Thousand-year-old family: its rise began with Shang Yang’s reforms

Chapter 414 Confrontation
After Chen Xiao finished speaking, some of the young men who were vomiting reacted, but some were still immersed in the beauty.

Some of the people who reacted looked at the glass of wine suspiciously, while others looked at Chen Xiao suspiciously.

"Mr. Chen, what's wrong with this glass of wine?"

Xie Xuan was the first to react. He never had any feelings for Wei Ning, so he naturally connected Chen Xiao's words and "behavior" together.

Seven years ago, when a certain son of the Chen family came to travel in the south of the Yangtze River, the same thing happened. He was tricked by Wei Ning into having a casual conversation with him, and then he was defeated and drank a glass of wine.

After that young man left Jiangnan, he seemed to have never appeared again.

Just now Chen Xiao said that the Chen family member was contaminated with the Five-Stone Powder.

Chen Xiao added: "Just like before."

This could not help but make a political conspirator like Xie Xuan guess something in his mind, and as soon as Xie Xuan finished speaking, waves of rebuttals rang out around him.

"How is this possible?"

"Anping has always been kind-hearted. Although he took Wu Shi San at my instigation, he never forced anyone else to take it."

One of the young masters of the noble family, perhaps because he had taken too much Wu Shi San or just wanted to show off in front of the beauty, immediately stood up and refuted Xie Xuan.

Sometimes, beauty can really go to one's head.

On the contrary, the Wang family member who took the largest dose at the beginning looked solemn. He frowned and thought, looking at Wei Ning who was sitting there: "But if I remember correctly, the Five Stones Powder came from Anping's hands at the beginning, right?"

"During our gathering, Anping said that a Taoist priest came to his home and presented him with a "magic medicine". Taking it can make one travel like an immortal, recreating the great freedom in Zhuangzi's "Xiaoyaoyou"."

The person who spoke first retorted, "But Anping also said that this medicine had not been repeatedly verified by doctors and could not be taken. In the end, we made him so angry that he had no choice but to take it out."

"And Anping has always been in poor health. When he heard that we had to take the medicine, he ended up taking it with us, right?"

"If Anping wanted to poison us, why would he take Wushisan with us?"

This was indeed something that could not be explained, so the Wang family member who had been there at the beginning calmed down again.

Xie Xuan was not so easily fooled. He just looked at Chen Xiao and asked, "Yaoyou, is it as I just said?"

His attitude was very clear, he didn't trust Wei Ning and only trusted Chen Xiao.

If Chen Xiao said "yes" at this time, he would immediately summon the Xie family members and control Wei Ning on the spot.

Chen Xiao glanced at Xie Xuan and said, "Hahahaha, why would you think so?"

"The Wei family is a famous family after all, how could they do such a dirty thing?"

He looked at Wei Ning teasingly: "Especially Master Anping, his body is pure white, like a lotus flower emerging from water, all white, so lovely, how could he do such a thing?"

Wei Ning sat there in silence, and after a long while he finally laughed, still looking weak.

"Master Yaoyou is joking."

He sighed, "What happened back then was indeed Ning's fault. He accidentally let the secret slip and mentioned the Five Stone Powder. He was forced to take it out and share it with everyone."

Wei Ning stood up and bowed to everyone: "After I go back, I will definitely ask the elders in my family to find that Taoist priest and find out the truth!"

Everyone seemed to agree that this "Five Stones Powder" had turned into "poison".

Chen Xiao smiled and said nothing. After Wei Ning finished his action, he asked, "What do you want to discuss today, Master Anping?"

Wei Ning sat there and whispered, "Everything in the world is free to roam. The universe is vast and endless."

He didn't say the topic, but just looked into the distance silently, saying some ambiguous words.

"The four directions above and below are like a cage, and the past and present are prisoners."

“What you see and hear when you live between heaven and earth is what others want you to see.”

"Does Master Yaoyou feel so?"

Chen Xiao also closed his eyes slightly. The wind from the top of the mountain blew gently again, blowing Chen Xiao's robe.

His voice was equally vast and boundless.

“There is something in this world that can contain the heaven and earth, the universe, and everything in the world. Everything is contained in this thing.”

"Whether it is the so-called cage of the four directions, or the prisoner of the past and present, they are all created and led by this thing. Everything that is seen, heard, and heard in this world, the so-called heaven and earth, and the so-called other people, are all caused by this thing."

"If this thing is broad, then the world is broad; if this thing is narrow, then the world is narrow."

"What does Master Anping think?"

Wei Ning was silent for a moment after hearing this, and then he spoke again: "The vastness of this thing has different fortunes in different people. For someone like you, this thing is naturally vast, like the bright moon in the sky. And for someone like Anping, this thing is narrow, like floating in the world."

"When floating in the vastness of heaven and earth, one sees how small one is; when the bright moon is in the heaven and earth, one sees how big the heaven and earth are."

"This is the way of destiny in the world. It is so-called destiny, which cannot be changed, just like fate."

"Mr. Anping's words are somewhat inconsistent with destiny."

Chen Xiao just laughed, he stood up, and then walked to the top of Kuaiji Mountain. His voice floated in the wind, making him seem even more free and easy.

"How can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan? Can a sparrow not see the vastness of the world, and can a swan definitely fly farther than a sparrow? The ambition of a swan is born from the Creator. If the Creator wishes to be a swan, it can soar into the sky; if the Creator wishes to be a sparrow, then there is nowhere to hide in this life, like floating in a lake and unable to move."

Wei Ning then said: "But a sparrow can never become a swan, but a swan will always be a swan."

“This is fate.”

Chen Xiao chuckled: "Why should a sparrow become a swan? Heaven created all things, and all things have their own functions."

"Here are the peaks standing, allowing you and me to see how small the world is; here are the great rivers rushing, driving the flow of the world; here are the flying birds of prey, allowing us to see how small the world is; here are the fierce tigers and roaring lions in the forest, allowing us to see how primate all things are; here are the ants and moths in the world, allowing us to see the sorrow of life."

"It is said that everyone has his own duties and does his own thing."

“Mountains have their own paths, and water has its own paths. Everything depends on how the mountains stand and how the water flows.”

"Does Master Anping think so?"

This time, Wei Ning fell into a long silence.

The rest of the people were confused by what was going on. They didn't know what mountains, rivers, or all things in the world were.

But this did not prevent them from looking at Chen Xiao as a "genius". Wei Ning was recognized as the best talker among them, and since what Chen Xiao said could make Wei Ning continue to talk, it must not be nonsense.

The fact that Chen Xiao was able to make Wei Ning speechless and fall into deep thought clearly showed that his ability in elegant conversation was even better than Wei Ning's.

Among all the people, only Xie Xuan looked at Wei Ning thoughtfully. He was the only one who understood what the "pure talk" between Wei Ning and Chen Xiao was just about.

Wei Ning talked about the "cage" and how small what he saw was, as if he was saying that he was "imprisoned". At this time, Chen Xiao's response seemed to ignore the cage, but he was actually talking about the cage as well.

He was talking about something, and if Xie Xuan guessed correctly, it should be "heart".

Only the "heart" can be considered a human creation. It can expand or shrink according to the differences of people and accommodate everything in the world from ancient times to the present.

Chen Xiao said that Wei Ning was not imprisoned and deprived of seeing the world, but because his own "heart" was small and he didn't want to see anything in the world.

At this time Wei Ning retorted, saying that since Chen Xiao was born into the Chen family, he was naturally like the bright moon in the sky, while he was born into the Wei family, he was like floating in the sky and earth. He could not decide their different births, but whether their hearts were the same or not was determined by their births, which was heaven's will and could not be changed. He used this to refute Chen Xiao's statement that he could not see all things because of his small "heart".

Chen Xiao's response was even more subtle.

He cited the story of the swan and the sparrow, seemingly saying that birth determines everything, but in the end he quoted extensively and said, "Although their births are different, the world they see is the same." As long as you want to do it or see it, you can change it. This goes back to the theory of "heart."

Wei Ning retorted that "a sparrow cannot become a swan", which actually meant that it is impossible for someone with my background to become someone like you, Chen Xiao.

At this time, Chen Xiao directly expanded his mind and no longer stuck to the swans and sparrows. He jumped out of the "cage" again, using his "heart" as evidence, saying that everything in the world has its own path.

Is it true that only humans are right among all things?
So what about the mountains, what about the rivers? Aren’t tigers and sparrows all living creatures in the world?
So, you, Wei Ning, don’t have to become me, you can walk your own path.

This completes Chen Xiao’s original argument that “the heart can accommodate everything, the heart can decide everything”.

It was this magnificent argument that made Wei Ning seem petty, and made all his depression and entanglement become rootless water, so Wei Ning has remained silent until now.

After Xie Xuan had thought it all through, he could not help but sigh, and said with a sense of satisfaction, emotion, and envy, "Young Master is indeed a man of natural talent. Whether in government affairs or in other areas, even now in conversation, he can surpass us."

He could not help but say: "If there is a stone of talent in the world, Chen Yaoyou alone has eight buckets, my father and Uncle Wang share one bucket, and the rest of the world has one bucket."

Wei Ning also came back to his senses from the long silence at this time. He sighed, stood up, and looked at Chen Xiao: "Your talent is a million times better than mine."

He picked up the glass and was about to drink it all in one gulp.

"I would rather drink this cup today, just like I did back then!"

Wei Ning drank the wine in the glass, while Chen Xiao laughed and walked down the mountain while singing an unknown ballad.

"Everyone knows that fame is good, but power is something they cannot forget."

"There are so many saints and wise men in ancient times, but none of them are as free and reliable as this one. Haha ...

As Chen Xiao's laughter echoed on the top of Kuaiji Mountain, today's meeting ended.

People dispersed one after another, only Wei Ning continued to sit here.

The servant next to him had an anxious look on his face: "Sir, why did you drink that glass of wine???"

"That glass of wine, that glass of wine contains the main ingredient that the gentleman mentioned!"

Wei Ning just lowered his head and said calmly: "Chen Xiao can drink, why can't I?"

He said sarcastically: "He is willing to take this risk with me, so why can't I?"

The servant was so anxious that he was about to cry.

At this time, a clear voice came from the distant mountain road.

"Hahahahaha, Brother Anzhi, why bother teasing your servant?"

A figure appeared on the mountain path. It was Chen Xiao who had left early in the morning.

Chen Xiao sat opposite Wei Ning, picked up the wine glass and drank it all, with admiration on his face: "When I was in Kyoto, I often heard that Master Anping's winemaking skills were unique, and he could be called the world's wine fairy."

"If I can drink this cup today, even if I am asked to die immediately, I am willing to do so."

The boy's face was filled with fear and confusion.

Since Chen Xiao knew that there was something in the wine, why did he still use it?
Wei Ning looked at Chen Xiao and said calmly: "There is no medicine in the wine glass, but there is in the wine pot."

He pointed at the wine glass in Chen Xiao's hand: "This is what was just poured."

The servant's face changed drastically again. On the one hand, he was shocked by his master's intelligence, and on the other hand, he was shocked by his master's directness. He subconsciously stood in front of Wei Ning, wanting to protect Wei Ning.

But Chen Xiao was not moved at all.

He simply rolled his eyes: "Okay, don't mess with me."

"Is there any mandrake in this? Can't I smell it with my nose?"

Chen Xiao yawned. He felt a little sleepy, so he went straight to the point.

"You want to turn from darkness to light?"

Wei Ning nodded, his face still carefree: "I was not in the dark to begin with, how can I abandon the dark and join the light?"

Chen Xiao sneered: "There's no one else here, why are you still talking about this?"

He shook his hands and said, "My seventh brother has indeed come to his senses, and he has realized that he was schemed against by that person from the Wang family that day."

"That's why I got infected with the Five Stones Powder."

Chen Xiao said in a cold voice: "So, some people from the Wei family, the Wang family, and even the Ye family, what exactly do you want to do?"

"Taking Wu Shi San for a long time can indeed make people addicted."

"But now that you have handed over the formula for the Five Stones Powder, how else can you use it to control the noble families and achieve your goals?"

Wei Ning stood up, his expression unchanged: "Because they never intended to use the Five Stones Powder to conquer the Southern Aristocratic Family."

His voice was dull.

"Master Chen, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Shan, abdicated the throne to Emperor Ming of Dayu, after which Dayu was established."

"But you should know that Liu Chan's fifth son escaped, right?"

"Over the years, I have been using the name of the Emperor of Han to search for people who are willing to revive the Han Dynasty."

Wei Ning turned his head and looked at Chen Xiao.

"Liu Ping, the 'Son of the Han Dynasty' of this era, is the mastermind behind all this."

(End of this chapter)