Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 571 Daoist Green Sheep
"What? You're leaving so soon?"

Bai Chan looked surprised when she learned that Lu Zheng and the others had come to say goodbye.

Lu Zhengdao said, "We all have things to do, and it wouldn't be good to bother you here any longer."

Bai Chan felt a little regretful upon hearing this.

The Gu King she obtained hasn't hatched yet to be shown to everyone, and she doesn't know if she'll ever see these people again.

Bai Chan then said, "I will read those books you gave us carefully, and those seeds too..."

Lu Zheng exchanged some books and crop seeds with the Bai clan, but he didn't know if those seeds would still grow well after the change of soil and water.

Bai Chan continued, "Now that I am a saintess, I can send people to find or cultivate insects that are beneficial to food crops. If I manage to raise those insects in the future, I will send some to you if I have the opportunity."

Bai Chan's status in the tribe has been elevated, she has gained some power, and she can now direct people to do things according to her own ideas.

Lu Zheng smiled slightly and nodded, "Alright. But if you're going to send something, the distance is a bit far. If you really want to send something, you can go to the Southern Border Royal City and find the Zhennan Army... and then they can pass it on to Daoist Yunxiao, who can then give it to me."

Yun Xiao, who was standing next to him, twitched his lips. He had become a transit point. How would the errand fee be calculated from now on?
Bai Chan nodded and wrote it down.

Afterwards, Lu Zheng and his companions bid farewell to the Bai clan and returned by spirit boat along the same route.

Qingwan was still piloting the spirit boat, while Lu Zheng was flipping through the thick legal documents of the previous dynasty.

Yun Xiao was a little bored. Seeing that Lu Zheng was still studying the law, he couldn't help but say, "You've flipped through this law book several times. You should have memorized it by heart. What else can you possibly understand?"

Lu Zheng, without looking up, said, "I've memorized the contents, but there are still some aspects of the power contained within this book that I haven't fully grasped. This copy is probably too old, and much of its essence has been lost..."

Yun Xiao glanced at him and said, "Are you trying to figure out the Legalist power involved?"

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "I'm a little curious about what's so special about this power."

Yun Xiao smacked his lips. "This Legalist power is actually a manifestation of the laws of heaven and earth... However, just like literary energy, spiritual power, and demonic magic, you need to have the talent to learn its mysteries and master this power."

"I haven't studied this area, so I can't give you any unsolicited advice. Besides, just take a look; why bother with such in-depth research? Young people shouldn't waste their energy like that. Why don't you read more Taoist scriptures? I'm good at that, and I can even give you some pointers!"

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "Didn't the Daoist Master say that I have a great talent for cultivating the Dao? So I don't think it's necessary to spend more time on this. I should just learn more about what I don't understand."

Upon hearing this, Yun Xiao felt a lump in his throat. Listen to what he was saying!

It's like saying, since you all have the potential to become an immortal, why rush into cultivating immortality? Try other things first...

Yun Xiao said quietly, "In all my years, I've never seen anyone as arrogant as you."

Lu Zheng remained noncommittal, but said, "I feel like I've grasped a bit of the knack. It seems I'll have to trouble you, Daoist, to find me some genuine Legalist texts, preferably the originals."

Yun Xiao's lips twitched slightly; he didn't really want to talk to him.

Lu Zheng added, "Both of the two scrolls, both of the silk scrolls, are for the Daoist to contemplate."

Yun Xiao said, "Fine, you're generous!"

The two sage's writings, in their original handwriting by Mencius, contained profound and mysterious Daoist principles, making it impossible for Yun Xiao to refuse.

Seeing that Lu Zheng really didn't have the time to learn any Taoist arts, Yun Xiao shifted his focus to Qing Yi.

He plans to teach the little one more himself, so that Qingyi won't become like Lu Zheng after spending so much time with him.

The group traveled by spirit boat, flying over thousands of mountains and rivers, until they arrived at the capital city of the Southern Frontier.

At this time, even more Zhennan soldiers had been stationed in the capital.

The area has been completely taken over by the Zhennan Army, and many new officials have been appointed, restoring order to the capital.

The army's deputy general, Luo Chong, also led his men to garrison in the palace.

When Lu Zheng and his group arrived outside the palace, they found that the bounty and reward money on the palace walls had been changed.

Some soldiers recognized Lu Zheng and his group and quickly came over to greet them.

Lu Zheng inquired and learned that the previous math problem had been solved within the deadline.

Moreover, more than one person received the reward money. In addition to the top three, several other people were exceptionally rewarded with money for answering the questions correctly.

When the people of the royal city witnessed a cultivator who was usually poor and destitute receiving a high reward, many of them were filled with envy and jealousy.

When the second question was presented, the entire population of the royal city launched a nationwide campaign to solve it.

Some people who were originally illiterate began to study diligently, hoping to get rich overnight through learning.

Lu Zheng noticed that the stone tablets along the palace wall were gone, and couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Seeing Lu Zheng's gaze, the soldier explained, "Before, too many people came here to learn to write, it was so crowded that we moved those stone tablets to a different location, created a special area, and even hired a teacher to teach them there..."

Lu Zheng nodded slightly, "I see, that's good."

Yun Xiao clicked his tongue and said, "Your method is so effective?"

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "Learning still requires talent. Some people are just driven by impulse, but as time goes on, they find they can't solve any problems, and their enthusiasm will fade away... However, during this period, it's enough for those people to learn more characters and understand etiquette and laws." Yun Xiao's eyes flashed, "You have a real knack for dealing with people!"

The soldier beside him flattered, "Young Master Lu is a man of great talent. Even the General praised him after learning about the affairs of the capital!"

The general the soldier mentioned was the commander of the Zhennan Army.

What he said was something he heard from General Luo.

The soldier then said, "Are you gentlemen going to see General Luo? I'll take you there!"

Lu Zheng and his companions then entered the heavily guarded royal palace.

Soon, Luo Chong strode over, greeting Lu Zheng and the others with a cheerful expression.

He also expressed his special gratitude for the previous locust plague.

Fortunately, Lu Zheng and the others intervened back then; otherwise, if the locust plague had reached the capital, who knows how much chaos it would have caused.

"Since the locust plague, we have also strengthened our defenses. The Southern Army camp received the news and captured some more people..."

Luo Chong said with a smile, "These things are all thanks to everyone's help!"

Luo Chong lowered his voice again and said, "Orders have come from above. We have secretly sent people to escort some criminals to the capital for interrogation, and the details of the incident have been reported. At that time, you and Young Master Lu will also be rewarded for your contributions..."

Lu Zheng and the others didn't care about this. Yun Xiao, as a Taoist master, didn't care about such merits, and Lu Zheng and the other two were not from Shu, so they didn't need to rely on such merits to do anything.

Luo Chong then asked, "Did you all gain anything from your trip to the south?"

Lu Zhengdao: "There are some..."

Lu Zheng told Luo Chong some things, but he didn't go into detail about the secrets of the Bai clan.

Luo Chong replied, "I see. If any people from other tribes come here in the future, I will have someone keep an eye out for them."

Lu Zhengdao said, "Then we'll have to trouble you, General. We have other matters to attend to, so we won't stay any longer."

Lu Zheng and his companions came and went in a hurry, continuing their journey north.

After traveling for a while, Yun Xiao took over Qing Wan's task and began to find the way to the young disciples of Qingyang Palace.

When Yun Xiao left, he brought with him many junior disciples from his sect. Every time he passed through a state, he would send one or two young disciples to the local area for training.

Those disciples all bear the Daoist marks left by Yun Xiao; it won't take long to find them.

The disciples of Qingyang Palace are all capable young people, and they have many life-saving treasures, so there is not much danger for them to train in Shu.

Moreover, if they encounter any troublesome situation, as long as they reveal their identity, they can get help from local Taoist sects or government officials.

After all, Qingyang Palace has a prestigious reputation. Even the most vicious criminals would have to think twice before risking their lives when they see a Taoist disciple with such a background.

However, it's not easy to abandon the people Yun Xiao brought out. Some of his young disciples were left in dangerous and remote places, so he still had to go and pick them up.

Otherwise, if someone gets into trouble or fails to return on time, he will have to make the trip again.

Then, they traveled along the various states of Shu, enjoying the scenery and rescuing people along the way.

After traveling and stopping along the way, Yun Xiao finally gathered all the younger members of the sect.

Seeing that all of these younger disciples were still alive and well, Yun Xiao was quite satisfied.

"Very well, now that everyone is here, let's go back to Qingyang Palace together. As for the gains you've made along the way, that's not my concern. Let's go back first and talk about it later!"

Yun Xiao waved his hand, and a group of people boarded the spirit boat and headed straight for Qingyang Palace.

On the spirit boat, apart from the last two people found, the others had already become quite familiar with Lu Zheng and his two companions, especially Xuan Lang and Xuan Li, who had worked with Lu Zheng and his group before and got along very well.

At first, many of the younger disciples thought that Lu Zheng and the others were people that Yun Xiao had recruited from somewhere. However, after seeing Yun Xiao's attitude towards Lu Zheng and the others, they felt that they had been demoted by a generation.

They assumed everyone was young, but Lu Zheng and his group were chatting and laughing with their own grandmaster...

Qingyang Palace is located in a sacred and blessed land on the outskirts of Chengdu.

The mountains are shrouded in mist year-round, with cranes soaring among them, and temples appearing and disappearing, creating a mysterious atmosphere.

A spirit boat gently landed on the ground, and a group of people jumped out of it.

Yun Xiao said leisurely, "Ah, we've finally arrived. You all go back to the sect to report first. I'll go with Lu Zheng and the others."

Upon hearing this, the group of young disciples took their leave and then went up the mountain together.

Lu Zheng looked up slightly and saw a tall mountain gate with the words "Qingyang" engraved on it.

The two large characters are written in a vigorous and elegant style, with a subtle and mysterious Taoist charm that makes them seem extraordinary.

(End of this chapter)