Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 476 The Man Who Wrestled with God

"I've come specifically to inspect the results of your ministry!"

In the courtyard where God descended,

He Bo sat cross-legged on the blanket that the villagers had woven and presented to the great teacher Zhao Shen, embracing a yellow dog on his left and stroking a raccoon cat with his right, looking every bit the protagonist.

Zhao Shen casually said "Oh," and turned around to offer two naan breads to God, which had become so hard from being dehydrated for so long that they could kill someone by hitting them.

Upon seeing this, He Bo was immediately enraged.

He released his two beautiful dogs, Jiami, and picked up a naan bread, banging it on the floor.

"You offer such things to the gods you believe in?"

"Believe it or not, I'll expel you from the Taoist community!"

He Bo pointed to the floor where the naan bread had been chiseled, then held up the intact naan bread high and said loudly to Zhao Shen.

Zhao Shen remained completely calm.
He simply took the naan bread from He Bo's hand and in front of him, and then offered him a plate of stir-fried beans.

"Then let's have this."

"Eating too many dried beans can cause bloating, so don't float up when you do."

As ghosts and gods,

He Bo, naturally, doesn't have the same concept of the cycle of life as humans.

But the spirits and deities who understand human nature have always enjoyed experiencing human feelings.

While maintaining elegance
He would try to taste the food of ordinary people and experience some of the changes that followed.

Zhao Shen knew his personality, which is why he said that.

He Bo became even angrier, "How could I possibly be as rude as you say!"

"If we're going to fly, it will be soaring through the clouds, flying with an ethereal, otherworldly grace!"

After all,

He grabbed a few beans and threw them into his mouth.

A crunching sound rang out.
Even Big Yellow, standing nearby, couldn't help but gnaw on his teeth upon hearing this.

Zhao Shen sat down opposite him, intending to eat a couple of beans as well.

He Bo laughed at him, "You're almost fifty years old, can your teeth still chew this stuff?"

"good."

Zhao Shen replied, "Anyway, the beans are small, so you can just swallow them whole."

"But it's bad for your stomach!"

He Bo shoveled the plate of beans in front of him, and then conjured up several plates of delicacies out of thin air, including rare and exotic foods, as well as various kinds of birds and beasts.

Finally,

He also made a jar of nourishing chicken soup.

He placed the still-steaming food in front of Zhao Shen and said generously, "Eat up!"

"This is a reward for your preaching!"

Zhao Shen didn't stand on ceremony and started eating with his bowl and chopsticks.

After arriving in Longnan Prefecture,

He hadn't eaten rice and good food in a long time.

but,

Zhao Shen didn't eat much.

He left quite a bit, saying he wanted to save it for later.

As for the first two pieces of naan bread that were taken out, Zhao Shen crushed them, soaked them in the soup of the dishes, added some water, and then distributed them to the cats and dogs.

After all, God made a covenant with them.
How could Zhao Shen let them drool on the sidelines?

Looking at the strength in his hands, He Bo clicked his tongue and said, "Your kung fu is amazing. No wonder you can spread your skills so quickly in a place like this."

Preaching in a place like the Western Sea is no easy task.

After all, the main inhabitants here are descendants of the Xia people.

They have never been fond of religious sects, and they kowtow to those clay deities.

You must kowtow.

They only strive to achieve what benefits their own lives.

What decent person would go around worshipping gods randomly when they have nothing better to do?
The connection between Qin and Xia

This also made the people of Qin aware of the fame of the Way of Peace.

This made the nobles quite dissatisfied with it, worrying that if the Taiping Dao were allowed to grow stronger, it would repeat the story of Xinxia, thus affecting their own status.

then,

When Taipingdao, which had taken root and developed in a remote area inhabited by both Xia and Yi peoples, gradually developed into a prosperous city inhabited by Qin people, it was met with suppression from the imperial court.

At that time,

The Qin state had not yet suffered turmoil.
Even though the surface of the water is calm, there are turbulent undercurrents, and signs of collapse can be seen in the smallest details.

However, the Taiping Dao, being an outsider, ultimately lacked the power to contend with the Qin court.

then,

The Great Master of Virtue at that time adjusted the route of the spread of the gospel, dispersing the Taoist priests who had gathered there and sending them to other places to spread the gospel of God, while avoiding the suppression of the Qin court.

Zhao Shen, who was still in his prime at the time, was assigned to the western region of the Qin Dynasty.

just,

Not long after he received the staff representing his status as a "wise teacher," donned the yellow robe traditionally worn by the Way of Peace, and set off on horseback, internal strife broke out in the Qin state.

Amidst that rapid development and the chaos that spread throughout the four corners of the Qin Dynasty,

Zhao Shen did not choose to avoid it.

He faced the challenges head-on and, relying on his martial prowess, fought his way through bandits who blocked the mountain passes, bandits who plundered villagers, and various Rong tribes who tried to cause trouble while the Qin people were preoccupied with their own problems.

He successfully arrived in Longnan County.

After settling down
Zhao Shen then discovered:
Because Longnan Prefecture has many valleys, many barbarian tribes avoided the teachings of the Qin people, retaining their original customs and traditions, and multiplied and survived there.

These people mostly have their own beliefs and will not easily accept the ideas of the Way of Peace. They also harbor unwarranted malice and rejection towards Taoists from outside the region.

Zhao Shen had no choice.

He could only sigh, then stepped forward and used violence to tell the local tribes the benefits of believing in the Way of Peace.

At least,

If they obediently believe in and follow him, Zhao Shen will not kill them.

Zhao Shen's beating quickly cleared the eyes of the Rong soldiers:
This force,
This method,
This is the right way for the virtuous people of the Central Plains to deal with us barbarians!
When you first came to distribute disaster relief supplies to us, I thought you were just a pushover!

If they had shown their strength earlier,
Then there won't be any misunderstandings between us!

Zhao Shen thus found the right way to spread his teachings in the western part of Qin.

He Bo thus took notice of this virtuous teacher of the Way of Peace.

He first used his mortal identity to get to know Zhao Shen, and then deliberately and accidentally revealed his true identity, attempting to scare this Taoist priest who usually had no expression and whose words and actions had an aura of "living but dying".

result,

Zhao Shen still didn't react.

When He Bo asked him why he wasn't agitated, Zhao Shen replied, "I follow the principles of the Way of Peace, not the deities created by the Way of Peace."

"If you were made of wood or mud, I might bow down to you, but since you can run and jump, I don't feel anything anymore."

He Bo admired him even more because of this.

After Zhao Shen successfully spread his teachings and converted some barbarians in Longnan County using his martial arts skills,

He naturally became the great teacher of Western Qin, and was subsequently harassed by He Bo even more frequently.

"Don't always have that blank face."

He Bo said to Zhao Shen, who had finished feeding the cats and dogs, "I've seen that kind of expression too many times in the underworld!"

His cattle and horses, after working for a long time, would often show this expression, as if life had no fun.

Yet they are clearly enjoying the blessings bestowed upon them by God every single moment.

Because of his connections with the ghosts and gods, Zhao Shen, who had some knowledge of the underworld, ignored him.

He glanced up at the sky and then said, "Yerong should be here soon."

"Who is Ye Rong?" He Bo asked him.

"It's a person."

He Bo looked at Zhao Shen quietly.

The latter added, "It's the little girl you met before."

He Bo then suddenly realized, "It's her!"

After getting to know Zhao Shen
Although He Bo harassed him a lot,

But it won't affect his life too much.

Often, when Zhao Shen was resting in his own courtyard, He Bo would come over to chat with him for a few minutes, discussing the idea of using the beliefs of the Chinese people to educate the barbarians.

He came and went like the wind, rising and falling without a trace, so even the Taoists who followed Zhao Shen did not know that the Great Teacher of Virtue could really summon ghosts and gods.

All they knew was that
In these rather impoverished rural villages, the Great Teacher would occasionally take out some delicacies wrapped in oiled paper and share them with everyone, hoping to add some oil to their bellies. However, considering Zhao Shen's status...

His reputation had spread so widely that he was summoned by the Qin court and respected by the local warlords.
They did not investigate the source of the food.

in this way,

Not to mention a little girl who, after finishing her chores at home and playing with her friends for a while, would come to find Zhao Shen to learn to read and write.

But He Bo flew over the village where smoke was rising from the chimneys and saw that person before.

"That little girl seems quite clever."

"She's the child you delivered, no wonder she's so close to you!"

Zhao Shen grunted in agreement and turned to take out his teaching materials from the room.

"By the way, why did you give her such a name?"

"I just heard it, and I almost raised my index finger!"

Zhao Shen explained, "The name her parents gave her was a bit bitter; it's better for her to have a sweeter name."

Although no coconuts grow within the territory of Western Qin.

But Zhao Shen was from Xinxia, so he had naturally tasted the famous local delicacy, "Coconut Core Buns".

Building upon this culinary tradition, the people of Xinxia further developed ways to use coconuts, leading to the creation of the dessert "coconut flakes".

Zhao Shen had never tasted it, but he had heard that it was just the right amount of sweet, unlike the jujubes that were so sweet they could kill you, which were abundant in Qin. It was also more in line with the tastes of the gentlemen of the Xia state.

With this in mind,
Zhao Shen then gave this name to the little girl who was born successfully with his help and grew up healthily.

Not long after,

Then the girl from the Zhuxia region named Ye Rong came over.

She has distinct features of a different ethnic group, but because she studied under Zhao Shen for a long time and received a lot of nourishment from him, her expression has a distinct flavor of the Chinese people.

When I met He Bo
The little girl greeted him happily, "Hello."

He Bo took out a piece of coconut flakes and handed it to her as a formal gift for their meeting, saying, "Hello to you too!"

Ye Rong took the coconut flakes, first staring at them with her big, watery eyes and asking what they were. After receiving an answer, she thanked them with delight, ate them, and then happily cupped her face, saying, "They're so delicious!"

"I will definitely become as good as Ye Rong in the future!"

then,

She asked her teacher, "Who is this distinguished guest?"

"is God."

Ye Rong laughed, "That's impossible!"

God wouldn't be so affectionate!
Although her parents gradually distanced themselves from their community in pursuit of her and a better life, tradition still influenced the life of this small family.

Therefore,
The parents would tell their daughter stories that were passed down in their community.

But those legends and myths,

And that self-proclaimed status as "the one favored by God,"

It's basically just wishful thinking.

After all, if such privileges and status truly existed,
Why have their ethnic groups been displaced for thousands of years, to the point that most of their children can only follow their mother's lineage and cannot identify their father's origin?
Faced with such a heavy history,
How can this group survive without resolute and unwavering self-deception and comfort?
Winning is extremely important!
It is impossible to achieve in reality.
Then let's win everything in spirit!
unfortunately,

The Qin people, who came from the east, conquered and ruled the Western Sea, and didn't even give them a chance to feel happy.

To fantasize that one's status is higher than that of the virtuous men of the Central Plains?

Do you fantasize about being a winner every single moment?
snort!
Even if I wanted to, I couldn't!

Even thinking about it is a sin!

Let the swords of Qin help these ignorant barbarians solve this problem at its root!

For this,

Some ethnic groups are deeply distressed.

This is even more painful than their experience a thousand years ago in Egypt, where they were favored by the Pharaoh but betrayed him and were eventually reduced to slavery!
After all, punishments like executing nine generations of a family or exterminating three generations of a family are far too cruel.

Not to mention that the various Xia states also wanted to eradicate licentious worship and prohibit the people under their rule from worshipping gods indiscriminately.

Under such an impact,

Yerong's tribe quickly declined and fragmented.

For her family, the changes brought about by external forces are even more significant.

After coming into contact with the Way of Peace
Their family went from being poor to having some savings.

The parents went from despair to relying solely on God, wishing they could exchange their entire bodies for a chance to "go to heaven," and gradually developed their own ideas.

They would learn from the habits of the Qin people, plan things, and use their abilities to achieve them.

Of course, many members of the tribe are unwilling to accept things from the outside world.
But Ye Rong learned to read and write, and learned more, so she wasn't so rigid!
"Even the God described in the Taiping Jing cannot soothe all the suffering in the world."

"So He must be a very serious god!"

Just like Ye Rong understood, those parents of the various Xia people.

"You've even read the Taiping Jing?" He Bo asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, the teacher taught me to recognize characters, using passages taken from the Taiping Jing."

"Then memorize two passages for me!"

He Bo stood with his hands behind his back, adopting the posture of an elder commonly seen among the Chinese.

Before the little girl could speak, Zhao Shen chased him away, saying, "She can only recognize characters; she hasn't read any specific chapters yet."

"Don't cause trouble here!"

"Do you intend to teach her for me?"

He Bo then muttered to himself as he ran off to chase the cat and tease the dog.

The little girl was a bit confused:
"You say he is a god, then why are you so disrespectful?"

Zhao Shen said, "God doesn't care about these things."

"He'll only be angry that you didn't do what you were supposed to do."

"What do you mean by 'things we should do'?" the little girl continued, cupping her face in her hands.

"It is one's duty as a human being."

"Then what is the duty of a human being?"

"It is a struggle against heaven, a struggle against earth, and a struggle against man."

The little girl's eyes widened instantly, and her breathing quickened.
She recognizes all these words.
Why can't I understand the meaning of this sentence at all?

Seeing her like this, Zhao Shen's usually expressionless face showed a rare smile.

“This is something ingrained in the very essence of the Chinese people. You haven’t been studying it for very long, so naturally you don’t know it.”

And when one understands this principle...
I suppose I'll eventually become a virtuous gentleman among the Chinese people.

after that,

Zhao Shen then began to teach Ye Rong.
just,

He Bo, this idle "god," would occasionally be scolded by Zhao Shen, a follower, for playing too intensely with cats and dogs.

After Ye Rong finishes her studies for the day,

He Bo finally didn't have to give him any more face, roared and pounced on Zhao Shen, and started fighting with him.

The little girl watched from the side, hesitated for a long time, and finally decided to abandon the temptation of her appearance and cheer for her teacher.

"Humph!"

"Then I'm not playing anymore!"

Seeing this, He Bo decisively stopped and refused to fight alone.

"She was just talking from the side."

Zhao Shen pointed out that his struggle with God was still a fair one-on-one contest.

However, He Bo refused to acknowledge it.

Do you even know what a "atmosphere group" is?

"I'll bring a few loud-voiced bastards next time and drown out this little girl's voice!"

"Well."

Zhao Shen did not try to stop him.

He simply asked the little girl, "Do you believe he is a god?"

Ye Rong looked at He Bo, who was standing next to her with a puffed-up face and an angry expression, and shook her head.