Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 463 Scholar's Spirit
Lu Zheng was not surprised at all when he saw the woman who suddenly appeared.

He simply nodded slightly to the woman, then looked away and continued to explain some key points to the villagers.

The woman noticed Lu Zheng's attitude, and her eyes flickered.

Although Lu Zheng had changed his appearance, she was certain that he was the person she was looking for.

She was here because of the unusual thunderstorms in the area. After some deduction, she came to check the situation.

Somewhat unexpectedly, it was Lu Zheng who brought about the change in the weather here.

She had previously thought that Lu Zheng was hiding somewhere or trying to leave the Chu Kingdom, but he was here helping the people of Chu fight the drought.

Watching Lu Zheng squatting in the field, kneading half-dry, half-wet clods of mud and talking to some villagers about farming, she began to doubt whether she had found the wrong person.

After speaking with the villagers, Lu Zheng left the field and slowly walked towards the woman's location.

When the villagers saw another strange woman arrive, they assumed she was some important person and none of them dared to approach her. Instead, they turned their attention to the bean seedlings in the field, which were their hope for survival.

"Who is that woman?"

When Ju Sheng saw the woman who suddenly appeared, he didn't recognize her at all; he had never seen this face before.

Qingwan, who was standing next to her, glanced at it and her brows furrowed slightly.

The Moon Goddess... Qingwan's mind raced, and she thought of someone.

Seeing Lu Zheng go over, Qing Wan wanted to follow, but she was afraid that she would only make things worse, so she could only continue working there.

Upon seeing Lu Zheng approaching, the woman said in a cool voice, "Lu Zheng."

Seeing that the other party recognized him, Lu Zheng smiled slightly, "Moon Goddess, is this the real me?"

The Moon Goddess remained silent upon hearing this, but clearly acknowledged her identity.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "Your Excellency is indeed very powerful, finding us so quickly."

Upon hearing Lu Zheng's words, the Moon Goddess's beautiful eyes flickered slightly. Had Lu Zheng intentionally exposed himself and been waiting for her all along?
Lu Zheng remained calm; he hadn't intentionally revealed himself.

However, when he helped the local people alleviate the drought earlier, he thought that his actions might attract the attention of the great gods of Chu.

Especially since the Moon Goddess was still searching for him, Lu Zheng was not surprised at all to see her arrive.

To conceal his whereabouts and abandon these disaster-stricken people was something Lu Zheng could not do; it did not align with his aspirations for the Dao.

Lu Zheng continued, "This drought has already killed many people. Does the Moon Goddess know how many places this drought has affected and how long it will last? What measures has the government taken to deal with it?"

The Moon Goddess looked at Lu Zheng and said softly, "Do you think I came to see you because of something like this?"

Lu Zheng calmly replied, "In the face of natural disasters, the people are suffering terribly. There is nothing more important than this. If you want my life, surely you are not in a hurry?"

Lu Zheng pointed to the farmland not far away and said, "As you can see, those fields are planted with the bean seeds I brought. They are drought-resistant and high-yield varieties. I still have some here, but not many. I can give you these kinds of bean seeds. You should try to cultivate more beans as soon as possible and distribute them to the disaster-stricken people so they can get through this year..."

The Moon Goddess listened quietly as Lu Zheng offered his suggestions.

After Lu Zheng finished speaking, she said, "They are people from the State of Chu."

Lu Zheng said leisurely, "The people of Chu, An, Qi... weren't all the common people of this world one family hundreds of years ago? I've heard that you also come from a prominent family of the previous dynasty..."

"Does Your Excellency think I'm meddling? I've studied the classics, and while I can't say how much I've learned, it's really hard for me to ignore these disaster victims."

"Perhaps such thoughts are difficult for a high-ranking deity like Your Excellency to understand."

The Moon Goddess's eyes flickered slightly. Lu Zheng spoke of being high and mighty, but his words sounded grating to the ear.

Suddenly, Lu Zheng's vision went dark.

In the blink of an eye, the entire sky darkened, and a full moon hung in the sky. There was nothing else around except him and the Moon Goddess.

Lu Zheng's expression shifted. Had he entered the space controlled by the Moon Goddess?
Lu Zheng raised his head slightly, looking at the bright moon in the sky. It was the real moon, exuding a pure moonlight.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but comment, "Is there only one moon in your place? It's so lifeless."

Seeing Lu Zheng's unconcerned expression, the Moon Goddess said, "Do you think I wouldn't dare to attack you?"

She now enveloped Lu Zheng with her own world and found nothing unusual, nor did she discover any hidden tricks Lu Zheng had up his sleeve.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng calmly replied, "Whether you dare to make a move, I cannot guess. Is it possible that I am not afraid of death? Why don't you kill me, and then you will know..."

The moon goddess's eyes gleamed with golden light as she stared intently at Lu Zheng, as if trying to see through him completely.

However, Lu Zheng possessed something that concealed the secrets of heaven, preventing the Moon Goddess from discerning anything about him, or even his true thoughts.

But this also proves that Lu Zheng must have some methods left behind by other important figures.

Lu Zhengjian saw the Moon Goddess scrutinizing him with her supernatural powers, yet he remained calm and composed.

"What do you think about me taking you to Yingdu?" the Moon Goddess suddenly asked.

Upon arriving in Yingdu, with so many important figures from the Chu Kingdom in charge, the Moon Goddess still didn't believe that Lu Zheng could stir up any trouble.

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Your Excellency cultivates the path of a true god using an avatar, which is against the rules of the true gods of Chu, isn't it? Do you intend for everyone to know about this?"

The Moon Goddess narrowed her eyes slightly. "That clone is already dead. Besides, I think they're more interested in you." Lu Zheng replied, "I'm just a nobody."

The Moon Goddess thought to herself that a nobody like her couldn't possibly cause so much trouble and even obtain a sacred object to suppress her clone.

Lu Zheng continued, "Speaking of which, it seems there's no real grudge between us. Your clone failed to seize the sacred artifact and was suppressed by me. She then self-destructed, which was her own fault."

"You've come to me seeking an explanation, or do you wish to kill me to vent your anger?"

"If it's the latter, you can just take action directly. Why hold back so much? It doesn't act like a master at all..."

The more Lu Zheng said this, the more wary the Moon Goddess became, and she wouldn't easily make a move.

The Moon Goddess slightly raised her hand, and a bright moon mark appeared in her fair palm.

She said quietly, "What I'm really curious about is what you're relying on..."

Upon seeing this, Lu Zheng reached out and produced several jade talismans, each radiating an extraordinary aura and subtly exuding Daoist charm.

Lu Zheng spoke up, "As a great master, you should be very knowledgeable. Can you recognize where these things came from?"

The Moon Goddess narrowed her eyes slightly. Those jade talismans were treasures that concealed the secrets of heaven. Each one was extraordinary and was made by a powerful expert.

Lu Zheng then put away the jade talisman, and another silk scroll appeared.

The silk scroll shone brightly, exuding the aura of a sage; it was the very classic text of a sage that the Moon Goddess's avatar had tried to seize.

The Moon Goddess's expression shifted. The situation she had deduced before was not detailed enough, and now she could see clearly which Confucian classic had fallen into Lu Zheng's hands.

"Do you want it?" Lu Zheng smiled.

The Moon Goddess remained silent. Confucian classics were of little use to her, but she could exchange them for other useful things.

But such a sacred object is not something she can obtain just because she wants it. Judging from Lu Zheng's expression, he is only taking it out to display it.

With another thought, Lu Zheng conjured up a series of artifacts, each radiating a strong aura of righteousness, protecting him from the outside world.

Immediately afterward, behind Lu Zheng, a tall palace appeared faintly, a phantom of his literary palace manifested externally.

"The reason I dare to travel to various places is not because some important figure is secretly protecting me..."

"Didn't you want to know what I rely on? Besides my fearlessness, these are some of my strengths..."

"I've heard that a powerful person like you would be wary of the karmic consequences of Heaven?"

"Killing me wouldn't be difficult for you, you can try, but can you bear the consequences?"

As Lu Zheng took a step, several other classic works appeared, in addition to the new poetry classics.

Furthermore, the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers surround it on all sides.

Lu Zheng was imposing and stood there, as if he were supporting the entire world.

The moon goddess's eyes flickered. Lu Zheng's aura and presence, though not putting any pressure on her, gave her the illusion of facing a Confucian sage.

Her beautiful eyes shone brightly, as if trying to see deeper, but all she could see was a hazy mist.

For some inexplicable reason, the Moon Goddess sensed a hint of danger in that hazy atmosphere.

A backlash appeared out of nowhere, and the Moon Goddess quickly withdrew her supernatural powers to avoid harming herself.

She was filled with doubt and unease. Lu Zheng carried a great fortune, even more so than those world-renowned young prodigies.

Lu Zheng, unhurried and composed, slowly said, "So, are you satisfied now?"

"If you still want to kill me, or take me to Yingdu, what good will it do you?"

"Leaving aside other matters, if I die in the State of Chu, people will soon find out that it was you who did it, do you believe me? At that time, perhaps someone will avenge me..."

"I, Lu, am not afraid of death, but you must value your life very much, otherwise why would you be thinking of cultivating an avatar?"

Lu Zheng spoke calmly, as if he didn't care about life or death.

He is indeed fearless, and he is even willing to fight to the death with this person.

But did this great god of Chu have such courage? Lu Zheng thought not.

The more capable a person is, the more they cherish their reputation.

If the other party really had the guts to get rid of him, they would just slap him when they saw him. Why bother arguing with him here?

Upon hearing Lu Zheng's words, the Moon Goddess's eyes flickered, and her mind raced.

Sure enough, someone like Lu Zheng, who had been hiding and making it impossible for her to find him, couldn't possibly have appeared without any preparation.

Leaving aside whether she could kill Lu Zheng, the various consequences that would result from killing Lu Zheng would not be so easy to deal with.

The mark on the Moon Goddess's palm flickered, and she hesitated to make a move, for she could not foresee the consequences of that strike.

(End of this chapter)