Chapter 350: Spreading the Dao Across the World

The hot pot's steam rose gently, dispelling the winter's harsh cold.

Diao Chan, although her appetite was far larger than peers and even adult men due to martial training and Qi refining, compared with Yu Lin and Tai Shang Lao Jun—who had already transcended the mundane and could eat endlessly without ever feeling full—she inevitably was defeated early.

Satisfied, she patted her belly, slipped to a corner of the courtyard, and eagerly began building a snowman; her small figure busied itself in the snow, forming a stark contrast to the atmosphere at the dining table.

As for Zhang Jiao, from beginning to end, the bowls and chopsticks before him remained spotless, never having taken a bite.

Zhang Jiao simply sat there quietly, like a meditating monk, silently waiting for Yu Lin and Lao Jun.

His gaze was calm, watching them finish the myriad exotic vegetables and beast meats on the table, watching the boiling broth gradually subside.

When Yu Lin rose, deftly tidied the chaotic cups and plates, and after reseating himself, finally directed his gaze toward the ever‑silent Zhang Jiao and asked, "Zhang Dao You, how have you felt these days?"

Hearing his voice, Zhang Jiao slowly lifted his head, a serene and penetrating smile appearing on his face—a relief born of shedding a thousand‑pound burden and seeing through the mist.

He lightly nodded, "Good, very good. Unprecedentedly good."

A hint of reminiscence glimmered in his eyes, his tone steady and clear: "Previously, I gathered the masses for rebellion, seeking to break the heavens with force, to let one man's will replace the wishes of ten thousand people…"

"Now, looking back, it was indeed a deviation from the original heart of 'bringing peace', descending to a lower path, almost demonic."

He paused, his gaze becoming resolute: "This return is to set right the chaos, to walk once more the unfinished road."

Yu Lin nodded and, following his words, asked, "The Yellow Turban has already vanished like smoke, Zhang Dao You this time—under what banner, leading which army?"

Zhang Jiao slowly shook his head, his tone carrying an unwavering decisiveness: "No rebellion, no army, no flag."

"Oh?" Yu Lin raised an eyebrow. "Then by what method do you intend to walk the path in your heart?"

Zhang Jiao raised his hand, his fingertips lightly tapping his own head: "Transmit the Dao!"

"To scatter what I have learned and know across the world, so that everyone has a method to study, a road to follow, to illuminate the mind, see one's nature, and become self‑reliant and strong."

"Knowledge should not be hoarded, power not monopolized; only then can the true foundation of peace be laid."

"This is a method of removing the firewood from under the pot, not merely stirring the soup to stop it from boiling."

He seemed to recall something, his tone tinged with a few sighs and barely concealed excitement: "Dao friend Yu sent me to the later world; I did not linger in superficial appearances, but roamed the Xia Guo of later ages for a long time, later went to BeiFang, to the land known as the birthplace of the 'Red Thought'."

He weighed his words, evidently constrained, unable to speak plainly: "I cannot specify exactly what I have learned, some words are even hard to utter… but you, Dao friend Yu, should already know."

"It is the ultimate pursuit and practice of 'Great Unity of All Under Heaven', of 'everyone equal', of 'the liberation of all beings'."

His voice carried a hint of self‑reflection: "My earlier deeds seemed public, yet in truth they were the will of one man overriding the will of ten thousand, which itself contradicts the true meaning of equality."

"Therefore, failure was inevitable; now I will make this The Tai Ping Essential Art no longer my private property as Zhang Jiao or as the Tai Ping Dao, but spread its essence and methods as widely as possible, enlightening the people!"

Yu Lin listened quietly, finally tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He hadn't expected—he had sent Zhang Jiao to the modern era, and now he returned as a........... well, as long as Zhang Jiao is satisfied, that's fine.

Yu Lin didn't dwell on it, but immediately recalled the crucial question: "But, Zhang Dao You, didn't you earlier say this The Tai Ping Essential Art has merged with your soul and cannot be transmitted outward?"

Hearing this, Zhang Jiao suddenly stood, adjusted his robe, and, facing Yu Lin, solemnly and deeply bowed.

"This matter… I must now entrust to Dao friend Yu!"

He lifted his head, his gaze clear and composed: "When my body attains Dao transformation and my soul returns to Heaven and Earth, this method will naturally detach."

"Then, I ask Dao friend Yu to inherit this art."

Yu Lin, having heard, fully understood Zhang Jiao's plan.

He turned his head, glanced at the ever‑smiling Lao Jun, who was stroking his beard as if watching a play, and asked, "Lao Jun, you have seen much—do you have any other, more secure method?"

Lao Jun merely chuckled, shook his head mysteriously, and uttered four words: "The Dao follows nature."

Got it, Yu Lin thought, "The Dao follows nature" is just another way of saying "I don't care; handle it yourself."

He no longer expected this fellow to intervene, turned back, looked at the still‑bowing Zhang Jiao, and said, "Since that's the case, return the Jade Pendant I gave you."

Hearing the words, Zhang Jiao without hesitation drew the warm Jade Pendant from his chest and handed it back to Yu Lin with both hands.

Yu Lin took the Jade Pendant, held it, feeling the faint lingering warmth, and finally nodded: "This matter, I consider settled."

"This matter, I have concluded."

Zhang Jiao's face instantly blossomed with a relieved smile, and he bowed deeply again: "Thank you, Dao friend Yu, for your assistance!"

After the ceremony, he straightened, scanned the courtyard, finally fixed his gaze on Yu Lin, and with a carefree laugh said, "Then, Jiao, I shall take my leave."

Having said that, he resolutely turned and walked toward the vast snowy field beyond the courtyard.

One step, two steps… without warning, a pure, warm, bright yellow flame began to rise on his body.

The flame was not ordinary fire; it was not scorching nor violent, yet it carried a resolve to burn away the old self, sacrificing itself to nourish the ideal.

He kept moving, his figure gradually becoming vague and transparent within the flame.

When he finally stepped out of the courtyard and fully merged into the wind‑snow, the bright yellow flame surged upward, spreading as if turning into an invisible giant bird that flapped its wings, instantly covering the whole sky!

The brilliance of the flame was not blinding; instead it bore a tragic, grand warmth, as if igniting and purifying the heavy dusk that had settled over this ancient land and the wavering fate of the great Han Empire, turning them into the purest energy and nutrients, silently sprinkling the Human World, quietly nurturing the seeds of a truly peaceful world that may one day break through the soil.

At the same time, Yu Lin spread his palms.

Three scrolls, neither silk nor paper, of indescribable material, exuding an ancient, profound aura, quietly appeared in his palm.

On the scrolls, four ancient, resonant characters were boldly written in Dao rune—

The Tai Ping Essential Art.

Inside the courtyard, only the lingering warmth of the hot pot remained, Diao Chan still building the snowman, and Tai Shang Lao Jun still appearing as if roaming beyond the heavens.

The wind and snow persisted, but some things had already changed.

"At this moment, he truly deserves the title of Great Sage Benevolent Master," Lao Jun slightly nodded, then rose:

"Since he has returned to his place, and you are also leaving, I shall not linger."

"That girl will have someone to look after her."

"Come to my Doushuai Palace for a meal another day, farewell."

Having said that, he turned into a wisp of breeze and vanished.

He came suddenly and left suddenly, as if he had come especially for Zhang Jiao.

Yu Lin raised his hand toward Diao Chan: "Diao Chan, come here."

"I have something to tell you............."