The Analects Committed Suicide

After two months of studying, the image of the residents of Mangcang Town has undergone a dramatic change. The indifferent figures can no longer be seen on the streets; instead, they are replaced by polite gentlemen.

They greeted each other with a gift, then exchanged pleasantries, all with kind smiles and gentle, humble manners. It's hard to imagine such a scene unfolding in Mangcang Town.

Just two months ago, the residents of Mangcang Town were so close to killing each other when they met that it was impossible for them to act like they did now.

But the current scene tells us that everything is so miraculous, and the impossible has actually happened.

"It seems that President Gongsun is destined to win," said the cultivator outside, witnessing this scene.

"You don't need to tell me. I saw signs of it a month ago. Sigh! It's a pity I bet on a five-person team. I didn't expect them to be turned against us halfway through. It's really shameful." Another cultivator couldn't help but shake his head and say.

Gongsun Qiong's enlightenment of the people was not accomplished in an instant, but rather through gradual changes and accumulation over two months. The cultivators outside the Bookstore had all witnessed this, so they were actually prepared for what was happening.

Especially a month ago, a five-person team that had been lurking among the residents of Mangcang Town was actually brainwashed by that white paper called "The Analects of the Analects". They took the initiative to find Gongsun Qiong and confessed that they were there to sabotage Gongsun Qiong's training mission. This really shocked the general public.

What surprised everyone even more was that President Gongsun was not at all surprised by the five-person team's honesty, and even allowed them to continue studying the Analects in Mangcang Town.

The five-person team was overjoyed upon hearing this and began to attend Gongsun Qiong's lectures every day, just like the tens of thousands of residents of Mangcang Town, to learn the knowledge from the Analects.

Thus, Gongsun Qiong's training mission went so smoothly that it was unbelievable.

Of course, the residents of Mangcang Town and the five-person team all speculated that the reason for such a big change was the effect of the Analects taught by President Gongsun.

After all, while the Spirit Crystal Vein Mine could control the unruly people of Mangcang Town and make them obedient, it could not change their mentality or personality.

Simply put, while self-interest can control a person's outward appearance, it can never control their inner self.

Everyone has witnessed the changes in the residents of Mangcang Town over the past two months; it's a transformation that comes from within.

All of this is thanks to the Analects taught by President Gongsun.

However, no one expected that a white paper copy of the Analects could educate tens of thousands of unruly people.

Therefore, everyone is now filled with amazement and anticipation for the Epic-grade- quality book on the Bookstore rooftop.

If a white paper is like this, what would the effect be if it were Epic-grade work like the Analects?

Within the projection.

Tens of thousands of residents of Mangcang Town sat in the square. Gongsun Qiong stood on a high platform in the middle of the square, looking down at the thousands of residents of Mangcang Town, and said with a smile, "Today will be the last day of our study of the Analects."

Upon hearing this, tens of thousands of residents showed expressions of surprise and began to whisper among themselves.

Gongsun Qiong raised her hand to quell the noise, but given the large number of people, it took some time for the sounds to gradually subside.

Gongsun Qiong continued, "After today, each of you will receive a resident ID card for Mangcang Town, and from now on, you will officially enjoy the dividends from the Spirit Crystal Vein Mine."

"Whoosh!"

The tens of thousands of residents instantly erupted in excitement. Regardless of what they learned from the Analects, their initial and ultimate goal was to obtain a share of the Spirit Crystal Vein Mine. This was something that even if they studied and comprehended the Analects, it would not change.

This time, Gongsun Qiong did not stop them, but let them cheer and celebrate.

Gradually, everyone seemed to sense that something was wrong, and the cheers gradually subsided as they all looked at Gongsun Qiong on the high platform.

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Gongsun Qiong continued, "After today, I will step down as mayor of Mangcang Town, and the person among you who is best at studying the Analects will succeed me as mayor."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to one spot, where Ergouzi sat cross-legged on the ground with a serious expression, holding a copy of the Analects of Confucius in his hands, seemingly unaware of the gazes directed at him.

"Alright, since this is the last day of studying the Analects, I'll test everyone's understanding of the book." Gongsun Qiong said, then looked at Ergouzi and said, "Ergouzi, explain your understanding of the following passage from Confucius: 'A gentleman who is not dignified will not command respect; learning will not be solid. Uphold loyalty and trustworthiness; do not befriend those who are not as good as yourself; if you make a mistake, do not hesitate to correct it.'"

Ergouzi stood up, respectfully bowed to Gongsun Qiong, and replied, "Teacher, I believe Confucius meant that a gentleman should value dignity; without dignity, one cannot attain propriety. Learning should not be closed-minded. The difference between the two is significant. As for making friends, one should only associate with those who are beneficial to me; if someone is detrimental, one should never befriend them. Everyone makes mistakes; the important thing is to correct them. If one is unwilling to repent, the mistake will only grow bigger. Therefore, when one makes a mistake, whether through criticism or personal reflection, one should quickly correct it, without fearing the difficulty of correction and complacently accepting it."

Gongsun Qiong nodded, looked at the tens of thousands of residents of Mangcang Town, and said, "Everyone makes mistakes, but making mistakes is not terrible. As long as you know your mistakes and can correct them, that is the behavior of a gentleman. I hope everyone can remember the meaning of this sentence."

"Yes, teacher." The ten thousand residents of Mangcang Town below nodded and bowed in unison.

Gongsun Qiong was very gratified. For the first time, she realized that teaching people to be good was such a meaningful thing.

In the process of teaching the Analects, Gongsun Qiong gradually forgot about her training mission; it seemed that whether or not the mission was completed was no longer important to her.

Looking at the tens of thousands of people, Gongsun Qiong's tone gradually became excited as she loudly proclaimed, "Do you know what? The reason I started teaching you all to read the Analects wasn't initially my own wish, but rather because it was a training task assigned to me by my teacher."

Everyone looked at Gongsun Qiong with puzzled expressions.

Gongsun Qiong pointed to the sky behind him and said, "He's definitely watching us right now, along with many, many other people."

"Now, let's read the Analects one last time to tell our teacher that his student has successfully completed this training mission, okay?"

"Okay!" Although they didn't know where the teacher the teacher was talking about was, everyone was infected by Gongsun Qiong and responded loudly.

Gongsun Qiong resumed his serious demeanor, turned his back to the tens of thousands of people, looked up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, and said, word by word, "Then, let's begin!"

Confucius said, "Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application? Is it not delightful to have friends coming from afar? Is it not the mark of a gentleman to remain unperturbed when others do not recognize his merits?"

"Master You said..."

Tens of thousands of people recited the Analects in unison, their momentum like a dragon. A vast white aura emanated from them, gradually rising into the sky and slowly gathering together. The entire sky darkened instantly, and faint golden wisps of gas descended from the sky, merging with the white aura.

Everyone outside the Bookstore stared in shock at the scene, speechless.

"Boom~"

The aura floating above gathered more and more, seemingly reaching a peak, and with a cracking sound, it surged directly towards Gongsun Qiong.

At the same time, the Epic-grade- quality book "The Analects," which had been suspended in the air above the Bookstore, began to emit a blazing golden light, enveloping the entire black book.

"Holy crap! Not again!"

Ma Feifei, who was initially quite pleased to hear Gongsun Qiong's words, was horrified when he suddenly saw this scene. He leaped towards the roof, reaching out to grab the copy of the Analects.

"Ding~"

A tremendous golden light radiated outwards, blinding everyone who saw it, and Dubian Town was enveloped in a world of light...

A beam of light quietly separated and shot towards the depths of the Nine Heavens Mountain.