Bearing the blue sky

Chapter 286 Preaching and Discussion

Seeing the six powerful beings with serious expressions, Zhu Ge couldn't help but smile.

"Were you all bored up in the heavens before?"

Zhu Ge smiled.

Previously, these six people had followed the instructions of their respective superiors to "escort" Zhu Ge to Shengjing in the sky.

With these people's cultivation levels, they were either Great Masters or Fusion Realm cultivators, so "escorting" Zhu Ge was easy and effortless.

However, they didn't try to learn anything from Zhu Ge along the way.

It wasn't until Zhu Ge's battle against the Shu Mountain Sword Sect that these six people could no longer sit still.

"Master Zhu, you must teach me!" a man with a black beard and black hair said solemnly, "How should I make my offer?"

The others also kept a close eye on Zhu Ge.

They all knew the rules of the blessing song; Cao Zhi had already inquired about them beforehand.

"A low-grade Yuan-level item for the Great Realm, and a high-grade Yuan-level item for the Fusion Realm."

Zhu Ge smiled and said, "This is merely to remind those who have studied this path not to look down upon it. Please forgive me."

"I'm out!"

"This is my treasure; please accept it carefully, Master!"

"It's good that this thing of mine is taking up space, Master Zhu can help me get rid of it."

The six of them gave it to them without even blinking.

That's normal, it's just buying courses.

Zhu Ge's price is equivalent to someone earning 3,000 yuan a month paying 200 yuan for a class.

If you're not willing to pay this much, then there's nothing I can do.

To be honest, he himself had only just grasped the secrets of the Dao.

By combining the principles of celestial secrets with divination symbols, one can anticipate the enemy's moves in battle or even in war.

These powerful beings and those at the Fusion Realm possessed artifacts that were worth more than all the wealth he had accumulated before; buying a lesson would be a piece of cake for them.

But he also knew that it wasn't that he had made money, but rather that they had bought time with money.

If one tries to figure out this new path of Yi Dao on one's own, it may take hundreds of years to even get a grasp of it.

Learning directly from the founder by spending just one item is time-saving, labor-saving, and cost-effective.

"Listen carefully, everyone."

Zhu Ge sat cross-legged on a blue stone next to the carriage, with six people sitting around him, like a group of students seeking knowledge.

Liu Jianjian rode her horse back to a distance, and Zhu Sisi leaned on her shoulder, chewing on mulberry leaves.

Zhu Ge then took out three copper coins, placed them in his palm, and began his sermon.

"The Way of Change can be divided into two branches for now. One is the Way of Arrays, which uses the elements of heaven, earth, wind, thunder, water, fire, mountains, and marshes as its foundation to activate all phenomena in the universe. The other is the Way of Heavenly Secrets, which deduces heavenly secrets and divines the past and present. Today I will talk about the Way of Heavenly Secrets."

He paused, looking into the eyes of the six people.

"The core of the Heavenly Secrets Way is not calculation, but intuition. Calculation is deducing with the mind. Intuition is perceiving the 'principle' that is omnipresent in the world with the heart."

"The principle is in all things, in the withering and flourishing of plants, in the alternation of day and night, and in the cycle of the four seasons. You don't need to calculate it; you only need to feel it. Once you feel it, the principle will naturally emerge."

He raised his hand, and three copper coins spun around in his palm.

A sense of literary energy surged, and a faint golden light appeared on the surface of the copper coin.

Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui.

Eight trigrams appeared above the copper coin, like eight stars twinkling in the night sky.

"Watch closely." Zhu Ge tossed the copper coin into the air.

The three copper coins tumbled in the air, and the hexagrams changed accordingly: Qian changed to Kun, Kun changed to Zhen, Zhen changed to Xun, Xun changed to Kan, Kan changed to Li, Li changed to Gen, Gen changed to Dui, and Dui changed back to Qian.

The eight trigrams circulate endlessly.

The six people stared intently, their eyes filled with shock.

They could sense that those hexagrams were not illusions, but rather the embodiment of "principle".

The laws governing the operation of heaven and earth were visualized by Zhu Ge using copper coins and literary energy.

"The gateway to the Way of Heavenly Secrets is divination," Zhu Ge explained. "It's not just about predicting future fortune or misfortune, but also about predicting the 'principles' of the present moment."

"Why is this road in front of you here? It's not because people built it, but because 'reason' is here."

"The mountain is here, the water is here, people walk here, and the road appears. What you are divining is not the road, but the principle between the mountain, the water, and the people."

He pointed to a mountain peak in the distance.

"Why is that mountain there? Not because of tectonic movement, but because 'reason' is there."

"The power of heaven and earth gathers at that one point, and the mountain rises. What you are divining is not the mountain, but the power."

The six elders looked at each other, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Zhu Ge smiled and said, "It's okay if you don't understand. I'll demonstrate for you."

He closed his eyes, his scholarly aura surging, and three copper coins twirled in his palm.

The hexagram appears.

That is the reflection of the "principle" of all the mountains, rivers and streams within a radius of a hundred miles in the hexagram.

The undulations of mountains and rivers, the course of streams, and the flow of spiritual energy—all are contained within the hexagrams.

"Thirty miles to the southwest, there is a spiritual vein." Zhu Ge opened his eyes: "It is of medium spiritual grade and not long, only three miles."

But the spiritual energy is very pure, so it can be used to grow spiritual herbs.

One person suddenly stood up: "Really?"

"You'll see when you go and see for yourself," Zhu Ge said with a smile.

The black-bearded giant vanished in a flash.

A moment later, he returned, his expression shifting from doubt to shock.

"There really is a spiritual vein!" he exclaimed. "Master Zhu, how did you figure that out?"

"I told you, this isn't something that can be calculated," Zhu Ge shook her head. "It's something that I sense. The principles of mountains and rivers are there; I sensed them, and that's how I knew."

The six people fell silent.

Their gazes toward Zhu Ge shifted from doubt to awe.

It's not about revering his cultivation level, but about revering his "Tao".

This technique is amazing!

"Next, I will teach you how to sense the principles" — Zhu Ge continued to explain in detail.

The six listened attentively; some closed their eyes to try, while others frowned and pondered.

After she finished speaking, Zhu Ge didn't urge them on. She just sat quietly on the bluestone and waited for them to digest the information.

About half an hour later, the big man with black beard and black hair was the first to open his eyes, a hint of understanding flashing in them.

"I think I—I feel it," he whispered.

"What did you feel?" Zhu Ge asked with a smile.

As expected of someone with high cultivation, they learn very quickly.

That's normal, after all, one can learn by analogy.

"I feel it—the wind." The black-bearded elder exclaimed, "Not the wind blowing on my face, but the wind of heaven and earth."

"It is flowing, from east to west, from north to south; it is breathing, inhaling and exhaling, the heavens and earth are breathing."

The others also opened their eyes one after another and shared their thoughts.

The six then stood up and bowed deeply to Zhu Ge, saying, "Thank you, Master Zhu."

This bow was sincere.

"You're welcome." Zhu Ge waved his hand. "You paid with the Yuan artifact, and I taught you the Dao. We're even."

The six of them smiled, rose into the air, and disappeared into the sky.

As Zhu Ge watched their retreating figures, a strange feeling welled up inside her.

The feeling of preaching is great!

It's not about giving orders from a superior position, but about exchanging ideas on an equal footing.

He shares his insights with others, and they gain inspiration from his sharing.

This feeling is very satisfying.

"Master, you're amazing!" Liu Jianjian rode over on her horse, her eyes sparkling.

"What's so impressive about it?" Zhu Ge smiled. "I'm just sharing what I know. You all should learn from me!"

"That's impressive!" Liu Jianjian said earnestly, "Not everyone can clearly explain what they know."

"Some people know a lot but can't express it, some people can express it but others can't understand it, but you can both express it and others can understand it, that's real skill."

Zhu Ge was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "When did you become so eloquent?"

"I've always been able to talk!" Liu Jianjian proudly raised her chin, but a single strand of hair sticking up gave her away.

So it was Dao Xia who taught them — Zhu Ge is hilarious.

The carriage continued north, heading towards Chengdu.

The Shu Mountain Sword Sect and Qingcheng Alchemy Sect are behind us. The next stop is Jin Guan City—the prefectural city of Shu, the place where the Lord of Shu sits.

He didn't encounter the Lord of Yunjiang, since he hadn't passed through Yunjiang Prefecture.

Zhu Ge was quite curious about the ruler of Shu.

A person who can rule a region must be at least at the Fusion Realm, or even possibly at the True Self Realm.

What kind of person would such a person be?

"Sisi, smell this, it smells so good."

The carriage traveled north along the official road, with the mountains of Shu Road gradually receding into the distance behind. Hibiscus trees were planted on both sides of the road, and they were in full bloom at this time. Pink and white hibiscus flowers covered the branches, and the petals fell with the wind, carpeting the ground.

Liu Jianjian rode her horse in front, caught a petal, smelled it, and then handed it to Zhu Sisi on her shoulder.

Zhu Sisi glanced at her expressionlessly, took the flower petal, chewed it, and swallowed it.

Liu Jianjian's eyes widened: "Those are flowers! Not mulberry leaves!"

"It's edible," Zhu Sisi said expressionlessly. "The taste is so-so, not as good as mulberry leaves."

Liu Jianjian remained silent.

Zhu Ge smiled upon seeing this.

He was preoccupied with the affairs of Chengdu.

Chengdu is the capital of Shu, the place where Zhuge Hua'er, the ruler of Shu, was stationed.

As a female immortal of the Fusion Realm, she has been in charge of the Shu region for seven hundred years, governing it in an orderly manner, with few demons, ghosts, monsters, or gods.

Is it just that the rumors say he has a bad temper?

"I remember that the Zhuge family is a prominent family with a long history in Shu. Zhuge Cong, who is currently ranked seventeenth on the 'Ranking of the State', is a member of the Zhuge family."

Zhu Ge silently recalled in his mind.

However, all that comes to mind are some unpleasant rumors and records.

Zhuge Hua'er may have a bad temper, but she is also a kind and powerful person.

However, Zhuge Cong did not seem to be popular. Those who fought against him and lost were either killed or injured, and it was said that he had 160 concubines.

Zhuge Cong, who was only seventeen years old, had one hundred and sixty concubines!

Zhu Ge was deeply moved by this information when she first read the book.

However, Zhu Ge's private life is none of her business.

He just wanted to have a friendly spar.

"arrive!"

Let us sing our praises and look forward.

The city of Chengdu floats in the air, with several rivers flowing through it, and its style is very similar to that of Yuanyang City.

However, from the outside, Chengdu is full of lush bamboo, giving it a vibrant feel.

"How magnificent, Master!"

Liu Jianjian looked up at Chengdu in mid-air and exclaimed in admiration.

The city floated among the clouds, with several rivers flowing out from it like the Milky Way falling from the heavens, refracting seven colors under the sunlight.

The city walls were covered with lush green bamboo, the leaves rustling in the wind. The entire city looked like a giant bamboo basket. "Just like Yuanyang City," Zhu Ge said, looking at the city. "It seems to have been made by the same master craftsman."

"Master, should we fly up directly or walk up?" Liu Jianjian asked.

"Go up there."

Zhu Ge pointed to a blue stone staircase below the city.

The steps stretched from the ground all the way to the city gate, winding like a dragon, with hibiscus trees planted on both sides, their petals covering the stone steps.

The carriage stopped at the bottom of the steps, and Zhu Ge led Liu Jianjian up the steps.

The bamboo shrank to the size of an ordinary foal and followed behind, its hooves rustling as it stepped on the petals.

"This is awful." Zhu Sisi leaned on Liu Jianjian's shoulder, chewing on mulberry leaves, staring blankly at the hibiscus trees on either side.

The steps are long, but the blessing song is not in a hurry.

As he walked, he observed the details of the city.

Every hundred steps along both sides of the stone steps there is a stone lamp, with array patterns carved on the lamp posts, and faint spiritual energy flowing through them.

Every ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) on the city wall, there was an arrow tower. At the top of the arrow tower stood an armored soldier, wearing silver armor, holding a long spear, with a calm demeanor, clearly a cultivator of military arts.

"Heavily guarded," Zhu Ge thought to himself.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, they arrived at the city gate.

The city gate is tall, and the three large characters "Jin Guan Cheng" are engraved on the lintel. The strokes are as beautiful as bamboo leaves, clearly the work of a woman.

Two armored soldiers stopped them: "Who goes there?"

"Zhu Ge, I'm passing through Shu and have come to pay my respects to Lord Zhuge." Zhu Ge clasped his hands in greeting.

The soldiers exchanged a glance, and one of them turned and went into the city to report.

A moment later, the soldier who had delivered the message returned, with a strange look on his face: "The city lord requests that Mr. Zhu enter the city."

"Thank you." Zhu Ge led Liu Jianjian through the city gate.

The streets of Jinguan City are wider than those of Jianshui City, with neat bluestone slabs and bamboo groves planted on both sides, their shadows swaying gently.

There weren't many pedestrians on the street, but everyone was well-dressed and looked calm.

The people here don't seem like refugees in a chaotic world, but rather like wealthy people in a prosperous era.

"It seems that Zhuge Hua'er has indeed governed the Shu region quite well," Zhu Ge thought to himself.

The city lord's mansion is located in the city center. It is a three-story pavilion with bamboo and wood structure, with upturned eaves and corners, and is simple and elegant.

Two maids in green robes stood at the entrance of the mansion. Upon seeing Zhu Ge, they bowed and said, "Mr. Zhu, the city lord is waiting for you in the bamboo garden."

"Please lead the way." Zhu Ge followed the maid into the city lord's mansion.

They walked through a winding corridor and arrived at a bamboo grove in the backyard.

The bamboo grove is small but exquisite. A path paved with bluestone slabs meanders through the bamboo forest, with various types of bamboo planted on both sides, including purple bamboo, spotted bamboo, square bamboo, and Buddha's belly bamboo, each with a different shape, and the bamboo leaves rustling.

In the center of the bamboo garden stands a bamboo pavilion, and a woman sits inside.

She looked to be in her early thirties, with delicate features. Her long hair was tied up with a bamboo hairpin, and she wore a blue robe with a bamboo-patterned belt around her waist.

Her aura was as deep as an abyss. Zhu Ge couldn't sense her specific level of cultivation, but he could feel that she was stronger than Jian Wuxin.

"Junior Zhu Ge greets City Lord Zhuge." Zhu Ge clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

The woman looked up and glanced at him.

The gaze was neither hostile nor kind; it was simply a scrutiny, like that of a peasant woman selecting vegetables at a market.

"You're Zhu Ge?" Her voice was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Exactly."

"That celebratory song that created a new Confucian path?"

"Just lucky."

"A fluke?" The woman smiled. "A new Confucian doctrine created by luck? Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

The tone was sharp—Zhu Ge's brows furrowed slightly.

As rumored, Zhuge Hua'er's temper is indeed not very good.

"I misspoke," Zhu Ge said neither humbly nor arrogantly. "The new Confucianism was something I created after a chance encounter during the battle of Honghe Prefecture."

"Although it was a coincidence, it was the result of years of accumulation, and not just pure luck."

"Great, great." Zhuge Hua'er nodded. "That makes more sense."

She pointed to the stone benches in the bamboo pavilion: "Sit."

Zhu Ge sat down, Liu Jianjian stood behind him, and Zhu Sisi leaned on her shoulder, chewing on mulberry leaves.

Zhuge Hua'er glanced at Liu Jianjian, then at Zhu Sisi, her gaze lingering on Zhu Sisi for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"This silkworm—it's no ordinary one." A glint flashed in Zhuge Hua'er's eyes.

Zhu Ge did not respond.

Zhuge Hua'er withdrew her gaze and looked at Zhu Ge: "What brings you here?"

"I am passing through Shu and have come to pay my respects to the city lord." Zhu Ge clasped his hands and said, "I have heard that the city lord has ruled Shu for seven hundred years, and the people live in peace and prosperity. I have great respect for you."

"Admire your mother?" Zhuge Hua'er scoffed. "Are you here to flatter me?"

Zhu Ge remained silent.

He really couldn't figure out Zhuge Hua'er's temper.

You could say she's a good person, but her words are barbed.

You can't say she's a bad person; she didn't mean any harm.

"Alright, stop pretending." Zhuge Hua'er waved her hand: "You came to find me simply because you want to challenge the pride of my Shu region."

""

"My good-for-nothing great-great-grandson or something, I think his name is Zhuge Cong, is in the city. If you want to fight him, go ahead and fight him. Don't give me any face."

"This junior dares not," Zhu Ge said, clasping his hands in a fist salute. "This junior has come here to exchange a few moves with Mr. Zhuge Cong and make friends through martial arts."

"A friendly spar?" Zhuge Hua'er sneered. "You want to use him as a whetstone, don't you?"

Zhu Ge remained silent.

Zhuge Hua'er glanced at him and suddenly smiled: "Interesting. You're not hypocritical at all."

"Anyway, hit me however you want. If you kill them, so be it. These juniors are all useless anyway. They just cling to me and suck my blood. It annoys me."

She stood up, walked to the bamboo pavilion, and looked at the bamboo forest in the distance: "Zhuge Cong is at the Zhuge Mansion in the north of the city. Go there."

Zhu Ge stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Thank you for the reminder, City Lord."

Zhuge Hua'er waved her hand: "Go ahead."

Zhu Ge led Liu Jianjian out of the bamboo garden.

North of the city, Zhuge Mansion.

This mansion is even more magnificent than the city lord's mansion, covering dozens of acres, with red walls, green tiles, and upturned eaves.

Two stone lions crouched in front of the mansion gate, their eyes inlaid with rubies that sparkled in the sunlight.

Four servants stood at the entrance, dressed in brocade robes with short swords hanging at their waists. They were all at the first level of cultivation and exuded arrogance.

"Halt! Who goes there?" A servant stopped Zhu Ge.

"Zhu Ge, I've come to pay my respects to Young Master Zhuge Cong." Zhu Ge clasped his hands in greeting.

"Zhu Ge? Never heard of him." The servant sneered, "Our young master doesn't meet just any Tom, Dick, or Harry. Go away, get out of the way and stop blocking the door."

Liu Jianjian's expression changed.

Zhu Ge didn't move, but looked at the servant and calmly said, "Go and announce that Zhu Ge has arrived, and he will know."

"Report? Who do you think you are?" the servant scoffed.

Zhu Ge didn't say anything more.

He lifted his foot and gently stomped it on the ground.

"boom!!!!"

The ground shook, and an invisible wave of air spread out from beneath his feet.

The four servants were thrown into the air by the blast wave and landed on the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

Tiles from the gate fell in a flurry, shattering on the ground.

The eyes of the two stone lions, which had turned from rubies, shattered and rolled to the ground.

The aura of the second realm was not strong to begin with, but the true meaning manifested by Zhu Ge was different.

"You—you—" The servant pointed at Zhu Ge, speechless.

"Now, may we make the announcement?" Zhu Ge asked calmly, looking at him.

The servants scrambled into the mansion.

"Help! Help!"

"Run! Young master, someone has broken in!"

"That man said you're a coward and he'd rape and kill all your concubines!"

The servants cried and screamed as they fled.

Hearing the exaggerated words, Zhu Ge couldn't help but frown.

A moment later, the gates of the mansion opened wide, and a young man walked out.

He looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old, with a handsome face, fair skin, slightly upturned peach blossom eyes, and a cynical smile on his lips.

He was dressed in a golden brocade robe, with seven or eight jade pendants hanging from his waist, each of which was a low-grade Yuan-level spiritual artifact.

He was followed by a dozen or so women, each one beautiful and scantily clad, a lively and bustling scene.

"Is this Zhuge Cong?" Liu Jianjian muttered softly, "He doesn't look like a prodigy, he looks like a spoiled brat."

"Keep quiet," Zhu Ge said softly.

Zhuge Cong walked up to Zhu Ge, looked him up and down, and then smiled.

"You're Zhu Ge?"

"Exactly."

"That celebratory song that created a new Confucian path?"

"By sheer luck."

"Just lucky?" Zhuge Cong scoffed. "You know it's just lucky? I thought it was someone important, but it turns out to be just a lowly second-realm brat."

The women behind him covered their mouths and chuckled softly.