Chapter 1160: Eclipse Method
Ordinary people refrained from acting not because they lacked authority, but because they lacked the direct power to change the situation.
Most members of the Daoist Order had extraordinary cultivation, so it was unrealistic to expect all Daoists to resolve all conflicts with polite discussion.
The key lay in its justification.
Zhang Yuelu did not make a move because she lacked legitimate standing. After all, she was the Second Deputy of the Lingnan Daoist Mansion, not the Poluo Daoist Mansion. Thus, she had no direct hierarchical relationship with Wang Jiaoying. If she were to make a move, it would be easy for someone to use this against her.
Qi Xuansu was different. He was the Chief Deputy of the Poluo Daoist Mansion and was Wang Jiaoying’s superior. Thus, he could order Wang Jiaoying to leave the area. However, Wang Jiaoying refused. He then pressured Wang Jiaoying with the law, but the latter was still stubborn. That was why Qi Xuansu could charge Wang Jiaoying with defying orders.
Such charges could be minor or amplified. It all depended on whether the defiance had justification and cause.
Back when the Holy Xuan had yet to rebuild the Daoist Order, he frequently defied his father. This was not merely defiance of authority. Within the Confucian system, it was also considered filial impiety.
The Holy Xuan’s reasoning was that a son’s duty was to prevent his father from walking down the wrong path. When a father was unjust, a son would have to sincerely admonish him, and if admonition failed, the son must openly resist. Though it was disobedient, this prevented the father from sinking into unrighteousness. That was true filial piety.
This was an exceedingly sound argument. Elder Li found it difficult to refute, and the world did not condemn the Holy Xuan.
Now Qi Xuansu was invoking the law and occupying the moral high ground. Under these circumstances, Wang Jiaoying’s defiance was entirely unjustifiable.
In such a situation, a bit of impulsiveness on Qi Xuansu’s part became understandable.
Wang Jiaoying also realized what Qi Xuansu intended to do and immediately said, “Are you two planning to make a move against me? I’ve long heard that the two of you achieved countless merits on the Fenglin battlefield with your twin swords in perfect harmony. I never imagined I’d be fortunate enough to experience it personally. What an honor!”