During the Qin Dynasty, he brought chaos to the seven kingdoms.

Chapter 9: The Great Confucian Scholar is Astounded

The clouds are light and the breeze is gentle; the sky is clear and the air is fresh.

The backyard of the "Golden Key" locksmith shop.

A slender beauty, dressed in a blue and yellow dress, stood quietly under the tree.

She was tall and slender, with an exceptionally beautiful face. She was naturally beautiful, with skin as smooth as jade, more beautiful than peach blossoms, white with a rosy glow, and her skin was crystal clear, like the bright moon in the sky, making her appear otherworldly and independent.

Li Wu, who had followed Cao Yuan back, now quietly returned to the courtyard, carrying her shiny black cat.

"Cao Yuan and Zi Han entered the nameless mansion, and Fu Nian, the acting head of Xiaoshengxianzhuang, was also among them."

Listening to Li Wu's report, Jing Ni asked, "What did they say?"

Li Wu shook her head and said, "My strength is low, so I didn't hear it. But judging from the expressions of Wuming and Fu Nian, they seem to value Cao Yuan very much."

A strange light flashed in Jingni's beautiful eyes, and she suddenly said to Li Wu, "Let's go find Cao Yuan."

Li Wu suddenly opened her alluring phoenix eyes wide. "Are we about to make our move? How many people do we need to gather?"

According to the intelligence provided by the leader, Wuming's current strength is at the peak of the Grandmaster level. She and Jingni alone are naturally no match for her, even in an assassination attempt.

But the Net never lacks assassins; if one person can't defeat them, then a group of them will!

Jingni said, "No, I'm just going to find him!"

Li Wu suddenly realized and said, "I understand."

They are now Cao Yuan's nominal "wives" and "concubines," so it's perfectly normal for them to find any excuse to visit their husband.

……

An unnamed mansion.

Cao Yuan calmly began writing the remainder of "Human Nature is Good and Human Nature is Evil" on the stone table.

As Zihan looked at it, she shook her head in disbelief. "So it's true that people can write such ugly characters."

Cao Yuan glanced at Zi Han sideways and snorted, "Isn't this the essay topic Master Fu Nian gave you? Why don't you write it?"

Zihan chuckled awkwardly, "Brother Cao, you jest."

If Cao Yuan's calligraphy was ugly, then his writing was ugly.

They are like the eldest brother and the youngest brother; neither of them should laugh at the other.

Fu Nian always followed the rules, but this time he unusually did not reprimand Master Zihan for his rudeness.

If anyone in their Xiaoshengxianzhuang could write so badly, he would make them copy the "Guofeng" a hundred times.

"Please excuse my poor handwriting."

Cao Yuan continued writing.

Wuming pondered Cao Yuan's written treatise on literature and said, "Words are the application of techniques, literature carries the Way, literature is the body of the Way, the beauty or ugliness of words does not hinder the Way of literature."

Fu Nian deeply agreed, but seeing Cao Yuan still producing ugly characters, he finally couldn't help but speak up.

"Mr. Cao Yuan, how about you dictate and I write it down for you?"

Cao Yuan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Master Fu Nian."

He couldn't have asked for this more than he could have.

Honestly, of the seven ancient scripts, only Qin script and Qin seal script have similarities to simplified characters. The scripts of the other scripts are like "emoticons," making writing them as difficult as drawing them, which really tests one's mental state.

He's even thinking of writing an article titled "The Necessity of Standardizing Characters" now.

"Evil is not inherent in the body, nor does it arise alongside good; rather, it is the excess or deficiency of good. This is because reason is obscured by external forces, and its expression is not in accordance with the proper measure..."

Cao Yuan had already prepared his speech, and he recited it in detail, shaking his head and gesturing.

Fu Nian wrote furiously, his small sandalwood and wolf hair brush almost leaving afterimages.

Apart from the bewildered Yan Lu, Zi Han, Wu Ming, and Fu Nian who was writing, they gradually learned about the entire essay and were all shocked and full of admiration.

"...Therefore, the nature endowed by Heaven is pure and good, which is the essence of human nature; the nature of the body is a mixture of reason and energy, containing both good and evil. Mencius said it is good because of reason, while Xunzi said it is evil because of energy; both of these views are biased. If we consider both reason and energy, human nature is inherently good, and evil arises from the bias of the energy endowment and the obscuring of selfish desires. The right path is to learn to preserve the principles of Heaven, eliminate human desires, transform one's temperament, and return to one's inherently good nature."

After Cao Yuan finished speaking, he let out a long sigh of relief.

The content itself isn't difficult to understand, but transforming plain language into a semi-classical style is definitely a brain drain.

Fu Nian stopped writing, stunned and speechless, falling into a long silence.

He was no longer just shocked, he was utterly awestruck, and could be said to be completely in awe.

If the first half of the essay was novel and refreshing, then the second half was a wake-up call, capable of establishing a separate branch of Confucianism called "Li" (理).

"How magnificent!"

Fu Nian, who was usually serious and unsmiling, became agitated, increasingly unsteady and flustered, his wide sleeves flailing wildly.

"Mr. Cao Yuan, please come with me to Xiaoshengxianzhuang! Your martial uncle will definitely think highly of you!"

Fu Nian, whose scholarship was worthy of a great Confucian scholar, was almost incoherent; this "Neo-Confucianism" struck a chord with him deeply.

Why did he make Cao Yuan follow him, become a disciple of Xunzi, and further his studies at Xiaoshengxianzhuang?

Zihan was stunned.

Although Yan Lu didn't understand, he could tell that Boss Cao seemed to be very knowledgeable about Confucianism, so Boss Cao's "Lunyu" must be correct!

Wuming closed his eyes and carefully comprehended the situation, unlike Fu Nian who made such an exaggerated display.

He advocated sincerity, integrity, and the investigation of things to acquire knowledge...

However, he still admired Cao Yuan and changed his opinion of him, eventually accepting him.

As for Cao Yuan's fabricated "Lunyu," it should be regarded as a joke between him and Yan Lu.

Cao Yuan declined Fu Nian's invitation.

"Master Fu Nian, please allow me a few days to consider this matter."

If it were before Jingni and Liwu moved into his house, he might have accepted Fu Nian's invitation.

At least you don't have to worry about the miserable high school life of sleeping at midnight and getting up at dawn, with questions and tests every day.

Unfortunately, it was too late, and besides, he still needed to obtain the bronze treasure box to resolve his problem with his spiritual body.

Realizing his lapse in composure, Fu Nian bowed and apologized, saying, "I, Fu Nian, am quite reckless. I hope Mr. Cao Yuan will forgive me."

Cao Yuan generously replied, "It's alright."

It's impossible for me to come to your door.

In order to target Fu Nian, he specifically prepared a fishing spot, using "Neo-Confucianism" as bait.

The fish has been caught.

If all goes well, Fu Nian will visit him frequently to express his gratitude.

He could have easily chosen this place as his base, waited for an opportunity to find the bronze box, and even borrowed it to look at it. Then, with the help of Confucianism, he could have gotten rid of Jingni and Liwu.

He didn't want to join any faction or group just because of some difficulties, and be constrained by them.

He prefers the freedom of drifting, the freedom of floating, drifting until he loses contact, the kind of drifting until he loses contact...

"What a pity, what a real pity."

After sighing, Fu Nian said to Wuming, "Senior Brother, Uncle-Master says he misses you and wants you to go back to Little Sage Manor to keep him company. What do you think?"

Cao Yuan and Zi Han immediately perked up their ears to listen carefully to the gossip.

"My teacher and I are no longer teacher and student, so why should we return..."

Wuming looked at the young Yan Lu with a wistful expression, as if he saw the shadow of his dear friend from back then in Yan Lu.

"Please pass on a message to my teacher, saying that I have never blamed him for what happened back then."

He didn't want to cause trouble for Xiaoshengxianzhuang. He knew that Luowang would come again, whether for the bronze treasure box, Yan Lu, or his Hanguang sword.

Fu Nian remained silent and said, "Junior Brother understands."

"Knock knock..."

A knock sounded on the door, and everyone looked over.

……