Yinshan Record

Chapter 35 The Four Directions of the Righteous Domain
Hundreds of years ago, during the end of a dynasty, the world was in chaos.

Furthermore, Buddhism and Taoism flourished, and countless people worshipped Buddha and Taoism and believed in deities.

Even among prominent families, many were devout Buddhists and Taoists.

After all, for a large clan, the most important thing is that the family line does not fall into disgrace; as for the specific methods of cultivation, they are actually secondary.

At that time, there was a scholar in Guanzhong named Hengqu. Witnessing the great chaos of the world, he was heartbroken and believed that the disease of the world did not lie in the rampant spread of Buddhism and Taoism, but in the closed-mindedness of Confucianism.

At that time, Confucian learning was all family-based. It was passed down from father to son, and from son to grandson. Even when outsiders were occasionally brought into the school, they were either outstanding talents who were far superior to others, or relatives and friends by marriage.

Mr. Hengqu abhorred this behavior, so he started a private school and taught at home, and the practice of teaching gradually arose.

Thus arose the four-sentence precept of Zhang Zai, encouraging Confucian scholars to establish a moral compass for Heaven and Earth, dispelling the falsehoods of Buddhism and Taoism; to establish a destiny for the people, practicing benevolence and righteousness to save all people; to continue the lost learning of the past sages, not hesitating to break with sectarian views, drawing on a wide range of sources in learning, and teaching without discrimination; and to create peace for all generations, promoting the Confucian lineage and saving the world to achieve peace.

Various academies sprang up one after another, each offering a wide range of Confucian traditions. Renowned teachers generously shared their secrets with their disciples. Students were not divided into different classes; as long as you were willing to come and could afford the small tuition fee, a path awaited you.

The martial arts and Confucianism lineage gradually flourished.

Among the four great academies, Bailudong Academy considers itself to be the successor to the lineage of Master Hengqu and holds the four sentences of Hengqu in the highest esteem.

When the page heard Su Che recite the four lines from Hengqu, he laughed until tears streamed down his face.

“Young master, I’m sorry, but it is indeed funny to hear the four sentences of the sage spoken by you.”

The young page shook his head and then asked, "When did you start to doubt me?"

"To be honest, I can't remember the details of what happened three months ago."

Su Che was telling the truth. When he arrived to take over the situation, he was in the carriage of the wife of the Ministry of War official, holding a purple silk sash and chuckling strangely.

Then he got a beating.

The details of the entire incident are indeed lacking.

"However, what I realized was problematic later was that when I proposed to take up an official post in another region, my family's attitude was surprisingly welcoming."

The Su family of Duling followed the Northern Expedition of the Great Liang Dynasty in the previous generation, and almost the entire family was wiped out. Only the one in the palace remained from the previous generation, and only the three brothers Su Che remained in the next generation.

Given this situation, even if Su Che is crippled, the Su family of Duling must not be allowed to leave.

Staying at home to breed and have babies, wouldn't that be wonderful?
"So I made a deduction at the time: perhaps the aftermath of my previous misdeeds had not yet dissipated. At least in the eyes of my elders, it would be safer for me to leave Jiankang than to stay there."

"You've discerned the true intentions behind this; you're quite cunning, young master."

That uncle lives in the palace, so his information network is definitely extensive.

Since he made such a judgment, it means that what happened to him at that time was definitely not as simple as a group of chivalrous young men passing by and acting out of chivalry.

"The second thing that deepened my doubts was whether the rewards I received when I left Jiankang were really useful to a severely wounded cripple."

After the incident, he obtained quite a few things. For example, the elixirs in the palace, the spirit-sealing rope sent by Huang Tiandao, the ancient sword stored in the sword box, and so on.

"These things clearly convey a sense of compensation."

Faced with his situation, the best course of action for the Su family would be to first administer as many life-saving and healing elixirs as possible, and then select an excellent teacher to help him catch up on his cultivation.

That's it. What do the younger generation want? Nothing more than skills and a promising future. As for external things like ancient swords, elixirs, ropes, and ancient books...

Is it important for someone who is seriously injured and can hardly cultivate?

In a sense, it can be said to be completely useless.

"Moreover, these things have an interesting commonality. If it's for subduing demons and monsters, it can be considered a great weapon. But let's not even talk about it, against a Confucian master who has mastered martial arts, or even if you really run into a few mountain bandits, it's completely useless."

The ancient sword in the box is a relic of a previous generation of swordsmen; it can automatically fly out and kill demons upon encountering them. However, this divine object is kept hidden, and I am not yet qualified to wield it.

Huang Tiandao's Supreme Sealing Spirit Divine Object is fine for bullying demons and ghosts like little foxes that have split into Yin spirits, but if it really encounters mountain bandits, its effect is probably not much different from that of a hemp rope.

"Isn't this a bit deliberate? And to be honest, the world is in chaos right now. Along the way from Jiankang to Shanyin, apart from a few demons and monsters, I didn't even see a single bandit. The Liang Dynasty is indeed peaceful and prosperous."

"All of the above has led me to a conclusion. My previous experience may have been the result of manipulation by a certain force. And the relationship between this force and the Duling Su Clan is very ambiguous. So they only targeted my personal future, but did not intend to harm my life. In fact, they even wanted to comfort me after everything happened."

"Therefore, I believe that everything before was a scheme by the imperial court. It's just that you were the one who traveled with me later. This has led me to a new deduction."

The pageboy listened quietly, and upon hearing this sentence, he smiled again.

"Do I have any questions?"

"A man of exceptional talent should not be relegated to the status of a spoiled brat." Su Che looked at this man and said, "Don't you think you're far too far from being a mere page?"

"Hahaha, indeed, indeed." The page boy twirled his hair with his fingers. "I do look down on you somewhat. But my origins in White Deer Cave, that must have been something someone else told you, right?"

"When I requested to take up an official post elsewhere, the Ministry of Personnel gave me seven counties to choose from. I imagine those seven counties already had your spies, so it wouldn't really matter which county I chose. Besides, as long as you're by my side monitoring me, there shouldn't be any problems." "This person possesses more spiritual energy than yin energy; it's probably not some yin entity, but rather a manifested demon. Young Master Su, I spared your life out of consideration for your Su family's loyalty to the court, yet you've colluded with demons. Alas, what should we do?"

The pageboy slowly pressed his right hand onto the Tianzhu acupoint on the back of his neck, exhaled his true energy, and forced out a fine needle about an inch long.

As soon as the golden needle was inserted, the pageboy's appearance immediately changed. He grew taller segment by segment, his joints became larger, and his face also changed.

Most importantly, he exudes an aura of determination; the young scholar already possesses a heroic spirit that says, "Even if there are thousands of people, I will go."

"Golden Needle Body-Changing Method?"

The little fox next to Su Che muttered something under its breath.

"Hey, hey, hey, you've met your match this time."

"That's exactly what should be meant."

Everything was exactly as I expected.

"Young Master Su is indeed meticulous. Gu Yin of White Deer Cave, now we have officially met."

Gu Yin's hair was loose and flowing over his shoulders. The little page's clothes were stretched taut by his body. He was six feet tall with a handsome face. If he were dressed differently, he could be considered a dashing young gentleman in this turbid world.

"Brother Gu's style is comparable to mine."

Although they were on opposing sides, Su Che still offered him a sincere compliment.

“You’re too kind, sir. If it weren’t for our different statuses, it’s not impossible for us to become friends. You’re right, it was indeed a setup we set up before. As for me, I was there to accompany you to your post. You can think of it as surveillance, but also as a form of protection for you.”

It was only natural that someone be sent to accompany and monitor him after he left Jiankang.

There are just too many ways to monitor a person in this world, and I never expected that the White Deer Cave would use such an ancient method.

Close surveillance.

With such a powerful force, is it really that difficult to establish such a powerful means as "seeing the earth and hearing the heavens"?

"When I received my mission from the sect leader and the young master, I was quite puzzled. Why bother with all this trouble when I could just kill someone like you with a single sword strike? When we first started traveling together, I only thought about finding a remote place to kill you and settle the score."

Are all the disciples of the academy like the various constables in Water Margin?

"Later, judging from your style of doing things, you were not an incorrigible person, so I did not take action. But today it seems that you are indeed good at disguising your collusion with demons, and you even fooled me."

Gu Yin's aura grew stronger with each passing moment.

"However, it's better to be lucky than early. If I kill you here today, I won't have to worry about not having an explanation when I see the sect leader and the young master in the future."

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Yin had already leaped over like a hawk swooping down on a rabbit.

The Martial Scholar lineage begins with cultivating Qi. At the beginning, it is not much different from ordinary martial artists. However, after reaching the seventh rank, the cultivation sequence changes, and various variations arise from the original cultivation method.

Gu Yin was born in Bailudong and was proficient in Confucian martial arts. His cultivation had reached the seventh-grade innate realm, and he could change the wind and thunder with his movements.

He swung his palms in a wide arc, unleashing the "Zhengyu Sifang Palm" technique. The first move, "Ancient Emperor's Mandate," was majestic and righteous, with overlapping palm shadows like waves.

Su Che stepped back, using techniques from the "Mirage Sword" to slide around, moving like a ghost, avoiding the layers of palm shadows.

"Young Master's progress is so fast. In just a few days, it seems that you have already stepped onto the edge of the ninth rank of sword cultivation. What a pity, what a pity."

Gu Yin pressed closer: "Unfortunately, you have transformed your sword technique into movement technique, lacking the invincible sword spirit of a sword cultivator like myself, making it difficult for you to escape this calamity."

The little fox let out a long howl, and the white shadow transformed into a whirlwind, sweeping Su Che backward.

Upon closer inspection, two more Su Ches appeared in the alley.

"Illusion?"

The top disciple of Bailudong chuckled and then circulated his palms again.

The palm shadows split apart, and layers of qi surged like the tides of a blue sea, stretching endlessly.

Su Che and Qing Qiu could only dodge repeatedly.

“That’s interesting. That makes more sense. If you’re going to collude with demons, then you should act like you’re colluding with demons.”

Gu Yin smiled lightly: "My palm techniques are exactly what the ancient sages meant by vanquishing demons from all directions. Using them on you is just the right time, just the right time."

The headmaster of Bailudong Academy was the same person as the academic leader, and this term is also a common way to address the headmaster of an academy. The origin of this term is Bailudong. This book is a historical compilation, so it places Mr. Zhang Zai (Zhang Ziyi) in a earlier era.

Thank you everyone.

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(End of this chapter)