Chapter 445: Detailed Explanation of Confucian Cultivation
“Senior Brother Mei, have you ever gone to Taohua Town with so many people to eat Taohua Su?” Yun Zhonghe asked curiously.
Lu Ren, who was nearby, perked up as well: “Is this Taohua Su really that good? Can I buy some?”
Hearing this, Senior Brother Mei cleared his throat awkwardly: “Ahem, you know your Senior Brother Mei has a wide circle of friends. Everyone loves to ask me for favors; it’s nothing special.”
Senior Brother Mei spoke with an air of confidence. But when the talk turned to Taohua Su, he started to fumble a bit.
“As for Taohua Su, I only have enough for my regular customers; I don’t have any extras at the moment. If you two want some, I can bring it next time,” he said.
Yun Zhonghe was genuinely curious and replied, “Then I’ll bother you, Senior Brother Mei.”
Lu Ren, however, looked disappointed: “I’m only visiting Xuantian Sect because of work. Who knows when I’ll be back? I’ll just pass.”
Yun Zhonghe thought to himself, if he regained his memories, he might forget this little promise anyway.
Fortunately, Tao Jiu’er chimed in, “Don’t worry, Young Master, I’ll remind you when the time comes.”
“Well, then I’ll rely on you, Jiu’er.”
And just like that, the topic of Taohua Su faded away.
…
However, things were not that straightforward.
Next, a third visitor came to check on Senior Brother Mei. This one was a strong practitioner—an elder sister.
She walked up to Senior Brother Mei’s bed and asked, “Do you remember the Hundred Flower Brew we drank last time we were at Taohua Town?”
This time it wasn’t about the Taohua Su.
Senior Brother Mei nodded, “I remember.”
Elder Sister: “Could you bring me some?”
Senior Brother Mei replied, “Sure, but you’ll have to wait until next time; I don’t have any right now.”
Elder Sister: “Okay, goodbye.”
The formidable elder sister left the room.
Then, Yun Zhonghe saw a parade of Senior Brothers and Sisters who had all gone to Taohua Town with Senior Brother Mei to enjoy candied hawthorn, layered cakes, mung bean cakes, and other treats.
Yun Zhonghe couldn’t help but marvel at how popular Senior Brother Mei was. It felt like he was a bigger celebrity than anyone!
But why were all these people coming to Senior Brother Mei just to buy snacks?
Some could get what they wanted on the spot, while others needed to wait for the next batch.
Yun Zhonghe pondered, were there really so many delicious snacks in Taohua Town? Why didn’t they just go get them themselves?
Plus, those guys handed over quite a few Spirit Stones. Was being a snack middleman that profitable?
Yun Zhonghe started to think this was a bit odd.
Every visitor to Senior Brother Mei had a similar opening line.
“Do you remember when we went to Taohua Town and…”
Yun Zhonghe felt like he was hearing the same script over and over again. It was as if they were all robots programmed to say the same thing!
It was nearly 2 PM; the medical team seemed to still be swamped with work.
Many disciples had been injured during the recent competition, and the infirmary was almost bursting at the seams.
Just then, the door was knocked on again.
Another person had arrived.
Could this one also be here for pastries?
But this time it was someone none of the four in the room expected.
The newcomer was tall, wielding a sword, dressed entirely in black.
Seeing this person, Senior Brother Mei thought, “Oh no, not him!”
Even though Senior Brother Mei was wrapped like a mummy in bandages, Yun Zhonghe could see the flash of terror in his eyes.
Yun Zhonghe decided to keep a low profile and observe.
The newcomer scanned the room and unexpectedly fixed his gaze on Yun Zhonghe.
Yun Zhonghe merely nodded, possibly in response to what he thought was a greeting?
Did he know this person?
Before he could decide, the tall individual turned his attention to the bedridden Senior Brother Mei.
“The Law Enforcement Team received a tip-off that someone here is illegally selling banned books!”
“We need to check the room for any banned literature. Apologies for the inconvenience!”
Saying this, he ordered one of the other members, also in black, to start a search.
Turns out, these were members of the Xuantian Sect’s Law Enforcement Team.
The black-clad junior stepped forward with a compass-like magical tool.
He placed a colorful-covered book on the compass, and the needle began to spin wildly.
Senior Brother Mei, having realized the urgency of the situation, shrank back under his covers.
The needle slowly came to a stop.
Everyone in the room looked over.
Finally, the pointer settled on its original position.
The black-clad junior looked utterly flabbergasted; clearly, this result was not what he expected.
He took a few steps into the room, but the needle didn’t budge—it stayed put.
“Senior Brother, the compass search failed; there are no banned books in this room.”
He sounded dejected; he had been sure there was something to find!
Senior Brother Mei, seizing his moment, burst out from under the covers like a jack-in-the-box, suddenly shedding his previously low profile.
Feeling emboldened by the failure of the search, he straightened his back and proclaimed, “You Law Enforcement folks better not wrong good people! What banned book? I’m just a humble snack merchant, where would I even have something like that?!”
Senior Brother Mei puffed his chest out and struck an indignant pose.
The Law Enforcement Brother glanced at him and then suddenly fixed his gaze on Senior Brother Mei’s spatial ring.
“What’s in your ring? You’ll need to take everything out for us to check!”
Senior Brother Mei, maintaining his composure, explained, “Just some snacks and odds and ends for my clients—feel free to search!”
The Law Enforcement Brother signaled for a junior brother behind him to step forward, and the junior pulled out all the little boxes from Senior Brother Mei’s ring.
Those were the same boxes he had handed out when trading with his brothers and sisters.
Cautiously, the Law Enforcement Team opened each box one by one.
Inside, they found only pastries, and they smelled quite nice!
“Are these really just pastries?”
The Law Enforcement folks were feeling a tad awkward now; after scouring through someone’s belongings, they had found zero banned literature.
But they had received such a detailed report, and the whistleblower was clearly reliable—there was no way they could have found nothing!
The Law Enforcement Brother stepped closer, casually opening several boxes, all filled with the same type of pastries.
Clearly, the pastries were well-made, small, and delicate—perfect for charming young ladies.
He picked up one of the boxes and closed the lid.
Senior Brother Mei felt cold sweat trickle down his back.
This person… surely he wouldn’t find something, right?
He hoped not…
Senior Brother Mei quietly started sweating bullets.
However, the more you wish for something not to happen, the higher the chances it will, and sure enough…
“Let’s use this box of pastries as a reference and check it with the compass.”
“Understood, Senior Brother!”
The black-clad junior swapped the colorful book for the pastry box on the compass.
After placing it down, the needle went into another wild spin!
In front of everyone’s eyes, it finally settled, pointing to a specific spot.
Yun Zhonghe, curious, leaned forward to look.
The Law Enforcement Brother discovered a hidden compartment in the box and pulled out a book!
“Detailed Explanation of Confucian Cultivation?”
He originally thought it was some kind of skin-covered book, but after flipping through a few pages, he realized it was surprisingly legitimate. Even a few of the initially fuming Law Enforcement team members began to calm down, as if mesmerized, becoming increasingly absorbed in the text.
Confucian cultivation was a fresh path in the cultivation world in recent years. Although not many practitioners had taken it up, it was gradually taking shape, and due to the uniqueness of its techniques, it was gaining a respectable status, addressing some of the shortcomings of traditional cultivation paths.
