Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 309 New Book of Songs

"Double Ninth Festival?" Ling Long asked, "Will Master Lu be in Yongzhou City by then?"

Lu Zheng nodded slightly and said, "I am fortunate to have been invited by the Yongzhou City God to visit and worship the heavens on the Double Ninth Festival."

Ling Long was slightly surprised. An invitation from the Yongzhou City God? They had only just learned of Lu Zheng's visit to Chu.

The fact that the City God contacted Lu Zheng so quickly showed how much he valued Lu Zheng.

Ling Long couldn't help but nodded, "If that's the case, then we'll talk again in Yongzhou City."

"Easy to say."

Lu Zheng took Qing Wan straight out of the cave and came to the ground.

Ling Long saw that Lu Zheng and the other man insisted on leaving. They came and went in a hurry, and he could not keep them. He could only watch them go away.

Seeing the man walking away, a maid couldn't help but whisper, "Master, he just left like that?"

Ling Long said calmly, "Our paths are different, so forcing him to stay is useless. This person has a heart that sympathizes with the world, but it's a pity he was born in the wrong era. If he were born in a prosperous era, he would have been a great talent."

She found that Lu Zheng was indeed a talented person, but he had no reverence for the gods of Chu State, and such a person was difficult to win over.

……

Qingwan walked in the mountains, jumping all the way.

When they were far away from the pool, she tilted her head and asked, "Why don't we take the water route?"

"There are many fish and many eyes." Lu Zheng said.

Qing Wan suddenly realized, and then said: "Then should we go to Yongzhou City now to meet that Siming God? Are they very powerful?"

Lu Zheng said calmly, "In ancient times, there were the two gods Siming. It is said that the two ancient gods were born with great magical powers and controlled the life and death of all things..."

"However, the two people in Chu State only bear the title of Sima Ming. They are not the legendary gods. At most, they are half a step into the saint realm, or even less than the semi-saint level."

"Our strength isn't high enough. Even if we go to see a deity like that, we won't get any response. Even if we do get a response, we won't have a say. So it's better not to go."

It was difficult for Lu Zheng to have any good feelings towards those gods who thought they were superior.

Qing Wan couldn't help but be curious, "What about the ancient God of Destiny?"

Lu Zheng shook his head and said, "I'm not sure. The historical records are incomplete. Perhaps he has disappeared, or perhaps, like some saints, some of his will remains in the world. Who knows?"

What he cares about now is not which god, but how to change some bad current situations in the world.

Lu Zheng's mind was turning, thinking of some methods.

Suddenly, he thought of something and took Qingwan with him to quickly cross the mountains and rivers.

Lu Zheng stopped only when he reached a secluded and desolate mountain.

As he raised his hand, a door of literary energy opened.

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan walked into the Wen Palace courtyard.

Lu Zheng left a mark on Qingwan's little hand, allowing her to enter and exit the Wen Palace at will with the mark.

He instructed, "I'm going to be in seclusion for a few days. Please help me calculate the time. If there are any unusual movements, please write them down..."

"Oh! You go ahead, leave this to me!" Qing Wan nodded heavily.

Lu Zheng flashed into the hall and sat cross-legged in the midst of the strange scene of heaven and earth, with a strong and righteous energy flowing around him.

Then, Lu Zheng took out a blank booklet, holding a Donghu pen in one hand, and looked at the cover solemnly.

If he wants to change the current situation in the world, he must first change the way people think.

He has many advanced ideas in his mind, but they are too shocking and not suitable for such a world.

Even if those ideas were compiled into a book, they probably would not be spread and would instead be labeled as heresy.

Some things have to be done slowly, step by step.

Lu Zheng whispered, "In ancient times, the sage Confucius compiled a collection of poetry called The Book of Songs, which became a classic of Confucianism and Taoism."

It is said that the appearance of the "Book of Songs" compiled by Confucius in this world caused strange phenomena in heaven and earth, and it became a sacred artifact.

Today, the original version of the Book of Songs is still preserved in the Kong family of Qi State, and its sacred meaning still remains.

"I, a humble Lu, have honored the aspirations of my predecessors and have compiled three hundred new poems to pass on to the world."

Lu Zheng picked up his pen and wrote with righteous indignation. The words "new poetry" jumped onto the paper, shining brightly.

Then, Lu Zheng opened a blank book and started writing a poem.

He had already made a plan, preparing to divide the chapters according to dynasties, from Han style, Wei style to Jin style...

And the last chapter is for the people!

The selected poems and songs are also mainly based on the people.

He wanted to use his poems to let the people, gods, demons and ghosts in this world know that ordinary people should not be underestimated.

……

Qing Wan was squatting in the vegetable garden planting beans when she suddenly tilted her head to look towards the Haoran Zhengqi Hall.

For some unknown reason, she felt as if something was wrong with this Wen Palace space.

Inside the palace, Lu Zheng tried hard to write each poem in an elegant manner, stroke by stroke.

However, his current level is not very high, and some poems are difficult to write in one go, so he can only fill them in one sentence at a time.

Poems that are not your own can only be compiled and written slowly with literary style.

If the three hundred poems belonged to him, he would probably become a saint on the spot if he wrote them.

Because writing literary poetry is too exhausting, Lu Zheng has to stop writing and regulate his breathing from time to time.

It’s still too forced… Lu Zheng thought to himself.

If he had the level of a scholar, compiling a new poem would not be so difficult.

But Lu Zheng couldn't wait until that time, so he wanted to try it now.

Time passed slowly, and Lu Zheng sat in the hall compiling a collection of poems.

Outside, Qing Wan was searching for herbs in the mountains. Occasionally, she looked up at the sky and whispered, "Is it going to rain today?"

Two days ago, she noticed dark clouds gathering on the hilltop and rumbling thunder.

But after two days, no rain fell, and the dark clouds did not disperse.

Qing Wan was worried for a moment, then continued to dig up the beans and grass in the mountains, bringing the soil back to the Wen Palace courtyard.

The righteous spirit in the courtyard has diminished a lot these days, and occasionally a special aura emanates from the main hall, which should be due to Lu Zheng's retreat and cultivation.

The sudden change in the environment caused subtle changes in the bean sprouts planted by Qingwan.

"This one won't work, and this one won't work either... I'll keep this one..."

Qingwan was busy and never slacked off, taking care of the experimental vegetable garden with all her heart.

Both of them were concentrating on their own things.

……

"The song is not finished, the east is white..."

Lu Zheng wrote the last line with trembling hands, and the last bit of righteousness in his body was drained away.

[You compiled a collection of poetry, Literary Style +3000!]

Lu Zheng's eyes moved slightly, and he whispered, "Is that all?"

He stroked the booklet with one hand, feeling that this new poetry book was more than that.

"Is this half successful?" Lu Zheng murmured.

The improvement in literary style proves that the new poetry collection he compiled is indeed useful.

After all, the elementary school work he had written before was only added with a thousand literary elements when it was published.

Although this new book of poetry has not yet been published, it has already greatly enhanced his understanding of literary talent.

Unfortunately, the literary spirit was insufficient when it was compiled, and it could not directly create a classic. It needed to be approved by heaven and earth, or taken to the Confucian Temple for evaluation by the saints.

Today, this new poetry book can only be considered a semi-finished product.

"It's already very good. Let's find a suitable time to show it to the world."

Lu Zheng took a long breath and placed the new poem in the hall, letting the strange phenomena of heaven and earth slowly nourish it.

Lu Zheng took a few pills and walked out of the palace with weak steps.

Qing Wan was resting in the courtyard. When she heard the noise, she turned around and was startled. She stared at Lu Zheng, "Lu Zheng, what's wrong with you?"

Qing Wan was surprised. In her eyes, Lu Zheng had lost a lot of weight compared to before he went into seclusion. He looked listless and his face was pale, as if he had been seriously ill.

How can seclusion and practice make a person become like this?

Qing Wan trotted over to Lu Zheng and looked up, "Did you fail in your training?"

She thought Lu Zheng was practicing some kind of martial arts that made him look so weak.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but touch his thinning cheek and said with a smile: "No, I'm just tired."

"Then I'll get you something to eat!" Qing Wan couldn't help but say.

"Thank you." Lu Zheng did not refuse.

The two of them left the Wen Palace and went outside to cook and rest.

Lu Zheng asked, "Nothing happened these days, right?"

Qing Wan directed Dou Bing to prepare the food and said with a chuckle, "No, everything is fine. It's just that today..."

Qing Wan looked up at the sky. "Hey, why do the clouds seem to be dispersing? I'm telling you, there have been dark clouds floating here for the past few days, and it's not raining, just thundering..."

Lu Zheng also looked up and saw the dark clouds in the sky gradually dissipating, and vaguely figured out some things.

He ran to the Wen Palace to edit new poems because he was afraid that some strange phenomena would occur in the sky and earth while he was editing them outside, which would attract other people's attention.

It is rumored that the birth of a classic will cause such changes in heaven and earth that even powerful people thousands of miles away can feel it.

It now seems that the new poem can indeed cause visions.

But it is still a semi-finished product and has not yet caused a big enough change in the outside world.

Now that the book is finished and has not been taken out, the strange phenomenon has naturally gradually dissipated.

If we take out the new book now, we will probably have to find a way to trigger it if we want to cause strange phenomena.

It’s not the right time yet... Lu Zheng rubbed his brows lightly, wondering when to show this new poem.

Before long, he had a bold idea.

Lu Zheng turned to look at Qing Wan and asked, "What day is today?"

Qing Wan counted on her little fingers and replied, "It's the eighth day of the ninth lunar month. If we rush to Yongzhou City now, is it still in time?"

Lu Zheng looked at the sky. It was morning now, so it wouldn't be too late if he flew there.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, there's still a day left."

The dark clouds in the sky finally dispersed, and soft sunlight came down.

Lu Zheng felt the warmth of the sun and smelled the fragrance of the flowers and plants in the mountains, and he suddenly felt refreshed.

"When autumn comes on September 8th, my flower will bloom and all other flowers will die..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the fragrance of flowers in the mountains became stronger.

On the other side, Qing Wan prepared hot meals for Lu Zheng to taste.

After eating and drinking his fill, Lu Zheng finally regained some energy.

After resting for a while, Lu Zheng took out a pen and paper and casually drew a big bird.

With Lu Zheng's current level, his painting skills have already reached the basic level, and the birds he paints can fly thousands of miles without any problem.

In just a blink of an eye, the bird jumped out of the paper, spread its wings, and flew to Yongzhou City with Lu Zheng and Qing Wan.

(End of this chapter)