Receiving Guests
"Monster! Could this guy be a time traveler?"
Si Ming broke out in a cold sweat. Even for a time traveler, without a cheat code, it would be extremely difficult to reach the level of Mozi. At the very least, he couldn't recall how to conduct the "pinhole imaging" experiment; he only knew the term.
No wonder it was so difficult for Mozi to find a successor. If he used himself as the standard, he might not be able to find a second one even in a hundred years.
"Thinking about it carefully, such monsters are not uncommon in human history. Didn't the West also produce Da Vinci?"
Many people know Da Vinci from the story of Da Vinci drawing eggs in elementary school textbooks. In addition, the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper are also considered to be works by Da Vinci. Many people think that Da Vinci was just a great Painting School, but that is not the case.
Besides painting, Da Vinci was also skilled in sculpture, music, and architecture. He was knowledgeable in mathematics, physiology, physics, astronomy, geology, and other disciplines, and held a host of titles including astronomer, inventor, and architectural engineer. He was not only versatile but also diligent and prolific, with approximately 6,000 pages of manuscripts surviving to this day.
All of Leonardo da Vinci's scientific research results were preserved in his manuscripts. Einstein believed that if Da Vinci's scientific research results had been published at that time, science and technology could have been advanced by thirty to fifty years.
In terms of academic achievements, Da Vinci surpassed Mozi.
Of course, Mozi's main job was not academic research. He was the leader of an organization. In addition to managing members and conducting ideological education, he was also responsible for disaster relief and rescue. Wherever there was a disaster, he was there. He even once single-handedly prevented wars from happening. It is estimated that he would only take some time to do research when he had some free time.
For Mozi on Earth, his biggest problem was that he was born in the wrong era.
Mozi advocated universal love, but unfortunately, he lived in an era of territorial conquest where the strong preyed on the weak, and the rulers only valued his strategies for defending cities.
Mozi discussed science, but unfortunately, people at the time preferred to believe in the ethereal and unreliable yarrow stalks and tortoise shells, forcing him to fabricate tales of ghosts and gods.
Mozi championed technological inventions, but unfortunately, in the eyes of boastful scholars, these were nothing more than "craftsmen's creations, strange and ingenious tricks."
The Mohist Canon is the closest work to scientific enlightenment in Huaxia history. It predates Archimedes' mastery of the lever principle by two centuries and, like Euclid, provides a simple yet rigorous definition of geometry. However, it has not achieved the same illustrious status as Euclid's Elements in the history of Western science, nor has it triggered a groundbreaking scientific revolution, which is truly lamentable.
Si Ming had no mood to grieve for this founding father on Earth, because the one on the Sea Continent lived long enough and left behind many inventions, essentially laying the foundation for the Industrial Revolution single-handedly.
As for his life story, to use the lyrics of an MC rap song, it truly is "Defeating emperors, fighting against the heavens, seizing the throne to become an immortal. With boundless heroism, he continues to write an alternative chapter in the history of emperors."
Before watching, Si Ming was filled with excitement and a burning desire to make a name for himself. He imagined what great achievements he would leave behind for future generations to admire after he became Grandmaster.
After reading it, his heart sank. The patriarch was so powerful that he left no way out for his descendants. If you become Grandmaster, you have to live in his shadow and be compared to him all the time. If your mental strength is not up to par, you might suffer from neurasthenia.
"Forget it, I should just wash up and go to bed. Don't think about all that nonsense. Take it one step at a time. Becoming Grandmaster is just a dream, well, just a dream..."
That night, Si Ming had a very difficult dream. He dreamed that he traveled back to ancient Earth and became Mozi.
Therefore, he refined the unclear Mohist School philosophy, put forward a precise ideological program, and no longer pinned his hopes on persuading the feudal lords and rulers. Instead, he led a group of working people to establish their own state, raised the banner of "serving the working people," and actively promoted industrialization.
He collected gunpowder, invented cannons, mass-produced muskets, blasted away all invaders, defeated all those who criticized his "ingenious and ingenious skills," and finally unified the seven kingdoms.
"My lord, declare yourself emperor! From this day forward, you will be the greatest man in the world!"
A group of ministers who had helped conquer the country, who were also disciples personally taught by Mozi, all knelt down, wanting to bestow the yellow robe upon Si Ming.
The temptation to become emperor and the First Emperor was immense, but when Si Ming recalled the fate of the Qin Dynasty, which lasted only two generations, and remembered the great vow he had made, he immediately eliminated all selfish thoughts, his personality was elevated, and he made a decisive move.
"I want a republic, not an imperial system!"
Then, he was beaten down by a group of his men.
Because he stood against the interests of the people, the country, which was just one step away from unification, was torn apart again and plunged back into war.
The various schools of thought that he had once defeated have become active again. They have rewritten history, smeared him, burned all books related to Mohist School thought, and hunted down every Mohist.
When the sunlight shone on his face, Si Ming suddenly opened his eyes, straightened his upper body, and began to curse:
"Damn it, if I had the best martial arts in the world, I could suppress you all and see who dares to oppose my decision not to become a dictator!"
He wiped the sweat from his brow, recalled the contents of his dream, and suddenly realized.
"Indeed, might makes right. Once I become the number one person in the world, who dares say I'm not qualified to be Grandmaster? I'll subdue them with my fists until they admire me!"
Chapter 215 Receiving Guests
After figuring out the key point, Si Ming became refreshed and energetic, greeting people with extra vigor. Even a blind person could tell that he was in a very good mood.
Murong Qing asked curiously, "What happened?"
Before leaving yesterday evening, Si Ming still looked very worried, but now there is no sign of it at all. It is clear that there has been a major change in her State of Mind, but she does not understand what caused this change.
Si Ming laughed and lied, "Mozi's great achievements inspired me. Our predecessors were able to overcome all difficulties under such circumstances. How can we, standing on the shoulders of giants, let them monopolize our achievements?"
Murong Qing nodded, accepting the reason. "Standing on the shoulders of giants—that's a very philosophical statement."
Even though she racked her brains, she never imagined that Si Ming would finally conclude that "subdue people with fists." After all, Mozi's life story had nothing to do with this. Instead, he mostly "subdued people with reason." How could one possibly draw the conclusion of "subduing people with fists" from these books? It was truly a test of imagination.
When Yu Shuying saw Si Ming's refreshed expression, she was also quite puzzled. He had looked preoccupied at dinner last night, but today he was full of energy. Putting everything else aside, his resilience alone was enough to make her take notice—in fact, Si Ming had been distracted because he was reading.
Although she was also curious about the reason, they had argued yesterday and gone their separate ways, so she didn't feel comfortable asking now.
It didn't matter. Whether the other person continued to be depressed or cheered up again, it had nothing to do with her. Yu Shuying had long since passed the stage of using her superpowers to spy on other people's thoughts. Unless necessary, she was too lazy to use her abilities.
At the dinner table, Yao Bilian suddenly said, "Tonight, an old classmate of mine is coming over to visit. All of you should restrain yourselves and avoid causing any trouble. Those who need haircuts should get them, and those who need to change clothes should change them. Make sure you all look presentable."
Si Ming squinted and asked, "Is it your old flame?"
Yao Bilian didn't mince words, chuckling, "There were a few fleeting encounters, but they weren't exactly lovers. They weren't interested in that kind of relationship; our life goals were different, so of course we parted amicably."
Si Ming pondered for a moment, "It seems this person isn't like you, just loafing around doing nothing. She's a promising young man with ambition. You two are like a couple who broke up. Now that you've met again, you want to tell her that even though you've broken up, you're doing just as well, or even better."
Yu Shuying looked at Si Ming with a slightly strange expression, probably because she hadn't expected him to be so adept at understanding people's thoughts.
Yao Bilian is a very straightforward person, or rather, a shameless person. She frankly admitted, "I do have some thoughts about it, but I don't have any competitive ideas. She's a successful person now; you can often hear her name on TV. Forcing a comparison would be presumptuous. At most, I just want to prove that I'm not doing badly either, at least I'm living a comfortable life. The villagers are quite harmonious, and the young and old are very sociable. Anyway, I don't want her to pity me."