Chapter 132: Jade Prince

In the morning, sunlight streamed into the quiet room; Zhou Shuo heard the aura approaching from outside the door, involuntarily opened his eyes, waved his hand and flung the door wide open, revealing Hua Nongying outside, who was about to raise her hand to knock. The little girl was made somewhat at a loss by the sudden opening of the door, merely staring with wide eyes.

"Don't look at me like that; I know Hong Yi has arrived, and he brought someone with him." Zhou Shuo looked at the wide-eyed Hua Nongying, shrugged his shoulders, straightened his legs, then rose from the mat, and as he moved his limbs, a crackling sound sounded.

"It's the Jade Prince." Hua Nongying looked at the leisurely Zhou Shuo, involuntarily explained, the person Hong Yi brought is no one else, it's exactly the Jade Prince.

"Indeed, he's quite impatient." Zhou Shuo adjusted his collar, then shook his head and went out, heading straight to the guest room. Besides Hong Yi, there was also a man in a brocade robe in the guest room, his appearance quite handsome, his demeanor outstanding; he must be the Jade Prince. Apart from these two, no one else came over; they must have rushed here. Hmm, the attitude of welcoming virtuous talents is not bad, but Yao Yue Ting did not offer a greeting; the Yao Chi Sect never reveals its stance until the very last moment.

"Shuo brother." Hong Yi was sitting in a chair; seeing Zhou Shuo enter the door, he immediately stood up.

"Good morning, Yi brother." Zhou Shuo looked at the boy who hastily rose to his feet, smiled and gave a greeting, then without needing his introduction, he gazed at the man in the brocade robe.

"This must be the Jade Prince, right?"

"Yang Zheng has paid his respects to True Person Zhou." The man in the brocade robe looked at Zhou Shuo, lowering his posture to the utmost.

"Your strength hasn't yet reached the level of Martial Saint." Zhou Shuo looked at the man whose posture was extremely low, involuntarily raised his eyebrows, without waiting for his reply, he continued to introduce himself.

"What do you intend to use to contend for the Nine Five Supreme?" Facing Zhou Shuo's words, the Jade Prince's face flushed slightly, and he also felt secretly annoyed, because Zhou Shuo's remark was too direct; not having become a Martial Saint had always been a knot in his heart, and on this matter, no one could help him.

"The Jade Prince, because he dwells in the world of fame and profit, constantly weighs gains and losses; his martial heart has long been stained by the mortal world, so he has never reached the Martial Saint realm. I don't know what other plan Brother Shuo has." Feeling the Jade Prince's flushed face, Hong Yi involuntarily explained, he brought the Jade Prince here intending to gain Brother Shuo's support with the attitude of welcoming virtuous talents, not to have Brother Shuo reprimand him.

"The world of fame and profit? The martial heart? Long stained by the mortal world?" Zhou Shuo looked at Hong Yi, the corners of his mouth slightly curled, his eyes slightly lifted, repeating those three terms.

"What lofty opinion does Brother Shuo have?" Hong Yi looked at Zhou Shuo's appearance, involuntarily hurriedly bowed his head and asked; he didn't know anything else, he only knew that Zhou Shuo's martial arts surpassed his, enough to be comparable to a Human Immortal-level father, and he also possessed at least Ghost Immortal-level Daoist cultivation; in terms of training, his knowledge absolutely far exceeded his own.

"I have no lofty opinion, merely Hong Yi, what do you think the martial heart is?" Zhou Shuo glanced at the waiting Jade Prince, involuntarily posed a counter-question.

"This, the martial heart, differs from person to person, from the martial arts one cultivates, from the environment one is in; it is the imprint of the essence condensed in martial arts..." Hong Yi, not quite grasping Zhou Shuo's meaning, attempted to explain with his own understanding.

"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. Hong Yi, I tell you, the Dao is nameless and formless; even the name 'Dao' is an imposed label." Zhou Shuo looked at Hong Yi, who was thinking carefully, involuntarily rolled his eyes, as if there was no need to be so hesitant.

Whether it was Hong Yi or Yang Zheng, upon hearing Zhou Shuo utter the phrases "The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name," they could not help but be greatly shaken; wanting to grasp the true meaning, when they vaguely perceived something, it was not quite clear, so they could only listen attentively, bowing their bodies, to Zhou Shuo's lecture.

"Martial way, entering the Dao through martial practice. The Dao can do anything and yet cannot do anything; to enter the Dao, one must first know, Jade Prince." Zhou Shuo looked at the two with heads bowed and ears close, his gaze fixed on the obedient Yang Zheng, his tone suddenly shifting as he asked.

"Do you know?"

"Yang Zheng, Yang Zheng, Yang Zheng doesn't know." Yang Zheng could faintly sense a trace, yet could not see it clearly; his forehead sweated anxiously from his urgency. Zhou Shuo looked at his state, somewhat wanting to shake his head, but meanwhile Hong Yi beside him was quick-witted.

"I understand, Jade Prince, Brother Shuo is……" Hong Yi's thoughts were exceptionally clever; upon Zhou Shuo's words, he grasped the meaning quickly; the meaning of Zhou Shuo's words was to point out that Yang Zheng acts overly diligently, unable to recognize his own true heart; desire, though entangling, is also a driving force for progress.

"Shut up; the Dao does not seek people, are you trying to enlighten him for him?" Zhou Shuo looked at Hong Yi, who was about to answer first, and involuntarily shouted; Hong Yi's character is extremely quick-witted, such a person thinks of everything fast, yet although he himself can comprehend things, he cannot impart that to others, and may even lead them into a ditch; being with such a person, any luck or opportunity will be squandered, leaving only him shining—this is what is called the protagonist's fate.

"……" Hong Yi, after being scolded, was momentarily speechless, but upon hearing "the Dao does not seek people," he involuntarily hurriedly closed his mouth; while humbly receiving instruction, he used his gaze to cheer Yang Zheng on.

"The Dao does not seek people; the Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao…… Yang Zheng originally intended to listen to Hong Yi's words, but upon hearing Zhou Shuo's 'the Dao does not seek people,' his heart involuntarily trembled; he murmured, recalling Zhou Shuo's earlier words, relating them to himself and conducting analysis.

"……" Zhou Shuo looked at Yang Zheng, whose forehead was drenched in cold sweat and whose eyes kept shifting; he slightly nodded his head, not fearing that your thoughts are chaotic, but fearing that you are a block of wood, hearing nothing; the Dao is nameless and formless; fame and profit desires also reside within it; although fame and profit desires muddy the heart and will, they can likewise be transformed into a driving force for human progress—it all depends on whether one can comprehend it fully.

"The Dao that can be spoken, the Dao that can be spoken, the Dao that can be spoken—ah, I understand." Yang Zheng murmured Zhou Shuo's words, like a student stumped by a teacher's question, desperately pondering his whole life; thinking of his desire to seize the throne, yet his power and status inferior to the Crown Prince and the Prince of Harmony, racking his brains and being diligent, suddenly, in an instant, the golden gate and jade lock burst open; why is it that I am like this?

"Yang Zheng knows, Yang Zheng knows; having met True Person Zhou today, I have truly received boundless instruction; I beg True Person Zhou to accept a bow from Yang Zheng." Yang Zheng lifted his eyes to look at Zhou Shuo, his heart swelling with boundless joy, yet his speech stumbled; he neither knew how to address Zhou Shuo appropriately nor how to express his delight; in a flash of inspiration, his knees went weak and he wanted to bow down.

"What are you bowing for? I and Hong Yi are brothers; if you bow to me, how does that count? But since you yourself can figure it out, that's not bad; tell me what you think, and I'll listen." Zhou Shuo looked at the ecstatic youngster, nodded with a smile, and stopped the other's bowing motion; he had no need to accept it.

"Yang Zheng longs for the Nine Five, yet acts with utmost diligence; his status falls short of the two brothers; he has always blamed the emperor for favoritism and hated his own uselessness; in the world of fame and profit he racked his brains; although not to the point of forgetting his life for petty gain, he nevertheless conserves himself in great undertakings; having heard the True Person's teaching, only now has he broken open the golden gate and jade lock, knowing that I am myself."

"Hmm, not bad, that'll do." Zhou Shuo looked at the overjoyed Yang Zheng, slightly nodded his head; being able to reach this point, although still a step away from seeking immortality and asking the Dao, it is also an expectation of the Nine Five; for him, it is enough.

"True Person Zhou……" Yang Zheng stopped the bowing motion, feeling the vanishing strength from his body, simultaneously feeling secretly surprised, looking at Zhou Shuo's nod of approval, he hesitated and began to speak.

"You and Hong Yi should address me the same way; as for anything else, don't bring it up to me—I don't want to hear those things." Zhou Shuo looked at the hesitant youngster, waved his hand slightly, and stopped him from saying what he was about to say.

"This……" Upon hearing Zhou Shuo's words, Yang Zheng's face showed difficulty as he looked toward Hong Yi; he was about to propose, namely to ask Zhou Shuo to assist him; with Zhou Shuo's assistance, the prospect of the Nine Five, though not a certainty, would give him an eighty percent chance.

"Jade Prince, Brother Shuo lets you address him, so you shall address him thus." Hong Yi looked at Yang Zheng's troubled face, involuntarily shook his head; Brother Shuo yielding the title counts as a tacit acceptance; even if he does not wish to intervene in the succession struggle, he will absolutely not take sides with anyone else.

"Brother Shuo." Upon hearing Hong Yi's words, Yang Zheng then remembered, his face renewed with joy, and he paid respects to Zhou Shuo with a proper salutation.

"Just now I finally understood, but just now I became muddle-headed again; advance one step, retreat ten steps—that's exactly what you're like." Zhou Shuo looked at the overly respectful fellow, involuntarily curled his lips and shook his head in reproach; having just said he recognized himself, said he would no longer conserve himself in great undertakings, firm in his aspiration for the Nine Five, now he again seeks Shu and looks toward Long; probably the divide between immortal and mortal lies here—ordinary people do not know how to restrain their desires; even with Daoist methods and martial arts, they still linger in the mortal world.

"What Brother Shuo said is not wrong; Yang Zheng indeed constantly makes foolish mistakes, so he hopes to find someone who can constantly point him out; without doubt, that person is Brother Shuo." Yang Zheng, following Zhou Shuo's words, introduced himself thus; hearing this, the nearby Hong Yi couldn't help but stare wide-eyed; this Jade Prince, after comprehending the martial way, seems to have changed dramatically all at once.

"Your words are such that I don't even know how to refuse your forthcoming requests." Zhou Shuo looked at the Jade Prince, who had suddenly become clever, his facial expression somewhat subtle; this youngster's few sentences bear a resemblance to the line from the movie starring Xing Ye, "My admiration for you is like the endless, continuous river," sharing a similar effect.

"Brother Shuo, this Heavenly Pond Dwelling is rather shabby; you had better move to my mansion to live!" Yang Zheng, following the remark, spoke without hesitation; having passed this village, there is no next shop; nowadays, among the three factions vying for the succession in the court, the Prince of Harmony has just suffered a major loss of strength, the Crown Prince, although having a few minor flaws, remains as steady as a dog; he does not take the opportunity now to win over Zhou Shuo, this expert, and wait for what time?