Chen Ke spoke slowly, "Besides the Confucian classics, I have also read the works of the ancient sages from the Hundred Schools of Thought. For instance, the Yin Yang Family's dao of offense and defense, the Legalist Family's Path of Governance, the Military Family's dao of strategy, and the techniques of the Heterodox, Novelist, and Farmer Families—all have their merits. However, I've found that many of these doctrines contain numerous contradictions and conflicts. The more I read, the more confused I become."
"This situation also frequently occurs within the Confucian Family. For example, two Saints have argued for a thousand years over the topic of whether human nature is inherently good or evil. There are many similar issues... The recently emerged Li Xue also raises many questions. 'The investigation of things and the extension of knowledge' is simple to say, but I sat quietly in a bamboo forest for a day, thinking, and came up with no insights at all."
