Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

Without needing to turn around, the face of the newcomer surfaced on the minds of Meng Qi and the others.

The yellow-faced, beardless man appeared to be nearing his forties. He was dressed in the attire of a talent raised in aristocratic families with a long sword tied to his waist. He was evidently an expert of the Exterior, considering that his breath was connected to heaven and earth.

“What’s the matter?” Meng Qi asked in confusion.

The yellow-faced, beardless aristocratic talent grinned. “I’m Zhao Bai, a talent under the patronage of Lord Bo’Le.”

The man clarified his identity with a simple sentence and then saluted them. “I heard your enlightening remarks a moment ago while I was keeping watch outside the hall. I share your thoughts and came here especially to meet you.”

“Did you come from humble origins, Brother Zhao?” Zhao Heng, who was beside Meng Qi, interrupted with a question.

Qi Zhengyan was not an eloquent person while Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu were not fans of debate. Thus, they had long decided that Meng Qi and Zhao Heng would be the ones doing the talking.

Zhao Bai sighed as he nodded. “I am but an ordinary civilian of the land of Qin who chanced upon an adventure and obtained my current cultivation. Unfortunately, the classism in the land of Qi is deeply ingrained, and there’s no hope of progress despite the declining aristocracy. Later on, I heard of Lord Bo’Le accepting talents regardless of their background and came all the way to Han state. That is why I felt such affinity with your Honoring the Virtuous debate, Mr. Su.”

“The monarch chooses his subjects and vice versa. This is indeed the era where rites and music go to ruins…” Meng Qi gave a gentle nod. However, this spelled good news for their task of preaching, for at least the theory of Honoring the Virtuous had taken seed in the hearts of quite a few knowledgeable feudal princes.

Following an exchange of courteous words, Zhao Bai enthusiastically said, “I have many close friends who have similar experiences. I hereby invite Mr. Su to visit my humble home and bestow on us some of your insight.”

He showed a certain desire for insight and opinion.

This request was beyond Meng Qi’s expectations. He had basically preached substanceless nonsense in the mansion of Lord Bo’Le, bringing up the long-established malpractices and the importance of propping up talents. Why was he being treated like a sage when he did not even get to peddle the core points of the theory?

Upon seeing their silence and hesitation, Zhao Bai eagerly said, “Malpractices have been deep-rooted in our world for a long time. Neither the people nor scholars can survive. Even though we can see this, preaching about this would be like the blind leading the blind. We see no future for it’s a challenge in itself to think independently and act virtuously. Your words today have inspired me, Mr. Su, but I can also tell that you have yet to accomplish what your heart desires. That’s why I’m taking the liberty to seek guidance from you.”

This was indeed a perplexing and difficult era for the social class that he claimed to represent. It was inevitable for them to have lamentations. Even though Lord Bo’Le accepted talents without considering their backgrounds and nurtured them enough to have their reputations be far-reaching, he was not a monarch after all. Changes could happen at any given time, making Zhao Bai feel that his efforts were impractical and lack confidence in his future. His worldview was incredibly pessimistic.

Despite their repeated attempts to change their situation, their lack of knowledge hindered their progress. In the end, they still had to make a living by currying favor with the aristocrats through their kung fu. Their attempts had resulted in failure each time. Carrying such despair, even a slight glimpse of hope was enough to make them scramble to firmly grasp it. Thus, even though Meng Qi had merely said a few words of the Honoring the Virtuous, Frugality, and Disapproval of Extravagant Burial Rituals theories, it was enough to excite Zhao Bai to instantly ask for his advice.

Meng Qi and his friends exchanged glances, vaguely understanding the situation and mentality of Zhao Bai and the others. They had no choice but to agree. They were interested in experimenting and learning more of reality. Just like they had lobbied Lord Bo’Le earlier, this would act as their preparation for the official lobbying of the feudal princes of small states in the future.

From the beginning, the deadline of three months had prompted them to target remote small nations that were powerless to attack the outside world.

“Besides, we’re all equipped with secret treasures. Do we have to fear you entrapping us?” Meng Qi thought. He told Zhao Bai, “Please lead the way, Brother Zhao.”

Considering Zhao Bai’s strength, Meng Qi believed he and Jiang Zhiwei would have no trouble hanging him up and beating him without even needing the use of secret treasures. It was impossible for all of Zhao Bai’s companions to be experts of the Exterior. Otherwise, Lord Bo’Le would have a formidable force in his hands.

Delight colored Zhao Bai’s expression and he immediately showed them the way. He led them down the platform, through several lanes, before making a turn into a mansion.

He had Meng Qi and his friends wait outside the hall while he entered to gather his companions. He came out a while later, dressed in a large robe. He saluted them. “Please enter. Everyone is waiting for you inside.”

With an unchanged expression, Meng Qi stepped into the hall. There were several dozen people on both sides kneeling upon straw mats that covered the ground. Aside from Zhao Bai, there was one other breath that was that of the Exterior. It was from a cold, standoffish man in a black robe with a long sword balanced across his knees. He kept a short beard under his chin. His expression was forlorn and miserable, and his clothes appeared old-fashioned.

Everyone deferentially saluted Meng Qi and his friends as they entered.

Once they were seated, Zhao Bai repeated what he had said earlier in order to introduce the topic. He concluded his words by saying, “We all agree with what Mr. Su had said about Honoring the Virtuous. However, there are very few monarchs or aristocrats who would use talents regardless of their status. First, the strict hierarchy system prevents communication between those in the upper and lower echelons. Second, it costs a considerable sum to select and nurture particular talents from ordinary civilians. Often, you can teach ten thousand people and not walk away with one talent. Mr. Su, would you be willing to teach me?”

Earlier, Lord Bo’Le had interrupted Meng Qi just as he was about to talk about the concepts of Frugality and Disapproval of Extravagant Burial Rituals. Zhao Bai was eager for him to continue.

Meng Qi was momentarily quiet before saying, “Let’s discuss frugality in the context of extravagant burial rituals. The hefty cost is sufficient to teach thousands upon ten thousands of people lessons. Moreover, it will prompt them to seek an understanding of posthumous immortality. The mausoleum is built as ostentatiously as if it was built for the monarchs while they were living. The luxury is but a decadence, squandering away a collection of treasures even more impressive than the one in the imperial palace. However, since time immemorial, how many of those monarchs were able to be reborn and become immortals or deities? If you can restrict these two aspects, why worry about not having the financial means to teach this lesson to others?”

He took into consideration the fact that there were no aristocrats in this place, so he discussed the concept of Disapproval of Extravagant Burial Rituals as it was.

Right then, a man with a short beard saluted him. “Mr. Su, supernatural beings are not complete nonsense. The feudal princes and aristocrats of various states may not have given birth to immortal descendants yet, but perhaps the supernatural entities would emerge in later generations. They would then have the ability to ascend to heaven after death. Making them stop their extravagant burials would be an impossible challenge!”

“This is the difference between the Apotheosized World and the Spring and Autumn and Warring States in my previous life…” With his mind churning, Meng Qi slowly said, “Since time immemorial, who has ever succeeded in obtaining immortality and becoming a deity? Perhaps you must teach the ways of Big Dharma, cultivate and practice painstakingly, transcend worldliness, act in accordance with the laws of the world, and eliminate evil in the world to gain great merit before you can gain immortality, become a saintly being, and receive imperial rewards and titles. King Wu of Zhou had in the past succeeded in cultivating a batch of supernatural entities, many of whom are ancestors of the feudal princes and aristocrats of today.

“From this, you can see that the upper echelons can only grasp heaven’s will under the supervision of supernatural entities. If you want to ascend to heaven after death, become deities or immortals, and remain for a long time in this world, what you must cultivate isn’t your tomb but your achievements and virtue, as well as your compliance with heaven’s will!

“Feudal princes and aristocrats place such importance on their tombs that they disregard the welfare of the people. They will not receive the favor of good birth after their death. For them to seek posthumous immortality is no different from someone wanting to travel south yet their vehicle is moving north.”

Zhao Bai and the rest exchanged looks of dismay for they had never heard such theories in their lives. What they had learned was shocking and thought-provoking at the same time. It was as if Meng Qi’s words were the right way of doing things and the law of heaven and earth.

Otherwise, a person who slacked in his cultivation and committed crimes could gain immortality after death as long as he could afford to build a luxurious tomb.

The very idea contradicted the ancient axiom of good and evil.

“Living in accordance with the law of the world and eliminate the evils of the world… Tomorrow’s will… Respect supernatural entities…” the man with a short mustache muttered to himself. The rest also wore thoughtful expressions on their faces.

Meng Qi heaved a sigh. He saw Jiang Zhiwei showing him a thumbs up and his other friends nodding at him as a way of commending him for his impromptu speech.

So far, ‘his’ School of Mo doctrine was even more aligned with the existence of supernatural entities. However, what Meng Qi was unaware of was that his thoughts were increasingly in line with the viewpoint of Qi Saint of the medieval times, and not a mere simple and concise explanation.

Meng Qi continued without waiting for them to pose questions. “Secondly, you don’t need to spend a large sum to educate ordinary people.”

“What?” Zhao Bai looked at Meng Qi in surprise.

“If you can openly advocate the way of meritorious deeds, it doesn’t take much to select the best talents and instruct the common folk as long as you have a sufficient population, a great harvest of food, and no shortage of herbal medicine growth. In other words, the precondition is that the nation and vassal states are flourishing. Besides, those under the Exterior realm have no need for exotic minerals and produce anyway…” Meng Qi had long begun to treat this to be a practice speech. “Furthermore, you can spread your doctrine through the imparters of skill found through the first selection. It’s improbable that only one among ten thousand would succeed.”

“Selection… Opening up the impartation of skill…” These unfamiliar words were like a breath of fresh air for Zhao Bai and the rest. It was as if a new door had opened before their eyes.

In an era that mainly relied on recommending and investigating talents from the lowest rungs of society, examinations and selections were a direct contradiction to common sense! The black-robed swordsman thought to himself that something similar seemed to be happening in the south and Wu state…

It was at this moment that the man with a short beard spoke with grim resoluteness. “The mutual aggression among feudal princes is the source of the turmoil in the world. What they vie for is nothing more than the position of hegemony, feudal fiefdom, and population. Based on your words, wouldn’t the disputes worsen?”

Underlying his expression was a concealed worry for his nation and its people.

“Here comes the real topic…” Meng Qi straightened his back and said, “Cease wars and promote agriculture. If you ban meaningless battles and prevent unnatural deaths among the people, where comes the worry that the nation will not flourish and where comes the need for the nation to plunder another?”

He adopted a more ‘solemn’ tone. “The open aggression among the feudal princes is the root of calamity and chaos in today’s world. In actuality, they know only to love themselves and lack the notion of universal love. They use their own advantages to squander others’ benefits. Nations lack affection for one another, resulting in continuous disputes. The strong bully the weak, destroying city walls and wiping out villages. Corpses litter a thousand miles while bones of the dead turn entire plains white. When people lack affection for one another, the rich will take advantage of the poor. People will commit wicked and deceitful deeds. Officials will tax by force and extort levies. The people will not be allowed to survive!”

Meng Qi’s heart was moved when he saw that the people sitting on their heels in the hall had more or less a solemn, compassionate expression on their faces. It was as if they had experienced such things themselves. “Have you ever had a similar experience?”

Even though engaging in idle chitchat using the vernacular could widen one’s horizons and inspire reflection in others, it was not enough to rely on this to create a true, lasting impact on people.

Meng Qi’s question was so abrupt that the place lapsed into a moment of awkward silence. Perhaps they were still pondering over his words; perhaps they were unwilling to speak.

Fortunately, the man with the short beard under his chin appeared to be interested in the theory of universal love, otherwise known as “Love with Impartiality”. After a moment of silence, he asked, “I’m Bai Song from Tang state. I used to be a field farmer living with my parents and brothers. That year, Chu state seized the land next to ours and recruited many Exterior experts to attack Tang state. The aftermath of the war was widespread, causing homes to collapse and flames to burn…”

Sorrow began to eclipse his expression as he continued. “Though our family wasn’t well-off, survival was not a major issue. Laughter often decorated our home and our nights of sleep were sound. When the flames arrived setting our thatched cottage on fire, my parents were the first to be roused. They carried us children and attempted to rush out of the cottage. However, the fire was so intense that their attempts were foiled. Later… well, later on, my father undressed and bundled me with his clothes. Disregarding himself, he forced our way out of the fire and threw me into the well. I managed to crawl myself out of the well with much difficulty when dawn broke. I saw only four corpses that were burned so badly that they had turned into coals. My father had carried my elder brother and sister in his arms. Their distance from the well was a mere ten steps away…”

The atmosphere inside the hall became depressed as if Bai Song’s tale had stirred emotions in every single one of them, reminding them of their own tragic pasts.

The black-robed swordsman said, “I’m Wang Qi, a citizen of Wu state. By chance, an aristocrat took interest in me and imparted his skill on me. He even made me his subordinate. However, his violent son abused my wife and children and I accidentally killed him in a moment of uncontrolled anger. Later, my parents, wife, and children all died violent deaths. I barely escaped and ran far away to foreign lands…”

His tale was told with simple words and his tone was plain, however, it was impossible to conceal the bitter hatred and sorrow in his words.

Following the honesty of Bai Song and Wang Qi, the rest began to open up about their experiences, one after another. Some could not help weeping with grief. Despite their considerable strength and status, each of them had experienced suffering and challenges of their own.

In this era with a distinct hierarchy, civilians who wanted to make something of themselves often had to pay a steep price.

Listening to them speak while choking on emotion and hearing them express their hatred for aristocrats and the wars they started for foolish reasons, Meng Qi could not help but look at his friends. They seemed as if they had a hard time concealing their surprise.

It seemed that the general meeting of this suffering support group was more successful than they had expected!

Meng Qi had assumed that there would be several among them who had painful experiences in the past, allowing him to provoke feelings of empathy in the rest and strengthen their identification with the concepts of Love with Impartiality, Mutual Benefits, and Non-aggression. What he did not expect was for most of these experts, who grew up as ordinary civilians, to have such grievances. Only a small number of them had the wild ambition of taking advantage of such a chaotic world to make a career for themselves. However, their jealousy and hatred of aristocrats and feudal princes could not be underestimated.

“No wonder School of Mo is a prominent school of thought; they expound the yearnings of the lower echelons…” Meng Qi quietly sighed to himself.

By the time they were done lamenting about their experiences, they had come to see Meng Qi and his friends in a different light. People who could instantly point out the problem and propose a solution seemed like the hope of the world, helping them find a path out of their fog of confusion.

These concepts and viewpoints appeared simple but it was thanks to their predecessors fumbling around to find a concise way to sum it all up. It was only the later generations that found such ideas to be so simple and matter-of-fact that they could be understood with just a thought. To those who heard it for the first time and who had experienced it firsthand, it was equivalent to hearing the righteous truth itself.

Just as Meng Qi was preparing himself to lecture on the concepts of Love with Impartiality, Mutual Benefits, and Non-aggression, the man with a short beard under his chin prostrated himself and cried,

“Sir, you’re a highly talented teacher who clearly understands the truths of the world. The malpractices of the world are evident to my mind. I, this untalented person, sincerely wish to follow you and end the numerous disorderly ways of the world!”

“I, this untalented person, sincerely wish to follow you, sir!” The others inside the hall followed suit.

“The world has long been thirsting for a talent like yourself, sir!” Zhao Bai was the last to speak.

“Isn’t this too simple to be true…” Meng Qi was a little stunned, but he could understand the hardship that Zhao Bai and the others had experienced during such troubled times. To break away from the mentality that they would never find a path out of their hardship, they were acting like a group of drowning people grabbing onto a tree branch. Their strong reactions were only to be expected.

“I think we should accept them. The stronger we appear while lobbying the small states, the more effective we will be. Our chances at success will improve as well. Our task will be completed as long as they can put on a pretense of politeness for three months!” Zhao Heng said, secretly relaying his voice to Meng Qi.

Meng Qi nodded. Zhao Heng’s suggestion was in line with his thoughts.

“But is it really necessary to preach in secret and develop ourselves into an organization with strict regulations?”

“Wouldn’t this make others fear us and bring unexpected dangers…”