1 Heart to Heart

"Zhongming, It won't be long before we arrive."

The words, softly spoken, gently roused a young man from his slumber. As he woke, he gingerly brought up his arms and began massaging his neck. His body ached, particularly his neck, a natural consequence of falling asleep on a carriage.

"Sorry, Master Mo, I hadn't intended to doze off..."

And indeed, Zhongming had tried his best to stay awake. But, unfortunately, eventually, his heavy eyelids won out against his mental fortitude.

He was here on an extraordinary mission with Master Mo. As one of two emissaries from the state of Ming, they were here to convince the Emperor of Ru to cease their plans of invading Ming. Such a mission would potentially decide the lives of many billions of people, so he should have been alert and prepared.

However, he was still young and inexperienced. Such an important matter naturally filled the youngster with an almost unbearable sense of both excitement and nervousness. These emotions had understandably kept him awake for several nights in a row.

"Worry not." Mo Li waved off his concern, "Once you have transcended your mortal body by entering the nascent realm, such physical limitations will be meaningless to you."

"Master Mo..." Zhongming began a bit hesitantly, "I'm worried... Such an important task, no doubt many seniors are much more capable than I."

Zhongming was understandably worried; he was young, barely an adult, even in his old life, he had just entered college. The most significant event he had ever been a part of was a student protest against Asian hate. But, unfortunately, it was also that event in which his short life had ended. A tragic school shooting carried out by a deranged soul had ended up sending him over this world.

"Zhongming, Zhongming..." The old Master repeated, "do you truly not understand for what purpose I have decided to bring you along?"

The young man remained silent for a bit, no doubt pondering the elder's question. He did maybe have an answer, but he had his suspicions that this was nothing more than a very superficial one.

"Is it because I'm the youngest, and you are granting me the opportunity to gain valuable real-world experience?"

Mo Li chuckled softly upon hearing the answer, "Certainly, this trip will be a valuable and necessary experience for a member of the Mo sect. However, for such an important task, do you believe that youth plays a significant role?"

"Please, Master, educate me." Was the curt reply. He was really at a loss for his master's reasoning.

Sure he was considered a talented individual, but he was not the most talented even among the relatively small Mo Sect. He was also considered to be quite intelligent, but again among the Mo Sect, a few likely surpassed him.

"Zhongming, let me ask you this. What would you consider to be an ideal society?"

Zhongming mentally reviewed the core tenets of the Mo Sect.

1. Promoting worthiness.

2. Identifying upward.

3. Universal love.

4. Condemning aggression.

5. Moderation in use.

6. Moderation in burial.

7. Heaven's intent.

8. Understanding good and evil.

9. Condemning extravagant luxury.

10. Condemning fatalism.

"I would say that an ideal society is governed by a wise and benevolent Emperor. The wise ruler would appoint virtuous and meritocratic officials to serve as moral guides for the people. Social order would be maintained by benevolence and goodwill. All people should care for others and treat their fellow man as they would their own family."

"The state should not pursue aggression but rather promote harmony and peace with their neighbors. The wealth of the nation should not be wasted on luxury for the elites but rather to provide for and care for the people in need."

Mo Li leaned back into the wooden seat of the carriage, his right hand softly fanning himself with a simple fan made of chicken feathers, "This answer... You made it up for your master to hear, is it not?"

"Ever since you were young," the elder continued, "I've noticed, whether it be the questions that you would ask your teachers and seniors or the essays that you would write for class. There was something very unique and forward-thinking about them. Yet as time passed, perhaps due to pressure, these unique ideas became more subtle, rare... Maybe even to the point of vanishing."

Zhongming was impressed; indeed, his master was a perceptive and open-minded individual. When he was young, he had often tried to push the modern 21th-century ideals and morality from his old world. Yet, even armed with over 2000 years of moral and philosophical development, Zhongming was too young, too simple, and sometimes naive.

Against the seniors of the Mo Sect who wielded not just theoretical knowledge but also practical experience. Zhongming's arguments scattered apart like chaff before the wind. Over time, while he had still retained the idealistic belief in the progress and advancements of modern morality, he had also grown to understand and even accept the reality and philosophies of the current era.

"Master Mo, do you really wish to hear my true thoughts on the matter?" the young man's eye lit up a bit. He had always taken Master Mo's indifference to any of his arguments and essays as a sign of disapproval.

"Of course... Perhaps you have mistaken my indifference as disapproval. Yet, I cannot blame you for coming to such a conclusion." Mo Li let out a sigh, "It's been hard on you, has it not? This is your master's shortcoming towards you. However, I hope you understand that your way of thinking and your envisioned future have given me great hope. You are someone that I consider to be an ideal successor of the Mo Sect."

Mo Li paused for a bit to allow the revelation to sink in. Indeed he could almost see the gears churning in his young disciple's mind.

"There comes a time in every great man's life when he must walk his path alone. Unbeknownst to him, whether he will fail like countless others, he trudges forward with relentless vigor. For the future that you envision to come to fruition, you must make great personal sacrifices. The world itself will try to bring you down to your knees. I had hoped that under the safety of the Mo Sect, my hands-off approach would be able to better prepare you for the hardships that you must undoubtedly face."

Zhongming finally understood a fraction of his Master's thoughts. Due to his status as the sect leader, any endorsement would have strongly influenced the views of many teachers and seniors. Master had hoped to hone his philosophy and temper his will under the watchful guidance of the Mo Sect to prepare him for the hardships and opposition that he would eventually be subjected to.

"Master," Zhongming began as he got up from his seat, careful not to raise his head too high due to the limited amount of space in the carriage, "Please accept this act of respect from your disciple."

As Zhongming moved to pay respects to his Master, Mo Li caught him by the arm. The vice-like grip prevented the near prostrating youth from moving even an inch, "Zhongming, the greatest respect that you can give your master is to walk on your path with dignity and righteousness."

As Zhongming returned to his seat and recomposed himself, his Master once again asked, "let me ask you this question once again. What would you consider to be an ideal society?"

This time Zhongming responded without hesitation. The words that he had buried for some time poured out like an unstoppable torrent.

"The ideal society is governed by the people, of the people, and for the people. Therefore, the formation of the state should be justified only in the context of serving the people's interests and protecting the people's natural rights. Life, liberty, and the rights to the fruits of one's own labor are the basic foundation for the nation."

"Law should be established not to control the people but rather for the welfare of the ordinary man. The law shall treat the powerful and powerless equally with no exceptions; all men shall be equal under the law. The power of the state apparatus should be divided into separate branches for a system of checks and balances. The people should be armed and powerful; the people do not fear the state; the state fears the people. Should the need arise, the people have every right to dispose of a tyrannical state."

Mo Li had known for quite a while that Zhongming was someone who had the potential to achieve great things. Yet, hearing his disciple's radical ideas still impressed him somewhat.

"Zhongmong, indeed your Master is not mistaken. One day surely your ideals will shake the foundations of the world."

"Master, your disciple does not deserve such praise."

"My disciple, being overly humble eventually becomes a form of arrogance; you should know and appreciate your own strengths, do not sell yourself short."

After that exchange of words, both master and disciple fell silent, each pondering over the implications of the conversation that they just held.

Not too long after, the carriage stopped in its tracks. A pair of hands parted the regal curtains of the carriage and motioned for the two to disembark.

"Please." The eunuch said with a slight bow.

It was time... Zhongming steeled his nerves, his heart pounding in anticipation. Idly, he wondered if this was how Neil Armstrong felt as he was about to disembark from the Apollo 11, it was probably a bit of an arrogant comparison. However, Zhongming truly felt that this task was no less significant than the Moon landing.

Just as the many great men of history had done before him, he too would take the first step and leave his mark on history.