Confucian Cultivator Under One Person

Du Xiaozhai was also surprised and asked, "Is this Zhang Chulan's true strength?"

Fu Yuan shook his head, stood up and said, "Don't you realize that Zhang Chulan's mentality is his strongest point? He made such a fool of himself last night, but he adjusted his mentality in a very short time."

Du Xiaozhai nodded thoughtfully.

Some people, if they behave a little bit like a clown, will feel uncomfortable for a long time. As long as they come into contact with other people's eyes, they feel that others are laughing at them. They even dare not go out... This is a bad mentality.

There are also some people who can hold a grudge for several years if someone offends them slightly. Even if others have long forgotten about it, they still remember it. This is pure mental exhaustion and they are too narrow-minded.

In the final analysis, this is all just being hard on yourself.

Zhuangzi once told a story, which goes like this: When you are rowing a small boat in the river, if an empty boat hits you, you will not get angry even if you have a bad temper.

But if there is a person on that boat, you will yell at him loudly. If he doesn't hear you after you yell once, you will yell at him again and again and use bad words to insult him.

This is Zhuangzi's "Empty Boat Theory", emptying oneself to travel the world and taking advantage of things to wander the mind.

Don't be too self-centered, selfish, or self-righteous. If a person is always self-centered and takes himself too seriously, it is easy to conflict with others.

Let go of egocentrism, don’t take yourself too seriously, regard others as “empty ships”, do not judge right or wrong, and live in harmony with the world.

……

"Contestants enter!"

As Fu Yuan stepped onto the field, he heard shouts from the stands: "Fu Yuan! Fu Yuan! Fu Yuan..."

Across from him, the young Taoist priest Wang had no burden at all and said with a smile, "He's quite popular!"

Fu Yuan acted very relaxed and said, "Master Wang Ye, what shall we compete in?"

Wang was also stunned for a moment: "What else can we compare?"

Better than eating steamed buns!

Fu Yuan was amused and said, "Let me make it clear first, I'm definitely not good at boxing and kicking. If I really matched your Tai Chi skills, I think you could beat me from one end of the arena to the other."

Wang Ye paused for a moment and said, "You're kidding! How can you be so exaggerated? Your swordsmanship is so sharp, I was worried that you would chop me in two with one strike!"

Fu Yuan shook his head and said, "I'm not exaggerating. I've never practiced martial arts. If we really fight, it's almost like a street fight. As for swordsmanship... unfortunately, I just fed this sword last night. It's full of killing intent right now. If you're not careful, it's easy to cause an accident."

Seeing Fu Yuan's frankness, Wang Ye was helpless and said, "Then tell me, what should we compete in?"

Fu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "You know, what I practice is different from what you practice... How about we discuss our respective methods?"

Wang was also confused: "Theory? Methods?"

Fu Yuan simply sat down on the ground and said, "You sit down too."

After Wang Ye sat down, Fu Yuan asked, "Master Wang Ye, what do you think the 'Dharma' is?"

Wang Ye finally understood what Fu Yuan meant. He immediately calmed down, thought for a moment, and said, "Your topic is quite broad. From a narrow perspective, 'law' can be a method or a skill. From a broader perspective, 'law' can also be a set of concepts or a template, such as Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism... From an even broader perspective, 'law' is a set of rules..."

Fu Yuan smiled and said, "Then what is 'law' for heaven and earth?"

Wang Ye was silent. He looked at Fu Yuan, as if he wanted to ask something, but finally gave up and said, "The changes of all things must always follow certain laws. This is the "law" of heaven and earth!"

Finally, it comes to the end!

Fu Yuan nodded and said, "A person can survive and grow by eating food and breathing. This is the Dharma. The wind can blow up leaves, various trees can grow on the mountains, and lightning can fall from the sky. These are also the Dharma!"

The Law of Heaven and Earth is also the law that governs the changes of all things in the universe... "Law" is the root, and change is the "branch." Does Taoist Wang Ye agree with this statement?

Wang Ye stared at Fu Yuan for a long time, then smiled and said, "No, in my opinion, the 'Dharma' is the root, that's true, but change is not a 'branch', but a phenomenon manifested by the root 'Dharma'!"

Fu Yuan smiled and said, "Whether it's a branch or a phenomenon, in short, you and I both agree that the "Dharma" is fundamental. The Dharma is everywhere. As long as you can feel it, touch it, and comprehend it, then you possess the magic."

So the question is, are the magic spells cast by strangers the laws of man, or the laws of heaven and earth?"

Wang was also stunned, frowned and thought for a long time, finally stretched out his hand and raised his fingers.

The soil between the two people suddenly bulged up, and then surged up, and a pillar of soil rushed out from the ground.

There was silence in the stands at first, followed by an uproar:

"Warlock?"

"This Wudang Taoist priest is actually a sorcerer?"

"It's so well hidden!"

"When was the Qimen Plan set up?"

"..."

Inside the stadium, the two of them completely ignored the discussions in the stands.

Wang Ye lifted the earth pillar, looked at Fu Yuan, and said, "Use your own Qi to set up a strange gate, find the direction within the game, and determine good and bad luck... This is both the law of man and the law of heaven and earth!"

"Is it?"

Fu Yuan chuckled and spat out a word towards the stone pillar: "Disperse!"

The earth pillar suddenly collapsed and turned into a pile of broken soil, scattering down.

Wang Ye's eyes widened immediately, and he raised his hand again, unconvinced: "Li, Fire!"

A cluster of flames suddenly ignited on the top of the mound, and a heat wave immediately rolled in.

Fu Yuan uttered another word: "Destroy!"

The flame went out with a "puff".

Wang Ye was completely dumbfounded and stared at Fu Yuan blankly.

Fu Yuan explained, "I use my own will to enforce the laws of Heaven, so naturally my words carry the will of Heaven... The question is, do you think I can destroy mountains or sever rivers with a single word?"

Wang also shook his head and said, "If that were the case, you would have become an immortal long ago."

Fu Yuan smiled and said, "Now tell me, is what I am judging the law of heaven and earth, or the law of man?"

Chapter 72 Pretending to be an Elephant

In the view of Confucianism, there are two heavens, one is the heaven of nature, and the other is the heaven of righteousness and reason. Apart from these, there is no third heaven!

However, whether it is the "natural heaven" or the "moral heaven", it must be used for "daily human relations".

Heaven has bestowed upon it the great principles of nature, to regulate human relations. This is Heaven's principle.

The sage knows the Way of Heaven. Knowing this and acting on it is righteousness. Acting on it at the right time is virtue. This is Heavenly Virtue.

Only the way of a gentleman can be sought near and implemented from afar. Do you really think that "controlling heaven and using it" is just talk?

……

In the stands, when Wang Ye condensed the earth pillar, Zhuge Qing's expression was relatively calm, he just confirmed his guess.

But when Wang Ye used "Lihuo", Zhuge Qing's expression suddenly changed. He rushed forward, grabbed the edge of the stands, and looked in disbelief.

Wang Ye and Fu Yuan were sitting cross-legged without moving at all, but Wang Ye used "Gen Earth" and "Li Fire" in the same position one after another!

It is true that other spells can be used in the wrong direction, but they will never be as easy as Wang Ye's, with no backlash and no reduction in power!

This has completely overturned Zhuge Qing's cognition!

……

Inside the arena, Wang Ye's gaze paused on the mound between the two of them. After a long moment, he said, "What I do is human law?"

Fu Yuan did not answer, but changed the subject and told a story: "In Ji Xiaolan's "Notes from the Yuewei Thatched Cottage", there is also a story about Qimen magic..."

The gist of the story is that the Confucian Song Qingyuan went to visit a friend's house. His friend was a sorcerer who used dozens of stools to set up a strange trap in the yard as if to show off. At night, a thief came in and wandered around the yard all night without getting out of the trap. He was not caught until dawn when he was exhausted.

Later, this friend wanted to pass it on to Song Qingyuan, but Song Qingyuan declined on the grounds that he was "dedicated to serving the great sage Confucius and had no intention of learning these unorthodox methods."

The friend could not help but sigh: "Those who wish to learn it cannot pass it on, and those who can pass it on are unwilling to learn it. Will this art eventually be lost?"

In fact, to put it bluntly, Confucianism looks down on this unorthodox approach.

After finishing the story, Fu Yuan said seriously, "In the Qimen Bureau, if one cannot practice the laws of heaven and earth, but only the laws of man, it will ultimately be nothing more than a side door and tasteless chicken ribs!"

Dozens of stools were used to set up a strange situation and trap a thief for a night. It seems magical, but if so many stools were used to hit the thief, he would have been killed early.

If this happens on the battlefield, using manpower to set up this kind of strange situation, just imagine that the number of people involved in the arrangement alone is enough to crush the opponent.

There's also a "Bamen Porter" system within the Qimen Bureau. How heavy can something be moved by manpower? Wouldn't it be easier to just walk over and carry it?

For example, the earth pillars Wang Ye had just built and the flames he had ignited could also be done with human power. It just took a little more time. Not only could the earth pillars be built higher, but they could also be shaped into shapes. If more firewood was collected, the flames could burn even bigger...

Seeing Wang Ye remained silent, Fu Yuan continued, "I heard that the Zhuge family's Qimen magic was passed down from Wu Hou. Taoist Wang Ye, do you think Wu Hou follows the laws of man or the laws of heaven and earth?"

Wang Ye blurted out, "Nature is the law of heaven and earth."

Leading one hundred and twenty people to the Seven Star Altar to perform rituals, he was able to reverse the celestial phenomena and borrow the east wind. If this is not the law of heaven and earth, what is it?

The upper limit of Qimen magic is very high, and it can practice the laws of heaven and earth, but the lower limit is also very low, and it cannot exceed human power.

Fu Yuan lowered his voice and said, "I have seen your strange technique before. That is the true way to travel the world."

Wang Ye widened his eyes and looked at Fu Yuan in disbelief.

Fu Yuan smiled and said, "Since Taoist Wang Ye has chosen to leave the mountain, he must be prepared to be drawn into the vortex. If you want to do your work well, you must first sharpen your tools. If Taoist Wang Ye can no longer practice the laws of heaven and earth within the sect, it would be better for him to return to the mountain as soon as possible!"

Wang Ye sighed and said, "I finally understand. You're here to give me advice. Why would you give me advice for no reason?"

Fu Yuan did not hide it and said, "I want to do something and need help. Your Qimen technique is just right, but it's a pity that you haven't fully comprehended it yet."

Wang Ye asked curiously, "Didn't you say you've seen other people use my unique magic? Why don't you ask him for help?"

Fu Yuan said: "He won't help me!"

The tone is not one of speculation, but of affirmation and determination!

Wang Ye looked at Fu Yuan. Gradually, his expression changed and turned pale. "What are you going to do?"

Fu Yuan said with a smile: "Did you tell the divination?"

Wang Ye shook his head repeatedly and said, "What you are going to do has such a huge impact... How can I possibly get an answer!"

"So do you want to participate?"

Wang Ye was about to shake his head, but then he realized that he had already made a decision. He finally sighed and said, "At least let me know the general idea of ​​what you want to do, right?"

Fu Yuan raised his hand, pointed to the sky, and said, "Some people want to control all living things, but I don't like having a lid on my head."

Wang Ye suddenly realized: "No wonder... just because you don't like it, you want to do such a big thing?"