Chapter 33: The Second Lesson

Purple-gold Haoran Righteous Qi swirled in all directions, weaving together in the sky to form a canopy.

Lu Jianxing's expression turned deathly pale in an instant.

"I... I pay my respects to the Master!"

Grade Three, Heaven and Earth Great Confucian!

A position bestowed by Heaven, capable of guarding an entire region!

This... this is a Great Confucian whose influence is enough to affect the national destiny!

Entering the court as an official, he could stand face-to-face with the Emperor.

If the King were to lack virtue, he could even rebuke him directly to his face!

Compared to such a person, a mere Seventh-Rank Garrison Commander—

what difference is there between him and an ant?

In an instant, Lu Jianxing broke out in a cold sweat.

How could such a person appear in a small, unknown village?!

And he had actually been worried that a Heaven and Earth Great Confucian would steal his credit...

It was exactly like a sparrow warning a phoenix not to compete with it for a caterpillar on the ground.

Utterly ridiculous!

"Garrison Commander Lu, this old man is willing to assist the Demon Slaying Division."

"To clear the grievances of these villagers, would that be acceptable?"

Su Qin stroked his beard unhurriedly, looking at the crowd before him with a smile.

"Naturally... naturally, that is acceptable."

"To receive the baptism of a Heaven and Earth Great Confucian is their honor."

Lu Jianxing said, feeling extremely unnatural.

The gap between him and a Grade Three Heaven and Earth Great Confucian was like a natural chasm; he had no idea how to handle this situation anymore.

"Good!"

The next moment, the Haoran Qi around Su Qin surged.

It transformed into a purple-gold swimming dragon that danced in the air, slowly descending toward the villagers detained by the Demon Slaying Division.

In the blink of an eye, a giant dragon of Haoran Righteous Qi descended, startling the surrounding crowd into retreating repeatedly.

Its body was solid, as if a true Divine Dragon had descended here; the scales and whiskers on its body were clearly visible.

It was a hundred meters long, with wings on its back, and wind and thunder rumbled around it, possessing immense majesty.

Because of the dragon's descent, hissing beast roars could even be heard continuously from the depths of the distant mountains.

It seemed as if some extremely terrifying demons were warning the dragon not to enter their territory.

Beside him, Li Xiang felt a slight stir of interest.

He was very interested in this method of condensing Haoran Qi into a physical form.

A faint glimmer flashed in his eyes.

No one noticed that at Li Xiang's fingertip, a tiny golden dragon was coiling around his hand like a spirit snake.

What I see is what I gain; what I hear is what I gain.

"Garrison Commander Lu, please lead your men to maintain order."

"This is merely a manifestation of Haoran Qi created by this old man; it has no power to harm, only serving as a means to investigate demons."

"I believe Garrison Commander Lu is knowledgeable and should know what this dragon is."

Lu Jianxing frowned.

A dragon with wings—this was the appearance of the legendary Yinglong.

The Yinglong governs the celestial constellations, all water immortals, water gods, and river lords of the world; it oversees the four seasons, the Central Peak, the Central Earth, and the three hundred and sixty types of scaly creatures—all creatures with scales and armor are under its command.

This is a deity from mythology, a dragon deity that controls the rivers of heaven and earth, governs the Central Peak and the Underworld, and rules over demons.

In its presence, any demon must reveal its true form, daring not to disobey.

Furthermore, since it was condensed from Haoran Righteous Qi, it held an unimaginable deterrent power against demons.

As expected of a Grade Three Heaven and Earth Great Confucian, able to condense a deity from Haoran Righteous Qi with a flick of his finger.

Sighing, Lu Jianxing immediately directed his men to maintain order.

He let the villagers wait for Su Qin's inspection.

In front of a Great Confucian of this level, no demon could hide its tracks.

The Yinglong patrolled the sky, passing gently through the body of a villager like a breeze, leaving no trace.

The purple-gold Haoran Righteous Qi had an indescribable feeling to it.

It was not as dazzling as ordinary golden Haoran Qi, yet it gave people a sense of peace, tranquility, and auspiciousness.

It was a faint, natural auspiciousness that returned to nature.

Or rather, it was a part of nature itself.

The Yinglong slowly passed through the body of every villager, checking for anomalies within them.

With purple Qi patrolling the sky, it truly felt as if a Saint had descended here.

"Good!"

In just a few minutes, Su Qin had checked everyone.

It had circled through everyone's body, confirming that no one was related to demons.

Because of the baptism of Haoran Qi, demons would even feel a natural fear when seeing these people.

"Garrison Commander Lu, since these villagers have no problems."

"Please, Garrison Commander, let them all go home."

Garrison Commander Lu nodded and bowed to Su Qin.

"Many thanks, Master!"

Under such a level of Haoran Righteous Qi, it was impossible for any demon to be lurking.

The demon that caused the trouble this time was just a disciple who had escaped from the Nether Sect.

But even if the Sect Master of the Nether Sect were standing here now, seeing Su Qin, he would have to kneel.

Nowadays, Literature Dao is flourishing, and the Confucian Dao has branched into a hundred schools.

It seems as if the Hundred Schools of Thought from the ancient era are about to play out once more; new theories are proposed within the Confucian Dao every year, and many academies with inheritances hidden from the world for thousands of years have seen outstanding disciples enter officialdom.

But even so!

There are only ten Grade Three Heaven and Earth Great Confucians in the entire Great Liang!

They are all disciples of the Hundred Schools, and some are even Daoshu of the New Learning, the proposers and practitioners of new theories.

If this old man before him wanted to start his own school and put forward his own ideas in scholarship—

not only would the Liang King do his utmost to cooperate, but even the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, hanging high in the Six Heavens, would gladly agree.

Only through the contention of the Hundred Schools can one innovate!

The Confucian Dao has been silent for too long, having not produced a Saint in ages.

The contention of the Hundred Schools might allow the Confucian Dao, which has been silent for ten thousand years, to reach new heights and propose more suitable humanistic theories.

If the Literature Palace could produce another Saint.

Perhaps it would not be impossible to recreate the rumored Great Unification and see the mythical era where everyone is like a dragon.

A Grade Three Great Confucian—let alone the Nether Sect, even if you called the ancestors of the Nether Sect, it might not be enough.

Thus, one can see the status of a Grade Three Great Confucian today.

Lu Jianxing stood before Su Qin like a child who had made a mistake, quietly waiting for the Great Confucian's instruction.

"The Demon Slaying Division acts so tyrannically; you should show more restraint in the future."

"I remember that the Prime Minister of Great Liang has high hopes for the Demon Slaying Division; if you act like this, won't it chill the hearts of the people of Great Liang?"

"It is good for young people to have ambition, but if you cannot understand the principles of Heaven and know etiquette, you will eventually become beasts driven by desire."

"Garrison Commander Lu, take care of yourself."

"Master, Master is right!"

"This subordinate will never forget!"

Su Qin withdrew all manifestations and simply reprimanded the tyrannical behavior of the Demon Slaying Division.

Without saying anything more, he took Li Xiang and headed back toward the academy.

As for helping the Demon Slaying Division search the mountains for demons, that was completely outside his considerations.

Before long.

The old man and the young boy walked away slowly.

Leaving only the people from the Demon Slaying Division standing there in a daze.

After a long time, Lu Jianxing glanced at the detained villagers.

"Disperse. Today's events were due to my Demon Slaying Division acting too tyrannically."

"The Master's lesson is correct; in the future, I, Lu, will personally visit to apologize to you all!"

……

On the village road, Li Xiang looked at Su Qin with some surprise.

Su Qin had always been rambling about how he seemed to have taken in an incredible disciple.

But now, Li Xiang suddenly felt that he had actually taken in an incredible master.

"Teacher, you have always taught me that the Ghost Valley Sect speaks of Vertical and Horizontal Dao, of the way to borrow momentum and build momentum, and of the methods to govern the country and bring peace to the people."

"But why, when it came to yourself, did you use the power of a Grade Three Confucian to push through directly?"

Su Qin smiled.

"This is the second lesson I am teaching you."

"My Ghost Valley lineage does not encourage solving problems crudely; after all, as scholars, we should rely more on our brains to solve problems."

"But besides that, you must also understand that the foundation of all overt and covert schemes lies in one's own strength."

"If one day you become the momentum itself, why bother with those minor details?"

Su Qin held Li Xiang's hand and walked slowly through the village.

What he taught today had already deviated somewhat from the essence of Ghost Valley, and he did not intend for this little guy to understand it all.

It would be enough if he could retain some memory so that when he studied in the future, he could compare the two and not fall into the trap of cognitive barriers.

"So that's how it is."

"Many thanks for your instruction, Teacher."

Su Qin nodded.

"Take your time. There is still much you do not understand. Follow me and study hard; in the future, you will surely surpass me by three parts."

"This matter cannot be rushed; scholarship is not a one-day or two-day affair..."

"Wait!"

"What is going on with that dragon on your hand?!"

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 34 =====