owlsbooks Chapter 5 A Madman with Brains
Chapter 5 A Madman with Brains
The lobby fell silent for a moment.
The man in the blue robe was stunned: "You... what did you say?"
"Since you're here, let's bury you here."
Lu Yuan repeated it, his tone as calm as if he were talking about a trivial matter.
"A sage is a man of great stature; not everyone he encounters during his travels will welcome him. This saying serves as the best warning to those who come to provoke him."
"Since you dare to come, prepare your coffin."
He looked at the man in the blue robe.
"What does Mr. Sun think?"
The man in the blue robe's face instantly turned ashen.
He wanted to refute it, to say that it was a misinterpretation, a blasphemy against sages, and utter nonsense.
But Lu Yuan's gaze was calm as still water, and there was no hint of provocation in his eyes.
There is only one kind of pure, serious...exploration...
This person... genuinely understands it that way.
Confucius said: "A gentleman who is not dignified will not command respect." Lu Yuan continued reciting.
At this moment, no one present wanted to answer Lu Yuan's question; they all wanted to know what other surprising things this young man would say next.
Lu Yuan paused.
"A gentleman cannot establish authority if he does not strike hard."
"you......!"
"This is ridiculous...!"
Confucius said: "Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you."
Lu Yuan didn't give them a chance to interrupt.
"I won't leave what I don't want for others. So what the sage means is... if you want something, take it honestly and openly. Don't pretend and say, 'I don't want it, here you go.' That's hypocrisy."
He looked around, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the scholars one by one.
Confucius said, "If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening." If someone says they want to discuss the Way with me in the morning, I could beat them to death by evening.
Confucius said: "Is it not the mark of a gentleman to remain unperturbed when others do not know my name?"
Confucius said: "The superior man is always at ease and at ease, while the inferior man is always anxious and worried. I can kill the superior man with my open and honest attitude, and I can chase and kill the inferior man."
......
The entire lobby was completely silent.
Everyone stared at Lu Yuan with wide eyes, as if they were looking at a madman.
What is he saying?
What is he saying!
The Analects is a book of sages and worthies!
These are the words of a sage instructing his disciples!
It's nothing...
It's not some kind of martial arts quote about fighting and killing!
But Lu Yuan continued talking.
Confucius said: "The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits." The sage did not want to waste words, so he used supernatural strength and martial arts to beat his opponent into a state of mental instability.
Confucius said: "If one seeks benevolence and attains it, what is there to complain about? Even if I beat someone who does not understand benevolence and righteousness to death, he will not complain."
Confucius said: "In education, there should be no discrimination."
He paused, looking at the man in the blue robe.
"When I teach you how to be a person, I don't care who you are."
After speaking, Lu Yuan calmly patted the man in the blue robe on the shoulder.
The man in the blue shirt was trembling.
It's not because I'm afraid.
It was anger.
This brute, this good-for-nothing, this brute who can't even understand the Analects of Confucius, how dare he blaspheme against the sages!
He actually dared to distort the teachings of Confucius into the slang of gangsters and swindlers right in front of them!
"absurd!"
The man in the blue robe suddenly stood up, his face flushed.
"This is utterly absurd! The Analects is a book of sages and saints; how can you distort it like this!"
The moment the man in the blue robe uttered his voice, a familiar notification sound rang in Lu Yuan's mind.
[You have acquired a new entry: Unorthodox (White)]: Your words are more likely to cause controversy, but your martial arts will is purer, and your cultivation speed has slightly increased. Negative effect: Deterioration of relationships with the literary circle.
[Martial Arts Fanatic (White → Green):]: Your focus on martial arts has improved, making it easier for you to enter a meditative state during practice. However, you find it more difficult to grasp other areas of knowledge.
Hey, it worked!
Lu Yuan looked at everyone, stood up, and was about to leave.
After all, his main purpose in coming here was not to discuss knowledge with this group of people.
Seeing that Lu Yuan was about to leave, the group of scholars were unwilling to give up.
"Stop... Who gave you the right to misinterpret the saint like that...?"
Lu Yuan stopped abruptly, intending to continue teasing them.
"Oh, right, there's one more thing."
He turned around, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Confucius said: "To learn something and at due times to practice it, is that not also a pleasure?"... Do you all know how to interpret this?
The scholars were caught off guard by Lu Yuan's sudden question, and the words they wanted to say were choked back.
yes?
They understand what "normal" means.
But if we follow Lu Yuan's line of thinking, how should this sentence be interpreted?
Just as they lowered their heads in thought, waiting for Lu Yuan's unconventional answer...
Lu Yuan had already reached the door, showing no intention of replying to them.
He pushed open the door, and sunlight streamed in, gilding his dark gray figure with a golden edge.
"Take your time thinking! Enjoy your meal."
The door closed.
In the main hall, several scholars sat like stone sculptures.
The man in the blue robe had a livid face, his fingers gripping the wine cup tightly.
He wanted to refute, to cite classical texts, and to prove that Lu Yuan was talking nonsense.
But when he opened his mouth, he made a terrible discovery.
Every "misinterpretation" Lu Yuan made actually made sense on the surface.
"Since we're here, let's make the best of it." "Lai" means to arrive, and "an" means to bury.
That's certainly a literal interpretation.
"A gentleman who is not dignified will not command respect." "Dignified" means weighty, and "respect" means authority.
It makes sense literally.
It is precisely because it makes sense literally that it is even more infuriating.
Because it means that he is not unable to read.
He did it on purpose.
"This is an insult to civilization... an insult to civilization!" The man in the blue robe gritted his teeth, his voice trembling.
But no one responded.
Because Lu Yuan's words were like nails driven into their minds, impossible to shake off.
In a corner of the teahouse, a girl in red put down her teacup.
Qin Zhao was wearing a bright red dress today, and her long sword was placed on the table.
She came out alone, without any maidservants.
I had planned to sit in this teahouse for a while before heading out to practice my swordsmanship by the stream outside the city, but I never expected to stumble upon this wonderful spectacle.
She looked in the direction Lu Yuan had left, her brows furrowed.
Lu Yuan.
Today was the first time she had met this "Lu Family Genius," one of the so-called "Two Outstanding Talents of Qingzhou."
I had only heard of his name before.
He could lift the cauldron with one hand; he was personally recruited by the Iron Bone Sect's deacon.
The rumors were spreading throughout the streets and alleys of Qingzhou City that he was a martial arts prodigy, a talent that only appears once in a century.
She was initially curious about this person.
But those words made her frown.
What did he misinterpret the Analects of Confucius as?
They interpret "benevolence and righteousness" as fists and feet, "rites and music" as combat skills, and the teachings of the sages as fighting their way through the states as grudges and feuds along the way.
This is blasphemy against sages!
Qin Zhao stood up, casually tossed the tea money onto the table, picked up his longsword, and prepared to leave.
She didn't want to listen anymore.
As they reached the door, the man in the blue robe was still muttering indignantly, "It's an insult to civility."
Qin Zhao paused for a moment.
"Mr. Sun."
The man in the blue robe looked up and recognized her as the daughter of the city lord's mansion. He quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Miss Qin."
Qin Zhao looked at him, his voice not loud.
But every word was exceptionally clear.
"It's true that he shouldn't have misinterpreted the classics. But you're not much better off gossiping about others behind their backs."
The man in the blue robe froze.
Qin Zhao pushed the door open with his hand.
"And... at least he dared to say it to my face."
The door closed.
The man in the blue robe remained, his face flushed, fidgeting with anxiety.
Qin Zhao walked down Zhuque Street, his brows furrowed.
She was thinking about Lu Yuan's last words.
"To learn and practice what you have learned is a pleasure."
Could he be going to interpret it as... how joyful it is to frequently review the "benevolence" skills learned and apply them in actual combat?
absurd.
Unorthodox and heretical.
It is an insult to civility.
but.
She had to admit that his composed demeanor made her uncomfortable.
It wasn't because what he said was wrong; quite the opposite, it was because he was too composed.
Facing several scholars who had studied for over a decade, this sixteen-year-old boy sat there, offering his "remarks" one by one, his tone calm and his gaze serene, as if he were lecturing a child.
He's not here to argue.
He came to deliver the message.
This kind of person is too arrogant.
Qin Zhao dislikes arrogant people.
Especially those arrogant people who are capable, intelligent, and deliberately flaunt their abilities.