Bearing the blue sky

"Confucianism?"

Zhu Ge was taken aback, and then her expression became more serious.

He looked at the others, each with a curious expression on their face.

We keep talking about Confucianism and Taoism, but what exactly is "Confucianism"?

In reality, no one knew the difference between "immortal" and "martial arts," but the closest people to them were the teacher and Scholar Yu, so everyone was more interested in Confucianism.

"The character '儒' (Ru) is written like this."

Zhu Ge wrote the character "儒" (Ru, meaning Confucian) on the ground with a wooden stick.

In fact, the character for Confucianism was fixed as "儒" starting from the Han Dynasty in the previous life. This did not change when simplified characters appeared later. Even the seal script is a combination of "亻" and "需".

Therefore, the most basic conclusion is...

"Confucianism is something people need!"

Zhu Ge solemnly said, "This is a human being, this is a need, therefore Confucianism and Taoism are the ways that the human race needs."

What does humanity need?

"When war comes, what people need is sacrifice and protection."

"In times of peace, it is a necessity for humanity to seek the welfare of humankind and to solve the problems of survival and development for humankind."

"The spirit of 'rather die with the enemy than live as a broken jade than as a whole tile.'"

"Or they humbly serve the people, regarding the common folk around them as their top priority."

"In short, to truly understand Confucianism and Taoism, one must understand what people need."

Zhu Ge's gaze was solemn as he met the eyes of each person.

"If one misinterprets what people need as a tool for personal advancement or a method for personal gain, then one is a cowardly and pedantic scholar who fears death. Humanity will never need such a person, and therefore such a person will never be able to ascend to the Great Dao."

儒！

Whether it's Confucius's concept of benevolence or Mencius's concept of righteousness, both are very normal and profound aspects of Confucianism.

Unfortunately, as more people sought to take shortcuts and engage in opportunistic practices, Confucianism became mixed up, and its reputation was gradually tarnished.

Fortunately, this is not the previous life, and some of the pedantic ideas of Confucian scholars have not yet appeared in this world.

Judging from the performance of Mr. and Scholar Yu, Confucianism and Taoism today are indeed powerful and legitimate paths, with considerable strength and have not become corrupt or stagnant.

There are many Confucian scholars in the world who sacrificed themselves to save the people, and there are also many who, like you and Scholar Yu, protected their communities.

Nobody spends all day spouting classical Chinese phrases or engaging in empty banter; everyone is moving towards pragmatism.

Therefore, Zhu Ge also wanted to plant a seed in their hearts so that they wouldn't go astray.

"What people need, what people need..." A faint white light flickered in Yu Xiucai's eyes, similar to when he was fighting against the Bacterium God with all his might.

The other four people also showed expressions of sudden realization.

Seeing the light in Yu Xiucai's eyes, Zhu Ge couldn't help but think of the so-called "sudden enlightenment".

Could it be that he's about to break through...? Zhu Ge felt a surge of joy.

Only Ji Fuhui's eyes darted around.

"Human needs?" Little Black Egg Ji Fuhui scratched his head. "Humans need to defecate and urinate. Is that part of Confucianism and Taoism?"

When Ji Fuhui was a child, he ran around in the terraced fields every day and got very dark-skinned, which is why he was called Little Black Egg.

When he was little, Xiao Heidan was the most mischievous and naughty. Even as he grew up, his thinking became unconventional and very abstract.

The questions posed now left those who had initially gained some insights completely stunned.

Even the light in Yu Xiucai's eyes dimmed.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Duan Lei, the pot-bellied dog, punched Ji Fuhui on the shoulder. "If you don't understand, just shut up!"

Everyone had witnessed Yu Xiucai's sudden enlightenment, but then Little Black Egg ruined it all.

"I just had some doubts!" ​​Ji Fuhui, thinner than Duan Lei, winced in pain after being hit on the shoulder and clutched his arm, saying aggrievedly:

"I want to poop and pee, I want to eat and drink my fill, and I want to get married. These are basic human needs, don't you want them too?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Lei was also somewhat puzzled. Then, he scratched his head sheepishly, looked at Zhu Ge, and gave a silly smile.

Scholar Yu shook his head and sighed, "This is indeed my question as well. Zhu Ge, do you have any answer?"

Seeing this, Zhu Ge didn't take it to heart and laughed, "Clothing, food, shelter, transportation, eating, drinking, defecating, marriage... how can these not be Confucian and Taoist?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was surprised.

"These filthy things are also Confucianism and Taoism?" Ji Fuhui stared in disbelief. "Then am I studying Confucianism and Taoism every day?"

"No, what you are learning is humanity." Zhu Ge smiled and shook his head: "These are things that people need, and Confucianism and Taoism are about solving these needs."

"In ancient times, Cangjie created characters, solving the problem of language communication for us. Therefore, he is a sage of humankind."

"Leizu raised silkworms and reeled silk, Yu the Great controlled the floods and repaired rivers, and Shennong tasted all kinds of herbs—all to solve the needs of our human race. Weren't they also sages?"

These legends are not much different between the two generations, and they are stories that everyone is familiar with and passed down by word of mouth.

"Little Black Egg, look at us, we don't have many people, but there's a lot of sewage and waste piled up. If you could solve this problem one day, do you think the people would be grateful to you?"

Zhu Ge smiled and looked at Duan Lei again:

"Big-bellied dog, if you ever solve the food problem, do you think people all over the world will praise you as 'Sage Duan' when they hear your name?"

"Don't think that Confucianism and Taoism are only in books."

"Confucianism and Taoism are in the terraced fields, under the eaves, and in people's hearts."

In summary, it boils down to just a few words...

"Serve the people!"

After he finished speaking, the group suddenly realized what he meant.

"The problem of food... rice..." Duan Lei's eyes were filled with excitement:

"There must be many people in the world who, like me, are starving! If this problem were solved, how many people would no longer suffer!"

"Yes, yes!" Ji Fuhui nodded vigorously. "If we don't have to dig latrines anymore, and the latrines don't stink anymore, how comfortable will it be for me to sleep? And I won't fall into the latrine when I was little."

Sui Niang gently stroked her daughter's head and sighed, "I don't think about anything else, I just think that if I had the abilities of the Great Sage Shennong, my mother might not have died of illness back then."

Xianxian then looked at Zhu Ge: "Brother Zhu is my Confucian! Brother Zhu saved me and my mother!"

Zhu Ge smiled upon hearing this, then patted Xianxian's head: "Good girl, Xianxian."

He looked at the group and was quite satisfied.

Clearly, they understood Zhu Ge's words immediately.

If you put yourself in their shoes, you would be extremely grateful to anyone who could solve your problems.

Then Zhu Ge looked at Yu Xiucai and saw that a stronger and gentler light was shining in his eyes again, so she breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that Yu Xiucai might achieve a breakthrough because of this.

"It turns out that Confucianism and Taoism are not just found in books."

The one who felt this most deeply was actually Yu Xiucai: "No matter how neatly you write your characters or how beautifully and exquisitely you speak, it's not as good as the people on earth."

He glanced at the "Notes on Jianshan Terraces" in his hand, then at the crooked words written by Zhu Ge in the soil.

Thinking back to his previous rigid teaching style, a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

"Sir, we've taken the wrong turn." He closed his eyes, tears seemingly streaming down his face, and the book in his hand slipped to his feet.

The next moment, a surge of energy emanated from his body.

"So this is the second realm of Confucianism and Taoism: the scholar."

"A scholar must be resolute and persevering, for his burden is heavy and his journey is long..."