Achieving the Dao from the Hundred Schools of Thought

Zhuang Weiyang stared at her wrist, where the blood lines twisted and coiled like snakes, radiating waves of hatred.

"Having tattoos during the Spring and Autumn period shouldn't affect my cultivation, right...?"

Zhuang Weiyang remained completely calm.

What a joke! With Zilu standing right next to him, why would he be afraid of a mere second-realm snake?

"Brother Zilu, I apologize for my poor hospitality; you must have seen something embarrassing... Please come with me into the city for a drink!"

Zilu readily agreed, stood up, and smiled:

"I am indeed hungry. I've heard that the Wu Kingdom is particularly skilled at cooking fish. Perhaps Wei Yang could show my senior brother this skill?"

Zhuang Weiyang smiled slightly and readily agreed.

"That's only right!"

Zilu traveled all night, fearing something might happen to him, and made sure there was plenty of wine and meat!

Zhuang Weiyang immediately led Zilu back to Zuili. Upon entering the city, Zhuang Weiyang's heart was filled with excitement as she found the person she longed for.

Zhong Bai, the local bully!

After two consecutive days of travel, even Zhong Bai felt exhausted.

After giving instructions to his servants, Zhong Bai changed his clothes and prepared to rest.

Zhuang Weiyang's inner fire detected Zhong Bai's trail, and she immediately used her wind magic to create a gentle breeze that drew two characters in the air.

"City gate."

Upon seeing this, Zhong Bai had no choice but to go out again to find Zhuang Weiyang. When he arrived at the city gate, he saw Zhuang Weiyang with a large man beside her. He was taken aback at first, but then, acting on his natural instincts, he went up to greet him.

"Brother-in-law, who is this gentleman? He's quite the burly fellow!"

When Zhuang Weiyang saw Zhong Bai arrive, she immediately stepped forward to introduce the two of them.

"Zhong Bai, this is my senior brother, Zhong You, courtesy name Zilu!"

Without waiting for Zhuang Weiyang to introduce him, Zhong Bai stepped forward and started talking to Zilu.

"Mr. Zhong You? I am Zhong Bai, Zhuang Weiyang's good friend! Why haven't I heard Weiyang mention her sect before? Did you come to see Weiyang this time?... "

Zilu listened without speaking, only smiling. Zhuang Weiyang quickly stepped forward, patted Zhong Bai on the back, and jokingly scolded:

"What, you've become a registrar, aren't you? My senior brother's just arrived, and you're already checking his household registration? Go away! I'd like to find a place to entertain him!"

Zhong Bai patted his chest repeatedly, assuring everyone that nowhere could cook as well as his own cook, and that he also had aged wine at home, so he would definitely be able to entertain Zilu properly.

Seeing that Zilu did not resist, Zhuang Weiyang agreed, and the three of them headed to the Zhong residence.

Upon arriving at the door, Zhong Bai stepped into his own house without stopping talking.

"Brother-in-law, this is your first time visiting, isn't it? Our Wu Kingdom dotes on its daughter the most, so take whatever you like!"

"Stop talking nonsense! In the past, when there were no outsiders, a few words of conversation were fine! But now that you're in your home, if General Zhong Yue hears this, he'll have to deal with it according to military law!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai chuckled: "My sister? My sister isn't here!"

Zilu looked puzzled but said nothing. He simply smiled as he watched the two laughing and joking, as if he had remembered something.

Zhong Bai did not lead the two into the hall, but instead took them to an open space, where he instructed the cooks to start a fire and prepare the food on the spot.

"Since Mr. Zhongyou has just arrived, I would like to offer him a toast!"

Zhong Bai first filled all three bowls, then tilted his head back and downed the whole bowl.

"Ah—! Fine wine! And speaking of peach blossoms falling!"

Zhong You hesitated, thinking to himself: When I followed my teacher, he always said that we should think carefully before doing things and follow proper etiquette.

But here... Junior Brother Ziyang and Zhong Bai are eating and drinking in such a carefree manner. If I am always polite, will they misunderstand that I, Zilu, look down on the people of Wu and Yue?

After thinking it over, Zilu decided to put aside etiquette for now and, like the other two, live a carefree and unrestrained life.

……

From morning till night, plum sauce fat fish were eaten one after another, and servants brought over jar after jar of wine.

From drinks to food and drink, and finally to military strategy, the fatigue of the past few days was dispelled in the midst of laughter and conversation.

Unbeknownst to the three, the Green Snake Clan Chief had already set out to seek revenge when Sheya died.

In the Tianmu Mountains, a giant snake, a hundred feet long, coils in a cave, its bluish-black scales faintly visible in the dim light.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, the giant serpent soared into the air! Its hundred-foot-long demonic body unleashed its power, like dark clouds obscuring the sky and the sun.

"Damn it! Who dares to kill my son?!"

The green snake kept circling in the air, extremely agitated, its bloodline pushed to its limit, and two bulges appeared on its head.

"Based on my bloodline connection, in this location... Zhuli! It's a human!"

Snakes are cold-blooded, and even if they are seeking revenge for their own children, they still have to think things through.

"Zhuili is a political cultivator stationed in the Second Realm, and we have a good relationship. It can't be him! The military cultivators in the Second Realm are stationed in the East Sea..."

Thinking of this, the snake demon immediately flew to Zuili.

As it flew past, the clouds dispersed, and the bird demon was forced to retreat.

As the sun began to set, the Green Snake Clan Chief finally arrived.

"Stop!"

Zhong Yue, clad in silver armor and holding a longbow, stood on the city wall.

She sensed the Green Serpent Clan Chief from ten miles away and then spoke out in a threatening tone.

Meanwhile, inside Zuili City, Zilu's hazy, drunken eyes suddenly brightened. He reached for the long sword at his waist, exchanged a glance with Zhuang Weiyang, and then hurried toward the city gate.

The Green Snake Clan Chief turned a deaf ear, his demonic aura spreading, seeking only to quickly avenge himself and flee far away.

There's only a quarter of an hour to strike! If we drag this out until a second-realm soldier arrives, this revenge will be impossible!

Zhong Yue raised her longbow, unleashing her inner fire to its fullest extent, illuminating all directions!

Suddenly, a strange change occurred!

All around Zhong Yue was a dim light, preventing the sun's rays from getting close, and a crescent moon slowly appeared.

Under the moonlight, Zhong Yue's Qilin face appeared even more stern as he drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

"Buzz—!"

The bowstring is drawn taut, the moonlight is pure white!

A humanoid phantom slowly emerged, simultaneously drawing its bow under the moonlight, pointing an arrow at the evil spirits!

Its true nature—the waning moon!

Archery Technique—Chasing the Light!

"Clang!"

The bowstring ripped like silk, and the arrow, shining like moonlight, shot towards the Green Serpent Clan Chief!

With nowhere to hide, the Green Snake Clan Chief unleashed his demonic energy to its fullest extent, transforming it into black clouds in an attempt to protect himself.

But as the arrow drew near, the demonic energy dissipated, and it shot straight into the snake chieftain's body.

A two-foot arrow, aimed at a hundred-foot-tall demon body, should not have caused much damage.

However, this arrow contained all of Zhong Yueming's moon-based magic techniques. After piercing the demon's body, the blood hole transformed into a bright moon, emitting white light that continuously eroded the demon's body.

"Essence and Blood, Ignite!"

In his fear, the Green Serpent Clan Chief activated his alien bloodline, and the thick demonic smoke rushed towards the wound, which finally stopped the injury.

However, the wound was already ten feet wide, revealing piles of white bone.

"Damn it!"

The Green Serpent Clan Chieftain's demonic energy flooded his mind, his snake eyes trembled, and his violent bloodline relentlessly eroded his reason.

Right now, he has only one thought.

Kill everything in sight!

Zhong Yue's expression remained unchanged, but her face paled slightly.

"General Zhong!"

Zhuang Weiyang and the other two had already arrived at the city wall. Before Zhuang Weiyang could say anything, Zhong Bai spoke up.

Zhong Bai smiled bitterly: "Brother-in-law, I know your temper. You will never let She Ya go! As soon as I got back, I went to find my sister."

I thought my elder sister, having broken through to the second realm, would be able to defeat this old snake, but now it seems unlikely.

Zhuang Weiyang was slightly taken aback, a touch of emotion rising in her heart. She looked at Zilu beside her, but Zilu had already disappeared.

"Senior Brother Zilu is about to make his move!"

Zhuang Weiyang felt relieved and looked at Zhong Bai and Zhong Yue, wanting to explain.

"Brother Bai, my senior brother..."

"It's alright, brother-in-law!" Zhong Bai's smile changed, and he became arrogant again.

"My sister can't handle this old snake, but I still have my dad! We're all family..."

"Thump!"

Zhong Yue's expression remained unchanged as she kicked Zhong Bai away, then glanced at Zhuang Weiyang.

"This is not your fault. Such immoral worship in the mountains is something everyone should condemn!" After saying this, Zhong Yue took out a brocade pouch, took out the Zhong family's keepsake, and was about to crush it.

"General Zhong, wait!"

Zhuang Weiyang stopped Zhong Yue, her tone unconsciously softening.

"Wei Yang is not an unprepared person. She would never do something that would implicate others in the pursuit of justice! General Zhong, please watch!"

As she spoke, Zhuang Weiyang raised her hand and pointed towards the Green Snake Clan Chief.

Zilu had already closed in, soaring into the air, revealing his true nature and displaying his full strength.

Confucius recited the scriptures, and his disciples followed him in awe; Zilu even drew his sword!

"Die!"

With a furious roar, Zilu, in his illusory form, simultaneously drew his sword and swung it down.

The three thousand disciples praised him, and the phantom of Confucius opened his eyes.

"Confucian Swordsmanship - Courage and Righteousness!"

"To act righteously is true courage!"

With a single sword strike, the majestic aura of Confucianism and Taoism condensed at the tip of the sword, and the sky and earth seemed to shatter like a mirror.

"Click"

The clouds parted, the earth cracked, and the demon's body was severed.

"This... Brother-in-law, you didn't say our senior brother was this fierce when you were drinking! Even my father couldn't withstand that sword strike!"

Zhong Bai had somehow managed to climb onto the city wall again, and murmured as he gazed at the demon blood that kept scattering in the air.

"Does this... mean I don't need to go out and slay demons anymore?"

Zhuang Weiyang was about to comfort him when she heard the second half of Zhong Bai's sentence and didn't know what to say.

This is very good.

"Sis, now we're a perfect match! I was worried that your fiancé was from a poor family and not good enough for you!"

"Thump!"

Zhong Bai fell again, and Zhuang Weiyang broke out in a cold sweat, coughing twice.

He used eight hundred small tricks one by one, successfully getting two steps away from Zhong Yue.

In the air, the Green Snake Clan Chief, despite the excruciating pain, regained his clarity of vision.

"Wait! Confucianism belongs to the Lu school of thought, how come you're in Wu?!"

Zilu ignored him and raised his long sword again.

Monsters are hard to kill. They are so weak, yet they were able to withstand one of my sword strikes.

"Wait! I have connections! Killing me will get me in trouble."

Upon hearing this, Zilu paused, his sword-wielding hand hesitating. He glanced sideways at the half-snake and couldn't help but speak:

"Haven't you seen my true nature?!"

My teacher is Confucius! He had three thousand disciples, each with their own cultivation! What kind of background could possibly frighten me?

Besides... after eating the food of the Zuili, if I were to release you, this monster that attacked the city, out of fear, I would not be able to live with myself!

Those who eat the food should not shy away from the difficulties.

After speaking, Zilu straightened his clothes and glanced almost imperceptibly at his teacher, who was still in his true nature.

Seeing that the teacher did not speak, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Those who pioneered the path of the Hundred Schools of Thought, when they reached the three stages, if their students saw themselves reflected in their own nature, they could then step out from that nature.

Although it cannot exert the power of its physical form, it can still inform the world.

This person is my disciple; please treat him well.

Correspondingly, if a student uses the power of their true nature, the Master can also descend in a split thought to learn about the battle situation.

"Organizing clothes is also in accordance with etiquette... This can be considered a balance of merit and demerit. I just spoke some arrogant words with the demon, please do not blame me, Master."

Zilu solemnly bowed to the illusory image of Confucius in his true nature before swinging his sword again.

Blood rained down from the sky, and the demon's body exploded.

"Senior brother, please use Confucianism to purify the demon's flesh and blood, and bring blessings to this region!"

"Hehe, even Junior Brother Demon Core is useful."

Zilu: "..."

That's more like it. Leave the formalities to outsiders. If you want anything, just ask your senior brother.

……

Afterwards, Zhuang Weiyang sought out Zhang Zezhong to dispose of the flesh and blood of Old Man Sheya, thus providing enough fertilizer for the private fields.

He then asked Zhang Zezhong for the sixty-three demon cores he had obtained from hunting demons over the past few days.

Zhang Zezhong readily agreed, and by the time they arrived, it was already past dawn and night was deepening.

"Wei Yang, now that this matter is settled, I must leave as well."

Zhuang Weiyang and the Zhong siblings entertained Zilu, but the venue they chose became the Zhong family's reception room.

The four sat upright, and Zilu showed no sign of unease.

Zhong Bai looked uncomfortable, while Zhong Yue had somehow followed along.

His expression remained indifferent, occasionally glancing at the longbow behind Zilu, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.

Zhuang Weiyang raised her bowl to offer a toast, expressing her gratitude:

"Thank you so much, Senior Brother, for protecting me! Without you, Wei Yang might have been on the run!"

"Junior brother, enough of this small talk, let's drink!"

"Junior brother, the blood curse on your hand..."

As Zilu was drinking, he noticed that the blood curse on Zhuang Weiyang's wrist had not disappeared!

"Strange! Logically, if a blood relative dies, the blood curse should disappear!"

Zhuang Weiyang also had a bit of a headache.

The appearance of the blood curse indicates that demons above the second realm will surely come to seek revenge.

"this……"

Zilu also had a headache.

"Master is currently implementing the policy of destroying the Three Cities and needs manpower, but is it safe for you, Junior Brother Weiyang..."

Just as Zhuang Weiyang was about to speak, Zilu raised his hand to interrupt her.

With his heart burning with passion and the effects of the alcohol completely gone, Zilu stood up and revealed his true nature.

"Zilu begs the Master to sacrifice himself!"

The void twisted, and the Confucius in the illusory image of Zilu's true nature changed his dull gaze to a lively one.

"What is it, Yu?"

"Master!" Zhuang Weiyang and Zilu bowed at the same time.

"But has the demonic energy caused trouble? Could it be the Three Realms?! Let me wait!"

Zhuang Weiyang quickly stopped him, feeling both amused and exasperated, and raised her hand to demonstrate the bleeding curse.

"That's not it! Master, the evil spirits have been destroyed, but the blood curse remains. We don't know what to do now."

The Master pondered for a moment and said:

"Zilu, stay in Wu for a while longer!"

"Master..."

Zilu called out repeatedly, but the illusory image of the Master departed, leaving only a lifeless phantom.

Seeing this, Zilu looked distressed. Noticing Zhuang Weiyang's guilty expression, he quickly comforted her.

"Ziyang, it's not that your senior brother doesn't want to protect you, it's just that Master is currently preoccupied with many matters, and the Three Huan are constantly making moves. I'm worried..."

"Senior brother, I know everything... Senior brother can leave first. After I finish dealing with things here, I'll find a large city with abundant fortune to hide in. Would any demon dare to attack a large city?"

Zilu shook his head repeatedly, rejecting Zhuang Weiyang's suggestion.

"The Master said that I should look after my junior brother, so I will guard him for a while! I don't think there will be any problems with the Master."

Seeing that she couldn't refuse and that she was indeed in danger, Zhuang Weiyang readily agreed.

But in my heart, I felt even more grateful to Confucius and Zilu.

Zhong Yue, who had been listening to their conversation in silence, suddenly brightened up.

With her beautiful eyes sweeping across Zhong Bai, Zhong Yue offered a bowl of wine to Zhuang Weiyang and Zilu respectively, amidst Zhong Bai's surprised gaze.

Zhuang Weiyang had a pretty good idea of ​​Zhong Yue's thoughts, and with a smile, she drank it all in one gulp.

……

In the dream classroom, Zhuang Weiyang finally entered the dream again.

"Eating a demon core before bed feels just like drinking milk before bed... both are rich in nutrients, haha."

Before Zhuang Weiyang went to sleep, she had already digested a demon core and felt her body become noticeably stronger.

He swallowed another demon core before entering a dream.

"Zhao Qin hasn't come for a long time. I still need to ask the Master about the situation regarding the fall of the three capitals..."

Historically, the destruction of the three capitals and the Qi people's gift of female musicians sowed discord between Confucius and King Ding of Lu, leading Confucius to embark on his travels throughout the states. I wonder what Confucius's situation is here?

As I was pondering this, the smoke in the dream classroom slowly solidified.

Ying Zheng, who had not appeared for a long time, appeared in the dream dressed in black robes and red skirts, with a green jade pendant hanging from his arm.

"Brother Qin... what's with your outfit?"