Chapter 276: The higher the Tao, the higher the Devil

Chapter 276: The higher the Tao, the higher the Devil

Chapter 276: The higher the virtue, the higher the evil (Part 1)
When the imperial decree of reward arrived, the sunset glow in the sky seemed to have overturned a paint palette, spreading wantonly. The orange and golden colors intertwined, rendering half of the sky as brilliant as a dream, adding a touch of magnificent color to the day that was about to end.

This painting seemed to be a celebration of Xu Qing's subsequent reward.

It belongs to the interaction between heaven and man.

The accompanying military secretary hurriedly recorded this scene.

If Xu Liushou becomes the supreme being above millions of people in the future, this will be precious first-hand historical material and can be used as a family heirloom!

The eunuch who delivered the imperial eunuch was Zhang Kun, a young eunuch who had a close personal relationship with Xu Qing and was now deeply trusted by the old emperor. In the Imperial Household Department, he had emerged as a rising star.

Behind this, in fact, is the old emperor's usual method of checks and balances. Chen Zhong, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, is currently in the limelight and has great power. The old emperor needs someone to check him, but he does not want to suppress Chen Zhong too much, so as not to cause unnecessary turmoil.

Therefore, Zhang Kun, who was born in a humble family and had little experience, but was related to Xu Qing, became the right candidate. Moreover, Zhang Kun was one of the grandsons of the eunuch ancestor in the palace, and this identity also added some help to his promotion.

The imperial edict was full of high praise for Xu Qing's achievement in defeating the Fangxiandao Jiugang headquarters. Not only did he receive a promotion, but he was also rewarded with many precious treasures. Among them, the title of "Marquis of Champion" was particularly eye-catching.

However, Xu Qing did not pay much attention to this. The deep meaning behind the title was far less important to him than the stability of the situation in Southeast Asia and the expansion of the overseas influence of the Great Yu Dynasty. In his view, these fame and fortune were just passing clouds, and the real great cause was still waiting for him to explore.

After receiving the order, Zhang Kun took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and secretly handed the smuggled letter to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing took the letter from home, pondered for a moment, and a complicated expression appeared on his face.

At this moment, a scout hurried into the hall after being notified. He looked flustered and anxious, and knelt on one knee to report: "Sir, the Western pirates heard that our army had defeated Fangxiandao, and they are ready to move. According to reliable information, they seem to be united with some indigenous tribes in Nanyang to attack the old port of Fangxiandao that our army has not yet taken over."

Xu Qing was calm when he heard this, and he was not surprised at all. In his eyes, Westerners were always like this, fearing power but not morality.

If we don't defeat them thoroughly, not only will we lose our business, but we will also suffer from their wanton plunder.

He tapped the armrest of the chair gently, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Notify the local agents we are currently looking for and ask them to help collect intelligence on the Western pirates and those indigenous tribes. It must be detailed and thorough. I want to know their troop deployment, weapons and equipment, and action plans. No detail can be missed."

Meng Yuxuan interrupted and said, "My Lord, these agents have just come to serve, and their foundation is not yet stable. I don't know if they can be trusted." Meng Yuxuan is cautious in using troops and always pays attention to details. In his opinion, it is not a small risk to rashly entrust such an important intelligence gathering task to these new recruits.

Xu Qing smiled slightly, and that smile revealed confidence and composure: "After this incident, I will naturally know which of them are unreliable." His words were concise and clear, but contained deep meaning.

Meng Yuxuan suddenly realized and couldn't help but admire Xu Liushou's strategy.

However, he still had some worries in his heart. After all, this mission was of great importance and any mistake could lead to serious consequences.

Xu Qing knew that he was worried, so he continued, "General Meng, I know what you mean. You want to say that the Art of War says: War is a matter of great importance to a country, a matter of life and death, a matter of survival and destruction, and it must be carefully considered. But don't worry, if there is any accident, I will cover it."

His tone was firm and powerful, showing a kingly demeanor that everything was under control. Moreover, he always kept his word, and if something went wrong, he would take the blame and never shirk responsibility.

No one doubted the words of the newly crowned champion marquis, the contemporary literary star Xu Liushou. Because Xu Qing had never shirked his responsibilities, and would even take the initiative to take responsibility for his subordinates. This was also an important reason why Xu Qing was recognized by all the navy of Jinghaiwei. His responsibility and broad-mindedness made his soldiers loyal to him.

Meng Yuxuan immediately bowed, and his worries were slightly relieved. To be honest, in his opinion, Xu Liushou's move might cause more damage to the imperial navy. But in the long run, it is indeed an excellent way to stabilize the imperial court's rule in Southeast Asia.

In Xu Liushou's words, this is called cleaning the house before inviting guests. Now that Fang Xiandao's rule in Nanyang has just begun, many hidden dangers and hostile forces are hidden.

If we don't do something to lure them out, these hidden enemies will definitely hide and secretly erode the ruling foundation of the Dayu Dynasty in Southeast Asia.

However, only Xu Liushou in the Great Yu Dynasty had such courage. If the snake was lured out of its hole and could not be properly dealt with, the situation in Nanyang might fall into chaos, and all previous efforts might be wasted.

Xu Qing decided on the general direction, but the details still needed to be discussed and decided with the left and right parties.

These things take a lot of time and effort and require careful planning.

Xu Qing is now actively applying the great man's thinking.

You can despise the enemy strategically, but you should take the enemy as seriously as possible tactically!

After finishing the military and political affairs, Xu Qing finally had time to think about what his wife had mentioned in her letter. The old emperor actually specifically asked for "Master Tianling".

In fact, ever since the existence of Shura Demon King who was born because of Master Tianling, Master Tianling’s value to him is no longer that great.

Moreover, the old emperor went to so much trouble to get Master Tianling, it was obviously not his intention to kill him, there must be a deeper purpose behind it.

In addition, since the Asura Demon King is the reflection of Tianling Shangren in the mirror, if the old emperor does something to Tianling Shangren, Xu Qing can also take the opportunity to spy on it, thereby mastering some of the old emperor's cultivation secrets. It even plays a role in monitoring the old emperor.

It seems that handing over Master Tianling is indeed beneficial. But it cannot be handed over so easily, otherwise the old emperor will definitely become suspicious.

Moreover... Xu Qing's mind flashed with his wife's face, and he sighed softly. Which mother wouldn't miss her child? He made a decision in his heart, which was related to the situation of the court as well as his own family.

Although he had a general plan, Xu Qing would not immediately go to bargain with the old emperor. He told Zhang Kun that it would take some time before he could respond to Tianfu.

As for now, he still needs to use the identity of Tianling Shangren to gather and take over the remaining forces of Fang Xiandao. This is a key step related to the stability of the overall situation in Nanyang, and it cannot be lost.

Xu Qing also hinted that he would not leave Master Tianling in Nanyang, but would bring him back to Yingtianfu. Zhang Kun was relieved when he got Xu Qing's hint. The whereabouts of Master Tianling was the focus of this decree, but it could not be made public.

Anyway, Marquis Guanjun did not go against the old emperor's wishes, and that was enough.

When generals were away from the court, the court was often most worried that the army would not obey orders, and Xu Qing's actions undoubtedly gave the court reassurance.

After Xu Qing gave Zhang Kun a reassurance, he secretly sneaked into Master Tianling's dream again.

Master Tianling was a generation of thunder-tribulation ghost immortal with profound cultivation, so he naturally understood Xu Qing's methods quickly.

So he was shocked to find that Xu Qing had actually become his inner demon, at least that was how he knew it.

"It is ridiculous that the Wenquxing of the Great Yu Dynasty, a sage of the time, is actually a demon and a monster..." After seeing Xu Qing in his dream, Master Tianling sneered coldly, his words full of disdain.

In his opinion, a sage from a famous religion like Xu Qing is completely different from a demon or monster. But now he appears in his dream in this way, which is really hard for him to accept.

Xu Qing looked calm and said lightly: "If fellow Daoist still cares about these worldly prejudices, we have nothing to talk about." His tone was calm, but it carried an unquestionable power, which instantly blocked the ridicule of Master Tianling.

"Now you are the knife and I am the fish. Before, I was deceived by you and I still discussed the Dao with you. Now you have drained me of my wealth. What else is there to talk about?" Master Tianling said hatefully, his heart full of resentment and anger.

He was a great Thunder Tribulation Ghost Immortal, but now he was being manipulated at will by Xu Qing. One could imagine how frustrated he felt.

Xu Qing smiled casually: "Fellow Daoist, don't you also want to take this opportunity to comprehend the great Dao and find a chance to escape from the predicament? It's just the same for all of us." His words directly revealed Master Tianling's thoughts, leaving Master Tianling speechless for a moment.

Master Tian Ling was exposed, and he felt a little embarrassed. "What are you trying to trick me about now?" He looked at Xu Qing warily, full of suspicion. In his opinion, Xu Qing was deep-minded and must have some ulterior motives.

Xu Qing looked serious and said slowly: "Fellow Daoist is one of the rare masters of the world who can combine the strengths of both Chinese and Western cultures. Your attainments in the science of mechanisms are unmatched. I hope that fellow Daoist can work for the welfare of the people of the world on this path." His words were full of sincerity and expectation, which surprised Master Tianling.

"The mechanism is just a minor trick. In the eyes of your orthodox religion, it is even criticized as a strange and cunning trick. If you spread this out, I'm afraid it will cause criticism from people all over the world." Master Tianling said lightly, with a hint of self-mockery in his words.

In the concept of orthodoxy, mechanical engineering is regarded as a side path and not worthy of being accepted by the upper class. But he was very surprised that Xu Qing attached so much importance to it.

Xu Qing smiled and said, "Xu Gongming has done everything in his life, so why should he explain it to others?"

Even though Master Tianling was Xu Qing's enemy, after many days of contact with him, he actually recognized and admired this rare genius.

His current impression of Xu Qing is that although this person is like a sage of the time, he does not follow the rules and regulations of people in the orthodox religion. He can be said to be both independent and worldly-wise without being worldly-wise.

After hearing Xu Qing's words, I had a deeper understanding of Xu Qing.

He said, "I wonder what your understanding of the Dao of mechanism is?"

Xu Qing looked solemn, and said slowly: "I think that our physical body and soul are the most sophisticated and complex mechanisms in the world. Have you ever thought that the soul can also give birth to flesh and blood?" His words were full of mystery, which made people fall into deep thought.

"This..." Master Tianling fell into deep thought. Xu Qing's words were like a thunderbolt, stirring up waves in his heart. He had never thought that there was such a wonderful connection between the soul and the body.

Xu Qing continued, "To be honest, my physical body was destroyed by the Black Mountain Old Demon, but flesh and blood were born from my soul and I built a new body." His words were not entirely false, but he did not reveal that he was a demon.

As for Master Tianling, he did not expect that Xu Qing's physical body was actually born from his soul.

He also knew that Xu Qing had no reason to deceive him about such a thing, so he couldn't help but ask: "What's the reason for this, and how does it relate to the agency?" His heart was full of doubts, and he desperately wanted to know the answer.

Xu Qing looked serious and explained earnestly: "I think that our bodies and souls are all set mechanisms. Not only are they extremely sophisticated and complex, but they are also deeply connected to the entire universe. Even our thoughts and consciousness are likely to be produced by a mechanism that we cannot recognize. Therefore, the way of mechanism, perhaps in the end of exploration, will point directly to the real 'Tao' and tell us the truth about being in the universe?"

His words were very mysterious, but he was well versed in the profound principles in the Taoist and Buddhist scriptures. Master Tianling was a great man of the time, so he was naturally familiar with these things.

"What you said may involve the secrets of the Creator." Master Tianling naturally keenly perceived the mystery in Xu Qing's words. Any cultivator would yearn to achieve the "Creator".

But in the world today, there is only one creator, the Black Mountain Old Demon. Entering this realm, among the extraordinary lives, it is like another form of life, unique and superior to all living beings.

Of course, this was just Master Tianling's speculation about the Creator as an outsider. He had not reached this level and would never really know what the Creator was like.

It is even possible that different creators have different natures, and it is impossible to generalize.

For Xu Qing, Tianling Master has another important meaning. Although he has the guardian demon king reflected by Tianling Master, the guardian demon king himself cannot practice or realize the truth.

It is just a reflection in the mirror of Tianling Master, and its ability depends on Tianling Master. This is also the so-called "the higher the Tao, the higher the devil". Without this one-foot Tao, there would be no ten-foot devil. With Tianling Master as the cause, there is the result of the Dharma Protector Demon King. Therefore, the Dharma Protector Demon King has no creativity.

But Master Tianling is different. He is creative, can realize the truth, and can continue to practice. Xu Qing can easily see through everything about the guardian demon king, which naturally means that he can also peek into Master Tianling's practice, gain practice wisdom from him, and use it to verify himself.

However, Xu Qing cannot use this ability indiscriminately, otherwise the overly messy wisdom of others' cultivation will damage the existence of "me". This is also the meaning of Taishi Moqi.

With the Taishi Demonic Qi, Xu Qing can be "me-only" and maintain his true self in this complicated and confusing path of cultivation in the demonic world!

(End of this chapter)