Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

Shuying horizontally and shallow water, subtle fragrance floating moon dusk.

Qi'an City, the Prime Minister's residence.

As the sun sets and the moon rises above the branches, the reflections of ancient trees are scattered across the courtyard, and the subtle fragrance of autumn chrysanthemums drifts across the flowing water, seeping into people's hearts on the evening breeze.

A chessboard was placed in the center of the courtyard, and two old men sat facing each other, sipping tea and watching the game end in a draw.

The old man sitting on the east side was dressed in a black brocade robe with fine gold patterns engraved on it, and a jade seal hung at his waist, giving him an extraordinary air.

The elderly man sitting on the west side was much more unassuming, wearing only a white casual dress with little adornment.

One was the leader of the Wenchang Hall, who was known as the Sage of Literature, and the other was the powerful prime minister of the Great Qi Dynasty.

The two played chess from sunrise to sunset, chatting as they played, discussing everything from world affairs to everyday life, for most of the day.

One second they're talking about wars on the frontier and people's livelihoods in various places, and the next second they're discussing some funny incident that one of their children got into.

Sitting on the east side, Meng Yan sighed softly and looked at the half-remaining sun at the end of his vision.

As the sun sets in the west, it gradually dims, like an old man in his twilight years, or a dynasty that has fallen to the west.

"Are you really going to side with my student?"

Meng Minzhou didn't look up, and said casually.

"As a subject, one should be loyal to the ruler and love the country. This was the first lesson I learned when I was four years old. Your Majesty is the ruler, and Great Qi is the country. As a subject, what problem is there in standing on Your Majesty's side and on the side of Great Qi?"

Meng Yan picked up a chess piece, tossed it into the air, and just as it was about to fall, he opened his palm, letting the piece land steadily in the center of his hand.

"The first step is to learn etiquette, review rules, and restrain one's mind; this is the foundation for a young student."

The aim was to overcome the unruliness of young children and instill the ideas of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism; all my great enlightenments were of this kind.

Children are innocent and pure-hearted; teaching them integrity and manners will prevent them from going astray.

As for loyalty to the emperor, this was an order imposed by the royal family to consolidate their rule.

What we see now is mostly illusion, carefully constructed by those who teach it.

Meng Minzhou remained silent, simply drinking the tea in his cup.

"By learning and interacting with people, one can see the complexity of human nature and the scheming of all beings."

The aim is to reshape thinking, change perspectives, and gain a preliminary understanding of the real world.

As young people's thinking becomes more complete, they are taught how to survive, and supplemented with baseness, so that they can navigate the world without harming themselves.

The meaning of what I have learned in the past is gradually overturned, which inevitably causes confusion and even damages my mind at first.

But with time, one will naturally come to understand the principles of the world, conform to the will of Heaven, and go with the flow in the tides of life.

Seeing that Meng Minzhou remained silent, Meng Yan was not in a hurry and continued to share his own understanding.

"The advantages and disadvantages are difficult to judge from a single perspective..."

People are always pursuing what they don't have, and the beauty in books is just like that; because they want to possess it, they constantly embellish it.

What is written in the book can be a vision in one's heart, but it should never be regarded as a guiding principle, otherwise one will be like Zhuangzi, running away day and night, barely surviving.

From the very beginning of the Great Revelation, this has been the way of education: teaching and practice are separate, and one must rely solely on self-realization.

Fools are trapped by what they learned in their childhood, their minds and spirits are wounded, and they never escape from it throughout their lives, immersed in illusions.

Wise people keep pace with the times, constantly learning about new worlds and thriving on new stages.

At this point, Meng Yan withdrew his gaze from the setting sun and turned to look into Meng Minzhou's eyes.

"You are a smart person and have experienced a lot. You should know that what children learn and see is not to be taken seriously. It is a beautiful ideal, a fantasy world created by countless teachers. If you really immerse yourself in fantasy, you will only end up with nothing but bones."

Meng Yan paused mid-sentence, looking at Meng Minzhou with a half-smile.

"After fifty years in office, Minzhou, don't tell me you don't understand these principles. If you truly want to care for all living beings and pursue those qualities that are hard to find in this world, then you should be walking with Zhuangzi now."

Meng Minzhou listened quietly to Meng Yan's words without looking up, and simply responded calmly.

"Indeed, whether directly or indirectly, the number of people who have died because of me is probably countless... I have long forgotten what I learned in my childhood, and as for justice and integrity, they are even more illusory and have nothing to do with me."

Meng Yan chuckled, "If that's the case, Minzhou, why do you continue to be so stubborn? You are, after all, my bloodline, the most outstanding genius in our Wenchang Hall in the last hundred years. As long as you change your mind, the doors of Wenchang Hall are always open for you."

Just then, Meng Minzhou suddenly slammed his cup on the table and let out a cold laugh.

"What our ancestors said is all true, but that is not a reason for you to kill the emperor."

An emperor may die, but he must never die at the crossroads of war between two regions!

The battlefield is ever-changing, and no one can predict what will happen. If the emperor dies on the battlefield, the morale of our Great Qi army will surely waver.

If we are defeated, the demon race will invade our territory, burning, killing, and looting. At least tens of millions of people will be displaced and slaughtered by the demon race. Who will bear this cost?

Scheming and intrigue are acceptable, as is the struggle for power and profit! You can pursue as much benefit as you want, or acquire as much material for your spiritual practice as you wish!

But ancestor, have you been a deity for so long that you've forgotten what you were originally like?

The impassioned speech did not move Meng Yan in the slightest; he spoke with a cold expression.

"It's just a trivial matter. The Great Qi has countless powerful figures, various lords, and local military garrisons. There are many formidable individuals among them. The demon race cannot penetrate the heartland of the Great Qi and will not affect the overall situation."

"With 500 million people in the Great Qi Dynasty, who would care if a few died? After several decades of recuperation, the number of people will only increase!"

The disdainful words made Meng Minzhou clench his fists under the table and glare at Meng Yan.

Meng Yan pretended not to see his expression and continued to analyze the current situation.

Although Meng Minzhou was just an ordinary person, he was of extraordinary significance to the entire literary lineage. Even though he knew that his junior would not side with him, Meng Yan still wanted to persuade him again.

"Minzhou, you should know that the two terrestrial immortals of the royal family both cultivated by taking advantage of the dragon vein and achieved their heavenly status by taking shortcuts. Now both of them have run into problems and are unable to leave the area covered by Kai'an City."

As for my student, he does have some ability and the courage to take a gamble, but he is too stupid, so stupid that it is disappointing.

As an emperor, it is certainly possible to consolidate military power, but for him to personally intervene and even attempt to overturn the chessboard is undoubtedly the act of a fool.

Within the territory of Daqi, he was the emperor, protected by the dragon vein of Daqi, and no one could kill him, but he himself wanted to step out of the territory of Daqi.

Without the protection of the dragon vein, what can a Celestial Martial Saint who is built up by luck and rare treasures be considered?

He didn't even want to believe you, leaving you in Qi'an City, thus cutting off his own support.

"He's digging his own grave; wouldn't it be a shame not to see him off?"

Meng Minzhou laughed out loud in anger. He straightened his back and stared angrily into Meng Yan's eyes.

"If that's the case, then there's no need to talk about it anymore! I'm not afraid to tell the ancestor that I sent a letter to the Celestial Master's Mansion, and the purple-robed high priest Zhang Ming'an will arrive at Dongji Pass soon."

If our ancestor insists on slaying the ruler on demon territory, then let's see who can defeat whom! The person you've found had better be capable of fighting Zhang Zhenren.

Meng Yan's usually placid face suddenly turned ugly. He glared angrily at Meng Minzhou and laughed in exasperation.

"The Ninth in the World—Palace Master Zhang Ming'an of Taiwei Palace, you've brought this madman here?"

What do you think the Celestial Master's Mansion is? We scholars only care about luck, and what the Celestial Master wants is...

Enraged, Meng Yan abruptly overturned the chessboard. He seemed to want to say something about the old Celestial Master, but after only a few words, he shut his mouth and glared at Meng Minzhou.

"Don't forget, everything you have now is thanks to me!"

Although you are born with a literary destiny and can draw upon the power of the ancestors in the Confucian Temple, you are still just an ordinary person. Don't let yourself die one day without even knowing how you died!

"No need for our ancestors to worry."