Bearing the blue sky

Chapter 345 Before Shengjing

Simply put, this is a history of resistance.

The ancient philosophers roamed the world, driving out one alien race after another from the center of this land.

In the Middle Ages, the human race prospered and conquered various alien realms, hoping to exterminate all the alien races along the way.

As a result, the dividing line between the medieval and early modern periods has arrived —

The Holy Emperor has passed away!

From the time of the Holy Emperor's death to the present day.

Originally, the alien races were all quiet, but Qingming Guan shared the same view as Minmie Zhenjun.

"The Great Era of Strife is Approaching!" Qingming Guan revealed a cold smile: "The alien races' desire to forget our human race has never died. When the Great Dao is shaken, they will surely make a comeback."

"We have no holy emperor or ancient sages now, and those alien races will not let this opportunity pass us by."

He looked at Zhu Ge: "At a time like this, you're causing us a lot of trouble."

Zhu Ge understood.

It's normal to feel troubled.

The great strife began because of him.

His talent and aptitude were so outstanding that they caused even the strongest human beings, such as Qingming Guan, to hesitate and struggle.

Should we support a veteran powerhouse, or a young genius?

If the Holy Emperor and the ancient philosophers were still alive, they would definitely support Zhuge without hesitation.

Because the Holy Emperor is in front, Zhuge can develop slowly.

Now, those at the forefront have become the Ten Heavenly Officials.

Are they willing to hold out? Can they withstand it? Is there enough time for Zhu Ge to develop?

It's hard to say.

This is why the statement made after the True Monarch of Annihilation lost all his cultivation attracted the attention of the Heavenly Officials.

What if it were before?

The selection of the next Cold Snow Official has been decided by the True Lord of Extinction.

But now, everything has changed, and things have become unpredictable.

Zhu Ge stood in the space made up of memorial tablets, lost in thought.

The surrounding lights, large and small, were flashing at their own different frequencies, like a breathing sea of ​​stars.

The official's words had already fallen, but their echoes still reverberated in his consciousness, like ripples spreading outwards in circles after a stone is thrown into deep water.

An era of great strife is approaching.

The alien race has forgotten the human race's heart, but its spirit remains undiminished.

There are no sage emperors now, no ancient philosophers.

Those alien races will not let this opportunity pass them by.

The prodigy has the potential to become a future powerhouse.

So, between the potential to become a future powerhouse and the current powerhouse, which should one choose? Zhu Ge did not respond immediately.

He knew what "qingming guan" meant.

At this moment, however, he was processing that information and comparing it with the phenomena he had observed.

He had seen the demons, ghosts, spirits, and gods dwelling in the mountains and forests of Honghe Prefecture; he had seen the restless traces of foreign tribes on the border of Yunjiang; and he had seen the abandoned villages and towns on the way to Shengjing.

Individually, these phenomena may seem like scattered fragments, but when they are strung together within the framework of a "great era of contention," they become more cohesive and impactful.

At that time, a picture that is slowly unfolding and is far larger than the surface is formed.

"You just said I'm a big problem for you," Zhu Ge finally spoke. "Is there only one kind of problem?"

The official's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, as if to confirm whether he really wanted to hear the answer to that question.

"Both are true—" Qingming shook his head: "One is because you are too young, and the other is because you are moving too fast, yet too slow."

"Being too young means you need time to grow. Moving too fast means your growth rate exceeds the capacity of the existing system. Being too slow means you don't have enough time."

Qingming sighed, "If you were only at the second level, only created a new path of Confucianism and Taoism, only founded a newspaper, any one of these things alone would not be a cause for concern."

"But when these factors occur simultaneously in the same person, that person is no longer 'an interesting newcomer,' but a force that is changing the existing landscape and will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in the future."

The Qingming official emphasized the pronunciation of "future".

"So what are your plans?" Zhu Ge asked, "Regarding this force that is changing the existing landscape."

The official did not answer immediately.

He stood among the memorial tablets, his gaze fixed on the twinkling lights in the distance, as if trying to read some kind of information from their individual frequencies.

"We haven't reached a consensus yet." Qingming Guan's eyes were full of appreciation: "Some people believe that you should be integrated into the existing system and allowed to grow within it."

"Another group believes that you should remain independent and that the existing system should change because of your existence."

"Some people believe that you should determine your direction before you fully mature."

"Confirm my direction?" Zhu Ge repeated those words, frowning. "My direction is singular: to lead humanity to prosperity!"

"Yes, I know, but that's what the official said back then, and that's what he's been doing so far."

Qingming Guan shook his head: "And you, will you continue down the path of humanity, or will you turn to your own path at some point?"

"If we switch to our own path, will that path conflict with the path of the human race? The answers to these questions will influence our individual choices."

The official in charge of Qingming Festival is like an elder, gently explaining the pros and cons to the blessing song.

It's simple, but very realistic.

In essence, it's still the same problem as when you encounter Bai Lu Guan in the first stage.

Different paths!

The path chosen by the official on New Year's Eve is different from the path chosen by the New Year's song.

Zhu Geyao should be included in it, and together with the New Year's Eve Official, lead the human race to grow stronger.

Either follow your own ideas and take a different path.

Zhu Ge remained silent for a while.

He was thinking about those three questions, about the logical framework behind them, and about whether there were any discrepancies between them and his own understanding of himself.

The flashing frequency of the surrounding lights was changing at a rhythm he didn't yet fully understand.

After a moment, Zhu Ge let out a long breath, then looked up and stared at Qingming Guan: "Can I ask you the same question you just asked me?"

The Qingming official was taken aback.

His gaze then lingered on his face for a moment: "Ask away."

"You just said that you haven't reached a consensus. But you also have your own judgment. Which path, the path of the New Year's Eve Official or my path, is more likely to be the path that humanity should take?"

Zhu Ge's eyes met those of the Qingming official.

Qingming Guan's clouded vision could only see the determination in Zhu Ge's eyes.

Qingming official stood among the memorial tablets, his gaze fixed on the twinkling lights in the distance.

"Both paths have their own problems."

"The problem with the path of the New Year's Eve official is that it relies too much on the existing structure. He believes that as long as the structure is still there, humanity will not collapse."

"But what if the structure itself is already rotten? What if the pillars supporting the structure are already hollow? The way of the New Year's Eve official is to maintain a building that is slowly tilting."

"Then what about my path?" Zhu Ge asked.

"The problem with your path is that it hasn't been fully tested yet," Qingming sighed. "You know the direction, you know the general method, but you haven't traveled the entire route. You don't know what you'll encounter further down the road—"

"You never know if those seemingly smooth sections of road will turn into cliffs after you've traveled a certain distance. Your path is like building a structure without a blueprint, only a general direction."

"So, what do you think humanity needs most right now?" Zhu Ge grinned, revealing a smile. "Is it to maintain that leaning building, or to construct a building that's not even fully complete yet?"

The official couldn't answer for a moment, because the answer to the question was too simple!

It must be newly built!

But this basically means that he agrees with Zhu Ge's idea.

Therefore, Qingming Guan pondered and said, "What the human race needs most right now is time."

"Whether maintaining the old structure or building a new one, it takes time."

"But the great strife waits for no one. The foreign races wait for no one. Time is passing faster than we anticipated."

"What we lack is not direction, nor methods, but the time needed to accomplish those things."

This is true.

If there is enough time, the New Year's Eve officials and New Year's songs can coexist, and then we can gradually try and fail.

Until a path truly suitable for humanity is found.

The problem is, there's no time!

This is a paradox!

If Zhuge were not outstanding enough to establish the Great Dao, then the Great Contention would not have begun, and there would have been ample time.

However, if he does not initiate the Great Contest, he will not have enough confidence to clash with the New Year's Eve Official and make the other Heavenly Officials hesitate.

The blessing song is not sung, the officials of Heaven and Earth remain unchanged, and there is plenty of time.

As soon as the blessing song was sung, the officials of Heaven and Earth stood in opposition, and time was of the essence.

"Time? No."

Zhu Ge's expression finally became utterly calm, his deep eyes meeting Qingming Guan's: "Did the human race have time back then? Did the Holy Emperor have time back then? Did the various schools of thought back then have time?"

"No!"

"Everything begins with immense courage, not with absolute certainty."

"Having lived a life of decline since the death of the Holy Emperor, merely clinging to life to await the next generation"? No.

of. "

"We have lost the Holy Emperor, but we still have a group of people who know how the Holy Emperor led humanity to expel the alien races and achieve victory."

"Did the Holy Emperor of that time achieve victory by merely prolonging his life? No."

"And at this moment, Qingming official—"

Zhu Ge's expression was solemn, his eyes filled with determination: "Do you believe that my path is more similar to that of the human race, or that of the New Year's Eve Official?"

Whose path?

On New Year's Eve, the official was momentarily dazed.

He has existed for a very long time as the Holy Emperor's teacher.

Zhu Ge's question fell before him like a stone placed into a container already full of water.

The water surface briefly swelled up, then began to spread outwards in concentric circles until it touched the edge of the container, before turning back with an imperceptible amplitude.

Ripples.

"Do you believe my path is more aligned with that of humanity, or the path of the New Year's Eve Official?"

The official remained silent for a long time.

He stood there, like a tree that had been blown by the wind for many years but had never moved.

His gaze fell on Zhu Ge, but it also seemed to pass through Zhu Ge, landing on the slowly flickering points of light in the distance.

After a long silence, he spoke: "Before the Holy Emperor passed away, he said something like, 'The path of humanity is not in Shengjing, not in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and not in the history books.' After leaving those words behind, he never explained what they meant. I spent a long time trying to understand those words, and I am still trying to understand them now."

As he finished speaking, the points of light around him were undergoing subtle changes.

Their flashing frequency is becoming more stable, like the breathing rhythm of that space is gradually slowing down.

Then, Qingming Guan seemed to have thought of something.

He didn't say anything more, turned aside, and made room for him.

"Go then."

Zhu Ge nodded slightly, took one last look at the memorial tablets, and then turned and walked back the way she came.

The gate closed behind him, and he stood once again in the open space in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Liu Jianjian was sitting on the stone steps not far away.

She didn't pace back and forth; she simply sat quietly, resting her chin on her knees, her gaze fixed on the silhouettes of the towering buildings in the distance.

Hearing footsteps, she stood up, but instead of immediately asking questions as she had done before, she simply waited quietly to the side.

"Let's go." Zhu Ge smiled. "Next level."

Liu Jianjian asked curiously, "What did the Qingming official say just now?"

"He said some things about roads," Zhu Ge remarked. "It seems that everyone values ​​roads!"

"However, the path is confirmed as you walk it, not planned before you start."

Liu Jianjian did not press for the meaning of that sentence.

She simply nodded, pulled the carriage along, and followed behind him.

Ahead, the magnificent Shengjing city is within reach.

This is an indescribable feeling.

Majestic, magnificent, vast, and inclusive.

This is the crystallization of wisdom, a treasure of humankind.

However, right in front of the door, a figure stood.

"Enter the city and pay taxes."

Jingzhe Guan stood in front of the gate, hands behind his back, his face indifferent.

Entering the city to pay taxes!

Zhu Ge frowned upon hearing this.

Clearly, it's not as simple as just paying taxes.

The official in charge of the Jingzhe (惊蛰) was in charge of all farming in the land, but after the Holy Emperor's death, it gradually evolved into the current system of taxes.

Zhu Ge disliked the Jingzhe official because the fisherman in the straw raincoat was one of those officials.

At the same time, he also served as the Jingzhe official in Jianshui City, but only for a short period of time.

And now, the Jingzhe official has come before him once again.

"Pay taxes? Okay, then tell me, what are taxes? Why do I need to pay taxes?"

Zhu Ge said calmly, "Give me a reason, otherwise you can't refuse me entry into the city. This city was built by all humans together."

"It's built, not something you construct; you have no right to refuse."

Even if the person in front of him could crush him with a single finger, he would not be afraid at all.

Don't even think about it; even if the official in charge of the Awakening of Insects were to arrive in person on New Year's Eve, he wouldn't be able to do it.

It's easy for Zhu Ge to die, but after Zhu Ge's death, the world will surely be engulfed in war.

At that time, uprisings will absolutely break out in various places.

Even the ten Heavenly and Earthly Officials would have to split up.

Therefore, this is the safest time for Zhu Ge.

"Tax?"

"Taxes are the foundation of humanity!"