Confucian and Taoist scholar

Lu Zheng's voice was slightly low as he said, "The seeds of a new era of civilization have only just sprouted. There's still a long way to go before they grow into towering trees that bring blessings to all people..."

Yun Fuyao smiled upon hearing this and said, "Your ambition is too great. To achieve this level in such a short time is unprecedented... Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Time waits for no one.

Lu Zheng paused, then continued, "I want to do something, but I don't know how many possibilities there are."

Yun Fuyao spoke up, "Tell me."

Lu Zheng turned to look at Qing Wan.

Qingwan understood immediately and quickly invited Zhao Ti to visit other places in Yongding City.

After everyone left, Lu Zheng slowly revealed his many plans.

Yun Fuyao was slightly surprised, feeling that some of the things Lu Zheng had done and wanted to do were too bold.

After Lu Zheng finished speaking, Yun Fuyao couldn't help but laugh and said, "Your audacity is truly beyond measure. Do you want to scheme against the entire world? Don't underestimate the power of the various dynasties. If you go too far, all your efforts may be in vain."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Sect Master Yun, just tell me if it's feasible. Some things always have to be done by someone. I've long since put my personal interests aside."

Yun Fuyao thought for a moment and said, "Let me see your legal code!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng took out the Taiping Code.

Yun Fuyao reached out and took the legal code. The heavy code had a hazy Taoist charm and colorful energy flowing around it.

Yun Fuyao slowly opened the legal code, sensing the extraordinary nature contained within.

"All the sages have forged the laws for you with the Dao; you are the only one of your kind in the world..."

Yun Fuyao spoke softly, “However, those saints are manifestations of the will of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and are ultimately not the real beings themselves, so the assistance they can provide you is limited. There are so many powerful enemies in the world, you have to face them yourself.”

"The Dao artifact can be formed, but it still needs time to accumulate. Let's take it slowly; now is not the best time. Let's wait until the world's fortunes become more chaotic..."

Yun Fuyao returned the Taiping Codex to Lu Zheng, saying, "The workings of fate are unpredictable, and the future is uncertain. I cannot give you a precise answer. For the time being, I can stay here and help you assess the future momentum of the Northern Region..."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "Thank you, Sect Master Yun. If it weren't for your help in the past, I would hardly have gotten to where I am today."

Yun Fuyao smiled faintly and said, "That's your skill."

Yun Fuyao paused, her eyes gleaming faintly as she reminisced about the past.

"Many years ago, when I was just a disciple of a sect, I went out to train with my fellow disciples. Back then, it was still the previous dynasty. We saw a lot of suffering in the world, but it was hard for us to do anything to change anything..."

"Later, the world descended into chaos, and many fellow disciples perished while defending the righteous path... Those who held righteousness in their hearts ultimately could not withstand the torrent of chaos..."

Yun Fuyao looked at Lu Zheng with a friendly gaze and said, "Helping you is also helping us when we were young. You haven't disappointed me either; you've done much better than us."

Yun Fuyao then said, "The girl I brought here is a descendant of one of my former fellow disciples. She will probably stay here and settle down, so please keep an eye on her."

Lu Zheng nodded. "That's no problem."

Yun Fuyao smiled and said, "Alright, that's settled then. I'll look around some more, you don't need to worry about me. Oh, by the way, I heard from Qingwan that you're compiling the Daoist scriptures?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng replied, "It's just learning. I don't have that kind of talent."

Yun Fuyao said, "Your talent is unmatched by anyone. I'll come back to talk to you about cultivation later."

Yun Fuyao's figure flickered and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Lu Zheng then left the room and found Qing Wan and Zhao Ti, who were still wandering around the city.

When Zhao Ti saw Lu Zheng, she greeted him with a smile, "Mr. Lu, have you finished your conversation with Sect Leader Yun?"

Lu Zhengdao said, "Yes. Sect Leader Yun has left for the time being. Miss Zhao, please make yourself at home. There's no need to call me 'sir'."

Zhao Ti said, "Everyone here calls you that, and if we don't, it would seem like I'm not following the crowd."

"Okay. Do as you please."

Lu Zheng paused, then looked at Zhao Ti and asked, "Have we met somewhere before?"

Zhao Ti's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and she smiled in response, "Really? I don't remember."

Zhao Ti was filled with doubt and confusion, wondering if she had been exposed in some way. Could it be that the sage's article from before had some kind of reaction?
Lu Zheng smiled and said, "You seem very familiar to me, young lady. Your surname is Zhao. Speaking of which, there's a region around here with a lot of people with the surname Zhao. Would you like to go and take a look?"

Zhao Ti felt that Lu Zheng's words had a hidden meaning.

She then said, "There are places like that? Mr. Lu, please lead the way!"

Lu Zheng left Qing Wan in Yongding City to oversee the situation, and then left with Zhao Ti.

The two rode the wind down southwards, flying swiftly all the way.

Looking at Lu Zheng so close to her, Zhao Ti couldn't help but say, "You've done so much just to bring peace to the world, haven't you thought about anything for yourself?"

Lu Zheng turned his head upon hearing this, smiled, and said, "That's meaningless. I can live a good life no matter how I live. But I have the ability to change some things, and it would be a waste of my life if I didn't do it..."

As the two chatted, they arrived at a district where the descendants of the Zhao family and other clans from the previous dynasty had gathered.

At this time, a batch of cold-resistant crops had already been planted in the farmland outside the city.

Some workshops are still operating.

However, with winter approaching and less work to do, many people in the city have more free time.

They even organize some entertainment competitions to pass the time, which is also to promote friendship among different ethnic groups.

Zhao Wei was leading a group of humans and demons in training.

Although there is no military force in the Taiping area, there are still some urban guards who need professional training and skills development.

Zhao Wei had to pass through layers of assessments to get his current position, which allows him to lead a group of people to patrol the area under his jurisdiction.

Although he had much less power than when he was in the cave, life outside made him feel free and less stressed than before.

After the training session ended and the team disbanded to rest, Zhao Wei saw Lu Zheng bringing a woman over.

When Zhao Ti approached Zhao Wei, she clearly sensed a strange movement originating from his bloodline.

Zhao Ti was surprised and her heart was immediately unsettled.

However, Zhao Wei was not so perceptive and did not notice anything.

When he saw Lu Zheng coming over, he quickly went up to greet him with a smile.

"Mr. Lu, it's been a long time!"

Zhao Wei knew that Taiping Domain's territory was growing larger and larger, and Lu Zheng was so busy that he hadn't been here many times.

Zhao Wei was quite impressed with Lu Zheng's methods in the current expansion of the Taiping Domain, feeling that even fighting a war wouldn't have been able to conquer those forces so quickly.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Has everyone settled in here yet?"

Zhao Wei nodded and said, "Yes. Some people complained before, but now that life has settled down and we have everything we need, many people have changed their old habits and are not causing as much trouble."

Zhao Wei thought to himself that this place really could change people; now no one acted like a noble master anymore.

"Who is this girl?"

Zhao Wei turned to look at Zhao Ti, a strange feeling stirring within him.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "They are from your clan."

"Huh?" Zhao Wei's eyes widened upon hearing this, and he was startled.

Lu Zheng added, "She's also surnamed Zhao, Miss Zhao Ti. She's also planning to come to our Taiping Domain, so I'm showing her around."

Zhao Wei's expression was bewildered; this really startled him. He had thought Lu Zheng meant that.

Lu Zhengdao said, "You continue practicing martial arts. I'll take her for a walk in the city."

Zhao Wei nodded, unsuspecting, and continued practicing his martial arts.

On the way, Zhao Ti sensed some fluctuations in energy again.

She was filled with doubt and asked, "These people used to live here?"

Lu Zheng shook his head and said, "No. They moved here because they couldn't live in their old place anymore, so they chose to join this place."

"In the Taiping Domain, there are people of all kinds of backgrounds and identities. Some of them are even hiding big secrets. But no matter what, as long as they abide by the rules here and contribute to the development of this place, no one will care about these things."

Lu Zheng turned to Zhao Ti and said, "You are a person brought here by Sect Leader Yun. Just stay here and don't worry about anything. No one will do anything to you."

Zhao Ti couldn't help but say, "You are truly a very special person."

The two entered the city and strolled around the streets.

Along the way, many people recognized Lu Zheng and greeted him warmly.

Zhao Ti discovered that Lu Zheng's good reputation in this area was not just hype.

Having encountered all sorts of people in the city, especially those with a strong sense of blood ties, Zhao Ti realized that many descendants of the Divine Dynasty's royal family truly lived here.

This left her both surprised and puzzled.

"Do you want to stay here?"

Lu Zheng then turned to Zhao Ti for a question.

Zhao Ti shook her head. "Let's forget about it. I have something I want to tell you."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng and Zhao Ti left the city and went to a deserted place.

Zhao Ti asked, "Have you guessed my origins?"

Lu Zhengdao: "Yes, after all, when I met you before, I felt a sense of familiarity, and later I realized what it was."

Zhao Ti looked puzzled. "A sense of familiarity?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "I possess a divine artifact of destiny from the previous dynasty, which is why I have a special connection to it..."

A divine artifact that carries destiny? Zhao Ti's eyes flashed with a strange light.

"Did they give it to you?"

Zhao Ti was naturally referring to those descendants of the royal family.

Lu Zheng said, "If I said the divine artifact came to me on its own, would you believe me?"

Zhao Ti remained silent upon hearing this; of course, she believed it.

After all, when Lu Zheng appeared in Ghost State back then, the artifacts she was guarding reacted.

If it weren't for the numerous restrictions and barriers, some powerful weapons could have escaped.

Zhao Ti asked, "Did you obtain an article by Mencius?"

Lu Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling the past.

"The one that appeared in Ghost State? So it was you? You almost got me into trouble..."

Upon hearing Lu Zheng's words, Zhao Ti couldn't help but say, "I didn't think that much about it at the time. I figured some things can't be hidden forever, so I might as well give them to someone who is destined to have them."

Lu Zheng smiled upon hearing this and said, "It seems that you have quite a few good things on you, young lady. You'd better hide them well, or it will be a bit troublesome."

Zhao Ti thought to herself that some things are indeed difficult to hide, especially since she had come to the outside world. The power or fortune carried by some important artifacts would invisibly leak out and be difficult to conceal.

On the way to Taiping Domain, if it weren't for Yun Fuyao's timely escort...

If she were to use her own methods to arrive, the traces of her aura she leaves behind would likely be noticed by some experts skilled in observing auras, who might then discover something unusual.

Zhao Ti couldn't help but laugh and said, "Aren't you curious what other treasures I have here?"

Lu Zheng shook his head and said, "There are plenty of treasures in the world, but they're all pretty much the same, nothing particularly noteworthy."

Zhao Ti was slightly surprised upon hearing this. Not only did Yun Fuyao have no interest in what secrets she might be hiding, but this young man was the same.

But if she were to actually take out one or two items, many powerful figures in the world would probably be tempted.

Lu Zheng then said, "Aren't you going to meet them and introduce yourselves to them? It seems like your family ties aren't too distant, right?"

Zhao Ti thought for a moment and shook her head, saying, "There's no need for that for now. They seem to be living a good life right now, so why disturb their peaceful existence?"

Lu Zheng smiled. "An Ding... Not long ago, some of them were still thinking about restoring their country! Does the young lady also bear such a mission?"

Zhao Ti remained silent upon hearing this.

Lu Zheng said slowly, "There is no country in the world that does not perish. In my view, the country should belong to the people, not to any particular family... If you want to live here, young lady, you should not have any outdated ideas or thoughts."

……

Pingcheng, the residence of Prince Huaiyang.

In a dark, secret room, Yuan Zhong gathered a group of guards and gave them instructions one by one.

Soon, the secret room fell silent.

Yuan Zhong was alone in the room, looking at the set of black armor that emitted a faint glow in front of him.

Yuan Zhong raised his hand and gently stroked the armor; the cold touch made his fingers tremble slightly.

"Back in the day, I also fought in the north and south, and made many military achievements!"

Yuan Zhong's eyes gleamed with a sinister light. "Now we're going to the battlefield again! This time, the enemy is different..."

"May Buddha bless us, and may the Great Wei Dynasty prosper!"

Yuan Zhong clasped his hands together and murmured softly.

The capital of Wei, Luoyang, the Eastern Palace.

Yuan Tao handled various government affairs as usual.

Several eminent Buddhist monks came to visit, stating that this winter is the whole year that Buddha descended to earth and manifested his divine power, and that a grand ceremony should be held to celebrate it.

Yuan Tao could not refuse, but suggested that the celebration should be held in Luoyang to show the prosperity of the Wei Kingdom.

Moreover, the expenses required for the celebration must be funded by various Buddhist temples.

Now that the state of Wei has undergone reforms, and various regions require too much expenditure, the national treasury cannot afford to allocate funds for any celebrations.

Upon seeing this, the representatives of several eminent Buddhist monks discussed the matter and agreed to Yuan Tao's proposal.

Afterwards, several eminent monks jointly submitted a memorial, which first obtained Yuan Tao's consent, and then informed the Emperor of the Great Wei, seeking the Emperor's approval.

After all, such a celebration would naturally require the presence of the emperor. (End of Chapter)