461 Discussing Taoism on the Streets (2/2)

Eldest Brother said calmly, ”The Academy only taught us the reason, not the beliefs. There are few devout believers of Haotian amongst my Junior Brothers and Sisters. However, we just believe more in that no Belief is actually a kind of faith.”

Not having a faith is also a faith.

Ye Su frowned slightly and repeated these words in his heart, looking pensive.

Eldest Brother said, ”If one day in the future you can agree with or only respect our faith, then you have already own the same faith.”

Ye Su looked up at the sky.

The streets in autumn were filled with trees with yellow leaves. Their branches partially hid the sky, but could not stop the sun from shining down on the earth.

”Haotian Divine Light shines on earth. Flowers bloom when it shines on them, trees grow when it shines on them. Crops grow when it shines on fields. Flowers are pleasing to the eyes, trees provide shade, while crops make people live. And then, they will all wither and turn into dust and fertilize the earth, bringing forth life.”

Ye Su looked at the sunlight that filtered through the branches. Light shone in his eyes as he said firmly, ”Everything in the world originates from Haotian.”

”Haotian has gifted humans with everything including life. And the dignity and freedom of civilization are attached to life. Therefore, the belief in Haotian is not a belief, but a way by which the world should operate.”

Eldest Brother followed Ye Su, looking up at the sky. His eyes fell on the clear autumn sky. He did not have such emotions as Ye Su did, only thinking that the sun was blazing today. The air quality in Chang'an recently had been quite poor, and he wondered if a certain metal workshop violated regulations and began working.

Ye Su turned his eyes from the sky. When noticing the scholar beside him, he was obviously displeased.

Eldest Brother felt Ye Su's gaze on him. He rubbed his eyes awkwardly and said seriously, ”The Academy has never denied that everything in the world was bestowed upon by Haotian. However, it does not mean that everything in the world belongs to Haotian.”

Ye Su said, ”That's chop logic.”

Eldest Brother said, ”Just like how our physical bodies and lives are given to us by our parents, it does not mean that every part of us belongs to our parents. We learn how to study from our teachers and how to get along with others from our peers. We learn about nature from the wild, and all these acquisitions belong to us.”

Ye Su asked, ”What about the Headmaster?”

To the disciples of the back of the mountain of the Academy, the Headmaster was their faith. Ye Su's question might seem simple, but it was a question that was difficult to answer.

Eldest Brother contemplated for a moment before saying, ”The Headmaster said once that humans should respect their teachers, but they should respect reasons more. If the Headmaster is wrong, we as students should not point out his mistakes directly. This is what being a disciple is truly about, and this is also what I believe in.”

Ye Su mocked him, ”Can I ask that since you studied by the Headmaster for years, have you seen him make any mistakes and have you ever pointed his mistakes out?”

Eldest Brother was speechless. He thought of that only Junyan among all the disciples at the back of the mountain had offended the teacher with his forthrightness, and in the past six months his Youngest Brother had been brave enough to do so too. Only he himself had not pointed out any mistakes of their teacher.

He did not feel ashamed of it, as the Headmaster was perfect in his heart. However, he knew that Ye Su would think him ludicrous.

Ye Su laughed coldly as he looked at Eldest Brother's awkward expression. He was extremely pleased and thought that even though Eldest Brother had surpassed him at certain points in life, there were still times when Eldest Brother was not equal to him.

Eldest Brother seemed to have thought of something with his eyes suddenly brightening. Clapping his hands, he said happily, ”Four years ago when the teacher cooked the braised meat with too much sauce, I pointed it out.”

Ye Su was startled and he asked coldly, ”Does that count?”

Eldest Brother answered seriously, ”Of course it does.”

Ye Su's brows twitched slightly and it looked as if his emotion was on the verge of the outbreak.

He had treated the scholar beside him as a catch-up target, considering him as an admirable opponent, but after knowing him, he only realized that he was nothing like a sublime being, no different from those poor scholars.

Noticing the brightening sword style in Ye Su's eyes, Eldest Brother couldn't help feeling helpless, as he thought that he was really not good at fighting.

”The truth is unclear before discussion.”

Eldest Brother said, ”Since our opinions differ, why don't we listen to the opinions of regular folks?”

Looking at those Chang'an people sprawling on the seats with dazed expressions, Ye Su frowned and said, ”When do goshawks need to care about the opinions of ants?”

Eldest Brother shook his head and said, ”Actually, we aren't really flying that high up.”

Remaining silent for a moment, Ye Su walked towards the crowd.

Eldest Brother smiled and followed him.