The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 71: If you don't follow the law, even if the law is good, it's no different from having no law
A sound attracted everyone's attention.

The spectators who thought the excitement was over were suddenly excited. The Qigong practitioners present were stunned, and Hai Fengming also looked over.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Xuanxu stood up.

After bowing to the three elders, he took out the axle box from his Ruyi bag and explained:

"I have heard that the people of the School of Law are upright and incorruptible, and that the law is their first priority. Lord Hai is even more impartial and unafraid of the powerful. He once punished ministers without sparing them, and rewarded ordinary people without sparing them.

Both I and Senior Brother Xuanming admire your character. This time when I came down the mountain, Senior Brother specially asked me to pass on four sentences to you as a token of respect.

Everyone was curious and confused.

Can sixteen words turn the tide?
The elders of the Wang family had gloomy expressions.

Looking at the scroll box presented by his subordinates, Hai Fengming opened the box and spread out the rice paper. Sixteen large characters came into view:

[There are laws to follow, laws must be followed, law enforcement must be strict, and violations must be punished]

The force is so strong that it can be seen through the paper, the brush strokes are powerful, the heart is right and the pen is upright. A sense of mission to advocate for the weak and to plead for the people comes like a whistling wind, the meaning of law flows, and sixteen large characters suddenly rise into the air, allowing everyone to see clearly, and as they rotate, they merge into one magnificent character: Law!
After pausing for three breaths, the word "Fa" was separated into sixteen large characters again and slowly fell back onto the paper.

The Wang clan elder's heart skipped a beat.

The others looked at Hai Fengming.

They were not members of the Legalist school, but they were all touched when they saw these sixteen big words, let alone the Legalist monks. Maybe things really could turn around.

At the beginning, Hai Fengming kept repeating these sixteen big characters. In just four short sentences, each with four characters, they almost told the true meaning of Legalism. It was like the ringing of a legal bell, entering the ears and heart, awakening the deaf.

In a trance, he seemed to see a vast and magnificent world. All the gods in the universe respected the law, governed the country according to law, and had strict laws. From the emperor in the temple to the common people in the rivers and lakes, everyone understood the law, abided by the law, and used the law. The sky is vast, and the law is the greatest.

Even the emperor was selected through laws and appointed according to the merits, which was quite similar to the ancient tradition of abdication.

Even though it was just a fleeting glimpse that disappeared in an instant, like an illusion, it still stirred up huge waves in Hai Fengming's heart. Staring at the sixteen large characters on the table, his eyes were empty, his thoughts drifted away, and he recalled the past.

---

Five years ago, Hai Fengming worked in Linjiang County.

That year, he enforced the law impartially and judged the son of the fourth-rank Earl of Linjiang as a sixth-rank priest. He decisively brought down the Legalist guillotine and beheaded the villain who bullied men and women, took sexual intercourse at will, monopolized the market, forced women of good families into prostitution, and took human lives at the Caishikou.

At that time, he was full of vigor and righteousness in the face of power. Although he knew that he would be dismissed from office and would be secretly retaliated by Linjiang Bo, he still faced the difficulties and vowed to defend the laws and regulations to the death. Only then did he achieve great success in legal theory and achieve perfection in the holy fetus realm.

After five years of silence, he was revived with the help of his master and fellow disciples. He went all the way north to Fengyang County to take up his post. He did not expect to encounter such a difficult case right after taking office, and he did not expect that he would actually retreat.

Do I really have to bow to power?
Is it because this official position goes against the laws of Taoism?
Do you really want to go along with the corrupt and abandon your faith?
Hai Fengming questioned himself, and then looked at the sixteen thought-provoking words on the paper, and he had the answer in his heart.

No one can transcend the law!

Even if I have no chance of ever entering officialdom, I must ensure that the criminals receive the punishment they deserve. I am willing to abandon myself for my beliefs and never regret it even if I die.

Boom!

With a firm mind, Hai Fengming's entrance glowed brightly, and the Dharma spirit emerged behind him, with the potential to transform into a river of Tao. The mirror above his head hummed with joy, and a powerful pressure emanated from it.

The Qigong practitioners present all changed color. The pupils of the Wang clan elders shrank.

"Great words! Great sentences! Great method!"

Hai Fengming said three good words in a row, and looked at the field. His pressure went straight to Wang Sheng, and he said loudly: "If there is a law but it is not followed, the law is good and there is no law. Although Wang Sheng, the former priest of Guangfasi, was not the mastermind, he knew the law and broke it, indirectly killing tens of thousands of innocent people and cultivators, and hired killers to kill people, confusing right and wrong. He is guilty of multiple crimes and shall be punished together. This official pronounces the verdict."

Just then, a loud shout interrupted the penalty.

"Wait a minute!"

---

Everyone was shocked.

It was these two words that led to a reversal of the situation. Is there going to be another unexpected change?

They looked and saw that the person who spoke was the elder of the Wang family.

He was dressed in a Confucian robe, his temples were gray, his hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, he had a deep gaze, a goatee, an elegant temperament, an outstanding image, he was neat and tidy, and his back was straight when he stood up.

Ignoring Qingming and the others, the old man walked to Wang Sheng, with each step being equal in distance, as if it had been measured.

Looking at the younger generation whose magic power was sealed, under Wang Sheng's hopeful gaze, he stretched out his old hand, gently touched Wang Sheng's forehead, and said softly: "Everyone makes mistakes, and I was the same when I was young."

"Master Lang, you are obstructing me. Are you disrespecting my Great Mysterious Law?"

Hai Fengming shouted harshly, the mirror above his head glowed with magical light, and the pressure on his body was ready to be unleashed, as if he would capture the other party immediately if he dared to admit it.

He did not attack immediately, firstly because he wanted to see what the other party intended to do, and secondly because this old man was a great scholar who had reached the perfect state of Saint Embryo.

Hiding his hands in his sleeves, with his left hand pressing on his right, he bowed and performed a proper salute. Wang Lang said, "I dare not."

"Then what do you mean?"

Without immediately answering Hai Fengming's doubts, Wang Lang turned to look at Wang Sheng, who had been taken away in the late night and had been detained in prison. His clothes were covered in dust and he looked a little disheveled.

He personally tidied Wang Sheng's clothes, and as he did so, he said, "Your face must be clean, your hair must be combed, your clothes must be neat, and your buttons must be buttoned. This is one of the Confucian etiquettes."

After doing all this, Wang Lang nodded, and the senior opposite him smiled with satisfaction. Wang Sheng also smiled back, with two beautiful dimples on his cheeks. Then he fell down with a look of shock, blood spurting out of his mouth, and died instantly.

Squatting down and looking at Wang Sheng who died with his eyes wide open, Wang Lang sighed: "Although it is said that knowing one's mistakes and being able to correct them is the best thing, there are some mistakes that can be made in this world, and once some mistakes are made, they can only be paid for with one's life. It is a great blessing to be able to die with dignity in my hands."

Reaching out his hand to close Wang Sheng's eyes, Wang Lang slowly stood up.

Seeing the Wang clan elder smiling kindly one moment and ruthlessly killing the next, everyone felt a chill in their hearts, and the spectators in front of the door subconsciously took a step back.

After standing up straight, Wang Lang turned around and bowed to Hai Fengming, sighing sadly:
"My Wang family has passed down poetry and books, and educated people with morality. Our ancestors taught the younger generations to be self-disciplined and to worry about the country. Now our family is in misfortune. Such an unfilial descendant has ruined the family's reputation and brought disaster to Fengyang County. It is because my Wang family did not teach well. I dare not trouble Lord Hai. I will do it myself and let him pay with his life to atone for his sins.

In addition, my Wang family is strict in family management and has always been loyal to Daxuan. We hate people who collude with foreigners and betray their own people. Wang Sheng has committed a taboo. When I return, I will follow the court's laws and exile his entire lineage to the borderland and remove his name from the family tree. I will also use this lineage's wealth to provide porridge and build bridges to benefit the people and repay his debts."

(End of this chapter)