Fang Yun listened to the men arguing as he walked toward them.
"If in the morning I hear the Way, I may die content that evening" had always been controversial on the Saint Origin Continent. Successive heads of the Kong Family had never reached a definitive conclusion, and even different Half-Sages offered different interpretations.
One side believed the sentence meant exactly what it said: if one could attain one's Sacred Way or whatever one sought in the morning, then dying that evening would not matter.
The other side believed that interpretation did not hold up logically. The sentence should mean that, once one understood the way of benevolence and righteousness, one could immediately die to defend it. Morning and evening were merely figurative references. By a slight extension, the sentence meant that the way of benevolence and righteousness was worth defending with one's life.
The first interpretation emphasized "attainment," while the second emphasized "mission." Some disciples of the Confucian School consequently believed that only those who agreed with the second interpretation were true Confucians, because the second placed "righteousness above all," while the first placed "benefit above all." Confucians could seek benefit, but they had to value righteousness more highly.
The young man surnamed Fang said, "Stop using Sage Kong to browbeat me. He was a Saint, but what are we? Ordinary commoners! Even Sage Kong couldn't save me now, so spare me your lofty principles. I'm sick to death of them!"
"Brother Fang, you're being far too extreme. You should calm down and think things through."
"The problem right now is that I can't calm down!"
"If you can't even keep your mind calm, you don't deserve to call yourself a scholar!"
"Utter nonsense! Can you honestly say you've been calm and composed this entire journey? Can you honestly