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

Chapter 1364 Bewitched
"Mao Heng truly deserves to be called the Confucian sage of China. Just looking at him inspires complete admiration, and conversing with him is like basking in a spring breeze or listening to sacred music."

If I were alive, and a man at that, I would undoubtedly follow Mao Heng and become his disciple.

Even after leaving Jinghe Academy, Sister Peony was still overwhelmed with emotion and extremely excited.

Xiao Yu's eyes showed a thoughtful look, and she slowly nodded and said, "Mao Heng does indeed deserve the title of 'Confucian Sage'. He did not cultivate 'Confucian Immortal Martial Arts' at all, but the righteous energy on his body has already formed the prototype of a domain."

If one cultivates righteous energy as internal strength, wouldn't one be able to reach the realm of immortal martial arts in a single day?

Within Mao Heng's domain, her telepathic abilities had absolutely no effect.

Let alone directly listening to one's innermost thoughts, they can't even capture the "faces of all beings".

At this time, Mao Heng's appearance was that of a "saint." The appearance of a saint was flawless and without flaws. Apart from being sacred and solemn, nothing else could be sensed.

Peony asked in confusion, "What is the Immortal Martial Domain?"

“It is a realm beyond the Dharma Form,” Xiaoyu said.

Despite possessing such a high level of cultivation, Mao Heng and his disciples did not cultivate immortal martial arts such as Righteous Qi.

Of course, they also have their own Confucian philosophy and are purposefully cultivating their own righteous spirit.

However, unlike Dou Yilin of the "Eight Immortals of the West," he did not regard righteousness as internal strength or as a Confucian martial art.

The Confucian sage Mao Heng only cultivated his mind and did not deliberately refine his qi. He regarded the righteous qi around him as a natural phenomenon.

"Alas, China is indeed China; foreign lands cannot compare. Martial artists can create new realms of immortal martial arts, and Confucian scholars are like saints walking among mortals," Sister Peony sighed again.

"saint."

Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow.

She didn't glimpse Mao's true thoughts, but she saw his magnanimity; he truly possessed the ambition and vision of a saint.

—This group of old Confucian scholars came to Xianyang with a specific purpose, and it must be related to this great calamity.

This old bastard is really capable, but the greater his ability, the more trouble he causes.

Should we drive them away? I don't need to show my face; let Li Si play the villain. He's used to it anyway.

This is Grand Tutor Yu's rational thinking.

Mao Heng was indeed a virtuous man, a living saint of humanity. His learning and character are truly admirable! The Xianyang court should open its doors to such a sage, allowing all people to receive his teachings.

This is Xiaoyu's emotional thought.

After some deliberation, Grand Tutor Yu instructed Xiao Linzi to summon Ziying, the magistrate of Xianyang, to the Grand Tutor's residence.

"Grand Tutor, has something serious happened?" Ziying asked hurriedly, his face showing anxiety.

He came to the Grand Tutor's mansion this morning to pay his respects for the New Year and also had lunch there.

As a result, the Grand Tutor sent someone to summon him again in the evening, which must have been something very important.

"It's not that big, but it's not that small either." Grand Tutor Yu led him to the study and said, "Recently, many great scholars have come to Xianyang to lecture and spread their teachings, which has been quite lively."

This was originally a good thing, but a good thing can also turn into a terrible disaster.

Ziying asked curiously, "What's wrong with the Confucian scholars lecturing?"

Grand Tutor Yu countered, "Why did the late emperor bury Confucian scholars alive back then?"

Ziying pondered and said, "Most of those who were killed were sorcerers; there were not many Confucian scholars."

Those Confucian scholars were cunning and adept at using the past to satirize the present, praising ancient sage rulers to mock Your Majesty.

On the surface, he didn't say a bad word about the late emperor, and he didn't even mention the late emperor in his words. He only talked about how the ancient sage rulers were.

The very things that these ancient sage rulers praise so highly are precisely the things that the former emperors did not do, or did the opposite of what they did.

For example, the prefecture-county system.

Confucian scholars praised the ancient sage rulers for granting lands, arguing that it showed their emphasis on kinship, loyalty, and adherence to etiquette.

Isn't this a veiled criticism of His Majesty for being too greedy and ruthless?

Thus, a rumor began to circulate among the people: "Your Majesty is rich throughout the land, while your brothers, sons, and nephews are all commoners."

The Confucian scholar didn't say it directly, but the meaning was clear, even to ordinary people in the marketplace.

Grand Tutor Yu nodded slightly. “This is the greatest danger Confucian scholars pose. They are knowledgeable, have ideas, like to discuss politics, and are all eloquent. They are not afraid of death at all, and can easily manipulate public opinion and influence the hearts of the people.”

Ziying said, “Now that we have been promoting benevolent governance for ten years, we are not afraid of what they say. They will only praise us.”

In fact, they have been praising the Grand Tutor, commending the current court for practicing the ways of the ancient sage rulers!

Grand Tutor Yu said, “Praising now doesn’t mean praising forever. We must take precautions. After I leave Xianyang, around the fifteenth of the first month, you should set up an office to inspect the storybooks circulating in the market and even the court’s own ‘proclamations to the people’.”

Then, Master Yu explained in detail the rules of the "Great God of River Crab" from his previous life.

After listening, Ziying sighed deeply, "Grand Tutor's strategy has broadened my horizons, as if I have entered a completely new world."

He bowed deeply and said, "Ziying has learned a lot. After the Lantern Festival, when the holiday ends, I will definitely convey the Grand Tutor's thoughts to the officials in the relevant government departments."

Grand Tutor Yu said, "Do you know why you only established the position of 'Inspector' after the fifteenth?"
My vacation ends at midnight tonight.

"Wait until I'm away from Xianyang for half a month, then you'll have another 'brilliant idea'?"

Ziying seemed to understand but not quite. "It was a sudden inspiration of mine. This merit has nothing to do with the Grand Tutor?"

Grand Tutor Yu sighed, “This afternoon I paid my respects to Mao Heng and listened to him talk about Mao’s poems. I was completely absorbed, as if I were drinking celestial wine or chewing on lingzhi mushrooms.”

Before leaving, he praised me for my talent and insisted on giving me a large box of manuscripts. Those were Mao Heng's decades of hard work!
The words in the book almost seem to have transformed into spirits.

I cherish them very much, and I am still far from satisfied. I plan to continue to seek guidance and books from great scholars when I have time.

I don't want to visit them in the future only to be turned away, and I don't want them to treat me like a censor!

Ziying suddenly realized, then his expression twisted: "Grand Tutor, to tell you the truth, I also really enjoy listening to Mao Heng talk about poetry. I'm also afraid that if I go to visit Mao Heng again, I'll be blocked at the door by his page."

"I understand, this is my idea. It only came to me after the Grand Tutor left."

Grand Tutor Yu then revealed a satisfied smile.

Today, I met Mao Heng with Grand Tutor Yu, and Sister Peony has now entered the circle.

At the poetry reading on the third day of the Lunar New Year, Sister Peony no longer needed to be shy.

Moreover, the meeting with Mao Heng in the afternoon went very smoothly. Despite Mao Heng's righteous aura shining like the sun, Sister Shaoyao remained unmoved, which also proved that the "edict" character left by Grand Tutor Yu in her and Cui Rong's palms was very useful.

With that, Xiaoyu could leave with peace of mind.

After dinner, I sat with Sister Peony by the warm fireplace and studied the poems of Mao that we had received from Mao Heng that afternoon.

Around 2 a.m., she left the Grand Tutor's Mansion and went to the Imperial Observatory.

"Master Guan, haven't you returned to Wenshi Dao Palace for the New Year yet?"

Master Guan said, "I went back and took a look yesterday. The Taoist temple is nothing like the human world. They didn't even prepare a reunion dinner or set off a single string of firecrackers. The couplets at the entrance were pasted up three thousand years ago."

It would be much better to return to Xianyang; even just strolling through the streets would be much more lively and have a stronger festive atmosphere.

"Is the Grand Tutor going to the Northern Kingdom to dredge the earth's veins?" he asked again.

Grand Tutor Yu shook his head. "I need to go to the Southern Frontier first to get rid of the Corrupting Soul Curse on me."

Master Guan said, "Are you confident? I still have four hundred days of merit on me. I can go to the Heavenly Court's Academy of Literature and help the Grand Tutor find a way to break the curse."

If nothing unexpected happens, the Xuanmen (mystical sects) have researched and developed countermeasures for the evil spells and techniques of the Demonic Sect.

Grand Tutor Yu asked, "Have you heard of the Bewitching Demon Lord? If he transforms into a Heavenly Demon, does the Xuanmen have any methods to break him?"

"The Bewitching Demon Lord is an elder of the Southern Demonic Sect, and I have certainly heard of his fearsome reputation."

Master Guan hesitated and said, "With my level of cultivation, even if I were to undergo the tribulation of inner demons, I would not provoke external demons. Usually, it is my own inner demons that awaken."

To provoke external demons, or even attract 'heavenly demons from beyond the realm,' requires at least a 'trial to prove one's Dao' at the Golden Immortal level. I've heard that demonic tribulations are extremely terrifying.

The reason why the Southern Demonic Sect could only be eliminated after the late emperor rose to power was not because the Xuanmen cultivators did not have this idea.

I simply lack the ability.

Many powerful Golden Immortals, and even those preparing to attain the Great Luo realm, were harmed by those demonic elders using evil magic.

Grand Tutor Yu said, "Then even if you go to the Academy of Literature, you probably won't find a way to break the Soul-Corroding Curse."

However, you don't need to worry, I already have a solution.

"Why is the solution in the Southern Frontier?" Master Guan asked, puzzled.

Grand Tutor Yu's eyes flickered slightly as he said, "There is a 'Holy Mountain' of the Demonic Sect in the Southern Frontier. I plan to go to the Holy Mountain to light the Holy Fire, offer sacrifices to the Demon Ancestor Rahu, and then become a Grand Elder of the Demonic Sect."

Once I transform into a celestial demon, the Soul-Corroding Curse on my body will immediately heal itself without any medicine.

Master Guan exclaimed in shock, "You want to abandon the Dao and become a demon? Grand Master, don't be so foolish. It's not worth sacrificing yourself for a demonic curse."

"My Xuanmen sect possesses countless wondrous methods; surely I can find a way to break the Soul-Corroding Curse. At the very least, let me try at the Academy of Literature."

Grand Master Yu said, "I did not abandon the Tao to become a demon; I cultivate Tao, Buddhism, and demonism simultaneously."

Master Guan earnestly advised, "Grand Master, believe me, the Southern Demonic Sect is different from Buddhism and Taoism. Once you fall into it, you will fall into demonic ways and there will be no turning back."

Grand Tutor Yu thought for a moment and said, "I happen to need a few helpers to preside over the ceremony of worshipping the Demon Ancestor."

If you have any doubts, come with me. No amount of verbal explanation, no matter how confident I am, can convince you.

"This has nothing to do with faith; the demonic path is a one-way street," Master Guan shouted.

"But my confidence comes from wisdom and strength."

Grand Tutor Yu was getting impatient. "Are you going or not? If not, then continue to oversee the Weather Bureau."

Master Guan said helplessly, "If you fall into demonic possession, regardless of whether you are rational or not, the Four Friends of Qionglin will have a reason to 'eliminate demons and defend the righteous path'."

“If I become a demon, the divine favor upon me will only grow stronger, my fortune will increase, and the merits I accumulate in the world will be greater,” said Grand Tutor Yu.

Master Guan stared wide-eyed and said, "How is this possible? Demonic cultivators are not tolerated by heaven and earth."

"Look, this is the inherent prejudice of an outsider towards the Demonic Sect, no, towards the 'Holy Sect.' To tell you the truth, my current descent into the Demonic Sect is only secondary in order to resolve the Corrupted Soul Curse."

"The main purpose is to usurp the destiny and fate of the Demonic Sect," said Grand Master Yu.

Master Guan still didn't quite believe it, thinking she was being delusional, but he didn't continue arguing with her.

She was getting impatient too.

He summoned a Taoist priest, handed over his work, and then followed Grand Master Yu to the Great Qin Treasury, where they moved many large items from the "Demon Gate Area".

They are all sacred artifacts of the Demonic Sect.

Then they flew towards the southern border.

(End of this chapter)