Confucian and Taoist scholar

After a moment, Lu Zheng put the long sword in his hand into his small world, allowing it to slowly transform the power it contained.

Lu Zheng lowered his head slightly and saw that the sword wound on the phoenix below was healing, but the entire corpse was still soulless.

Instead of investigating the mysteries of this divine phoenix, he went to Feng Xin's side.

Feng Xin looked at Lu Zheng with a beaming smile and said happily, "I knew I hadn't misjudged you! The divine artifact belongs to a virtuous person; young friend, you are indeed extraordinary..."

If Feng Xin hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have believed that Lu Zheng could take away that Saint-level divine weapon so easily.

When he tried to approach the longsword, he was repelled by a powerful force.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng smiled calmly and said, "Perhaps it's fate; this item is destined to be with me."

Feng Xin smiled and said, "This is a good thing!"

Feng Xin looked at the ancestor's corpse again and said softly, "Young friend, you have done my clan a great favor, and we should treat you well. However, I need to stay here to take care of some matters..."

As he spoke, Feng Xin took out a jade token and explained with a smile, "This is my credentials. From now on, young friend, you will be the most respected guest of our Chaofeng Kingdom. If there is anything, you can freely order around the younger generation of my clan."

Seeing this, Lu Zheng didn't refuse out of politeness and accepted it directly.

With such a thing, it will indeed be more convenient to travel between the Kingdom of Chaofeng in the future.

Seeing that Lu Zheng had accepted the jade token, Feng Xin smiled and saw Lu Zheng off from the ancestral land.

"I have already sent a message to the younger generation of the clan using my divine sense. If you are not busy, young friend, you should visit the royal city."

Feng Xin then bowed and took his leave, hurriedly returning to his ancestral land. He cast a spell to completely seal off the entire ancestral land, prohibiting anyone from disturbing it.

Lu Zheng knew that Feng Xin was probably going to use the corpse of the divine phoenix to cultivate, and estimated that he would not be out of seclusion for a while.

Even among Saint Realm experts, there are varying levels of strength. It is not that reaching the Saint Realm means one cannot cultivate further.

The divine phoenix corpse gave Lu Zheng a feeling that it was much more powerful than Feng Xin.

"The capital of Chaofeng Kingdom..."

Lu Zheng thought for a moment, and since he was already here, he might as well go.

Although he was new to this place, Feng Xin had given him directions when he brought him here before.

Lu Zheng then headed towards the royal city.

Halfway there, several streaks of light came toward his direction.

The leader was Feng Cheng; they had come after receiving a message from Ancestor Feng Xin.

Feng Cheng and the others had seen Lu Zheng's portrait before and recognized him at a glance.

When the crowd saw this young man, their expressions were somewhat strange.

A few days ago, they even regarded Lu Zheng as an enemy, not only occupying their territory in Yongding City, but also causing some of their clansmen to die or be injured.

Suddenly, Ancestor Feng Xin informed them that Lu Zheng would henceforth be the most honored guest of their Chaofeng Kingdom, and that meeting Lu Zheng would be like meeting Feng Xin himself...

This sudden change caught them completely off guard, leaving them bewildered and unsure of what had happened.

However, they, the younger generation, dared not question the ancestor's instructions.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Lu Zheng immediately showed the jade token he had just obtained.

An aura emanated from the jade tablet, instantly allowing everyone to sense its power.

Feng Cheng and the others raised an eyebrow. The token in Lu Zheng's hand was genuine; it was indeed the token of Ancestor Feng Xin, causing a resonance within their bloodlines.

Seeing this, all the important figures in Chaofeng Kingdom bowed and forced themselves to pay their respects to Lu Zheng.

"Feng Cheng, acting on the orders of the Ancestor, has come to invite Mr. Lu... to visit the Royal City."

Feng Cheng lowered his head slightly and said politely.

Lu Zheng returned the greeting calmly and said, "Thank you all for your trouble."

Feng Cheng quickly led the group ahead to guide Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng followed unhurriedly to the side and said, "Now that the Taiping Domain has reached a cooperation agreement with some forces in the Northern Domain, including your Chaofeng Kingdom, we should work together to create a prosperous Northern Domain..."

"I hope everyone will abide by and implement the calls and initiatives that Mr. Lu once issued. This is a decision I made after discussing with Senior Feng Xin."

Lu Zheng said quietly, "Don't disappoint your ancestors. You should know my temperament, so don't try to be polite or hypocritical with me..."

Hearing Lu Zheng's words, everyone was speechless and had no temper at all.

Feng Cheng smiled and inquired about more specific details.

Lu Zheng didn't hide anything and told everyone about the negotiations in Yongding City.

Anyway, it won't be long before someone else brings back news.

Afterwards, Lu Zheng and Feng Cheng went to the royal city, where they first toured the city and also offered some suggestions for improvement.

No one dared to object and could only agree.

After all, the token Lu Zheng carried wielded considerable power; he could easily cripple them without any problem, so naturally no one dared to voice any objections.

After touring the royal city, Lu Zheng didn't have time to visit the palace, so he asked Feng Cheng to take him to see other parts of Chaofeng Kingdom.

Lu Zheng then inspected various places in Chaofeng Kingdom and learned about the local situation in detail.

Before leaving, the entire Chaofeng Kingdom had already begun its reorganization, causing quite a stir...

After seeing Lu Zheng off, Feng Cheng and the others, who had been running around with him, finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if they had seen off a great figure.

"They're finally gone..."

The high-ranking members of the Phoenix Clan couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

If Lu Zheng stays in Chaofeng Kingdom any longer, I'm afraid many powerful and influential people in the country will be filled with anxiety and unable to sleep.

However, news has already come back from the south that many forces have indeed reached many agreements with Lu Zheng's side, and they are working together to properly manage and develop the entire Northern Region.

As the trend of the times dictates, they have no choice but to make some changes.

Feng Cheng watched Lu Zheng disappear into the horizon, then said in a low voice, "Alright, everyone go back to your duties. The Ancestor is in seclusion and we don't know when he'll emerge. If we offend this man again, I'm afraid the Ancestor won't back us up..."

Feng Xin had previously sent them a warning.

Even Feng Xin, a Saint Realm expert, spoke of it so seriously, so naturally, these younger generations didn't want to test the limits of certain people.

……

Lu Zheng returned to Yongding City and found that many people were already widening roads and reclaiming wasteland when he arrived outside the city.

There were more carriages and horses traveling to and from Yongding City than before. This was because some nearby forces, having learned that Yongding City had stabilized, resumed their exchanges and trade, gradually restoring its former bustling atmosphere.

When Lu Zheng entered the city, he discovered that Qing Wan had organized a number of professionals to come and help.

They even offered many courses to instruct personnel sent by other forces.

Everything in Yongding City is progressing smoothly according to plan.

It is estimated that before long, once the roads in various places are clear, this place will become a communication center connecting the entire northern region.

When Qingwan saw Lu Zheng return, she smiled and said, "I heard you left with a demon saint from Chaofeng Kingdom. I was a little worried that something might have happened to you!"

After all, that was a demon saint-level figure, and Qingwan felt that it was too dangerous for Lu Zheng to be alone with such a powerful person.

Lu Zhengdao: "Nothing happened, and we even made some gains."

"Really!"

Qingwan's eyes lit up, and she whispered, "I heard you even asked about the Dao? You made quite a commotion, was it the Dao of Law?"

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "Yes. After creating such a peaceful region, this world has already taken on the rudiments of the Legalist Way, and with the help of the power of the Great Dao of the Sages, it can be considered that we have successfully asked the Dao."

Lu Zheng paused for a moment, then added, "But the road ahead is still very long..."

When Lu Zheng came into contact with that sword, he realized that there had indeed been people who had gone further on this path than him, but who had ultimately perished.

Qingwan couldn't help but pat Lu Zheng on the shoulder, "Take it slow, we're still young! Oh, right, I'll show you something..."

Qingwan reached into her hand and pulled out a book.

"Our journal of thought has caused quite a stir in various dynasties, with both praise and criticism. Many people have also published articles refuting our journal, saying that we do not respect the king and the Way, and that we misinterpret the words of sages..."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but curiously flip through the book. The articles were written in a literary style, quoting various classics to criticize the "rebellious" remarks in ideological journals, and the words were quite sharp.

At first glance, it seems to make some sense, but in reality, it makes no sense at all.

Qingwan, hands tucked into her pockets, snorted, "I reckon it was written by those writers who uphold imperial power and the way of the king. They even said we don't respect the sages. I think they're the ones who are like that, taking things out of context and using the words of the sages to benefit themselves..."

"Most of these articles came from the State of Qi, but none of them left their names. Otherwise, I would have written them down in a little notebook and done a good job of sorting them out later! Who knows, some of the Confucian scholars from the academies might have also written them..."

Lu Zheng read through the articles calmly, without any emotional fluctuation.

In his view, the writers who wrote these articles were nothing more than mosquitoes and flies, only annoying to a little, and not worth mentioning.

Lu Zheng said indifferently, "They're just some buzzing flies; they'll be swept into the dustbin of history sooner or later."

Qingwan nodded and said, "Indeed, they don't even dare to come to Taiping Domain. All they do is publish articles like this, trying to forcibly maintain their orthodoxy, when they are clearly the most heretical and deviant..."

Qingwan paused, then said softly, "Why don't the sages in heaven strike these people to death when they see them?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said softly, "If we really killed all these people, there wouldn't be many Confucian scholars left in the world, and the world would be even more chaotic. There are some things that the sages may see, but there's not much they can do..."

Qingwan thought about it carefully and it seemed to make sense.

There will always be people to maintain order in this world. If a large number of Confucian and Taoist scholars were to suddenly disappear from the major dynasties, what chaos would ensue?

Just like an emperor who knows that some princes and ministers are secretly plotting for power and personal gain, and are parasites that corrupt the country, but has no way to punish them severely one by one.

These are all helpless compromises with the current situation.

"Hey……"

Qingwan frowned slightly and sighed.

Lu Zheng said, "The situation in the Northern Region has largely stabilized. Let's focus on development from now on. I'll be going to Qi State and the Jixia Academy in a while. I'll leave this place in your hands..."

Qingwan couldn't help but stare at Lu Zheng, "So urgent?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "I have already inquired about it, and I feel that I should go there to take a look, visit the sages, have a chat, and discuss the Dao. It's not like I'm going to do anything dangerous."

Qingwan frowned. "Really?"

Lu Zheng said softly, "We've been doing very dangerous things, haven't we? So, that's not important. What's important is that someone has to do something..."

"When I broke through to the Dao, I thought of many things. I thought of the countless people who suffered, the millions of righteous people who fought against injustice, and the sages and worthies of the past who fought for their ideals..."

"The world they sought should not be like this. The legacy of our forefathers needs to be carried on, even if it involves many difficulties and dangers, even if it means ultimately falling to our deaths..."

Lu Zheng paused for a moment, then said, "But a single spark can start a prairie fire."

Lu Zheng's gaze hardened with determination and confidence. "Our journey ahead is long, and we will not stop here. I led you to establish a peaceful world in the Northern Region before, and I will lead you to bring peace to the entire world in the future..."

Upon hearing this, Qingwan's eyes brightened, and she solemnly said, "I believe you. Leave this to me, to us."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Okay."

After saying that, Lu Zheng took out several items and handed them to Qing Wan.

Qingwan couldn't help but say, "You're giving all this to me? Aren't you going to take anything with you for self-defense over there?"

The items Lu Zheng gave her were all extremely important; he even gave her the Taiping Code.

Lu Zhengdao said, "I'm just going to visit the academy, not to fight. It's better to leave it with you. If someone senses that I have these items, it will be easier for them to covet them."

A place like the Jixia Academy must harbor countless talented individuals; the treasures he possesses are probably impossible to conceal.

Some important artifacts are simply not suitable to be taken to such places.

Upon hearing this, Qingwan frowned, her expression conflicted for a moment, and then said, "Alright, I'll keep it for you for now, but you have to be extra careful. Or perhaps we could have the great scholar Gongyang accompany you, since he's a teacher at the academy and familiar with the situation there."

Lu Zhengdao said, "The great Confucian scholar Gongyang is still in Taiping City, so there's no need to trouble him. I've already met the head of the Jixia Academy before, and there's no conflict between us, so this trip shouldn't be a big problem."

Qingwan was skeptical; she didn't believe that Lu Zheng's long journey to Qi Country was so simple.

Something earth-shattering is definitely going to happen again.

However, there are some things that are really not worth asking about in detail, lest they be spread to outsiders.

She couldn't stop Lu Zheng from going, so she could only hope that he would be safe and sound.

Lu Zheng looked at Qing Wan and said, "I feel at ease with you here. If anyone causes trouble, don't be afraid unless they are Saint Realm experts. Be assertive."

Qingwan blinked. "What about the Holy Realm?"

Lu Zhengdao said, "Let's avoid the limelight for now and wait for my return."

"Good."

Qingwan thought about it and realized that with her current strength, she didn't seem to have even the slightest chance of winning against such an existence. (End of Chapter)