Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 491 Guests at the Seat
Chu Jiangshen was very polite. There are always some outstanding young talents in this world, and one cannot judge seniority by age.

Being old is not a virtue; ability is.

The current emperor of Chu is several generations younger than him. Does he dare to put on airs with the emperor?

Chu Jiangshen ordered his servants to bring out a variety of delicacies, many of which were local specialties.

"It's said that you scholars are very particular about food, always wanting the finest and most exquisite dishes. How about trying the delicacies of Jiangzhou in the State of Chu?"

Chu Jiangshen, all smiles, was introducing the dishes to Lu Zheng.

After a while, Chu Jiangshen noticed that Qingyi was sitting upright but had not touched her chopsticks, seemingly showing no interest in the delicious food in front of her.

He couldn't help but ask, "Young friend, is the food not to your liking? What would you like to eat? I'll have someone prepare something else..."

Lu Zheng said, "Jiang Shen doesn't need to worry about it. She doesn't eat these things, so there's no need to trouble her."

Chu Jiangshen's eyes flashed. What did that mean? He had ordered the best spiritual food to be prepared, and he wasn't even going to eat it?
Even though cultivators don't eat human food, they still absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to replenish themselves.

Chu Jiangshen, intrigued, asked, "What does she usually eat? I have some rare and precious herbs here. You are all guests from afar; how can I not treat you well?"

Lu Zheng said, "Fire elemental essence, like spiritual fire, true fire, and so on."

This was the discovery made by Lu Zheng after exchanging experiments with Qingyi. Qingyi was not an ordinary creature at all. Unlike ordinary spiritual creatures, she did not need to eat, but could devour various spiritual fires as food.

Chu Jiangshen was slightly surprised upon hearing this. Simply using spiritual fire to cultivate? What kind of path is this, and what level has he reached?
Chu Jiangshen couldn't help but smile and said, "Is that so? It seems this young friend is exceptionally talented. If it's a rare treasure like fire elemental essence, I do indeed have one here..."

With a thought, Chu Jiang conjured a jade box.

The jade box was opened, revealing a fist-sized, crimson crystal core inside, radiating a scorching aura.

Chu Jiang said leisurely, "This is a fragment of a star core, a treasure given to me by Dongjun. I have kept it safe and haven't found a use for it yet. Today is the perfect day, so I'm giving it to this young friend."

Dongjun was the Chu state's respectful title for the sun god, and his status in Chu was extremely prestigious.

The God of Chujiang and the Lord of the East had a good relationship and often visited each other.

Upon seeing Chu Jiangshen take out such a star core, Lu Zheng refused, saying, "This item is too valuable; I cannot accept it."

"Alas, this item is useless to me," Chu Jiangshen said with a smile. "Besides, I see that this young friend quite likes it..."

Lu Zheng glanced at Qingyi and noticed that the little girl's eyes were fixed on the star core, clearly attracted by the power it contained.

This is not surprising; as a drought demon, such a treasure would naturally be very attractive to it.

Seeing this, Chu Jiangshen smiled and said, "If Young Master Lu really feels embarrassed, how about you return the favor by giving me an article? There are younger members of our clan who greatly admire Young Master Lu..."

He wasn't just making things up; among the younger generation he valued, there were indeed some who greatly admired Lu Zheng.

There is no shortage of young people in the world who are full of passion and integrity.

Many people in Chu supported Lu Zheng's actions, including some scions of prominent families.

If that junior hadn't been away from Jiangzhou, the God of Chujiang would have summoned him to meet Lu Zheng.

Having met Lu Zheng today, Chu Jiang was determined to get him to leave some mark, otherwise, if he missed this opportunity, it would be difficult to meet him again.

Hearing Chu Jiangshen's words, Lu Zheng thought for a moment, then took out a piece of paper. "I've been studying the classics lately and copied some articles. I wonder if Jiangshen will like this one?"

Chu Jiangshen's eyes lit up as he realized it was a passage from Mencius, imbued with a profound sense of righteousness. Copying the classics of a sage as literary treasures was no easy feat.

Some Confucian scholars struggle even to write a single quote from a sage, let alone an entire essay.

He couldn't help but say, "Young Master Lu's cultivation of righteous energy has reached such a pure level, it's truly remarkable..."

He had lived for so many years and had met many of the Confucian scholars from the Meng family in Yingdu.

Apart from that great Confucian scholar from the Meng family, he felt that none of the Meng family members possessed a purer sense of righteousness than Lu Zhengxiu.

Such righteous spirit is something that even divine power is restrained by.

Chu Jiangshen chuckled and exchanged items with Lu Zheng, then carefully sealed the article away.

Although Confucianism and Taoism were not prevalent in the State of Chu, such treasures still have great value for collection.

Lu Zheng looked at the scorching star core, then handed it to Qingyi.

Qingyi held the star core with burning eyes, then used her small hands to forcefully break it into small pieces.

Qingyi used her spiritual power to envelop the star core fragments, preventing their energy from leaking out, and then tossed them into her mouth one by one, swallowing them whole.

Chu Jiangshen stared in disbelief. Could this thing really be eaten like that...?

Such star cores can either be used as materials for refining weapons, or their power can be slowly absorbed and refined through cultivation techniques.

As a result, this little girl devoured his star core right there and then, which was something I never thought I'd see in my life.

He couldn't help but swallow hard. "Is it okay to eat like this?"

To eat star cores like food, what kind of power does that require?
Chu Jiangshen felt that this little girl's cultivation level was probably not low, perhaps even similar to his.

Lu Zheng smiled faintly and said, "It's alright, Jiang Shen, don't worry. Qingyi's constitution is a bit special."

Previously, Qingyi even wanted to hug and nibble on his little sun. Eating a star core is nothing to be too surprised about.

Of course, Lu Zheng had to admire Xiao Qingyi's appetite; he could never learn it.

Special physique? Chu Jiangshen looked at Qingyi, but couldn't see through her for a moment. He could only conclude that this little girl was definitely not a human cultivator.

He'd never seen a cultivator with such good teeth.

Seeing Qingyi eating the star core with a nonchalant expression, Chu Jiangshen suddenly thought of something else.

He turned to Lu Zhengdao and said, "Young Master Lu once presented bean seeds to Yingdu. I wonder if there are any left? If there are any, I would like to buy some."

Although the agricultural authorities in Yingdu cultivated some bean seeds to provide emergency relief to the disaster area, Jiangzhou, which was not a drought-stricken area, did not receive any bean seeds at all.

Chu Jiangshen wanted some bean seeds from Lu Zheng, partly to build up his reputation and accumulate merit.

It was rare for Lu Zheng to see a priest who cared about farming and even asked him for seeds.

Lu Zheng was not stingy; with a wave of his hand, he produced a large pile of seeds, including bean seeds and some other improved seeds.

Lu Zheng slowly explained, "Besides these drought-resistant bean seeds, the other grain seeds are also new seeds we've recently cultivated. Each variety is slightly different, and Jiang Shen can promote them..."

(End of this chapter)