Chapter 104: Confucian Elder

The old man, long-bearded and wearing a green robe with a silk headscarf, laughed and said, "I saw how bustling Yaoguan City was and thought I could at least sell some items, but who would have thought that today's martial cultivators are all so impetuous? They only care about gathering herbs, cultivating, and fighting, completely lacking any interest in life or intellectual depth. In this world, martial arts are prioritized over scholarship; etiquette is disregarded, virtue is neglected, and benevolence and righteousness are not promoted. With rites collapsing and music deteriorating, and Yin and Yang in disarray, how can the world not be in chaos?"

Li Wei-yi's eyes lit up. Sensing a Confucian philosophy similar to that of Earth from the old man, he tentatively asked, "Old Senior, what are your thoughts on the six virtues of wisdom, trustworthiness, sincerity, benevolence, righteousness, and loyalty?"

The old man looked Li Wei-yi up and down, then beamed with joy. "I didn't realize that little brother actually has some understanding of Confucianism—you're quite different from those crude people. Alas, but the horse-slicing saber you carry, typically used on the battlefield, really spoils the scenery!"

Li Wei-yi was greatly excited. How could there be Confucianism in this world?

Could it have originated from Earth?

It must be so.

Li Wei-yi changed his form of address. "May I ask, Old Master, where can one learn Confucianism?"

"Are you interested in Confucianism?"

As if he had found a kindred spirit, the old man's mood greatly improved. "Lizhou is a wild land of witchcraft and voodoo, with primitive and crude customs. How could one learn any Confucianism there? To learn Confucianism, you must go to the Ten Central Plains States. In Qiuzhou, the 'Zuo Zhuan' annually printed by the Zuoqiu Family is provided free for everyone to study. It's a pity, though, that the 'Zuo Zhuan' is voluminous and its content complex; few can patiently read through it entirely, and those who delve deeply into it until their hair turns white are even rarer."

Cultivators from different regions have different ways of dividing the Twenty-Eight States of Lingxiao.

Qiuzhou is both one of the Seven Southern States and one of the Ten Central Plains States. The former is a geographical division, while the latter is based on the sense of superiority held by cultivators in the Central Plains.

"The 'Zuo Zhuan'? 'Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals'?" Li Wei-yi exclaimed, though he didn't fully believe that the 'Zuo Zhuan' the old man spoke of was the classic authored by Zuo Qiuming from Earth.

The old man showed a bewildered expression.

Li Wei-yi gave an awkward smile, dropped the subject, and then moved to the calligraphy and painting stall, where one painting caught his eye.

"The Dragon-Slaying in Zen Sea Painting."

Depicted on the scroll was a red-robed immortal maiden above a sea of clouds, wielding a sword to slay a giant dragon. The dragon was as large as a mountain range, its scales jade-green, half in the sky and half in the cloud sea, its blood flowing like a waterfall hanging between heaven and earth.

The red-robed immortal maiden was in the foreground of the painting, occupying a small area, but her facial features were depicted with great precision, her cloud-like hair and beautiful hairpins rendered lifelike.

It was almost identical to the figure painted on the tombstone of the bronze ship.

Who else could it be but Zen Sea Viewing Mist?

"How much is this painting?" Li Wei-yi asked.

Finally making a sale, the old man was naturally delighted. "It's not much, just eight silver coins."

"Considering your painting skill, Old Master, it's not expensive at all."

Li Wei-yi suddenly thought of something and asked, "Do you have a portrait of Xia Jin?"

The old man was startled and almost covered Li Wei-yi's mouth. "Don't speak carelessly! That's taboo. Who would dare to paint a Demon King and then sell it? Are you tired of living?"

"Never mind then!"

Li Wei-yi had only thought of it on a whim, intending to buy it for Master Guan.

"How about looking at some calligraphy? My calligraphy is truly exceptional."

The old man led Li Wei-yi to the calligraphy pieces hanging for display, stroking his long beard, and the more he looked, the more beautiful he found them to be.

"Rumble!"

Two house-sized giant Danling beasts, pulling a carriage, approached. The martial cultivators on the street constantly exclaimed in surprise, quickly moving aside to clear a wide path.

"It's the Demon King's sixth-generation descendant! It's said to be the strongest in the Flowing Spring realm of Tianya Ridge, with the Fire Ape of the Dharma Path only ranking second."

"This is a being with the Demon King's bloodline; how could it not be powerful? Look, it also has four arms."

Above the carriage was a yellow canopy woven from cloud silk, swaying in the wind, emitting dazzling clouds of spiritual energy.

A four-armed black ape sat on the carriage, embracing a stunning human beauty in each arm, touching them inappropriately. These two beauties had been presented to it by the Suizong Sect and the Sanchen Palace, respectively.

Yang Yun of Suizong, Huo Zhanbai of Sanchen Palace, Su Yunqing of Tianyi Gate, and Lu Dingsheng of Guan Hai Pavilion—these four Nine Spring Supremes, representing the four major sects, followed closely beside the Demon King's sixth-generation descendant's carriage, acting extremely obsequiously.

Li Wei-yi gazed at the approaching carriage.

By what right could Suizong associate with the Demon King's sixth-generation descendant? By what right could they enlist the Fire Ape of the Dharma Path to do their bidding?

In his mind, he thought of the children held in Changlin Gang's dungeon, reportedly prepared to be sent as snacks for certain demon types. A surge of anger gradually arose within him.

The calligraphy and painting stall couldn't be packed up in time and was knocked over by the drawing Danling beasts. More than a dozen calligraphy pieces were trampled into the mud, and the old man cried out in deep sorrow.

Li Wei-yi saw how pitiful and honest he was, crying so heartbrokenly, and intended to seek compensation from those demon cultivators, but the old man held him back.

"Young man, don't be impulsive. That's the Demon King's sixth-generation descendant; we cannot afford to offend them," the old man said, tightly gripping Li Wei-yi's wrist.

Li Wei-yi had no choice but to give up. If his momentary anger were to bring deadly trouble upon the old man, that would be doing more harm than good.

Yao Yin said coldly, "In this world, demon cultivators can swagger across human territory, and many human forces even welcome them, offering flattery and tributes as if serving their lords. They will regret this sooner or later. How similar this is to the Jiuli tribe of old!"

The old man said, "One can only blame Lingxiao Palace for losing the hearts of the people, and Jade Yaozi for being incompetent and issuing something like the 'Small Field Order,' causing public resentment to boil over and the world to fall into great chaos. Otherwise, how would the demon race dare? The state's support is unstable, and the positions of rulers and ministers are not constant. Alas, in the current era, it seems no one can rise to power. The new master of the world is still in hiding; it's a long night with no clear dawn."

Li Wei-yi had heard Hidden Lord mention that a Phoenix Terrace Angel had already arrived in Lizhou. This old Confucian scholar actually dared to curse Lingxiao Palace and Jade Yaozi in the street. Was he a coward or brave?

After paying for the painting, Li Wei-yi, Yao Yin, and Hidden Twenty-Five quickly left.

Just after walking out of the city, Yao Yin lightly tapped her fair forehead and said, "Look at my memory! I also need to buy some cultivation resources. Why don't you two go back to the ship first?"

Li Wei-yi shot a glance at Hidden Twenty-Five. "You go with her."

Back on the ship.

Li Wei-yi laid all twenty-nine jade boxes containing Spring-Breaking Needles on the ground. Suppressing his excitement, he sat cross-legged and performed the Jade Void Breathing Technique to adjust his state.

His mind gradually became calm and natural, and all his senses converged on the Divine Palace acupoint in his navel.

When his state reached its peak, he opened a jade box, took out the first Spring-Breaking Needle, and with lightning speed, pierced it into his Divine Palace acupoint.

"This painful?"

The intense pain almost made Li Wei-yi scream, but he managed to hold it in.

As wisps of cold energy from the Spring-Breaking Needle entered his body, the pain did not disappear; instead, it grew stronger. Li Wei-yi gritted his teeth and suppressed it, mobilizing spiritual power that continuously gushed from his nine spring eyes, flowing through the one hundred and eight mark meridians.

All his senses remained focused on the Divine Palace acupoint.

In just fifteen minutes, the Spring-Breaking Needle, solidified from medicinal liquid, completely melted away.

Li Wei-yi immediately used the second one.

When he opened his fifth spring, he could endure three consecutive Spring-Breaking Needles. With his current cultivation and physical strength, he could naturally withstand more.

Not all of those Eight-Spring martial cultivators had tempered their mark meridians into silver when attempting to reach the Nine Spring Ancestral Field.

So, in Li Wei-yi's view, to break through to the tenth spring, it wasn't necessary to first temper all mark meridians into gold.

"It's used up again, the third one!"

"My physical body is indeed terrifyingly strong now, the fourth one!"

When Yao Yin returned to the ship, it was already afternoon.

"Greetings, young lady."

The two maids immediately went up to greet her, bowing respectfully.

Yao Yin had an embroidered satchel slung at her waist. In a very good mood, she eagerly asked, "Where is Young Master Sima?"

"Young Master Sima has been in his cabin and has not gone out."

Yao Yin ignored them. With light, joyful steps, her skirt rippling, she arrived outside Li Wei-yi's cabin. Her delicate fingers gently tapped, several times in a row. After waiting for a long time, the door creaked open.

"You... what happened to you?"

Yao Yin was startled by his current state.

Li Wei-yi's face was covered in sweat, his hair and pants were soaked, and the outer robe he was wearing had just been put on. His legs felt weak and unsteady, trembling continuously, and there was no color in his face at all.

He said weakly, "It's nothing... What do you need?"

In one day, he had used twelve Spring-Breaking Needles. No amount of persuasion from Master Coffin or Ancestral Tablet Master worked.

Master Pot, on the other hand, claimed that he had set a strange and unique record, unprecedented and likely to remain unmatched.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

With worried eyes, Yao Yin handed him the embroidered satchel and said, "I bought all the Blazing Flame Pills from both Tianyi Chamber of Commerce and Guan Hai Chamber of Commerce, seven in total. I've already asked them to procure more from Jiuli City. I also contacted the Jiuli Divine Temple, and they should be sending a batch over too."

Li Wei-yi opened the satchel, looking at the pill bottles inside. His extremely tired expression immediately gained a sharp glint. "Are you stupid or what? Buying from Tianyi Chamber of Commerce and Guan Hai Chamber of Commerce, how much money will they earn? Once I become a Divine Hidden One, I can just use the resources of the Hidden Gate, or ask Hidden Lord to retrieve them from the Divine Temple!"

Yao Yin spoke softly, "But, I saw that you really needed them right now!"

Li Wei-yi met her bright, beautiful blue eyes, his heart filled with mixed emotions, and his tone softened. "Where did you get so much money?"

"I mortgaged a few shops."

Yao Yin's face brightened, and she smiled sweetly, as if she didn't care at all.

Li Wei-yi said, "Your mother left you a large fortune because she was afraid that after her death, you would have no standing in the Yaoli tribe and would be bullied. Don't do such foolish things again; it's quite wasteful."

"But I've already signed some agreements with the two major chambers of commerce, exchanging shops for the Blazing Flame Pills they'll deliver subsequently." Yao Yin pursed her red lips, her smile pure and beautiful. "You saved me, so consider it repaying a favor. Don't act like you're holding a hot potato."

"You're young. I'm afraid the people of the Yaoli tribe will cause trouble for me, accusing me of deceiving a young girl."

Li Wei-yi noted her kindness, joked lightheartedly, and then asked, "Where is Hidden Twenty-Five?"

"He's gone to challenge the Fire Ape of the Dharma Path!" Yao Yin said.

Li Wei-yi's expression instantly tensed. "Where did he get an Otherworldly Coffin?"

One must have an Otherworldly Coffin to be qualified to challenge.

"He's a Nine Spring Supreme; you're underestimating him too much. An Otherworldly Coffin is easy for him to acquire."

Yao Yin was not very worried. She had seen Hidden Twenty-Five challenge Hidden Nine; his strength was very powerful. Even if he was not a match for the Fire Ape of the Dharma Path, surrendering to save his life would certainly be no problem.

Li Wei-yi knew that Hidden Twenty-Five possessed ninety-one mark meridians, almost all silver. Such strength was not comparable to ordinary Nine Spring Supremes.

The two large banners on the arena were indeed very humiliating; any Nine Spring Supreme of the Jiuli tribe who saw them would have their fighting spirit stirred.

"Boom!"

The sound of a combat collision exploded like thunder on the shore not far from the Medicine Banner warship, and the ground shook violently.

Immediately, arrogant laughter echoed through the dock. "Haha, the Jiuli tribe actually still has a Nine Spring Supreme! Your strength is not bad. Where are you running to? Let's fight ten more rounds. If you can hold on, I'll spare your life."

Hidden Twenty-Five had blood flowing from his nose and mouth. He fled rapidly, holding his saber, with a bloody claw mark the size of a bowl on his back.

Most of his clothes were soaked in blood, leaving bloody footprints with every step.

He never expected that even after he had conceded and left the arena, the Fire Ape of the Dharma Path would completely disregard the rules and pursue him all the way.

Clearly, the demons of Tianya Ridge were extremely arrogant, doing as they pleased in Lizhou. They killed whom they wished, and they made their own rules.