Sword comes

(I wish you all a happy Lantern Festival and a prosperous Year of the Dragon~)

Chen Ping'an of Haoran Tianxia and Luopu Mountain of Aquarius Continent have become a battleground for military strategists.

Just like the majestic city and town known as the backbone of the world, no matter how powerful your situation is, you still cannot bypass it.

If you want to know the answer to the riddle, you must ask this mountain and this person.

The old scholar was worried and distressed. He twitched his nose and sniffed, as if he had opened a military book and smelled the thick smell of gunpowder. What should he do?

The matter was of great importance, so Xiao Mo and Xie Gou immediately rushed to the yard, and heard the old scholar quietly reminding: "Xian Yang, remember, don't act impulsively."

Liu Xianyang deliberately said with a stern face: "Don't worry, the executioners will wait for the cup to be smashed as a signal before they kill people."

Xie Gou admired Liu Xianyang's composure. This guy really had a broad mind and was very generous.

Jiang She came when he was told to, and beat him when his own mountain master told him to. He is not a polite person.

It's annoying to come to someone's house empty-handed. You guys, on the other hand, not only don't take the opportunity to make friends, but you act like debt collectors. How should this mess end? Xie Gou was so angry that he couldn't help but glance at Wu Yan. The latter smiled apologetically as a good friend, saying, "I'm sorry for causing trouble for you, fellow Taoist."

The old scholar laughed in silence and patted Liu Xianyang's arm, "Don't always feel like you owe Chen Pingan something."

In the private courtyard of the acting mayor of Lingxi City, the female cultivator Wu Yan was in the most awkward situation. When she first boarded the ship, she might have been considered half an outsider, but now she was half an enemy. The woman looked at Pei Qian several times, but it was all wishful thinking, and she didn't get any response from the other side. But Wu Yan was already satisfied to be able to see Pei Qian a few more times. She didn't have the kind of appearance that would make people feel amazing at first sight. She had a bun with a high forehead, slender eyebrows, and a cold and lonely look. Even if Pei Qian encountered such an unexpected change, his eyes were still firm, without the slightest bit of dejection.

Perhaps in the eyes of Wuyan, such an outstanding woman is the most outstanding one not only in the modern century, not only in the world, but also in the entire human world since history.

The more "promising" Pei Qian was, the more guilty Wu Yan felt. He stood there in front of him, speechless.

Liu Xianyang was silent for a moment, and then said, "Mr. Xun may have thought about it wrongly. If Chen Ping'an can do anything for a friend, and risk his life, then of course I can do it too. So I don't feel that I owe Chen Ping'an anything. There's no need. It's Chen Ping'an's fault for having such an unreliable friend like me. Liu Xianyang has always known what to say, what to do, and how to get along with friends. It has never changed. But over the years, when I think of him begging people everywhere, asking the owner of the medicine shop Yang to save people, asking his neighbor Wang Zhu for locust leaves, and asking the supervisor Song Changjing for justice, I feel uncomfortable."

The old scholar hummed, raised his arm and clenched his fist. He tapped his chest lightly in a trance, "I feel the same way. For example, it was only later that I realized that such a proud student had to bow his head and toast with others at the table just to help the teacher sell a hundred more books. Every time I think of it, I feel sad."

Wearing and changing pairs of straw sandals during those bleak years, the existence of Liu Xianyang made Chen Pingan of Niping Lane feel like he was always living in the cold winter. But even though the sky was gray and the future was always unclear, he knew in his heart that there was sun in the sky.

Chen Ping'an is not the only one who suffers from such a bleak life. Many people with similar backgrounds and circumstances have lived such a bleak life. It is like walking in a narrow, dark alley for a long time. Occasionally, when you look up at the sky, there is always a ray of light, like a way out.

Liu Xianyang asked directly, "What exactly does Jiang She think?"

After all, he is not like Xiao Mo and Bai Jing, the ancient Taoist priests who wrote the almanac by themselves. As for the character of a person, one can only know it for sure by experiencing it personally.

To be honest, if he really wanted to be related to Pei Qian, why would he deliberately make an enemy of Chen Pingan?

The old scholar said with embarrassment: "If you ask why we should be good people and do good things, it comes down to a certain mentality. If you ask why it is unreasonable, there are thousands of reasons for the complicated branches and leaves."

Even though Jiang She's Taoist partner was still present, Xiao Mo was not very polite when he spoke, "It's a good guess. Jiang She simply takes the title of the founding ancestor of the military family very seriously, and takes Pei Qian very lightly."

This was because Pei Qian was there, and Xiao Mo couldn't bear to say anything harsh. In ancient times, the saying that the Taoists were firm in their desire for the Tao and had a pure heart was by no means an exaggeration, and they were far less troubled by good and evil, good and bad in later generations. Whether it was the Buddhist method of subduing the mind and the will, or the Taoist method of beheading the three corpses, or the Qigong method of winning over the generalization, in a nutshell, the "heart demon" was a big bandit on the road of cultivation, and a "mountain thief" on the way to seeking immortality. Since Pei Qian was the only remaining "evil thought" of Jiang She's only daughter in the past, it must be the opportunity to prove the Tao in this life. It must be cut off when it is necessary, and there must be no hesitation in the state of mind.

The biggest enemy is my heart, the biggest thief of Tao is within myself.

"After waiting for so long for the three founders of the religions to disperse, Jiang She naturally thought that he had an opportunity and wanted to perform another earth-shaking feat. He wanted to write a preface for a new chapter, and he felt that who else but Jiang She could do it. Killing my son and immediately announcing it to the world would be like beheading a general and seizing a flag on the battlefield. Jiang She would then have a reputation, which would make it easier for him to gather troops and overthrow the old world in one go."

At this point, Xiao Mo sneered, "He, Jiang She, the military strategist. After ten thousand years, he is still the same."

Wu Yan hesitated and finally stopped talking. She was still worried about adding fuel to the fire.

Xiao Mo said, “But we have to admit that those who have accomplished great things throughout history are often ruthless heroes like Jiang She, who are best at killing heroes.”

The old scholar changed the subject intentionally or unintentionally and said with a smile: "Generally speaking, when a person is trapped in a dangerous situation, there may be one or two people who love him and follow him, but I dare not expect more. As for my student, you are all willing to work hard for him regardless of the cost, which shows that he is fair in his work and a good person. As a teacher, I have a good vision and I am proud to have such a disciple."

The old scholar began to pace in the courtyard while talking to himself, stretching his arms and twisting his neck from time to time, just like an old man who had retired and returned to his hometown, walking slowly. Suddenly, he thought, "There is no rush anyway, why not play a game of chess. Are there any experts? Help me get a good start. Ha, 'The guest asked about the benefits of Huai Shang', and the answer was 'The children have defeated the thieves.' Isn't it wonderful."

Unfortunately, no one agreed to play a game of chess with the old scholar. Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Xie Gou could not stand the awkward situation of talking about nothing, so she volunteered, "I'll do it, I'll do it!"

The old scholar thought about it, and looked at the eager girl in the mink hat, who was probably a bad chess player who liked to say "I regret this move", so he waved his hand and said, "Forget it, forget it. Playing chess is the most energy-consuming, so I won't waste my energy."

The old scholar twirled his beard and pondered for a long time, then said for no reason: "Among the 5,000 words of the Taoist ancestor, there is one that says to reduce the surplus and supplement the deficiency, which is the way of heaven. The way of man is to reduce the deficiency to serve the surplus. Only those who follow the Tao can have surplus to serve the world."

Liu Xianyang nodded and said, "This is the basis for the saying that the immortals on the mountain are 'worshipping' now."

Heaven and earth provide for us. When you climb mountains and practice Taoism, you should repay your debts. It is only natural to repay a debt.

The old scholar said sadly, "Those who have more than enough have too much to do, and those who have less have no place to stand. The fewest people have the most things, which makes them feel top-heavy, like a sick person, dizzy and drowsy. The operation of the Great Dao will not stop, so the sky will change, and there will be many omens and strange phenomena. The fields of the noble families at the foot of the mountain, the ownership of the spiritual energy of the mountains and rivers, the secular gold and silver treasures, the immortal money on the mountain, etc., will all be scattered and rearranged. So there are the scattered Dao of the three patriarchs, trying to calm the world and reconcile yin and yang. All things are difficult at the beginning. They want to wrap up an old book that has been written for thousands of years, and then make a good start for the new chapter in the world, and write a pretty good prologue."

Wu Yan finally spoke, and his words carried a lot of weight, "We need someone to enforce justice on behalf of heaven."

Zhou Mi in the wild had such thoughts back then, and Zhang Fenghai in Qingming world today must have the same thoughts. Their methods and paths are different, but they both have the same great ambition.

Liu Xianyang found a place, leaned against the pillar, crossed his arms across his chest, and began to close his eyes and rest.

Xie Gou hesitated and said something fair that seemed to boost others' morale and undermine his own prestige, "No matter what, Jiang She is the fourth person after the battle of ascending to heaven and before the battle of killing the soldiers."

After all, Jiang She was recognized as the fourth person by all Taoists in ancient times.

So her implication was very simple: Jiang She, the founder of military strategists, was really good at fighting, so Mountain Master, you must take it easy.

There is no need to seek victory, just surviving is winning.

If Jiang She was not good enough, why would the Taoist master come to fight in person? He had to fight Jiang She head-on, in a one-on-one duel.

Sword cultivator Bai Jing always thought highly of himself, but he didn't think he had any qualifications to compete with Daozu. He didn't have any idea at all.

Xie Gou repeatedly hinted with his eyes, "Old scholar, why don't you just bring up the young master again? Trouble once is trouble, and owe favor twice is also owe. We are children of the rivers and lakes, we just take care of revenge, why should we cherish our face too much?"

The old scholar seemed not to notice Xie Gou's reminder. He just subconsciously straightened his clothes and said to himself, "The most valuable and respectable thing is that before they ascended to heaven, those martyrs, those sages, those Taoists and scholars, they never thought about surviving. They didn't care whether future generations would remember their names or Taoist names. The most important thing is that they never thought they could win!"

After a pause, the old scholar looked at the girl in the mink hat and asked with a smile, "Miss Xie, as the first woman to ascend to heaven, what did you feel when you put away your sword?"

Xie Gou grinned, "The idea is simple, just four words, 'Really won?'"

At that time, Bai Jing was covered in blood, and her robe was soaked in two colors of blood, scarlet and gold. The exhausted woman had drooping eyelids, and her second thought was that this time she must get a good night's sleep and ignore everything else.

The old scholar continued, "How many ancient heroes have become earthly immortals. Their identities and situations are like the gods of mountains and rivers who are now ordained by heaven and earth, the Confucian Temple, and the imperial court. They have gained a free body that is no longer suppressed by heaven. They are still willing to sacrifice their own lives and be generous."

"Why?"

"We must pave a broad path for all sentient beings in the future generations."

“This road is called freedom.”

Hearing this, Wu Yan's eyes brightened unusually. Even though they were in a hostile position, he still sincerely admired the old scholar's broad-mindedness and magnanimity.

Those who are my enemies are not all villains. They may have flaws, omissions, and mistakes, but they can still be "adults" with their own temperament, vision, and deeds.

If this young, hunchbacked old man had lived in that glorious period, he would have fought alongside them and performed feats that were incomparable and youthful.

Wuyan thought for a moment and then asked a question. She had already prepared a question in mind. "May I ask the Sage of Literature, the Taoist Patriarch's moral principles, the Supreme Sage's benevolence, the Little Master's courtesy, the Second Sage's righteousness, Yu Dou's strict observance of rules, and the Master of Chen Shan's painstaking pursuit of infallibility. The roots of their respective studies, aren't they all based on utilitarianism?"

The woman did not have the slightest bit of aggressiveness in her tone. Rather, it seemed more like she was asking sincerely, or even humbly.

The old scholar said: "If you want to really clarify this matter, you should ask my disciple."

"If you want to explain a great truth well, it is not just about a few or dozens of calm words, but also about thousands of things that are most tiring of patience. If you can't stand being bored, you can't explain the truth well."

The old scholar smiled and said, "Whether you call it utilitarianism or meritorious service, it is nothing more than maximizing, without compromising personal interests, to tirelessly seek the greatest public benefit for all living beings. This is the will of heaven, and it is close to the Tao. If one principle is not understood, all principles will be lost."