Confucian Cultivator Under One Person

Your Liuyun Sword is Qi, and mine is Intention. There is an essential difference between you and me, so it's not a question of who stole the other's sword. Besides, I've explained the reasoning thoroughly to you."

As he spoke, Fu Yuan couldn't help but admire in his heart that the sword energy of the Liuyun Sword was the energy of weather changes.

Precisely because of the changes in weather, the Liuyun Sword can cut off wind, rain, thunder and lightning, rain, snow, frost and dew... It's as if Fu Rong's sword energy can cut off the wind.

The aura of Master Yuan's smile can also dispel the ever-changing Ruyi Force.

The Liuyun Sword has a sense of power that can break all laws with one sword, and create all laws with one sword... I don't know if this is the power of the Liuyun Sword itself, or if Fu Yuan has realized it himself.

Master Yuan smiled and wiped his eyes, then said bitterly: "Fu Yuan, you stole my inheritance, you are seeking death!"

Fu Yuan's expression remained unchanged. He wiped the blade in his hand and said, "When I learn to circulate Qi, you will no longer be my opponent. Besides..."

Fu Yuan suddenly drew his sword and pointed it towards the sky, glaring angrily. A surge of righteousness filled the heavens and the earth, and he shouted, "Heaven and earth are my heart, my heart commands heaven and earth... Come, wind!"

A strong wind suddenly arose, whistling in the courtyard, and the debris in the courtyard was blown up by the wind and scattered everywhere.

"Here comes the rain!"

Along with the strong wind, a dark cloud quickly gathered in the sky above, followed by heavy rain. The rain did not cover a large area, only falling inside the courtyard. The courtyard wall served as the dividing line between the two distinct worlds.

"Thunder comes!"

"Crack--" A loud thunderclap seemed to explode in Yuan Shixiao's heart, making his brain dizzy. All his secretive and sneaky thoughts were dispelled by the thunderclap.

"The call is coming!"

Fu Yuan dropped the sword in his hand, and a bolt of lightning struck down, hitting the center of the courtyard, sending rubble flying and soil scattering, creating a deep pit in the courtyard.

Fu Yuan's face turned pale. He took a breath, put away his sword, and gathered his energy.

The rain stopped and the wind died down, and the dark clouds above also dissipated in an instant, and the misty moonlight began to shine again.

Yuan Shixiao was soaked all over, his hair was messy and hung on his forehead. He was stunned and had a blank expression, as if he could hardly believe what had just happened.

"What I have realized has surpassed the Flowing Cloud Sword!"

Fu Yuan threw the sword, and the Liuyun Sword spun in the air, finally stabbing in front of Yuan Shixiao: "It's just a sword. If you want it, I'll give it to you."

Yuan Shixiao looked at the Liuyun Sword in front of her, stretched out her hand and grabbed the hilt. The Liuyun Sword that she had been seeking for many years was finally in her hands, but at this moment Yuan Shixiao felt that the sword was extremely heavy, so heavy that she didn't even have the strength to pull it out.

Members of the Liuyun Sword Sect will devote all their attention to a sword, treating it as their natal sword. As long as the sword is alive, the person lives; if the sword dies, the person dies.

Yuan Shixiao arrogantly chose a piece of broken iron, because after she learned the Liuyun Sword, she had already set her goal of becoming her natal sword on the Liuyun Sword!

From the moment she entered the sect, she had already decided that the Liuyun Sword was her natal sword!

But when he really got the Liuyun Sword, Master Yuan Xiao was unable to pull it out.

Fu Yuan said calmly, "Confucianism is consistent, while Taoism is focused on the origin and unity. By locking your mind on a sword, you can gain a glimpse of countless changes. This is the essence of the Liuyun Sword.

You only see the sword, but not the myriad changes. Without these myriad changes in your heart, it is useless to hold the sword!"

Master Yuan Xiao withdrew his hand as if he had been electrocuted, wiped his eyes, not knowing whether to wipe away the rain or tears, and said hatefully: "Fu Yuan, I will not lose to you!

Tying people to an object, this kind of old-fashioned calendar is something only old-fashioned people would follow! "

With that said, he turned around and left.

"and many more!"

Fu Yuan called her, sighed, and said, "For Grandpa Liu's sake, I'll teach you a few words: Don't do to others what you don't want done to you. This is 'forgiveness', the bottom line of being a human being.

If you want to achieve something, help others to achieve it; if you want to be established, help others to be established. This is "benevolence", the upper limit of being a human being.

I hope you take care of yourself!"

Master Yuan smiled and jumped over the wall without looking back.

……

After everything was settled, Fu Yuan put away the Liuyun Sword, stood there thinking for a long time, and finally turned around and went home.

After I got home, I slept for a whole day and night. When I woke up, I didn't rush to get up, but lay in bed thinking.

Where should I go?

There is no way I can go to school. I have already experienced high school, college and work in my previous life. There is no point in going through all of this again.

Since you want to "establish your mind for heaven and earth", then go and see heaven and earth.

Chapter 21 Meeting Xu Xiang Again

Fu Yuan spent a day cleaning the house thoroughly and carefully looked at the home where he had lived for sixteen years.

Finally, he kowtowed several times in front of the portraits of his grandparents, locked the door, and stuffed the key under the eaves.

The bicycle was parked in the yard, with the luggage already tied to the rear rack. Fu Yuan pedaled and left his home without looking back.

This time, I don't know when I will return...

"Erxiao, where are you going?"

"travel."

"You don't go to school anymore?"

"Not going up."

"When will you be back?"

"Come back when you're tired..."

"..."

We said hello all the way out of the village, and after riding for more than 30 minutes, we finally got on the national highway.

Only then did Fu Yuan feel like he had taken the initiative to break the dull life. Wherever he rode, the sky was wide and the land was vast, and he felt free as the wind.

Walking on the road, even though there are cars passing by, you will feel like you are away from the hustle and bustle and embracing nature.

After buying some food on the way, Fu Yuan was not in a hurry. He rode slowly, enjoying the relaxation of his body and mind.

Be free as the wind, follow your heart and be content with whatever happens.

At night, I would just find a place sheltered from the wind, spread out my blankets and sleep, and clean up any water I came across...

……

That day, Fu Yuan washed himself in the river, collected the clothes hanging on the branches to dry, bundled up his luggage, and continued on his journey.

Not long after he started riding, a car came from behind and moved side by side with him.

The car window rolled down, revealing an old face and a handsome face.

It was Xu Xiang, whom I hadn’t seen for many years, and Feng Baobao.

Fu Yuan rode his bike slowly, looking at the two of them, and said with a smile: "It's been many years since we last met. How come you've aged so much? Sister Bao, it's been a long time since we last met. You haven't changed at all!"

Feng Baobao poked her head out from the passenger seat, looked at Fu Yuan, and said, "Your child has grown up and become very capable."

While driving, Xu Xiang said, "After I learned about your grandparents' situation, I dropped what I was doing and rushed over, only to find that you had already left home... I've investigated the matter, and for now, I can conclude that it was an accident.

Of course, the methods of the strange people are mysterious and difficult to detect, but I have recorded all the strange people who visited the village during that period and am investigating them one by one."

Fu Yuan felt warm in his heart, smiled and said, "Thank you, Uncle Xu."

Xu Xiang nodded slightly and said, "This is originally the company's business... But you, why don't you even go to school? At your age, it's time to go to school..."

Fu Yuan was not annoyed, and said with a smile: "Uncle Xu, I have already learned all the things in school. It doesn't matter whether I continue to study here or not."

Xu Xiang was silent for a moment, then said, "I thought you were going to take the civil service exam...Would you like to come to the company? Firstly, it would make your investigation easier, and secondly, you would have the opportunity to move into management."

Fu Yuan was puzzled and asked, "Uncle Xu, how did you know that I like being an official?"

Xu Xiang asked in return: "Isn't the purpose of studying Confucianism to become an official?"

Fu Yuan was silent, then suddenly asked, "Do you know the Four Lines of Hengqu?"

Xu Xiang blurted out, "Who doesn't know this? Establishing a mind for heaven and earth, establishing a destiny for the people, carrying on the lost knowledge of the past sages, and bringing peace to the world for all eternity—it's a beautiful statement, but it's a bit empty."

Fu Yuan said: "To establish one's mind for the sake of heaven and earth is the way of cultivation; to establish one's destiny for the sake of the people is the way of being an official; to carry on the lost knowledge of the ancient sages is the way of commenting on the scriptures; to bring peace to the world for all eternity is the way of fighting.

There are also careers in agriculture, travel, writing, and scientific research... Confucianism offers so many career paths, why do you think the only one is "becoming an official"?

Xu Xiang was bewildered: "Is this how the four lines of Hengqu are interpreted?"

Fu Yuanle said: "Confucius studied Confucianism and learned "benevolence", Mencius studied Confucianism and learned "righteousness", Xunzi studied Confucianism and learned "propriety"... How you understand it depends entirely on yourself.

Didn’t Lu Xun also say that it is better to have no books than to believe everything in them. Reading is not important; reading for your own understanding is what is most important!

Feng Baobao said, "This kid is very good at talking. You can't beat him in an argument."

Xu Xiang asked curiously, "So what did you learn from studying Confucianism?"

Fu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "I learned the word 'heart'. Outside of the heart, there is nothing, and outside of the heart, there is no reason."

Xu Xiang asked doubtfully, "Tell me in detail?"

Fu Yuan said: "The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao. If this could be explained clearly, Lao Tzu would not have needed to write the Tao Te Ching. These metaphysical insights are difficult to explain.

Let me give you an example. There are two students, A and B. A's family is poor, so he brings pickled cabbage and steamed buns for lunch every day. B's family is rich, so he brings delicacies from land and sea every day.

If person A has eaten person B's lunch box, will he still be able to eat pickled cabbage in the future?"

Xu Xiang nodded and said, "That's indeed the case."

Fu Yuan smiled and said, "If A had never eaten B's boxed lunch, he could still continue to eat his own pickled vegetable steamed bread and be content with himself... Only when you know can you act!

This is true for all people in the world. Only after seeing and understanding something will they be tempted and pursue profit.

Xu Xiang seemed to be lost in thought, as if he had thought of something.

Fu Yuan gestured to Feng Baobao and said, "Only when people have more knowledge will their minds become agitated, giving rise to all kinds of desires and leading to a frantic pursuit of profit... This is what is called 'people's hearts are no longer the same as they used to be.'"

But Sister Bao is not like this. Her "mind" has always remained pure and unmoved. In simple terms, she has no desires. This is the state that Taoists have always pursued, and it can be said to be the posture of an immortal!

Xu Xiang was stunned, his eyes sharpened: "Do you know Ah Wu's condition?"

Fu Yuanle said: "That's right. When I first met Sister Bao, I said, 'Concentrate your energy and be gentle, you can be like a baby.' Moreover, you haven't changed at all over the years.

The Su Wen chapter of the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine also said that people in ancient times lived to be a hundred years old and were still as active as ever... People's hearts are no longer as they were before because they are too restless and have too many desires.

Nowadays, health preservation emphasizes a pure mind and few desires. Ordinary people in ancient times lived to be over a hundred years old without much desire, let alone Sister Bao, a Qi practitioner with a "constantly pure mind"!

Xu Xiang was silent.