My Wife Is A Sword Immortal-Chapter 86 - 75: Two Sessions of Pure Conversation

Chapter 86: Chapter 75: Two Sessions of Pure Conversation

The debate’s stakes had been agreed upon.

Zhao Rong returned to her seat with a stern face.

The little Fox Demon, who had just done what she thought was the boldest thing in her life, quietly followed behind Zhao Rong.

Su Xiaoxiao, with a taut face, stole another glance at Zhao Rong’s expression, and her eyes unconsciously squinted, containing a hint of amusement as she coughed twice crisply.

Zhao Rong didn’t turn her head, just kept walking forward with a sullen face.

“Zhao Rong, that… what is a ‘cauldron’ exactly?”

Zhao Rong sharply turned her head, her lips pressed tightly as she stared at the little Fox Demon, silent.

Su Xiaoxiao pouted her lips, her face innocent, locked in a stare down with him.

After a moment, Zhao Rong gave in.

The young Confucian Scholar furrowed his brow, “You really don’t know?”

The little Fox Demon’s head shook like a rattle-drum.

Zhao Rong thought for a moment. Some words were inconvenient to say, so he begrudgingly said, “It’s a relationship closer than that of good friends.”

Su Xiaoxiao blinked.

Zhao Rong couldn’t hold back any longer, “Su Xiaoxiao, can you stop doing these things that you think are for my own good?”

“To use my own friends as stakes in a gamble is the greatest insult to me, Zhao Ziyu!” Zhao Rong’s face was earnest.

“Not friends, good friends,” she corrected.

Zhao Rong nodded, “Yes, good friends… no, wait, does that make a difference? Can you focus on the main point of what I’m saying?”

“There is, there is a difference,” her voice was faint but firm.

Recalling her willfulness and stubbornness just now, Zhao Rong took a deep breath, looked into her eyes, and said word by word, “Only this once, not again.”

But seeing Su Xiaoxiao with her head lowered, Zhao Rong’s heart softened slightly. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the little girl suddenly look up.

The two made eye contact.

“I know there is something on that disgusting creature that you really want, because… you were staring at him just now, not paying any attention to me, Zhao Rong. Is it that National Master Robe?”

“I sewed your favorite clothes this morning in a way you didn’t like. I wanted to make it up to you.”

Zhao Rong did not respond, sighing internally.

It was he who was preparing to gamble, yet somehow, this foolish girl got involved.

How could you be so foolish? But he still did not say it aloud.

“Xiaoxiao believes you will surely win!”

However, in the next second, the little Fox Demon suddenly looked scared, her tone timid, “Zhao Rong, please don’t lose Xiaoxiao.”

Zhao Rong squinted and nodded silently.

A bell rang, marking the arrival of the judge for this Confucianism-Daoism debate, the Retired Scholar with a wine gourd at his waist, who slowly stepped onto the high platform.

Lin Wenruo walked up to Zhao Rong’s side, standing beside him. Neither of them looked at each other but simultaneously directed their gaze toward the group from Chongxu Temple opposite them.

The young Confucian Scholar’s face was cold, “I want him dead.”

The tall Confucian Scholar nodded, “That can be arranged.”

He then added, “But only if the plan succeeds, we must win.”

“Definitely,” he declared emphatically.

This was his first time being so serious since he had come to this world.

————

“The stakes for both sides have been agreed upon without any objections; this old man hereby declares the debate between Confucianism and Daoism officially open. The first match’s topic will be set by Chongxu Temple, with the Lin family of Lanxi choosing their debater,” declared the Retired Scholar from the high platform. His voice vibrated so much that the lingering smoke above the platform swirled instantly, resounding throughout the venue.

Below the platform, Chen Muzhi, who was lightly fanning himself with a black feather fan, stood up, gave Zhao Rong and Lin Wenruo a smile, then gracefully took to the stage, exchanging a few words with the Retired Scholar.

Shortly after, Qing Yunzi heard the call of the Retired Scholar and, with a smirk, rose to take his place on the platform.

Lan Yuqing and Qing Yuanzi exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.

At this moment, the entire assembly’s attention was focused on the platform. However, the old man at the forefront of the Daoist priests from Chongxu Temple, who wore a South Flower scarf, looked indifferently aside at the scenery outside the Scripture Platform, his prayer beads gently turning in his hand.

Suddenly, he slightly raised his eyebrows, turned his head to glance at a young Confucian Scholar that had been studying him persistently, then turned back, no longer paying any attention.

Zhao Rong, noticing the mysterious old man had spotted him, didn’t cover up but continued following his gaze toward the outside of the platform, where the view was broad enough to capture the landscapes of the southern mountains of Zhongnan Mountain at a glance. The next moment, Zhao Rong’s brow raised, his lips pressed into a thin red line.

The first debate would be between Chen Muzhi and Qing Yunzi.

Before the start of the debate, both parties were to declare their identities, which now needed no hiding.

Qing Yuanzi led as the main side, and the chosen topic was “The Greatest Goodness is Like Water” from the Daoist Scripture.

Qing Yuanzi’s argument was, “The greatest goodness is like water. Water benefits all things without contention, positions itself where most detest, hence, it is almost akin to the Dao.”

Thus, Chen Muzhi, as the opposing side, was forced to challenge this claim, his only choice being to defend the opposing view, namely, “The greatest evil is like water.”

In this way, the initial advantage or disadvantage was easily discerned.

“The Greatest Goodness is Like Water” is one of the core ideas of Daoism, and although the Confucian and Daoist schools have many disputes, their views on the nature of water are surprisingly consistent.

Zhao Rong, well-versed in the Saintly Books, had seen many praises of water, all conforming to the Daoist concept of “The Greatest Goodness is Like Water.”

For instance, “The wise are like water, water bears a Confucian elegance,” and “When a nobleman sees a great river, he must contemplate it;” or “Water, the nobleman compares virtue to it.”

Even a certain Confucian Supreme Sage’s theory of “inherent goodness in human nature” is another expression of “The Greatest Goodness is Like Water.”

The source of all this is recorded in the Saintly Books from an age so ancient as to be unknowable; a Confucian Supreme Sage once met the Daoist Ancestor by a great river, showed his disciples respect, and listened to the Daoist Ancestor discuss water…

Therefore, Qing Yuanzi’s choice of this debate topic was indeed clever, as there are countless descriptions of water in the books, which could easily serve as references for his arguments.

The debate began.

After both parties presented their arguments, Qing Yuanzi, holding his prayer beads without twirling them, said in a deep voice, “People position themselves above, water alone positions itself below; people seek ease, water alone embraces peril; people seek purity, water alone endures filth. It positions itself where most detest; then, who would contend with it? This is why it is considered the greatest goodness.”

Chen Muzhi, with his chin slightly raised and gently shaking his feather fan, leisurely said, “Human nature is like torrential water, if channeled east, it flows east; if channeled west, it flows west. Human nature is impartial to good or evil, just as water does not favor east or west.”

…

Although confined by his stance, Chen Muzhi was at a disadvantage from the start, yet in a mere half-quarter of an hour, Qing Yuanzi lost.

Zhao Rong and Lin Wenruo watched from the sideline as Qing Yuanzi was debated into speechlessness and dumbfounded silence on the stage, they exchanged smiles.

Chen Muzhi adopted the Confucian style in his rhetoric, seizing upon a flaw in Qing Yuanzi’s argument, using a spear forged from his rival’s own shield.

“Did you not say ‘The greatest goodness is like water, water benefits all without contention, occupies where most detest, hence almost akin to Dao’? That is to say, water has only one attribute: ‘Utility’, benefiting all beings.”

Thus, Chen Muzhi summarized the other’s view in, “The greatest goodness is like water, with ‘utility’ as the sole aim.”

However, water does not “benefit all” intentionally, it merely follows its own inherent pattern of flow, accidentally becoming beneficial to all. This accidental benefit is what you claim as the greatest goodness.”

Therefore, water is following its nature.

Which leads to the contradiction.

If humans wish to achieve the greatest goodness as water does, they must first aim solely at ‘utility’; then comes ‘non-contention’; followed by positioning oneself where most detest; but all these involve damaging one’s own interests for the sake of reputation and pleasing others, sacrificing oneself, which are not acts of following nature but against it.

If water is termed ‘the greatest goodness,’ then these people should be termed ‘the greatest evil.'”

Chen Muzhi seized this minor flaw and relentlessly expanded upon it, pressing aggressively.

In Zhao Rong’s experience with debates and from an observer’s perspective, Chen Muzhi’s logical deductions had their vulnerabilities and could not withstand too much scrutiny, but Qing Yuanzi on the stage couldn’t respond adequately, passively responding, and thus losing half the battle in momentum, disarmed and defeated within less than half an hour.

The first debate ended in an easy victory.

After declaring the result, Chen Muzhi faced the applause from the entire hall, his face beaming as he stepped down from the high platform.

Zhao Rong and Lin Wenruo exchanged a glance and smiled as they came forward to greet him.

Chen Muzhi took several deep breaths, trying to keep his tone even, “I, thankfully, did not fail the mission.”

Zhao Rong couldn’t help but sigh in relief, the first round had been his greatest concern, fearing Chen Muzhi might underestimate his opponent out of pride. Fortunately, this had not happened, and everything was progressing favorably.

And for the second round, the plan was for the tactful Lin Wenruo to take the stage, about which he had little worry, except fearing that the opponent might directly choose him as the “top horse” for the second round, which would disrupt their plans.

Soon, the second debate began.

Chosen by the Chongxu Temple, the topic was picked by the Lanxi Lin family.

The opponent sent up Qing Yuanzi, who had a notably long beard on his lower jaw, and shortly after, the monk announced the name of the chosen opponent.

“Lin Wenruo.”

Zhao Rong’s mouth twitched slightly; they really considered him the top horse and chose Lin Wenruo for the second round, everything was going according to plan!

Over these days, both Lin Wenruo and Chen Muzhi had been seriously studying their opponents, almost completely understanding their past debate performances, knowing oneself and the enemy.

Now, as per the discussion at that night’s dinner, the plan had already succeeded by a great margin.

With just one more victory, they could win grandly, changing the fate of Zhongnan Country, which had been suppressed by a Daoist Temple for over a thousand years!

Upon hearing his name, Lin Wenruo tidied his gown and solemnly ascended the podium, and even though he deeply understood his opponent, he did not slacken in the slightest, giving his all.

Zhao Rong allowed himself a slight, relaxed smile, but soon composed himself, calmly waiting for that round of applause and the ultimate victory.

However, to his utter shock, a quarter of an hour later, when thunderous applause rang out, it was a tall Confucian Scholar who staggered down from the stage.

The tall Confucian Scholar tottered on the edge of collapse, muttering distractedly, “He, he has been to Jixia Academy…”

The second debate, a debate on existence against nonexistence, was lost.

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Ps: Sword Lady has changed her cover—no need for me to say more… she is your lady.