flstandardbreds Chapter 1017 Trip to Yunmeng Mountain (7)
Chapter 1017 Trip to Yunmeng Mountain (7)
Xu Jiezi was lost in deep memories, as if her voice had become distant:
"Before the master took over Yunmeng Mountain, all the previous Guiguzi masters mainly focused on seclusion and cultivation, regarding themselves as immortals who had transcended the mortal world and coldly observed the rise and fall of the world."
"Even when the human world suffers great disasters, the people in the mountains mostly stand by and watch, believing that this is the cycle of nature and the calamity of mortals."
“But the teacher is different.” Xu Jiezi’s eyes were full of respect. “Whenever he hears of a great calamity in the world, the teacher always comes down the mountain in person.”
"He was not only highly skilled in medicine, but also knew many incredible methods of disaster relief, and he never left his name when he helped people."
"Many of the people who benefited from his kindness did not even know who their savior was, and only thought that it was a fairy in the mountains who had appeared to them."
Li Che nodded slightly. Such behavior did indeed resemble that of a person with modern knowledge and a sense of social responsibility.
It's not to say that modern people are all saints, but people come from a relatively stable social environment, and it's difficult for them to suddenly become ruthless and indifferent to the suffering of ordinary people.
Xu Jiezi continued, "The same is true of the teacher's ideology; he firmly believes in 'democracy'."
He believes that the best way to govern is not to let one family or a few elites decide the fate of hundreds of millions of people, but to allow the people to participate in politics and make their voices heard.
"The country's responsibility is to serve its people and enable them to live happy and dignified lives."
He often said that power should be a public instrument and should be used for the people.
He sighed, a hint of helplessness on his face: "For this reason, my teacher's master, who is also my grandmaster, as well as several senior masters, have repeatedly and severely rebuked him, believing that his thoughts were heretical and would bring utter destruction to Yunmeng Mountain."
"If the teacher had not truly possessed extraordinary talent and profound knowledge that left all those who questioned him speechless, he would never have been able to succeed as 'Guiguzi' back then."
Seeing that Li Che was still listening attentively, a hint of confusion flashed in Xu Jiezi's eyes.
He hesitated before speaking, "But... sometimes I wonder, my teacher clearly has a heart to save the world and help the people, so why hasn't he taken any further action?"
"When the teacher was alive, it was the most chaotic and dark period of the previous dynasty. The royal family was incompetent, powerful ministers were in power, and aristocratic families were arbitrarily annexing assets."
"Ultimately, this led to widespread war and the displacement of countless people..."
"With your abilities, if you had raised your voice and rallied the people, or assisted a wise ruler, you might have been able to save the world from collapse and rescue the people from suffering."
"But he only saved people sporadically and did not change the root cause of the court's corruption."
Xu Jiezi sighed deeply, as if defending his mentor, or as if convincing himself: "In the end, I could only conclude that the power of the emperor and the aristocratic families was too great. Even someone as talented as my teacher could not do anything about it."
At this point, Xu Jiezi's face showed shame: "Therefore, when I succeeded Guiguzi, although I was grateful for my teacher's great aspirations, I ultimately lacked his courage and determination."
"Yunmeng Mountain is under my control, and I have chosen to close the mountain gates and continue to live in seclusion, not participating in worldly disputes."
"It is euphemistically called transcending worldly affairs, but in reality it is to ensure that the Guigu lineage can continue and not be cut off due to involvement in worldly affairs."
"Looking back now, I feel I have truly failed my teacher's teachings."
Li Che listened quietly, without readily judging whether Xu Jiezi and his teacher were right or wrong.
He secretly pondered that if he hadn't transmigrated into a prince but had been born as an ordinary commoner, he might have made a similar choice.
In a rigidly class-based ancient society, even with modern knowledge, it would be an impossible task to overthrow the foundations of the entire old world on one's own.
Being able to protect oneself and use one's knowledge to help others is already the limit.
Li Che smiled gently and reassured him, "Sir, there's no need to blame yourself too much. This is due to the circumstances of the time, not your fault."
"I understand that you are in a state of confusion and find it difficult to sort things out at the moment."
"It's alright, I can wait. We can talk slowly."
Upon hearing this, Xu Jiezi glanced at Li Che, seemingly having made up his mind: "In that case, Your Majesty, why don't you come with me to the mountains to rest? The mountains are quiet and peaceful, perfect for a deep conversation, and besides..."
He paused, then said, "I still have some relics left by my late master, which I might show to Your Majesty."
Li Che's eyes lit up immediately: "Is it a book left behind by your master?"
Xu Jiezi nodded solemnly: "Exactly."
"Before today, I always regarded these relics as treasures, keeping them a secret from everyone, as the core secret of the Yunmeng Mountain lineage that was never to be passed on to outsiders. Even Qingyuan and the others had never seen the whole thing."
"But now that I have met His Majesty and learned about this origin, I have realized that my idea of keeping knowledge locked away in the mountains was too narrow-minded."
He looked at Li Che, his eyes becoming incredibly intense: "My teacher was unable to realize his dream before he passed away, and I am even more mediocre, guarding a treasure mountain in vain, yet I dare not even try."
"Only Your Majesty, undaunted by difficulties, eradicated powerful families with swift and decisive measures, implemented new policies, and cared deeply for the people... If what my teacher left behind can contribute to Your Majesty's great cause, I believe my teacher's spirit in heaven would be gratified."
"Very well!" Li Che slowly stood up and solemnly said to Xu Jiezi, "Regardless of the outcome, I am grateful in advance for your willingness to present my sect's most precious treasure to me, sir!"
Xu Jiezi stepped aside to avoid the half-bow and nodded: "Your Majesty, please follow me."
Having said that, Xu Jiezi turned around, preparing to lead Li Che up the mountain.
Li Che naturally followed, while Qiu Bai and Hu Qiang, leading a hundred personal guards, immediately sprang into action to prepare to accompany and protect him.
Hearing the dense footsteps behind him, Xu Jiezi stopped and turned to look at the elite Night Watchmen, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Your Majesty, Yunmeng Mountain is a place of quiet cultivation, rarely disturbed by the outside world. Would you please ask your soldiers to stay at the foot of the mountain and set up camp to wait?"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Bai immediately stepped forward, his brows furrowed, and his hand unconsciously resting on the hilt of his sword.
It is absolutely impossible for His Majesty to go up the mountain alone... even if this Xu Jiezi is a god.
Li Che naturally understood Qiu Bai's concerns. He shook his head and said, "Sir, they have come from afar with me. Their duty is to protect me. Wherever I am, they should be there too."
"It's not that I don't believe you, sir, but it's my duty as an emperor. Such are the rules, and I hope you will understand."
Li Che's words were polite, but his meaning was very clear.
Given the abilities that Xu Jiezi has demonstrated, Li Che doubts he could escape unscathed if he truly harbored ulterior motives.
As emperor, he could no longer easily place himself in uncontrollable dangers as he had in his youth.
Xu Jiezi opened his mouth, as if to say something: "There are too many people. Yunmeng Mountain is usually very quiet, and we're afraid of disturbing you..."
He finished speaking, but upon seeing Li Che's calm gaze, he seemed to have figured something out, and couldn't help but give a wry smile, waving his hand:
"Enough, enough... Compared to the great cause His Majesty seeks to create, what are these rules of Yunmeng Mountain? I was just being old-fashioned."
Seeing that he was reasonable, Li Che felt relieved and promised, "Sir, you are very righteous. Rest assured, I will strictly order them to not make any noise or cause any damage in the mountains, and I will not disturb their peaceful cultivation."
Xu Jiezi nodded, said no more, and turned to lead the way.
Li Che followed closely behind, with Qiu Bai, Hu Qiang, and the night watchmen following silently as they entered the misty Yunmeng Mountain.
Stepping through the mountain gate is like stepping into another world, where the heat of the outside world is instantly shut out.
Underfoot are bluestone steps that wind upwards. They have weathered countless years of wind and rain, their surface smooth and mottled, with thick moss growing in the cracks. They feel soft and yielding, and you can hardly hear your footsteps.
Xu Jiezi walked ahead with a leisurely gait, his white robes appearing and disappearing in the misty air, like an immortal leading the way.
He was not in a hurry to get on the road, and would stop from time to time to point out the scenery in the mountains to Li Che.
“Your Majesty, please look to the left.” Xu Jiezi pointed to a cliff that looked as if it had been cleaved by a giant axe. “This is the ‘Platform of Self-Sacrifice,’ which is said to be the place where Pang Juan and Sun Bin made a vow to sacrifice themselves for the Dao.”
Li Che looked up and saw some faint carvings on the cliff face, which had long been eroded by wind and rain and were difficult to recognize, leaving only endless imagination.
Li Che naturally knew Pang Juan and Sun Bin, both ruthless figures from the Warring States period. Seeing the relics left by such famous people in person, Li Che felt quite strange.
Continuing onward, a clear mountain stream flows gently beside the stone steps, its murmuring sound like the tinkling of jade pendants.
There is an ancient stone bridge over the stream, its body covered with lush green vines.
“This bridge is named ‘Yingrui’,” Xu Jiezi said. “It is said that sincere people who cross this bridge can see their future fortune in the stream.” Xu Jiezi’s tone was indifferent, clearly not believing in such things. “They are just some false legends, meant to amuse people.”
As Li Che crossed the stone bridge, he subconsciously glanced at the stream. He could clearly see the pebbles on the bottom and a few unidentified small fish swimming leisurely by. There was no sign of any auspiciousness or fortune to be seen.
The higher you go, the thicker the fog becomes, shrouding the distant peaks in a hazy mist.
The air was filled with the fragrance of earth and wildflowers, which was refreshing and delightful.
Along the way, you can see some stone houses that are half-embedded in the rock walls. Most of them are dilapidated, with stone mills and stone benches standing silently in front of them.
“These were the residences of disciples who came down the mountain in successive generations,” Xu Jiezi explained. “Now, most of them are vacant.”
Li Che looked at the stone houses with a deep gaze.
With so many stone houses, there must be dozens, if not hundreds, which shows how prosperous Yunmeng Mountain was in its heyday.
No wonder the Guiguzi masters of the past all sought seclusion; Yunmeng Mountain is truly a double-edged sword.
If all these disciples of Guigu were to descend the mountain, even if not all of them were as capable as Pang Juan or Sun Bin, if they possessed even half the skill of Lin Qingyuan, they would still be a formidable elite force.
Even the most brilliant and powerful ruler would probably be unable to put his mind at ease.