Huangfu Song narrowed his eyes and repeatedly chewed over what Fan Li said.
"When three people walk together, there must be one who can be my teacher? I've never heard this saying before, but it makes quite a bit of sense and seems to match the general meaning of the sages?"
Fan Li had expected this kind of reaction from him. In this cultivation world, there were many quasi-existences similar to those from his previous life.
However, they were not completely the same either. For example, Confucius apparently never existed in this world. Therefore, I'm afraid the Confucian scholars of this world also don't know anything related to Confucius.
"May I ask which famous Confucian scholar said 'When three people walk together, there must be one who can be my teacher'?"
Below the stage, some studious Confucian students took notes and couldn't wait to ask Fan Li for the source.
Hearing this, Huangfu Song's old face turned red. Because he had also never heard this saying before. "Could it be from some ancient manuscript that I haven't read before?"
Huangfu Song of course didn't believe that Fan Li's ideological state could directly trace back to the sages.
But Fan Li pretended to be profound: "When we read, we should think and reflect. Why do we have to borrow others words sentence for sentence? I just said it myself, what's wrong with that?"
The Confucian students immediately broke out in an uproar!
They felt that Fan Li was simply being outrageously arrogant, clearly comparing himself to the sages!
However, what Fan Li said in "When three people walk together, there must be one who can be my teacher" did seem to make a lot of sense!
Huangfu Song was even sweating from his forehead. "I've exhausted my whole life bitterly reading, yet never gained such insight. Meeting this person today, could it be I'm witnessing the emergence of a sage of the times?" He shook his head, forcibly suppressing his absurd idea. He didn't think the disrespectful young man before him could become an upright and virtuous sage.
"The logic you spoke of, how does it prove that we scholars should be lumped together with merchants and craftsmen?" Huangfu Song continued asking.
Fan Li smiled. "Didn't you just say that scholars cultivate themselves, harmonize their families, govern the country, and then bring peace to the world?"
"Exactly!" Huangfu Song answered arrogantly.
Fan Li nodded. "Then may I ask, who exactly is included in this 'world' you speak of?"
Huangfu Song continued answering. "The emperor, feudal lords, scholars and high officials, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants."
Seeing the other party had indeed fallen into his trap, Fan Li could finally enter the main topic.
"To govern the farmers, you have to first learn about farming. Master Huangfu, just staying at home reading books, can you learn how to farm the fields?"
"This..."
Huangfu Song couldn't answer.
He had read ten thousand volumes of books, but all that was grand principles, what he cultivated was only his Righteous Qi. He hadn't even seen what a hoe looked like before, how could he possibly know how to farm?
Fan Li continued. "If even farming is beyond you, how can you govern agriculture? If you don't understand crafts, how can you manage industry?"
Huangfu Song was already drenched in sweat, but still couldn't answer a single word.
Fan Li loudly said, "May I ask Master Huangfu, what price does my Great Chu's rice sell for in Great Han? What is Great Ming's main production of silks and brocades, and how much tax in silver is levied for every bolt sold in my Great Chu?"
After a brief pause, Fan Li directly ignored Huangfu Song.
He turned to the crowd and said, "If you don't take farmers, craftsmen and merchants as teachers, how can you govern the country and bring peace to the world? Just having your belly full of empty principles, how would His Majesty select you to serve as ministers?"
Someone whispered, "His Majesty doesn't need to select me, Duke Jin would be willing!"
Fan Li almost laughed from anger. In his heart he scolded, "I don't want you either!"
Huangfu Song finally couldn't stand it anymore!
As a great Confucian scholar, he had actually been rendered speechless in debate by some random no-name youngster at a scholarly gathering, utterly losing face.
"You're clearly being one-sided, using minor details to cover up the greater Way! I can see that you're no Confucian. What qualifications do you have to comment on scholars in this world?" Huangfu Song's voice was like a bell, shaking the very heavens.
Above Luo Lake, the wind and clouds roiled as an vast sea of clouds like a tidal wave roared forth!
"Righteous Qi! Master Huangfu's Righteous Qi!"
"Heavens! Compared to this sea of qi, the Righteous Qi I cultivate is merely a puddle!"
"Master Huangfu is truly the greatest sage of present times. That brat doesn't know his own limits, to actually be so insolent as to offend the Master. He's simply seeking his own death!"
Once again, Huangfu Song's voice seemed to originate from the distant horizon amidst the sea of clouds, slowly drifting over. "The wealthy needn't buy good land, the books contain a thousand bushels of grain..."
Accompanying the great scholar's recital, the clouds in the sky transformed into various scenes. There appeared magnificent palaces of gold and jade, stretching across the horizon.
There were singing and dancing beauties, plucking strings and blowing flutes, performing graceful dances. Then appeared extravagant carriages and precious treasures, transporting endless gold, silver and jade goods, coming from Luo Lake towards the Confucian scholars.
Although it was but an illusion, it evoked the ambitions of the crowd. They urgently wished to immediately enter the halls of government and become officials!
Huangfu Song looked at his 'work of art' with satisfaction, saying aloud, "We scholars should have such aspirations, or we live our lives in this world for naught..."
"Bullshit! Nothing but farting bullshit, just crappy doctrines!" A voice even louder and more majestic than Huangfu Song's instantly resounded between heaven and earth! It was Fan Li. He was truly angry now!
What scholarly gathering at Luo Lake? What greatest sage of present times?
In the end, it was merely a group of hypocritical, self-righteous rice worms. No wonder they like to spout farts like 'all things are inferior, only reading excels'
The likes of Huangfu Song were nothing more than otherworldly elite egotists.
Of course Fan Li wasn't some desireless hermit either. In fact, he was Great Chu's infamously sinister tyrant. But even so, for these Confucian scholars before him he only felt disappointment and disgust.
After all, Great Chu tested and selected candidates based on merit. At least the civil service ministers were selected from these Confucian scholars.
He never expected them to be of such quality. No wonder Great Chu had always been weak historically, later surpassed by Great Ming.
"Impudent! How dare you be rude to Master Huangfu!?" Among the crowd, Dong Zhong was the most agitated. He shouted at Fan Li once more.
But before Dong Zhong's voice faded, he suddenly felt his cheek get smashed heavily. Dong Zhong didn't even have the time to feel the pain before his body flew backwards like a snapped kite, crashing upside down into the trunk of a pagoda tree, immediately knocked out unconscious.
A single slap to knock out a 7th grade Golden Core Realm cultivator?
Fan Yuehua had a faint smile, completely nonchalant, even secretly putting away the hand she had used to slap people back into her sleeve.
"This poem has been passed down for thousands of years already, it wasn't composed by me. Despite your youth, you still dare to refute the words of the sages?" Huangfu Song wasn't angered at all. On the contrary, he was very happy that Fan Li had just spoken so bluntly.
Saying the "Exhortation to Study" poem was farting. Those were the words of the sages! Which scholar in the present age dared to defy the sages?
"Apologize immediately!"
"Arrogantly irreverent! I advise you tie up your own hands and go kneel in repentance at the Sage Temple in the capital city for three years, no, thirty years!"
"To actually dare insult the sage. State your name and origin!"
Indeed, as Huangfu Song expected, Fan Li had angered the crowd.
Fan Li stood on the stage, seemingly unaffected. He was like a towering mountain, letting the gentle breeze pass, unmoved and unshaken.
Fan Li's entire demeanor had changed. The scholars in the crowd felt a sacred and solemn aura emanating from him!
It was a feeling akin to when they visited the Sage Temple, kneeling and paying homage to the ancient sages.
"Let me teach you fools what the aspirations of a scholar truly are." When Fan Li spoke, everyone fell silent, including the eminent scholar Huangfu Song, who felt an inexplicable sense of awe.
"For the sake of the heavens and the earth, establish a righteous heart; for the sake of the people's livelihood, determine their fate; for the sake of inheriting the wisdom of the ancients, and for the sake of bringing eternal peace to the world..."