"Commander, I'm afraid this is the other side's trick. We can't..."
Lu Zhi waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to stop talking.
"Your worries are human nature."
"But if it falls on this person, it's just... an insult to him."
"Yu Ji? Zuo Ci?"
"Haha, I'm afraid that in this era, there is no Qi refiner who can compete with this Nanhua Taoist."
"It is rumored that he is over a hundred years old."
"When practitioners meet, they should all respectfully address... Nanhua Old Immortal!"
Lu Zhi waved his feather fan lightly and walked step by step into the bamboo forest.
The huge bamboo forest began to move, and the entrances and exits on both sides were closed in an instant.
The men and horses on both sides were also moved invisibly to the entrance of their respective cities.
Taoist Nanhua and Lu Zhi said at the same time:
"Pass the order."
"Mingjin withdraws the troops."
…
Deep in the bamboo forest, it is intricate and complex, but it is hidden and orderly.
Lu Zhi looked around. The straight green bamboos exuded a refreshing smell.
It's just that...under this tranquility and tranquility, there seems to be murderous intent hidden.
Seemingly knowing the intention of the other party's coming, Lu Zhi was not afraid and walked along the passage.
Finally, I saw a pavilion deep in the bamboo sea.
"I have met fellow Taoist Nanhua and I have met fellow Taoist Ziyang."
Turning to look at Tao'er, Lu Zhi smiled slightly:
"I've also met... little friend Tao'er."
Tao'er blinked and looked timidly at Lu Zhi, who was still far away. In an instant, he was sitting opposite him, and he couldn't help but let out a burst of exclamation.
Taoist Nanhua did not speak, but silently picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea and handed it to Lu Zhi.
Lu Zhi picked up the tea cup and smelled the fragrance of bamboo leaves in it, and couldn't help showing a hint of intoxication:
"It is rumored that the old immortal Nanhua likes green bamboo. Now it seems that the rumors are true."
"Old Immortal?" Taoist Nanhua murmured, "It's been a long time since anyone called me that."
Lu Zhi seems to have a straightforward temper, yet he has the straight-to-the-point character of a general while being refined:
"Lu Zhi feels honored that the old immortal is here today."
"But...there are some things, since the camps are different, there is no need to beat around the bush."
"Zhang Jiao...his energy is exhausted."
"As the saying goes, a man who hides something is not aware of it. He is so powerful that he went to war before his strength was exhausted."
"Now, I have used my own luck to help the Yellow Turban Army in successive battles, and the fuel has long been exhausted."
"As his master, Lao Xian should also be able to see that he is acting against heaven."
"Stand in my shoes."
"Zhang Jiao... will definitely not survive."
"But the Yellow Turban Army and the other people on Taiping Road, I can make the decision and let them go."
Taoist Ziyang looked at Taoist Nanhua.
Although the words are ugly.
But the meaning behind Lu Zhi's words also coincided with his.
Over the years, he also knew that blindly following the destiny would inevitably be unfair.
But the number of days is the number of days, so how can it be easily changed by manpower?
Taoist Nanhua was not annoyed, he just looked at the teapot in his hand silently.
"If you are full, you will lose. I understand this truth."
But he saw a wisp of bamboo leaves drifting down, landing right on the teapot.
However, the teapot seemed unable to bear the weight of the bamboo leaves, and was covered with spider web-like cracks.
Next moment:
"Crack!"
The teapot breaks!
However, the water in the pot maintained the shape of the teapot, just surrounding the hand of Nanhua Taoist.
Lu Zhi waved his feather fan lightly and paused slightly.
His eyes became more solemn.
"Old Immortal... Even though his vitality is severely damaged, he can still make invisible water gather into tangible things. I admire him!"
Nanhua Taoist said quietly:
"As the saying goes, all things are impermanent, and water transforming all things is nothing more than an illusion."
"That kid Zhang Jue is at the end of his strength, I already understand."
"But... what I want to tell fellow Taoists is that in a matter of days, human power is just like this chance."
"The pot collapsed, but the water has already taken the shape of the pot. This is the composition of human power."
"It will be the same for a few days."
In an instant, a pot of water actually fell on the table, quickly condensed, and turned into the shape of a sand table, which was the territory of the Han Dynasty!
And on this territory, the signs of dragon vein migration are also clearly revealed.
Lu Zhi seemed to understand what Nanhua Taoist meant and remained silent.
"Let's talk about the big man." Nanhua Taoist suddenly said: "For example, the one you are loyal to...is your Majesty Liu Hong."
"What kind of emperor do you think he is?"
Lu Zhi thought for a while:
"The sin lies in the moment, the merit lies in Qianqiu!"
Nanhua Taoist laughed:
"The last person to receive such an evaluation was probably His Majesty the First Emperor."
"Fellow Taoist said this, is there any evidence?"
Lu Zhi raised his feather fan and saw forty-six towering stone tablets condensed on the water plate on the table!
It’s the Xiping Stone Classic!
It’s the Seven Classics of Confucianism!
It is "Lu Shi", "Shang Shu", "Book of Changes", "Spring and Autumn", "Gongyang Zhuan", "Ritual", and "The Analects of Confucius"!
"Your Majesty wrote the "Xiping Stone Classic" and established the Hongdu School!"
"This is a merit worth thousands of gold!"
"It also allowed China to have a standardized Confucian culture!"
Nanhua Taoist smiled and said nothing.
Taoist Ziyang closed his eyes slightly and sat cross-legged with no intention of speaking.
This smile and this silence seemed to make Lu Zhi a little dissatisfied.
"Xiping Stone Classic" also has his contribution.
Of course, he does not think that others should praise him.
But I feel that...it is such a pity that these people cannot understand His Majesty's painstaking efforts for such a miracle!
Then, he turned his attention to Tao'er.
Perhaps in order to break the embarrassment in this tranquility, Lu Zhi couldn't help but ask:
"Tao'er, are you Zhang Jiao's apprentice?"
Tao'er blinked, then nodded: "Yes! He is my teacher!"
"Teacher?" Lu Zhi was slightly startled: "Where are your parents?"
Tao'er lowered his head slightly, showing a hint of sadness: "I died after eating Guanyin soil!"
"Guanyin soil?" Lu Zhi seemed a little confused and couldn't help but look at Nanhua Taoist.
Taoist Nanhua finally spoke and explained:
"It's just taking the soil that can be found everywhere, adding some simple things, such as bark or something, and drying it into cakes."
"Because this soil cannot be excreted, it makes people feel full all the time."
After this explanation, Lu Zhi's face suddenly turned pale.
In his impression, the people were a little poorer.
But...but how can you be so ignorant?
Subconsciously, Lu Zhi scolded:
"What nonsense!"
"Since you know that soil cannot be digested, why do you still eat it?"
"That's just deceiving yourself!"
From the side, Tao'er's crisp voice came:
"But... without Guanyin soil, what would we eat?"
Lu Zhi looked at Tao'er.
Those clear eyes, when raising this question, were like instinct!
Lu Zhi trembled all over and felt an indescribable pain in his heart.
Without Guanyin soil, what can we eat?
So... the common people can only eat this kind of food to survive?
Lu Zhi's voice suddenly became dry:
"Tao'er, have you never eaten... food since you were a child?"
Tao'er blinked: "Well... before I met the teacher, if my family could eat the bark peeled off when the big tree just grew, it would be a feast."
Speaking of this, Taoer laughed:
"The bark at that time was sweet, not hard, and very fragrant."
"but……"
"But... there are very few opportunities to eat it."
Tao'er's smile quickly collapsed and turned into a trace of sadness and loss:
"My parents...never let me eat Guanyin soil."
"They said... Tao'er will definitely be able to live a good life. They even gave me the name Shui Gou'er so that I could live a good life."
"They say...it's easy to make a living with a low life."
"It was after meeting the teacher that I called Tao'er and finally got food."
"I...when I ate meat for the first time, I really didn't expect that meat is also sweet!"
"And it smells so good!"
Taoer suddenly felt a little embarrassed:
"But... maybe I ate too much. I got a stomachache after eating it for the first time."
"The teacher told me that my body is too weak and I have to eat little by little."
"It's just a pity that the food..."
"well……"
Lu Zhi opened his mouth and his eyes turned slightly red.
However, Tao'er did not stop, but asked innocently:
"Just now... uncle said... that stone tablet is worth tens of thousands of gold."
"For ten thousand gold...how many people can I keep alive?"
"Could it be that...are these inscriptions really more important than filling our stomachs?"
Boom!
Lu Zhi closed his eyes in pain.
The heart of a great Confucian was almost on the verge of being broken because of Tao'er's few words.
Finally, after a long time, Lu Zhi slowly opened his eyes.
He looked at Tao'er and actually made a big salute and bowed.
Then he saluted Taoist Nanhua and Ziyang in the same way.
"It's my fault."
Nanhua Taoist shook his head:
"Fellow Taoist, it's not your fault."
"You are a well-known Confucian scholar who also practices Taoism and Dharma. You are capable of both literary and martial arts. You are a rare pillar of talent for the great Han Dynasty."
"You assisted the emperor in carving the "Xi Ping Stone Sutra". This is a great merit."
“As the saying goes, flaws cannot cover up strengths, and vice versa.”
"A mistake is a mistake."
"Buying and selling officials, building palaces, appointing eunuchs, these...you can't deny it."
"Above the court, there are either people like Cao Jie who practice evil arts and treat all living beings like ants."
"Either it is like you, who only cares about learning and the court, but does not know the sufferings of the people."
"After all... no matter how depressed the people of Luoyang are, how depressed can they be?"
"But what about remote areas?"
"The people are in dire straits, and no one reports the news. You have no idea how many years have passed since you have been living on Guanyin soil!"
"How many years have passed since this severe drought!"
"If the "Xiping Stone Scripture" really only has merits and no faults, why was it that when the Stone Scripture was born, not only were there no auspicious signs, but there was a severe drought and depression?"
Lu Zhi's face turned pale and he opened his mouth several times, but in the end no words came out.
Nanhua Taoist said quietly:
"Today I met with fellow Taoists because I wanted to let fellow Taoists know what kind of life the people are living now!"
"War is never the best way!"
"But... it has been more than ten years since Taiping Dao was established. Why did you launch the Yellow Turban Uprising until now? Have you... really thought about it carefully?"
"Is this world Liu Hong's?"
"Is this the world ruled by Cao Jie and other eunuchs?"
"Is this the world where you, the famous scholars and noble military generals, rule?"