Chapter 327
Chapter 327
We dragged Song Xiaotian to the entrance of his family’s home.
His eyes had turned red with fury.
“Don’t blame us. We’re outsiders and your juniors. Your grandfather gave the order, so we had no choice but to drag you out.”
I continued, “You know how strict your family’s upbringing is, yet you still argued with them. Weren’t you asking for trouble?”
Meng Yifan also tried to persuade him. “Your father and grandfather are serious this time, but they aren’t wrong. No one is forcing you to marry Pan Xiaorou. They’re only asking you to accept responsibility. Think about it carefully. If you can’t work this out, I doubt they’ll really let you come back.”
Song Xiaotian stood there in a daze for a long time. At last, he obediently got into his car and drove away.
Today, he truly did seem a little pitiful.
After he left, Elder Song and the others returned to receiving their guests.
People said birds of a feather flocked together. None of Elder Song’s guests appeared to be ordinary people.
One elderly man in particular caught my interest.
His surname was Xiang, and his full name was Xiang Long. He was already well into his seventies. He was the person who had performed Exorcism for Uncle Song all those years ago and driven the Evil Buddha out of his body.
More importantly, the old man was a descendant of Mohism.
My Ancestral Master, Tang Zhui, was also a descendant of Mohism, so naturally this old man intrigued me.
Mohism was a school of philosophy that emerged during the Eastern Zhou dynasty and was one of the Hundred Schools of Thought.
I knew very little about Mohism. I had only studied it in school and knew that it was not merely a philosophical school, but also one of the earliest traditions in China to study science.
It was only after learning that my Ancestral Master was a descendant of Mohism that I researched it in depth.
That research revealed just how extraordinary Mohism had been. More than two thousand years ago, this philosophical school had already discovered the principles of the pinhole camera and conducted studies into mechanics.
But Mohism was best known for Mohist Mechanisms.
Everyone knew Lu Ban as the forefather of architecture and carpentry in ancient China. Few knew that when it came to ancient craftsmanship, the Mohists had surpassed even him.
The mechanism arts recorded in my copy of the Mysteries of the Six Yao were actually derived from Mohist Mechanisms.
Daoist Xiang possessed profound knowledge. Someone nearby was curious about his identity as a descendant of Mohism and was asking him questions.
Daoist Xiang did not begrudge an explanation. “Why did Mohism die out?”
“Anyone who has studied history should know the answer. But at its root were the two most important principles advocated by the Mohist leader Mozi: Impartial Care and Opposition to Aggression.”
“What is Impartial Care? It stands in contrast to the Confucian concept of benevolent love. Confucians teach that we should treat our relatives and friends with love. Mohists, however, believed we should treat everyone in that manner, with courtesy and respect. Everyone should do so, without holding prejudice against anyone.”
“Opposition to Aggression emphasizes peace. Mohists opposed war and believed those who started wars were evil. They did not merely oppose wars in principle; they placed themselves at the forefront of efforts to stop every conflict.”
Daoist Xiang continued, “Those two ideas were so far ahead of their time that they doomed Mohism to extinction in the society of that age.”
Seventh Master nodded. “In ancient times, all under heaven belonged to the sovereign. As the saying goes, beneath the vast sky, all is the king’s land; within the land’s borders, all are the king’s subjects. To advocate equality for all and declare war evil in that environment was to undermine the foundations of rulers and aristocrats.”
“Ideas so far ahead of their time were destined to be suppressed.”
Daoist Xiang patted the back of Seventh Master’s hand in agreement. “This brother is exactly right. Mohism set extremely high standards for human character. To join, a person had to be nearly a sage. They had to donate all their worldly possessions. Even the leader himself had to give away his entire fortune.”
“That money was then entrusted to Mohism and used to aid the poor, all in pursuit of their ideal world of Great Unity. Such a vision could never truly be realized even today, much less more than two thousand years ago.”
“They devoted endless effort to achieving that goal, only to end in failure.”
“If Mohism had not died out and had continued advancing science and technology, perhaps our technology would not lag so far behind the West today.”
Through Daoist Xiang, I gained an even deeper understanding of Mohism, and my admiration was sincere.
The expression “all people are equal” had only emerged in modern times, yet the Mohists had genuinely practiced those four words more than two thousand years ago. In reality, however, the world of Great Unity they sought could never be achieved.
I could not help asking Daoist Xiang the question I most wanted answered. “Sir, Mohism was the earliest scientific school in our country. Why, then, did it also advance a belief in ghosts and gods?”
One of Mohism’s tenets was called Understanding Ghosts, which stood in opposition to the Confucian saying that the Master did not speak of strange phenomena, feats of strength, disorder, or spirits.
Mozi believed that without faith, people would fear nothing. But if the existence of ghosts and gods in this world were made clear, people would feel apprehensive before committing evil deeds.
In the Mysteries of the Six Yao, the Ancestral Master had incorporated many Mohist ideas alongside his explanations of Daoist thought. Traces of Mohist techniques could also be seen in its Mystic Sect arts. That was why I asked this question.
Daoist Xiang nodded and explained, “In ancient times, as the earliest school of scientific thought, Mohism drew no clear boundary between science and ghosts or gods. It proposed the doctrine of Understanding Ghosts to educate the people and teach them reverence.”
“But in reality, the reason Mozi was able to propose this doctrine was that he had already comprehended science at its highest dimension, what modern science calls mysticism. Ask a Western scientist what Yin and Yang are, what the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams are, what the Supreme Ultimate and the Limitless are. He may not deny their existence, but he will certainly say they belong to philosophy. He will not acknowledge them as objectively real. To him, they are merely concepts without an underlying essence.”
Daoist Xiang began to laugh as he spoke. “But let me ask everyone here: have any of you seen a Ghost? Have you ever engaged in a contest of magic? Have you ever seen the dead return to life? Can modern science explain everything you have encountered?”
The atheists present merely listened for amusement. Those in the same profession as Seventh Master and me smiled without speaking, sharing a tacit understanding.
My curiosity got the better of me again, and I pressed further. “Sir, I mean no disrespect, but I very much want to know whether there is any definite record of Mozi saying he had comprehended science at its highest dimension.”
Daoist Xiang looked at me and replied with confidence, “There is no definite record. In fact, there is no record at all. But…”
Before he could finish, Elder Song walked over and interrupted him. “Why have you become so talkative in your old age?”
Then Elder Song beckoned to us. “The banquet is starting. Everyone, take your seats. Ha ha!”