The Great Seminary

Chapter 230 Self-knowledge
Although Dongshengzhou has been ruled by powerful families since ancient times, even the grassland emperors who grow ironwood are the most self-reliant.

When it first gained popularity, it also used the title of "Jinong" half-truthfully.

Although the tribe from which they came was pitifully small, it had a history of twenty or thirty generations.

However, it is not true that the general public has absolutely no chance of getting ahead.

Even among millions of ordinary people, there are occasionally exceptions who 'show their first signs of talent'.

They are either outstanding illegitimate descendants who broke away from their original families, such as Zhang Gui, who is now a prodigy.

It was only by chance that he cultivated the "Book of Strategists" and achieved the Class B extraordinary status.

Recalling the grievances inflicted on him by his family when he was a child, he began to consider leaving the Zhang family in Pingyang.
Or those who came from even more humble backgrounds, simply ordinary people, but were born with exceptional talent for advancement, passed the imperial examinations to become officials, or became generals in the army, thus successfully changing their social standing.

If they happen to be able to establish a foothold and build their own small clan by chance.

If a family can survive for three generations without dispersing, it can be called a "poor family".

Previously, the headmaster of Qingdou Academy, Mr. Huaihe, boasted that he taught without discrimination and accepted many students from poor families.

Now some of them followed the big wolf.

Logically speaking, these people are from "poor families", but in fact they received feudal elite education from a young age.

They all know how to know when to advance and when to retreat.

Unless one possesses exceptional talent and gains the favor of a prominent figure in a wealthy and powerful family, who then proposes marriage.

Otherwise, they would never have dared to dream of marrying into a higher social class and achieving instant success.

But now is the time for a major struggle.

Sometimes when reading history books and comparing the past and present, those young people who feel they have great skills will sometimes unconsciously project themselves onto those 'trendsetters' in history.

It creates the illusion that 'nobles and high-ranking officials are born with special privileges'.

Completely forgotten, those protagonists who once stood at the forefront of the times were far rarer than the most outstanding direct descendants of ancient noble families.

If someone were truly that kind of person, they wouldn't devote any attention to romantic relationships.

However, Zhang Gui didn't hold such a self-aware fellow in any particular contempt.

After all, who in this world isn't the 'protagonist' in their own heart?

Just the same.

He did not think that the occasional prejudice and malice towards family background revealed by the two legitimate daughters of Ming Song Jinling Huayu Zhenji was wrong.

In a rigidly class-based society, blindly and arrogantly attempting to offend someone simply because they appear kind and gentle is indeed a path to certain death.
On the Luohan chair in the main hall of the 23rd room of 'Xianhezhai' (a traditional Chinese house).

While quietly sipping his tea, Zhang Gui recalled a movie he had seen in his previous life.

The plot is:
In a country called the Beautiful Country, people with black skin used to be slaves, and people with white skin were masters.

Later, through a large-scale war, the black people were liberated and gained civilian treatment, but they still faced a lot of discrimination.

Furthermore, because the southern part of the United States was formerly entirely ruled by slave owners, the remaining discrimination is more than ten times more severe than in the north.

As a result, a dark-skinned child born in the north insisted on visiting relatives in the south.

After arriving.

Despite everyone warning him not to underestimate those with white skin, he still presumptuously acted frivolously towards a beautiful white girl in public.

Therefore, he was beaten to death!
I watched this movie in my past life.

Zhang Gui also felt sorry for the dark-skinned boy, but after empathizing with him, he realized that if the dark-skinned boy was not severely punished...

The family of the fair-skinned girl would immediately become outcasts in the eyes of their fellow villagers and a laughingstock.

If this rejection continues for a long time, the whole family may not be able to survive.

This family has clearly done nothing wrong, so aren't they even more innocent!

The useless explanations outside the door gradually faded away. Zhen Hongmei turned around the screen.
"Miss, Second Miss, Young Master Gu and Young Master Xu Hong have already left."

"I understand." Zhen Ciyun nodded, then turned to look at Zhang Gui, whose gaze remained blank.
"What are you thinking? Do you think we sisters are too materialistic and value family background too much?"

"Is there anyone in this world who isn't opportunistic? Unless they're like the immortal Ironwood or someone as unparalleled as myself."

Zhang Gui replied absentmindedly, then realized something was amiss.

"What I mean is that everyone in the world should have some self-awareness, otherwise they deserve to invite trouble and disaster."

The two sisters, Zhen Ciyun and Zhen Shijing, looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

Finally, the older sister said softly:

"You say I'm crazy, but you don't realize that in other people's eyes you really are a madman."

Alright, that annoying guy is gone.

Let me tell you all about the relationship between the 'Sixty-Six Ancient Clans of Japan' and the legendary shikigami.

Zhen Ciyun seemed to have a great deal of knowledge about the customs and culture of the island nation of Japan, and she talked about it for more than an hour.

Zhang Gui listened, completely absorbed.

"This is the unique mythological system of Japan and the shikigami system that is intertwined with 'Shintoism'."

Shikigami are actually a type of strange creature.

Of course, what Eastern magical artifacts, Western creations, or even the remains of gods and demons don't belong to the category of 'strange objects'...?

"I see.

The term '奇物' is equivalent to '包包' (bag).

Shikigami, magical artifacts, Buddhist treasures, etc., are like bags made of different 'fabric' materials.

The legendary shikigami and the immeasurable Buddha treasure are equivalent to the high-end handbags like Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs.

Generally, they are more elaborate than the goods sold at street stalls, but there are many exceptions.

Having learned a great deal, Zhang Gui savored Zhen Ciyun's guidance, then formally and respectfully rose and bowed.

Confucius once said, "Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me." This is indeed true.

I humbly accept your instruction.

"You're too kind." Zhen Ciyun grabbed Zhang Gui's hand and pulled him back to sit down.

"We're all friends, if you're so polite, it'll be hard for us to get along in the future."

Zhang Gui was genuinely grateful at this moment. After being refused, he wanted to say a few more polite words, but found that Zhen Ciyun was holding his hand firmly with one hand and rubbing the back of his hand with the other.

"The skin on your hands is very smooth, which doesn't seem like that of a cultivator who practices 'qi and blood'."

By the way, the most profound aspect of the Dharma I practice is 'observing palm lines and feeling bones to determine fate'.

Let me calculate it for you.

"Then there's no need for that."

I've always believed that 'my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens,' and I've never believed in destiny.

In this situation, Zhang Gui couldn't possibly trigger Shen Cong's transformation into a demon god or summon the celestial phenomena of the twenty-four solar terms just because he was half-jokingly teased by the little girl.

But when it came to sheer strength, he found himself no match for Zhen Ciyun.

"What does this mean!"
Could it be that the "White-Robed Guanyin Bodhisattva's Observation of the Great Thousand Worlds and Nirvana Sutra" can also cultivate qi and blood?

By the way, isn't the body consciousness among the five senses of 'eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body' the physical body?

That matches up perfectly.

(End of this chapter)