Confucian and Taoist scholar

The woman lowered her head in thought. The Chu Kingdom was in turmoil, and there were many Qi cultivators from immortal sects in Yunmeng Marsh. She, who possessed powerful artifacts, could not stay in one place for a long time.

Some auras are hard to hide.

Unless she could find another secluded place to hide away, but that's not what she wanted.

The world situation is more turbulent now, so perhaps there will be such an opportunity.

Even if she didn't have that opportunity, she would still like to see what the world is like now.

The woman was about to head north when she suddenly noticed something, looked up and glanced at the sky.

In the sky, a solitary figure gazed towards the direction of Guizhou in the Chu Kingdom.

Soon, the figure in the sky withdrew its gaze, and a pair of bright eyes moved to the woman.

"This young lady looks a lot like an old friend of mine..."

The woman's eyes flickered, and she did not respond immediately, but instead became wary.

The celestial being's aura was not apparent, yet she felt as if he were a banished immortal, transcendent and peerless.

Yun Fuyao looked at the woman, her smile still friendly.

"She was one of my junior sisters, surnamed Meng. A young girl in love, she defied the sect's objections and married a prince..."

Yun Fuyao's expression was melancholy, her eyes filled with reminiscence. "That was many years ago. The king who married her was the king of the Zhao Clan Divine Dynasty, a king of a kingdom on the verge of collapse. What good could possibly come of that..."

"Later, the world became very chaotic, and many things happened. She even secretly wrote to me asking for shelter for her children, but after that, they disappeared without a trace, and I never found them..."

Upon hearing this, the woman was deeply disturbed, her eyes filled with surprise and doubt. "Senior, who are you?"

Yun Fuyao said softly, "Yunmeng Sect Master, Yun Fuyao. But back then, I wasn't as powerful as I am now."

The woman's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and she bowed respectfully, saying, "So you are the renowned Sect Master Yun. This junior greets you!"

Yun Fuyao smiled and asked, "How should I address you, young lady?"

The woman replied, "I am an unknown person and not worth mentioning."

Yun Fuyao smiled and then asked, "Would you be interested in visiting the Yunmeng Sect?"

The woman shook her head and refused, saying, "This junior wishes to travel north and explore far away."

Yun Fuyao nodded. "Perfect timing. I'm going to Taiping Domain, so I'll give you a ride."

The woman's eyes widened slightly upon hearing this, unsure how to refuse. Could there really be such a coincidence? She didn't quite believe it.

The woman couldn't help but ask, "What are you going to the Taiping Domain for, senior?"

Yun Fuyao said, "Go take a look. I'm quite familiar with Lu Zheng. You should know this young man, right?"

The woman was surprised. Did that young man have such a wide network of connections? Even the sect leader of Yunmeng Sect said that he was very familiar with him.

Yun Fuyao raised his hand and waved, and a cloud appeared, flying to the woman's side.

Seeing that she could not refuse, the woman had no choice but to board the cloud and ride it with her.

The auspicious cloud the two rode on moved as fast as a shooting star, quickly heading north in the sky.

The woman sat there upright, not moving an inch.

Yun Fuyao chuckled and said, "Why are you so nervous? If I were to do something to you, do you really think you could withstand it?"

The woman's brow twitched, and she couldn't help but ask, "How did you find me, senior?"

Yun Fuyao said leisurely, "I've been searching for my junior sister for so many years, I'm bound to find some clues. Whether it's Ghost Prefecture or places outside of Ghost Prefecture, there are places that might be hiding something. I can guess a little bit about it, but I haven't gone to investigate, so as not to disturb those who shouldn't be disturbed..."

The woman was astonished. Could it be that this person had already deduced that she had been hiding in Ghost Prefecture all along?

There was some unusual activity in Ghost Prefecture tonight, and this person was the first to arrive nearby and find her.

When she was in the grotto, she learned that the current sect leader of Yunmeng Sect was a highly accomplished immortal being, which seemed to be true.

Yun Fuyao looked at the woman, "So, what exactly are you to her?"

The woman was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "She is my mother. My name is Zhao Ti."

Upon hearing this, Yun Fuyao nodded and said, "No wonder you look so much like her. Zhao Ti... It is said that you were loved by your parents from birth, and your father even asked the Emperor of the Divine Dynasty for a princess title for you... After all these years, I thought you... It seems that you have inherited your mother's bloodline very well, and you are still so young, about the same age as her when she was young."

Zhao Ti sighed inwardly. What good was inheriting the bloodline? Such longevity, while almost everyone of her time had turned to dust.

Yun Fuyao then asked, "It seems you can't stay where you are now. Where in the north are you planning to go?"

Zhao Ti said, "I've heard that the Taiping Domain is very peaceful."

Yun Fuyao smiled and said, "That place is indeed a good place. If you want a peaceful life, you can live there... If you have any difficulties or problems, you can tell me."

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Ti decided to decline the offer and said softly, "Thank you, senior."

Seeing that Zhao Ti still seemed wary of her, Yun Fuyao didn't take it to heart and just smiled faintly.

……

"Sitting in the palace, good news comes every day!"

The Shu emperor sat in a palace, looking at the latest military news, feeling rather bored.

At this moment, Empress Furong walked gracefully in from outside.

"His Majesty seems to be in a very good mood lately..."

Upon hearing this, the Shu Emperor chuckled and said, "Of course it's wonderful! Seeing my Empress makes me even happier! Come, come, sit with me! Oh, by the way, someone brought back a handwritten copy of a sacred scripture from Wei. I just took a look at it, and it's indeed quite good. I was just about to present it to you, Empress, in person!"

The Shu Emperor handed a jade box to Empress Furong.

Empress Furong asked with slight surprise, "Your Majesty is reading Buddhist scriptures now?"

The Shu Emperor said leisurely, "The Empress likes it very much, doesn't she? I've also taken a look, and I think it's quite good too..."

"Oh, right! Speaking of which, there's something else—a letter from my uncle, it's quite interesting!"

The Shu emperor retrieved the thick stack of letters that Wang Meng had written to him.

Empress Furong couldn't help but look through it out of curiosity and found that it contained various suggestions from Wang Meng on how to regulate the Taoist sect.

For example, the number of Taoist temples and Taoist priests in each place is limited, and registered Taoist priests need to be assessed.

Reduce the various privileges and benefits of Taoist priests.

Empress Furong, with her keen mind, couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that the Imperial Uncle has had a falling out with the Taoist sect?"

The Shu Emperor said leisurely and contentedly, "That's probably true. However, the policies he proposed are indeed very good. Right now, we are engaged in military campaigns, and the national treasury is being depleted... With so many Taoist sects in the country, a proper overhaul could free up a considerable amount of money."

The Shu emperor thought it would be great if he could act like the Wei Kingdom and find a way to get the Taoist sects and powerful people to donate money voluntarily.

Empress Furong said, "Then Your Majesty intends to..."

"I want to, but not now, and I can't think about it yet." The Shu Emperor raised his hand to gently rub his temples and said slowly, "This is precisely the time when we need men for war. If we do some things now, it's easy for them to turn against us, and besides, the reasons aren't sufficient. Let's wait a while! After some time, when they can't come up with a convincing explanation, it won't be too late to suppress them..."

Empress Furong's eyes flickered. She had heard that the Shu Emperor had given those Taoist masters a three-year deadline to compile scriptures. Did he really think of this?

Is it intentional, so that they can find a reason to take some action later?
Empress Furong said, "Your Majesty is very farsighted. It is said that they also sought out that young man Lu Zheng. Is that true?"

The Shu Emperor snorted and said, "I was just saying it casually, but they really know how to get things done. They even hired someone to compile a scripture. Heh, it doesn't matter if they can't compile one. If they can actually compile a decent scripture, then I'll have to have a good talk with those Taoist sects."

Empress Furong couldn't help but laugh and said, "Does Your Majesty really think he can concoct a true scripture?"

The Shu Emperor said, "Who knows? That young man is different."

Empress Furong nodded and said, "Indeed, perhaps it will really give us a surprise!"

……

Yun Fuyao led Zhao Ti northward, traversing thousands of mountains and rivers and passing through two great powers, without encountering any trouble along the way.

The further north you go, the cooler the weather becomes.

After leaving the northern border of Wei, the two first arrived at a huge commercial city.

It was a commercial city jointly developed and built by Taiping Domain and Wei Kingdom. It was a prosperous commercial city with merchants coming and going, and even people from both places.

People from other major countries or powers also do business in this city.

The wide variety of goods on display, and many of the novel items, were produced in local workshops in the Taiping region.

Besides ordinary goods, there are also many spiritual items and various sets of cultivation techniques, all at very reasonable prices.

This was Yun Fuyao's first time in Taiping Domain. She had been to many places in the world before, but many parts of this mall gave her a sense of novelty.

The two women did not stay long and quickly continued north.

The scenery along the way was quite different from what I had seen before.

Yun Fuyao stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the earth, and said softly, "To be able to turn the Northern Region into this, he is truly one of a kind throughout history."

Zhao Ti was also very surprised that someone could manage the place so well, even though she had heard Wei Xing talk about it a lot before.

But seeing the real scene in person, I felt that Lu Zheng was indeed a great talent for governing the country.

Zhao Ti couldn't help but exclaim, "No major power has tried to recruit him? Such a person..."

Yun Fuyao smiled and said, "Why recruit him? To have him overthrow all the princes and nobles?"

Zhao Ti's expression froze, as if the situation here was indeed unusual.

Such a talented person is probably someone no one would dare to employ.

Zhao Ti said softly, "No country, no ruler, no ministers... it's really possible for a place to be governed solely by the people? And to do it so well, it's simply unbelievable."

Yun Fuyao smiled slightly and said, "Perhaps nothing in this world is impossible. When he first came to me and talked about his ideals, the scenes he described were unimaginable even to me, yet he seemed to have truly experienced them. So I chose to believe him, and I never expected that he would achieve such results in such a short time..."

Zhao Ti glanced sideways, surprised that the young man had such a past with Yun Fuyao.

……

"The forces south of Yongding City are almost all willing to join the Taiping Domain! They now occupy nearly half of the Northern Domain... Unifying the entire Northern Domain is just around the corner, and then we can rename the Northern Domain!"

Holding the report, Qingwan smiled and informed everyone about the situation in the southern regions.

Upon hearing this, An Dingyuan clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "This speed is too fast! It feels like we haven't even been used."

He thought he could come and help Lu Zheng expand his territory and crack down on those ignorant demon forces.

As a result, very few of those demon forces dared to resist.

Of course, there were some stubborn ones, but they were gone quickly.

Someone couldn't help but say, "This is an inevitable trend. As long as those forces aren't stupid, they will naturally choose to join us. However, it won't be easy to persuade those powerful demon clans further north."

It's already quite an achievement to get those forces to cooperate.

Qingwan shook her head and said, "We have already exceeded the set goals, so there's no need to rush. Let's help the newly joined regions develop first... Once a gap appears in the development of both sides, some forces will start to get anxious on their own."

"Winter is coming again, but the fortune teller said this winter won't be too cold, so we still have some tasks to complete..."

Qingwan then gave some instructions.

After a short meeting, everyone went back to their busy work.

After packing her things, Qingwan prepared to go find Lu Zheng.

On the way, two figures appeared in front of her.

Qingwan's eyes widened and lit up when she saw a familiar face among them. "Hey! Sect Leader Yun!"

Yun Fuyao smiled and looked at Qingwan, "Qingwan has grown into a beautiful young lady!"

Qingwan grinned, "That's right! Sect Leader, are you here to see Lu Zheng? Come on, I'll take you there. And who is this lady?"

Yun Fuyao explained, "She is a junior of mine, Zhao Ti."

Qingwan greeted her, "Oh, hello Miss Zhao!"

Zhao Ti smiled and replied, "Hello!"

The three arrived at a secluded mountain in Yongding City.

As Qingwan walked, she said, "He's been busy studying lately. Sect Leader Yun's arrival is just in time; please give him some pointers."

Yun Fuyao couldn't help but laugh and said, "What is he learning that requires my guidance?"

Qingwan said, "The methods of Taoism, ah, this is from the Shu Kingdom..."

Qingwan mumbled a story about the Daoist sect in Shu, which made Yun Fuyao chuckle.

Zhao Ti, who was standing nearby, was amazed. What was the background of this young man? How could he have all sorts of connections?
Soon, the three arrived at a stone house.

Lu Zheng was seen sitting outside, writing and drawing with a pen, looking quite serious.

Suddenly, Lu Zheng stopped writing, looked up, and stood up to bow, saying, "This junior greets Sect Master Yun!"

Yun Fuyao smiled and said, "It seems I've disturbed you?"

Lu Zhengdao said, "No, if I were afraid of being disturbed, I would have found a place to hide and go into seclusion long ago."

Lu Zheng quickly invited the group inside to sit down. He also paid extra attention to Zhao Ti. Although it was their first meeting, Lu Zheng felt that there was some connection between him and this woman.

Yun Fuyao smiled and said, "I never expected you could govern this place so exceptionally well; it has exceeded my expectations. Is this peaceful region the world you've always dreamed of?"

Lu Zheng shook his head and said softly, "That's not enough..." (End of Chapter)