Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 633 Thriving
Pingcheng, Wei Kingdom.

Pingcheng is located near the northern border of the State of Wei and was once the capital of Wei.

Many years ago, the Wei emperor ordered the capital to be moved, and this place gradually declined.

However, Pingcheng remains the most prosperous city in northern Wei, home to many powerful and influential figures, as well as several well-known Buddhist temples.

After a long and arduous journey, Huiming finally arrived in Pingcheng.

He didn't know many powerful figures in Weidu, but he did know some people in Pingcheng.

Huiming tidied himself up and hurried to the most luxurious mansion in the city to pay a visit.

The Huaiyang Prince's Mansion was the residence of Prince Yuanzhong of Huaiyang in Pingcheng.

Prince Huaiyang, Yuan Zhong, is a member of the royal family of Wei and the half-brother of the current emperor of Wei. He is a prince with real power.

Huiming only waited a short while before being invited into the mansion.

After passing through many doors, Huiming arrived at an elegant garden.

Inside a jade-renovated pavilion, a middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes sat with a string of jade prayer beads in his hand.

Yuan Zhong glanced at Huiming and waved with a smile, "It's Master Huiming! You've come at the perfect time. I was just pondering a line from a Buddhist scripture..."

Huiming quickly went up, put his hands together in a gesture of respect, and then sat down next to Yuanzhong.

The two talked about Buddhism there for quite a while.

Huiming was almost hoarse from talking, so he finally found a break and changed the subject.

"I recently went to the Northern Region. This trip broadened my horizons. I even met a disciple of a sage."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Zhong became curious and asked, "Who is the disciple of a sage?"

Huiming said calmly, "It is Lu Zheng, the disciple of the Sage of Anguo."

"Lu Zheng?"

Yuan Zhong thought for a moment and quickly remembered such a person, "Lu Zheng? When did he become a disciple of a sage?"

Huiming's eyes flickered, and he couldn't help but ask, "It's widely rumored that this boy has been taken under the wing of the Anguo Literary Sage. Is that just a rumor?"

Yuan Zhong chuckled and said, "Seeing is not necessarily believing, let alone rumors. He merely received literary energy from the sage. How could he have become the sage's disciple? Anguo has never acknowledged it."

Others may not know, but he is well-informed.

Recently, he has read many newspapers from Anguo, which contain official articles and reports from Anguo.

Some of these stories promote Lu Zheng's deeds, but none of them mention him as a disciple of a saint.

This shows that Yuan Zhong knew that some of the rumors were just exaggerations.

Yuan Zhong suddenly asked again, "How did you encounter him in the Northern Region?"

"It was by chance that this humble monk passed by Green Locust Mountain, where the Locust King was holding a birthday banquet..."

Huiming slowly described what he had seen and heard.

Yuan Zhong found this rather strange. "The person you're talking about, is it really Lu Zheng? He actually has the ability to kill a demon at the peak of the Transcendent Realm?"

Huiming said, "It's absolutely true. To be honest, I don't quite believe it myself, but he cultivated a righteous spirit and openly admitted his identity. There were tens of thousands of witnesses present at the time... Unfortunately, I didn't understand exactly what methods he used to kill Huai Jun. I suspect he used a powerful weapon given to him by someone else..."

Yuan Zhong fiddled with the prayer beads, clicking his tongue in amazement, "Interesting! This kid can cause trouble wherever he goes!"

When he was bored, Yuan Zhong would have people search for interesting stories from all over the world and tell them to him.

He had heard many stories about Lu Zheng, some true and some false.

Yuan Zhong was not surprised to learn that Lu Zheng had killed Huai Jun.

Speaking of which, Lord Huai had sent him quite a few gifts, and it's a bit of a pity that he was killed so easily.

Yuan Zhong looked relaxed, but showed no regret whatsoever.

Huiming continued, "This boy didn't leave after slaying the demons, but stayed to implement benevolent policies in the area. Now he governs thousands of miles of territory under Lord Huai's rule, and demons and ghosts submit to him, and all races are loyal to him... This humble monk sees that this person has grand ambitions. That area is close to the border of our Great Wei, so we must be wary of it..."

Upon hearing these words, Yuan Zhong raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly, saying, "Master, you are very kind."

Huiming clasped his hands together and said slowly, "This humble monk is a Wei citizen, so it is only natural that I should consider more things for the Great Wei."

The two chatted for a while longer in the pavilion.

Huiming felt that it was about time, so he got up, said goodbye, and left.

Yuan Zhong did not try to stop him, and remained lying there lazily, his eyes deep and gleaming.

Huiming often associated with certain figures in the Northern Region, and he was well aware of this.

Yuan Zhong didn't need to think too much about it; Huiming's visit was probably at someone's request, and his words shouldn't be taken at face value.

"Lu Zheng, with a strong sense of righteousness... His actions are no different in other countries, but in a place like the Northern Region..."

Yuan Zhong murmured softly, his mind racing.

"Someone is coming..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than guards appeared.

Yuan Zhong said quietly, "Go to Xin Sect and ask Master Mingxin to go and see Lu Zheng and investigate this boy's background. But never mind, let's wait a bit longer, there's no rush."

Yuan Zhong grinned. "No rush, no rush, why should I be in such a hurry? Let's wait a bit longer. Good things come to those who wait."

Yuan Zhong didn't think Lu Zheng's actions in the Northern Region would have any impact on the Wei Kingdom, considering he was just a young man.

He decided to let Lu Zheng cause more trouble and just watch the show.

Yuan Zhong believed that it wouldn't be long before a lot of treasure would be delivered to him.

Perhaps Huiming brought money, but just hadn't taken it out earlier. Yuan Zhong's eyes flashed with a cunning light.

……

As time passed, news of Lu Zheng's killing of Huai Jun spread rapidly throughout the surrounding area.

The deeds of the various demon kingdoms, both large and small, along the northern border of Wei and the neighboring northern regions were passed down orally.

Moreover, after the rumors went through several rounds, many different versions emerged.

Rumors circulated that Lu Zheng was carrying out a massacre, indiscriminately killing anyone with money or power, regardless of whether they were human, demon, or ghost.

What, they'll even unite with the human dynasties to destroy all the demon kingdoms...?

Some rumors even portray Lu Zheng as more terrifying than man-eating demons.

Lu Zheng paid no attention to the various rumors circulating around him.

He is currently focused all his energy on governing the region he temporarily controls, and is extremely busy. He has no time to pay attention to the slander and rumors against him.

It was just a bunch of flies buzzing around.

……

On the vast mountains and fields, a flock of birds came riding on the clouds.

The leader, with her alluring figure and captivating charm, was none other than the enchantress Hu Qing.

After returning to her sect, Hu Qing told her sisters about some things.

After discussing it, everyone decided to organize a group of people to go and take another look.

It's possible that Lu Zheng won't be able to stay in this place, or won't be able to manage it well, and will choose to leave.

Hu Qingyao looked ahead, her eyes flashing with an unusual light.

There was a city in sight. According to the division, that city was now under Lu Zheng's administration and was considered a city near the edge of the territory.

"Huh? That city seems different from before?"

Among the women who came with Hu Qing, some had sharp eyes and quickly noticed the anomaly.

The women all looked over and saw that the demon city they remembered had expanded considerably.

The city appears to have expanded significantly, with many buildings being demolished.

Outside the city, several straight, wide, and flat roads lead into the distance.

Along the main road are vast farmlands, where all kinds of crops thrive.

There are also some new workshops built around the city, and people can be seen coming and going, busy at work.

Hu Qing blinked, thinking she was seeing things and had taken the wrong path.

She remembered that the last time she passed through this place was less than a month ago.

How come this place has changed so much in the blink of an eye?

Could it be because of Lu Zheng? Hu Qing wondered.

The changes here are indeed due to Lu Zheng.

Having experience in the construction and management of Taiping City, Lu Zheng understood that the productivity of some mechanical processes in the world was lagging behind, but there were cultivators and monsters.

Based on the principle that cultivation and spiritual attainment are productive forces, under Lu Zheng's strong leadership, all the local sinful people, demons, and ghosts had no choice but to work desperately to accelerate the construction of the entire area.

The changes here today are the result of those people working day and night, risking their lives.

Not only here, but in other places as well, earth-shattering changes are taking place.

Hu Qing looked surprised and quickly led her people to take a look at the city first.

The group arrived outside a city wall and saw many eye-catching characters posted on the wall, describing various rules and requirements, as well as other content.

Besides the prominent large characters, there were also corpses hanging on the city wall, clearly intended to intimidate.

The women watched from outside the city for a while before heading into the city.

Hu Qing couldn't help but remind them, "Let's go in and take a look. Everyone, please follow the rules!"

Having had contact with Lu Zheng before, Hu Qing knew his character and conduct very well. If anyone were to cause trouble here, he would likely chase them to the ends of the earth to seek revenge.

All the women dutifully registered before they were allowed to enter the city.

Upon entering the city, the streets were clean and tidy, and the pedestrians were well-dressed and all had smiles on their faces.

The sound of reading aloud came from nearby; the voices could be heard from men and women, young and old.

Curious, Hu Qing and her group went over to take a look and found a wide square where someone was teaching people to read and write.

The square was full of people, mostly children, and even some little demons who hadn't yet taken human form, babbling along.

Hu Qing glanced over and saw a little white fox wagging its tail and babbling.

Some kids gathered under the parasol, diligently studying along with the others.

No one around seemed surprised; they remained focused and unaffected.

"Next, I will teach you mathematics. Mathematics is a profound and complex subject. If you can master it, even if you are an ordinary person who cannot cultivate, you can become a great person..."

"Because everything in this world can be calculated, such as how high the sky is, how thick the earth is..."

The old man who was telling the story spoke eloquently, first attracting everyone's interest, and then he started teaching from the simplest things.

Hu Qing and the others listened with curiosity and were surprised to find that there was even some content they had never learned before.

(End of this chapter)