Achieving the Dao from the Hundred Schools of Thought

"Alas, Master... There are many legends about gods and ghosts circulating among the people. It is not surprising that I have only learned a few fragments of them by chance."

Zhuang Weiyang made up a flimsy excuse to fool the teacher.

You can't exactly say you saw it on TV!

Seeing that the teacher still seemed somewhat skeptical, Zhuang Weiyang's eyes darted around, and she abruptly changed the subject: "Teacher, it's been half a month since I last saw you, how come you look so haggard? You must take better care of your health!"

"I look haggard, and it's all because of my troublesome disciple!"

The Master seemed to have thought of something ominous, and his expression turned serious as he looked at Zhuang Weiyang and Ying Zheng, admonishing them:

"In your arduous cultivation, remember to relieve your inner distress, lest... lest you harbor any inner knots! Your senior brother Zixia was hindered by his inner knots and was unable to break through to the second realm."

Zhuang Weiyang was a little confused for a moment.

A knot in the heart? What knot in the heart? The cultivation methods of the various schools of thought in ancient China did not have the concept of knots in the heart, and it is not like Buddhism or Taoism.

"May I ask you, Master, what is the meaning of 'heart knot'? I have studied for many years and have never heard of the concept of 'heart knot' before."

"well--!"

Confucius sighed deeply and poured out his grievances:

"When Zixia was young, he witnessed a mountain demon devouring people! Now, his inner fire is blazing, revealing his true nature, yet he stubbornly refuses to break free. Zixia said: 'Your inner fire is clouded, your true nature is not in harmony; you must slay the mountain demon to purify your heart!'"

Zhuang Weiyang thought there was no problem; Zixia's statement made no mistake.

Evil things, if you kill them, you kill them.

"Even so, Master, you shouldn't be so exhausted. Is there some hidden reason behind this?" Ying Zheng asked curiously, while Zhuang Weiyang nodded repeatedly beside him.

Yes, the Master wasn't exactly known for his good temper either; it was just killing a demon.

Zixia said: Killing a demon as a form of retaliation is in accordance with the natural order and does not count as following one's nature!

Killing ten demons as revenge is a cycle of cause and effect, and one's true nature remains obscured!

Sacrificing a hundred demons to appease the spirits of the dead is a matter of human ethics, yet human nature is still not satisfied!

Only by slaying a thousand demons and hanging their heads on the city gates to warn the rest of the demon race can one truly satisfy one's nature!

Zhuang Weiyang clicked her tongue, unsure of what to say for a moment.

This Senior Brother Zixia is quite vengeful.

Confucius continued to mutter, "Fifteen days! A full fifteen days! It's no problem for a teacher to impart knowledge, teach skills, and resolve doubts! But Zixia actually used me as a compass for detecting demons, searching everywhere for evil spirits."

"I haven't had a single good night's sleep!"

Ying Zheng suppressed a laugh and asked, "Master, is Senior Brother Zixia satisfied with his true nature?"

Confucius sighed and slowly said, "I suppose it's barely acceptable. I discussed it with him, and we found that a second-realm demon could fight ten against one, and a third-realm demon king could fight a hundred against one! After traveling to the demon kingdoms beyond the realms and slaughtering all the demons in a small country, Zixia was finally satisfied and began to break through to the next realm."

Zhuang Weiyang: "..."

I almost forgot, you, Confucius, are not someone to be trifled with either.

"Outer regions? Could it be the Kingdom of Women in Chechi?"

"No, it's just a small country, not worth mentioning."

Ying Zheng nodded thoughtfully, and Zhuang Weiyang couldn't help but ask:

"Master, what are 'countries beyond our borders'? How are they different from us?"

Confucius elaborated on Zhuang Weiyang's question:

"The 'countries beyond the borders' refers to the small states during the Shang Dynasty that did not respect the king's authority and did not refer to themselves as subjects. After the Zhou Dynasty unified the world, it was too lazy to manage these small states, hence the name 'countries beyond the borders.'"

"Countries beyond the borders do not pay tribute to the Great Zhou Emperor, nor does the Great Zhou Emperor offer them protection. Therefore, evil spirits and monsters abound in these countries. The way small countries survive is mostly by worshipping celestial gods and seeking divine protection."

After saying this, Confucius looked Zhuang Weiyang up and down and asked:

"Weiyang, you've been on the path of cultivation for over a month now, yet your cultivation hasn't improved much. Have you not found your own path, or have you become complacent?"

Zhuang Weiyang smiled wryly, "Master, the path of a hundred schools of thought is truly difficult to traverse. I have only just begun to grasp the essence of this path!"

Zhuang Weiyang was also having a lot of trouble with her cultivation.

Where can I gain experience? And how do I gain it? There are no pioneers to guide the path of Yi Yi; all cultivation depends on oneself, making the initial stages extremely difficult.

Confucius nodded, as if he had thought of something, and said:

"Zixia has a great understanding of Confucianism and Taoism, which I am very satisfied with. Once Zixia reaches the second level, I will send him to the Great Zhou clan for further study."

Weiyang, if you establish your own school of thought and wish to spread your teachings far and wide, you will inevitably have to meet with the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"If your cultivation progresses quickly, you might even be able to meet Zixia."

Zhuang Weiyang nodded solemnly: "Master, I will do my best to break through to the second realm as soon as possible and go to the Great Zhou to discuss the Dao with Senior Brother Zixia."

"Excellent! Qin, have you encountered any difficulties these past two weeks?"

"I was just about to ask the Master for guidance..."

Zhuang Weiyang played with the jade in her hand, listening carefully to the dialogue between Confucius and Ying Zheng.

The more he listened, the more something seemed off, and the jade ball in his hand spun rapidly.

Why does Brother Qin always ask about strategies for governing a country? Is he also a prince? I've never heard of a ruler surnamed Zhao.

It's probably a small country.

……

The next day, Zhuang Weiyang woke up early, having made some progress in her cultivation overnight.

【技能：风（2260/10000）、火（2060/10000）、山（2042/10000）、御（2902/10000）、势（1063/10000）、主政（1/10000）、心（易）、不可提升】

As one delves deeper into the art of magic, the gains in proficiency also decrease.

Just like you can't keep fighting low-level monsters.

"Fortunately, proficiency is something you reap what you sow. As long as I practice diligently, mastering the nine levels of magic is only a matter of time."

Upon arriving in Zuili, Prince Di must have had a lot of things to deal with, and Zhang Zezhong also went to report to Zhao Zhennan to handle government affairs.

As for Zhong Bai...

Zhuang Weiyang shivered.

"What bad luck! Why did I have to think of this person so early in the morning! Zhong Yue's kick yesterday was no joke; he probably hasn't woken up yet."

Zhuang Weiyang shook her head, as if trying to shake the bad luck out of her mind, and went straight out the door.

"In Gusu, I was afraid of being discovered, so I didn't dare experiment with how to gain experience for my profession. Now that I'm in Zuili, far from the King of Men, I need to hurry up and research it!"

The cultivation system in the "Spring and Autumn Period Chaos" version is different from that in later versions.

In later versions of cultivation, one can find a secluded place, meditate, and cultivate to increase their cultivation level.

That won't work now; all practitioners need to engage with the world.

Political reformers govern a region, while military reformers lead troops into battle.

My own Yi...

"Rebellion is definitely the way to gain experience, but I'm so weak right now. Anyone at the second level can easily suppress me and use my head to get a reward. No, no, I need to play it safe."

"The soldiers were grateful to me when I was at Tiger Hill, which made my heart burn a little stronger."

Does that mean I should play it safe for now and try to start by rescuing people?

The logic is sound; let's give it a try.

While Zhuang Weiyang was pondering, she had already left the area of ​​the young master's residence.

Looking up again, the area was now filled with vendors and pedestrians.

"Big fish from the East China Sea, come and take a look!"

"The famous Suzhou-style mutton stew with bread—one bowl will keep you full all day! Come and try it!"

……

Zhuang Weiyang looked closely at the stalls, and the more she looked, the more something seemed off.

In the fishmonger's hand, there was clearly a crucian carp.

"Carp can go into the sea? That's too mythical! The Adventures of a Little Carp? And what the hell is this Suzhou-style paomo? Where in Suzhou can you find paomo?"

Zhuang Weiyang walked along, complaining as she went, without any intention of exposing the vendor's true intentions.

He observed carefully.

As vendors passed by on the sidewalk, everyone exchanged knowing smiles, knowing that these people were just exaggerating to attract attention.

There's no need for me to be a bad person.

Zhuang Weiyang's observation shifted from street vendors to pedestrians.

The land of Zuili has been embroiled in war for years, and its people are quite different from those of Suzhou.

These people had lost the tranquility of Suzhou; they walked with hurried steps and clear goals.

If they collide head-on, pedestrians will instinctively clutch their bags tightly, look cautious, apologize, and then leave.

Zhuang Weiyang found herself in an unfamiliar place, observing a completely different local culture and customs.

"Sir, please have mercy! I haven't eaten for three days!"

"Min Yu, you've done something terrible to your family, I feel so guilty~"

A begging voice caught Zhuang Weiyang's attention. Her eyes lit up and she quickly stepped forward.

Isn't that experience?!