Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 66 The Way of Being an Official
"If Master Lu isn't afraid, why should I be afraid?"

An Jing immediately expressed his attitude and was not afraid of the little demon who occupied the mountain and acted as the king.

Lu Zheng smiled slightly when he heard this. He felt that the girl was not afraid not only because of her courage, but also because she was really strong.

Lu Zheng looked at An Jing and asked, "I see that the young lady is not from here. You are going on a long journey without any luggage. Have you reached the state of not eating grains and not being exposed to dust?"

He went out carrying a box of things on his back, but the other party had nothing in his hands, looked relaxed, and had the demeanor of a master.

An Jing blinked her beautiful eyes. Did he think she was some kind of expert?

Although she does have some strength, she doesn't want to admit anything for the time being.

She smiled and said, "I'm not that powerful. All my things are here!"

As he spoke, An Jing patted the delicate, palm-sized leather bag around his waist.

"What is this?" Lu Zheng had some guesses in his mind when he saw this.

An Jing said, "It seems that Master Lu is only focused on reading the books of sages and doesn't know about this storage bag. This bag is made from the skin of a special spirit rabbit, using the refining techniques of a Qi Refiner. It can store some items... However, taking things out of it takes some time and effort, so it's best to carry weapons with you when you go out."

Lu Zheng suddenly realized, "I think this thing must be very valuable."

An Jing smiled and said, "It's not something that's very valuable. In fact, when Mr. Lu becomes a Juren and the Wen Palace is promoted, he can also put his luggage in the Wen Palace, without having to go through all this trouble now."

Lu Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Putting miscellaneous items in the Wen Palace will pollute it, won't it?"

Things can be placed in the Wen Palace, which is indeed very convenient.

But if all items were stuffed into the Wen Palace, that would be a bit inappropriate.

"Well..." An Jing blinked and chuckled, "This is not something I need to worry about. After all, I'm not a scholar."

Lu Zheng said nothing upon hearing this, and reached for the long sword at his waist, trying to put it into the Wen Palace.

He felt that his Wen Palace was extraordinary and might be able to store and retrieve items in advance.

After a while, Lu Zheng only felt his mind shaking, and the long sword at his waist disappeared in an instant. It had appeared outside the Wen Palace, lying quietly in the sea of consciousness.

Next to her, An Jing noticed the movement, her beautiful eyes flashed, and she was slightly surprised.

With Lu Zhengru's second level of Taoism, he can store items into the Wen Palace, which proves that the other party's Wen Palace is of good quality and is a complete Wen Palace.

Considering that Lu Zheng is a scholar of heaven and earth, it seems reasonable.

An Jing couldn't help but wonder what Lu Zheng's Wen Palace looked like.

However, Wen Palace is the biggest secret of Confucian and Taoist scholars. Unless the other party voluntarily reveals it, if an outsider forcibly peeks into it, he will definitely suffer the backlash of Wen Palace's power.

After a while, Lu Zheng took out the sword again.

He couldn't help but shake his head slightly, thinking that his realm was still too low. Storing and accessing things was too time-consuming and mentally demanding. It would be better to carry it with him.

Lu Zheng hung the sword back on his waist and continued on his way with a calm expression. The successful attempt just now did not make him very happy. After all, it was not something worth bragging about. He just had some means of the Juren in advance.

An Jing chuckled and said, "Master Lu, you're much more capable than me when you show off this skill."

Lu Zheng smiled slightly, "Miss, you are too kind."

The two soon came to a fork in the road.

Seeing this, Lu Zheng took out the map in his arms and looked at the general direction.

An Jing took a curious look and found that the simple map was covered with circles and dots, with various markings, which made her confused. In a moment, Lu Zheng determined the direction and chose one of the roads.

An Jing couldn't help but ask, "Looking at the map that Master Lu drew, it seems like he wants to travel all over Kaiyang County?"

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "I came out to study this time, firstly to slay demons and eliminate evil, and secondly to investigate the people's livelihood and conditions."

When Lu Zheng expressed his determination to serve the people of Kaiyang County, it was not just talk.

Serving the people is to defend the truth, which is an indispensable part of his Confucian and Taoist practice.

An Jing was moved when he heard this. Most scholars were devoted to studying in order to pass the imperial examinations, but Lu Zheng cared about the people, which was very rare.

"What are your plans after the investigation?" An Jing asked.

Lu Zheng said softly, "I am small and powerless, so I can't do anything. I can only ask the county officials to help the people."

An Jing's heart moved, and he couldn't help asking, "What if officials are just sitting there doing nothing but doing nothing, and are in their positions but not doing their job?"

Lu Zheng was stunned for a moment and thought to himself, is this the topic we should discuss?
Seeing An Jing looking at him with burning eyes, he wanted to find an answer.

Lu Zheng remained silent for a long time before he slowly said, "I don't know."

An Jing's expression froze. She thought Lu Zheng was going to talk a lot, but he only uttered these few words?
Lu Zheng added, "Miss, you're being too general. Specific matters should be considered on a case-by-case basis. I haven't investigated, so I have no right to speak."

No investigation, no right to speak.

Hearing these words, An Jing was touched and felt that they made a lot of sense.

She couldn't help but sigh, "Mr. Lu said he didn't know how to be an official, but he actually knows how to be an official better than most officials."

Lu Zheng smiled when he heard this. "Miss, you said this. Do you think you know a lot about officialdom?"

An Jing understood the implication and knew that Lu was guessing that she came from a family of officials, otherwise why would he keep mentioning officialdom.

An Jing smiled and said, "To know whether an official is good or bad, just ask the people under your rule, and you will know best."

"That's right." Lu Zheng agreed.

Lu Zheng had previously visited those villages and asked the people about their opinions on the Kaiyang County government. The reviews were mixed, neither very good nor very bad.

As for County Magistrate Li, no one has much to say because they don't know him at all.

It can only be said that Li Yuan neither implemented any great benevolent policies nor any harsh policies, which made the people under his rule remember him and he was a law-abiding official.

The two continued walking for a while and saw a mountain village appearing not far away.

There is a huge rock outside the village. It reflects a light silver luster in the sun and looks very special, but it is just an ordinary stone.

The name of Silverstone Village comes from this.

Lu Zheng and his companion approached the village. Along a rugged mountain road, they saw a thin old woman coming down carrying a heavy load of firewood.

When the old woman saw the two young men and women, who were fair-skinned and well-dressed, she couldn't help but look up.

Lu Zheng quickly bowed and said, "Madam, we are traveling from the county and passing by here. It's so hot and we're a little thirsty. I wonder if we can go into the village and ask for some water?"

Seeing that the two men didn't look like bad people, the old woman nodded and said, "Okay, both of you... young men and young ladies, please follow me into the village."

(End of this chapter)