Chapter 75

The two words "is broken" echoed repeatedly, and combined with the breeze passing through the corridor and the gauze curtains swaying, the atmosphere was fully realized.

No, is it really this serious?

Could there be some old grudge?

Wang Yang looked at Liu Cheng, then at Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xinghan, feeling that although Liu Cheng was talented, his words were perhaps too intense.

Yan Youcheng found it even stranger. He was familiar with Liu Cheng; although Liu Cheng was arrogant, he was not considered wild. In his daily speech and actions, he was usually tactful, and he was even friendly and polite to the Fourth Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie. Why was he slapping her face so unceremoniously today?

Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xinghan sat upright as usual, her beauty radiant, her expression calm. There was not a trace of embarrassment or displeasure; only her star-like eyes flickered slightly, her gaze lowered, not knowing what she was thinking.

Apart from Wang Yang, the most detached person was Yu Yi. He didn't care who won or lost the pure conversation; for him, it was just a social engagement that was difficult to decline.

Seeing Liu Cheng dominate the scene, he said, "If no one has any objections, then Young Master Liu shall be the winner of this pure conversation."

Yan Youcheng responded first, "Brother Wenshen's insight is exceptional; none of us can compare!"

Yu Yi looked at Wang Yang, and Wang Yang said, "Brother Liu's insight—"

Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xinghan suddenly leaned toward Wang Yang, covering her mouth with her slender hand, and whispered, "If you can't beat him, the fan business is blown."

Wang Yang widened his eyes and coughed, hurriedly changing his tone: "There are still some slight flaws."

Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xinghan's star-like eyes curved, her eyebrows like a new moon.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Chen Qingshan's cold face.

Yan Youcheng looked at Wang Yang with astonishment.

Liu Cheng said in a gentle and pleasant manner, "I invite Brother Wang to offer some guidance."

"I wouldn't dare to offer guidance. May I ask Brother Liu, where does the phrase 'The arts of the Dao will be split by the world' come from?"

Liu Cheng replied calmly, "The 'Under Heaven' chapter of 'Zhuangzi'."

Wang Yang nodded, "Then may I ask Brother Liu again, in the 'Under Heaven' chapter, which recounts various schools of thought, why are Guan and Lao grouped together, while he lists himself as a separate school?"

Liu Cheng's face changed slightly, and after a brief pause, he said, "Zhuangzi stands out as a school of his own; what is wrong with listing himself separately?"

Wang Yang immediately said, "Exactly! Since he stands out as a school of his own, he naturally has his own learning. If he just copied Laozi, how could he become a school? There must be differences from Laozi."

Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xinghan couldn't help but laugh. Liu Cheng's face turned slightly cold, "Standing out as a school does not necessarily require being different; gathering the great achievements can also form a school."

"'Gathering the great achievements'—where does that come from?"

"'Mencius, Wan Zhang Part II': Confucius is the sage of timeliness. Confucius is called the gatherer of great achievements."

"So Brother Liu's meaning is that Confucius's learning was all copied from others, and Confucius's learning was no different from his teachers'?"

"When did I ever say that? Confucius founded his own school, how could..."

Liu Cheng realized halfway through that this was a trap, smiled, and said:

"The Dao is hidden in small achievements, and words are hidden in glory. Brother Wang, you are testing me on words; even if you find a point or two, what is the significance? It is just taking advantage in conversation, and it is of no benefit to profound principles."

"Fine, let's talk about profound principles. Laozi says, 'The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.' But Zhuangzi says, 'The Dao has no beginning or end.' One speaks of having a beginning, the other of having no beginning; this is where Laozi and Zhuangzi contradict each other."

Liu Cheng frowned, "Laozi said 'The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth,' but he didn't say 'The Dao is the beginning of heaven and earth.'"

"Laozi says, 'All things in the world are born from existence, and existence is born from non-existence.' So non-existence gives birth to all things. He also says, 'The Dao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things.' So the Dao gives birth to all things. Non-existence is the Dao. Therefore, Wang Bi said, 'The Dao is the name for non-existence.'"

Liu Cheng was stunned, realizing he had been led into a circle by Wang Yang, and immediately tried to break free, "The Dao gives birth to all things, and non-existence also gives birth to all things; it is that the Dao and non-existence both give birth to all things."

Wang Yang immediately asked, "The birth of all things originates from one source; how can there be two?"

Liu Cheng replied, "Human birth has parents, and the birth of creation has yin and yang; how can there not be two?"

Good, good.

He reacts very quickly!

Wang Yang secretly praised him in his heart and changed his tactics:

"The so-called 'There is a thing formed in chaos, born before heaven and earth. I do not know its name, so I force a name on it and call it the Dao.' It is also said, 'In the beginning, there was non-existence.' Therefore, 'non-existence' is the 'Dao'."

Liu Cheng immediately said, "The first sentence comes from Laozi, and the second from Zhuangzi; the conceptual foundations of the arguments are different, how can they be mixed together?"

Wang Yang smiled slightly, "Since Laozi and Zhuangzi are no different and the Dao unites them all, why can't they be discussed together?"

Oh no!

I've fallen into the trap!

Liu Cheng looked at Wang Yang's smile, feeling a chill in his heart.

The very argument he had used to defeat Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xinghan was now being used against him by this kid. What to do?!

Yan Youcheng had been listening to the two of them debate, becoming more and more nervous, his gaze shifting back and forth. Seeing Liu Cheng unable to answer, he leaned forward unconsciously.

Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xinghan had been watching Wang Yang with sparkling eyes, never shifting her gaze.

Seeing Liu Cheng not answering, Wang Yang continued:

"Actually, there are many differences between Laozi and Zhuangzi. Zhuangzi speaks of wandering freely, of the great roc, of a hundred rivers pouring into the sea, of the snail-horn kingdoms; he views the universe as minute and plays down the sages. His scope is vast. Laozi speaks of compassion, of frugality, of not daring to be first in the world; his caution is greater than Zhuangzi's.

Therefore, what Laozi praises is nothing more than the sage, while Zhuangzi often speaks of the divine man, the true man, and the ultimate man.

Laozi says, 'Therefore the sage can achieve his greatness,' but the sage Laozi considers great is small in Zhuangzi's heart. Thus he says, 'The ultimate man has no self, the divine man has no merit, and the sage has no name.' Among the three, the sage is the lowest."

"Laozi's book likes to use the word 'constancy,' saying, 'Returning to one's destiny is called constancy, knowing constancy is called enlightenment.' 'Not knowing constancy leads to reckless actions and disaster.' 'Not leaving one's body in danger is called practicing constancy.'"

"However, Zhuangzi likes to speak of the great transformation of heaven and earth, so he values 'inconstancy.' Therefore, the 'Great Ancestral Teacher' chapter says, 'Transformation means inconstancy'!"

"Laozi speaks of non-action—non-action yet nothing is left undone; because he does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him."

"Zhuangzi also speaks of non-action, but what Zhuangzi calls non-action is doing what one must do, and stopping where one must stop. It is knowing that there is nothing one can do, and accepting it as fate."

"Therefore, Zhuangzi says, 'So the gentleman has no choice but to govern the world; there is nothing better than non-action.' These three words 'has no choice' are the essence, while Laozi diligently teaches the ruler—"

When Wang Yang reached this point, Liu Cheng immediately interrupted, "'Under Heaven' chapter of 'Zhuangzi' says, 'By the Dao, observe the correctness of the rulers of the world; by the Dao, observe the divisions, and the righteousness of ruler and subject is clear.' Zhuangzi clearly also teaches the ruler!"

Wang Yang said as a matter of course, "Yes, this is his 'having no choice' aspect."

Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xinghan and Yan Youcheng couldn't help but laugh out loud upon hearing this. Yu Yi also smiled.

Liu Cheng was choked, not knowing what to say in response.

He never expected that the gap in the argument he had worked so hard to find would be brushed aside by such a light sentence!

Only then did Wang Yang continue:

"Laozi applies his mind to governing the world, hence the fantasy of a small country with few people. Zhuangzi, however, often seeks to avoid the world, so he says, 'Go away! I will drag my tail in the mud!'"

"Laozi speaks of the Dao as mysterious, high, and profound—the gate of all mysteries. Zhuangzi speaks of the Dao by saying, 'The Dao is in ants,' 'The Dao is in excrement and urine.'"

"The 'Under Heaven' chapter says Zhuangzi's learning 'wanders above with the Creator, and below with those who transcend life and death, having no beginning or end.' It also says Laozi and Guan Yin's learning 'is built on constant non-existence, and mastered by the Great One. It takes softness, weakness, humility, and yielding as its appearance, and uses emptiness and not destroying all things as its reality.' This is truly saying—"

"Laozi and Zhuangzi have different focuses. Therefore, their similarities can be examined, but their differences cannot be erased!"

Wang Yang paused, cleared his throat, and concluded: "Therefore, I say that the argument Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie established regarding the differences between Zhuangzi and Laozi is as firm as a rock and unbreakable!"

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Note: The pure conversation skills of Yan Youcheng, Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xinghan, Liu Cheng, and Wang Yang have all been weakened by me. In the original plan, they were supposed to debate for a few more rounds, but to avoid making this section too long and tedious for everyone to read, I had to simplify it.

I estimate that some friends might not want to read this kind of academic debate, but "pure conversation," including the Confucian discussions that will appear later, as well as Wang Yang's "debate on scriptures" in the Jin Ling volume that shocked the Buddhist world, and the "questioning and preaching" in the Northern Dynasties volume that triggered a series of unexpected consequences, are actually an important side of that era. They are also closely related to the main story and character development. Skipping them with a few words would be easy to write, but it would be boring. A huge scroll is unfolding; please allow me to proceed slowly.