Chapter 4: Human Affairs and Immortal Affairs
The sun was not yet halfway up in the sky, and the sky was bright. In the study, Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng had been discussing their lessons for an hour. The desk in front of Wei Yuan had been changed from the low table to a desk used by normal people. The bookshelves on the two walls were originally empty, but now they were filled with bound books. The books on the bookshelves were all written by the master and apprentice themselves, one for Zhang Sheng and one for Wei Yuan.
When Zhang Sheng was rescued, he was left with only the clothes on his body. There were not many books in the Wei residence, and the few that were there were almanacs and account books. So the books used for the initial enlightenment were all written by Zhang Sheng himself. Most of the books on Wei Yuan's own shelf were copied from Zhang Sheng's works, first to memorize the classics, and second to practice calligraphy, but there were also a few books that were truly his own thoughts. However, these books are not on the bookshelf now, but are placed in front of Zhang Sheng.
Zhang Sheng was now reading Wei Yuan's article again. The room was completely silent, with only the sunlight falling inside, which seemed to stir up a faint sound.
Wei Yuan's article was naturally immature, but it was already clear that the author had his own ideas and did not fall into a rut. What was even more rare was that he could justify his own ideas. However, the article had already begun to show its edge, and it was unclear whether it was good or bad.
While Zhang Sheng was reading the book, Wei Yuan sat still, as quiet as a statue.
After a while, Zhang Sheng came back to his senses, and once again carefully looked at his disciple who had been with him day and night for three years, and said: "I have taught you all the three thousand things in the world. You will naturally learn the things of the immortals when you enter the sect to practice. In the past three years, five hours a day, rain or shine, I have actually taught you the basic essence of what I have learned in my life. The rest is nothing more than polishing the details."
Zhang Sheng paused and said solemnly: "But you must remember one thing, it is difficult to judge the right and wrong of human affairs, and the way to choose and give up lies in one's heart. I only teach you how to look at all aspects comprehensively and how to weigh the pros and cons, but the final decision is always up to you. I can't teach you this, and neither can the saints."
Wei Yuan nodded. Zhang
Sheng looked at him, suddenly smiled, and said: "Stand up and show me!"
Wei Yuan stood up in response, standing straight like a pine tree.
At this time, Wei Yuan had just turned six years old, but he had grown taller than ordinary ten-year-old children in farmers' families. His eyebrows and eyes have grown up, and he has lost a lot of his childishness, gradually revealing some youthful heroism. However, he has been silent since he was a child, and he would only talk endlessly when discussing current affairs with Zhang Sheng.
Zhang Sheng looked Wei Yuan up and down several times, and sighed: "When I first met you, you were not even as tall as my waist. Now you are taller than my shoulders. Time flies."
Wei Yuan suddenly bowed deeply and said: "Teacher's kindness will always be remembered in my heart!"
Zhang Sheng laughed and reached out to touch Wei Yuan's head. Wei Yuan is introverted and quiet by nature, and it is rare for him to speak so directly. But it is also because of this that it means that it comes from the heart and cannot be expressed without words.
However, Wei Yuan was already quite tall at this time, and it was really difficult to touch his head.
Zhang Sheng sighed, "You are a child who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. You have a good appearance and are very opinionated. As your teacher, I am not afraid of anything else but I am afraid that you will suffer in the future because of love. Alas, why do I tell you all this? If I didn't think about it carefully, I almost forgot that you are only six years old."
"That was the last lesson just now. The three years of our master-disciple relationship are also complete. Next month will be the Immortal Sect's unified examination. It is held once every five years and you must not miss it. I will go to the county government with you to take the exam then. In the next two days, your teacher will sort out the writings I have made in the past three years. You should have fun for two days!"
Wei Yuan finally said, "...I'll help you sort it out."
Zhang Sheng smiled and said, "Okay."
Outside the window, Wei Youcai let out a long sigh, bent over and quietly left with the bald man and the housekeeper.
After walking a few steps away, Wei Youcai patted his thighs, let out a long sigh, and said, "Finally, I don't have to squat against the wall anymore! It's been three years, and my legs have become as hard as iron bars. What have you two learned from squatting for three years?"
Lao Liu touched his bald head and said, "After hearing so much about human affairs, I finally understand that what I thought before was right. There is no morality in the world, it's just one word, fight! Victory over emperors and generals, defeat over bandits and bones, it's that simple!"
Wei Youcai sighed, and looked at the housekeeper again: "What about you?"
The housekeeper said calmly: "I have a new understanding of the immortal military tactics I learned when I was young. Soldiers have no fixed state, water has no fixed shape! If I Why would we need to guard the house when we meet those refugees? My sixth brother and I took a dozen people and followed the refugee group. We lit cigarettes during the day and set fires at night. We shot arrows when we had nothing to do. If they dared to chase us, we would move away and chop them down. No matter how many thousands of them there were, they would be exhausted in a few days and would disperse on their own. "
The bald man snorted, expressing his disbelief: "Have you really learned the immortals' military tactics? How come you don't recognize a few more words?"
The housekeeper blushed and argued: "My teacher always told me orally. The teachings were not passed on to others. What came out of his mouth entered my ears. He didn't need to know how to read!"
The bald man sneered: "I'm afraid your cheap teacher is also illiterate."
The two quarreled for a few words, and then they remembered that Wei Youcai had been silent for a long time. When they looked over, they saw Wei Youcai looking up at the sky, wondering what he was thinking.
The housekeeper and the bald man looked at each other and asked, "Brother, are you worried about something?"
Wei Youcai did not lower his head, but just blinked his eyes hard and said, "Nothing, I was just thinking that Yuan'er has joined the Immortal Sect, and I don't know when I can see him again."
The housekeeper and the bald man looked at each other and could no longer laugh.
The housekeeper tried to comfort him: "I heard that one's life span will be extended a lot after practicing. As the saying goes, a day in heaven is a day on earth..."
The housekeeper spoke too quickly, and by the time he realized that something was wrong, he had already said half of his words.
"It's okay, I'm just a little tired, and I want to go back to the house to rest. You guys go and do your own things." Wei Youcai waved his hand and went back to his bedroom.
Three days later, when the sky was bright, Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan set out on the road to the county town. In addition to the mount, there were two mules carrying luggage.
Wei Youcai accompanied them for thirty miles before he was willing to return. Along the way, he just accompanied them silently without saying much. When they parted, he just waved and turned away.
In the afternoon, Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng finally left the rugged path in the mountains and got on the road leading to the county town.
The so-called road was actually a rammed earth road, which could only accommodate two mule carts in parallel. The road surface was bumpy, with four deep wheel marks in the middle, which showed that it had been in disrepair for a long time. However, this road was the best road Wei Yuan had ever seen. The roads in the mountains of Ye County were rugged and difficult to travel. Cars could not be used at all. One could only ride Ding mules. Only wealthy families had donkeys, and there were not many of them.
Ding mules are short and slow, not much different from the walking speed of ordinary people. The advantage is that they have long endurance, can carry heavy loads, and can eat coarse food, so they are widely distributed in the mountains.
Zhang Sheng wanted Wei Yuan to see more of the world outside the mountains, so he did not walk fast.
Looking ahead at the road, Zhang Sheng suddenly felt emotional and said, "Twenty years ago, I went to participate in the Xianzong unified examination like you. At that time, your master took a fancy to me at first sight among more than 20 people. And I did not disappoint expectations, and I overwhelmed the rest of the people. Not only was I the first in this county, but I had no rivals in the entire Yunzhou. Later, I practiced successfully and gained experience in the world. I thought I could do something big like my predecessors, but I didn't expect to be frustrated again and again. After many years, I have achieved nothing."
At this point, Zhang Sheng glanced at Wei Yuan and smiled, "But now I have you, this "These years are not considered to be wasted. Since you are my disciple, the Immortal Sect Unified Examination will be a piece of cake. If I don't beat the second place by a huge margin, it will damage my reputation. Now let me tell you about the Taoist inheritance of our lineage. Although it is against the rules, it is not a big deal."
After a pause, Zhang Sheng exuded a proud aura and said, "I am from the Tianqing Hall of Taichu Palace. After you pass the unified examination, it will also be your place of practice."
Although Wei Yuan has always been calm, he was also shocked at this moment: "Taichu Palace? Taichu Palace, one of the four major immortal sects?"
"Taichu Palace, the head of the four major immortal sects." Zhang Sheng corrected.
Wei Yuan looked at Zhang Sheng with some suspicion and said, "You said that in our remote county, apart from the Chichao Sect in this county, there are only one or two third-class sects that come to accept disciples all year round. Taichu Palace is so high and mighty, why would it come here?"
Zhang Sheng had already told Wei Yuan the basic common sense of the Immortal Sect Unified Examination. The countless sects that participated in the unified examination to recruit disciples were divided into four levels. The fourth-level sects can only recruit disciples in their own county, such as the Chichao Sect. The third-level sects are called blessed lands, which can recruit disciples in one state. Occasionally, they go to other states to recruit disciples, but the number of places is strictly limited. The second-level sects are called Dongtian, which can recruit disciples within their own country.
The top one is the four major immortal sects, which can recruit disciples in the entire Datang. However, the four major immortal sects are high above, and the number of places for recruiting disciples each session is very small. In the past 50 years, the four major immortal sects have come to Fengyuan County three times and given a total of five places.
That's why Wei Yuan asked this question.
However, Zhang Sheng smiled slightly and said slowly: "Don't worry, other immortal sects may not come this time, but Taichu Palace will definitely come. But there is no need to be obsessed with it. You have already received my true teachings. If others are extremely talented and very hardworking, they may be able to reach 70% of your level."
After studying hard with Zhang Sheng for three years, Wei Yuan did learn one thing, that is, not to blindly believe and follow others, including Zhang Sheng.
At that moment, his doubts were not dispelled, and he continued to ask: "But I still don't understand why Taichu Palace gave our county a quota?"
Zhang Sheng finally waited for him to ask this question, and then he said lightly: "Your master's Taoist name is Fenhai Zhenren, and he is one of the three great masters of Tianqing Hall of Taichu Palace; the supreme ancestor Xuanyue Zhenjun was the master of Tianqing Hall two hundred years ago. All the masters value the inheritance of Taoism the most. When you enter Tianqing Hall, you will naturally benefit from it. But the old man is very proud, so you must show your knowledge to the best of your ability in this unified examination, so as not to embarrass him."
Wei Yuan was skeptical. His teacher was so powerful? And from what Zhang Sheng said, it was because he accepted a student in Fengyuan County, so Taichu Palace made an exception and gave him a quota.
Although Wei Yuan didn't know what the rules were in Taichu Palace, he felt that Zhang Sheng, as the disciple of a hall master of Taichu Palace, didn't seem to be able to do such a big thing.
I don't know how many disciples Xuanyue Zhenjun has. According to historical records, in the past, there was a prince in the Northern Qi Dynasty who liked to recruit talents. He accepted all kinds of thieves and thieves, and he ended up having 3,000 followers. People who practice cultivation live long. If Xuan Yue Zhenjun also likes to have disciples all over the world, he might have more than 3,000 disciples.
Zhang Sheng naturally didn't know that Wei Yuan was secretly plotting against him. At this moment, he looked far away, and his mind had already flown to the distant county government. Just when he was feeling relaxed and happy, there were suddenly bursts of rapid horse hoof sounds from behind, and several knights were galloping from behind.
The knights were riding ten feet high dark blue war horses, and their iron hooves stomped on the ground like thunder, and their arrogance was overwhelming. They seemed to be in a hurry, and they galloped at full speed, rushing past Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan like the wind. The horse hooves, which were as big as drums, stepped on the road and dug up a lot of sand, gravel and dust, and poured them on Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan!
The road was narrow, and Zhang Sheng had no time to dodge. His power was sealed, so he was covered in dirt. His original immortal aura and light-heartedness were all covered in dirt.
Looking at Zhang Sheng, who was covered in dirt, Wei Yuan suddenly felt that even if Taichu Palace really gave Fengyuan County a quota this time, it should have nothing to do with Zhang Sheng.
(End of this chapter)