Chapter 27 - The Tribulation of the Mortal World?
“What is it?”
Lu Ping turned around to see the young man who had been in the pavilion earlier.
The arrogance that had been on the young man’s face was gone, replaced by an excited and somewhat nervous expression.
“Are you Lu Ping? The one who traveled the world to educate the masses and founded the Dao of Knowledge and Self-Discipline—Dao Ancestor Lu Ping?”
Judging by his tone, could it be that he had heard of Lu Ping’s exploits?
Lu Ping remained cautious and didn’t immediately confirm his identity.
“What does it matter who I am to you?”
The young man now displayed great patience. Instead of getting angry, he became even more respectful. “I was rude earlier, but I have long admired Daoist Lu’s reputation and have always looked up to you, so…”
“Indeed, I am the Lu Ping you speak of.”
Since the young man admired him, things should be fine.
Lu Ping acknowledged his identity.
The young man, however, seemed momentarily stunned and asked again in disbelief, “Truly?”
“Why would I deceive you? I’m not expecting anything from you.”
Lu Ping found the young man’s reaction increasingly odd.
The young man adjusted his robe and solemnly bowed to Lu Ping, “Luo Ziqing of Lingzhou, greets the Dao Ancestor!”
Wait, why was he calling him Dao Ancestor?
“Are you also a follower of my Dao of Knowledge and Self-Discipline?”
The young man shook his head. “No.”
“Then you…”
“Dao Ancestor may not know, but I have cultivated arduously for a hundred years. Though I have made some progress, I have been stuck at a bottleneck for twenty years, with my lifespan nearing its end. Fortunately, I heard the Dao Ancestor’s words of wisdom, which led to my sudden enlightenment, allowing me to regain my youthful appearance.”
The young man spoke with utmost sincerity.
Lu Ping raised an eyebrow as he scrutinized the young man. “You’re saying that your lifespan was almost up, but after hearing my words, you achieved enlightenment and became young again?”
The young man nodded, “Exactly.”
Lu Ping, still skeptical, glanced at the old man standing behind the young man.
The old man hurriedly bowed, bending like a shrimp, “Third Uncle speaks the truth. He is now one hundred and four years old, thanks to the Dao Ancestor’s wisdom…”
“Which of my words led to your enlightenment?”
Lu Ping was curious to know which of his statements had such a profound impact.
The young man replied, “It was your discourse on the Heavenly Dao delivered in Yuzhou.”
Ah, the Heavenly Dao discourse—that was something Lu Ping had pieced together using over a dozen obscure sayings from Laozi’s teachings, specifically to impress the followers.
‘This person actually understood it?’
‘He must have some extraordinary talent!’
‘Wait a minute!’
Lu Ping glanced at the gatekeeper on the stone steps and asked, “You said your name is Luo…”
“Luo Ziqing, I am the twenty-second generation descendant of the Luo family in Lingzhou.”
‘A member of the Luo family?’
Lu Ping gestured for the old man to come over and whispered, “Elder…”
The old man immediately backed away, waving his hands in refusal, “You’re too kind, too kind! Even Third Uncle wouldn’t dare consider himself on the same level as the Dao Ancestor, let alone a junior like me…”
“Alright, let me change my question then.”
Lu Ping pointed to Luo Ziqing, “Forgive my boldness, but as you mentioned, your Third Uncle is over a hundred years old. Shouldn’t he hold a significant position within the Luo family?”
The old man was about to answer when Luo Ziqing coughed and made a downward gesture with his hand, signaling the old man to be modest in front of Lu Ping.
The old man hesitated and said, “Rank and wealth are mere illusions. Though my Third Uncle cares little for such things, he does hold some influence within the Luo family.”
‘Some influence?’
‘So not much, then?’
Lu Ping shook his head in slight disappointment.
He should have known. Given how domineering even the gatekeeper was, if these two held any significant power within the Luo family, wouldn’t they have been even more arrogant?
He had hoped to get them to speak on his behalf and secure medicine for Luo Jinxuan.
Luo Ziqing noticed the change in Lu Ping’s expression and asked, “Does the Dao Ancestor have some matter to attend to here?”
The old man reminded him, “Third Uncle, the Dao Ancestor mentioned earlier that he accompanied the two princesses here. It’s likely that the gatekeeper, bound by family rules, blocked his entry.”
“How dare he! The Dao Ancestor’s arrival is an honor for our Luo family. How could he dare to obstruct you?”
Lu Ping couldn’t believe that Luo Ziqing was truly over a hundred years old, given his fiery temperament. He immediately rolled up his sleeves, ready to take action.
Lu Ping thought to himself, ‘Could we drop the act already?’
‘If you were truly someone important in the Luo family, wouldn’t the gatekeeper have rushed over to pay his respects to you?’
‘Did you see him even glance at you?’
Before Luo Ziqing could make a move, the old man named Luo Hongshan intervened, shouting at the man on the steps, “Get down here immediately!”
Lu Ping’s eyes widened.
‘Was this for real?’
‘Let’s be clear—this was all your idea, nothing to do with me.’
The next moment, however, left Lu Ping completely stunned.
As soon as the gatekeeper heard Luo Hongshan’s command, he swiftly approached, kneeling before them, not daring to meet their gaze. “Grandson Luo Kun greets Granduncle!”
“What about your great-granduncle?”
Luo Kun, still on his knees, turned to Luo Ziqing and with a heavy thud, kowtowed deeply. “Long life to Great-Granduncle!”
Lu Ping’s mind was a whirl.
‘Great-granduncle?’
‘Could it be that Luo Ziqing wasn’t lying, and he really was over a hundred years old?’
Luo Ziqing, looking ashamed, said, “This ignorant junior dared to obstruct the Dao Ancestor. I will surely punish him severely this time!”
Luo Kun lifted his head slightly, glancing at Lu Ping, his eyes now filled with reverence.
“Bold! How dare you look directly at the Dao Ancestor!”
‘Good grief!’
‘Is the Luo family’s code of conduct really this strict?’
‘Are juniors not even allowed to look directly at their elders?’
Lu Ping interceded, “Daoist Luo, please calm down. He was simply following the family rules by not allowing outsiders in. How is that wrong?”
Luo Ziqing then directed his ire toward Luo Hongshan, “I’ve told you all that this outdated rule needs to be changed, but none of you listened! If I hadn’t felt something and called you over here to play chess, this clueless junior might have offended the Dao Ancestor, and I’d be labeled an ungrateful wretch!”
‘Hold on.’
‘At worst, the gatekeeper was just a bit rude, but he was merely following orders.’
‘How does that count as offending someone?’
‘If we’re talking about offending someone, the one who first offended me was probably you, Luo Ziqing.’
“Please, calm down, Daoist.”
Lu Ping tried to pacify Luo Ziqing while glancing toward the tightly closed courtyard gate.
Luo Ziqing asked, “How long have they been inside?”
Luo Kun responded, “Over an hour.”
Luo Ziqing furrowed his brow. “What business do the two princesses have at the ancestral hall?”
“The elder princess visited yesterday, requesting to see the head of the family to ask for medicine on behalf of the current Emperor. However, the head was in meditation and needed another half day, so I asked the princess to return later.”
Luo Ziqing, still puzzled, asked, “Why would someone of the Dao Ancestor’s stature associate with those in the imperial court?”
Indeed, why would someone pursuing immortality involve themselves in worldly matters or court politics?
Lu Ping couldn’t exactly say that he had become an official first and pursued the Dao later, could he?
And all within such a short span of time?
What if Luo Ziqing began to suspect that he was merely posing as a Daoist to gather followers…
“To be honest, my involvement in the court is due to my destined tribulation in the mortal world.”
Luo Ziqing repeated Lu Ping’s words, “A tribulation of the mortal world?”