Achieving the Dao from the Hundred Schools of Thought

"Student Zhuang Weiyang greets Your Majesty!" Zhuang Weiyang braced himself and walked up to the reviewing stand, secretly praying that nothing unexpected would happen.

Unfortunately, things in this world often don't go as planned.

Fuchai did not speak to Zhuang Weiyang, but continued to ask Goujian questions.

"Goujian, look at the martial arts champion of my Wu Kingdom, can he be called a hero?"

Goujian knelt down with a thud, showing none of the dignity befitting a ruler of a nation.

"Your Majesty! The Yue Kingdom is a small country with a small population; it has never produced such an outstanding person!"

"Hahahaha!" Fuchai, having just finished humiliating Goujian as usual, was in high spirits. "Zhuang Weiyang, I've heard of you. You first studied politics and then military strategy, and upon entering the path of Taoism, you mastered the art of the Sage of War."

"You're very good!"

Faced with King Fuchai's praise, Zhuang Weiyang's face showed excitement. "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty! This student is deeply honored..."

Fuchai waved his hand repeatedly, interrupting Zhuang Weiyang's platitudes, and said, "Alright, alright, a military strategist like you is getting into such pedantry."

"I called you up here not to hear your pledge of loyalty, but because I'm curious about your magic... Even Sun Tzu never used this technique, how did you learn it?"

Zhuang Weiyang had a plan in place for this problem.

"Your Majesty, I am fortunate to have been favored by the Sage of War, and have learned the arts of wind and mountain in the Sage's Palace; I have also been gifted military arts by the Second Prince, and have studied the art of fire. However, I am dull-witted, and having not yet mastered the art of forestry, I attempted to use all three arts simultaneously, and by sheer chance, I have come to this understanding of their application. If Your Majesty requires it, I am willing to offer the method to repay the kindness of the Wu Kingdom in nurturing me!"

Fuchai naturally looked down on the mere skill of a single realm, but since Zhuang Weiyang had spoken up, he couldn't deny her patriotism.

"Alright, you can talk to Prince Di afterwards. He also learned a move of the Art of War... You can serve in Suzhou from now on, and wait to be employed."

Fuchai lightly tapped the dragon throne with his finger, and in a moment of contemplation, he was about to decide Zhuang Weiyang's future.

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Weiyang was greatly alarmed.

That won't do. If he stays in Gusu to serve as a servant, then he'll have to go with the army to attack the State of Qi.

Zhuang Weiyang's mind raced, while Prince Di, standing to the side, looked anxious and immediately wanted to refute Fuchai.

"That won't do. Once Prince Di speaks, things will become complicated!" Thinking of this, Zhuang Weiyang immediately bowed and said:

"Your Majesty, please hear me out!"

"Oh?" Ever since Fuchai advanced to the third realm, no one except Wu Zixu dared to disobey his orders. Faced with Zhuang Weiyang's petition, Fuchai suddenly became interested.

"explain!"

"I come from a humble family and live in the academy. I study political theory to enter the Way and do not seek fame in Suzhou! The two young masters do not regard my lowly status and have condescended to teach me military strategy and archery. I am grateful for this and have therefore agreed to serve the two young masters."

Upon hearing this, Fuchai was surprised by Zhuang Weiyang's sincere gratitude and admired him even more. "You... I understand your heart. Prince Di is a prince of my Wu Kingdom and will understand your situation. You can stay in my presence without worry."

Zhuang Weiyang felt a sense of foreboding, gritted her teeth, and choked out:

"Without your two sons, I would not be where I am today; without me, you two sons would not be able to command respect throughout the land. I humbly request Your Majesty to allow me to serve under your two sons!"

Prince Di, standing beside him, was too shocked to speak.

I knew you, Zhuang Weiyang, could talk a good game, but I didn't expect you to be this good at it! Didn't we become close friends because we get along well over drinks?

When did I start teaching you military strategy? What can I teach you?

King Fuchai, seated on the dragon throne, was unaware of the reason behind this. Upon hearing Zhuang Weiyang's deep concern for Prince Di, he was moved and said:

"Very well! Although I admire talented people, you and Prince Di have a deep bond, and I cannot simply play the villain."

As he spoke, Fuchai turned to look at Prince Di and praised him, "In the past, what I heard most often about you was fighting and causing trouble. I never imagined you had such a heart for recruiting talented people! Very good. You should get closer to Weiyang in the future!"

After Fuchai finished speaking, Zhuang Weiyang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Ah, I'd better hurry to Zuili. In Suzhou, my extraordinary talent is about to be exposed!

Everything proceeded as planned.

He praised the top performers for half an hour, lectured the generals who had abandoned their troops for half an hour, then distributed prizes and selected the places to guard.

Zhuang Weiyang chose Zhuili without any trouble, but unexpectedly, Zhao Xiuwen also chose Zhuili.

It's not that no one wanted to go, but that the Zhao family had the financial power.

The poor were easily bribed, and the sons of the powerful families, out of consideration for personal relationships, could not compete with Zhao Xiuwen.

Thus, the team that Prince Di would send to Zuili was finalized.

Three thousand elite soldiers, including two military strategists—Zhuang Weiyang and Zhao Xiuwen; and one political strategist—Zhang Zezhong!

Zuili already had a complete team, including generals, garrison officers, and all the necessary personnel; bringing these people along would suffice...

These people combined certainly couldn't easily overthrow Zhuli, otherwise what would be the point of having Prince Di?

The seal is for you; you'll have to figure out how to manage it yourself.

You also need to pay taxes on time!

……

In the dream classroom, Confucius did not appear; Zhuang Weiyang and Ying Zheng sat and chatted idly.

"Brother Weiyang, are you finished with your work and heading to pick Zhuli?"

"Yes, we can finally leave Suzhou. Suzhou is too treacherous; how could a mere cultivator at the first level of cultivation possibly handle it?"

Without Confucius present, the two men sat much more casually.

While Zhuang Weiyang was practicing her spells and improving her proficiency, she chatted with Ying Zheng in a casual manner.

Thinking of the dangers of martial arts practice, Zhuang Weiyang couldn't help but sigh.

"Cultivation is essential; one must find a place to properly cultivate before venturing out into the world. Putting aside everything else, in this martial arts competition alone, if Zhao Xiuwen had possessed even a fraction of his courage, the outcome would have been uncertain!"

"In the end, strength is king. If I were at the Candlelight Realm, I could use my spells more often; why would I need to scheme against people's hearts? I could have easily knocked Zhao Xiuwen down from his seniority with a single move!"

Ying Zheng was taken aback and asked, "May I ask, Brother Weiyang, how can one demote someone from their seniority?"

"Your strength is formidable, and you possess powerful magic. Wouldn't he have to kneel down and call you 'Grandpa'? That would naturally lower your seniority by two levels."

"Fortunately, the land of Zuili is definitely far from Suzhou, so I can certainly cultivate in peace!"

Ying Zheng thought about the ancient books he had been reading these past few days, and hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Ancient books only briefly mention Zhuang Weiyang's trip to the East Sea. From these few words, Ying Zheng concluded that Zuili was not a peaceful place either.

Thinking of this, Ying Zheng couldn't help but remind him:

"Brother Weiyang, Zuili is near the East Sea, and it's not a good place. Please be careful!"

Zhuang Weiyang waved her hand dismissively:

"Don't worry, Brother Qin. If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. And there are my human race's second-realm cultivators at Zuili. I'm just going to fish in troubled waters!"

Seeing Zhuang Weiyang's carefree demeanor, as if she were free from all constraints and could fly freely like a bird in the sky, Ying Zheng decided not to discourage her further.

According to historical records, Zhuang Weiyang left Zhuli safely, so nothing serious should have happened to her, right?

Seeing that Ying Zheng was even more worried than she was, Zhuang Weiyang changed the subject:

"Brother Qin, you say the Master has such a good temper, but what is he like when he gets angry?"

For students with nothing to do, learning to be a cricket teacher is a required course.

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng showed an expression of disbelief.

"Master Confucius has a good temper? Which one with a good temper would self-immolate to gain the power of Hou Yi, and kill the demon king with three arrows?!"

"Huh? What is the position of the Sage of Burning? The Demon King is a great figure in the Three Realms, tell me quickly!"

"..."