Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 264 Righteous Qi of Heaven and Earth, Treasures of Lingyun

"Heaven and earth possess righteous energy, which manifests in various forms. Below, it becomes rivers and mountains; above, it becomes the sun and stars. In man, it is called the vast and righteous spirit..."

Zhou Ming recited the Ode to Righteousness in a low voice.

If there is any article in the world that can describe the concept of justice between heaven and earth, then it is undoubtedly Wen Tianxiang's "Ode to Righteousness".

It is worth mentioning that in this world, Zhou Ming had never heard of Wen Tianxiang's name, let alone heard of such a righteous song.

It seems that it hasn't been created yet.

Therefore, he can now claim to be the original author of this "Ode to Righteousness".

But Zhou Ming clearly didn't have that idea; he simply studied the Ode to Righteousness carefully and tried to understand its meaning.

The song says that the righteous spirit of heaven and earth is ever-changing and exists in all things. In times of peace, wise rulers and enlightened courts are the embodiment of this righteous spirit.

In times of crisis, however, people unite around individuals and things.

In the records of the Grand Historian of Qi, and in the writings of Dong Hu of Jin.

Duke Zhuang of Qi became infatuated with the wife of his minister Cui Zhu and had an affair with her. Cui Zhu dared not offend her openly, but secretly plotted against her. Later, he found an opportunity and tricked Duke Zhuang into killing him.

The Grand Historian of Qi recorded the entire event. When Cui Zhu learned of this, he was furious and demanded that the history be revised to state that Duke Zhuang of Qi died suddenly from illness.

The historian refused and was killed.

His second younger brother succeeded him as Grand Historian and continued to record events truthfully, but was also killed.

When his third brother inherited the official position, Cui Zhu threatened him, "I have already killed your two older brothers. If you want to live, you should change the history books."

Third brother: "It is the duty of a historian to record events truthfully. To fail in one's duty and seek to live is worse than death."

Record the facts as they are, and Cui Zhu had no choice but to release him.

When the third brother left, he happened to run into another historian who was carrying bamboo slips, on which the same event was recorded.

It turns out that this historian knew that his third brother had been summoned by Cui Zhu and thought that he would also be killed, so he came to record this historical fact.

The matter of Donghu's brush is even more complicated.

After Duke Ling of Jin ascended the throne, he became incompetent and tyrannical. Chancellor Zhao Dun repeatedly tried to persuade him, which angered Duke Ling. Duke Ling then sent assassins to kill him, but the assassins believed that Zhao Dun was a loyal minister and therefore refused to carry out the attack, committing suicide instead.

Duke Ling of Jin set up an ambush, and Zhao Dun learned of it in advance. He quickly fled, but before he could leave the state of Jin, he encountered Zhao Chuan, Duke Ling's brother-in-law.

After learning of the matter, Zhao Chuan returned to persuade Duke Ling of Jin, but Duke Ling refused to listen and even hurled insults at him. Left with no other option, Zhao Chuan led his men to kill Duke Ling.

After Zhao Dun returned, he remained the prime minister and supported the new king. Wanting to know how the historians recorded this event, he summoned the historian Dong Hu.

At that time, books were written on bamboo slips, and the writing was concise. In particular, historical records focused on major events, and often an entire year's events would only be recorded in ten or so words for one or two major events. If a person's life of several decades could leave behind a hundred words in the history books, that was considered quite remarkable.

In a matter like this, it is naturally impossible to describe the entire process in detail.

When Zhao Dun looked at the historical record, he saw only a few words: "In the seventh month of autumn, Zhao Dun murdered his ruler." Zhao Dun was puzzled. He wondered why it was recorded this way when he had not killed his ruler.
Dong Hu said, "Although you didn't kill the monarch, you were the mastermind behind it. As the prime minister, you didn't escape too far and had the ability to return. Zhao Chuan also committed regicide because of you, and afterwards, you didn't punish the murderer. If I don't remember it this way, how should I remember it?"

Compared to the Taishi bamboo slips, the story of Donghu's brush is obviously more complicated, because Zhao Dun did nothing wrong in this story. How could he have known that Zhao Chuan would kill Duke Ling of Jin in a fit of rage after returning?
But what Dong Hu did was righteous, because he fully followed the duties of a historian.

The song also cited other examples, such as Zhang Liang, Su Wu, Yan Yan, Ji Shao, Zhang Xun, Zhuge Liang, and so on.

These people each have their own stories, and the reasons for doing these things are also different.

Some are loyal to their monarch, others are enemies of their blood relatives.

There were passionate and inspiring moments, and moments of selfless dedication.

In short, doing what you should do is the right thing to do.

Like the assassin sent out by Duke Ling of Jin.

As an assassin, he should have obeyed orders. However, he was also a citizen of Jin, and he believed Zhao Dun to be a good official, so he abandoned his plan to commit suicide. This was naturally a righteous act.

In contrast, Zhao Dun, after the death of Duke Ling of Jin, supported a new ruler and disregarded the crimes of Zhao Chuan. These actions could be considered correct, but they were not just.

"Different people, different identities, each have their own sense of justice. And some people's sense of justice is even completely contradictory..."

Zhou Ming exclaimed: "As the saying goes: My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror, and all my deeds are righteous!"
That's exactly it.

According to this theory, justice in the world would be very easy to find.

What Zhou Ming had previously guessed was that the sword of justice, which was the most difficult to tamper with, was actually the easiest to tamper with.

However, in reality, Zhou Ming had projected his image onto many people in the past few days. The actions of many of them were in complete accordance with the 'justice' described in the Song of Righteousness, yet they never touched the sword of justice.

"True character is revealed in times of adversity..."

Zhou Ming pondered, "Righteousness is only fully revealed in times of crisis. Could it be that the people I've chosen are all living in too peaceful environments?"

A loyal subject, fulfilling his duties faithfully.

In peacetime, this is a matter of course, after all, one is paid by the emperor and should be loyal to him.

Even during times of war, or when the country was on the verge of collapse, this minister remained loyal to his duties, doing everything he could and even striving for better.

Only in this way can righteousness truly shine!
"Therefore, if I wish to seek righteousness, it would be best to do so in those chaotic places, such as the Western Regions, the Central Plains, and the three kingdoms of Sui, Tang, and Song."

Just as Zhou Ming was about to check the intelligence on these places, Xiao Ai suddenly sent a message that she had already explored the Lingyun Cave area.

Zhou Ming immediately used Xiao Ai's location to adjust the space and open the portal, and stepped into the cave.

Before them was a stone wall, on which was carved a heroic and majestic fire unicorn.

Upon seeing the Fire Qilin mural, Zhou Ming was immediately captivated by its endless mysteries, completely ignoring everything else.

After a long while, he finally woke up, and two martial arts techniques had appeared in his mind.

This is known as the "Perfect Golden Finger" of the "Heavenly Mandate Sword Path".

"interesting……"

Zhou Ming naturally understood that this was a great treasure hidden within the Lingyun Cave, the martial arts legacy left behind by Wu Wudi, one of the top ten martial artists of the past.

Xuanwu True Skill!

Wu Wudi also came from a martial arts family, whose family inherited ten extremely powerful martial arts, collectively known as the Ten Strong Martial Arts.

He possessed extraordinary talent, even terrifyingly so. In his youth, he had already mastered all ten of the most powerful martial arts, and then summarized and integrated them into a unified set of martial arts.

This is the Xuanwu True Skill.

This skill is not written down, but is transformed into a mural of a fire-breathing unicorn. Only by studying the mural can one comprehend the true skill of the Black Tortoise.

Moreover, it is the Xuanwu True Skill that is suitable for him.

However, if one lacks comprehension, one can probably only grasp one or two moves.

Zhou Ming was able to comprehend two complete sets of martial arts, so his aptitude was quite good.

However, compared to the protagonists of those eras, those extraordinary figures, they still fall short in many ways.

Zhou Ming turned his head and saw Ai standing to the side, looking at the Qilin mural with great interest. He asked, "Ai, how many martial arts have you mastered?"

"Martial arts?" Xiao Ai shook her head: "I haven't mastered a single one."

"Ok?"

Zhou Ming was taken aback, but then he understood. After all, Ai was just a spirit created by a supercomputer, so learning practical things was naturally incredibly easy for her.

However, when it comes to something as mysterious and profound as the Xuanwu True Skill, she's at a loss as to try to comprehend it on her own. "It's alright, I'll teach you."

Zhou Ming then taught Xiao Ai the two martial arts techniques he had mastered, and Xiao Ai quickly learned them.

When I looked at the mural again, my gaze was no longer as lost as before.

"I think I see knife techniques, spear techniques, sword techniques... many martial arts, but... none of them seem complete."

No matter how mysterious the Xuanwu True Skill is, it is still a martial art, and its basic elements can be found in other martial arts in the world.

With the addition of the two martial arts techniques taught by Zhou Ming, Ai seemed to have suddenly found the key, and with her powerful calculation ability, she saw many martial arts techniques in the murals.

However, this was still not enough for her to comprehend the full extent of the Xuanwu True Skill.

"Never mind, the item is right here. I'll learn how to use it sooner or later. Let's go check out the other treasures first."

The two then left.

Lingyun Cave is very large. The outer layer alone has countless winding passages, forming a natural maze. As you go deeper, you continue to descend into the ground, where there are undulating and complex structures.

Affected by the Fire Qilin, the entire Lingyun Cave is extremely hot, and in some places you can even see lava. Ordinary people cannot enter; they would die from the heat on the outer layer.

If a Fire Qilin is injured and bleeds, there is a chance that a Blood Bodhi will grow, but this is extremely rare.

Finding the Blood Bodhi within the vast Lingyun Cave is no easier than finding a needle in a haystack.

However, Xiao Ai had already explored the entire area and naturally found quite a few Blood Bodhis, all of which Zhou Ming stored in his spatial storage.

There's also Nie Renwang, and Duan Shuai's lost Snow Drinking Saber and Fire Kirin Sword.

Zhou Ming also pocketed it, and then tossed out a projection.

The ancestors of the Nie family left behind a set of six secrets of the Aohan technique inside the cave.

Zhou Ming also noted it down.

Numerous treasures, none left behind.

In the end, only Nie Renwang, Duan Shuai, Huo Qilin, and the Yellow Emperor's tomb remained, all deep within Lingyun Cave.

Zhou Ming entered the space, created a mechanical spider, and sent it into Lingyun Cave to search for the two.

After finding them, he controlled the spider to hide in the shadows, located them by the marks on the spider, opened a portal in an instant, left marks on the two of them, and then left immediately.

The two experts noticed immediately, but after looking around, they couldn't find anyone or even sense any life.

"Brother Nie, you felt it too? In that case, it can't be an illusion."

"Could it be that ferocious beast?"

"Let's take another look around. We're already deep in Lingyun Cave, not far from the dragon vein. Let's be careful and make sure nothing goes wrong."

"it is good."

Inside the space, Zhou Ming witnessed this scene and exclaimed, "No wonder he was a powerful figure who made a name for himself in the Central Plains back then!"

Zhongzhou was the core area ruled by dynasties such as Xia, Shang, and Zhou. It has a long history and the most abundant and strongest martial arts traditions.

Making a name for yourself in this region is much more difficult than in other countries.

Moreover, many of the advanced martial arts here involve spiritual power, the most typical example being the Xuanwu True Skill that Zhou Ming just comprehended.

The fusion of ten martial arts techniques into a single mural of a Qilin is truly mysterious and profound.

Both Nie Renwang and Duan Shuai are at the Second Flower Grandmaster level, and they have condensed Qi and Essence Flowers. However, their spiritual power far surpasses that of other powerful individuals of the same level from other countries.

This leads to an even more terrifying heightened sense of perception.

Of course, this is also related to Zhou Ming's current low level of cultivation.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

Zhou Ming wasn't in a hurry to find the Fire Qilin and the Yellow Emperor's Tomb. He superimposed his projection onto Nie Renwang, while his main body went to the Sword Realm to approach the Three Swords of Xuan Yang and began to comprehend them.

In that instant, the three Xuan Yang swords, who had previously completely ignored him, all trembled.

The two swords, Guardian and the Sword of All Living Beings, both reveal a myriad of mysteries.

The sword of justice also stirred.

Zhou Ming disregarded everything else and began to seriously contemplate the matter.

He didn't finish until Nie Renwang and Duan Shuai returned from their inspection of Lingyun Cave.

"Let's see how Duan Shuai fares..."

Zhou Ming then superimposed his own projection onto Duan Shuai.

In an instant, another wave of trouble arose.

The two swords, Guardian and Protector of All Living Beings, suddenly moved and came to Zhou Ming's side, slowly rotating. At the same time, they released streams of sword energy, revealing endless mysteries.

Although they haven't formally acknowledged a master, their attitude is completely different from before.

If these two sword energies were each a school, then before this, Zhou Ming would not have been allowed to enter at all.

After Nie Renwang was reinstated, the situation changed drastically. Zhou Ming was allowed to enter the school, but he was to study on his own.

The overlapping of the commander's position was due to the school suddenly sending out teachers to carefully instruct him.

The final sword of justice, though it did not display such an attitude, revealed more than ten times the mysteries of the previous ones.

"This... Nie Renwang and Duan Shuai are clearly doing the same thing, so why is there such a big difference?"

Zhou Ming was stunned.

However, he soon figured out the reason.

It's actually quite simple. It's just that Nie Renwang is a knife user, while Duan Shuai is a swordsman.

The Three Swords of Xuan Yang... The key point is not only the concepts they each represent, but also the 'sword' itself!
Although the Xuan Yang Three Swordsmen wouldn't mind if someone wasn't a swordsman, they obviously wouldn't take the initiative.

"Damn! These days, even sword energy is discriminating?!"

Zhou Ming was speechless.

In other words, he will not only look for people who fit the relevant concept, but this person should also ideally be a swordsman.

Zhou Ming couldn't help but frown.

The pool of qualified candidates is already small, and with this additional requirement, a large number of them will likely be eliminated immediately.

After all, martial artists are only a small minority compared to ordinary people.

Swordsmen can only be considered a part of all martial artists.

Despite the large number of swordsmen in the world, they are nothing compared to the total population of the entire Nine Provinces and Four Seas.

"Fine, if they're demanding, so be it. If we really can't find someone like that, we can just... build one ourselves!"

Zhou Ming thought to himself, then immediately put the question out of his mind, took a wisp of perfect energy, and began to comprehend the Xuan Yang Three Swords.

(End of this chapter)