A Seed of Confucianism

"Heaven and earth possess a vast and righteous energy, which manifests in various forms, becoming rivers and mountains below, and the sun and stars above..."

Inside the prefect's residence, Zhang Xuezhou shamelessly followed Dong Zhongshu for a while, which served as a temporary place to stay.

He used to think that mastering the nine methods of evasion and lying in the wild for a few days was nothing, but after seeing the Bashe, Zhang Xuezhou felt that he still needed to have a normal life and could not just sleep in the wild.

He waited for the time to return to reality.

After encountering problems while practicing the "Technique Within the Clouds" and being rescued by the Emperor, he has been in this world for more than two days and has not yet returned to reality.

But Zhang Xuezhou felt that the time might be very close to the return.

After having a very simple meal, he found a place to stay temporarily in the staff quarters of the prefectural governor's office.

While waiting, Zhang Xuezhou also loudly recited Dong Zhongshu's "The Vast Righteous Qi Instruction".

"Brother Zhongshu, the Confucian School ' Vast Righteous Qi Instruction' is only used for regulating the mind. This cultivator surnamed Zhang's ability to project his Law Power is already quite sophisticated. Why would he want to learn your skill?"

When Wen Weng returned after finishing his disaster relief work following the heavy rain, he was somewhat surprised to hear Zhang Xuezhou reciting aloud.

"Seeing Brother Zhongweng establish an academy, I can't help but feel a little itchy to try and convert some cultivators from other schools of thought," Dong Zhongshu replied in a low voice. "The Vast Righteous Qi Art is only useful for calming the mind for most people, but it might have some potential to harmonize with a school like the Yin-Yang School, which is obsessed with its own development."

"This cultivator is a student of the Yin-Yang School?" Wen Weng asked in surprise. "Don't provoke Jin Chang. If he finds out that you've been teaching without permission and it has an impact, he'll go all out and we won't be able to stop him!"

"He wasn't Jin Chang's student; Zou Bugui just casually taught him some things!"

"So it was Zou Bugui, then everything's alright!"

Wen Weng nodded.

If Dong Zhongshu took a liking to Zhang Xuezhou, Wen Weng felt that even if Dong Zhongshu abducted him, Zou Bugui wouldn't cause any trouble.

In fact, with Zou Bugui by the Xieluosi River Holy Land, there has been Zou Bugui in the martial arts world, and many people speculate that Zou Bugui is dead.

When a tree falls, the Zou Bugui to join one's own school of thought.

Listening to Zhang Xuezhou's loud and energetic recitation, Wen Weng thought the other party was quite diligent.

The Confucian School Vast Righteous Qi Instruction, belonging to the Doctrine of the Mean, does indeed provide some assistance to the more extreme cultivation theories of the Yin-Yang School.

However, it's not really that powerful as to say that the Vast Righteous Qi Instruction is particularly effective; otherwise, everyone would be learning Confucian School cultivation methods.

The greatest advantage of Confucian School lies in its universality, which leads to a high degree of tolerance for various techniques and can also serve as a common practice method for other schools of thought.

However, it is precisely because of the broad and inclusive nature of Confucian School that Confucian School scholars are less powerful than those of other schools of thought in whatever they learn.

Only Sage Kong possessed the power to encompass all schools of thought and defeat all enemies; even later sages like Sage Meng paled in comparison.

As for Dong Zhongshu, he was still struggling to rise in rank and did not yet possess the ability to master countless skills and defeat enemies at will.

"I've heard that Confucian School has nine classics. It would be difficult for the True Spirit Realm cultivator like him to switch schools if he only reads the Vast Righteous Qi Instruction," Wen Weng said.

"Take your time," Dong Zhongshu waved his hand and said, "We Confucian School value enlightenment; such things cannot be rushed!"

"That's true," Wen Weng nodded. "If he knew that truly reconciling a school of thought required reading and studying numerous books, essentially a complete retraining process, he might very well give up."

"The Vast Righteous Qi Instruction' summarized by Confucian scholars throughout history can only plant a seed of Confucianism. To advance further, one must learn more," Dong Zhongshu said. "But Sage Kong and Sage Meng have integrated countless principles into the Nine Classics, mentioning that reciting them ten thousand times can enlighten the mind. Such cultivation is indeed very difficult for ordinary people. If we don't make things simpler in the early stages, I'm really afraid he'll run away."

"It's his good fortune to be able to become your disciple," Wen Weng said with a smile.

He didn't become my disciple!

Dong Zhongshu gave a reluctant reply.

Zhang Xuezhou's words sparked Dong Zhongshu's desire to become a cultivator who would benefit the country and its people, but Dong Zhongshu failed at the very first step.

Zhang Xuezhou was unwilling to become his disciple, and even considered giving up learning the Vast Righteous Qi Instruction altogether.

This was also the primary problem Dong Zhongshu had to face: even if he was willing to spread useful knowledge, not everyone was willing to join the Confucian school.

This required Dong Zhongshu to abandon the rules and regulations, and also required him to be open-minded and accepting of such situations.

In Zhang Xuezhou's case, Dong Zhongshu at least took the first step in his attempt.

"My academy only teaches literacy, law, and literary style, but Brother Zhongshu, you're teaching cultivation before we've even entered the gate," Wen Weng gasped. "Shen Peigong of the Confucian school has extremely high prestige, and you're currently in charge. You must be careful not to let them find out!"

"If one is stubborn and inflexible, the Confucian school will ultimately meet its end, just like the Yin-Yang School!"

Dong Zhongshu waved his hand and first mentioned his own ideas, then pointed to the outside of Shu County.

"If they could obtain the gall of the Bashe (a mythical snake) to help me advance further, what could they possibly do to me!"

It was already noon, and the people who went to Taipingyan to search for the Bashe had still not returned with news. Dong Zhongshu couldn't help but remind Wen Weng of something.

On the issue of returning to Bashe, Dong Zhongshu still had some thoughts, while Wen Weng had a somber expression.

The size of the Bashe is much larger than before. In the past, a Bashe could remain calm for months after swallowing a pig or a cow, but now it may need to eat eight to ten animals to be full.

Last night, the group spotted what appeared to be a human-shaped creature wriggling inside the snake's abdomen, suggesting that it might no longer be satisfied with ordinary meat.

This requires Wen Weng and others to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

The two looked at each other with solemn expressions, and paced anxiously back and forth in the prefect's mansion.

It wasn't until late afternoon, when the sun was almost setting, that the dozen or so people who had gone to explore the Taipingyan area began to report back.

"No?"

"Not even a trace can be found?"

"How is this possible?"

Apart from the absence of a father and son who went out to search for their cattle in the villages along the river, there were no other significant changes near Taipingyan.

The thunderstorms and the darkness of night have kept people indoors, which is perhaps the only good news right now.

But the bad news made Wen Weng uneasy.

They had witnessed the Bashe snake with their own eyes, but it simply vanished, leaving even skilled hunters with no trace of it.

"We can't find anything. Could a python fly?" Wen Weng said, slightly annoyed.

"If the Bashe could fly..."

Wen Weng's anger silenced everyone, and Dong Zhongshu's expression changed slightly, realizing that things were getting complicated.

Dong Zhongshu learned 148 arts, but none of them allowed him to fly.

However, if he encounters a flying monster and is unable to defeat it or if an accident occurs, he will find it difficult to escape.

"Without a disciple of the Feng Shui school, and lacking expertise in feng shui formations, how am I supposed to find the location where the Bashe is hiding!"

While Dong Zhongshu's thoughts were one thing, Wen Weng, who was searching for the traces of the Bashe, was troubled by a new problem.

When hunting tracking methods fail, one can only turn to Technique Method methods.

However, very few of the Technique Method and methods used in these techniques can be traced.