Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 517 Ordinary Taoist
"Died of illness? What illness?"

Lu Zheng's eyes held a hint of suspicion. Officials who could sit in the position of county magistrate were not ordinary people, and they would not fall ill and die for no reason.

The county magistrate hurriedly explained, "The magistrate was fond of alchemy and often concocted and consumed elixirs, resulting in a long-standing accumulation of elixir toxins in his body. Some time ago, the magistrate suffered a qi deviation during his cultivation practice, and after consuming a new elixir, his meridians were severed, leading to his sudden death..."

"We have already sent messengers to report to the governor about the county magistrate and the epidemic in this county. Judging by the time, if nothing unexpected happens, the governor's city should have received the news."

Lu Zheng looked at the county magistrate. The man concealed his true feelings well in his words and expressions, but he still couldn't escape Lu Zheng's careful observation.

The county magistrate's words were not entirely true; there was probably something else going on, and he was hiding something.

Lu Zheng thought for a moment and figured that since the county magistrate dared to report the matter, he must have taken some precautions and wasn't afraid of being investigated by those above.

The most important thing now is to properly resettle the people in the city.

Lu Zheng said, "In that case, we will trouble the county magistrate and the county commandant to take care of the people in the city."

The county magistrate quickly replied, "It's my duty. I must thank you for your help. May I ask your honorable name?"

“Lu Zheng,” Lu Zheng said calmly.

Now was not the time for idle chatter. Lu Zheng tiptoed and headed straight for a spot in the city.

Seeing Lu Zheng leave, the county magistrate couldn't help but stare intently. Seeing that Lu Zheng wasn't heading to the county office, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Despite his considerable strength, Lu Zheng was still quite worried about investigating the magistrate's death.

The county magistrate withdrew his gaze and instructed his subordinates, "Alright, stop standing there and get to work as instructed..."

The county magistrate waved his hand, and the officials quickly dispersed.

The county constable, stroking his chin, said, "Lu Zheng? Never heard of him?"

Upon hearing this, the county magistrate said calmly, "They're probably not from around here. That's for the best; they won't care too much about insignificant people like us."

The county constable was still a little uneasy, but he dared not show it.

The two discussed matters in the city there, and then went to organize their respective work.

Lu Zheng flew through the air and soon arrived at a temple in the city.

When he was clearing the city of plague, he found that a lot of people had gathered in this temple, and Taoist priests and locals were preparing medicine and arranging for patients in a very professional manner.

They handled the epidemic better than the officials in the city.

When Lu Zheng arrived at the temple, many people turned their gazes toward him.

These people all witnessed Lu Zheng performing magic to free them from the plague.

Some people, upon seeing Lu Zheng, would immediately perform a grand ceremony and kneel in worship.

However, each movement froze, held back by an invisible force, unable to bend over or kneel.

Lu Zheng said softly, "I am just a scholar with some ability, nothing to make you kneel down. You have just recovered from a serious illness, so you should rest well and not overexert yourselves..."

Lu Zheng's tone was friendly, which had an invisible power to soothe people's hearts and calm them down.

However, the people still looked at Lu Zheng with gratitude.

If Lu Zheng hadn't come to their rescue, given the previous conditions in the city, they probably would have turned to dust within a few days.

Lu Zheng looked at a middle-aged Taoist priest at the front of the crowd.

The middle-aged Taoist priest, whose cultivation was not apparent, wore a coarse, earth-yellow robe, stained with dust and medicinal herbs. Lu Zheng stepped forward and bowed respectfully, "I am Lu Zheng, a scholar. Are you the abbot of this temple?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged Taoist priest, seeing Lu Zheng's attitude and self-identification, knew that he was not from the state capital.

He quickly returned the greeting, saying, "My name is Huang Ge, and I am not a Taoist priest of this temple."

"Oh?" Lu Zheng's eyes held a hint of inquiry.

Huang Ge raised his hand and invited, "If it is convenient for you, I will explain to you in detail."

Lu Zheng nodded slightly and went to a room with Huang Ge.

Huang Ge personally poured Lu Zheng a cup of tea and asked, "You are not a distinguished person from the city, are you?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "I am just a scholar traveling around. I learned that there was a plague here, so I came to help eliminate it..."

Upon hearing this, Huang Ge was filled with emotion and envy. This scholar, who looked so young, was far more capable than him.

Huang Ge slowly said, "To be honest, I've been traveling around, and I only entered the city the day before yesterday..."

He was not a Taoist priest from this county, but just an ordinary Taoist who had learned some medical skills and traveled around to treat people's illnesses and spread the doctrines of Taoism.

When passing through Cang County, Huang Ge learned that a plague had broken out there and even the county town had been sealed off.

Fearing that local officials would harm patients, he volunteered, saying that he knew medicine and was willing to go into the city to treat patients.

Huang Ge knew that with his medical skills, he couldn't cure the people in the city at all. He just wanted to buy time so that the people in the city could live a little longer and wait for the situation to change.

"The day before yesterday, I entered the city and witnessed the miserable state of the people..."

Huang Ge, unable to bear saying more, changed the subject and said, “Fortunately, I know a little about medicine, which I can use to win the trust of the people, organize them, and fight against disease together.”

"When I arrived, all the Taoist priests in the temple had disappeared. It is said that they used their connections to escape from the city early on."

"I am merely using this place for a short while. I have not even begun my cultivation, how could I possibly be the abbot of this place?"

As he spoke, Huang Ge gave a wry smile, his expression becoming complicated.

Despite having done good deeds and accumulated virtue throughout his life, he doesn't even have a formal Taoist register, and his status is lower than that of some unscrupulous and immoral people.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "Daoist Master is truly virtuous; he is far superior to many people with cultivation."

Huang Ge said softly, "I just don't want to see the people here repeat the same mistakes. I myself crawled out of piles of corpses. Forty years ago, a great plague struck a county in the south. Local officials failed to control the epidemic and, fearing accountability from above, secretly slaughtered sick people and lied about the situation..."

"I was lucky enough to escape and went to a small Taoist temple to become a Taoist novice. Unfortunately, I have no foundation in cultivation and could not enter the Taoist sect. To this day, I am just an ordinary Taoist."

Huang Ge looked at Lu Zheng, a glint of light in his eyes, "It is an honor to meet you today and to speak with you about my innermost thoughts... Your cultivation is profound, please show me the way!"

Huang Ge looked expectant. He had never had the chance to speak with a cultivator like Lu Zheng before, and now that he had such an opportunity, he didn't want to miss it.

Lu Zhengdao: "You want me to help you enter the path of cultivation?"

Huang Ge said, "I have heard that even those without a foundation can cultivate. I dare not hope that you will guide me into the path, I only ask that you point me in the right direction."

Lu Zheng asked, "Have you studied Confucianism?"

Huang Ge said embarrassedly, "I have read some Confucian classics, but I don't seem to have the talent for them and can't cultivate my health through literature."

(End of this chapter)