My Dreams Connect to Ancient Times-Chapter 228 - 61: Ao Tao’s Plot, a Real or Fake Lu Zi?

The Confucian Scholar looked down at the group and nodded slightly.

"Rest assured, I will report your actions truthfully. The Upper Ancestor will investigate you all thoroughly. If you are truly without fault, you will not be harmed."

He paused for a moment before continuing,

"But for now, you must all go to Luocheng. I will personally escort you. This is an order from the Upper Ancestor."

Everyone exchanged uncertain glances. Zhang Huatian and Zhang Jifeng looked displeased, and the Chen Family Siblings looked at one another in confusion. In contrast, the calmest of the group were Yan Jiangxue and Zhuge Ke.

The former simply felt a sense of peace, while the latter had brazenly performed a Divination and confirmed that this journey held no danger. In fact, the hexagram was auspicious: [Fortunate].

"Well then, shall you all come with me?" Although the Confucian Scholar gestured for them to proceed, he simultaneously communed with the statue of Kongzi, bringing down law and principle to bind the entire group, preventing any of them from attempting to escape along the way.

Marquis Zhuge and Li Nanguo, who were at the front, exchanged a look. They both bowed to the Confucian Scholar again and said calmly,

"We all have clear consciences. So please, Elder, lead us to Luocheng."

"Good."

The Confucian Scholar nodded and then proclaimed,

"Kongzi says, 'Wind and cloud become a tiger, and the tiger becomes a mount.'"

As his words fell, the wind and clouds in the sky truly did intertwine, forming a massive Cloud Tiger.

The Cloud Tiger landed on the ground, and everyone climbed onto its back in turn. The Confucian Scholar, however, sat himself atop the Cloud Tiger's head. A moment later, the beast rode the wind and soared into the sky, moving with a tiger's gait as it galloped toward Luocheng.

As the Cloud Tiger sped on, Chen Shu, riding on its back, grew anxious and whispered,

"Sis, I have this really bad feeling. Is something going to happen?"

Before Chen Ye could answer, Wang Zhiyao, who was beside them, said softly,

"Just as Elder Zhuge and Principal Li said, we have clear consciences. We haven't done anything wrong in this world, so what is there to be afraid of?"

"I..." Chen Shu gave a wry smile. After spending the past few days together, he and Chen Ye had gotten to know these 'monsters' and could now talk to them more openly.

He sighed.

"But we're still at their mercy. Our fates aren't in our own hands. How could I not be worried?"

Chen Ye glanced at the terrifying Confucian Scholar sitting atop the Cloud Tiger's head, whose power was close to Words Become Law. She hesitated for a moment, then turned to Yan Jiangxue, who was staring into space, and asked,

"What about you? Aren't you worried?"

Xiaoyan looked up blankly, then shook her head.

"I'm not worried. On the contrary, I feel a sense of peace here, just like when Xiaolu is with me."

After a pause, she sighed sorrowfully.

"I miss Xiaolu."

Nearby, Zhang Jifeng touched his forehead and said with a wry smile,

"Is this really the time to be all lovey-dovey?"

With that said, he couldn't help but glance at the Confucian Scholar seated not far away. After a moment's thought, he decided to ignore him and spoke openly with the others, not bothering to be discreet.

"But there probably won't be any trouble. This [Peach Blossom Spring] reveres the Ancient Sons, and it abides by rites and follows the law."

Beside them, Marquis Zhuge, who had the highest Cultivation, nodded slightly. "Moreover," he said,

"the records concerning the Ancient Sons seem very detailed. It appears they have a complete history preserved here..."

"Oh? Is the history from your world incomplete?" the Confucian Scholar, who had been sitting quietly on the Cloud Tiger's head, asked lightly.

Everyone jumped in surprise. Zhang Huatian was the first to respond.

"Yes. Our history has gaps. Although we have records of the Ancient Sons, they are all incomplete. Most of the information is missing."

"Oh?" The Confucian Scholar seemed lost in thought. He suddenly asked, "Then what are the records of Kongzi like in your world?"

Everyone exchanged a glance. This time, the one who answered was Li Nanguo, the most knowledgeable among them.

He said,

"Master Kong was the founder of Confucianism. He is the only recorded Saint among the Ancient Sons. He..."

"A Saint?" the Confucian Scholar suddenly interrupted. "You said, a Saint??"

The group was stunned, looking at each other in bewilderment. Li Nanguo chose his words carefully and said,

"That is correct. At least, that is what the classical texts say. The records on Kongzi are also the most complete among all the Ancient Sons..."

Atop the Cloud Tiger's head, the Confucian Scholar's breathing visibly quickened. He asked urgently,

"What... what is your history like? Do you have records of what came after the Great Zhou Dynasty?"

The group was taken aback, not quite understanding the Elder's words.

After a moment, Xiaoyan, who had been silent, spoke softly.

"Of course we do. But because of the gaps in our history, specific details are scarce. We only know the general historical progression. The Shang was followed by the Zhou. At the end of the Zhou Dynasty was the Spring and Autumn Period with its Five Hegemons, which was followed by the Warring States Period. After the Zhou Dynasty fell, there was the Qin, and after the Qin came the Han..."

The Confucian Scholar's scalp tingled.

'A suspicion rose in his heart. Could the world these outsiders came from be... could it be the one on the 'other side' of the Ten Thousand Mountains...?'

He remained silent for a long while. Forcing himself to calm his turbulent emotions, he asked,

"Kongzi became a Saint... Then what of the records of the other Ancient Sons? For example, Lu Zi?"

"Lu Zi?" Yan Jiangxue's interest was piqued. She had always been fascinated by ancient history and knew a great deal about it, and now she began to speak with great enthusiasm.

"There are very few records about Lu Zi. Some classical texts excavated recently have brief mentions and records, like Lu Zi Invading Qi and such..."

She paused, sighed softly, and seemed to drift into a memory, murmuring to herself,

'Come to think of it, those bamboo slips I saw back then might have been the earliest excavated records of Lu Zi...'

"What?" the Confucian Scholar asked hurriedly.

"It's nothing." Yan Jiangxue smiled. "The bamboo slips were damaged. There was only half a sentence, recording the eighteenth Keeper of the Records, Lu Xuan, assassinating Duke Huan of Qi in his bedchambers..."

"Huh? Lu Xuan?" Chen Shu exclaimed in surprise. "So that Lu Zi guy has the same name as Brother Xiaolu..."

"That's right." Yan Jiangxue's smile grew even brighter as she murmured, "I wonder how Xiaolu is doing on Taishan..."

Her mood suddenly plummeted.

Meanwhile, the Confucian Scholar continued to question the others about the history after the Zhou Dynasty, but he learned very little, as the historical gaps meant that only vague, major events were recorded.

Nevertheless, he was still satisfied, and his spirits were lifted considerably.

"Kongzi became a Saint... Kongzi became a Saint..."

The Confucian Scholar laughed heartily, but his expression quickly turned solemn as he recalled the news from Qin City: Lu Zi had descended...

'Luocheng has already determined this news to be false, claiming that man is an impostor and that Fa Zi has likely been taken hostage. As for the truth... we will have to see in three days...'

He continued to fire questions at these outsiders, and at the same time, he generously shared some of the Ancient History he knew.

For example, Kongzi had called Lu Zi his teacher and had twice sought his counsel. Under Lu Zi's guidance, he became a sage and cultivated virtue. Another example was the Ghost Valley Master, who became a Great Sage at the age of twenty and a Great Virtue at twenty-five.

The group listened to these secret histories of Ancient Times, completely captivated.

Xiaoyan, in particular, tirelessly asked about the deeds of 'Lu Zi'.

And soon, the Cloud Tiger arrived at Luocheng.

「Time passed, day after day.」