Unsheathed

Chen Ping'an paused here momentarily as he strayed from the jade-paved path and made his way toward the bank of the lake, with Gu Can following along close behind.

Once there, Chen Ping'an crouched down and drew a circle onto the ground with the branch in his hand.

"I'm going to tell you a principle that I thought of. It's still incomplete, and I don't know if it's right or wrong. Back on the Parasol Leaf Continent, I met someone who became a good friend of mine, and he once mentioned in passing the distinction between noble scholars, virtuous scholars, and sages of the Confucian academies. This was an idea that I developed based on what I heard from him at the time."

"Why haven't I met any good friends in Bamboo Scroll Lake?" Gu Can grumbled to himself.

At the same time, he was feeling very envious as he wanted to be Chen Ping'an's only friend under the heavens.

Chen Ping'an smiled as he wrote down the words "virtuous scholar" in the little circle that he had drawn, then continued, "There are rules in the Confucian academy for how one is to become a virtuous scholar. A virtuous scholar must be very well-read, and the foundational teachings that they develop must be suitable for use in a national context, forming the basis of governing strategies that can benefit an entire nation."

He then drew a slightly larger circle and wrote the words "noble scholar" in it as he continued, "If the teachings proposed by a virtuous scholar are applicable on a continent-wide context, then they would earn themselves the title of noble scholar."

Finally, he drew an even larger circle, within which he wrote the word "sage" and continued, "If a noble scholar's teachings grow over time to encompass the entire world under the heavens, then they'll become a sage."

Chen Ping'an pointed at the three circles as he said, "Take a look at these three circles. They tell me that even the Confucian academies are promoting personal standpoints. All virtuous scholars, noble scholars, and sages each have their own standpoints. In that case, what about officials, generals, vagrant cultivators, and the average layman? Why is it for us that it's wrong only to consider personal standpoints without taking into account right and wrong?"

Gu Can had no answer to this, so he could only shake his head in response.

"Firstly, it's alright to have a personal standpoint, and it's very difficult not to have one, but that doesn't mean that one can focus solely on their own standpoint and disregard everything else," Chen Ping'an explained. "That is one way of being true to oneself, but it's a very selfish and narrow-minded way.