The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 248 No Disturbance to the Ferry Crossing (4k)

Seeing the old man and the young man each sticking to their own version of events, everyone present was momentarily confused, unsure of who to believe.

But deep down, they instinctively sided with Du Yuan. After all, this young teacher had just told them a story, and he looked refined and approachable. He seemed much more trustworthy than the disheveled beggar in front of them.

In a short while, the crowd grew increasingly indignant. Someone pointed at the old beggar and said:

"You old beggar! That young gentleman kindly gave you food for free and treated you well, and yet you turn around and start arguing and finding fault!"

Immediately afterward, others chimed in:
"Exactly! Young master, you look like a refined gentleman who has seen the world. What do you know, you beggar on the street!"

Seeing this, the old beggar just shook his head repeatedly, a faint smile playing on his lips, but he didn't say a word and turned his back on the scene.

Everyone assumed he was in the wrong and had lost all sense of shame, and was about to say a few more words to him when they saw the shop assistant rushing over with a wooden tray, on which were six bowls of steaming hot plain noodles.

"The noodles are here! The noodles are here! Please have this for now, the kitchen is working on it to make it for you as quickly as possible!"

The waiter, carrying the tray, was sweating profusely. He was genuinely worried: Did this old beggar have a stomach of iron? What if he ate too much and died in the shop? That would be a real problem!

Upon seeing the food served, the old beggar dropped his indifferent demeanor, beaming as he reached out to take the tray, muttering to himself:

"Oh, no rush, no rush! Let me grab a bite first, then you can go to the kitchen and give me a few more instructions. I, this old beggar, am not afraid of waiting, I'm just afraid of not having enough to eat, or not eating to my heart's content!"

The waiter hurriedly wiped the cold sweat from his brow and agreed. Only then did everyone suddenly realize: in such a short time, this old rogue had actually eaten the equivalent of several people's meals!

Someone in the crowd couldn't contain themselves any longer and shouted at the waiter:

"Little Sanzi! That stack of empty plates in front of that old man, did he just finish them all?"

The waiter was rushing to the kitchen and only had time to give a hurried reply:
"Absolutely! He's almost eaten up half of the kitchen's stock!"

The words had barely left his mouth when he hurriedly ran off.

Upon hearing this, the crowd, which had been indignant just moments before, fell silent instantly. They looked at each other, somewhat stunned—this was no ordinary person!
Could it be that what the old beggar said just now was actually the truth?

Everyone murmured amongst themselves, their eyes all turning to Du Yuan, who remained seated upright in the central hall.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on her, Du Yuan still had that smiling expression and said:

"Please don't be hasty, everyone. What this old gentleman said is indeed not without reason. But as I said before, I have evidence to back up my claim!"

At this moment, the old beggar, who had just finished another bowl of plain noodles, put down the empty bowl, sighed deeply, and said to Du Yuan:
“Little brat, since you’re so persistent, then take out your so-called ‘possession’ and let’s see it.”

Du Yuan had been waiting for these words, and upon hearing them, she immediately smiled and cupped her hands in a respectful gesture towards the old beggar, then looked up at the crowd and said:

“The spirits and monsters of the world do not study scriptures, do not understand reason, do not know right from wrong, and mostly follow their instincts. They eat the weak and avoid the strong.”

"Yes, normally speaking, it should be as the old man said. In fact, because humans are the most intelligent of all beings, they are especially eager for human flesh and blood to nourish themselves."

Upon hearing this, everyone agreed with the statement, but were also taken aback.

"Then why did you speak like that just now, young sir?"

"Yes, yes, please explain it to us!"

Du Yuan did not answer immediately, but instead took out a piece of silk cloth from the small seal she carried with her.

The silk fabric was quite ordinary; it was the same one Du Yuan had bought at the market in the previous town. A Confucian scholar, after all, naturally needs to put effort into his writing!

However, my understanding of Confucianism is still shallow, and I cannot directly skip the accumulation process to achieve results.

Then we need to put in some effort elsewhere first, and that effort isn't difficult.

After unfolding the silk cloth in front of everyone, Du Yuan spread it on the table in front of her.

Then he took the watermark that the kitten had given him and pressed it onto the silk cloth.

Since it's meant for the aquatic creatures, we should naturally borrow the kitten's prestige!

Once the effect is established, and word spreads, it can naturally grow stronger like a snowball through its own abilities!

Once the silk cloth was laid flat on the table, Du Yuan asked the others, "Do you have pen and ink?"

"Quickly! Go and prepare pen and ink for the young master!" Master Zhang immediately raised his voice and shouted.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper hurriedly retrieved his everyday writing implements from the counter and presented them with both hands, his expression somewhat apologetic.

"Young sir, please use this first. It's not a very nice item, please don't mind it!"

Du Yuan smiled and waved her hand gently:
"You've already shown me great kindness by sending it; how could I possibly blame you?"

Having said that, he picked up his brush and lightly dipped it in the inkstone, waiting for the tip to absorb the liquid. Only then did he slowly begin to speak:

“Most water spirits are ignorant and only know how to seek advantage and avoid harm. In that case, we should first let them know the dangers, and then teach them the good consequences.”

To avoid disaster through authority and to pursue good through benefit—that is true education!

Benevolence is reserved for those who are truly benevolent!

This is not for those who don't know what reason is.

As soon as she finished speaking, Du Yuan picked up her brush and hung it on the silk cloth. With a flourish, she wrote four large characters, the ink strokes vigorous and steady.

"I wrote these four characters today to protect you all when you travel by water in the future, so that you can avoid the disturbances of monsters and cross the river safely."

The people around couldn't contain themselves any longer and rushed forward to see which four words had such power.

The old beggar standing to the side initially only showed some disdain and a hint of unconcealed disappointment.

He roughly guessed what the young man was thinking: as a Confucian disciple, he simply wanted to write a calligraphy piece to intimidate the monsters with the righteous spirit of Confucianism.

Is it useful? Of course it is. Spirits don't understand reason; they'll only avoid what's powerful, and they'll never foolishly rush in.

The problem is, can this calligraphy copybook be in two places at once? It can't possibly protect everyone traveling by water, can it?
What people fear is the noble spirit of Confucianism that you left behind, not these few broken characters!

The old beggar had just finished shaking his head and was about to finish his last bowl of noodles before getting up to leave when he suddenly realized something was wrong. His gaze fell back on the small seal that Du Yuan had pressed against the corner of the silk cloth.

This seal looks a bit strange.
He had seen quite a few seals; celestial beings liked to have a seal carved on themselves to signify their status. People on the mountain and those below followed suit.

But among all the seals he had ever seen, there was none like this one. What puzzled him even more was that he felt he had seen the material of this seal somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it. Only his disappointment was gradually replaced by doubt.

Meanwhile, in the far-off southwest, a great transformation is also taking place.

Countless people returning home heard a rumbling sound coming from all directions.

The sound was terrifying, like mountains and rivers collapsing, yet there was no real tremor underfoot; only the immense power echoed in their ears, leaving everyone puzzled.

Others who happened to witness an even more extraordinary sight stared in disbelief as the earth suddenly cracked open, and a great river rushed forth!

For a moment, they were both astonished by this extraordinary sight and at a loss because their path was blocked, standing there not knowing what to do. Just then, several sharp-eyed people suddenly pointed in panic at the distant sky.

His companions looked in the direction he pointed and saw that it was actually a series of neat, huge rocks flying down from the clouds and falling straight to the ground.

Before they could even dodge, the boulders landed perfectly on the ravine in front of them, forming a stone bridge!
The Great River flows from the north, passes through the southwest, and flows into the vast sea.

The one who opened this great river was naturally the owner of the plain white robe standing in front of that small temple.

At this moment, she stood before the Great River, quietly watching its flowing waters.

But the next moment, she raised her eyebrows and looked in the direction of Hexi County.

Immediately after covering her mouth and chuckling softly, she raised her fingertips and, following Du Yuan's lead, wrote down the four large characters with flowing strokes!
Looking at the four large characters she had written, Du Yuan felt extremely satisfied.

This character must be written in a way that would intimidate aquatic creatures while also reassuring ordinary people. Every stroke must be deliberate and careful.

Fortunately, it's something I wrote myself, so it's excellent no matter how you look at it!

After admiring it with satisfaction, Du Yuan first put away the small seal, then picked it up and displayed it to the crowd of people, saying:
"Ladies and gentlemen, these are the four words I wrote for you!"

The words "No Disturbance at the Ferry Crossing" were clearly written on it!
"No disturbance to the ferry crossing? Young sir, are those four words enough?"

Du Yuan laughed:

"All you need to do is make a rubbing of the words I wrote, sincerely carve them onto a sign or yellow paper, and then put them in the boat. When you encounter any monsters or spirits causing trouble, just throw them overboard!"

"After that, you may do as I said before, either by offering incense or by offering food. This is to tell those unreasonable spirits that behaving themselves is a mutually beneficial thing!"

"If this continues, things will surely flourish and they will complement each other!"

Everyone was overjoyed upon hearing this, and they pushed even harder to get a good look at the calligraphy that was said to ensure the safety of the waterways.

At that moment, the old beggar suddenly pushed through the crowd and stood directly in front of Du Yuan, staring intently at the piece of silk.

Their eyes were filled with uncertain emotions, confusion, and bewilderment, all of which clung to them.

After a moment, he looked at Du Yuan and said:
"Who...who is your teacher?"

He still didn't quite understand, but when Du Yuan revealed those words...

Only through the panic brought on by the communion between heaven and man did he belatedly realize that this kid didn't seem to be lying!
But he couldn't understand how the kid did it.

After all, this little kid's cultivation level was incredibly shallow. Therefore, after thinking it over, he could only conclude that this kid's master must have a very powerful lineage!
Moreover, this calligraphy definitely contains something extraordinary.

Du Yuan laughed:

"Please forgive me, sir, but I have no formal teacher."

The old beggar muttered something in dissatisfaction:
"If you don't want to talk about it, just say so. How can you try to fool an old beggar like this? You're a Confucian, and how can a Confucian not have a teacher?"

Passing on the torch is the foundation of Confucianism!
Of course, even so, it's not a certainty, but since you, a little kid, lack the cultivation to do anything significant, it can only mean that you have a very good master.

How could I not understand?
Du Yuan said helplessly:
“The kid really doesn’t have any formal teacher.”

The old beggar shook his head and said:

"Alright, alright, do you really think I, an old beggar, would be the first to make a copy of your calligraphy? Don't worry, I won't take it for free!"

The old beggar felt he understood; it was likely that the child's teacher wanted to accumulate a great deal of merit for him, so he had arranged this scheme in advance.

In order to get him to eat it all, she specifically instructed him to hide himself.

In this way, the immense merit of protecting the safety of the waterways naturally fell upon the little child.

Since that's the case, there's no need for me to point it out.

"Please do as you please, sir. The only important part of my calligraphy copybook is these few characters."

The old beggar muttered a few more words, then took out a sheet of white Xuan paper from his pocket, as white as moonlight.

You don't need to do anything; just stick it on and it will be copied.

What left the old beggar and the surrounding people dumbfounded was that this Xuan paper, which looked like a treasure, had only been used for rubbing.

It spontaneously combusted out of thin air!

In just a short while, they were all burned and disappeared completely.

"Quick, put out the fire! Wait, hey? Are you... are you alright?"

Mr. Zhang, who was watching from the side, was afraid that the silk cloth underneath would also be burned, but in the end, the old beggar's Xuan paper was burned clean, but the silk cloth underneath was completely unharmed.

For a moment, everyone was even more amazed. The old beggar frowned deeply and then took out another piece of Xuan paper that looked like moonlight. This time, he even bit his fingertip and wrote an obscure and difficult-to-understand seal script on it.

When the next layer fell down, it still couldn't hold on for even a moment before burning completely to ashes.

Seeing this, the old beggar realized that he truly could not obtain the rubbing.

Of course, he could settle for having the little boy make a copy for him.

But he's a great cultivator, after all. Doesn't he have any shame?
So he sighed deeply:

"I admit I'm not as skilled as others."

Then, pointing at Du Yuan, he said:

"Little kid, you're probably here for that sword too, right? Let me tell you, there are way too many people eyeing that sword."

“There’s not only me, this old beggar, in there, but also countless others! With your limited abilities, you absolutely mustn’t just barge in. Just stand by and watch quietly. They’re afraid of your family, so naturally they won’t touch you.”

"But if you crash into it yourself, be careful that the adults in your family won't be able to get you out in time!"

Having said that, the old beggar focused his voice again, conveying the very words he truly wanted to say to him:
"There's more than one sword lying here. Don't fixate on the one in the river; look around. You won't lose out!"

After saying that, the old beggar strode away.

Just as he reached the door, he suddenly glanced at Du Yuan thoughtfully.

Because he suddenly remembered another possibility: this kid might not have been lying; he really didn't have a master. And the reason he was able to succeed was because his own cultivation level was exceptionally high?

But after a moment, the old beggar shook his head repeatedly, denying it.

There are people whose cultivation is so high that he can't see through them even a little bit, but there shouldn't be any like them now!

(End of this chapter)