Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 645 Remaining Unchanged Amidst Change

Chapter 645 Remaining Unchanged Amidst Change

While various factions were still figuring out how to respond to Lu Zheng's letter, Lu Zheng had already begun his own arrangements.

He ordered martial law to be declared in the surrounding cities and gathered people in.

Even serious criminals who were forced to work outside the city rarely returned to the city to rest and temporarily escaped the arduous work.

Security has been strengthened both inside and outside the city, and outsiders are subject to strict checks.

For a moment, everyone felt that the situation was serious, as if a major battle was about to break out.

Lu Zheng would occasionally appear in various cities to reassure the people.

"If you don't work hard when you're young, you'll regret it when you're old..."

At this time, Lu was teaching at a school.

The students were all children, some human and some demon.

The children sat upright, listening attentively to the lesson.

At noon, Lu Zheng finished class and told everyone to go eat.

One of the children didn't leave, but came up to Lu Zheng and stared at him expectantly.

Lu Zheng looked at the little monkey demon in front of him and asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"

The child said, "I heard there's going to be a war, and those bad monsters are coming to capture people and eat us children..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng raised his hand and rubbed the child's head, "Nothing's wrong, I'm here, don't be afraid."

The child sniffled and said seriously, "I'm not afraid! Can you teach me skills? I want to become a great monster like the Monkey King so I can protect everyone!"

Lu Zheng smiled and said softly, "Then you have to learn to read and write first. Otherwise, if I teach you powerful immortal techniques, how will you learn if you don't even know how to read? The Great Sage Equaling Heaven is so powerful because he has read a lot of books!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

The child thought about it and realized it made sense.

Lu Zhengdao said, "Hurry up and eat! If you're late, there won't be any meat left."

Upon hearing this, the child said goodbye and excitedly ran to the cafeteria with his short legs.

Lu Zheng leisurely tidied up the classroom before slowly leaving the room.

Hu Qing walked over from a short distance away and smiled, "Even at this hour, you still have time to teach these kids. You really love children."

Lu Zhengdao said, "Children are the hope of the future, so naturally we should teach them well."

“I used to think I wasn’t capable enough to teach others. Now I understand things a bit better, and I think I’m qualified to teach. If I could, I’d actually like to be an early childhood educator and teach children…”

Upon hearing this, Hu Qing said, "With Young Master Lu's abilities, he would probably be more than qualified to teach at the Imperial Academy."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "I've never even been to a place like the Imperial Academy, so I'm not qualified to teach those people."

Hu Qing remained noncommittal, then asked, "It's been five days. Haven't any of the nearby forces responded yet?"

Lu Zheng shook his head. "No."

Hu Qing clicked her tongue and said, "Looks like they don't know what's good for them. They really don't want our help?"

She'd been feeling a bit tense these past few days, but Lu Zheng hadn't given her any important arrangements.

Lu Zheng glanced at him and said, "If you're so eager, why don't you go and help me eliminate two Transcendent Realm cultivators?"

Hu Qing raised an eyebrow and said quietly, "Oh dear, I don't have the same abilities as you, young master, to wipe out those at the Tongxuan Realm so easily... My Buddhist teachings aren't very powerful, so I'm not good at suppressing them."

Lu Zhengdao said, "I am not good at Buddhism. Why don't you go and consult that master?"

Hu Qing said, "He's an ascetic monk, I don't want to be like him, and besides, he's not willing to teach me. How about you give me a few more pointers on Buddhist scriptures so I can go back and ponder them on my own?"

Lu Zhengdao said, "Just wait, you'll have plenty to learn in the future."

Just then, someone rushed over and handed Lu Zheng a letter.

"We don't know who sent a letter to the city gate, it was addressed to the young master, but we didn't open it to check..." Lu Zheng nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Lu Zheng took the letter, opened it, and looked at it with a calm expression.

Hu Qing, who was standing next to her, was very curious, but she didn't dare to get closer to see the contents of the letter.

After a while, Lu Zheng gave the letter to Hu Qing.

Hu Qing glanced at it quickly, and her expression changed slightly.

Someone informed Lu Zheng of the recent movements of certain forces and the plans they were making.

"Are they really that insidious? Knowing they can't deal with you, they actually came up with these schemes to completely destroy this place..."

Hu Qing frowned, not expecting those people to act this way; it was not the behavior of a strong person at all.

In the past, these forces would not have used such insidious and vicious methods in their struggles.

The conflicts are mostly between the upper echelons of the factions.

After all, if a place is completely destroyed by various disasters, the impact would be too great. Even if one were to occupy a piece of land as a result, it would only be occupying a wasteland.

Such actions are usually only taken out of revenge.

Lu Zheng had already made the worst-case scenario plans regarding the schemes of those forces.

Therefore, when Lu Zheng saw the letter, he did not show anger or surprise.

Hu Qing frowned and carefully examined the letter, but couldn't find out who wrote it.

Hu Qing pondered, "Is this a well-intentioned reminder, or a threat they've sent to try and make you back down?"

Lu Zheng thought for a moment and said, "It might be a reminder."

Anyone who isn't stupid should understand that someone like him won't accept any threats.

Moreover, the letter contains several detailed plans; if it were truly a threat, there would be no need for such elaborate schemes.

"remind?"

Hu Qing's eyes flashed. "So someone is secretly trying to get close to you?"

Considering this, and based on her understanding of those people, it's quite possible.

However, it's unclear which one is being opportunistic, considering betting on both sides.

Hu Qing thought to herself that they were all old monsters who didn't dare to fight Lu Zheng head-on, but instead resorted to these schemes.

Hu Qing couldn't help but ask, "They're planning to cause disasters in various places. What should we do? Should we strike first, or lay an ambush?"

Lu Zheng said calmly, "We don't need to do anything now. Just pretend we don't know anything."

"what?"

Hu Qing was stunned for a moment, unable to figure out the reason.

Lu Zheng said slowly, "How do you know there isn't another possibility for this letter? Maybe someone did this on purpose to divert our attention, and then, once we've taken appropriate action, they'll pursue another conspiracy."

"The contents of this letter are a mix of truth and falsehood; who can say for sure? It's best to remain unchanged in the face of all changes."

Hu Qing opened her mouth, feeling a little overwhelmed.

Everyone here is quite skilled, so why are they starting to use their brains and schemes against each other?

Hu Qing couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that you're overthinking it?"

Lu Zheng said softly, "War is a matter of vital importance to the state; it is a matter of life and death, a road to survival or ruin. It is imperative to examine it carefully. It is better to be overly cautious than to be completely unsure."

Hu Qing asked, "If they really act like that, will they have enough time to react?"

Lu Zheng said leisurely, "What goes around comes around, there's no rush."

(End of this chapter)