In the courtyard of the Qingyun Sect, sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows. The leaves of the old locust tree swayed gently in the wind, carrying a faint scent of ink—the smell of ink that the third disciple, Su She, had accidentally spilled under the tree when he returned.
As soon as they stepped into the mountain gate, they saw Xiao Chen tending to the spiritual vegetables by the vegetable garden, and Jiang Li sitting at the stone table wiping her rusty iron sword. They quickly stepped forward, cupped their hands and smiled, "Senior Brother, Second Senior Sister."
"Third Junior Brother!" Xiao Chen straightened up, a genuine smile on his face. They had only met briefly outside Qing Shi City last time and hadn't had a chance to exchange more words. "You're finally back."
Jiang Li also looked up, her red dress reflecting the sunlight, and the corners of her mouth curved up: "It's good that you're back. Master was just talking about you."
He put down the book box on his back, revealing neatly stacked scrolls inside, and laughed, "I've had enough training. If I come home any later, I'm afraid I'll be punished by my master."
The three sat around the stone table. Xiao Chen poured Su She a cup of spiritual tea, the steam rising gently, carrying a refreshing spiritual energy.
"Third Junior Brother, your cultivation has improved quite a bit during this training, hasn't it?" Xiao Chen asked curiously. He could sense that Qing Shu's aura was very special, gentle yet profound, unlike the spiritual energy fluctuations of ordinary cultivators, but rather like... an ancient book that had been accumulated over the years.
Su She held the teacup, took a small sip, and smiled, "Senior Brother is joking. I have no cultivation level."
"No cultivation level?" Xiao Chen was taken aback. Jiang Li also stopped wiping her sword and looked at Qing Shu. Cultivation progresses from Qi Refining to Spirit Transformation, then to Void Refining and Body Integration. Cultivation levels are the yardstick of strength; how could there be no cultivation level?
Qing Shu put down his teacup, his fingertips lightly tapping the stone table. A pale golden aura of literary energy appeared, outlining the character "Dao" on the stone table. The characters were strong and powerful, carrying a righteous spirit: "I cultivate the Confucian Dao, which is different from the spear Dao of my eldest brother and the sword Dao of my second sister. The Confucian Dao does not cultivate spiritual power, but cultivates 'literary energy' and 'mental state of mind.' When literary energy is sufficient, the Dao will naturally be formed, and when the mind is clear, one will be invincible. There is no such division of 'realms' as you talk about."
Xiao Chen pondered: "Confucianism and Taoism... I have heard of them, but they are rarely seen in the Four Regions nowadays. What is commonly seen now are alchemy, array formation, and weapon crafting, which are judged by spiritual power or by techniques. Confucianism and Taoism seem to be... rarely mentioned."
“Yes,” Su She sighed softly, a trace of melancholy flashing in his eyes. “A thousand years ago, Confucianism and Taoism also flourished, with the saying that ‘literature can bring peace to the country, and the pen can slay demons.’ Back then, a great Confucian scholar could determine the fate of a city with a single thought, and suppress the wailing of ten thousand ghosts with a single word. But later, the world changed, spiritual energy gradually became denser, and cultivators focused more on the power of killing. The Confucian and Taoist principles of ‘gradual progress’ and ‘carrying the Tao with virtue’ were gradually regarded as ‘useless’ and thus declined.”
He picked up the scroll on the table, turned to a page, and the words on it seemed to come alive, exuding a faint scholarly air: "In fact, Confucianism and Taoism are not useless. For example, this 'cultivating qi'—Taoism relies on elixirs, while we rely on reading, clarifying our will, and understanding principles to cultivate 'righteous qi.' Although it cannot directly kill enemies, it can purify the mind, ward off evil, and protect the spirit. When facing the invasion of inner demons, it is more effective than any heart-protecting elixir."
Xiao Chen recalled the inner demons he encountered during his breakthrough and pondered, "No wonder you seemed so composed, even when facing the pressure from the Xuan Tian Sect. It turns out you were protected by your literary energy."
“And then there’s this ‘debate’,” Su She said with a smile as he looked at Jiang Li. “Second Senior Sister’s swordsmanship is sharp and emphasizes ‘breaking’; the ‘debate’ of Confucianism and Taoism emphasizes ‘establishing’ – persuading people with reason and transforming them with the Tao. If you encounter a promising talent, you don’t necessarily have to fight and kill. If you can clarify right and wrong, you might be able to avoid a conflict.”
Jiang Li raised an eyebrow: "But what if we encounter unreasonable people? Like those people from the Xuantian Sect."
“Then let’s speak with the ‘pen’.” A sharp glint flashed in Su She’s eyes, and the literary energy at his fingertips suddenly condensed. Next to the character “Dao” on the stone table, he added the character “kill”. The characters were sharp and even carried a hint of spear-like sharpness. “Confucianism and Taoism also have ‘literary killing’, but they are not used lightly unless absolutely necessary.”
Looking at those two words, Xiao Chen suddenly understood. The paths of the four regions, though seemingly different, actually lead to the same goal—the "courage" of the spear path, the "sharpness" of the sword path, and the "righteousness" of the Confucian path are all essentially the pursuit of the "Tao," only their forms of expression differ.
"I have learned a lot." Xiao Chen cupped his hands and said, "I used to think that strength was the most important thing, but after listening to what you said today, I realized that there are thousands of ways to achieve the Dao."
Su She smiled and said, "The way of the spear of the eldest brother is to go forward without hesitation, which is also the ultimate way; the way of the sword of the second sister cuts through the illusion, which is also the ultimate way. There is no high or low in the way, the key is to stick to it."
Jiang Li sheathed her sword and revealed a rare gentle smile: "Third Junior Brother, it's a pity you don't use that mouth of yours to be a persuader."
The three men looked at each other and smiled. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on them, carrying an air of scholarly refinement, a hint of gunmanship, and a touch of swordsmanship, weaving a soft halo on the stone table.
In the distance, Lin Zhou lay on a rocking chair, squinting as he listened to the conversation, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.
One's spearmanship is like a dragon, one's swordsmanship is like fire, and one's Confucianism is like jade.
His three disciples each had their own path.
Good.
In the afternoon at Qingyun Sect, the sun was shining brightly, and the spiritual tea on the stone table was still steaming. Xiao Chen was chatting with Su She about local customs and culture.
During his recent training trip, Su She traveled to villages throughout the southern region and witnessed many of the people's hardships. As he was discussing how to appease the people with Confucianism and Taoism, Lin Zhou came out of the house, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.
"Master." Xiao Chen and Su She quickly stood up and bowed respectfully.
Lin Zhou waved his hand, sat down on the stone bench, glanced at Su She, and asked casually, "What did you gain from this experience?"
Su She held the book and bowed, saying, "This disciple has traveled to all thirty-seven villages in the Southern Region, witnessing the displacement after the war and the simplicity of the countryside."
Having come to the realization that "Confucianism and Taoism are not found in the study, but in the world," I understand that if literary talent is confined to writing, it loses its foundation; one must enter the world to cultivate true magnanimity.
When he spoke, his brows showed less of the youthful naiveté of a scholar and more of the composure that comes with experience in the world. Although his scholarly air was faint, it was several times more solid than before, like a clear spring that had settled over the years.
Lin Zhou raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips: "Not bad, it wasn't a wasted trip. Knowing how to learn from experience is better than just blindly studying books."
He turned to Xiao Chen and said, "Eldest disciple, go cook. Add some stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat; your third junior brother loves this."
"Yes," Xiao Chen replied, turning and walking briskly towards the kitchen.
Only Lin Zhou and Su She remained in the courtyard. Lin Zhou didn't ask any more questions about the training, but instead pointed to the old locust tree in the corner of the courtyard: "Look at this tree, it has been rooted here for hundreds of years, it can't be blown down by the wind or damaged by the rain, it doesn't rely on how tall it is, but on how deep its roots are."
Su She was taken aback, then suddenly realized, and bowed, saying, "Disciple understands. Master means that Confucianism and Taoism, when preaching, should be like this tree, first taking root in the hearts of the people, rather than just talking about grand principles."
"Hmm, not too stupid." Lin Zhou fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan and said no more. Some truths are best left unsaid; once you understand them, they're yours to keep. Saying too much only becomes a hindrance.
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