Chapter 1294: All Things Are in Cultivation

The spear of the black-clothed demons in the ancient demon den,and the days spent healing at Washing Moon Nunnery,were like a forceful rein pulling back the horse's hooves.

Jiang Wang, who had never dared to stop for a moment,nor linger for a single breath,was compelled to halt his steps and loosen his taut string.

A bow must rest its string, a sword must temper its edge.Humans are not mere tools, they must also possess a degree of relaxation.Yet, just as Yu Zhen had said, Jiang Wang was too unwilling to let himself go.

Breaking through thorns and brambles, never retreating,when vanquishing foes, one inevitably wounds oneself.When powerful, all can be concealed,when in obscurity, the myriad scars are inevitably illuminated.The days of lying stiffly in a lone quilt,was that not also a form of relaxation?

It was like a very long sleep,now awakened, all things are reborn.

Walking freely across this boundless grassland,Jiang Wang leaned on his staff with his left hand,and held a scroll in his right, glancing at it from time to time,then reciting an entire page — the book was purchased in a roadside bookstore before coming to the grassland.

Chong Xuan Sheng wanted him to conceal his tracks,to play the role of the missing prodigy,to facilitate Qi Jing's negotiations.Having survived a catastrophe, he had no intention of undertaking any major endeavors,and the long journey to the Hanging Templewas perfect for picking up his previous thought of "reading ten thousand books."

Healing is one matter, morning and evening lessons are another,pondering Dao arts is one matter, honing sword techniques is another,experiencing the world's customs is one matter, and reading is also one matter...All myriad things are within cultivation.

Understanding oneself inwardly and recognizing the world outwardly,this is the process of human growth.

The book Jiang Wang was currently reading was titled "Baihu Tongyi."However, it was not a military treatise,but a Confucian classicclaimed to "discuss the similarities and differences of the Five Classics, unifying the 'New Text' interpretations."Of course, its so-called "New Text" was from the time the book was written in ancient years.Its "unification" naturally only applied to that specific time and moment,and did not, nor could it, encompass the present era.

Reading it now, there were inevitably some anachronistic aspects.

When discussing reading with friends in the past, Zhao Wuyan had suggested he read this book,saying, "The classic parts of this book will not be outdated even after a hundred years.And it is precisely those anachronistic parts that will prevent you from being confined within."The implication was that the points contradictory to present-day Confucianism could help Jiang Wang break free from constraints, preventing him from becoming trapped.This was a fitting suggestion given to Jiang Wang, knowing he was not a follower of Confucianism.

Zhao Wuyan had also said that to read "Baihu Tongyi" well, one should first read "Chunqiu Fanlu,"as the former inherits from the latter among these two Confucian classics.But Jiang Wang did not find it at the bookseller's, so he could only read this one first.

Furthermore, after Jiang Wang expressed his desire to read,Li Longchuan also recommended some military classics,while Xu Xiangqian enthusiastically recommended...his own compiled and created "Shen Xiu Poetry Collection."He boasted that his poetry "can be called divine and exquisite."He believed that meaning surpassed lines, and spirit surpassed meaning,and was confident in his poetic talent, never inferior to others in his life...In any case, this poetry collection still lay in the innermost part of his storage box;Jiang Wang had never had the courage to open it.

Completely concealing his former identity,his sword also stored in the storage box,only the white jade at his waist still worn...In any case, to many people, it was just an ordinary piece of jade.

The number one Inner Mansion cultivator, the Azure Ram Disciple of Great Qi,all seemed like stories belonging to another person.He was merely a solitary gull in the heavens and earth, a traveler in the human realm.

Thus, he cultivated, read, and admired the scenery,traveling all the way to the supreme royal court on the boundless grassland.

Occasionally encountering a herd of wild horses,Jiang Wang also indulged in childlike fun,using the Mind-Wandering Staff, this beast-taming staff,to subdue a chestnut-colored steed.This horse could not compare to Yan Zhao's spirituality,but among ordinary horses, it was already considered a masterpiece.

Sitting on the horse's back, he also imitated those scholars,shaking his head and rocking, reciting classics, histories, philosophical writings, and collected works.

"Hey, Mo Ye Lai!" a grassland girl with a few small freckles on her faceshouted from afar, "Are you selling that horse?"

She was originally feeding grass to a cow,but seeing Jiang Wang... or rather, his horse, she became very excited,immediately leaped onto a short-legged little yellow horse,and spurred her horse closer.Her agile figure was eye-catching.Although her horse was short, it ran very fast.Its tail and the girl's hair both fluttered in the wind.

"Mo Ye Lai" is a grassland term, meaning "traveler from afar."

Speaking of the languages of various countries in the world,the differences are actually not too great.At least for transcendent cultivators, that small difference is easily mastered.The languages of many countries evolved from the basis of Jing Kingdom's language,and tracing back Jing Kingdom's language, it originally developed from the language of the Dao Sect era.It is no wonder Jing Kingdom prides itself on its history,and the Dao Sect is hailed as the origin of all streams.

Of course, language was originally used to "narrate the Dao,"and due to different understandings of the "Dao" by each person,linguistic differences also arose.This is the soil in which other languages distinct from the Dao Sect language system were born.

Besides accents, the differences in Pastoral Kingdom's languageare mainly some nouns inherited from the Cangtu divine language,such as "Mo Ye Lai" and "Aturu."And nouns like "Yigai," which are not part of the divine system,are another natural evolution of the grassland people over their long history,belonging to another language evolution system.

The present world is vast, with numerous nations.One who is not well-learned is insufficient to clarify these distinctions.

Jiang Wang was certainly not "well-learned" enough,but he at least knew that after Zhao Rucheng developed in the Pastoral Kingdom,he had deliberately memorized some common grassland terms,so he wouldn't be completely lost at this moment.

He shook the book in his hand: "Not selling, not selling!"

As he spoke, the grassland girl had already ridden her horse closer,her eyes eagerly examining his horse; she seemed to genuinely like it.She spread her five fingers wide and extended them towards Jiang Wang:"I'll exchange five cows with you!"

Jiang Wang remained calm and composed, continuing to shake his book:"Not exchanging, not exchanging!"

"Hey, you bookworm!" the girl with a few small freckles on her face,her hands on her hips on horseback, said,"I'm not asking you to suffer a loss! How will you exchange it?"

Listen to that address!Bookworm!Jiang Wang felt inwardly delighted.He had only been reading for a few days, and already possessed the demeanor of a Confucian scholar.As expected, talent like this cannot be hidden!He clearly did not realize how thought-provoking his current appearance was,with his cloak, linen clothes, and dragon-head staff.Only the book in his hand could be used to roughly guess his identity.

"This..."Jiang Wang pondered that he should move closer to the image of a Confucian scholar,following the Dao of the book he was reading!He racked his brains and thought,"This is not a matter of suffering a loss or not. Confucius said, 'A gentleman does not take what others like!'"

The girl retorted without preamble,"Confucius also said, 'A gentleman should facilitate others' beauty'! Why don't you listen?"

He had met his match!Who would have thought that even on the grassland, there were well-learned individuals who had read the Confucian classics thoroughly!Looking at this woman, seemingly ordinary,yet unexpectedly having extensive knowledge in her belly!

Jiang Wang became serious, bringing out his full twelve-tenths of skill:"Confucius said, ''Is it not delightful to have friends come from afar!''You, sir, not to mention sweeping the mat to receive guests,should not covet my horse as soon as we meet!Is this the proper way to treat guests?"

"Stop with this useless talk!" the girl waved her hand,"Just tell me, do I need to add money!"

"Hmph!" Jiang Wang felt he had the upper hand,and pressed the advantage, saying in a clear and upright voice:"I regard gold and money as dirt. Poverty cannot move me,power cannot bend me, and wealth cannot corrupt me!"After speaking, he even flicked his linen sleeve: "No need for further words!"

The girl looked at him for a long time."Are you sick!"She spurred her horse away.

Jiang Wang: ...He couldn't help but chase after her departing figure with a line:"We gentlemen do not utter evil words when parting!Our debate on classics is one thing, but cursing is not allowed!"