I don’t blame you for your confusion.
As far as I can tell there is no distinction between “righteous” and “righteousness” in the Bible.
“The righteous” are those who display the fruits of “righteousness” which is ethical behavior in most definitions. I looked in Websters Dictionary from 1828 (the older dictionaries have more archaic, or no longer used definitions that sometimes help with scripture):
For righteous see Websters Dictionary 1828 - Webster's Dictionary 1828 - righteous
For righteousness see Websters Dictionary 1828 - Webster's Dictionary 1828 - righteousness
Notice that righteousness is almost holiness. However, none are truly and purely Holy except God. Through Christ, the saved or chosen by God are covered by Christ’s righteousness in great measure in this life, to be perfected in the next life.
God is HOLY and righteous at all times.
Something I have found is that any Bible “reading aid” such as a study, wherein an author writes his or her own ideas alongside scripture must really be weighed next to scripture. If what that person is saying is outside scripture (meaning not supported by any of the writings from Genesis to Revelation) then it is suspect.
For me, it is far easier to just read the Bible at my own pace. If you start at the beginning in Genesis and read through to Revelation there are measurably fewer “boring” parts than there are astounding and amazing parts. I no longer need a “Bible Plan” to read since I was saved. The thirst for God’s word is too strong in me to be bogged down by confusing additions people make to it. Better to find a good study Bible (such as the MacArthur Study Bible) where all claims are backed up by scripture than to follow man’s (anyone’s) ideas about scripture.
I hope that helps. I encourage you to look into just reading the Bible plain, or finding a Scripturally based Study Bible, meaning one that quotes other scriptures to back up any claims of understanding of passages rather than just what someone thinks about it.