Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 668 Ambitious People

Qingwan was preparing to deal with some lawbreakers, but she lacked a strong enforcer.

He happened to meet Wuqiu and thought about having him use Buddhist energy to cleanse the souls of those humans, demons, and ghosts, and change their thoughts along the way.

Some of the methods used in Buddhism can be quite practical at times.

Wuqiu wanted to know Qingwan's thoughts, but after thinking about it, he didn't refuse.

This was not a difficult task for him. During his recent travels in the Northern Region, he had become accustomed to using Buddhist teachings to deal with demons and ghosts, and he could accurately control the degree of his attacks without being reckless.

"By the way, I heard you've been in the Northern Region lately, what have you been doing?"

Qing Wan then asked out of curiosity.

Upon hearing this, Wuqiu replied, "I'm spreading the Dharma to convert some demons and ghosts. Also, I heard that when Buddhism declined in the previous dynasty, there was a hidden orthodox Buddhist sect deep in this northern region, so I went to search for it..."

Qingwan raised an eyebrow. "Did you find it?"

Wuqiu said softly, "We didn't find anything; it's probably just a rumor."

Such rumors have been circulating for a long time, and it wasn't just Wuqiu who searched for them, but no one has ever been heard of finding them.

Some even speculate that the so-called authentic Buddhist sect is hidden in a secret cave, and its lineage has been lost and cannot be found.

Qingwan, with her hands behind her back, said leisurely, "The orthodox Buddhist sect, huh? Speaking of which, which sect in your Wei Kingdom can be considered the legitimate one now?"

Wuqiu shook his head and said, "It's hard to say."

The position of the orthodox Buddhist sect in the Wei Kingdom has been debated by several factions for hundreds of years. Even the Wei Kingdom's imperial court has tried to establish its orthodoxy, but no one has been able to reach a conclusion, and no one is willing to concede to anyone else.

Even within the White Horse Temple, the Buddhist monks were divided into several factions.

The verbal Buddhism practiced by Wuqiu was not even the most prevalent school within the sect.

The main reason he chose the Yan sect of Buddhism was because he was good at it.

Wuqiu then asked, "I heard that Wei Kingdom recently produced half of a supreme Buddhist scripture. Has Miss Qingwan heard of it?"

"Oh, that? I know a little about it, but I don't study Buddhism..."

Qingwan responded. She had not only heard about it, but had also read the complete scriptures before, but such things were not something to be told to outsiders.

Now that half a Buddhist scripture has appeared in the world, it must be Lu Zheng's arrangement. She just needs to wait and watch the show; she doesn't need to care too much about the content of the scripture.

Seeing that Qingwan didn't seem interested in Buddhist scriptures, Wuqiu didn't chat much. Instead, he asked Qingwan how she had been cultivating recently and how her progress had been so rapid.

Qingwan chuckled and said, "That's easy. Just study harder and get cleansed by the heavens and earth a few more times."

Wuqiu remained silent upon hearing this. What did he mean by "just be baptized by heaven and earth a few more times"?

Is the baptism of heaven and earth something so easy to obtain?

Many spiritual practitioners spend their entire lives cultivating without ever obtaining such an opportunity.

Take him for example, he only did it once, if you really count it.

It was after a grand, unannounced ceremony in the State of Wei, during the sacrifice to Heaven and Earth, that he received a blessing from Heaven and Earth for his outstanding performance.

Several times... Wuqiu pondered that he and Qingwan had only been apart for two or three years, and during that time, the other party could have encountered several great opportunities?

Wu Qiu couldn't help but think of Lu Zheng, feeling that this matter must be related to Lu Zheng.

Suddenly, Wuqiu looked up slightly and saw a beam of light flashing in the sky.

In just a few breaths, Lu Zheng appeared in front of the two of them.

When Wuqiu saw Lu Zheng, his eyes gleamed with golden light. The person in front of him gave him a feeling that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

He seemed unable to see through Lu Zheng's true cultivation level.

This shows that Lu Zheng's current skill level is probably no less than his, and may even be much stronger.

His heart, which had always been calm and unambitious, was suddenly stirred by waves of emotion.

Upon seeing this old friend, Lu Zheng couldn't help but smile and greet him, "So it's Brother Wuqiu, long time no see!"

Wuqiu couldn't help but say, "Benefactor Lu, it's been a long time."

Wuqiu paused for a moment, then asked, "May I ask what realm Benefactor Lu is at now?"

Lu Zheng smiled slightly and said, "I have cultivated the methods of various philosophers, and now the most powerful one has reached the Profound Realm."

Sure enough... Wuqiu was shocked. He knew that Lu Zheng was no longer the same as before, and had reached a point where he had to look up to him.

It's just unclear in which aspect Lu Zheng entered the realm of profound mystery.

However, seeing Lu Zheng's answer, it was clear that he wouldn't reveal any more information, so he didn't press the matter further.

"I had heard earlier that Benefactor Lu had killed no fewer than a dozen Transcendent Realm experts and saved millions of people. At first, I thought it was someone else..."

Wuqiu was moved by the moment and expressed that he had seen a lot along the way and was willing to come and help.

Wuqiu wants to stay here because he also intends to study here.

He is not like some rigid Buddhists who would choose to remain stagnant.

He felt that Lu Zheng was so capable at such a young age, there must be something he could learn from him.

Upon learning of Wuqiu's purpose, Lu Zheng said happily, "Since you have this intention, we are of course happy to welcome you."

Wuqiu originated from the White Horse Temple in the State of Wei and had a certain reputation in the State of Wei.

If the other party is willing to work here, it will naturally have a positive impact, and there is no reason to refuse them.

Lu Zheng added, "However, we have many rules here, and I'm afraid Brother Wuqiu might not be used to them..."

Some things need to be said upfront, otherwise, if conflicts arise later, they may affect the relationship between the two parties.

I don't expect everyone to have a truly intimate and trusting relationship in the future, but we also can't afford to become enemies.

Wuqiu replied, "When I was practicing within the sect, I was bound by many precepts."

……

"I heard that a young man has come from the Northern Region, causing panic in the South. He says he wants to establish some kind of peaceful and prosperous world here?"

"Heh, it's good for young people to have ambitions, but if they don't know their own limitations, they probably won't live long..."

"It is said that the young man has some skill and background, and can even kill a Tongxuan expert."

"When has the Northern Region ever been peaceful? It's just a few insignificant old profound realm cultivators dying."

"A disciple of a sage? There are countless descendants of sages in this world, so what if he's a disciple? It's not like everyone doesn't have some powerful backing. We in the Northern Region even have a Great Sage of the Demon Clan..."

"No matter how much trouble they cause, it won't reach a place like ours."

Deep within the Northern Region, in the royal court of the Chaofeng Demon Kingdom, several high-ranking figures of the demon kingdom gathered together, drinking and chatting about recent news.

A palace not far from this place.

A beautiful woman dressed in luxurious clothes had just emerged from seclusion and came out of the palace to relax.

A group of maids followed and served the woman.

Feng Xuan asked leisurely, "Has anything interesting happened lately?"

Upon hearing this, a maidservant quickly spoke up in a soft voice. When she heard about Lu Zheng, Feng Xuan suddenly turned her head, "Lu Zheng? Which Lu Zheng? What does he look like?"

Upon hearing this, the maid quickly relayed the information she had received and handed a piece of paper to Feng Xuan.

"This is a notice posted outside the city..."

Feng Xuan raised her eyebrows slightly, took it over and looked at it, and found that the handwriting on it was indeed printed in Lu Zheng's handwriting, but the calligraphy was better than before.

The gist of the message is that Lu Zheng intends to follow the words of sages and create a pure land in the northern region, a place where all races live in harmony and unity. He sincerely invites ambitious people to join him and create a new world together.

The call to action spread throughout the capital of Chaofeng Kingdom, and many people knew about it, but almost all of them treated it as a joke and didn't take it seriously.

Some even believe that the human Confucian cultivators have come to the Northern Region to boost their reputation and fame...

After all, similar things have happened before.

In the past, a certain Buddhist sect particularly liked to come to this place to convert people, but it has only become quiet in recent years.

Some even believe it's a fake, and that someone deliberately spread the news to incite others to target Lu Zheng.

For all these reasons, this appeal was basically treated as a joke.

Of course, not everyone took it as a joke.

Fengxuan looked at the call to action and couldn't help but read it aloud.

"We, the younger generation, should emulate the actions of our sage predecessors, establish a moral compass for heaven and earth, secure a destiny for the people, continue the lost learning of the past sages, and usher in an era of peace for all generations..."

Feng Xuan's beautiful eyes flickered with a strange light, her heart unable to calm down. They were serious, and they even chose the Northern Region...

Recalling the past, Feng Xuan felt a desire to befriend Lu Zheng and Qing Wan when she met them at Yunmeng Sect.

After all, those who can enter the Yunmeng Sect for study and exchange are no ordinary people.

At that time, she often saw the two of them explaining their ideas to the elders or disciples of the Yunmeng Sect, such as saving the world and helping the people, creating a prosperous era...

At the time, she thought that Qingwan, the little girl who followed Lu Zheng, was innocent and cute. She thought that she had been by Lu Zheng's side for a long time and had been influenced by Confucianism, which was why she had such unrealistic ideas.

Hearing news about the two of them again now truly shocked her.

It turns out these two weren't just talking; they weren't those Confucian and Taoist scholars who only pursued fame and fortune and engaged in empty talk. They were serious.

Moreover, the two chose to create some kind of pure land in the chaotic northern region.

She knew that with Lu Zheng's abilities, he could definitely thrive in Anguo, but he chose to come here, which she couldn't quite understand.

"This is really..."

Fengxuan was at a loss for words when it came to evaluating the two of them.

"Go and get ready, I'm going south..."

Feng Xuan said that no matter what, since the two old friends had come to the Northern Region, she had to go and see them.

Let's see what kind of mess Lu Zheng and the other two have made over there.

……

The Jixia Academy in the State of Qi.

In a dormitory room, Zhang Mu was engrossed in studying the classics.

As a special student admitted through special privileges, his talent and learning were somewhat inferior to his peers at the academy.

If there is no further significant progress, he will probably be forced to resign soon.

"Squeak..."

The door opened, and a tall, slender figure walked in.

Zhang Mu looked up and saw his good friend Cheng Li. Cheng Li was an excellent student in the academy, with outstanding character and academic performance. He came from a prominent family and his talent was no less than that of the disciples of the Confucius and Mencius families.

"Brother Cheng."

Zhang Mu greeted him.

Cheng Li smiled and said, "Brother Zhang, you're still studying hard. Take a break; how can you concentrate if you're not energetic?"

Zhang Mu pondered for a moment, "My talent is not as good as yours, so I naturally have to spend more time making up for my shortcomings... Anyway, you seem quite happy, what good news has happened?"

Cheng Li chuckled and said, "The academy has granted me a long leave. I'm planning to go to the Northern Region."

Zhang Mu asked in surprise, "The Northern Regions? What would we do in such a far place?"

Cheng Li raised his hand and slammed a piece of paper on the table.

Zhang Mu stared at the contents of the paper, his expression shifting between different emotions. "This...is it real? Could it be a joke?"

Cheng Li said, "Someone in my family does business in Wei. They sent back some news to confirm that it is indeed true, but the specific details are still unclear."

"I've heard of this Lu Zheng before. He's a young Confucian scholar from Anguo, a real talent... So I'd like to go and see him. If the news is false, I'll just treat it as a sightseeing trip."

Sightseeing and enjoying the scenery... Zhang Mu thought to himself that the Northern Regions were not exactly a good place for sightseeing and enjoying the scenery.

Zhang Mu murmured, "Universal harmony, a prosperous and peaceful world... Do you believe he can accomplish something great in the Northern Region?"

Cheng Li smiled and said, "Actually, I don't really believe it either, but some of the words in this call to action moved me. As he said, a prosperous era requires us to take action and create it; staying indoors reading classic texts won't do..."

"To establish a heart for heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations—just for these words alone, I must go and see him."

Cheng Li's eyes sparkled; he was ambitious and unwilling to merely study in the academy.

When Cheng Li first saw the call to action, he felt a sense of resonance.

Zhang Mu read the contents again and made up his mind, "Brother Cheng, I'll go with you!"

Cheng Li frowned and said, "What about your studies? Putting everything else aside, this back and forth will cause a lot of trouble..."

He was able to get a long leave from the teacher at the academy because he had excellent grades and was not afraid of taking up some time.

Moreover, his family allowed him to travel and thoughtfully provided him with some attendants to ensure his safety.

Zhang Mu smiled helplessly and said, "With my current level, I'm afraid I won't pass the next assessment. I might as well go out with Brother Cheng and see the world. Who knows, I might even improve."

To be honest, he had never been very interested in Confucianism since childhood, but his learning talent was considered excellent in the clan, and the study of Confucianism was very popular in the State of Qi.

He entered the Jixia Academy carrying the expectations of his family, and the burden on his shoulders was truly heavy.

Seeing this, Cheng Li couldn't help but say, "You'd better think this through. This is no small matter. Will your family agree to it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Mu's expression shifted, but he steeled himself and said, "At worst, I'll sneak over. A man's ambition lies in all directions; how could I..."

Cheng Li couldn't help but pat Zhang Mu on the shoulder and said earnestly, "You should talk to your elders at home and tell them that you're going out with me to change your mood. They shouldn't make things too difficult for you."

Zhang Mu couldn't help but say, "Good brother..."

Zhang Mu paused, then continued, "Speaking of which, if things over there are really as described, Brother Cheng, you won't choose to stay there, will you?"

Cheng Li smiled slightly and said softly, "If it's really as I expect, what's wrong with staying there?"

His decision to go to the Northern Region was made after careful consideration. If it truly suited his wishes, pausing his studies at the Jixia Academy wouldn't be a problem. (End of Chapter)