bookbashuk Chapter 109: Three Religions Unite as One, Breakthrough!
Chapter 109: Three Religions Unite as One, Breakthrough!
Chapter 109: The Unity of the Three Teachings, Breakthrough!
In the firelight, the men of Songyang were covered in wounds. Some were still able to stand, leaning on their weapons, while others simply lay down and collapsed on the ground.
There were no cheers or shouts of relief; the previous melee had taken a heavy toll on their mental and physical strength.
But their faces, besides showing signs of fatigue, all wore smiles to some extent.
Shen An watched silently, his brows slightly furrowed.
Li Donglai's men are one thing; these people are used to risking their lives, and protecting the goods is their duty. There's no reason for them not to resist or surrender. But what about those newly recruited workers? What are they after?
Many people were injured, and almost everyone was bleeding, but only one of Li Donglai's men and two workers who came to help died.
Shen An thought about it again and realized it wasn't surprising. On the day Li Donglai led his men to prepare to deal with the Twin Bears of the Northern Desert, his men displayed extremely strong discipline and tactical ability, and even subtly demonstrated the art of combined military formations.
At this point, dealing with those small, united gangs, even though they are outnumbered, still allows for the preservation of their strength to the greatest extent possible.
He gently rested the long pole he was holding against the cargo box, took out a bottle of high-quality wound medicine from his pocket, and walked towards the crowd.
He didn't put on any airs. Instead, he went straight to the people with the most serious injuries, squatted down, and personally examined their wounds, applied medicine, and bandaged them.
The crowd, who had been silent, were now watching their usually aloof boss squatting in the pool of blood without any disgust, treating the wounds of them, rough men. They weren't exactly moved, but they all felt a little embarrassed.
After treating the wounds of one of the guards, Shen An stood up and saw the boy who had impressed him before, who was now supporting the burly man wielding a large sword beside him.
The burly man was badly injured, with a deep gash on his shoulder that exposed bone, yet he was still grinning, seemingly comforting the boy beside him.
Shen An recognized him; Wang Wu was one of Li Donglai's subordinates and a key figure in this battle.
"Wang Wu, how badly are you hurt?" Shen An walked over and asked gently, handing him a bottle of wound medicine, with just enough left for him.
Wang Wu was taken aback, not expecting that Young Master Shen would actually remember his name. He hurriedly tried to bow, but the movement aggravated his wound, causing him to wince in pain: "Ouch—it's nothing! It's nothing! Thank you for the medicine, Young Master Shen! This little injury is nothing compared to when I was begging for food on the river with Li Longtou back then!"
Shen An smiled and looked at the boy who was supporting him: "How about you? Are you alright?"
Zhang Xiaoshuan never expected that Young Master Shen would speak to him. His face flushed red instantly, and he puffed out his chest, shouting, "I'm fine! I'm tough!"
Looking at his still-childish yet stubborn face, and at his eyes shining in the firelight, Shen An felt a slight stirring in her heart and asked, "You're not a guard, are you? Why are you helping out?"
Zhang Xiaoshuan paused, as if finding the question odd, then answered matter-of-factly, "My dad's leg still needs the wages from the Songyang ship to be treated, and my mom is waiting for me to bring rice home. If someone vandalizes this place, my family will be finished! If I don't fight for my life, who will?"
"Yes, Young Master Shen," several workers nearby couldn't help but chime in, "We poor folks used to barely have enough to eat, and you gave us food. Anyone who takes away our livelihood is taking our lives! We may not be educated, but we know who treats us well!"
"That's right! Anyone who dares to touch a single piece of wood on the Songyang will have to step over us first!" Someone in the crowd shouted, which immediately drew a chorus of agreement.
Shen An was momentarily stunned.
An inexplicable emotion arose in my heart.
Everything he did—burning the IOUs, recruiting the poor, setting rules—was not out of some calculated self-interest.
That's just because he felt that's how it should be done.
That's what the books teach, and that's how he was educated and influenced by his social environment in his previous life. This is a kind of "knowledge" that is deeply rooted in his soul and taken for granted.
But this is merely a lofty, altruistic kind of "knowledge".
He never really thought about what kind of flowers or fruits these insignificant acts of "kindness" would bloom on these ordinary people in this world.
He never imagined that a wage and a bag of rice would be the hope for survival and the pillar of their entire family for these people.
He never imagined that these people would be willing to pay the price of blood and even their lives to protect this hope.
It turns out that the so-called "knowledge" is not the cold dogma in books, but the flame burning in the eyes of this boy, the courage that ordinary people have to step forward to protect a "home".
My knowledge was confirmed and elevated through their actions.
At this moment, Shen An truly understood from the bottom of his heart why he had done this.
This is the true meaning of "unity of knowledge and action".
An unprecedented sense of clarity instantly permeated his entire body.
Ever since the day he killed the two bears of the northern desert, he felt that the breakthrough to the second level of the "Glassy Body Sun King Mantra" was just around the corner.
But nearly a month has passed, and he still hasn't made a breakthrough. He always feels like he's just one step away from success.
This supreme body-refining technique is not just about circulating qi and blood, but also emphasizes mental cultivation.
His mindset wasn't right, so no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break through the bottleneck of the second level.
At this moment, my mind is at peace, and this thin veil of secrecy has been shattered!
"Buzz"
A surge of even hotter and purer energy suddenly erupted from the depths of his dantian, instantly flowing through all the meridians of his body!
The esoteric Buddhist practice of attaining Buddhahood in this very life.
The Taoist Bingxin Jue (Ice Heart Manual) emphasizes selflessness and the pursuit of oneness.
The unity of knowledge and action in Confucianism.
At this moment, with the three religions united, the second level of the "Lapis Lazuli Body Sun King Mantra" was broken through silently and imperceptibly, like water flowing gently.
Shen An closed his eyes, feeling the surging power within his body, the values that had been comprehensively enhanced on top of the first level, and his mind was clear.
He opened his eyes, his gaze returning to calm, and no one present noticed the change in him.
He looked at everyone and said in a deep voice, "First, take stock of the casualties and treat the wounded."
Then, he turned to Wang Wu and asked, "How does your Chief Li usually treat his brothers?"
Wang Wu quickly replied, "Young Master Shen, the rules of the gang leader are that the injured pay twenty taels and the dead fifty taels. If a family has no descendants, the gang will find an orphan, adopt him, change his surname, and continue the family line."
"Alright." Shen An nodded, looked around at everyone, and said loudly, "Li Longtou's rules are good and there's no need to change them, but I, Shen An, also want to do my part."
"Based on this, I will personally add another one, the same as Li Longtou's."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over each tired yet excited face: "Furthermore, everyone who participated in tonight's battle, regardless of injury, will receive half a year's salary!"