Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 428 Former Dynasty General
It's rare for any genuine spiritual items to appear in the Ghost Market, so when the two underworld officials learned that Yellow Spring Water had appeared, they couldn't help but become interested.

Such spiritual substances as Yellow Spring Water are rare. They were thinking of buying Yellow Spring Water and offering it to their superior, hoping to gain some favor.

If their boss doesn't want it, they can use it themselves.

The two underworld messengers looked in the direction the guiding ghost pointed and immediately spotted Lu Zheng and Qing Wan.

Then, both Yin messengers paused for a moment, staring intently at Lu Zheng's face, feeling that he looked somewhat familiar.

The two underworld messengers turned to look at each other and exchanged glances.

"Cough cough..."

The white-robed underworld official coughed, took a few steps forward to stand in front of Lu Zheng, and whispered, "Are you Lu Zheng from An Kingdom?"

Lu Zheng's eyes lit up upon hearing this, a little surprised. Was he that famous now? Even the underworld officials in this godforsaken place knew of his existence?

Lu Zheng couldn't help but ask, "You know me?"

Upon hearing this, the white-robed underworld official thought to himself, "It really is that one..."

Their superior had previously shown them two portraits and instructed them to keep a close eye on two people from Anguo and to report any sightings immediately.

The white-robed underworld official, his mind racing, transmitted his voice, "Please come with me, my lord wishes to see you."

The white-robed underworld official was very polite, having already forgotten about his attempt to force a sale of the Yellow Springs Water.

Lu Zheng asked curiously, "Who are your superiors?"

Chi Mei had mentioned some information about this ghost market to him before, but the existence guarding this place was something Chi Mei was not qualified to know.

However, seeing this situation, Lu Zheng could roughly guess that the one sitting here was either a god of Chu or someone who was inextricably linked to those Chu gods.

Otherwise, how could someone in such a remote place possibly know about him?

The white-robed underworld official said, "You two will find out when you get there."

Lu Zheng thought for a moment, not worried about any conspiracies or tricks waiting for him, and said, "I would be grateful if you could lead the way."

The white-robed underworld messenger quickly led the way for Lu Zheng and his companion.

As for the black-clad underworld official, he had already gone back to inform his superior.

The demons and ghosts around them looked at each other in bewilderment. They had never seen these two underworld officials treat anyone so politely before, which made them wonder if Lu Zheng and Qing Wan were important figures from other places, and that even these two underworld officials dared not offend or neglect them.

The white-robed underworld official led Lu Zheng and the other person swiftly through the town and continued deeper into the mountain abyss.

Soon, a mansion shrouded in eerie and ghostly energy came into view.

At the entrance of the mansion stood two imposing, menacing ghost soldiers, their presence terrifying.

A black-clad underworld official floated out of the mansion and said in a low voice, "My lord requests your presence..."

As Lu Zheng and Qing Wan entered the mansion, they could vaguely sense an invisible pressure emanating from it.

It was the pressure from the power of the demonic path, not the power of the divine path.

Clearly, a powerful demon has lived here for many years, and the entire environment is affected by its aura.

The Fifth Realm... Lu Zheng thought to himself that there were indeed ghosts of the Fifth Realm here, and he had not misjudged them before.

After passing through a gloomy corridor, the two arrived at a spacious garden.

The garden is filled with many exotic flowers and plants, especially the patches of spider lilies that bloom most profusely, their petals appearing as if they have been watered with fresh blood, delicate and vibrant.

In the garden, a tall and robust man sat there.

Upon seeing Lu Zheng and his companion, the man gave them a long, thoughtful look before cheerfully saying, "Come, sit down! I've just made some tea!"

Seeing this, the man's subordinates wisely withdrew from the garden.

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan were not at all reserved and sat down directly opposite the man.

Qingwan held the steaming tea, took a small sip, and found that the tea was icy cold, but had a unique flavor.

She couldn't help but smack her lips. "Huh, why is your tea like this?"

The man chuckled and said, "Tea in a place like this is naturally best served cold."

Lu Zheng also took a sip of tea and nodded, saying, "It is indeed good tea."

The man looked at the two calm people with an appreciative expression, then asked curiously, "Aren't you curious why I came to find you?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "It's a bit unexpected that you live here and know me. I'd like to hear more about it."

"Seeing you like this, I'm not surprised at all..." The man paused, then continued, "A few months ago, a righteous god from the Chu Kingdom sent me a message, telling me to keep an eye on you. However, they didn't explain anything. What I'm more curious about is why they've taken notice of you two young people from the An Kingdom?"

The man only knew that Lu was a scholar from Anguo, who possessed a noble spirit and had been bestowed with literary energy by the sage of Anguo.

But if that's all, the man felt it was making a mountain out of a molehill, that even a place like this required him to keep an eye on Lu Zheng's movements. "Them?" Lu Zheng thought to himself, judging from this man's tone, he didn't seem to have much respect for the God of Chu? Their relationship didn't seem particularly good?

Lu Zheng took a sip of tea and said with a smile, "It's a long story. When we were traveling, we passed through Yongzhou in the Chu Kingdom and encountered the City God of Yongzhou..."

Lu Zheng recounted some of the events that had occurred in Yongzhou.

Upon hearing this, the man couldn't help but laugh and said, "So that's what happened. They thought you came here to cause trouble and deliberately incite conflict between the local deities?"

"Perhaps," Lu Zheng said calmly. "They govern the local area without regard for the people, but they tend to shift the blame onto others."

The man smiled and then sighed, "Those gods don't treat the common people like human beings. They've made you, an outsider, worry about the people of Chu, and you haven't even gained anything. Instead, they've become suspicious and hostile towards you. Is it worth it?"

Lu Zheng said, “We scholars should care about the common people of the world and should not make any distinction between the people of different countries. I believe that the path I have taken is the right one. As for the doubts of the gods, it is only because they are doubted by petty people that they are all the more precious and we should adhere to the right path.”

Upon hearing this, the man clapped his hands and laughed, "Well said! They're not gods, they're just a bunch of scoundrels..."

After saying this, the man's eyes turned melancholy as he recalled some past events, and his sense of joy diminished.

He looked at Lu Zheng and said in a complicated tone, "But even if you do all these things alone, it will all be in vain against those gods..."

What can one person accomplish? He didn't think Lu Zheng could cause any trouble in Chu. Those high and mighty gods could make Lu Zheng's efforts vanish with just a few words. The Yongzhou incident was a good example.

Lu Zheng said calmly, "In this world, I'm not the only one walking the righteous path. And I, too, will one day become stronger. The future is still unknown..."

Upon hearing Lu Zheng's words, the man couldn't help but think that young people are indeed impetuous and have a lot of drive.

Unlike him, an old man who has lived for hundreds of years, whose ambitions have long been worn away by the years.

"It's good to be young," the man said casually.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "An old steed in its stall may still aspire to gallop a thousand miles; a hero, though old, may still cherish lofty ambitions."

The man was inexplicably touched by these words, and his heart was filled with emotion.

He looked at Lu Zheng and said, "It seems that my decision to meet you was indeed correct. You are truly an outstanding person... I will keep your coming here a secret and will not tell them."

Lu Zheng replied, "Thank you for your kindness. However, a envoy from the Chu Kingdom came to see me not long ago."

"Oh?" The man couldn't help but feel that he had worried for nothing. "Who was it? They didn't do anything to you?"

Lu Zheng said, "It was a messenger of the Moon Goddess who reminded me not to interfere in the affairs of the Chu Kingdom when I travel there in the future. How they govern the Chu Kingdom is their business."

"Tsk tsk..." the man scoffed, "They really have the nerve to say that."

Even though the man lived in Guizhou for many years, he still knew a little about the situation in other states and counties of Chu.

Given the governance capabilities of those divine officials, the fact that the State of Chu did not descend into chaos can only be attributed to the powerful Chu court's ability to maintain order.

If the Chu court hadn't had so many capable figures, the Chu state would probably have been in complete chaos long ago.

Perhaps it was because the officials and deities of the Chu state believed they could control the local people that they dared to act so recklessly and treat the people as less than human.

The man said quietly, "Sooner or later they will follow in the footsteps of the previous dynasty."

Lu Zhengdao: "Currently, the Chu Kingdom is at its peak, but its people are suffering terribly, not knowing when that day will come. In times of prosperity, the people suffer; in times of ruin, the people suffer..."

The man looked at Lu Zheng and asked in a low voice, "Does your An Kingdom have any plans to ally with the Chu Kingdom...? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "How could I possibly know about the war between the two countries?"

Lu Zheng didn't think a major war would happen between the two countries.

Upon seeing this, the man realized that Lu Zhengzhen was unaware of such matters. He thought that even if Anguo and Chuguo were to fight, it would be very far away from him.

The man gulped down the tea like a cow, but the cold tea did nothing to quell his restlessness.

The man then spoke up, "Oh, right, I haven't told you yet, my name is Wei Xing."

“Wei Xing…” Lu Zheng nodded slightly, “Is he the General Wei from the previous dynasty?”

At the end of the previous dynasty, there was a general named Wei Xing, who was brave and skilled in battle. He once led troops to fight against the demon race and killed hundreds of thousands of demons, making him famous for a time.

But later, when the country was in chaos, Wei Xing participated in suppressing the local rebellion and then disappeared.

Wei Xing's expression changed slightly, and he stared at Lu Zheng, "How did you figure that out?"

Many of his deeds have been removed from historical records by various countries, and now almost no one knows him. Wei Xing was surprised and puzzled that this young man in front of him still remembered him.

Lu Zheng said unhurriedly, "The layout of this mansion is very similar to the architectural style of the previous dynasty. Just now, I saw two ghost soldiers outside, and their armor and clothing were also similar to some kind of armored soldiers from the previous dynasty."

"I see that General Wei has an extraordinary bearing and must have been an extraordinary person in his lifetime. Just now, the general introduced himself, which made me think of a general from the previous dynasty."

Lu Zheng explained, and was also very curious about how the other party could be in such a place, and how a former general could still exist today.

(End of this chapter)