688 The Headmasters Story Part 2 (2/2)
”But I feel that men should not live like that. They should not live like beasts or worse than dogs. We should eat dogs, and not be eaten by them.”
The Headmaster's expression turned grave and he looked at Ning Que, saying, ”I wanted to end the chaos on Earth. I felt that the first thing to do was to set rules and then preach about benevolence. The results would be better If we could ignite intelligence and emphasize faith. So I started teaching in the countryside to tell the world these truths.”
Ning Que remained silent and listened quietly and intently.
”What troubled me was that no one was willing to listen to my lessons. Some places were too poor that they were worried only about food. They did not have the mood to listen to me. In other places, the Taoist temple did not like to allow me to hold lessons. At some other places, the people did not like my lessons because I charge for them.”
”You can choose not to charge them.”
”What will I eat if I don't charge them? I've got to eat.”
”Teacher, you are really a realistic idealist.”
”I like this praise very much. Back then, I kept encountering walls in reality, but I did not give up on this dream. I just sobered up and realized that to influence the world, it didn't matter how strong I was. I had to have the help of a worldly political power or a religious sect like Haotian Taoism.”
”At that time, I was lecturing in Xianyang village, west of the Wei River. A young man came to look for me in the middle of the night after hearing my lecture. I thought he wanted to become my disciple, so I asked him to return after getting three pounds of meat from the east of the village. I didn't expect that he was not here to become my disciple, but was there to recruit men.”
”To put it simply, that night, the young man talked about his dreams. I found that his dream was also to end the troubled times. I liked it and continued listening to him.”
”So you became his subordinate just like that?”
”How can I become someone's subordinate? I just agreed to help him.”
”Teacher, that young man... was his surname Li?”
”That's right.”
The black horse carriage left the Peach Mountain and arrived at Chang'an.
”The Desolate were powerful and the West-Hill Divine Palace could not fight them just with cultivators alone. That's how the order of the world began. As the armies of various countries flourished and imperial power grew, the Tang Empire used the opportunity to accumulate power and strength. It encountered several smooth sailing years, and the country grew stronger and they built Chang'an city.
The Headmaster looked out of the window at the millennium-old city, thinking of how it looked like when it was being built. With a nostalgic expression, he said, ”When the city was being built, I spent the happiest days of my life.”
Ning Que looked at the moss on the huge bricks of the city walls. He was speechless as he thought of the feelings he once had for the city and thought of how he had once been awed by the sages who had built it.
He was frequently at a loss for words since the Headmaster started his tale.
When you find out that the most legendary part of history, the greatest years and the glory that could not be erased by time was beside you, you could only express your shock through silence.
Ning Que regained consciousness after a long time, and he muttered, ”You built Chang'an, so you must have built the God-stunning Array.”
The Headmaster said, ”Yan Se gave the array eye pestle to you, yet some Taoists in the Southern Gate Temple did not like that...The array is mine, so it is naturally right to pass it to you.”
Ning Que said, ”Of course, it is naturally right.”
”What happened after that?”
”After that, the Tang Empire began to attack other countries, trying to unify the lands.”
”Why did it fail?”
”It defeated all other lands, but there was still the West-Hill Divine Palace.”
”Teacher, why did you not attack with them?”
”How can someone like me attack casually. My inaction was the greatest shock... Alright, I admit that although I was very strong back then, I was not strong enough. At least, I wasn't certain that I could defeat the West-Hill Divine Palace and suppress all its disciples without alarming Haotian.”
”Teacher, so that means you're strong enough for it now.”
”Back then, the ones who were truly powerful were the Desolate. That fellow preached in the Wilderness for many years and the Devil's Doctrine was so powerful they were prepared to head south. The Tang Empire is situated in the north and was the first to bear the brunt of their attack. There was no way to avoid the sharp blades of the Desolate and the empire was forced to send troops into the depths of the Wilderness. I fought with that fellow too.”
”Who won?”
”I don't like fighting as much as your Youngest Uncle. I seldom fight, but I have never lost a fight.”