Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 202: There is a House Deep in the White Clouds

"Lu Zheng, how far are we from Hongzhou City?"

Qing Wan rode on the white crane's head, swaying in the wind. She looked at the land in the distance, but could not see a city.

They had already flown hundreds of miles on cranes, and even the white cranes beneath them had become smaller due to the consumption of their spiritual energy.

Lu Zheng sat cross-legged and said, "We should be there soon. Maybe we've strayed a bit. Let's go find a populated area and ask for directions."

The first time I went to Hongzhou City, the mountains below were all pretty much the same, making it difficult to tell where I was.

"Hey, there's a house on that hill over there!"

Qingwan stretched out her little finger and pointed at a green mountain shrouded in mist not far away.

Lu Zheng looked carefully and could vaguely see a bamboo forest with three or two bamboo houses, but no one was in sight.

Lu Zheng controlled the white crane, turned it slightly, and flew slowly towards the top of the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, a dark-skinned man was carrying a young deer on his back and holding a large bow in his hand, walking up the narrow mountain path.

Suddenly, the big man looked up slightly and saw a big white crane coming.

His eyes lit up and he raised his bow to shoot, but then he noticed someone leaning out from the crane and looking at him.

The big man was surprised and quickly put down the bow and arrow.

When Lu Zheng saw someone at the foot of the mountain, he let the white crane fly towards the man.

When they were close to the ground, Lu Zheng raised his hand, took out the scroll, put the white crane away, and then jumped lightly to the ground.

The big man saw Lu Zheng and looked flustered. He bowed and saluted repeatedly and said, "I didn't realize you were the noble man. I didn't mean to offend you. I hope you will forgive me!"

Lu Zheng smiled faintly and said, "This big brother didn't do anything to me, so how can it be considered an offense? Big brother, you are a hunter, right? You have made quite a harvest today!"

Lu Zheng saw the fawn on the man's back.

This man is not a warrior, but just an ordinary person. He is very lucky to have such a harvest when hunting in the mountains.

"I'm not a hunter. I just go hunting in the mountains occasionally during the slack season to supplement my family income..." The big man looked troubled for a moment. "I'm sorry I disturbed you just now. This deer is my apology!"

After saying this, the man was about to take the prey off his back.

Lu Zheng waved his hand and said, "That's not necessary. I came down to ask you for directions. Big brother, do you know how far Hongzhou City is from here?"

"Hongzhou City?"

The big man thought for a moment, raised his hand, and pointed in a direction. "Go twenty miles that way, along the main road to the north, out of our county, and walk another hundred miles or so, and you will see Hongzhou City."

Lu Zheng looked at the direction the big man mentioned and thought to himself that he was a little off track.

Lu Zheng bowed and said, "Thank you for showing me the way."

Lu Zheng paused, then asked curiously, "I see that Big Brother is just an ordinary person, living in this mountain. Have you ever encountered wild beasts, demons, or ghosts?"

The man was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then shook his head and said, "I don't live here. I'm from a nearby village. There are masters living in this mountain, so there are no ferocious beasts or monsters in the surrounding mountains. That's why I dare to go into the mountains to hunt..."

"Some time ago, my mother fell ill and came here to seek medicine to cure her illness. Today, I hunted a deer and wanted to send it to the master..."

Lu Zheng thought to himself that it was no wonder that he felt a little conflicted when the man said he wanted to apologize to him. It was not because he was reluctant, but because he had already made plans.

"Master, how powerful are you?"

Lu Zheng became interested and asked with a smile.

"Well..." the man pondered, "How can I, a commoner, know how powerful a master is? I think he is as powerful as you, the noble man."

Seeing Lu Zheng coming on a crane, the man knew that he must be a capable person.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Don't call me a noble man. I'm just a scholar. Since I'm here, I also want to meet this great man. Could you please lead the way?"

Although he had heard many rumors about hidden masters, Lu Zheng had never actually seen one.

He was curious about how powerful the masters living in this mountain were.

"That's... okay." said the man.

So the two of them walked up the mountain along the path.

The mountain road is winding, and when you reach halfway up the mountain, there are clouds and mist, and a cold wind blows.

After walking a little further up the mountain, a lush bamboo forest came into view.

Next to the bamboo forest, there are several bamboo houses surrounded by bamboo fences.

There are some poultry raised in a house.

Looking at the whole residence, it feels like just an ordinary farmyard, not a retreat for some great person.

Lu Zheng felt that since he was a master, he must plant some magical flowers and plants and raise some rare birds and beasts.

The man brought Lu Zheng to the bamboo gate, then put down the prey on his back and whispered respectfully, "I am Zhang Daniu from the nearby Xiaogou Village. A master cured my mother's illness before. Today I hunted a fawn and came to give it to the master..."

Before he finished speaking, a bamboo house opened and a pretty woman walked out.

The woman spoke in a cold voice, "Curing illnesses and saving lives is a way to accumulate virtue and blessings. I appreciate your kindness. Bring the prey back and nurse your mother back to health."

The man thanked him profusely, but still insisted on keeping the prey.

He looked at Lu Zheng again and said, "This... young master is a scholar. He came with me to visit the master."

"Since you are a scholar, please come in!"

A man's voice faintly came from the room. Upon hearing this, the woman walked lightly to the bamboo door, opened it, and invited, "Sir, please come in!"

"Then I will take my leave."

Seeing this, the man left in a hurry without taking the hunted deer with him.

The woman did not even look at the man who was leaving, and said again, "Sir, please come in!"

Lu Zheng couldn't help but look at the woman a few more times, then walked into the bamboo courtyard and into the bamboo house.

In the room, a young man in white was sitting there making tea.

Seeing Lu Zheng coming, the man stood up to greet him and said with a smile: "It has been a long time since I have had outsiders here. Please take a seat, sir."

Lu Zheng bowed and said, "Lu Zheng, from Kaiyang County, Hongzhou."

The man nodded slightly and said, "So you are Mr. Lu. My surname is Zheng. I am not a great master, but I just live in seclusion here... Actually, we are also fellow practitioners. Many years ago, I passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. However, I lack the talent and knowledge to pass the imperial examination. I have rarely read the Confucian and Taoist books in recent years."

Lu Zheng asked, "I can sense the scholarly aura of Master Zheng. Now that you're not studying and cultivating your Confucianism, what do you do in seclusion here?"

The man smiled and said, "The sea of learning is endless. Confucianism and Taoism are not the only way to success. I have been reading other classics from time to time, and it has not delayed my cultivation."

The man tilted his head slightly and looked at the bookshelf not far away.

Lu Zheng followed the other person's gaze and saw many classics on the bookshelf, classified into different categories, including some books he had never seen before.

There are even classics from other countries that are banned in Anguo.

"Mr. Zheng's life in seclusion is quite fulfilling." Lu Zheng couldn't help but say.

"It's okay, it's just that I'm far away from the world and rarely have anyone to talk to." said the man.

The man brought a cup of hot tea to Lu Zheng and said, "Mr. Lu, you must have been exhausted from the journey. Please have a cup of hot tea to quench your thirst."

"Thank you."

Lu Zheng took a sip of the hot tea and then said, "I have something to ask, but I don't know whether I should ask it or not."

Hearing this, the man smiled and said, "You can tell me what you want."

Lu Zheng looked at the man, then at the maid who came in, and asked curiously, "You are a master, skilled in painting. You can draw people like this. I am very curious, how did you practice?"

The man's smile faded a little, "Mr. Lu has a keen eye, it's nothing more than practice."

"Is that so?" Lu Zheng stared at the man. "What about you? You don't think you're a living person, do you?"

Lu Zheng has been learning painting these days and has barely made the grade.

When he saw the maid just now, he found that this maid was a little strange. She looked almost the same as a real person, but there were subtle differences.

Although the woman was alive, there was also another aura mixed with her.

This woman is not a real person, nor a person in a painting, but a paper figure.

The man in front of him was not a real person either, but a paper man.

If Lu Zheng's righteous spirit had not been sharp enough, he might have been deceived.

"Mr. Lu really has a good eye."

The man was calm and composed, and praised Lu Zheng.

He then raised one hand and pointed at the maid.

The maidservant suddenly flashed with spiritual light, and her entire body shrank and turned into a lifelike paper figure.

The man said quietly, "I never thought that Mr. Lu could see through my masterpiece. It seems that Mr. Lu is also an expert in painting."

Lu Zheng said calmly: "I barely got started, but I'm very sensitive to auras."

"Really?" the man asked curiously, "What else did Mr. Lu see?"

"There's a bit of dead air here, a bit of yin energy, the kind that comes from people..."

Lu Zheng looked at the man and asked, "Where is my master?"

The man was silent for a while, then said, "He's just a dying man. Why would he come out and pollute the eyes of our distinguished guests?"

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Since I am a distinguished guest, wouldn't it be rude for the host to not show up?"

The man said, "Your Excellency is being so aggressive and rude."

Lu Zhengdao said, "It's not that I came here intentionally to cause trouble. It's that you were a little too confident and actually invited me in... The lingering aura here makes me feel familiar."

"Oh?" The man raised his eyebrows. "I've never seen you before."

Lu Zhengdao said, "Of course, this is the first time we've met. Have you ever heard of zombies? I've encountered one myself. The aura of a zombie is slightly different from that of other ghosts. It's difficult for ordinary practitioners to detect the difference."

"You're a Confucian scholar. Even if you're dying and have deathly and yin energy in your body, you shouldn't have this kind of aura. So are you dead? Or are you half-dead and turned into a zombie?"

After hearing these words, the man finally couldn't hold back his expression.

He thought he had concealed it well, but in Lu Zheng's eyes, there were flaws everywhere.

I'm afraid the other party will discover something before he even enters the door.

The man said with a serious expression, "What do you want?"

Lu Zheng said calmly, "I'm just curious and want to see it for myself... If you are a bad person, I don't mind getting rid of you for the people."

(End of this chapter)