Farmer’s deeds and he was right about the God Farmer. He believed the Human Tribe would grow stronger under the God Farmer’s leadership.