Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 327: Teng Snake Riding the Mist
The old man looked at Lu Zheng and Qing Wan, and sighed in his heart that sometimes the difference between people is greater than the difference between people and monsters.

The old man asked, "I heard that you are quite proficient in using the righteous energy?"

"good."

Lu Zheng raised his right hand, and the righteous energy in his palm changed. Mountains, rivers, sun, moon and other things appeared and disappeared, with various changes.

The old man's eyes flashed with strange colors. These changes were not only changes in appearance, but also in the nature of their manifestations.

Lu Zheng said, "Heaven and earth possess righteous energy, which flows in all directions; below it becomes the rivers and mountains, above it becomes the sun and stars."

The old man thought about it and felt that it made a lot of sense.

He couldn't help but say, "I didn't expect your understanding of righteousness to reach this level."

Lu Zheng smiled slightly and said, "It's just thanks to the teachings of our predecessors."

The old man said quietly, "Everyone's understanding of the words of the sages may be different. The fact that you can do this shows that you are extremely talented. There is no need to be so humble."

Among all the Confucian and Taoist scholars he had met who cultivated righteousness and integrity, Lu Zheng was the most gifted.

Even when he was so young, he was still far inferior to Lu Zheng.

It seems that what Mi Gu said was absolutely right. This boy really has the potential to be a great scholar. The old man was thinking about it, but it was a pity that Lu Zhengzhu's desire to save the world actually restricted his practice in some aspects.

Saving the world is so difficult. If it were another Wen Xin, Lu Zheng's practice of Confucianism and Taoism would have gone smoothly and he wouldn't have to worry about anything.

After feeling regretful for a while, the old man turned to ask, "You have traveled all the way from Anguo to here. What do you think of Chu compared to Anguo?"

Lu Zheng thought for a moment and said slowly, "I've only traveled to a few states, which is nothing compared to the entire empire. But what I've seen and heard along the way shows me the hardships people face. From this, I can get a glimpse of the whole picture... As for the two countries, the people of Chu suffer the most."

The old man was silent for a while after hearing this. How could he not know the suffering of the people? However, as a great scholar, it was difficult for him to change anything.

Confucianism and Taoism were not popular in the State of Chu, so his voice was not important, and even if he proposed some policies, they would not be adopted.

The old man asked, "What are you going to do?"

Lu Zhengdao: "Education."

"Educate the people?"

The old man thought to himself that many people are doing this kind of thing, but it is easier said than done.

Lu Zheng shook his head and smiled, "The people in this world are the ones who least need to be educated."

"People are living in hardship, unable to even get enough food and clothing. How can they possibly listen to anything?"

"People often struggle to make a living. Even if they haven't committed any crime, they are forced to work hard for their entire lives. Is this the right way to teach people to endure hardship?"

"The world is plagued by demons and ghosts, the rich are often unkind, officials are often crooked, those who know the rules of propriety often fail to observe them, and the powerful often escape responsibility for their crimes... The moral principles and virtues advocated by the saints are rarely observed by those in power, who use them to restrain the common people."

Lu Zheng's face was serious as he spoke word by word, "They are the ones who need to be educated the most!"

These words were like bursts of thunder, exploding in the old man's mind.

He looked at Lu Zheng and felt that he was not a young man at all, but an elder who had experienced the vicissitudes of life.

The old man couldn't calm down for a moment and said, "You want to educate them, but it's more difficult than educating the people."

"Yes!" Lu Zheng nodded. "They don't even follow the teachings of the saints. How could they care about what I say?"

Lu Zheng paused, then added: "But I will try my best to find a way."

The old man felt that this was totally unrealistic and he could not provide any help.

The old man said, "If you use this to save the world, you will offend many people and put yourself in danger."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, old man. I cherish my life very much. After all, I can only do things when I am alive. Even if I die, I will strive to die meaningfully."

The old man felt sad. Has he seen through life and death at such a young age?
He pondered for a moment and took out a jade pendant. "My conversation with you today has given me a lot of emotion. Please keep this jade pendant. If you want to do anything in the future, I might be able to help you."

Lu Zheng felt that if he told this person about Meng Sheng, he would probably use all the strength of his clan to help him.

But there is no need to involve other irrelevant people in this matter.

He doesn't have that much weight now.

Lu Zheng didn't extend his hand, but asked: "Old man, it's thoughtful, but can you really represent the will of the entire family?"

The old man understood the hidden meaning, that some things would involve the lives of the entire clan.

At this moment, the old man couldn't help but hesitate.

He is old and can make some sacrifices for the greater good, but the Meng family has so many descendants...

Seeing this, Lu Zheng smiled and said, "It's getting dark, old man, go home quickly and don't get lost."

Seeing that Lu Zheng didn't want the jade pendant, the old man had to put it away again.

He said, "It's so dark, aren't you afraid?"

Lu Zheng whispered, "The sun will rise."

The old man's expression flickered, and then he smiled and said, "Yes, the sky can't stay dark forever... Chu is not as good as Anguo, do you really need anything?"

"Is there anyone in Yingdu who wants to harm me?" Lu Zheng asked curiously.

"This..." The old man shook his head after hearing this, "I haven't heard of such a thing. After all, your performance outside is not good enough for them to take seriously."

The powerful people in Yingdu didn't care much about Confucian and Taoist scholars. Lu Zheng was a native of Anguo, and his reputation in Anguo was mixed, so it was difficult for those bigwigs to take him seriously.

"That's good." Lu Zheng nodded.

The old man smiled and said, "I heard that some people in Anguo hate you so much that their teeth itch."

Lu Zheng's reputation is mixed, ultimately because he offended some local aristocratic families and was secretly criticized.

Lu Zheng said calmly, "They're just some aggressive villains. Nothing to be afraid of." The old man laughed, stood up, and walked away slowly. "In that case, I wish you a safe journey. I hope to have the opportunity to meet you again in the future."

Suddenly, Lu Zheng and Qing Wan inexplicably felt that there was an invisible force blessing them, which was a blessing from a great scholar.

Lu Zheng carefully examined himself and found nothing unusual.

Seeing the old man disappear, Qing Wan whispered, "Is he the great scholar from the Meng family?"

"It should be fine." Lu Zheng said.

Qing Wan whispered, "He came really quickly!"

This place is so remote and far from Yingdu, and Qingwan was quite surprised that the other party found them so quickly.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "As a great scholar, he naturally has great abilities."

Lu Zheng didn't know why the other party was able to find him so quickly. It might be that they didn't do a good job of concealing their presence along the way.

Qing Wan sighed, "If there's a big shot dealing with us, wouldn't they be able to find us right away?"

"Well, it's not impossible..." Lu Zheng pondered, "I still have to practice hard!"

A trace of solemnity appeared on Qingwan's face, and she felt that she should work harder.

Seeing this, Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Don't worry about it, just keep a normal mind..."

"Uh-huh!"

Qing Wan took out the spirit stone, crossed her legs and began to practice the skills that Yun Fuyao had given her.

Lu Zhengjian saw that dinner was ready and ate slowly.

As night falls, the mountains and fields become silent.

Suddenly, the stars and the bright moon in the sky dimmed, and the whole sky became dark.

Lu Zheng felt a force enveloping him, and subconsciously grabbed Qing Wan and flew away.

However, at the same time, the surroundings became dark.

Lu Zheng found that he was no longer in the mountains, but in another unfamiliar place.

Without thinking, he took Qingwan into his little world.

However, he did not go in himself. He vaguely felt that even if he went to the small world, he still could not leave here. This was another space.

In the sky, two balls of dark green light flickered.

Looking closely, it was clearly two huge eyes, flashing a strange light.

Other places were pitch black.

Lu Zheng had an idea and took out a pearl.

The pearl quickly flew into the air and then exploded, shining with a ray of light.

Under the light, a giant snake a hundred feet long was coiled in the sky. Although no breath was revealed, it gave people a strong sense of oppression.

When Lu Zheng saw the giant snake, he felt a sense of déjà vu.

"Lord Tengshan?"

Lu Zheng spoke slowly, his voice echoing in the dark and silent space.

If he had seen this snake somewhere, then the eyes of the Tengshanjun he met by chance during the Double Ninth Festival were similar to those of this snake.

Lu Zheng was sure that this snake was not Tengshanjun, and was related to that person.

The giant snake in the sky said nothing, but slowly opened its bloody mouth, and a golden flame quickly rolled over.

Lu Zheng stood still, with a strong sense of righteousness lingering around him.

The golden flames instantly engulfed Lu Zheng.

However, Lu Zheng did not feel a trace of burning breath, and even his own righteous energy did not react at all.

Illusion? Lu Zheng's mind raced.

As he raised his hand, a bow and arrow took shape.

Longbow in hand, arrow gleaming.

An arrow shot out, like a dazzling meteor, hitting the giant snake in the sky.

The arrow was extremely fast and pierced through the giant snake in one go, but it did not cause any damage and disappeared into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

The next moment, the giant snake twisted its body and pounced towards Lu Zheng from the sky. Its huge mouth was like a dark abyss.

Lu Zheng once again released a burst of righteous energy.

The giant snake spewed out golden flames, its eyes flashed with strange light, and an invisible force instantly touched Lu Zheng's mind.

Lu Zheng raised his eyebrows, quickly calmed himself down, and with Zhang Liang's hammer in his hand, he smashed the fireworks.

This time, scorching golden fireworks flew everywhere, burning the righteous energy around them, making a sizzling sound, and green smoke rose up.

Lu Zheng shattered the fireworks with one blow and rushed towards the giant snake with a powerful momentum.

When Lu Zheng jumped up with Zhang Liang's club and smashed it towards the giant snake, he passed directly through the giant snake's body.

Sometimes real, sometimes fake, sometimes illusionary? Lu Zheng's eyes were full of light, and for a moment he couldn't see through the giant snake in front of him.

He had learned about Tengshanjun from Linglong before, but even Linglong did not know Tengshanjun's specific strength and methods. He only knew that this fourth-level deity was someone that many other gods dared not offend.

(End of this chapter)