Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 546 Impossible
Tian Jiu watched Gao Yan disappear, then continued flipping through the book of poems.

Compared to the beautiful poems and essays written by the students of Jixia Academy, he preferred these newly published classic poems, whose content was closer to the human condition and more impactful.

Moreover, these are all works that can be passed down through the ages; the only pity is that most of them are forbidden poems...

Before long, Tian Jiu finished reading the entire booklet, his rough fingers stroking the pages, still somewhat unsatisfied.

Tian Jiu sighed regretfully, "Even after searching all over the country, I still can't put together a complete collection of poems!"

A hint of mockery flashed in Tian Jiu's eyes. "These days, the various academies have ultimately become tools of the dynasty, guardians of imperial power, and cannot tolerate dissenting voices!"

Tian Jiu looks down on most of the Confucian and Taoist scholars who are active in the world today, feeling that they lack Confucian spirit and are mostly people who strive for fame and fortune.

Many people have read countless classic texts by sages and saints, but how many have truly learned from them?
Just then, a peasant woman from the village brought a kettle to serve Tian Jiu some tea.

Tian Jiu said softly, "Go and call Yanzi from the city over."

Upon hearing this, the peasant woman quickly responded and then hurriedly left.

A moment later, a small black dot descended from the sky; it was a swallow as black as ink.

The swallow gracefully landed and instantly transformed into a girl in black.

"Meet the master!"

Tian Yan knelt down to pay her respects, her pretty, aloof face filled with reverence.

Tian Jiu said leisurely, "Get up! Have you made any new progress on that Confucian and Taoist compiler you were asked to investigate?"

Tian Yan said in a low voice, "Returning home, Master, there's no new news coming back yet."

Tian Jiu said, "There are countless people in this world looking for that person, or rather, that group of people. Just now, even the Grand Master Gao from the Jixia Academy came to ask me for help."

Upon hearing this, Tian Yan quickly replied, "Then I will send more men..."

“We should send more people,” Tian Jiu said slowly. “I’m also very curious about who did such a thing, causing all the countries in the world to be silenced. To dare to compile such a collection of poems, that person’s audacity is beyond measure!”

Tian Yan whispered, "We suspect it might be related to the previous dynasty. Someone is trying to incite unrest among the nations in order to seize something..."

Tian Jiu chuckled and said, "Remnants of the previous dynasty? Hundreds of years have passed, how much trouble can they still cause? Such classics cannot be written by just anyone. Are there any among them who have that ability?"

Tian Jiu's eyes were deep as she said softly, "Couldn't there be one person, or a group of people, who genuinely speak out for the common people and all living beings in the world?"

Tian Yan lowered her head. "What does the patriarch mean?"

Tian Jiu said unhurriedly, "Now that all the countries and academies in the world are keeping quiet and the entire classic is unavailable, and the other side hasn't reacted much, it means that their strength is not high enough and they don't have much power, so they won't easily reveal themselves. At least the person who compiled the book should not be a great Confucian scholar, or even a Grand Scholar..."

“Go and investigate the Confucian and Taoist scholars who have made rapid progress in the past two years. They may be practicing the Confucian and Taoist arts of Heaven and Earth, and are not subject to official appointments by academies or Confucian temples…”

"He's probably still a young man!"

Tian Jiu paused, then grinned and said, "If you find the person, do not disturb him. Inform me immediately. If necessary, cover for him and don't let other forces know."

Tian Jiu is a martial artist and a businessman. His intuition tells him how to make choices that will maximize his profits.

It's rare to find such a unique Confucian and Taoist scholar in this world. He even felt that someone would cause an even more astonishing stir later.

This upheaval that could shake the world was something he was curious about and eager to hear.

Tian Jiu suddenly remembered something. "I heard that Anguo has implemented reforms, and in some places, the people have been exempted from taxes. Is this an attempt to win the hearts and minds of the people? My Great Qi..." Tian Jiu sighed inwardly. Although he was the head of the Tian family, he didn't have much say in the court.

Tian Jiu said leisurely, "This year's harvest is not bad. Let's exempt the people who are dependent on my Tian family from 20% of their taxes."

A 20% tax is already a lot, and the Tian family still has many people to support.

If a family pays one less bushel of grain, it would be enough to make those people grateful, let alone a 20% tax reduction.

Upon hearing this, Tian Yan couldn't help but exclaim, "The patriarch is so kind!"

Tian Jiu waved his hand, "There are plenty of people in this world more kind than me. Go and get on with your business!"

Tian Jiu knew that he couldn't be considered kind-hearted; he just had a higher bottom line than some people and wasn't as hypocritical.

……

"Tsk, looks like you've come to some insight!"

Yun Xiao noticed that the color of the golden bead in Lu Zheng's hand had dimmed not long afterward.

Lu Zheng looked at Yun Xiao and said, "I sensed the power of Legalism, a power of words, containing a special aura, similar to, yet different from, the literary spirit of Confucianism and Taoism..."

Yun Xiao smiled slightly and said, "Our human race created writing, which is in harmony with heaven and earth and contains a trace of extraordinary power. Later, the various schools of thought used writing and books to promote their own doctrines, so of course they have something in common."

Yun Xiao raised his hand, spiritual energy flowing from his fingertips, and wrote a mark in the air, like a bolt of lightning.

"This is an ancient character, 'thunder,' like a bolt of lightning between heaven and earth. No matter what one cultivates, if one can trace this character with one's own aura, one can transform it into thunder..."

"You compiled an enlightenment book, so you should be able to understand some principles."

"As writing has evolved, many characters have been simplified, mainly to make it easier for ordinary people to read. As a result, ordinary characters are less effective when used as magical symbols."

Yun Xiao casually wrote more than a dozen different versions of the character "雷" (thunder).

Each word instantly transformed into a wisp of purple lightning, exploding with varying degrees of power.

"Actually, it's not much different. There's no need to learn so many characters. I mainly learned a little in order to study thunder magic."

Yun Xiao stroked his chin and said, "Uh, I seem to have gone a bit off-topic. Anyway, all the laws of the world, whether the great or the small, are ultimately based on the same principle: harmony with heaven and earth. You just need to understand that the words you write are another manifestation of the power of heaven and earth..."

"You are currently at the fifth realm, and the next step is the sixth realm, the Profound Realm. Let me explain these things to you so that you can avoid some detours."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Daoist Master."

Yun Xiao said leisurely, "It's not really about giving guidance. You're naturally intelligent, and I reckon you can figure it out even if I don't explain it."

Yun Xiao paused, then asked, "Do you still need to learn the true essence of Legalism now?"

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "I still want to see."

Yun Xiao clicked his tongue and said, "You haven't satisfied your curiosity yet? This Legalist path can't lead to the Great Dao. Reading so much won't be of much use."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but ask curiously, "What if someone cultivates the Great Dao of Legalism?"

Yun Xiao glared and said, "How is that possible! Don't get your hopes up, kid! That's absolutely impossible!"

(End of this chapter)