Chapter 317 The Teachings of the Past

The sun shone brightly, green trees provided ample shade, and beside the green stone, the elderly man with a wizened face held a book and read. His expression was clear and bright, his back still straight, his demeanor solemn and meticulous. It was just that his body was no longer the strong fleshly vessel it once was, but a divine soul, and this divine soul had already existed in the world for thousands of years.

It was beginning to become somewhat transparent.

Like the thin ice floating on the reviving river in the final season of spring, it seemed as if it would disappear in the next instant. But Master was engrossed in his reading, until Wei Yuan approached, and he finished the last paragraph, looked up, and placed the scroll in his hand on the table.

Wei Yuan saw that it was a copy of the *Dao De Jing*.

Master pointed to the scroll on the table, and sighed as he had in the past, "I never thought that even this scroll of the *Dao De Jing*, personally dictated by Lao Tzu, has been altered by later generations. The principle we spoke of when we conversed in the past was *zhi jin zhi dao, yi yu jin zhi you* (hold onto the present Dao, to control what is present), but now it has become *zhi gu zhi dao, yi yu jin zhi ye* (hold onto the ancient Dao, to control what is present)."

"Besides this, many ideas have changed."

"It's just a few words, the writing is still elegant, but the spirit is far too different."

"For example, it should have been *da qi mian cheng* (great talents are naturally formed), meaning *zi ben zi gen* (from the root), referring to the Great Dao of the world being integrated, being innate, not achieved after birth, and not needing external forces to achieve. But it was changed to *da qi wan cheng* (great talents mature late). Alas, if one does not become a great talent, one should use this to anesthetize oneself, and constantly pursue the so-called Great Dao."

Wei Yuan looked at the phrase *da qi wan cheng*.

There were two versions of the *Dao De Jing* handed down to the world.

Or rather, what was well-known was actually the modified version.

Originally, the words Lao Tzu used to describe and impart the Dao – *da fang wu yu* (great squares have no corners), *da qi mian cheng* (great talents are naturally formed), *da yin xi sheng* (great sounds are barely heard), *da xiang wu xing* (great images have no form) – had one character changed, adding *da qi wan cheng* in the middle, transforming it from describing the realm of the Dao into a flavor of constantly pursuing success.

Wei Yuan stood beside Master as he always did, bowing slightly, listening to his teacher's casual talk.

Then he said, "Which modification is Master most disappointed with?"

The old man stroked his beard and sighed, "In the tenth chapter."

"It should have been *ai min zhi guo* (love the people, govern the country), but it was changed to *ai guo zhi min* (love the country, govern the people)."

"With one word changed, the meaning is completely different."

"The consequences are endless."

The old man seemed to be filled with emotion, but he quickly recovered from this disappointment, lifted his spirits, and did not dwell on regrets like ordinary people, regretting all day long, unable to extricate himself. Instead, he stroked his beard and looked up and down at the disciple he had not seen for a long time, his eyes bright. The old ancestor of the scholars laughed loudly:

"However, I haven't tested Yuan for a long time."

"How is it? Have you read with *haoran zhengqi* (righteous energy), read with a clear mind?!"

Wei Yuan's face stiffened.

Then Master directly reached out and grabbed Wei Yuan's wrist, laughing loudly: "Come, come, let the teacher see how your reading is, and test you once."

The expression of the Yuanshi Tianzun paused.

After defeating all the enemies and finding time to rest, the Yuanshi Tianzun of the Daoist sect, had realized the realm of the Supreme. At this moment, Confucianism and Taoism merged, and the top powerhouse of the Primordial Qi, fell back into the memory of being dominated by the Six Arts.

The first time the master and apprentice met, let's have a test paper first.

After a moment, the memories of constantly doing test papers in the past, and after finishing the test papers, also discussing with a group of fellow disciples who would be famous in history, directly hit his mind, and Wei Yuan was directly stunned. He sat there honestly, his whole head feeling swollen.

Master laughed loudly: "Swordsmanship, archery, horsemanship, are more powerful and exquisite than they were back then."

"As for the rest."

"There has also been progress, especially in [Yi], the growth is so great that it can be regarded as a complete transformation."

"Among the Confucian disciples, just talking about the accomplishment of [Yi], you can already be called the strongest."

"Haha, finally I don't have to be ranked alongside Zilu anymore."

Master nodded with satisfaction, his face showing obvious smiles and joy. It was obvious that he was very satisfied with Wei Yuan's growth during this period of time, and even somewhat surprised, as if he was seeing the unaccomplished descendants and children finally making long-term progress.

Wei Yuan felt a little guilty.

After thinking about it, he honestly explained that the reason why his [Yi] was able to pass Master's exam, and even perform so well that even Master's character was surprised, was not because of his tireless research and learning of the [I Ching] knowledge, as Master thought.

Master was surprised: "Yuan, are you saying that you rely on intuition?"

Wei Yuan smiled bitterly: "It's intuition."

The old Master did not think that Wei Yuan was uneducated, or show disappointment on his face. On the contrary, he was even more cheerful and laughed, saying: "Yuan, do you think that the teacher would think that you are not on the right path because you did not improve your Yi learning by studying the I Ching? Haha, learning and applying it, would I be so拘泥于形式 correct in the so-called [reason]?"

The old man said loudly:

"Those who know at birth are the highest; those who learn and then know are second; those who learn with difficulty are the next."

"In the past, you and Zilu were even worse than those who only started learning when they encountered difficulties. You two, you are the type of people who are too lazy to learn even when you encounter difficulties. Among learners, there is no situation worse than this... To be trapped and not learn is the lowest!"

The Qilin, dressed in a blue shirt and wearing a Confucian attire, looking like a handsome scholar, couldn't help but chuckle.

Master glared at him and said, "You're just a little better than these two guys who are trapped and don't learn, what are you laughing at?"

"Do you also want to do a Six Arts test?"

The Qilin was like a student who made a noise when his friend was questioned by the teacher.

Then he was implicated by the teacher and asked to stand up and answer the question.

His expression instantly changed from a chuckle to stiffness.

Master retracted his gaze, reached out his palm and patted Wei Yuan on the shoulder, his eyes gentle and smiling, and said: "Now you have actually reached the point where you have an almost instinctive understanding of the secrets of heaven and karma, knowing at birth, then naturally it is also the highest realm. How could the teacher think that you are not on the right path?"

"Cough cough, I didn't expect that you have already reached this point, haha."

"It is worthy of joy."

The expression on Master's face was slightly complicated, and Wei Yuan and Qilin's smiles also subsided. They had been following Master for too long, so they naturally knew that the teacher was thinking of Zilu, the disciple who had followed Master for the longest time, had the most straightforward personality, and almost had the demeanor of a chivalrous hero.

Zilu was one of the Confucian disciples who was least good at the study of the I Ching.

His death originated from his going to the state of Wei to serve as an official, and Master had already reminded him: "Do not enter a dangerous state, do not live in a chaotic state. Enter when the world is righteous, hide when the world is unrighteous." He also told him, "Prevent disaster before it happens and do not cause injury afterwards. A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall," but Zilu was similar to Wei Yuan in the end, a hero who relied on his own spirit to walk in the troubled times.

In the end, he died in the civil strife in the state of Wei.

No matter how brave he was, Zilu was already over sixty years old at that time. After killing two rebel generals, he died in the encirclement and suppression of the rebel army. This is why Master was so happy when he learned that Wei Yuan's Yi had been cultivated, precisely because he knew that he would not put himself in danger like his other disciple.

Master read the article written by Wei Yuan with satisfaction, his eyes bright.

He put down the scroll in his hand and asked with a smile: "Yuan, do you have any other doubts in coming here?"

Wei Yuan nodded silently, and then, as he did when he was still studying under Master, raised questions and puzzled points, and then Master would explain and answer them. Of course, Wei Yuan still had some doubts, perhaps only the *haoran zhengqi* view of the unity of purity and turbidity, and poetry, calligraphy, and music, which he had not been very good at until now.

Among them, calligraphy was basically at the end.

As for poetry, it was limited to reading the poems of the ancient scrolls, but it was absolutely impossible for him to write his own poems.

As for music.

Those ordinary skills and the like were naturally nothing. Wei Yuan could master them instantly with just one look, but in order to really meet Master's requirements for disciples in music, to be able to express one's own emotions and thoughts, only things like tapping the sword and singing aloud could do it.

All the questions had been asked.

Even though Master knew that the strength of the disciple in front of him had far surpassed his own, he still spoke gently and warmly as he did in the past, and finally commented on all the articles written by Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan looked at the old man's gradually transparent body, his expression complicated. Master seemed to have guessed Wei Yuan's emotions, stroked his beard and smiled: "Yuan, are you asking when I will leave?"

"I'm afraid Lao Tzu chose to leave that era quite freely."

"Yuan, let me give you another question."

"Is it fate, or should one accept its correctness? Therefore, those who know fate do not stand under a dangerous wall. To die fulfilling one's path is to die a righteous death; to die in shackles is not a righteous death. How would you answer?"

This was perhaps saying that people should live in accordance with fate.

But Wei Yuan turned to answer:

"If one can try one's best to find one's own path, and walk forward on the path of one's heart, even if one dies on the way to practice the path, it can be called a [righteous death]; but if one is trapped by the temptations, fatigue, love, hatred, and extravagance of the world, and finally dies in the shackles of these things, then it cannot be called a [righteous death]."

Wei Yuan's thoughts paused slightly, and he seemed to think of something, his eyes slightly brightened.

The old man stroked his beard and nodded with a smile: "Confucian disciples should not believe in fate."

"Lao Tzu, and that Zhang Jiao, their paths should have been completed long ago, and their merits have been fulfilled."

"Staying in this turbulent world again would only be shackles for them."

"It's like gilding the lily. If they choose to stay in this era, they will die in shackles, and their realm will only fall again and again."

"But my path still has to be walked in this world."

"I am different from them."

In that chaotic world of the Spring and Autumn Period, the old man, who had spent almost his entire life walking in the world, said in a gentle voice: "I once said to Zilu that a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. Later, I thought about it, perhaps he did not know this, but he saw the suffering of the people of the state of Wei, so he chose to personally walk under the dangerous wall, even if it was."

"Actually, Zilu had already answered me in the end."

"I asked him, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall."

"He answered me, when it comes to benevolence, one should not yield to one's teacher."

The old man put down the scroll, reached out his hand to help the disciple who was no longer a child tidy up his clothes. He could still vaguely see the appearance of those three thousand disciples, but the three thousand disciples were already just historical names. He finally said in a gentle voice: "Seeking benevolence and gaining benevolence, since I have seen the changes of the entire era, not seeking immortality can naturally preserve my own realm, but perhaps I am ultimately different from Lao Tzu. I am not such a free and easy person."

"A gentleman stays away from the kitchen because he cannot bear to see it. He cannot bear to even see the appearance of the kitchen. Seeing such a world and calamity, and leaving for the sake of one's own realm, I am also a little unwilling. Perhaps, you can also think of me as an old man who is too old and still wants to苟活 live for a few more years."

The old man finally asked with a smile: "If there is a beautiful jade here, should it be hidden in a box and stored away? Or should it be sold to a good merchant?"

This was what Zigong had asked. If there is such a beautiful jade, that is, talent, should you hide it and return to seclusion, in order to preserve its full appearance?

Or should you sell it?

Wei Yuan subconsciously answered according to what his teacher had said back then: "Sell it, sell it! I am waiting for the merchant."

Since there is talent here, of course it must be sold. This talent waits for the common people of the world.

Wei Yuan was overjoyed: "Master, are you still staying?!"

The old man smiled and joked: "What, do you still want me to die?"

"No, no, of course not! Master, you can stay as long as you want!"

"I'll find a friend, a friend named Zhang Ruosu, to help you get an ID."

"Ah, no, he doesn't seem to be very convenient now, but he will be convenient eventually!"

"Hahahaha, I'll go to him then!"

"Let's just treat it as a surprise to welcome him back!"

The Daoist couldn't help but laugh heartily, and the old man just stroked his beard and glanced at the scroll next to him. He said that a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall, but that disciple Zilu, who hated eloquence the most, had a bold personality, and liked to use actions to tell the truth, was scolded by the old man countless times, and finally answered the teacher with his own death, being benevolent without yielding to one's teacher.

Later Confucianism is not Confucianism.

The old man recalled the history he had read and sighed.

In the past, Master and Lao Tzu had met, but in the end they did not come together. The paths of the two great virtues were never the same. Confucius said that he saw Lao Tzu as if he had seen a dragon, and the Daoist sect and hermits also sang this way, "Phoenix, phoenix, why is your virtue declining?" The Daoist sect is naturally carefree, free, and their realm is complete, but Confucianism is different.

Not seeking longevity, not seeking freedom.

Confucian disciples seek benevolence and gain benevolence, and there is another sentence.

The old Master's palm stroked the disciple's article, his eyes gentle and calm.

Cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world.

Confucian disciples should seek benevolence and gain benevolence, and die in the right place.

How can one only protect oneself?

"If it is for the sake of the common people, I am willing to live in the world again."

"It's okay."

ps: Today's second update... four thousand two hundred words.

I may have something to do during the day tomorrow, so the update may be a bit late~