Chapter 194: Chapter 37: Another Encounter with Confucius, an Invitation into the Qi Pass

The wind howled furiously. Above them was a hundred-li canopy of power, with the occasional bird seen flying by.

The light of the Great Sun filtered through the heavy clouds and the canopy of power, spilling down to illuminate the First Fortress of the Qi Kingdom, making it shimmer.

On the fortress wall, the general’s expression was incredibly grim. He clutched his long halberd, staring intently at the chariots and carriages before the fortress.

“Sir, what are your orders?” the adjutant asked. “Should we unleash a thunderous assault? Activate the army formation, rain down a million arrows, and kill this man?”

“Are you mad?”

The general glanced sideways and said coldly,

“A Great Virtue of this age isn’t so easily killed. Not to mention, he is accompanied by the Ruler of the State of Qin, a Grand Grade expert!”

After a pause, he took a deep breath and continued,

“For now, we’ll wait and see… Have the soldiers prepare. All bows drawn!”

“Yes, General!” The adjutant immediately relayed the order. Atop the fortress, a hundred thousand soldiers stood ready, bows drawn and arrows nocked, their weapons gleaming.

And now, before the great fortress.

Neither the Mighty Hundred Riders and Eighty-One Armors behind Lu Xuan, nor the Seventy-two Disciples following Confucius, showed any change in expression at the sight of the terrifying army formation swirling above the fortress or the hundred thousand fierce soldiers with drawn bows.

As for Lu Xuan, Confucius, and Duke Mu of Qin, their faces were utterly untroubled as they chatted and laughed.

Duke Mu of Qin said softly,

“This must be the great Kongzi from the Lu Kingdom? I have long heard of your fame.”

Confucius bowed slightly and replied with a smile,

“It was only after receiving the Master’s guidance in Luoyang that I was able to attain the station of a Great Sage.”

Saying this, he bowed to Lu Xuan. There, before the great fortress and under the threat of a hundred thousand bows, he spoke with a smile,

“After parting with you that day, Master Lu, I returned to the Lu Kingdom. I tossed and turned, contemplating my path, contemplating benevolence and righteousness. I did manage to figure some things out and took on seventy-two disciples, but my heart is still filled with doubt.”

Lu Xuan, seated in his chariot, smiled serenely.

“Zhongni, please speak freely.”

Confucius bowed again, his expression earnest yet perplexed as he asked,

“My confusion lies with the benevolence and righteousness I wish to promote. I feel the theory is complete, but something seems wrong, not self-consistent. I have been putting the path of benevolence and righteousness into practice recently, but I find that in action, it is different from when I put it to paper. When it comes to implementation, benevolence and righteousness…”

He trailed off with a soft sigh.

In the Current World, Lu Xuan had learned quite a bit about the Dao of Confucius and had done much research on Confucianism.

Although history was fragmented, the teachings of Confucianism were the most well-preserved, so he knew a great deal about them.

He immediately asked,

“Zhongni, let me ask you: is the benevolence and righteousness you speak of an innate moral character that people are born with?”

Confucius thought for a moment, then nodded seriously.

“Naturally. If a gentleman lacks benevolence and righteousness, how can he establish himself in this vast world? If a person’s life is devoid of benevolence and righteousness, what value does their existence have?”

He paused, and with his Seventy-two Disciples listening intently and Duke Mu of Qin paying rapt attention, Confucius continued,

“You told me that day that the highest good is like water, and one need not lament that which passes like a flowing stream. I returned and thought about it very carefully. Just as you said, as long as a person’s life has value, life and death are but a natural cycle. There is indeed nothing to fear.”

“And the value I perceive lies in benevolence and righteousness. Therefore, I believe that cultivating these virtues is not just the nature of a gentleman, but the inherent nature of all people. Master Lu, why do you ask me this?”

Lu Xuan straightened his robes, and the canopy of power above his head roiled.

He did not answer, but instead asked another question.

“Then, Zhongni, what do you believe benevolence and righteousness should be?”

Confucius answered without hesitation,

“Benevolence and righteousness mean having an upright heart, being modest in conduct, and loving all of humanity.”

“Good.” Lu Xuan’s expression did not change. He merely gave a calm nod. “Zhongni, your philosophy is very similar to how I once was.”

Confucius was slightly taken aback.

Meanwhile, atop the fortress, the hundred thousand soldiers looked at each other in confusion. Even the general was baffled.

He muttered to himself,

“What is this… they’ve started a discourse on the Dao?”

As he spoke, the general looked up at the Celestial Vault, which was obscured by the hundred-li canopy of power. A purple aura seemed to surge there, and one could see Measles falling through the mist and the canopy.

In the void, Immortal Flowers and Golden Lotuses bloomed, accompanied by all sorts of wondrous, profound sounds!

“What is…” the adjutant asked in astonishment.

The general sighed softly and said,

“A Great Virtue and a Great Sage are discussing the Dao. Such phenomena are to be expected… Pass down the order for all soldiers to plug their ears with cloth.”

He paused, seeing the confusion on his adjutant’s face, and explained,

“I’m afraid that as their discussion deepens, they will produce a magnificent celestial sound. If these soldiers hear it, every one of them will be forced to prostrate themselves on the ground.”

The adjutant understood at once and immediately passed the order down. The hundred thousand soldiers all tore strips of cloth and used them to block their ears, and the adjutant did the same.

Only the general, standing tall on the fortress wall with his long halberd, relied on his profound cultivation to silently watch and listen to the discourse between the Virtue and the Sage.

Meanwhile, down below.

Confucius bowed respectfully and asked,

“Master Lu, you said that the benevolence and righteousness I advocate for are very similar to your past self. What do you mean by that? Why… your *past* self?”

Seated on the azure chariot, Lu Xuan’s thoughts drifted back to his former self. Back then, he believed that everyone should naturally abide by rites and laws, that everyone was inherently benevolent and righteous.

It wasn’t until a conversation with Chen Tianhua in the Inspectorate, followed by a discourse on the Dao with his own master, that he had an awakening and realized how ridiculous his ideas had been.

As he reminisced, Lu Xuan sighed. His tongue bloomed lotuses as he spoke with the voice of the Dao:

“Your belief that people are born benevolent and righteous, that it is their inherent nature, seems noble, but is in fact pedantic!”

Confucius’s expression changed, as did those of the Seventy-two Disciples behind him. They all looked up sharply at the youth, who was surrounded by a dim, mysterious aura, a hundred-li canopy above his head, and visions of lotuses and Immortal Flowers swirling around him.

Lu Xuan was unmoved and continued,

“In the world today, if the rites have not collapsed and the music is not ruined, we are close to it. Take Duke Huan of Qi, for example. He massacred a hundred cities and slaughtered tens of millions in the wild. Is that benevolence and righteousness? It is not. And yet, this man, devoid of both, sits high on the throne of a Ruler of the State and is the foremost hegemon of this age!”

“If benevolence and righteousness were human nature, how could this be? If you go and teach Duke Huan of Qi about benevolence and righteousness, will he listen? He will only draw his blade and sever your head!”

Confucius’s expression was stormy, but he said nothing. He simply bowed and listened respectfully.

Lu Xuan sighed lightly and continued,

“The myriad things in heaven and earth have their own inherent laws. I have told you this before… Now, watch.”

As he spoke, he activated the dense [Virtue] covering his body. He casually plucked a vast swathe of clouds and mist from the hundred-li canopy above and kneaded it in his palm.

Immediately, the clouds and mist transformed, simulating scenes of the sun, moon, and stars, of beasts and birds, all roiling without end.

Lu Xuan said,

“The sun, moon, and stars shine and perform their Circulations. The birds and beasts compete for survival. The flowers, grass, and trees stand tall between heaven and earth. This is Nature. My master’s Dao is to follow all that is natural, to practice Non-action. You, however, believe that people are born to be benevolent and righteous. The Dao I follow, though it is my master’s Non-action, is one where through Non-action, nothing is left undone, and nothing is impossible!”

His voice shook the vault of heaven, echoed through the great fortress, and was deafening in its clarity.

Every word Lu Xuan spoke, empowered by his Virtue, transformed into Profound Mysteries that reached directly into the hearts of all present!

He continued,

“The Celestial Dao of human nature is absolutely not benevolence and righteousness. This is why all sorts of conflicts arise, why chaos appears upon the Earth, and why Weapons clash!”

“It is, of course, a good thing that you advocate for benevolence and righteousness. But your goal should not be to make people follow their innate nature, because benevolence and righteousness are not part of it. Rather, you must use these virtues to establish rules, so that while people follow Nature, their words and deeds are also regulated by benevolence and righteousness!”

Confucius, seeming to half-understand, looked up and asked blankly,

“You mean to say…?”

“My wish is for World Clarity. Your wish is for benevolence and righteousness in the world. They are different, and yet not different. But both share one prerequisite.”

Lu Xuan looked up silently.

“Through Non-action, nothing is left undone. With my body, I shall suppress all that is not clear in the world. With your body, you shall suppress all that is not benevolent and righteous. When that time comes, I will define the nature of heaven and earth. The world will become clear, and all things will become benevolent and righteous.”

Duke Mu of Qin nearly lost his balance, almost tumbling from his chariot.

Confucius was stunned, his mind reeling.

“People are not born with benevolence and righteousness, but I can make benevolence and righteousness their nature… Is that the principle?”

“Indeed.” Lu Xuan lifted his gaze slightly. “Duke Huan of Qi has acted perversely, causing the rites to collapse in the Sui Kingdom and slaughtering a hundred cities. I am going now to kill him as a warning to others.”

As he spoke, he rose gracefully to his feet.

“Killing him may not be enough to bring clarity to the entire Qi Region, but it will at least be better than before. At least many cities will be spared the butcher’s knife, and many people will live!”

“Duke Huan of Qi is the epitome of inhumanity!”

The greatest sound is silence, yet it shook this part of the world and rattled the great fortress.

Lu Xuan glanced sideways, his gaze fierce, and looked directly at the three-thousand-meter-high fortress, at the hundred thousand soldiers atop it. He demanded,

“Do you intend to stop me? Do you intend to stop the clarity of all things?”

DONG!!

The great fortress trembled and split apart of its own accord, revealing a path forward.

Atop the fortress, the voice of the Dao was deafening. The general holding the long halberd first looked around in a daze, but then, washed over by the terrifying [Virtue], he dropped to one knee.

“Please…”

He said softly,

“Please, Lu Zi, enter the pass!”

The hundred thousand fierce soldiers lowered their bows and blades, prostrated themselves, and shouted in unison, their voices immense,

“Please, Lu Zi, enter the pass!”

Amidst the immense roar, the canopy above Lu Xuan’s head exploded outward, growing from a hundred li in scope to a thousand!

He glanced sideways again, looked at Confucius, and resumed their discourse on the Dao.

Before the parted fortress, beneath a hundred thousand prostrated soldiers, and amidst countless magnificent visions.

Lu Xuan and Kongzi debated the Dao for another thousand sentences, every line a truth, every word a pearl of wisdom.

After a thousand sentences, Confucius first performed a deep bow, then straightened up and said respectfully,

“I understand now!”

The moment his voice fell, a brilliant light erupted from his body, shaking the vast mountains and rivers of the Zhou Dynasty!

And shaking the world along with it were Kongzi’s words:

“I understand now!”

The great sound echoed from this place all the way to Linzi, then rippled out from Linzi to all the Dukes States, and finally surged over Luoyang City!

In Luoyang City, the Celestial Son of Zhou emerged from the Ming Hall. He stared blankly at the Celestial Vault and murmured with emotion,

“Another Great Virtue has appeared in the world… A pity it is not a Great Virtue of my Zhou!”

With that, he closed his eyes and sighed.

And before the fortress in the Qi Region, [Virtue] settled upon the body of Confucius. The Seventy-two Disciples behind him all congratulated him in unison, while Duke Mu of Qin was dumbfounded, looking around in a daze.

’Lu Zi’s discourse on the Dao actually created a Great Virtue?’

’Does this Confucius truly have such talent, to become a Great Virtue just from hearing a thousand sentences?’

Nearby, the Historian also swallowed hard and faithfully recorded the scene.

[Lu Zi and Kongzi discussed the Dao. Kongzi had an epiphany and declared, “I understand.” Afterward, Kongzi achieved the Unity of Virtue and Conduct, becoming a Great Virtue of the current age. Duke Mu of Qin was astonished and nearly fell from his chariot. Lu Zi clapped his hands and laughed heartily.]

[The great fortress of Qi, awed by Lu Zi’s great virtue and might, split open of its own accord, revealing a path forward. One hundred thousand soldiers all shouted in unison, saying: “Please, Lu Zi, enter the pass!”]

As the Historian was writing, Lu Xuan sat once more upon his chariot and urged it forward. Behind him were the Eighty-One Armors and the Mighty Hundred Riders. To his left sat Duke Mu of Qin, and to his right followed Confucius and his Seventy-two Disciples.

“Why are you following?” he asked.

Kongzi said, “Having achieved the Unity of Virtue and Conduct, and since Duke Huan of Qi is inhumane, I must accompany Master Lu’s side and slay this inhumanity!”

“Good.” Lu Xuan smiled as his chariot continued forward, passing through the great fortress. The hundred thousand soldiers shouted in unison once more,

“Congratulations, Lu Zi, on entering the pass! Please, Lu Zi, defeat the thieves!”

Amidst the immense roar, the hundred thousand soldiers followed. The general came forward on horseback, raised his long halberd high, and his voice shook the space between heaven and earth:

“Follow Lu Zi and defeat the thieves!”

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