Chapter 18: Confucianism and Daoism, the Imperial Court and the Jianghu!

【Demon Domain Chiyang County: Current mission completion progress 45%, please keep up the good work, Host!】

In the great hall, Li Xiang sat on a prayer mat, looking at the front with a smile.

A faint trace of Haoran Qi circled his body, golden light condensing to vaguely form the character "Demon" behind him, making his aura look extremely obscure.

At times he exuded a human aura, at others a demonic aura, making it impossible for anyone to fathom his origins.

Last night, discussing Buddhist Dharma with the black bear, he finally succeeded in teaching (tricking) the bear, making it take him as its master and successfully subduing it.

But he was still in a child's body and was a human, so Li Xiang worried that the black bear might inevitably harbor resentment.

This Haoran Righteous Qi was extremely profound; condensing it into characters could connect with the power of heaven and earth.

Li Xiang had heard that in this extraordinary world, there were often great beings reincarnating to recultivate, so he wanted to mobilize the Haoran Righteous Qi, condense demonic Qi, and try to fabricate an identity as a giant of the Demon Race for himself.

He hadn't expected the effect to be so good. Although the character imprint was blurry and the demonic Qi wasn't fierce, it just happened to mask his aura, making him seem at times malevolent and at others ethereal—truly the image of an enlightened master.

With this, the Black Bear Demon completely let down its guard.

Furthermore, without Li Xiang even having to speak, the Black Bear Demon had already filled in the blanks, imagining him as a terrifying, mysterious, powerful, and knowledgeable senior, which surprised Li Xiang quite a bit.

At this moment.

In front of Li Xiang stood two people and one beast.

Leading them was the sturdy and robust Black Bear Demon.

Now that the black bear had been taught (tricked) by Li Xiang, it had actually summoned the White Snake and Gray Wolf demons to pay their respects to the master together.

Behind him, the Gray Wolf Demon and White Snake Demon stood somewhat unnaturally.

Although these two demons were not as powerful as the black bear, they had already transformed into human shapes, but their cultivation was still shallow, and they couldn't completely transform into human bodies, their heads still retaining demonic forms.

"Second Brother, Third Sister, this is a senior of the Demon Race!"

"The senior has lived in seclusion in this mountain for many years, and now, out of pity for us, has come specifically to provide enlightenment."

"You two, why don't you hurry up and pay your respects to the senior!"

The black bear took half a step back, standing side-by-side with the two demons, looking at Li Xiang with a respectful expression.

"Greetings, Senior!"

The three of them bowed to Li Xiang in unison.

"No need for such formalities!"

"Just sit down and talk."

Li Xiang looked up and smiled, casually pointing to several prayer mats nearby.

His aura was mysterious, making it impossible for others to see him clearly, only feeling that he was mysterious.

The black bear was not reserved; he hurried to take several cushions from beside the stone statue and placed them in front, his rolls of fat wobbling as he moved, looking somewhat honest and simple.

Having obtained an opportunity last night, he had immediately summoned his brother and sister today; he was indeed a loyal fellow.

After placing the prayer mats, seeing that the other two were still reserved, he waved his large hand and pressed them directly onto the mats.

"Teacher, please forgive them; my brother and sister have never seen outsiders, so they are a bit reserved!"

"Teacher, the three of us were all formed from the cultivation of wild beasts, suffering from wind, sun, and the invasion of tigers and leopards, and it took decades to achieve our current cultivation, but we are foolish and have never been able to attain the Great Dao."

"Last night, the teacher showed pity and taught me the Buddhist principles of the Great Dao. My heart is filled with joy, and I cannot repay you even in death!"

"But in the midst of this joy, I suddenly feel a sense of sorrow."

The black bear knelt on the ground, looking at Li Xiang with a pleading expression, and began to sob softly.

"Sorrow?"

"What sorrow could there be?"

The black bear wiped his tears in a feigned manner and stretched out a finger to point at the Gray Wolf and White Snake on the other two prayer mats: "My brother and sister have no background and have sought the Great Dao for many years in vain. This Gray Wolf has a heart set on the Immortal Sect, reading scriptures diligently for over a decade, cultivating day and night, yet he has never attained the True Dharma. And my little sister, the White Snake, in order to seek a bit of Haoran Righteous Qi, has accumulated bamboo scrolls as high as a small mountain."

"Compared to them, I am even more foolish. Although I have lived for a few more years, I have never attained Buddhist Dharma, and I haven't even been able to transform into a human shape."

"I am so foolish, yet I have luckily received the teacher's grace and have hope for the Great Dao in the future, but my brother and sister, whose talents are clearly greater than mine, have no fate with the Great Dao."

"Thinking that a hundred years from now, things will have changed and the world will have shifted, and my brother and sister will not have attained the True Dharma, I fear they will die in the Heavenly Tribulation, die at the hands of the Human Race, or fall into the mouths of tigers and leopards, so I cannot help but feel sorrow."

The black bear knelt on the ground, and when he reached the sad part, he actually began to wail loudly.

Unlike his previous feigned manner, this was now a display of true emotion.

Every word was desolate, every sentence heartfelt, and hearing it, the Gray Wolf and White Snake were also moved to sadness.

"I only beg the teacher to show compassion! Accept my brother and sister as well!"

"I beg the teacher to show compassion!"

Sitting on the prayer mat, Li Xiang looked at the black bear before him, his expression gradually becoming solemn.

Originally, he had only wanted to trick these three demons and use his knowledge as a transmigrator to complete the discussion.

But now, looking at the black bear's actions, Li Xiang felt a bit moved.

Among demons, how many could be so loyal?

"I beg the teacher to show compassion!"

As he spoke, the other two demons also suddenly knelt on the ground.

They didn't know Li Xiang's depth, but they believed that their eldest brother would never harm them.

In an instant, a system notification sound rang in Li Xiang's mind.

【Demon Domain Chiyang County: Current mission completion progress 80%, please keep up the good work, Host!】

He sat on the prayer mat, looking at the three demons kneeling below, but did not immediately speak to accept them, instead closing his eyes to ponder.

After a long time, Li Xiang opened his eyes, his gaze lingering on the White Snake and Gray Wolf.

The Gray Wolf, with a demonic body, actually harbored delusions of cultivating the Immortal Dao; this in itself was going against heaven. Furthermore, what he wanted to cultivate was the "Dao De Jing" written by the Three Pure Dao Ancestors, which was even more difficult.

Yet even so, he had managed to cultivate a trace of immortal light; although faint, it had already yielded results, showing that this fellow also had opportunity and wisdom roots.

The White Snake was also peculiar; despite having a strong physical body, she was unwilling to temper it, instead drilling into Confucianism and actually finding a path similar to the Heart Learning of the Saint Wang Yangming.

But it was not easy to be a pioneer of a path. From ancient times to the present, anyone who pioneered a path was bound to suffer immeasurable hardships, tempering their mind, laboring their muscles and bones, starving their bodies, and suffering countless tribulations before finally achieving success.

Just now, he had closed his eyes to ponder exactly what was wrong with this fellow and how to solve it.

After a long time, Li Xiang looked up and told the Gray Wolf and White Snake to rise.

He looked at the two of them for a long time with a complex expression.

"What you two cultivate is different from this black bear. If you want to achieve something, you will have to suffer a lot, and there may even be a danger of losing your lives."

"In that case, are you still willing to seek the Dao?"

The two didn't even think about it, kneeling heavily on the ground.

"Though the Dao is far, I will surely approach it. If I can attain the Dao, I will have no regrets even in death!"

"I only beg the teacher to show compassion!"

Li Xiang smiled, closed his eyes, and spoke softly to the two.

"Knowledge gained from books is ultimately shallow; one must practice to truly understand."

"To cultivate the Human Dao with a demonic body without having experienced the Human Dao, how could you possibly achieve anything?"

"The direction of your two paths: one in the Imperial Court, one in the Jianghu!"

Laozi observed the myriad states of the human world before casting the "Dao De Jing" to be passed down through the ages.

Wang Yangming viewed the mountains and rivers for ten thousand miles and the disputes of the Imperial Court before understanding his original heart and creating the Great Dao of Heart Learning.

Without experiencing the same hardships as the saints, how could one truly understand the connotation of the Saint's Great Dao?

Reading books?

Knowing the "what" but not the "why," what results could there be?

In an instant, as if enlightened, the White Snake and Gray Wolf felt the dust covering their hearts dissipate.

They had found their path!

In the great hall, a strand of Haoran Righteous Qi and a bit of clear, subtle immortal light slowly rose.

"Disciple Gray Wolf! Disciple White Snake!"

"Pay respects to the teacher!"

【Ding! Demon Domain Chiyang County: Current mission completion progress 100%!】

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 19 =====