Chapter 528 - 455: An Enduring Legacy (Part 2)

Chapter 528: Chapter 455: An Enduring Legacy (Part 2)

"Sir, the Emperor is higher than the heavens. Why do you say the people are more important, and the ruler is less so?"

The young scholar patiently explained, "Er Gouzi, if an emperor had no one around him, would he still be an emperor?"

The boy named Er Gouzi scratched his head.

"If there’s no one left, being an emperor would be pointless. It wouldn’t matter what you called him then."

"That’s right. Without the people, an emperor doesn’t really exist."

"Sir, that seems to make sense."

"That’s why the people are what’s most important—even more important than the Emperor himself."

Er Gouzi’s eyes lit up.

The thought that he was more noble than the legendary supreme sovereign made him quite pleased with himself.

The young scholar continued, "We just need to live our lives well. Now, I’m going to teach you how to weave straw hats. You can sell one for three copper coins."

Hearing this, all the children immediately sat up straight.

This was the most important part of the lesson.

Mr. Li was very different from the teachers in the private academies. Although he would also drone on with classical phrases, the second half of his lessons was always dedicated to teaching them interesting little skills to help them make a living.

Er Gouzi had once earned a full thirty copper coins from weaving straw hats.

He was the envy of all the other children.

Although Lingzhou was a prosperous city, that prosperity had little to do with poor people like them. Compared to scholarly pursuits, earning money was, of course, more important.

The young scholar pulled a bamboo strip from his sleeve.

"First, you bend it into a circle, then like this... and like this..."

He taught them meticulously, afraid they might miss a single step.

His method was very effective, and almost all the children were able to learn. Of course, the only drawback was that it required a great deal of patience.

The sky gradually darkened.

The children’s parents arrived on time to pick them up.

Some of the more well-off families would try to press eggs—a treat they couldn’t bear to eat themselves—into the young scholar’s hands. However, he never accepted them, taking only a few steamed buns instead.

’Truly simple, honest people.’

After finishing his lesson, the young man walked out of the alley, eating a steamed bun as he went.

Just as he was about to exit the alley, a young man appeared before him.

"Brother Li, you’ve certainly surprised me."

Bai Yuan said, looking at Li Huan with astonishment.

Li Huan smiled faintly. "I just saw that these children were bright and thought I’d try my hand at this first."

Before Bai Yuan left, he had asked Li Huan to stay in Lingzhou.

His purpose was to have him sway public opinion, much like Situ Nan had done before, especially among the students in the academies.

Situ Nan was a Grand Scholar and Li Huan was a Crown Prince; their statuses were comparable. With the right approach, he could generate an unexpected amount of influence.

But what Bai Yuan hadn’t expected was for Li Huan to choose to teach in a muddy alley.

As a Crown Prince, Li Huan had been pampered and lived in luxury his entire life. Yet here he was, willing to wear simple hemp clothes and come to a place like this.

Li Huan took out a steamed bun and offered it to Bai Yuan. "Want one?"

Bai Yuan didn’t stand on ceremony, taking the bun and starting to eat.

The two of them familiarly found a clean corner to squat in, chatting as they ate.

"Ah Yuan, before I became the Crown Prince, my mother’s situation wasn’t good. Of course, it was still much better than these children’s, but back then, all I could think about was climbing higher."

"After you left, I was just wandering around the city. I happened to see these children and thought I’d give it a try. To change their lives, you know?"

"Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten the task you gave me. It’ll just take a bit more time."

Bai Yuan chewed his steamed bun and waved his hand. "It was just a spur-of-the-moment idea anyway. Do as you please. If you don’t want to do it, you can return to Ling Province at any time."

Li Huan nodded. "Alright. I probably won’t be going back for now."

He felt more at ease these past few days than he had in the first half of his life.

Bai Yuan finished his steamed bun.

He clapped the dust from his hands.

"By the way, if you run into any trouble, you can find Tang Baichuan, the Prefect of Binzhou. The man is quite capable."

What he had just said wasn’t entirely to comfort Li Huan.

With his current combat power, unless the Celestial Profound Ancestor was willing to risk his life, the Celestial Profound Sect really couldn’t stir up any trouble in the Northern Territory.

Besides, he could sense that the current Li Huan seemed to have entered an extremely special state of being.

In this state, even Bai Yuan found Li Huan a bit difficult to read.

Li Huan smiled faintly. "Alright. I won’t hesitate to ask."

Before his voice had even faded, Bai Yuan walked out of the alley without looking back.

He had been away for too long.

It was time to go home.

...

「On Shenfu Mountain, in a magnificent mansion.」

The sounds of children playing echoed endlessly.

Although Bai An was only three, he had already become the king of the children, his body and mind far surpassing those of his peers.

"You, go over there."

"You, hand out the candy to everyone."

...

Bai An commanded them like a little adult; even some of the five- and six-year-olds obeyed him.

Just as Bai An was about to teach a lesson to a disobedient, chubby little boy in split-pants, he was suddenly hoisted into the air by someone grabbing his arm from behind.

"Who is it?! Who dares to ambush this lord?!"

He saw the strange looks on the other children’s faces and whipped his head around.

And saw his old man’s face.

Bai Yuan was scowling at this "wonderful" son of his.

’He’s only three and already dares to call himself "this lord."’

He couldn’t help but recall when he was three.

He had no memory of it at all and had probably struggled even to make mud pies.

’The genes from the Divine Mansion Technique are truly powerful.’

Just then, Bai An spotted a familiar figure and quickly cried out, "Mom, save me!"

Xiao Qiaoniang shot Bai An a helpless glance before turning her joyful eyes to Bai Yuan.

"Brother Yuan, you’re back."

Only then did Bai Yuan put Bai An down, smiling gently. "I’m back."

Seeing his mom and dad getting all lovey-dovey, Bai An seized the opportunity and vanished without a trace.

Bai Yuan suddenly looked at Xiao Qiaoniang’s flat stomach in pleasant surprise.

"You’re...?"

Xiao Qiaoniang nodded, a smile in her eyes. "Mhm."

Bai Yuan was overjoyed.

It was already difficult for Martial Artists to conceive, yet he and Sister Qiao had managed two pregnancies in three years. This was the kind of good fortune that took lifetimes to accumulate.

"Sister Qiao, this must be hard on you."

Xiao Qiaoniang’s cheeks flushed red.

They certainly hadn’t slacked off in their efforts.

Bai Yuan’s genes had been transformed by the Divine Mansion Technique. Any offspring he fathered would be incredibly powerful, each destined to become a great expert in the future.

Little Bai An was the best example of this.

At that moment, Old Dong walked over.

"You’re back."

"Yes, Master."

Bai Yuan respectfully gave Old Dong a disciple’s bow.

Even though his combat power was now on par with Old Dong’s, he never dared to forget the etiquette between a master and his disciple.

If Old Dong hadn’t taken him in as a disciple all those years ago, it would have been difficult for him to reach his current heights so quickly.

Old Dong looked at Bai Yuan seriously. "How is your practice of that Cultivation Technique coming along?"

He was, of course, referring to the Divine Mansion Technique.

He was perhaps the person who knew the most about the Divine Mansion Technique in this world, aside from Bai Yuan himself. Bai Yuan had already told Old Dong about it.

However, Old Dong believed that while the Divine Mansion Technique was powerful, it was not compatible with him.

If he hadn’t insisted on practicing it back then, he wouldn’t have wasted thirty years of his life.

Cultivation Techniques weren’t inherently superior or inferior; it all depended on the individual.

Bai Yuan was an extremely good match for the Divine Mansion Technique, while Old Dong had already forged his own path. Perhaps before long, a Divinity Grandmaster would appear in the world.

Mr. Yuan had shattered the world’s providence.

Breaking through to the Divinity level was much easier than before; at least the suppression from providence was gone.

Both Bai Yuan and Old Dong could already feel the bottleneck, which meant they were not far from a breakthrough.

"Only about ten percent."

Bai Yuan answered.

Although he had already advanced the Divine Mansion Technique to the fourth layer and opened several hundred Divine Mansions, it was still a far cry from the truly perfected version of the technique.

Old Dong couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement, "The Ancestor’s Cultivation Technique from all those years ago was truly this incredible."

Bai Yuan had already cultivated to the Peak of Mingxin, yet he was still so far from completion.

A Cultivation Technique of this caliber far surpassed his expectations from back then.

Dong Wanjun didn’t press further. He just gave Bai Yuan a meaningful pat on the shoulder, then looked encouragingly at Xiao Qiaoniang.

"While you’re both young, you should work harder. One grand-disciple isn’t enough."

With that, Old Dong turned and left.

He left behind a composed Bai Yuan and an even more flustered Sister Qiao.