If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1276 First Courtesy, Then Force: Sitting and Discussing the Way

"Who is calling for Grand Tutor Yu?" Ziying asked in surprise.

As soon as he asked the question, a thoughtful look appeared on his face.

"Just when Qinglian Sun was about to confess."

"It's most likely the immortal who instigated Qinglian Sun to murder the Grand Commandant!" someone exclaimed, glancing nervously at Grand Tutor Yu.

There are no fools in the Peacock Garden; given the situation, many people immediately guessed the identity of the newcomer.

Even though they secretly used secret techniques to enhance their eyes and looked north, they still couldn't see the owner of the voice.

The night sky was clear, and the starlight was even brighter than usual.

They could see that the northern night sky was cloudless, but they could not find a single person.

Grand Tutor Yu glanced down at the ground and laughed loudly, "Since you're looking for me, why don't you come down?"

"There are too many people and too much noise down here, so please come up!" the voice said calmly.

Grand Tutor Yu hesitated for only a moment before standing up, straightening his robes, and preparing to take off.

"Grand Tutor, the person who came won't even show his face. He must have ulterior motives and is no good person. Don't be fooled. There are still 10,000 troops outside the Peacock Garden!" Ying Ziying said nervously.

Grand Tutor Yu said calmly, "The Xianyang region, whether in heaven or on earth, makes no difference to me."

After saying that, she leaped into the air and disappeared from everyone's sight.

"Grand Tutor Yu, please come this way!" An octagonal pavilion floats below the Big Dipper's Yao Guang star.

The pavilion itself was bathed in starlight. The pavilion, seemingly crafted from crystal, also shimmered with a faint starlight.

If you stand on the ground in the Peacock Garden and look up, even if you have your spiritual eyes open, you will subconsciously mistake it for the Yao Guang star in the sky.

At this moment, a dwarf less than 1.2 meters tall stood at the entrance of the octagonal pavilion, smiling and extending his hand in an invitation.

Grand Tutor Yu floated to the front of the pavilion and looked the dwarf up and down.

He was ugly, not only short, but also with a deformed face and an ugly appearance.

His crimson fairy robes fit him perfectly, giving him an air of otherworldly grace and imposing presence.

It's likely that even ordinary immortals wouldn't notice his height when facing him.

Anyone who meets his intelligent and bright eyes will be captivated and instinctively feel awe and worship towards him.

Frankly speaking, even Grand Tutor Yu was affected to some extent.

It wasn't that he had cultivated any bewitching techniques, but rather that as he stood there, he naturally merged with heaven and earth, as if he were the very Dao itself.

Is the "Great Way" short or not? Standing before the "Great Way," do we feel reverence or not?
His physical body was short and stocky, but his spirit and will had reached the level of Dao attainment.
—This dwarf has probably severed his three corpses.

Xiaoyu thought to herself.

"How should I address this great immortal? This junior, Yu Fengxian, greets you."

She performed the proper etiquette for a junior meeting a senior, following Taoist customs.

The short man bowed in return and said, "I attained enlightenment at Mount Luding. Because of my small stature, my fellow disciples jokingly called me 'Water Bucket Taoist.' Later, I became a great immortal and was then respectfully called 'Immortal of Mount Luding.'"

He reached out to invite Grand Tutor Yu into the pavilion and personally poured her a cup of tea. After a moment of hesitation, he confessed, "Actually, Ye Jiutian, who was coerced by the Grand Tutor with the Ancestral Dragon Qi Pill, is considered my disciple."

He has not formally accepted any apprentices.

When he was still a mortal, he was taught the method of cultivating the mind and guided to obtain the secret treasure of the 'Returning to Origin True Man', and learned the Qi cultivation method of the Celestial Immortal Path.

"It was also a magical artifact that I borrowed from a senior member of the Jie Sect, so that he could go to Mount Hua to deal with the Grand Tutor."

As he spoke, he kept a close eye on Grand Tutor Yu's expression, observing him closely.

Seeing her calm expression and lack of outward emotion, he was both amazed by her composure and gained some insight.

He took the initiative to confess about Ye Jiutian because some things are secrets to mortals and ordinary cultivators; but for someone of Grand Tutor Yu's caliber, if they wanted to know, they could probably find out.

For example, his relationship with Ye Jiutian.

Ye Jiutian was indeed very loyal. Even when he was tormented by the Ancestral Dragon Qi Pill, he never thought of voluntarily revealing the Deer Cauldron Immortal.

Will Grand Tutor Keyu investigate in secret?
It would be better to be honest and take the initiative to show sincerity.

"I didn't know the Grand Tutor before, and I have no personal grudge against him. Why would I want to deal with him? It's simply because I can't defy fate!"

Grand Tutor Yu smiled and said, "The Mandate of Heaven follows the natural order and arises without action."

Such proactive intervention, coupled with the use of intrigue and deceit to harm others, is a far cry from the principle of "non-action and naturalness."

The dwarf nodded slightly and praised, "Grand Tutor is absolutely right. Your approach, which involves only slight intervention to guide the natural development of destiny while also conforming to the will of Heaven and the people, is exactly what we strive for."

It is because Grand Tutor Yu has done a good job that I admire you so much, which is why we have this meeting today.

On that day in Dazexiang, Sishui, it was Grand Tutor who took the initiative to prove his abilities to the Four Friends of Qionglin in order to gain the right to have an equal conversation.

Today, however, it is I who have taken the initiative to invite the Grand Tutor, hoping to discuss and exchange ideas with him within the framework of rules that everyone agrees on.

"Alas, only a few months have passed. Since you became Grand Tutor, you have been making great strides every day!"

Grand Tutor Yu's faint smile vanished, and he asked, "What are the rules that everyone agrees on?"

The dwarf perked up and said, "In short, while you are on the path of immortals, you should also guide people on the path of humanity. Don't blur the lines between the path of humanity and the path of immortals."

Grand Master Yu said, "Does Senior mean that some things are internal affairs of the immortal path and should not be known to mortals?"

The dwarf nodded and said, "Everyone says that immortals are good, but immortals are by no means completely carefree and without worries."

As long as there are desires and needs in one's heart, suffering and filth will inevitably arise.

It is neither reasonable nor realistic to hold every deity to the same perfect, humane moral standard.

Grand Master Yu said, "If that's the case, why not let the world understand that immortals are not born holy?"

Why must we maintain the false illusion of being aloof and detached from worldly affairs?

Humanitarian development will inevitably lead to greater enlightenment and wisdom.

Three hundred thousand years ago, ordinary people weren't even qualified to learn to read and write. Could their understanding be compared to that of people today?
Three hundred thousand or three million years later, what is now common knowledge only known to cultivators will no longer be a secret to ordinary people.

The difference in understanding between mortals and cultivators lies only in their different paths: the human path and the immortal path.

There is no need to deliberately create boundaries and isolation.

If you truly want to distance yourself from ordinary people, then stay obediently in the mountains and stop causing trouble in the mortal world.

The dwarf waved his hand. "Let's not talk about that now, let's just talk about the present. Does the Grand Tutor understand the meaning of a 'benevolent and righteous army' in modern times?"

Xiao Yu paused, then asked curiously, "What is the relationship between immortals and 'benevolent and righteous armies'?"

“They are about the same,” the dwarf remarked. “For example, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang claimed to be fighting against the wicked and were a righteous army.”

Once Chen County was captured, the elders and local gentry praised them as a "benevolent and righteous army." However, in reality, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's exploitation of Chen County, the harm they caused to the people, and even to the elders and local gentry, far exceeded what happened when the "tyrannical Qin" was still in power.

At that time, the Qin Dynasty only needed to maintain its rule, and even subsidized Chen Commandery with a large amount of money and grain.

Chen Sheng, however, had to exploit the resources of Chen County to support his hundreds of thousands of troops and forcibly conscript the people of Chen County into the army to fight the imperial army.

Why were Chen Sheng and his followers still considered a "righteous army" and praised by the people, even though they wanted both money and lives?
Because being a "benevolent and righteous army" is both a boast and a constraint.

When Chen Sheng's soldiers saw that they were recognized as a benevolent and righteous army, even though they inevitably had their share of despicable and sordid deeds in their daily lives, they would try their best to maintain the image of a benevolent and righteous army and try not to harm the people.

Without the constraints of being a "righteous army," the people viewed them as thugs and bandits, and Chen Sheng could not insist that he was a "righteous army."

The 'righteous army' that was originally not righteous at all will truly turn into thugs and bandits.

The common people, the elders, and the wealthy gentry were in a far worse state than they are now.

Therefore, in order to win the righteous cause, Chen Sheng had to build a "benevolent and righteous army".

The common people, in order to survive, have no choice but to choose a 'righteous army'.

The dwarf's words were sincere and without a trace of falsehood.

Grand Tutor Yu fell into deep thought.

The dwarf glanced at her and continued, "The path of immortals and gods is a far more powerful force than the 'benevolent and righteous army of the mortal world'."

If the paths of immortals and gods were to spiral out of control, the harm to mortals would be far greater.

Drawing boundaries to allow 'immortals' to naturally maintain a more sublime image is actually a common need of both the human and immortal paths.

Gods and immortals were all made from mortals.

From the moment he transforms from a mortal into an immortal, he is naturally bound by worldly moral constraints, which is absolutely necessary.

It is excessive to criticize gods for not being moral saints, just as it is to criticize soldiers for not possessing the 'benevolence and righteousness of sages'.

But it is entirely appropriate to demand benevolence and righteousness from soldiers and to require all deities to strive to become moral saints.

For example, the case of the sworn-out Taoist priest.

Despite the moral constraints of 'immortals must be of noble character,' so many celestial masters still break their oaths. Oh, I must tell the Grand Tutor that it was my idea to have Ye Jiutian participate in the Mount Hua Dao Debate, exploit the loopholes in the rules of the contest, and defeat the Grand Tutor openly and fairly.

Later, he broke his oath and defected to the Xianyang court; it really had nothing to do with me.

Is it more honorable to make your apprentice take the blame and die in your place than to break your oath?
Grand Tutor Yu sneered inwardly, but nodded slightly to show that he accepted his sophistry.

"If there were no moral constraints from the secular world, mortals, from the moment they begin cultivating immortality, would believe that they can act recklessly and do not need to be more moral or responsible than ordinary people."

"Grand Tutor, think about it, what kind of depravity will the immortal world descend into?" the dwarf continued.

Xiao Yu pondered for a moment and said, "I think the case of the 'Betrayal of the Celestial Master' has already proven with facts that the rules of our predecessors are outdated."

Anyway, there's the Dao Ancestor, the Heavenly Tribulation, and the law of cause and effect, so what's there to restrain?
We are all immortals. Immortals can simply follow their nature and do whatever they want.

Those who do good deeds are rewarded by Heaven, while those who do evil deeds are struck dead by lightning.

The world of immortals will not collapse; it will only become cleaner.

The dwarf frowned and said, "Our Taoist school emphasizes following nature, but not disorderly development."

Regardless of whether human nature is inherently good or evil at birth, it is a fact that as people grow and their habits change, their nature will inevitably evolve.

The environment in which a person grows up has a profound impact on shaping their nature.

With moral constraints, one learns from a young age that morality is correct and good.

Even a person with minor evils can become a gentleman. In fact, no one can be born a gentleman.

Those who wish to attain enlightenment must sever the three corpses, which are the three great evil desires.

We Taoists cannot avoid evil thoughts; the key is to clearly recognize what evil is and how to avoid it.

Xiaoyu asked curiously, "In a world without moral constraints, is it possible to sever the three corpses? How does one sever the three corpses?"

The dwarf pondered and said, "All laws originate from the Great Way of Nature; all methods of cultivation follow the Great Way of Nature."

If the 'Heavenly Way' of a world never imposes moral requirements on cultivators that conform to humanity.

It is still possible for cultivators to create methods to sever the three corpses.

After all, to attain harmony with the Dao, one must be pure and clean in every aspect, from the physical body to the vital energy, and from the vital energy to the soul.

If there is even the slightest 'impurity', it will be impossible to be in harmony with the Tao.

Pure Yang Immortal Qi is the purification of primordial energy; severing the Three Corpses is the purification of spirit and will.

As long as the goal of purification is achieved, it is not necessary to completely eliminate 'evil desires'.

Perhaps some cultivators will sever their 'good desires,' becoming devoid of emotion and love, utterly ruthless and devoid of humanity, thus establishing the 'Path of Ruthlessness' or the 'Path of Slaughter.' They might also sever other desires, purifying one particular desire, resulting in that desire becoming exceptionally powerful.

To us Pangu cultivators, such beings are 'demons'.

Xiaoyu said thoughtfully, "If demons are also born in accordance with the Dao, but have taken an extreme path, then what Dao are we protecting when we eliminate demons and defend the Dao?"

The dwarf shouted loudly, "Heaven has its way, man has his way, and I have my own way in my heart!"

"To exorcise demons and defend the righteous path is to protect the moral order within my own heart."

He called out, then said meaningfully, "The Grand Tutor said before that destiny should follow nature, and to forcibly interfere, or even to use conspiracies and tricks to harm people, is to be of a low character."

I wholeheartedly agree.

But I must say that the Grand Tutor's words are somewhat one-sided.

We, as Daoists, should naturally obey Heaven's will, but if Heaven does not grant our wishes, we must be prepared to bravely face calamities, eliminate demons, and defend our Dao.

As the saying goes, in prosperous times, monks open their doors; in chaotic times, Taoist priests descend the mountain.

Monks believe in accepting one's fate and quietly waiting for karmic retribution to occur. Everything that has happened, is happening, or is about to happen is karmic retribution, and there is no need to struggle or fight desperately.

The Taoist priest also said that one should follow the will of Heaven and act on behalf of Heaven, but he also said that the human heart is the heart of Heaven, and my way is the way of Heaven.

In times of peace and prosperity, when there are no major social conflicts that are difficult to resolve, people can be educated (numbed) by the methods of monks and life goes on without much trouble. But when chaos strikes, monks are no longer useful, and there must be a determination to reform and change the world.

Therefore, Taoism has always been the ancestor of rebellion, and the phrase "punish the immoral" runs through the history of the Chinese nation.

The dwarf is a "Taoist," and he has now acknowledged Grand Tutor Yu's qualifications, which is why he is willing to discuss things with her. If the talks break down and they can't be negotiated anymore, then let's just do it!

Whoever wins is in accordance with the will of Heaven.

He was aware of this, which is why he once sent his disciple to Mount Hua to kill Yu Fengxian.

He did indeed sever the three corpses and eliminate his obsessions, but his "Dao heart" will only become clearer and more lucid because his obsessions and distracting thoughts are eliminated.

Xiaoyu understood that the talks were coming to an end, and now it was her turn to express her opinion.

(End of this chapter)