Chapter 243: The Green Robe Immortal Reappears, Li Guanyi Observes the Dao and Awakens the Law

Within the Academy, the changes among the Agrarian School immediately drew reactions from the other schools; many students felt astonishment at the entire Agrarian School leaving, followed shortly by laughter.

Some Confucian disciples believed the Agrarian School held no significance for the grand tide of the world.

It was a school of the prosperous age.

In times of chaos, Legalism enforced strict laws to calm the people's hearts; Confucianism guided the state with benevolence and righteousness; the Diplomatists roamed among the warring states; the Military School's generals and strategists strengthened armies and bolstered military might; the Agrarian School's ideas required time to bear fruit.

In times of chaos, it was far too slow.

Some disciples asked the Academy's Lords.

The Confucian Gongyang Su Wang merely smiled lightly: "The Academy gathers here for the sake of moral conviction; now that the Agrarian School has found its own moral path, it naturally must leave—indeed, it should leave with such unhesitating resolve."

One of the Daoist Two Primordials answered the disciples' questions calmly:

"Chasing the Dao is the highest good."

Another disciple asked the old living Buddha of the Central Lands; the old monk said:

"The Central Lands are no place for the Agrarian School to flourish; it must leave. The capital of the Central Lands is worth its weight in gold; the Agrarian School here, besides bearing the title of the Academy's Head, cannot even secure a single plot of land."

"The number of Agrarian disciples today has already halved compared to a hundred years ago."

"The world's students seek schools that promise marquisates and ministerial posts, that let them realize their ambitions; what the Agrarian School promotes—even if slightly more acceptable than Mohism—is still barely better. How many students entering the Academy are willing to study crops and farming?"

The disciple asked: "But will the Agrarian School abandon its eight-hundred-year legacy and its name within the Academy?"

The old monk replied: "Letting go is also a good thing."

The inquirer still clung stubbornly: "I don't understand. That's the foundation built by generations of Agrarian sages—just throwing it away to go to Jiangnan? That's far too much of a loss. Isn't there a way to have the best of both worlds?"

The old monk told the disciple to hold a porcelain cup, then poured tea from the teapot on the table: "Have you let go?"

The disciple said: "I don't have to let go."

The old monk frowned, glanced at the steaming teapot, and kept pouring—the scalding tea streamed onto the disciple's palm, turning it red, yet the disciple stood firm: "I won't let go."

The old monk fell silent. "What level has your Thirteen-Level Hardening Art reached?"

The disciple smiled shyly: "Impervious to fire and water."

Clang!

The old monk's iron teapot crashed directly onto the disciple's skull.

The old monk beat him soundly, and the disciple fled, clutching his head.

The old living Buddha roared:

"Have you let go?! Have you let go?!"

The disciple fled, clutching his head.

The Buddha Lord of the Central Lands' Buddhist sect set down the teapot, staring at it in his hand, when the beaten monk popped up again, shouting: "But, Living Buddha, the Agrarian School hasn't faced such suppression in the Central Lands!"

The old monk replied:

"The Academy of the Central Lands is a place for reading, not for practical governance; the Agrarian and Mohist schools have suffered blows no less severe than this—over eight hundred years, they've become mere knowledge within the Academy."

"It's just that the blows haven't landed directly on the students—but how many blows have the schools endured already?"

"If this continues, the Agrarian School will be nothing but a name."

"I think this little bald head of yours needs a beating too!"

The old living Buddha seized a Buddha statue and swung it with a whistling wind.

The Buddhist disciple fled, covering his face.

Contrary to the world's expectations, all six Academy Lords expressed no objection to the Agrarian School's departure; when officials from the Central Lands' imperial clan came to rebuke the Academy, the old Mo Juzi of the Mohist School even stroked his beard stubble and said cheerfully:

"I don't know—is Jiangnan still short of people?"

"My Mohist disciples are quite numerous."

The imperial clan officials were so terrified their scalps prickled, they dared not mention the matter again, hearing only the Mo Juzi's loud laughter.

Emperor Ji Zichang of the Central Lands did not rage or blame the Academy over this matter; yet despite this, he still felt uneasy—

Though he did not believe the Agrarian School's doctrines could be used, he still suffered the imperial family's common ailment.

I may not use you, may not appoint you—but you cannot leave.

I will not tolerate you departing from my domain.

Gongyang Su Wang and Ji Zichang played chess; Ji Zichang said:

"Jiangnan is small, a strategic crossroads between two states; after more than a decade of war and stalemate, the people are exhausted. Even with Qin Wu Hou's support, the Agrarian School's methods would take years—even a decade—to yield results, and it will be extremely difficult."

"If any war breaks out, all effort will be undone."

"The Agrarian School's knowledge and lineage might even be lost."

Gongyang Su Wang said nothing.

Ji Zichang spoke again:

"I've heard Confucianism says: 'Study well, then serve in office.'"

"Of all offices in the world, none surpasses the imperial court. Why should the Agrarian masters abandon the Central Lands?"

Gongyang Su Wang said: "'Study well, then serve in office' was merely the words of Master Confucius's disciple Zixia."

Ji Zichang asked: "Then what is Master Confucius's and Confucianism's true principle?"

Gongyang Su Wang placed a stone and replied:

"Master Confucius's principle cannot be explained in a few words—but another school has expressed it thus:"

"A gentleman serves in office to fulfill righteousness."

"He already knows the Dao will not prevail."

A gentleman takes office not to gain power, but to pursue righteousness—he knows full well the Dao is difficult, his hopes unlikely to be fulfilled, and yet he acts anyway.

Gongyang Su Wang said: "Confucianism is not only about serving in office."

"The world merely takes fragments from Confucianism, twists them, and uses them to persuade others to follow their own agendas—exploiting Master Confucius's name to win debates. Over time, Confucianism will decline."

The Agrarian School says: to walk forward despite knowing the path is hard—that is the conduct of a gentleman.

It's a pity I wasn't there; otherwise, I would have played the qin and sung to see you off.

Thus, Ji Zichang, seeking support from Gongyang Su Wang, hit a wall and had to leave, filled with regret; and from the feedback received from ministers sent to the other several Palace Lords, all factions were tolerating this matter.

Only the Yin-Yang School: Ji Zichang's minister went to pay respects, and the Northern Pole of the Central Heaven asked who had sent him; the minister pointed to the sky and said, "Sent by the Great Sun."

Meaning: the ruler is like the Great Sun.

But the head of the Yin-Yang School burst into loud laughter, pointed to his own eyes, and said with calm amusement, "I have been blind for a long time—I no longer see the sun or sky."

Ji Zichang's minister was left speechless.

"Then please, Great Master, tell me: does the Yin-Yang School have any great talents?"

The head of the Yin-Yang School replied, "Alas, if you seek the great masters of the Yin-Yang School, our lineage indeed has two unparalleled talents—one of them is Master Siming, who governs the fate of all under heaven."

The old man who had left these judgments—"dragon and phoenix bearing, sun and moon's countenance" for Li Guanyi and Li Zhao Wen; "like two tigers roaring, wind follows the dragon, flanking them in flight" for Ye Buyi and Zhou Liu Camp; "merit lies in another state" for Yan Daiqing—smiled and said:

"When I was still a child, he was already Master Siming. Back then, I thought it was legend—that his cultivation was so profound and unfathomable, perhaps not far from the Yin-Yang School's head of that time, who was my own teacher."

"Later, when I was over forty and became head of the Yin-Yang School, he was still Master Siming."

"At that time, I felt our distance had grown even greater—I thought if I had three hundred years of life, perhaps I might match him. Now, after sixty years of blindness, watching the world in stillness, I can no longer even see his shadow."

The minister fell silent for a long while, then asked, "Where is he?"

The head of the Yin-Yang School answered, "He is everywhere under heaven."

The minister had no reply, so he changed course and asked, "Then, may I ask about the other great talent?"

The head of the Yin-Yang School answered, "The other is the one you know well—Master Siwei, who governs the transformations of Yin and Yang, understands the cycle of the Five Phases, and transforms them into arrays."

The Central State minister said, "He…"

The head of the Yin-Yang School smiled and said, "Alas, he is not here either."

The Central State minister asked, "Where did he go?"

The head of the Yin-Yang School replied, "The Whale Fisher has returned. Master Siwei lost twice to that man. Now that he knows of his return, he's surely stormed off to seek revenge."

"Wanting to find him? It's simple."

"Just find one of the Four Legends—the Whale Fisher."

The Central State minister fell silent: "…………"

Simple?

The Yin-Yang School's Great Master laughed and said, "You say—where would you go to find the Whale Fisher?"

"Naturally…"

He paused, spread his hands, and grinned, "How would I know?"

"I'm blind, ahahaha!"

Ji Zhaozhong, a scion of the Central State royal house and a trusted minister of Ji Zichang, froze at the old man's wild laughter; inwardly furious, he thought: among the scholars' halls, these so-called great talents are all eccentric madmen!

I'm supposed to find the Four Legends?!

With what head?!

He felt the old man was dodging the question, so he swept his sleeve and stormed off in anger.

The head of the Yin-Yang School turned his head; though blind, he still sensed faint traces—Master Siwei was moving rapidly through the southern region near the State of Ying. But the blind old man was slightly puzzled.

Master Siwei had gone to challenge the Whale Fisher in the art of arrays.

Then why go to that region?

The Whale Fisher was from Liaodong, traveled widely, and his enemies lay in the Western Regions.

Could it be that something there could lure the Whale Fisher?

……………………

"Ssshh—stop, stop!"

"Yao Guang, take out your steamed bun."

Li Guanyi stared intently at the girl before him; the silver-haired girl blinked, her face expressionless, then slowly pulled out her rations from within her sleeve under Li Guanyi's gaze.

Li Guanyi reached out and lifted the girl up.

Swinging! Swinging!

And out tumbled a pile of steamed buns from beneath Yao Guang's wide sleeves.

Li Guanyi didn't understand why Yao Guang was so obsessed with steamed buns.

The soldiers of the Fire Qilin Army had boarded the ship; the envoy vessel was led personally by Generals Ling Pingyang, traveling by water to Central State. As for Li Guanyi, the young general now wore a blue-gray Daoist robe, with the ancestral weapon of the Ancestor, 【Lingyun Wood】, strapped at his waist.

His hair was tied with a wooden hairpin—simple and unadorned.

They planned to split into two groups: Generals Ling Pingyang and his party would proceed through official channels to Central State to deal with local officials; Li Guanyi would bypass them, entering the Jianghu, one purpose being to visit the Gongsun Clan before reaching Central State.

That is, the former lineage of Gongshu Mechanism Arts—Li Guanyi hoped to gain their aid. The Mo Family and the Agrarian School in the south focused on farming tools; only the Gongshu lineage excelled in siege and battle machinery.

Before the Agrarian disciple arrived, Yuan Zhi had already heard the rumors and sent a swift hawk-letter to Li Guanyi: Yuan Zhi first inquired after Li Guanyi's health, then described the current state of the south, and finally, gently revealed his true purpose.

He spoke gently, but the final meaning was only one.

"We're running out of money!"

"Lord, please be frugal!"

"Stop recruiting more people!"

"Broke!!!!!!"

Then came Xiao Zhi's letter.

"We still have money."

"But somehow, the noble families have built their treasuries atop our grain and funds."

"Lord, quickly bring back Wen He—the financial crisis will be resolved."

Li Guanyi looked at the letters arriving from all sides, his lips twitching, then let out a long, wailing cry to the sky.

Why do you already control an entire province?!

Why are you still this poor?!

This—this isn't right!

"Why do I feel even poorer than before?"

Li Guanyi nearly wore a face of pure agony.

Right now, in the Jiangnan region, there was a shortage of people, a shortage of money; plans to popularize education, literacy, and basic Wu Gong all required massive reserves of foundational talent—and vast sums of gold. Li Guanyi now stared at the vast, eight-hundred-year-old Academy, his eyes red.

The Jiangnan region where the Fire Qilin Army was stationed was poor in every conceivable sense.

Poor to the point of having no food to cook.

But while the Fire Qilin Army's generals and strategists were poor, the common people's lives had actually improved compared to the previous golden age.

Yet Li Guanyi was still poor.

What Li Guanyi most hoped for now was that when he reached Zhongzhou, the Emperor of Zhongzhou would display the magnanimity befitting the Lord of the Central Lands and grant him a little extra silver.

Then let him bring back more students—not, wait, invite more students.

To teach literacy, arithmetic, Wu Gong, Mojia mechanical arts, and farming techniques.

It was said that after the disciples from the Agricultural Sect arrived, they were immediately dispatched like stars across the sky under the sect master's orders, each disciple responsible for a region's farming, teaching right there in the fields, and fostering a strong spirit of learning.

Master Yan Daiqing's letter said he would ensure the current demand for talent, but sternly warned: Don't keep bringing people back. You've only been gone a short while and already lured back two schools.

Not one. Not ten.

But entire schools!

What king brings back talent by the schoolful?!

Did you poison them or cast some charm on them?!

Everyone, stop!

Li Guanyi now wrote back to Master Yan Daiqing, vowing he would not lure anyone else back.

Then he immediately boarded a boat bound for the Gongshu Clan.

Onboard, besides the silver-haired girl Yao Guang, her long hair neatly tied, quiet and well-behaved, were the Fire Qilin, Master Siming, and Elder Murong. Master Siming had been tinkering with something these past few days and finally finished it today, tossing a porcelain bottle to Li Guanyi.

Li Guanyi asked him what it was. Master Siming replied: "It's the antidote to the Fei Blood Poison."

"That old rascal Elder Murong got every antidote to the Fei Poison from Jiang Su. I spent this time analyzing it and recreated what you now hold in your hands."

The unkempt old man took a sip of wine, then scratched his head and said:

"As for the poison, with Yue Pengwu's deep internal Qi and your earlier help, the toxin has been mostly purged—but the damage the Fei Blood Poison inflicts on the body is hard to heal."

"That's the essence of the Fei Beast's heart. Once inside a human, the heart gradually transforms into a glass-like state, not flesh and blood."

"Yue Pengwu's heart has become like a stone."

"Only two percent remains as a human heart, held together by his own Wu Gong. If this continues, he'll never be able to fight hard again. Once his blood and Qi surge beyond a certain point, his heart will simply shatter under the strain."

"This is what I reverse-engineered. When you meet Yue Pengwu, make him take it."

"Within three years, it will restore him to full strength—and there's even a chance he'll harness the essence of the Fei Beast, gaining two Divine Forms. With his strategic genius and Wu Gong, he may not be among the top five generals in the land, but top ten? Easily."

"Three years!"

"I've given you another top-ten commander!"

Li Guanyi's face lit up with joy.

He immediately said: "Then after I leave Zhongzhou, I'll head north straight to the Northern Frontier Pass between Ying's territory and the steppes, find Marshal Yue, and deliver this medicine."

Master Siming feigned a calculation with his fingers and said:

"Why the rush? Before you even leave Zhongzhou, you'll have the fate to meet that boy."

Li Guanyi was curious.

But Master Siming refused to elaborate, only saying: "Can't say it. Can't say it. If I speak, it won't come true. Now, steer your boat. Don't capsize. We're traveling alone this time—first to find the Gongshu Clan, second to avoid the main force and lure out a few fish."

"The Master Jiankuang is heading north toward the Academy. The other three of the four legendary figures—the Dao Sect, the Longevity Sect, and that fisherman—will come looking for him."

"They won't settle their fates or kill each other now—but they will clash. This is a clash of aura. For the four legends, it's a massive tide blocking the Master Jiankuang's path; for the Master Jiankuang, it's a whetstone for his blade. Their energies have already linked, sensed each other."

"None of them are gentle gentlemen. Even if they only spar, the residual waves will inevitably injure your Fire Qilin soldiers."

"Separating is better for them."

"Secondly…"

Master Siming glanced at the silver-haired girl quietly watching the water ripples, said nothing more, only scratched his head and looked at Li Guanyi. Li Guanyi didn't know Yao Guang's origins; Master Siming might be a fool, but on this matter, he waited for Yao Guang to tell him.

He wasn't going to meddle.

If he spoke, he might get knocked dead one night with a steamed bun.

Dead in a coffin full of steamed buns, every anniversary a steamed bun.

The old man shook his head.

Elder Murong's voice, calm and steady, interrupted: "Guanyi, do you know where your current Wu Gong is lacking?" Li Guanyi replied honestly: "I don't know. Grandpa, tell me." The boy sat casually beside the Master Jiankuang.

The boat moved forward. Li Guanyi reached out and pulled a lotus pod over, plucking out the seeds.

He handed the lotus seeds to Yao Guang.

He shoved the intensely bitter lotus heart into the Fire Qilin's mouth.

The Fire Qilin spat and spat for a long while, scratching its mouth with its paw.

Yao Guang let out a soft laugh.

The Fire Qilin glared at her. The girl remained expressionless.

So the Fire Qilin sheepishly turned its head away.

This atmosphere held none of the solemn air of high-level martial cultivators debating the Dao. Elder Murong smiled and said: "Two issues. First, though you've barely reached the Fifth Heaven, your foundation is unstable. Your current overall state is weaker and less substantial than when you were at the Second Heaven."

"After breaking through, your foundation is unstable. Your greatest strength lies in your physical body. Since your internal Qi broke through, this period has also been using Fifth Heaven internal Qi to forge your sinews and bones, enhancing your physique."

"But the human body improves slowly; it cannot reach its limit overnight. You need two or three years of internal forging to bring your body to the absolute peak of the Fifth Heaven, to reach the upper limit of Dragon Sinews and Tiger Marrow at this realm."

"But time is insufficient."

"Second, it is your vision."

"It is not yet broad enough. Before entering the Master realm, you must witness the demeanor of the world's great masters, temper your heart, and only then can you walk steadily."

The Green Robe Master Jiankuang said: "Old man has his own method to rapidly enhance your physique."

"Nothing more than sufficient vitality."

"There are two solutions."

"One of them—Yao Guang told me about Chen Baxian's Mystical Realm. Old man will take you there along the way, and see what we can hunt this time."

"The second problem is easy too. Along this journey, you have already seen the Dao Sect and the Divine General. You only need to meet two more, and your vision will broaden, seeing the pinnacle of this world. Afterward, your steps will be steadier, more composed."

"Such is inheritance."

Li Guanyi asked curiously what the second method for enhancing his physique was.

How to obtain sufficient vitality.

Elder Murong said nothing.

The boat drifted downstream, night gradually falling. The stars above were densely scattered. Li Guanyi peeled lotus seeds for Yao Guang and the Fire Qilin to eat, when suddenly he sensed something amiss—the surroundings had become unnaturally quiet.

The moonlight shone clearly, spreading outward. Ripples on the water moved farther away. Li Guanyi's heart suddenly pounded violently; the Jin Dan gathered by the *Ten Thousand Ancient Moon Imperishable Body* in his dantian trembled.

This feeling was…

A bamboo flute's melody rose beneath the moonlight, ethereal and solitary. Ahead on the water, a man in a green robe walked upon the lunar surface, playing his flute. Ripples stirred in the surrounding air. Li Guanyi felt his internal Qi shaking violently.

The martial legend: the Green Robe Immortal.

This martial legend, whom Li Guanyi had only occasionally heard of but never seen, now walked toward him beneath the moonlight. He set down his bamboo flute, gazed calmly at Li Guanyi, and a flicker of surprise appeared on his face:

"The Elixir of Immortality."

Li Guanyi's pupils contracted. He raised his hand—the roar of a tiger rose.

The Tiger Roar Heaven Halberd appeared in his hand.

Time seemed to slow. In the past, the divine weapon would appear at a single call—now its emergence stretched tenfold. The Green Robe Immortal stood before Li Guanyi, as if appearing instantly, and reached out, pressing toward Li Guanyi's brow.

The Green Robe Immortal's eyes held no sorrow, no joy.

Li Guanyi suddenly felt the Green Robe Immortal was merely harvesting medicine.

Harvesting medicine—what good or evil could there be in that?

Li Guanyi saw the Fire Qilin surge forward, but even the flames moved slowly. Suddenly, his body lurched; silver hair flew up as the silver-haired girl leapt into his arms, her silver locks fluttering at her temples.

It seemed his perception had been stretched. From the girl's perpetually expressionless face, he caught a fleeting emotional ripple—like a bird darting past—her eyes widened, revealing a trace of panic.

Yao Guang crashed into Li Guanyi's arms.

Li Guanyi's perception returned to normal.

Knocked aside by Yao Guang, both of them slammed into the side of the boat. The vessel rocked; water exploded outward.

Li Guanyi raised one hand to shield Yao Guang behind him; the halberd appeared.

But in truth, even if they had not reacted, they would have been safe.

Behind the Green Robe Immortal, the Green Robe Master Jiankuang's fingers pressed against the man's back.

"This is the second method—allowing your physique's vitality to instantly reach its limit," the Master Jiankuang said calmly, his palm exploding with sword aura.

"Observe martial arts to comprehend the Law."

"I heard the Elixir of Immortality exists. Elder Murong wishes to test it."

"Can you kill him?"

Sword aura surged into the sky. In an instant, the sword's chime sounded as if ten thousand longswords were drawn from their scabbards simultaneously—countless clashes occurred in a flash.

The Green Robe Immortal did not favor direct combat.

Struck at close range by the sword aura, blood sprayed, spreading a fragrant scent.

The Green Robe Immortal's physique, seemingly unbreakable, was shattered by the Master Jiankuang.

Li Guanyi's pupils contracted violently. Within him, the bronze tripod—once utterly unresponsive to the aura of a martial legend—began to shimmer.

The bronze tripod shrieked furiously, in a state never before seen.

The aura of a martial legend!

Nine rings of the tripod's sound amplified the shimmering light!

?? Recommend a book, friends: 【Future Martial Way】 【Two Worlds】 【White Beard Flow】—a wuxia world recovers an adopted son, fighting a future cyber-high martial world!