Bearing the blue sky

Chapter 308 Retreat

The words are not surprising and die endlessly.

The first thing Zhu Ge did upon waking up was to oppose that high-ranking New Year's Eve official!

The New Year's Eve Official, who holds the reins of the state and ranks above all other officials!

Zhu Ge's first words stunned everyone, and his subsequent words made everyone present feel their hearts clench.

How dare they pressure the New Year's Eve official like this?

"Hahaha, good! Big brother is right!" The Annihilation True Lord laughed loudly, "That's right! What is a vote by officials? If everyone in the world voted, I would have no objection!"

The words of the Annihilation True Monarch seemed to remind everyone.

"good!"

Shanwu Linfu stood barefoot on the ground, upright and full of vitality: "My Yunjiang people have guarded the southern wilderness of Yue and Myanmar for generations. Whom you choose, at least ask me!"

After he said this, a phantom behind the New Year's Eve official was suddenly startled.

"Bold Lin Fu! Get out of my way!" The phantom was muscular, and although it was just a phantom, one could vaguely sense the fluctuations of the Fusion Realm emanating from it.

"The Lord of Yunjiang?" Lin Fu raised an eyebrow. "Instead of staying in your wooden mansion by Dianchi Lake cultivating your water skills, you've come here?"

The so-called Lord of Cloud Frontier was about to speak again when he was interrupted by another person.

"Our Shushan Sword Sect supports Zhu Ge." His sword stood proudly, his expression arrogant: "Even if I don't call the shots for the Shushan Sword Sect now, I will call the shots for the future!"

His words echoed in the night sky, carrying a youthful certainty, as if he had rehearsed them many times in his mind, and spoke them without any hesitation.

The official's gaze swept over him, not lingering for long, as if assessing a blade that was not yet fully grown.

It's neither so bad as to ignore it, nor so bad as to require an immediate response.

But this statement is like a pebble thrown into water; the ripples are spreading outwards.

"My Yunjiang people have guarded the southern wilderness of Myanmar for generations. When choosing a candidate for the Cold Snow Official, you should at least ask me!" Lin Fu, still barefoot on the grass, spoke again.

She wasn't tall, but when she stood there, the land behind her seemed like an extension of a mountain range.

Her voice pierced through the illusory figures suspended in mid-air, reaching everyone's ears with an almost stubborn seriousness.

The phantom of the Lord of Cloud Frontier seemed to want to say something, but after opening his mouth, he ultimately remained silent.

Another person stepped out from the crowd.

He was a tall, thin young man wearing a faded blue robe and a long sword hanging at his waist, with a pale blue jade inlaid in the scabbard.

He walked slowly, but each step was steady, as if he had walked this road many times before and didn't need to pay attention to the path beneath his feet.

"Liu Chengfeng?" Someone recognized him.

Liu Chengfeng stopped and looked up at the figures in the sky. His voice was neither loud nor soft, but it was particularly clear because of the surrounding silence: "I don't represent anyone else, I only represent myself. I think there's nothing wrong with Zhu Ge becoming the Cold Snow Official."

No sooner had he finished speaking than another voice came from the side of the crowd.

"Then I'll speak for my father's generation." Tieshan, carrying the thick iron rod, grinned and said, "The Tie family has been miners for three generations. Logically speaking, since Xia Shuguan is in charge of all the gold and iron in the world, our Tie family should listen to him."

"However, even after Xia Shuguan has been in charge for so many years, the miners' lives haven't improved much. I stand with Zhu Ge."

Xia Shuguan's gaze fell on him, he glanced at him, and said nothing.

"Shu Frontier, Zhuge Family." A clear voice came from not far away.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Zhuge Cong who was speaking, with Zhuge Yu standing next to him.

That reclusive genius who never appeared in the world, yet whose strength surpassed that of Zhuge Cong.

Zhuge Cong glanced at the figures floating in the air and said casually, as if he were talking about something insignificant: "I represent myself, my brother, and the next generation of our Zhuge family."

"The selection of Han Xueguan should not be decided by one or two people. I support Zhu Ge."

Zhuge Yu did not speak, but simply nodded slightly. The gesture was very subtle, but everyone present saw it.

The official's gaze swept over those who spoke, as if counting their numbers or weighing their importance.

None of those who spoke up could stand against him alone.

But when he brought their voices together, they were no longer scattered pebbles, but rather like a river that had begun to flow.

"Is there anything else to say?" the New Year's Eve official asked.

"I speak for myself." The star stood atop the mountain, his expression indifferent: "I will not go against my own principles and beliefs; if something is wrong, it is wrong."

He was handsome and dashing, with flowing clothes and hair, and his whole body radiated a kind of brilliance, as if heaven and earth and the great Dao were revolving around him.

Most importantly, although he said he only represented himself, he and Liu Chengfeng were different.

Liu Chengfeng was truly almost entirely alone, while behind the star was a massive sect standing in the southeast.

He said he represented himself, but as the number one prodigy of the Wuyishan Jiuqu Tianyou Sect throughout history, the sect's esteemed leader valued him more than himself.

The fact that he can stand here represents the opinion of that powerful person.

"Is the Nine Turns Heavenly Wandering Sect planning a rebellion?" Chu Xi Guan narrowed his eyes.

The celebrity glanced at the New Year's Eve official indifferently, without saying a word.

Yuan Shentong then spoke up: "Ji Bonan, the Great Sheng Dynasty's enduring strength is not solely due to you—"

Yuan Shentong addressed the New Year's Eve Official by his given name, but when he spoke, the New Year's Eve Official showed a hint of respect on his face.

"Sir, most Confucian scholars in the world today are corrupt and decadent. I respect only you." Ji Bonan, the New Year's Eve official, became solemn and bowed for the first time: "If you help me, sir, you will be the head of the three schools of academies, academies, and academies, and a role model for all Confucian scholars in the world."

"Whether you respect me or not is none of my business, nor is it related to the right or wrong of your actions." Yuan Shentong was very young, but he looked like an old farmer, with dark and rough skin, except for his bright and piercing eyes.

He strode up to Zhu Ge, his muddy legs rolled up, and looked Zhu Ge over with interest before bowing deeply: "This student greets Master Tianji."

Seeing the third-ranked prodigy on the "Society Ranking" bowing to him, Zhu Ge was still somewhat surprised: "How can this be? I don't accept disciples, I only sell courses."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding air momentarily froze.

Even the New Year's Eve official in the sky was stunned for a moment.

Selling—selling courses?

Liu Jianjian felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

The True Lord of Annihilation blushed slightly, but his expression remained largely unchanged.

"Selling...selling courses?" Yuan Shentong froze for a second before reacting, then clapped his hands in praise: "Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!"

Zhu Ge smiled and nodded. Then, he bowed to the surrounding geniuses, the audience, the New Year's Eve official, and the officials from all over the country behind him, saying, "I sell courses. As long as you can afford it, I can personally teach you. The courses are divided into master level, elite level, and ordinary level. The price is different for each level. For example, in the master level, I will personally teach and answer your questions. It also includes the application of formations in the Yi Dao, which is the Feng Shui Dao. Then, the Tianji Dao is the second great Dao in the Yi Dao."

"If it's the elite level, I'll only give the lecture once, without any Q&A service, although there will be two questions."

"The standard level, on the other hand, offers instruction in either Feng Shui or Tianji Dao, without including any Q&A or explanation services."

Zhu Ge explained the song aloud to everyone.

After much deliberation, he finally decided on two branches for the Yi Dao.

The secrets of divination, and the principles of feng shui related to formations, timing, location, and human factors.

They also devised a tiered sales plan.

As for those who bought the course before, they basically got the standard version price and the master version service.

However, at that moment, the official Jingzhe spoke up.

"absurd!"

She raised her eyebrows and scolded, "You're no businessman! At this crucial moment, you're playing the fool?!"

"Screw you."

Before Zhu Ge could speak, the Annihilation True Lord immediately launched into a tirade: "You were originally in charge of agriculture, but after the Holy Emperor's death, you created a pretext to substitute taxes for farming. You're the real Merchant True Lord, aren't you?"

The two exchanged insults, which left the people practicing business ethics behind the New Year's Eve official looking embarrassed.

"That's enough!"

"New Year's Eve official said softly."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Great Dao trembled within a radius of a thousand miles, and an invisible power spread out from his body, instantly silencing all sound for a thousand miles.

"Zhu Ge, Zhu Ge—" On New Year's Eve, Ji Bo Nan looked at Zhu Ge below, slowly savoring the name, and then said, "I heard you're going to Shengjing?"

It seemed to be the first time he had truly looked at Zhu Ge properly.

Zhu Ge smiled without saying a word.

At the very least, this New Year's Eve official wouldn't dare kill a prodigy who had created a new Confucian path in front of all the human officials.

Since the True Lord of Extinction and the Official of New Year's Eve seem to have a deep conflict, Zhu Ge is not afraid of offending them.

"I see." Seeing that Zhu Ge did not answer, Chu Xi Guan withdrew his gaze, muttered to himself, and then turned around: "Since that's the case, a year is not a long time. I will wait for you in Shengjing, and wait for the Annihilation True Lord."

"When the appointed time for you and the other person arrives, I will treat you to a proper meal."

After saying this, he returned to his carriage, and his entourage took off and flew away into the distance.

After the New Year's Eve official's carriage disappeared into the night sky, the sky, which had been filled with golden rays of light and civil and military officials, seemed to have a curtain lifted, revealing the true colors of the night sky once more.

The stars in the sky are scattered sparsely, but clearly, like an old painting that has been carefully wiped clean.

The illusory figures suspended in mid-air faded away one by one, like ink stains blown away by the wind, their edges gradually blurring, and finally completely blending into the night, leaving no trace.

The air felt lighter. The feeling of being oppressed by multiple atmospheres was like a knot that had been tied up for a long time being untied.

The grass blades stood upright again, and the wind could now pass smoothly through the open space without having to take a detour.

The remaining prodigies around them all started to move.

Liu Jianjian exhaled, her shoulders slumping slightly, as if she had finally released the tension she had been holding in, and her whole body felt as if most of its weight had been relieved.

She turned to look at the carriage—Zhu Ge was still standing on the carriage shaft, maintaining the same posture as when she was talking to the New Year's Eve official, without moving.

"Is this...is this the end?" Liu Jianjian walked over and asked.

"It's over," Zhu Ge sighed. "At least tonight."

His voice was low and deep, as if he had just woken up, but it gradually warmed up in the night breeze, like a stone that had been warmed up slowly losing its coolness.

Liu Jianjian didn't ask any more questions. She stepped back to the carriage and called the snow wolf back.

The True Lord of Annihilation was still leaning against the shell of that giant tortoise, not getting up.

His gaze returned from the direction where the New Year's Eve official had disappeared, and he glanced at Zhu Ge, as if he wanted to say something, but then felt that it was not appropriate to say it now.

So he just smiled at him, like someone who had seen it all and was waiting for the people around him to come to him.

"Second brother, please wait a moment." Zhu Ge jumped down from the carriage shaft, kicking up a thin layer of dust as his feet touched the ground.

After he stopped, the first thing he looked at was Yuan Shentong and Mingxing, who were standing not far away.

Yuan Shentong was still barefoot.

He was wearing a faded old shirt with the cuffs rolled up above his forearms, and his exposed skin was tanned slightly by the sun, making him look unlike someone who sits indoors all year round.

His posture was casual, as if he had paused in his own yard for a moment and was about to turn around to do the next thing. But his gaze did not waver, carrying a careful, serious look, as if he were examining a piece of land that had just been turned over.

"You don't take on disciples, you only sell courses," Yuan Shentong said. "That's a very good idea."

"What's so good about it?" Zhu Ge asked with a smile.

"Fortunately, it's very clear," Yuan Shentong said. "Those who want to learn know how to learn, and those who don't want to learn won't feel they owe anything."

He paused, as if remembering something, and his gaze shifted slightly to the distant fields: "In the past, some people in the village wanted to learn farming from me, but they were afraid of owing me a favor, so they were too embarrassed to ask."

"Later I said, 'Don't be shy, help me till a row of land, and I'll teach you how to read the solar terms.' That way they won't feel indebted."

"It's a transaction," Zhu Ge said. "It's fair."

"Fairness is an easy word to say," Yuan Shentong said, "but there aren't many people who can truly be fair. I had several issues of the newspaper you made sent to the village. Several literate people in the village took turns reading it aloud to everyone, and they all listened very attentively."

"Do they understand?"

"Some understand it, some don't quite, but they'll write it down, and when someone reads it to them again later, they'll gradually understand," Yuan Shentong said. "Some people will remain silent for a long time after hearing the sentences you write. After a long silence, they'll be able to understand some things."

Zhu Ge did not respond.

Yuan Shentong didn't say anything more, he just nodded, as if he had said everything he needed to say: "Then I'll go back first."

""

"Go back where?"

"Let's go back to the village," Yuan Shentong said. "We've been away for several days, and the fields can't be left unattended."

He turned and walked towards the fields, his pace slow and deliberate, each step firm and steady, as if he were someone accustomed to long journeys and didn't need to speed up.

"Aren't you going to buy the course?" Zhu Ge shouted.

"You can buy it when you get to Shengjing," Yuan Shentong's voice drifted over.

Zhu Ge watched his figure disappear into the night.

Yuan Shentong actually only wanted to become his apprentice and support him; he had no intention of fighting him at all!

"What a pragmatist!" Zhu Ge exclaimed, turning around to face another approaching figure.

The man's steps were steady, each step firm and grounded, as if he had been walking on this land for a long time.

He stopped in front of Zhu Ge and spoke without any pleasantries or preamble, as if he had walked directly to where the conversation had begun.

"I also want to learn the principles of the I Ching."

The celebrities stared intently: "Master version!"

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