8mi Chapter 586 The Qi People's Test
Chapter 586 The Qi People's Test
Chapter 586 The Qi People's Test
Lu Zheng and his two companions left Qingyang Taoist Temple and headed leisurely towards the nearest city gate.
After crossing two streets, several people came towards us.
The leader was a middle-aged man with a large belly, dressed in simple casual clothes, with a kind and honest expression.
"Oh dear, Young Master Lu, please wait a moment. I am so glad to finally meet you..."
The middle-aged man approached Lu Zheng, bowed slightly, and clasped his hands in a respectful greeting.
Although he didn't recognize the man, Lu Zheng returned the greeting and asked, "And who are you, sir?"
The middle-aged man smiled and explained in a low voice, "My name is Tian Shi, a merchant from the State of Qi. I came to Furong City to do some small business. I heard about Young Master Lu's heroic deeds and learned that he was in Furong City, so I thought about visiting him, but I haven't been able to find an opportunity... I dare to stop you on the street and say a few words to you."
A few days ago, Tian Shi learned from his own sources that Lu Zheng had come to Furong City and was staying at the Qingyang Taoist Temple.
He thought about finding an opportunity to strike up a conversation with Lu Zheng, but in a place like Qingyang Taoist Temple, with a Taoist master in charge, it was difficult to inquire about the situation inside the temple, nor was it appropriate to visit there.
He waited at a nearby inn for a few days and finally spotted Lu Zheng outside, so he shamelessly came over.
Lu Zheng looked at Tian Shi and asked, "What are you trying to say?"
Tian Shi replied, "I am a businessman and also enjoy reading. Therefore, I would like to buy some of your handwritten works from you, Young Master Lu. I am willing to pay a high price for them!"
Tian Shi knew Lu Zheng's character and abilities well, so he spoke frankly and directly without beating around the bush.
Tian Shi paused for a moment, then said, "Of course, whether Young Master Lu likes it or not, I admire your character and conduct."
"Afterwards, I, Tian, will donate ten thousand taels of gold to help and relieve the poor people in Shu and Qi. I dare not lie about this, and Heaven and Earth bear witness!"
Hearing this, Qingwan frowned slightly. Could Lu Zheng really remain silent?
Lu Zheng's expression remained unchanged as he looked at Tian Shi in front of him.
Tian Shi looked at Lu Zheng with a solemn expression and clear eyes.
After a moment, Lu Zheng smiled slightly, "What kind of literary treasure do you want?"
Tian Shi was delighted to hear this, "Anything is fine, as long as it's a work by Young Master Lu himself. Of course, it would be best if it were a new poem or lyric. I'm sure the price I'm asking will satisfy you."
Lu Zheng smiled and said, "I am not good at poetry, so I will offer you a quote from a sage!"
After saying that, Lu Zheng raised his hand and a pen and paper appeared in front of him.
Lu Zheng picked up his brush and wrote two lines of text with fluid and graceful movements, exuding a righteous spirit and radiating colorful light.
Then, Lu Zheng handed the completed document to Tian Shi.
Lu Zheng said, "Since you are so kind, I will not ask for any reward. I will give you this Wenbao as a gift, hoping that you will do more good deeds in the future."
Tian Shi looked closely and saw that the words on the paper still had a spiritual light floating on them; they were the words of the sage Meng.
"Respect the elderly as you would your own parents; care for the young as you would your own children."
Tian Shi's eyes flickered, and he quickly took the calligraphy with both hands, his face beaming with joy. "Excellent, excellent, excellent! This is a wonderful piece. When I return to Qi, I will definitely frame this calligraphy for you and hang it in my home."
Tian Shi glanced sideways and gave a wink to the attendant beside him.
The attendant quickly stepped forward, took out a jade box, opened it, and inside were several pages of paper that gleamed with precious light.
Tian Shi said, "I know that Young Master Lu does not like ordinary things, so I specially prepared a gift. This is a chapter of Mencius handwritten by a great Confucian scholar from the Meng family of Qi. I am giving it to you as a way to establish a good relationship."
Lu Zheng's eyes flickered slightly. The great scholar's copy was far more valuable than a single word of the sage's words that he had written.
However, Lu Zheng was not tempted at all. He shook his head and said, "It's too precious. Let's leave it at that. We have other things to do, so we'll take our leave."
Lu Zheng cupped his hands in greeting and led Qing Wan and the other woman away.
Upon seeing this, Tian Shi's eyes flickered, thinking to himself, "This great Confucian scholar isn't even tempted by this copy?"
He quickly took out a wooden box, put the precious artifact in it, and carefully put it away.
This righteous spirit is so pure… Tian Shi couldn’t help but mutter to himself.
Fortunately, he was an honest and upright person who had never done anything wrong. Otherwise, if someone else had been facing Lu Zheng, they probably wouldn't have been able to handle the righteous article he had just written and would have been exposed.
Even so, Tian Shi felt that Lu Zheng must have figured something out.
When he was facing Lu Zheng just now, he felt that he could hardly hide his true intentions.
Tian Shi thought to himself that he shouldn't always let him do this kind of thing in the future; there are no simple people among those who cultivate righteousness.
But then I thought, if he can't do it, then the others can't be much better.
"Let's go!"
Tian Shi then urged his entourage to leave hastily, not wanting to attract attention.
After taking several detours and traveling a considerable distance through the city by carriage, Tian Shi led his men into a mansion.
After passing through numerous doors, Tian Shi arrived at a secluded, quiet room.
In the quiet room, a refined-looking middle-aged man sat there, calmly flipping through classic texts.
Tian Shi took out the wooden box and then took out Lu Zheng's handwritten document. "Look, this is the handwritten document I just got from Lu Zheng. It's still warm. Take a look at it."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged scholar put down the classic texts he was holding and began to examine the brand-new literary treasure.
"What a profound and righteous spirit!"
The middle-aged scholar couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment, "To be able to write such words of a sage is extraordinary, and to possess such quality... this child's character..."
The middle-aged scholar pondered it carefully again and thought, "He has probably truly entered the fifth realm."
There are many rumors circulating about Lu Zheng these days, and it's hard to tell which are true and which are false.
However, upon seeing this precious calligraphy, the middle-aged scholar speculated that Lu Zheng might actually have reached the fifth realm.
Tian Shi exclaimed in surprise, "Really? I didn't realize it before, but he's been hiding it so well. How young is he? There aren't any Fifth Realm cultivators this young in the Jixia Academy! Could it be that he really received the inheritance of some literary sage..."
"Speaking of which, I was just about to give him a copy of a great scholar's book, and he didn't even blink..."
Tian Shi stroked his chin, clicking his tongue in amazement.
The middle-aged scholar murmured, "The legacy of a sage? Among the living Confucian and Taoist sages, none of them specialize in cultivating righteousness, right? If he truly received the legacy of a sage, it's probably because he was enlightened by Mencius that he is like this..."
The middle-aged scholar's throat bobbed slightly; even he didn't quite believe these words.
Although Mencius has passed away, the Confucian way remains in the world, and its meaning will never be forgotten.
However, over the years, he had never heard of anyone receiving the blessings and enlightenment of those divine wills.
Some people are blessed with literary talent, but that's just that—literary talent, not the inheritance of a sage.
Tian Shi clicked his tongue. "This person's cultivation is too fast. It's not impossible! But let's put that aside for now. Do you think he's the person we're looking for?"
(End of this chapter)