Chapter Sixteen: The Radiant Heart of the Saint

Wang An, however, wore a look of profound bewilderment. Ignoring the others, he grabbed another clan elder, Wang Cheng, and asked, "Third brother, what do you make of this?"

"It looks just like it! Truly, it looks just like it!" Wang Cheng replied, his expression complex. "That direction seems to be the County Office! I wonder who within the County Office could be responsible? Who would have thought that our Danling County would produce such a figure? A great Confucian scholar is likely to emerge from this!"

The others nodded in agreement. Could it be because of that sound? What could that sound be? Yet, who in the County Office could possibly be the source of such a phenomenon?

Not a single person thought of Wang Zhenling. Only the patriarch, Wang An, who had the most contact with him, knew that his grasp of Confucian studies was already quite profound. At this moment, his heart began to pound—could it be, could it truly be Wang Zhenling? If it were indeed him, that would be wonderful news!

At this hour of the night, in a town devoid of nightlife, the city was deathly quiet, everyone having long fallen into deep slumber. Even a tiny sound could carry for miles, let alone a long, piercing whistle that lasted for half a tea-break, accompanied by such a brilliant radiance. Though this light remained invisible to the common, uninitiated eye, it was blindingly obvious to practitioners, officials, ghosts, gods, and even those scholars who studied the Confucian classics.

Even the night patrol soldiers, spirits, and the County Magistrate in the rear courtyard of the county office were awakened by it. The Magistrate was initially shocked and furious. The law was strict; to cry out wantonly in the middle of the night and disturb the public peace, while not punishable by beheading as it might be in the military, still demanded legal sanction. However, after listening for a moment, his expression turned strange. The sound seemed to originate from the County Office, specifically from the direction of the County Commandant’s residence.

The Magistrate’s wife, also awakened, seemed to grasp the situation faster than her husband. "My lord, I believe this is the 'Radiance of the Sage's Heart,' a sign of communication between the inner and outer self. Am I correct?"

The Magistrate’s expression grew peculiar. "If my lady says so, then it must be. Who would have thought that a small place like Danling County could produce such a person? It is truly beyond belief. No wonder this County Commandant refused the Emperor's summons to the Hongdu Gate Academy—he is a seed of Confucianism!"

Upon hearing this, his wife’s expression also shifted, and she gasped, "You mean this is that County Commandant?"

Wang Zhenling of the Danling Wang clan had just acted with breathtaking audacity, refusing the Emperor's imperial decree to enter the Hongdu Gate Academy and thereby offending the Son of Heaven. Everyone assumed that Wang Zhenling was about to meet with disaster. Yet, who could have guessed that on this very night, Wang Zhenling would manifest the "Radiance of the Sage's Heart"? Was this not too much of a coincidence?

"Who else could it be but him?" the Danling County Magistrate snorted, feeling restless. If it were anyone else, he might have dismissed it as a coincidence. But Magistrate Wang Guang, who shared the same surname but had no ties to the Danling Wang clan, had realized some time ago exactly what kind of person Wang Zhenling was, and he refused to believe this was mere chance.

"I have heard that this scion of the Wang family practices Qi-refining arts. Could this be a result of that rather than his studies?" the Magistrate’s wife asked doubtfully.

The Magistrate shook his head slightly. "It is not the same. We scholars, through our studies and comprehension of principle, manifest this holy light. This radiance is passed down by the sages; it is pure, consisting entirely of reason, without a trace of impurity. Those Qi-refiners pursue power; even if they reach the so-called 'Out-of-Body' realm, their light is muddled and could never be this pure and brilliant."

If Wang Zhenling were here to hear this, he would likely shake his head in disagreement. In his view, the "pure nature-light" that Magistrate Wang Guang spoke of was nothing more than the light of the primordial spirit. Confucianism cultivated the nature but not the life; by studying and grasping principles without practicing arts or transforming the spirit, the resulting light was indeed pure, but it was purely mental brilliance, entirely incapable of interfering with the physical world. Practitioners, however, cultivated both nature and life—not only the spirit but also supernatural abilities—which naturally altered the nature of that light.

Pure nature-light, outside of the spiritual realm, had no practical effect. Wang Zhenling’s own spirit required the refinement of the sun and moon to anchor his nature-light into reality, transforming it from something entirely illusory into a force capable of affecting the material world. That was the fundamental difference.

Of course, Wang Zhenling was not here, and even if he were, he would hardly be generous enough to enlighten the Magistrate on these matters. After explaining this to his wife, the Magistrate chuckled, suddenly feeling at ease. "Regardless of the truth, what does it have to do with me? Since this scion of the Wang family possesses such talent, I shall fulfill my promise to nominate him as a Filial and Upright candidate! As for the Emperor, well, he may find himself in a difficult position!"

His wife understood and cast a coquettish glance at her husband. "Look at you!"

The manifestation of the Sage's Heart, reaching such a state of absolute sincerity, could influence ghosts and gods. This was the mark of a true scholar, someone destined to become a great Confucian master. It was the hallmark of "entering the Dao through study." Although the imperial court had no written law on the matter, it was a long-standing convention that anyone who attained such a state, even if poor and obscure, must be nominated as a Filial and Upright candidate. Formal rules were often ignored or broken, but these unwritten conventions, the "hidden rules," were adhered to with far greater tenacity. After all, the officials and ministers of the court were all disciples of Confucianism; they felt compelled to cherish such scholarly seeds, or else they would be drowned in public outcry.

Magistrate Wang Guang had already promised to nominate Wang Zhenling, but the Emperor’s summons had complicated matters. To proceed would be to risk defying the throne, but to break his word would damage his own reputation and offend the Danling Wang clan and Chen Bushi. The Magistrate had been torn, but Wang Zhenling’s spontaneous enlightenment had solved his dilemma. Now, he could leave the headache to the Emperor and the court ministers.

As the Magistrate plotted, Wang Zhenling’s long whistle gradually faded. Just as he was about to conclude his practice, the Heaven-Piercing Lotus Seed underwent a new transformation. The once pitch-black, iron-hard seed began to stir, putting down roots and sprouting a tiny, tender white shoot.