Beneath the congee shed.
Wang Daosheng was distributing congee to the disaster victims.
Zhang Zhuo took a clay bowl and carelessly thrust it before Wang Daosheng.
Wang Daosheng cast a calm glance at him and wordlessly filled the clay bowl to the brim with the wooden ladle.
Tilting his head back, Zhang Zhuo gulped down the thin congee into his mouth with loud gulping sounds, then wiped his beard with the sleeve of his red official robe.
Casually tossing the clay bowl onto the blue brick stove, he asked curiously, "Didn't you take my daughter to Luhun Villa for a study tour? How did you tour all the way to this congee shed? I heard that the people from the two great Daoist courts of Yellow Mountain and Mount Laojun, as well as the eminent monks from Yuanjue Temple and Tuoluo Temple, have all arrived this time. Every day there are extremely brilliant sutra debates. Why are you bringing them here to waste time?"
While distributing congee to the disaster victims, Wang Daosheng casually replied, "Life is the best classic and principle. Originally, the principles and philosophical doctrines written by the ancient sages were all learned from life. Rather than following the ancient sages to learn principles in books, it is better for us to learn directly from life; that gets straight to the original intended meaning even better."
Zhang Zhuo stroked his beard: "If only you spoke a little less of these defiant and unothodox words, Elder Hu wouldn't constantly beat and knock against you. As humans, when it's time to conceal our sharp edges, we must conceal our sharp edges. We who act as students shouldn't always go against our teacher."
Wang Daosheng replied breezily, as light as the wind and pale as the clouds: "Now you are turning around and lecturing me."
Zhang Zhuo gave a wry laugh and jutted his chin toward Chen Ji's direction: "What do you think of that kid?"
Wang Daosheng said calmly: "Why do you ask this?"
Zhang Zhuo raised his eyebrows: "Am I not allowed to ask?"
Wang Daosheng said casually: "In truth, you already have an answer in your heart. Asking me is nothing more than wanting to verify the answer in your heart. But what I have to say might not necessarily be to your liking."
Zhang Zhuo grew impatient: "Then say it already and let's see!"
Wang Daosheng cast a glance at Chen Ji, then turned to Zhang Zhuo: "This child has murderous aura on him."
Zhang Zhuo froze. He carefully scrutinized Wang Daosheng: "Those who have led troops truly are a bit different. You can even see this?"
Wang Daosheng scooped out a ladle of rice congee and filled the clay bowl in a disaster victim's hands: "He's been enrolled for two days, and he's been late twice. When I asked him why he was late, he was unwilling to say. But I see that every time he arrives, he carries a murderous aura that hits you right in the face. He doesn't look like someone coming to attend school; he looks more like those infantrymen under my command who had just finished slaughtering Japanese pirates and still had blood staining their bodies."
Zhang Zhuo shook his head: "He is no infantryman. A thousand troops are easy to obtain, but one general is hard to seek. If you had worked together with him, you would understand; he has the talent of a general."
"Your evaluation of him is rather high." Wang Daosheng thought for a moment: "So, the person who delayed the disaster victims outside the west city gate the day before yesterday was him?"
Zhang Zhuo hurried to say: "It wasn't!"
Wang Daosheng sneered mockingly: "Someone who has worked together with you, who just happened to be late for school on the morning of that very day, and who is so highly regarded by you... if it wasn't him, who else could it be?"
Zhang Zhuo said vigilantly: "You had best not get any ideas about him."
Wang Daosheng said helplessly: "What ideas could I possibly get about him? I'm nothing more than collecting his tuition fee and teaching him principles, nothing more."
Zhang Zhuo suddenly asked: "Has your mourning period already ended?"
Wang Daosheng nodded: "Yesterday."
Zhang Zhuo asked again: "What official position did Elder Hu arrange for you?"
Wang Daosheng said casually: "Teacher hopes that I return to the capital to serve concurrently as the Minister of War and an Academician of the Hanlin Academy."
"What?" Zhang Zhuo raised the pitch of his voice.
Seeing some disaster victims looking over, he quickly lowered his voice again: "How can you jump two ranks to be promoted to Minister of War? Doesn't that mean you're going to enter the Grand Secretariat next?!"
Wang Daosheng didn't answer this question. He merely looked at Chen Ji from afar and suddenly said: "He is actually quite warm-hearted."
Zhang Zhuo also looked at Chen Ji. A moment later, he sighed: "He's a little too warm-hearted right now. He usually isn't like this..."
At this moment, Chen Ji was scooping congee for the disaster victims one by one.
In a mere half hour, the originally cherry-red furnace fires inside his body had gradually turned pale red. Furthermore, a wisp of a yellow flame seemed to be germinating from within the flames, as thin as a gossamer thread.
Feeling the surging vitality, Chen Ji felt as if he had obtained a new lease on life. Even his breaths seemed to have fire flowing and revolving within them.
He suddenly realized.
The Mountain Lord Pathway, the Dragon Swallower... the ice flow on the bodies of officials was a materialized Dragon Aura. Meanwhile, the root of Dragon Aura was hidden in the hearts of the common people; that was the very thing that made a nation a nation.
No wonder Old Yao still upheld the identity of an imperial physician even after practicing the Mountain Lord Cultivation Path. Presumably, when the other party treated illnesses and saved people, the furnace fires within his body would undergo the same changes.
But why hadn't Master told him about this matter? Did he hope that Chen Ji wouldn't discover this secret?
No, there must definitely be another reason.
...
...
The large cauldron in front of Chen Ji had already been scooped empty. If they wanted to boil a fresh batch of congee, it would take the time it takes two incense sticks to burn. He looked at the long line of disaster victims in front of him, each holding a brand new clay bowl.
He walked over to Bai Li and said, "Go rest for a bit. I will help you."
Bai Li said in pleasant surprise: "Ah, really?"
With that, she looked at the others: "But everyone is still busy. It's inappropriate for me to rest alone."
Chen Ji said with a smile: "It's fine. Just stand to the side and rest secretly."
Bai Li yielded her spot and stepped aside. Hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Why didn't you go help my brother?"
Chen Ji explained: "The Prince Heir has more strength, so he can still hold on for now. When he can't persist any longer later, I'll go help him then."
Drawing out her tone, Bai Li let out a long "Oh~".
Picking up the wooden ladle, Chen Ji cleanly and nimbly scooped serving after serving of rice congee for the disaster victims. That wisp of yellow flame grew increasingly distinct, seemingly like a golden dragon swimming and cruising within the red fire.
When the large cauldron on Commandery Princess Baili's side was fully distributed, he ran over to the Prince Heir's side to help.
Rubbing his arm, the Prince Heir immediately gave a thumbs-up: "Children of the Jianghu; upholding justice!"
When the congee in the Prince Heir's cauldron was also fully distributed, Chen Ji leisurely strolled over to Chen Wenxiao's side.
Chen Wenxiao had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Seeing him come over, he immediately thrust the wooden ladle out.
Chen Ji raised his eyebrows: "Why are you giving me the ladle? Do your own tasks yourself."
Chen Wenxiao was puzzled: "Aren't you here to help?"
Chen Ji shook his head: "No, I'm just here to watch."
Chen Wenxiao: "?"
As Chen Ji stood to the side, for every ladle of congee Chen Wenxiao scooped out, the disaster victims couldn't express their thanks fast enough. Chen Ji would preemptively reply with a smile, "You're welcome."
After he said it many times, Chen Wenxiao couldn't resist interrogating: "I am the one distributing congee here. What kind of good person are you pretending to be?"
But Chen Ji ignored Chen Wenxiao.
He had already confirmed it. Even if he wasn't distributing congee, as long as the disaster victims acknowledged from the bottom of their hearts that he had a share in this act of kindness, the furnace fires would undergo a fraction of transformation.
However, there was another condition for the transformation: the person receiving the favor must know his identity.
Chen Ji took a deep breath. The essence of the Mountain Lord Cultivation Path was far more profound than he had imagined.
It was just... what exactly was the use of the transformed furnace fires?
He was afraid he would have to ask Xuanyuan about this matter.
...
...
Right while he was pondering, Zhang Zhuo led the government runners over and said merrily: "Thank you all for your hard work. We have already finished creating the registration logbook for the disaster victims. From here on out, we will handle the congee distribution."
Wang Daosheng handed the ladle into a government runner's hands and patiently exhorted: "Under absolutely no circumstances can you allow matters like forcing the good into prostitution or exchanging children for food to occur."
Smiling, Zhang Zhuo agreed: "Just set your mind at ease."
With that, he seemingly sighed with emotion: "If only I could also put down the burdens on my shoulders and go together with you all, how wonderful that would be. In my youth, hearing people engage in sutra debates left me feeling filled with wisdom as if from a sudden enlightenment. Whenever I heard there was a sutra debate somewhere, I would rush over to listen even if it meant skipping food and drink... Now, however, I cannot extricate myself."
"You cannot have both the fish and the bear's paw. Ultimately, what you are doing now is slightly more important." Wang Daosheng waved to his disciples: "Let us go."
Chen Ji felt that his interest was still unsatisfied, but without a better reason to stay, he could only take his leave with deep reluctance.
While walking past Chen Wenzong, the other party actually cupped his hands and bowed to him suddenly: "Third Brother, seeing you spare no effort while distributing congee today, and treating the disaster victims as warmth as the spring breeze, only then did I realize I have held many misunderstandings about you in the past. In the days to come, as the three of us brothers are all under Mister Wang's tutelage, we must support each other greatly. If there are any classics or principles you encounter that you cannot read clearly or understand, you can always come ask me. Although you missed this imperial examination, three years from now will be the time for you to display your outstanding talent."
Casting a strange glance at him, Chen Ji gave a perfunctory reply: "Sure."
This time, everyone walked on foot behind the ox cart; not even Chen Wenzong or Chen Wenxiao rode on it. On the ox cart, only Prince Jing was left, keeping the brim of his hat lowered as he drove the ox cart all by his lonesome, his back to everyone.
After walking a few hundred paces, Bai Li suddenly said with sparkling eyes: "Since we're going to walk to Luhun Villa, how about we just let the ox cart and the coachman return to Luo City? There's no need for him to travel with us."
Prince Jing's whip-swinging motion instantaneously stiffened. Then, lashing the ox cart viciously, he pretended he hadn't heard anything.
Bai Li continued saying to Mister Wang: "Mister, it is said that reading ten thousand volumes of books is not as good as walking ten thousand miles of roads..."
Before she could finish speaking, Prince Jing stopped whipping the ox. Standing up, he leapt off the ox cart, brandished his whip, and charged straight at Bai Li.
Bai Li hurriedly hid behind Chen Ji and the Prince Heir, grabbing both of their arms and poking half of her small face out from the gap: "The coachman is hitting someone!"
Prince Jing gnashed his teeth: "You padded cotton jacket are leaking wind!"
Having gotten a clear look at the face under the hat brim, the Prince Heir cried out in shock: "Dad?!"
Hearing the Prince Heir's cry, Prince Jing's anger instantly flared from nowhere. Chasing after the other party, he ran him all over the ground: "You've been capped so I can't control you anymore, is that it?!"
The Prince Heir said furiously: "Bai Li set me up!"
Chen Ji and Zhang Xia watched, utterly dumbfounded. Zhang Xia looked at Chen Ji: "Is this how Prince Jing, the Prince Heir, and the Commandery Princess normally interact?"
Chen Ji hesitated: "The Prince Heir and the Commandery Princess don't cause a scene
every
day."
With a bitter smile, Wang Daosheng stepped in to block Prince Jing: "You really are something else, actually keeping even me in the dark. If we really encountered evildoers, how would you have me account to the princely estate and the royal court?"
Panting heavily, Prince Jing stopped in his tracks and sighed: "Ultimately, I've grown older. I don't even have the stamina to beat my own son anymore."
Bai Li stepped forward carefully and cautiously: "Dad, I truly don't want you to go on a secret inspection tour alone. You caught a chill yesterday and fell unconscious. Physician Yao rushed into the princely estate and guarded you for three hours. Now that you're away from home, what if you have another episode but Physician Yao isn't by your side?"
Prince Jing raised a hand to stop her: "Look, isn't your dad perfectly fine right now? Yesterday I was just taking a midday nap; your mother made a mountain out of a molehill."
Bai Li scrutinized him suspiciously. At this very moment, Prince Jing did indeed have a ruddy complexion, not looking at all like someone who had just recovered from a severe illness.
Seeking help, she looked toward Chen Ji, but Chen Ji didn't utter a single word.
He was pondering a question: If Prince Jing was truly just taking a midday nap, how could his master possibly stay in the princely estate for three hours without coming out? Therefore, Prince Jing's illness must definitely be true.
But since Prince Jing was ill, why did he still insist on conducting a secret inspection tour in disguise?
Unless the other party had a reason that absolutely necessitated coming out.
Wang Daosheng thought for a moment and said: "Everyone get on the cart. Since we have already come out, there is no sense in turning back halfway. Do not mention His Highness's identity to any outsiders; just treat him as a coachman."