My Dreams Connect to Ancient Times-Chapter 72 - 71: Confucius

Flowers fell in the dream.

This was the first time Lu Xuan had walked out of the Guardian Storage Room on his own.

He reached out and caught a cherry blossom, holding it in his palm. His gaze swept around, taking in the bustling traffic, the street vendors and porters, the endless stream of people—the vibrant, lively Red Dust of the mortal world.

It was clearly an ancient era, yet in terms of prosperity and liveliness, it far surpassed the modern age.

’Skyscrapers of concrete and steel... they always lacked a certain human touch.’

"Greetings, Lord Keeper of the Records!" A man standing guard at the entrance to the Octagonal Four-Sided Tower stepped forward and bowed slightly.

Lu Xuan glanced over and asked politely,

"And you are, sir?"

"I was an attendant to the previous Lord Keeper of the Records, responsible for guarding the Guardian Storage Room. I hold the rank of a court officer," the guard, who wore a sword at his waist but no Armor, said with utmost respect.

"However, I have received a transfer order from the Court. In a little over a month, I will be reassigned to Hangu Pass, so I came especially to bid farewell."

"I see." Lu Xuan studied the powerful-looking, middle-aged man before him with curiosity and asked softly, "May I ask your name, sir?"

"Yin Xi."

Lu Xuan nodded and asked politely,

"Do you happen to know where in the city one might send a letter?"

Yin Xi was taken aback for a moment, then said,

"I can lead the way for you, Your Lordship."

Lu Xuan hesitated for a moment before giving a slight nod.

"Then I must thank you, Mr. Yin."

"Your Lordship is too kind," Yin Xi said hurriedly. "My courtesy name is Wengong. Please, just call me Wengong. I am your subordinate; how could I allow Your Lordship to address me as ’Mr.’?"

As he spoke, he discreetly looked up, sizing up the new Keeper of the Records who had only been appointed a few days ago. He couldn’t help but feel a little emotional.

’He’s so young...’

But one couldn’t judge a book by its cover. Although the post of Keeper of the Records wasn’t a truly critical position, the one who held it could spend their days and nights poring over the Great Zhou’s ten thousand years of collected works. Their knowledge and insight would be second to none in the world.

With this in mind, Yin Xi bowed respectfully once more.

Seeing this, Lu Xuan thought for a moment. He understood that this place observed a strict hierarchy, so he didn’t try to stop or refuse him again.

He raised his hand and said,

"Then please lead the way, Wengong."

Yin Xi bowed and led the way forward.

After a short walk, they arrived before a tall, ancient-looking building.

"This is the place for sending letters. It’s divided into different tiers. The lowest tier uses human couriers; it can take several days to deliver even to nearby places. The middle tier uses spirit doves, which are ten times faster than humans. The highest tier uses Divine Birds, which are dozens of times faster than even the spirit doves."

As he spoke, Yin Xi led Lu Xuan into the building. Just as he’d described, the interior was divided into three sections. The area for human couriers was packed with people. In the spirit dove area, only seven or eight wealthy merchants could be seen.

The Divine Bird area, however, was completely empty.

"If Your Lordship wishes to send a letter, you can use a Divine Bird. That service is intended for court officials. As the current Keeper of the Records, you need only command them."

Lu Xuan understood. ’No wonder there were so few people.’

He followed Yin Xi, walking past the awe-filled gazes of commoners and wealthy merchants, to the ’Divine Bird Section’. An attendant immediately hurried over, bowing and scraping.

"My lords, please have a seat over here."

The attendant was naturally perceptive. He glanced at the longsword at Yin Xi’s waist and then at the official robes Lu Xuan had been wearing since entering the dream. His head bowed lower, and his back bent further. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

A moment later, he returned with bamboo slips and a carving knife, placing them before the two men.

"My lords, please."

Lu Xuan picked up the carving knife and set it to the bamboo slips, finishing his message in moments.

The general message was to send his regards to Senior Brother Zhang and to ask about a Spiritual Object that could nourish Essence, Qi, and Spirit all at once.

Putting down the knife, Lu Xuan felt a little puzzled. ’Why was the letter Senior Brother Guangcheng brought on behalf of Senior Brother Zhang written on paper? Yet, from the looks of it, paper, ink, brushes, and inkstones aren’t common in this era. Everyone is still using bamboo slips and carving knives.’

’Strange, very strange.’

The attendant carefully rolled up the bamboo slips and asked respectfully,

"May I ask where this is to be sent, my lord, and to whom?"

Lu Xuan replied with a nod,

"Send it to the Qi Region. To Zhang Ling, an associate of Duke Huan of Qi."

The attendant made a note of it. After stowing the bamboo slips, he asked cautiously,

"My lord, a Divine Bird just delivered a message. It’s from Zhang Ling in the Qi Region, addressed to the Guardian Storage Room. Might I ask, my lord..."

"My lord here is the current Keeper of the Records," Yin Xi said.

Hearing this, the attendant hurried to fetch a sealed bundle of bamboo slips and presented it respectfully.

Lu Xuan thought, ’What a coincidence.’ He broke the wooden seal, unrolled the bamboo slips, and read them carefully.

[For my dear junior brother, Lu Xuan.]

[Hey, your senior brother here single-handedly smashed through the Qin Army’s formation and slayed twelve of the Qin Kingdom’s Earth Immortals. I imagine news of my glorious feat will reach Luoyang soon. Tell me, little junior brother, am I not impressive?]

[Oh, and one more thing. By a stroke of luck, your senior brother obtained a three-thousand-year Peach of Immortality. I’m not eating it yet. After I take the Qin Kingdom’s capital, I’ll bring it back and give you half. This is some good stuff!]

After reading the bamboo slips, a smile appeared on Lu Xuan’s face. He whispered almost inaudibly,

"Senior Brother, I’m waiting for your name to shake the world."

After putting away the bamboo slips, Lu Xuan didn’t linger. Accompanied by Yin Xi, he started walking back toward the Guardian Storage Room. They walked slowly on the way back, which gave Lu Xuan a good opportunity to look around Luoyang City.

The two of them passed through the bustling market, walked along a prosperous street, and trod upon the green flagstones underfoot. Lu Xuan looked all around, his face full of curiosity.

Seeing this, Yin Xi smiled and asked,

"Is this Your Lordship’s first time strolling through Luoyang City?"

"Indeed, it is." Lu Xuan nodded. Although he had walked this busy street with his teacher last time, his teacher’s Divine Techniques were so profound that he had led him out of the city in just a few steps, giving him no time to observe anything closely.

Yin Xi then began to give Lu Xuan a detailed tour.

"That is the Celestial Horse Pavilion. When commoners need to travel far, they can rent high-quality mounts here, like the Flood Dragon Horses. Traveling thousands of miles in a day is a simple matter for them. There are also mixed-blood celestial horses that can tread on clouds and fly through the sky. Even a Celestial Human is no match for their speed."

"This is a Sacrificial Tower, a building unique to Luoyang. It is a place to worship the celestial gods. The largest Sacrificial Tower is in the Imperial Palace. Every year, the Celestial Son performs a minor sacrifice, and every three years, a major one. This is all to pray for favorable weather and to seek the protection of the Immortal Gods and the blessings of the ancestors."

"And that is..."

Lu Xuan listened with great interest, but a question began to form in his mind.

’Worshiping celestial gods, praying for favorable weather, seeking the protection of Immortal Gods... In this era, do wind, thunder, rain, and sun obey the Immortal Gods?’

’Shouldn’t these be the most fundamental changes of Nature, governed by Heaven and Earth itself?’

Lu Xuan thought for a moment and voiced his confusion.

Yin Xi’s steps faltered slightly. He looked at the new Keeper of the Records beside him in surprise, silent for a long moment before finally speaking.

"To be honest with you, Your Lordship, I once asked the previous Lord Keeper of the Records the same question."

"Oh?" Lu Xuan’s interest was piqued. He asked, "What did my teacher say?"

"Teacher?"

Yin Xi was stunned again, but then it dawned on him. ’So, he is Lord Li’s disciple...’

He thought for a moment and explained in a low voice,

"This matter is somewhat taboo and cannot be spoken of loudly... Lord Li said that before the Zhou, our Human Race was not subject to the control of the celestial gods. The Lord of Men was titled ’Emperor,’ and the wind, rain, thunder, and sun were governed by Heaven and Earth."

As he spoke, Yin Xi’s voice grew even quieter.

"But ever since the founding of our Great Zhou, after it unified the lands of the Human World, the Lord of Men lowered his own station. He discarded the title of ’Emperor’ and called himself ’King,’ also known as the ’Celestial Son.’ The Celestial Son must obey the Mandate of Heaven, and the Mandate of Heaven... is the Celestial Court..."

Lu Xuan listened intently without interrupting. Yin Xi’s voice dropped lower and lower, and he repeatedly glanced from side to side, as if terrified of being overheard.

"Lord Li said that it was also from that time on that the wind, rain, thunder, and sun fell under the control of the Immortal Gods. At its root, it is one of the methods the Immortal Gods use to control the Human Race. If the Celestial Son disobeys the Celestial Court, then great droughts, great floods, Great Thunder, and more will descend from the heavens upon the land."

Lu Xuan’s expression suddenly darkened.

’He didn’t have a strong objection to the Celestial Court suppressing the Human World and ruling over its kings. After all, his own goal was to suppress both heaven and earth with his own power, to walk the path of Only I Am Venerable and achieve World Clarity...’

’But if the Lord of Men disobeys the Celestial Court, why punish the common people?’

At that moment, Yin Xi also sighed.

"I once asked Lord Li why the celestial gods would punish the people when it was the Celestial Son who lacked Virtue. Lord Li only said one thing—’The station of the Lord of Men is equal to that of the Celestial Emperor’—and would say no more. I’ve thought about it for many years, but I still don’t understand."

Lu Xuan walked on, his brow furrowed. By the time they were approaching the Octagonal Four-Sided Tower, his thoughts had already turned over and over in his mind.

Looking at the bigger picture from the perspective of someone from a later era, an outsider, he guessed the reason in an instant.

’His teacher once said that the heavens, the Human World, and the underworld were all of the same root, with no distinction between high and low, noble and humble. The Lord of Men was also equal to the Celestial Emperor.’

’In that case, the Celestial Court probably couldn’t harm the Lord of Men directly, perhaps due to his status or because of the Human Race’s fortune. Looked at this way, the true reason for the Celestial Court’s actions became clear.’

’It was like when he was a child during the New Year, waiting with the other kids in the shantytown for Fifth Grandpa to set off fireworks. If a child misbehaved, Fifth Grandpa wouldn’t punish him. He would just tell everyone they had to wait for the troublemaker to stop before he would light them.’

’Forced by the other children, the troublemaker would stop making a fuss.’

’When the Celestial Court brings punishment upon the masses, the people’s resentment won’t reach the highest heavens. It will crash against the one on the throne!’

Lu Xuan sighed softly.

"When the Celestial Son lacks Virtue, the Immortal Gods punish not the Son, but the land and its people. They are holding the masses hostage to control the Celestial Son. But what crime have the people committed? What crime has the land committed? This Celestial Court... is wrong."

Yin Xi’s expression changed dramatically. He took three steps back, his feet making the ground RUMBLE. He looked left and right, terrified that those words had been overheard!

But before he could speak, someone else spoke first.

"’What crime have the people committed? What crime has the land committed...’" The two men turned to look. It was a middle-aged man waiting at the entrance to the Guardian Storage Room. The man looked powerful, stood a full eight feet tall, and radiated a thick, ferocious aura of blood and qi, yet he also carried a scholarly air.

He bowed to Lu Xuan.

"Your words, sir, are truly incisive."

Before Lu Xuan could speak, Yin Xi’s face changed, and he snapped,

"Who are you? Why are you here? My lord said nothing just now!"

The large man smiled and said softly,

"You need not be alarmed, sir. I, too, dislike the Celestial Court’s methods... My name is Confucius. I am from the Lu Kingdom, and I have come especially to visit the Keeper of the Records."