Chapter 55: Rectifying the Heart-Mind Intent |
“No matter what, I’ve been here for twenty-seven years since my transmigration, and I’ve activated Threefold Self-Reflection many times. Yet the Qian Emperor has never come looking for me.”
“That alone is enough to prove that, even if he reigns supreme over all under heaven, he is by no means omniscient or omnipotent. At most, he may be able to sense that time has been reversed, but he cannot pinpoint its source.”
After pondering for a long while, Li Shun finally felt somewhat reassured.
His thoughts then drifted to the widespread speculation that the Qian Emperor’s lifespan was nearing its end.
“With the strength to suppress the Four Sages, yet remaining hidden within the palace all year round… it is indeed rather strange.”
Just as Li Shun was deep in thought, Li Qing suddenly spoke from beside him.
“Brother, in the next cycle… don’t tell me about the secret of your Threefold Self-Reflection.”
Li Shun froze for a moment, then said solemnly, “Little Tuanzi, what are you saying? If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have told you this secret in the first place!”
Li Qing waved his hand. “That’s not the same thing.”
“Even if we trust each other completely, there’s no guarantee that one day I won’t be captured and subjected to torture, and end up revealing your secret.”
“No matter how strong my will is, it can’t possibly withstand the interrogation methods Great Qian has refined over hundreds of years.”
“If the secret of your Threefold Self-Reflection were exposed…” A trace of worry flashed through Li Qing’s eyes.
Only then did Li Shun begin to understand.
After a moment of thought, he nodded. “You make a good point, Little Tuanzi. I’ll listen to you.”
Then, as if recalling something, Li Shun suddenly asked, “By the way, you studied under Lao Wei. Which of the Hundred Schools do you belong to? When you were fighting that Heaven's Reclaiming Shadow just now, it seemed like you didn’t use any techniques or divine abilities at all. You relied purely on your physical body?”
Li Qing scratched his head. “Honestly, I’m not too sure either. Lao Wei said my current strength is still too weak, so I should focus on tempering my body first. But even without any divine abilities, just relying on this brute strength, I’m confident I’m not inferior to any cultivator in the Spirit Resonance Realm.”
“Lao Wei is unfathomably powerful. Just follow him well. As for this matter of slaying the Emperor…”
A strange glint flickered in Li Shun’s eyes as he leaned closer and lowered his voice.
“There’s no need to truly risk your life for it. We’re still young, while the Qian Emperor has already lived for nearly six hundred years. There’s no need for us to act personally. If we simply wait it out, we might outlive him.”
Hearing Li Shun’s advice, Li Qing couldn’t help but laugh.
“Brother, your first lifespan borrowing gave you two hundred years, so of course you can think that way. But I can’t.”
“From the very beginning of my cultivation, I’ve been bound to the intent of ‘Slaying the Emperor.’ If even a trace of hesitation or retreat arises in my heart, not only will my cultivation stagnate forever, I might not even be able to maintain my current strength.”
“This is what is called ‘Rectifying the Heart-Mind Intent.’”
“Rectifying the Heart-Mind Intent…” Li Shun repeated softly.
He had already gained some understanding of it from Fang Xun’s memories.
It wasn’t just Li Qing. Nearly all cultivators in the world were bound by this same principle.
The foundation of “Rectifying the Heart-Mind Intent” lay in the philosophical doctrines of the Hundred Schools.
Each school first established its own core ideology, and only then did the myriad schools emerge in contention.
If a Confucian were to hold Legalist beliefs and act according to Legalist principles, how could he still be called a Confucian?
Without rectifying one’s heart-mind, there is no path to cultivation.
“The Hundred Schools contend, and within each school, there are multiple branches as well.”
“Take Fang Xun’s Confucian path for example. At present, it is broadly divided into three main factions…”
“There are three primary branches.”
“The first is the Spring and Autumn Brush. It is the lineage of Dong Chunqiu, to which Fang Xun belongs. With a single stroke, it defines the moral order. Words spoken become law. This is also the mainstream of Confucian practice today.”
“The second is Bearing the World. If one seeks to bring peace and governance to the world, then in this age, who else but me? They cultivate a vast and righteous qi, one upholds the rise and fall of the world.”
“The third is Commanding the Mandate of Heaven. Rather than exalting Heaven and merely contemplating it, is it not better to master and regulate it? Rather than following Heaven in praise, is it not better to seize the Mandate of Heaven and make use of it? Though the scholars of this third faction are the fewest in number, their status within the Great Qian is uniquely prominent. The Left Chancellor, Gu Zhizhong, is a steadfast practitioner of this path.”
“These three are merely the mainstream. There are also other schools, such as Reviving Ancient Rites and Investigating of Things and Knowledge. Their numbers are even fewer, yet each possesses a group of devoted followers. In fact, from time to time, entirely new schools are born.”
“In fact, as long as one can pass the debates of the various leading schools upon the Dao Discussion Platform in the Sacred Capital, anyone may establish a new school. And even…”
“Or even…”
“Found an entirely new school among the Hundred Paths.”
“From this perspective, the atmosphere of Great Qian can be considered rather open.”
Li Qing’s next words broke Li Shun out of his thoughts.
“Brother, since Lao Wei refused to take you in, you’ll have to find your own way to cultivate from here on. I can’t stay by your side forever.”
“You possess two hundred years of lifespan, yet you are almost powerless. It’s like a child carrying gold through a crowded market. Far too dangerous.”
Li Shun nodded.
…
At the same time, Fang Xun had already begun to act.
A sheet of pristine white paper lay spread across the desk. His expression was solemn as lines of text flowed from his brush.
“Your sinful disciple Xun kowtows and writes before Master Dong:
Lengshan has fallen, and I bear grave sin. Thanks to Master’s heaven-defying grace, I was spared death and given a chance at redemption. Now stationed at the Dongshan of the Imperial Mausoleum, more than a month has passed in a blur.
Day and night, I uphold Master’s teachings, wielding the law as my blade to suppress the wicked, not daring to slacken even for a moment.
…
As one bearing guilt, I am unworthy to speak of inheritance. Yet there was once a minor official of Lengshan, Li Shun, like iron left in ashes, surviving calamity after calamity. This has stirred a selfish thought within me. This man, born of humble origins, is but a lowly laborer. Yet after long observation, I find his nature extraordinarily resilient, enduring countless tribulations without death, persisting even in absolute despair.
…
I have heard it said: the gates of a great forge do not reject stubborn metal; the hands of a master craftsman do not discard rotten wood. Though I bear sin and dare not presume to pass on the teachings, I cannot bear to see such material decay into nothing. I humbly beg Master’s permission to accept him as my disciple.
I will strictly discipline him. Should he one day become worthy, I will have him serve before Master to atone, if only in part, for my sins.
Though this request oversteps propriety, I make it in utmost fear and sincerity. I pray Master will take pity on his resilience, examine his nature, and render judgment.
Your sinful disciple Xun kowtows again, a hundred times.”
After finishing the lengthy letter, Li Shun carefully reviewed it once more. Only after confirming there were no errors did he seal it and order a courier to deliver it at once to the Censorate in the Sacred Capital.
“All the spirit-connecting incense has been destroyed. If I want to contact Dong Chunqiu, this is the only method left.”
“For now, I possess the Threefold Self-Reflection divine ability, and I have the connection between Fang Xun and Dong Chunqiu. Cultivating the Confucian path is my best choice.”
“So far, I haven’t seen any conflict between Rectifying the Heart-Mind Intent and the Spring and Autumn Brush lineage.”
Li Shun raised his head and glanced at the sky, estimating the passage of time.
“I wonder how a ‘day’ is counted within the Imperial Mausoleum for I examine myself thrice each day. Does it follow Great Qian’s time, where one day equals seven days? Or does the mausoleum, as an independent realm, still only allow a single day of reversal?”
“I’ll know once tonight arrives.”
“And this second chance at self-examination… I cannot afford to waste it.”
Li Shun strode into the warehouse of the yamen.
Rows upon rows of purple wooden racks stood neatly arranged, filled with rare treasures from the thirteen commanderies.
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