Chapter 17: Patriarch, who exactly is in the State of Zhao that makes you so insistent on going?

"Service?"

Lu Ge thought for a moment and said, "Now that you mention it, I do have a favor to ask of you."

Yin Wenzi’s spirits lifted, and he looked at Lu Ge with anticipation.

Lu Ge felt slightly embarrassed. "When I studied the Way under my teacher, I never traveled far from home. Later, when I finally ventured out, I went straight to Hangu Pass. I am truly unfamiliar with the roads of the world. Could you send a disciple to guide me and lead the way to the State of Zhao?"

Upon hearing this, Yin Wenzi felt as if the sky were collapsing. He had been hoping to keep Lu Ge at the Jixia Academy to bolster their prestige. Why was this Patriarch so intent on leaving? *No, I cannot give up.*

Yin Wenzi gritted his teeth and asked, "May I ask, Patriarch, what important business takes you to the State of Zhao? Our Taoist school has disciples in Zhao as well. It would be better to let them handle it. Why trouble yourself to make the journey?"

Lu Ge glanced at Yin Wenzi. Though he was sheltered, he had studied the Way under a Sage for sixteen years and possessed some ability to judge character. Yin Wenzi’s expression clearly showed he wanted to keep him there, to prevent him from leaving.

Before Lu Ge could reply, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd. "Honored Sage, Taoist disciples spend their lives in study, rarely venturing beyond their gates. I fear they are just as clueless about the world's paths as you are. Why not let me send a disciple to guide you? We of the School of Diplomacy travel between states throughout the year; we are intimately familiar with the road to Zhao."

Lu Ge looked up at the man. "And you are?"

The man bowed and smiled. "Chunyu Kun of the School of Diplomacy."

Lu Ge nodded in realization. "Though I am young, I understand one thing: those who offer favors without reason are either villains or thieves. I have no ties to your School of Diplomacy. Since you are so eager to help, could it be you intend to lure me away to ambush and kill me?"

Chunyu Kun was stunned. *What? What is he talking about?* He simply disliked Yin Wenzi and didn’t want him to remain at the Academy. How had this escalated to talk of assassination? "No, no, no, Honorable Sage, you have misunderstood. I have no such intention."

Lu Ge waved his sleeve. "If you have no such intention, then say no more. I am consulting my own Taoist disciples; why are you interrupting?" With that, he turned back to Yin Wenzi. "Let us go somewhere else to talk, so we are not disturbed again."

Yin Wenzi nodded repeatedly, feeling moved. His Patriarch was sharp-witted; he could clearly distinguish between those with good intentions and those with malice. With such a Patriarch, how could the Taoist school not flourish?

"Patriarch, please follow me."

Yin Wenzi led the way, guiding Lu Ge out of the Patriarch Hall, followed by a throng of Taoist disciples. As the Taoist Shen Dao reached the threshold, he glanced at Chunyu Kun. "I am a native of the State of Zhao. There is no need for outsiders to advise on how to travel there. The Patriarch’s affairs are the great business of our school. If you dare to meddle again, do not blame me for being discourteous."

Yin Wenzi was the leader of the Taoists, and his words and actions represented the will of the school. If he wanted to keep Lu Ge, it meant the Taoist school wanted to keep him. If Lu Ge insisted on leaving, they would have no choice, but if outsiders tried to meddle and bewitch the Patriarch, the Taoist school would not stand idly by.

Within the Jixia Academy, there were many halls and courtyards. The Taoist school was the mainstream of the age. Despite the efforts of Mencius and Xunzi to expand the influence of the Confucian school, most states still chose the governing principles of the Huang-Lao school. Thus, the Taoists held the largest territory within the Jixia Academy.

"Patriarch, this place is called the Hall of Morality. You may reside here."

On the way, Yin Wenzi dismissed the many disciples, leaving only himself and four other Taoist elders. As he led Lu Ge into a small courtyard, he introduced it with enthusiasm.

"You have some skill," Lu Ge remarked, looking at the courtyard with a sigh. The scenery within the Hall of Morality was almost identical to the hometown of Lao Dan. Standing at the gate, Lu Ge felt a flicker of illusion, as if he could see Lao Dan standing at the doorway smiling at him, or hear the ox lowing in the shed, urging him to lead it out to graze.

"I am glad you like it, Patriarch," Yin Wenzi explained with a smile. "Your former residence was long ago destroyed in the flames of war. Huan Yuan explored your hometown and used Taoist arts to reconstruct the past, gaining an understanding of your old home before rebuilding it here."

Lu Ge nodded, stepped into the courtyard, and walked beneath an ancient tree. "There is a lounge chair missing here. It was here that Brother Ox broke through my confusion, leading me to attain the Way and immortality. But now, seeing it again, the people are gone and the world has changed." Lu Ge felt a touch of melancholy.

Though the scene was exactly the same, the courtyard was not the original one, and the tree was not the one from the past. Time flows, and it is difficult to turn back.

Yin Wenzi and the other elders exchanged startled glances. *Did you hear that? The Patriarch said he has attained the Way and immortality.*

*Yes, we heard. As expected of the Patriarch, he is truly formidable. We must do everything in our power to keep him here. This time, we must surely surpass the Confucians.* The elders exchanged silent, knowing looks.

On the other side, Lu Ge shook off the sentimentality. The Way of the Supreme Being, which forgets emotion, allows one's will to rise above all feelings, ensuring that human desires do not dominate one's thoughts or actions. It is a method of cultivation where humanity and divinity coexist, though the divine slightly suppresses the human.

"By the way, you are the only one I know so far. Won't you introduce these others?" Lu Ge asked, looking at the group.

Yin Wenzi hurried to speak. "These are the pillars of our Taoist school. This is Shen Dao."

Shen Dao bowed. "I greet you, Patriarch. I am a native of the State of Zhao. If you have any interest in Zhao, you need only ask me; there is no need to listen to the words of outsiders."

Lu Ge nodded silently.

"This is Tian Pian, a native of Qi. This is Song Xing, a native of the State of Song. And this is Huan Yuan, a native of Chu. The world calls us the Five Elders of the Taoists. Although I hold the position of leader, the affairs are so numerous that I can hardly manage them alone. It is only with their assistance that the Taoist school can be maintained."

Lu Ge scanned them one by one. *Good heavens,* he thought, *these names sound unfamiliar, but if one were to search them, they are all figures worthy of being called 'Master.'* It was just a pity that the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods were filled with so many giants of such brilliance that these men were often overshadowed. In the last hundred years, in particular, Mencius and Xunzi had almost turned their contemporaries into mere background figures.

"Very well, I know who you all are now," Lu Ge said. "Now, to business. I am going to the State of Zhao; find someone to guide me."

Yin Wenzi, filled with anxiety, could not help but ask, "Patriarch, who is in the State of Zhao that makes this trip so essential?"