Chaotic Times and Disasters: I Hunt Down Martial Arts Masters and Become a God

The hall was quiet for a moment, then erupted into chaos.

The civil officials on the Jingguo side looked at each other in dismay; some gasped in shock, while others frowned and shook their heads.

Zhao Qianzhi jumped to his feet, his beard trembling.

"Your Highness! The debate over whether a white horse is a horse is an age-old sophistry of the School of Names. Master Gongsun has studied this subject for many years at the Kangguo Confucian Academy. General Fu is merely a military man who has never studied the School of Names. It is unfair to test him with such a topic!"

He turned to Ling Yushu, bowed deeply, and said, "Your Majesty, I believe this topic is inappropriate!"

Ling Moxie put down her teacup, her voice somewhat cold.

"Master Gongsun is a learned scholar. Is it appropriate for him to debate a military general on a topic he is most proficient in, within his own field?

She looked directly at Yunnan and said, "General Fu is a meritorious official of my country, not an applicant for admission to your Kangguo Confucian Academy."

The civil officials of Jingguo in the hall echoed his sentiments, and Yu Fu, who was sitting next to Fu Qing, was so angry that his face turned red. But his father, Duke Yu Guangtian of Han, reacted even faster.

The burly, bearded old duke stood up from his seat, reached into his nose with one large hand, and then pointed towards Yunnan with the finger he had just used to pick his nose.

"Your Highness Yun! What you've done is utterly despicable! I, Old Yu, have heard of the 'white horse is not a horse' debate before; it's a centuries-old, unsolvable problem!"

"What's the difference between letting Master Gongsun bully Fu Qing and letting me, Old Yu, bully a three-year-old? Isn't it just using your superior knowledge to bully someone who's never been to school? I, Old Yu, can bully a three-year-old too. How about we have a debate about my martial arts?"

Upon hearing this, several military officers in the side hall couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Yu Fu quickly tugged at his father's sleeve, "Dad, take your finger out of your nose first..."

Gongsun Ming's expression was not good. He stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Yu Guangtian, and spoke in a stiff tone.

"Lord Han is mistaken. The study of masters emphasizes rigorous logic. Since General Fu was able to compose a timeless masterpiece like 'Qinyuanchun,' he must have profound knowledge and experience. How can he be compared to a three-year-old child?"

"I, Lao Yu, never said Fu Qing was a three-year-old!"

Yu Guangtian pulled his hand out of his nose, his voice growing louder.

"What I'm saying is that it's unfair to test someone who hasn't studied anything you've researched for years! It's like asking Fu Qing to compete with you in swordsmanship; Fu Qing could cleave you in two with a single stroke!"

Gongsun Ming's lips twitched, and he was about to retort when Yunnan Zhi raised his hand to stop him.

The Kang Kingdom princess's gaze never left Fu Qing from beginning to end.

The side hall was in an uproar. Zhao Qianzhi was protesting, Ling Moxie was mocking, and Yu Guangtian was cursing, but Fu Qing remained seated, holding a cup of tea, with a calm expression.

Yunnan looked at him and suddenly spoke, "General Fu, what do you think?"

All eyes turned to Fu Qing once again.

Fu Qing put down his teacup, stood up, looked around at everyone, then glanced at Yunnan Zhi and chuckled softly.

"No need to change it, just argue about this one."

He placed the teacup on the table, walked to the center of the side hall, and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Gongsun Ming.

"Mr. Gongsun, please."

The side hall fell silent again. Zhao Qianzhi stood there with his mouth agape, while Ling Moxie's eyes flashed with surprise.

Yu Guangtian's finger, which was picking his nose, froze in mid-air. He turned to look at Yu Fu.

"You've recognized this brother too early; he's crazy."

Yu Fu dropped the chestnut in his hand with a "thud" to the ground. He stared wide-eyed at Fu Qing's retreating figure. "Brother Fu, do you know what 'a white horse is not a horse' means?"

"Know."

Fu Qing didn't even turn his head. "So you're saying a white horse isn't a horse? I'll make him take back what he said today."

Gongsun Ming sneered, stood up, walked to the center of the hall, and put his hands behind his back.

Yunnan Zhi chose a debate topic that he was best at. He had studied the topic of "white horse is not horse" at the Kangguo Confucian Academy for more than ten years and could talk about it for half an hour with his eyes closed. All the great Confucian scholars of the past had failed on this topic. How could Fu Qing, a border soldier, possibly win?

He cleared his throat,

"General Fu, please listen."

He began his discussion with the famous scholar Gongsun Longzi's "On the White Horse," progressing logically step by step.

"The word 'horse' is used to describe its form; the word 'white' is used to describe its color. However, describing color does not describe form. Therefore, it is said that a white horse is not a horse. General Fu, please listen carefully—the word 'horse' only defines the form, while the word 'white' defines the color."

"The term 'white horse' defines both its shape and color, while 'horse' only defines its shape. Therefore, 'white horse' and 'horse' are two different concepts. Since they are not the same thing, a white horse is not a horse. This is one point."

He spoke as he walked through the hall, his finger gesturing in the air.

"Secondly, one should seek a 'horse,' either a yellow or black horse is acceptable; but one should seek a 'white horse,' neither a yellow nor a black horse is acceptable. If a white horse is a horse, then seeking a white horse is no different from seeking a horse... General Fu, this is a theory refined through countless trials by renowned scholars and sages. How do you refute it?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a low murmur arose in the side hall.

The scholars from the Kangguo delegation exchanged smiles. Gongsun Ming's argument was flawless, separating the white horse from the concept of "horse" from its connotation to its denotation. The logical chain was tightly linked and there were no loopholes.

Sweat beaded on Zhao Qianzhi's forehead as he spoke softly to Sun Zhongwen beside him.

"I have read Gongsun Ming's argument countless times in the library of the Ministry of Rites, and every time I find it impeccable."

Grand Secretary Sun Zhongwen stroked his beard without saying a word, while Ling Moxie's gaze fell on Fu Qing, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Fu Qing stood in the center of the hall, arms crossed, listening to Gongsun Ming's long speech from beginning to end. He then slowly asked, "Does Mr. Gongsun own a white horse?"

Gongsun Ming was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled.

He debated the question of whether a white horse is a horse with countless challengers at the Kangguo Confucian Academy, and every challenger started with this question.

He calmly replied, "I do indeed have a mount, pure white, named 'Snow Steed,' but what does that have to do with the topic of debate? A white horse is not a horse; the debate is about concepts, not physical objects. If General Fu wants to use a physical object to refute the theories of the School of Names, I'm afraid..."

"It's related."

Fu Qing interrupted him, "Mr. Gongsun, if you say a white horse isn't a horse, then isn't your snow steed a horse?"

"Alas, that's incorrect. Xue Cong is a white horse, not a horse," Gongsun Ming said without hesitation.

"it is good."

Fu Qing nodded, then called out towards the outside of the hall, "Someone! Go to Master Gongsun's stable and bring him his snow-white horse!"

The people inside the hall looked at each other in bewilderment—what was going on?

Gongsun Ming also frowned.

Ling Yushu, seated on the dragon throne, nodded slightly, and two guards left.

...

A moment later, two imperial guards led a pure white steed to the entrance of the side hall.

That horse was indeed beautiful, with long hooves, and it snorted as it stood at the palace gate.

Fu Qing walked to the white horse and patted its neck.

"Mr. Gongsun, your white horse is right here. Now I ask you, if someone offered you a black horse in exchange for your snow-white steed, would you trade it?"

"Of course not! Xue Cong is my steed, a white horse. How could I possibly trade it for a black horse?"

Gongsun Ming raised his voice, "The black, white, and yellow horses are not Xue Cong, which precisely proves that a white horse is not a horse..."

"Then you just said, 'What I want is a snow-white horse.'"

Fu Qing turned around and looked at Gongsun Ming. "Mr. Gongsun, you just used the word 'horse' yourself. You said you wanted a white horse, not a white 'non-horse,' but a white horse. You yourself used the word 'horse' on Xue Cong."

Gongsun Ming opened his mouth, then froze.

"You say that a white horse is not a horse, but every action you take acknowledges that Xue Cong is a horse. The reason you care that black horses and yellow horses cannot replace it is not because 'a white horse is not a horse,' but precisely because it is a horse that you have raised for many years."

"Otherwise, it's just a 'non-horse white thing,' a symbol that can be replaced at any time, so why do you care so much?"

Fu Qing loosened the reins and walked up to Gongsun Ming, looking him directly into the eyes.

"You can separate a white horse from the concept of a 'horse' on paper, but in reality, do you have a stable specifically built for your white horse? If so, does the sign on that stable say 'Stable' or 'White Horse Stable'?"

When you shoe your snow steed, do you tell the blacksmith you want "white horseshoes"?

A suppressed chuckle rose from the side hall.

Gongsun Ming's forehead was covered in sweat. He opened his mouth to refute, but found that his logic was flawed.

He could not deny that he did indeed regard Xue Cong as a horse, because the logic of every action pointed to "Xue Cong is a horse" rather than "Xue Cong is a non-horse white thing".

Fu Qing gave him no chance to catch his breath. "Mr. Gongsun, the School of Names is the pinnacle of logic, but there is a chasm between logic and reality. You can use logic to prove that a white horse is not a horse; that is your skill."

"But you can't use logic to stop yourself from putting a horse coat on Xue Cong on a rainy day, because you know perfectly well in your heart that Xue Cong is just a horse..."

"When you put the saddle on it, do you trust the living, breathing horse in your hand, or the 'non-horse' concept in your mind?"

Gongsun Ming trembled slightly, then slowly lowered his head. "I... have lost!"