Chapter 2212: God is Also Guilty

"Today we can also be considered White Dragon Fish Clothing!"

It was deep autumn in Yingcheng, quite cold and cool.

On the bustling street, Zuo Guangshu wore a dogskin hat, a slightly ill-fitting cotton and hemp jacket, and a pair of worn-out, upturned leather boots. He used a rough wind-blocking cloth to cover his noble and divine face.

Beside him, Jiang Wang was similarly dressed. He wore a bamboo hat, a face covering, and a black robe with his hands tucked into his sleeves. The world-famous Long Xiang Si was hidden away in a storage box.

Today, he and Zuo Guangshu were out for a stroll. After all, both were famous figures, so to avoid attracting attention, they had to be slightly disguised. Jiang Zhenren could, of course, directly manipulate passersby's perception, but this was Yingcheng, after all, a place where strong individuals were abundant and regulations were extremely strict. He was too lazy to cast spells all the way and risk accidentally touching someone's sensitive nerves. Of course, the Duke of Huai's mansion could solve the problems, but there was no need for that.

Hearing Zuo Guangshu's words, Jiang Wang smiled and said, "You are the white dragon, and I am always the fish."

Zuo Guangshu chuckled and said, "Then I am the White Dragon Fish. Anyway, we are on the same path!"

"You've said it wrong again," Jiang Wang said, looking at him with a sidelong glance. "I now understand why Shun Hua is so devoted to you. You are really skilled!"

"This you have again said wrong," Zuo Guangshu was very proud. "I learned it all from her."

Jiang Wang said seriously, "Less showing off, it's easy to get beaten."

Yingcheng was the world's most prosperous place, a mix of fish and dragons, with a surging human tide. It was said that breath turned into clouds, and buildings and terraces were like a sea of fog.

The two of them were not just wandering aimlessly. As they wandered around, they came to the east of the city. There was a Zhuque Street here, which Zuo Guangshu used to love to frequent, but their destination this time was not there.

South of the main Zhuque Street, a branch road split into four small paths.

The two walked along one of them, turning into an alley. Along the way, they passed many low, flat houses, stepping over the autumn light that swept down from the tree branches.

The bright yellow divine talismans tied to the branches were the colors of autumn in Yingcheng.

This world's most luxurious city, of course, also had its less luxurious side, and these low houses were just one corner of it. Of course, as the imperial capital of Great Chu, under the emperor's feet, even the low and flat houses showed quality in their materials and had a relatively unified architectural style.

They walked to the end of the narrow alley, and their eyes suddenly opened wide. There was an open square here, centered around a huge camphor tree.

Children jumping and playing, old men playing chess, old women gathered together while washing clothes and chatting…

It was clear that this was a "paradise" for ordinary people. There were no red lights and green wine, no drunken paper and gold, and no phoenix birds flying in the sky or white jade piled up over the years. There was only the simplest laughter and the most ordinary worries.

In front of the huge camphor tree stood a straight figure, facing the people in all directions alone, lecturing on something.

More and more people gathered around, their heads packed together densely, like ants gathering for food, surrounding the person in many circles.

Jiang Wang and Zuo Guangshu were not out of the ordinary. They chatted idly as they slowly wandered over and stood at the outer edge of the crowd.

"The wind of lecturing prospers in the land of Wei," Zuo Guangshu transmitted his voice. "In the past, Wei Xing and Xue Gui each opened altars and lectured for nine consecutive days. The listeners grew so numerous that they blocked the city gates, preventing pedestrians from passing. One went out the east gate, and the other went out the west gate, lecturing along the way, debating the law across the air, each refusing to yield. Finally, they walked back along the long river and sat facing Guanchuan Terrace, debating the law before the whole world. They debated for three sessions, and Xue Gui won all three, thus establishing the 'Xue Gui New Law.' The character 'Gui' in his name also became the most emphasized character in Legalism, representing the origin of rules and regulations."

Zuo Guangshu told this story, which was clearly recorded in "Zheng Fa Tian Heng," authored by Gongsun Buhai, the contemporary controller of Xingren Palace. This book was rigorous and solemn, mixing narration and discussion. Every point was based on history and respected existing historical materials, making it a must-read work for understanding the context of Legalist thought.

Jiang Wang had seriously read Xue Gui's immortal work "Wan Shi Fa," so he naturally knew about this public case.

He looked at the person lecturing within the crowd and casually said, "The World Honored One still has the Broad Hear Bell, making the world know his heart. This also states the Dao."

In recent years, if there was one person who had the most profound impact on Jiang Wang's growth, Zuo Guangshu would certainly be one.

When he first met Brother Jiang, Brother Jiang was still only "abundant in martial virtue," and his knowledge, while not nonexistent, was very thin. Sometimes, when he quoted classics, Brother Jiang simply didn't understand. So, when chatting, he was very careful, trying not to say anything obscure. Only sometimes, what he considered "common knowledge" was "knowledge" to Brother Jiang.

His mother often said, "This is the regret of a humble origin," and often sent books to Brother Jiang in his name.

But as time passed, Brother Jiang's cultivation grew, his insights deepened, and he read more. Now he could quote and draw parallels, from Legalism to Buddhism, from Xue Gui to Broad Hear.

Zuo Guangshu sighed in his heart and said, "The city where Xue Gui and Wei Xing lectured has risen and fallen several times; it is now Li Heng, the capital of the Wei Kingdom. The land of Wei can also be said to be full of talented people and beautiful places, but the Wei Kingdom is still a 'sigh, a small country,' a central vassal."

"What do you want to express?" Jiang Wang seemed to smile faintly.

"It is clear that debate does not accomplish matters," Zuo Guangshu said.

"If one debates but does not implement, matters are indeed not accomplished," Jiang Wang said. "If one debates and implements, all matters have a time."

The camphor tree did not wither in autumn; it remained evergreen throughout the four seasons.

Zuo Guangshu looked up at the huge, thick, cloud-like tree crown and softly said, "This big camphor tree has a history of more than a thousand years."

Jiang Wang did not speak.

The man standing in front of the thousand-year-old camphor tree was precisely Chu Yu Zhi.

He was wearing military clothing and boots, with a straight knife hanging at his side. There were no extra decorations on his body, which seemed mismatched with the extremely beautiful country of Chu.

He was currently lecturing his ideals, calling on the common people to strive for their rights and to struggle against the nobles. To unite their will, build a bridge for the common people, and pave a great road to heaven, so that all people could stride forward.

He spoke of "rich but not benevolent" and "noble but not famous." He spoke of how this world should be fair.

His lecturing was not impassioned but narrated slowly, just like his person, with a kind of plain style.

In the surrounding crowd, someone's voice asked, "Little Yu brother, do you hate nobles?"

From the address "Little Yu brother," it could be seen that these people were very close to Chu Yu Zhi.

This youth, with the country as his surname, walked among the streets and alleys all year round. Although extraordinary, he returned to the mundane, and no one felt that he was out of place here.

He looked at the questioning passerby and said very seriously, "Uncle, gathering the strength of the crowd produces power, and prominence comes from merit, hence nobility. These are inevitably existing. Why should I hate them? I do not hate nobles, just as I will not hate a camphor tree."

"But you are always talking about nobles, nobles," the passerby uncle said. "I heard someone say that you just know how to envy, that you are the kind of person who only hates the rich."

"I know people like white paper, I know people who have been well-protected since childhood and whose thoughts are pure. I know brave nobles, I know aristocratic sons who are willing to die for reputation," Chu Yu Zhi did not show any annoyance. "But I also know some other people. Their brains are full of fat, bloated and vicious. They are born with everything, so they don't know how to cherish. They are incompetent to the extreme, yet they grandly occupy high positions. They are without integrity, yet they can call for wind and summon rain…"

"What I hate is holding power for private gain, and being noble but without responsibility."

He said clearly, "What I hate are those who enjoy the country's best resources, yet cannot make the greatest contribution to the country, and are even unwilling to make a contribution."

"But those resources were earned by their fathers, ah. What's wrong with them wasting them as they please?" The passerby uncle said. "Just like when my dad left, he left me several ingots of silver. No one can control how I spend it, ah!"

Immediately, someone beside him heckled, "Liu Old Four, your dad still left you several ingots of silver?! You boy are hiding deeply!"

"Go away, go away!" Liu Old Four scolded. "Old man, this is a metaphor! Do you understand metaphor or not?"

"How they waste silver privately, that is their own business, and indeed no one can control it," Chu Yu Zhi said. "But what if they form cliques for private gain, give to each other privately, and after they become prominent, they set up barriers on the path to prominence, only allowing their own people to walk?"

Liu Old Four scratched his head. "Let me think about it. They form cliques for private gain, give to each other privately, and they aren't taking your pocket money. What does that have to do with you and me?"

Chu Yu Zhi asked, "Uncle, what do you do for a living?"

Liu Old Four lowered his head and looked at his burden full of tofu. For a moment, he didn't want to speak, but he still said, "I sell tofu."

Chu Yu Zhi asked again, "How long do you work every day?"

The tofu seller, Liu Old Four, said, "I get up every day before the rooster crows and busy myself. The sky is just bright. The morning's soybean milk sells very well. The filtered soybean residue is left for making dishes in the evening. After selling the soybean milk, I sell tofu, carrying the burden and turning through the big streets and small alleys. Sometimes I come here to rest a bit at noon and eat a bowl of noodles. Sometimes I don't rest and bring my own noodle cake. I go home when I finish selling, and I also go home when it gets dark. Calculated, you are all chatting, I should go sell tofu!"

He picked up his burden and was about to leave.

"Uncle, wait! Let me ask you one more question!" Chu Yu Zhi said. "How many coins do you earn every day?"

"I don't earn much, but I can make ends meet," Liu Old Four cracked open his dry mouth and said happily.

"Do you know why you don't earn much?" Chu Yu Zhi asked.

"I just sell tofu. How much can I earn?" Liu Old Four scratched his head. "Isn't selling tofu all like this?"

Chu Yu Zhi looked at him. "Because you don't work hard enough?"

Liu Old Four thought for a moment and said quite seriously, "I'm not a lazy man, leh. I work every day, and I don't rest all year round."

"Let me tell you why," Chu Yu Zhi said. "Your money is exchanged for labor, and others' money is something they pinch out themselves. They say this lump of mud is money, and this lump of mud becomes money. You, on the other hand, must beat it into tofu before it can be considered money. When these two kinds of money are mixed together, your value is diluted. This is why you are so hard!"

Chu Yu Zhi looked into his eyes. "Uncle, do you still feel that this has nothing to do with you?"

Liu Old Four was silent for a moment.

"Suppose you all join the army. Your honor is fought out with fists and feet and knives and guns, while others' honor is bought with money, or even exchanged for a single sentence. Others spend their own money, and others take their own side doors. What does that have to do with you?"

Chu Yu Zhi stood in front of the big camphor tree and pulled the corners of his mouth. "Your efforts become meaningless! Your honor is also watered down! Your blood and sweat thus become ridiculous! No relation?"

He said this, then tucked his sleeves. "I feel it still has a relation, bah. At least it has a relation with me. I have personally experienced these things, and many members of the Yi Society have also experienced these things. We don't want others to experience them like this."

The crowd was also silent for a moment.

This world needed fairness, but fairness was sometimes unattainable. And many people were already accustomed to it and didn't feel that it was wrong.

"Let's go," Jiang Wang turned around.

"Not watching?" Zuo Guangshu followed up and asked.

"Already seen," Jiang Wang said.

Zuo Guangshu was silent for a moment, not knowing which word he had heard.

Had he "seen" the Dao?

"Seen?" A voice asked from afar.

Under Yan Yun Mountain, a short blood rain fell, staining the soil several shades of dark red.

"Indeed seen, but—" The Chu Kingdom soldier who had jumped to the bottom of the pit answered, his tone a little hesitant.

"But what?" The distant voice quickly approached.

From their armor engraved with divine patterns, it could be seen that they were all Shen Zui Army soldiers.

The first-class elite of the Great Chu Empire army.

Even just a small patrol team showed excellent military quality.

This was a pit chopped out by Dou Zhao's single knife. Fa Luo, the Zhenren of Three Points Fragrance Building, was lying silently at the bottom of the pit in a corpse posture.

Beside the corpse was a half-squatting Shen Zui Army soldier. He carefully observed the Zhenren's corpse. "This corpse seems to have lost a lot of blood."

"Isn't that nonsense?!" The Shen Zui Army soldier standing at the edge of the pit said impatiently. "I thought you had discovered something extraordinary! After being chased and chopped by Lord Dou for so many days, if his qi and blood weren't completely dry, he would be considered abundant."

"That's also true," said the Shen Zui Army soldier in charge of checking the corpse.

The Shen Zui Army soldier standing at the edge of the pit waved his hand. "Check if the corpse has been touched by people. If so, there's another clue. If not, let's go."

Dou Zhao had thrown his personal token onto the corpse, which was the famous Shen Zui Order, meaning "even gods sin."

Among them, there was a special symbolic message set exclusively for the holder. Once someone approached, if there was no corresponding symbolic response, an alarm would immediately be sent, touching the communication path laid by the Chu Kingdom in the South Domain of Zhang Hua, leaving fatal information.

So, within the Shen Zui Army, it also had a very vivid name, called "Trap."

The Shen Zui Army soldier at the bottom of the pit carefully checked for a while, repeatedly confirming that there were no abnormal traces, then carefully and cautiously put away the token that Dou Zhao had thrown onto the corpse.

He took out a corpse bag and packed up Fa Luo's corpse—

A figure surging with qi and blood suddenly appeared, hovering above the pit. He swept a cold glance at the bottom of the pit, and immediately scolded, "His grandma's, late again!"

The four Shen Zui Army soldiers, both at the bottom and outside the pit, remained silent.

Then they heard him a string of scolding, something about "Little Dou clan, stealing my true enemy, making me so angry!" and "Little Dou is not acting human."

Until he finished scolding and flew away.

The Shen Zui Army soldier at the bottom of the pit then said, "This is also too late. How many days has Lord Dou been chasing and killing!"

The Shen Zui Army soldier in charge of guarding echoed, "Yes, ah, truly good to say!"

The Shen Zui Army soldier standing at the edge of the pit was after all a bit steadier. "Shh, speak softly."

"Who said I am narrow-minded!" Suddenly, a strong wind rolled, and the short-bearded, eagle-eyed Zhong Li Yan flew back, angrily. "How dare you offend your superior below and discuss this grandpa? Stand at attention! Stand properly!"

Soon, the four Shen Zui Army soldiers stood in a row at the bottom of the pit.

"You Shen Zui Army are so rude, it's all because Dou Zhao has spoiled the atmosphere! I will take this corpse away. Later, let Dou Zhao himself come to me to get it."

Zhong Li Yan picked up the corpse bag and soared away.

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