Bang——
The deep bell of the clock resounded, and the morning sun fell on the buildings of the National Confucius Institute. An elderly man in gray robes walked through the courtyards and entered a small garden.
The old man was named Xu Changqing, the Ritual Master of the National Confucius Institute; as a young man, he passed the official examinations and entered government service. He retired from office for thirty years, rising to the rank of Second Minister of the Grand Secretariat. After a life of hardship and exhaustion led to severe illness, he resigned from his post and returned home to focus on studies.
Over the past ten years, he has cultivated a multitude of scholars, and he is revered as a great Confucian. Later on, the former emperor summoned him back to serve at the National Confucius Institute, where he has been engaged in scholarship to this day.
Although he is over seventy, with white hair and beards, the spirit of this great Confucian is still vibrant. He holds books in his hands and strides with speed that does not lag behind young people.
Before reaching the gate of the small garden, Xu Changqing had already heard the commotion coming from inside. He sighed slightly and thought to himself, "What a rebellious child."
Those who can study at the National Academy of Sciences are mostly the sons of royalty, vassal kings, and aristocratic families, whose status is noble and who have little interest in studying. Especially for those taught by Xu Changqing, the Ritual Master of the National Academy of Sciences — they are either princes or sons of vassal kings. Their starting point is others' endpoint; why would they need to study hard to change their destiny?
You can rouse the person who is sleeping, but you cannot wake up the one who is pretending to be asleep; Xu Changqing has the heart to teach, but no one takes him seriously. So he comes here every day just to go through the motions.
After a light sigh, Xu Changqing entered carrying his books. The commotion quieted down, and the pupils stopped staring at him and returned to their seats.
Xu Changqing is a renowned great Confucian with great virtue and respect. His disciples and former officials are scattered across the nine provinces. He was personally invited by the former emperor to teach at the National Academy of Sciences as the Grand Ritual Master. Even the Empress is not daring to be casual with him, let alone these "second-generation scions." They may not have to study hard, but they cannot fail to show respect to this great Confucian.
Xu Changqing faintly scanned the surroundings and couldn't help but furrow his brow. Several empty seats were present. Normally, no one would dare to disrespect him.
With the ruler tapping on the table, Xu Changqing's face became dark, "Who else is it? Sick at home? Or together with the same disease?"
The dozen or so young gentlemen and ladies below exchanged glances, looking as silent as autumn cicadas. After a long while, one of them mustered courage to stand up and say, "Sir Xu, they went to attend classes outside the city."
"Listening to classes?"
Xu Changqing frowned slightly. These noble young men and wealthy missresses usually don't even attend his classes, so it's hard to believe that they would go to a lecture outside the city. More likely, they would go to play outside.
"Whose class are they attending?"
"Yes, it is the Taoist Master's class."
"Tao An? What Tao An is it? And who is this so-called Tao An, another phony from the world of martial arts?"
Xu Changqing furrowed his brow again. Recently, there have been stories about a Tao An spreading in the imperial capital. People were talking about it everywhere, but he has never been interested in such gossip and has thus been unaware of it.
"It is not a fraud. Tao An is a sage with genuine talent, who said that there are three thousand ways of the Dao, and each person can walk their own path. The path of a sorcerer, the path of a witch are not necessarily inferior to the martial arts…"
Whenever the name of Tao An is brought up, the man's mouth goes on and on, regaling the news that has been circulating in the capital these days. The most thrilling story, which set people's hearts aflutter, was that of Chen Mo who, with his worthless bloodline, defeated Zhao Wang.
This directly shattered the world's understanding of the concept of a wasteful bloodline.
At first, Xu Changqing sneered at these things. However, the more he listened, the clearer his cloudy eyes became. He muttered to himself, "Thousand ways of the Dao, thousand ways of the Dao… Can scholars also enter the Dao?"
"You say, he really beat Zhao Wang, who had two spirit veins, with his worthless bloodline?"
"This is a fact beyond any doubt. The day it happened, I happened to be out and saw… If Mr. Xu doesn't believe me, he can ask others."
"Very well, very well."
Xu Changqing excitedly slapped the desk, almost jumping up.
The martial arts are flourishing, while the status of scholars is low. Although most officials in the court are scholars, they still have to be looked down upon by martial artists. For years, no one has ever dared to raise their heads. Even being insulted by someone with a saying, "A scholar is useless," left them with no choice but to swallow their anger.
Xu Changqing had been seeking the way for scholars to enter the Dao since his early years. However, after decades, he had gained nothing. He began to reflect that perhaps he was wrong from the start. For thousands of years, the phrase "Martial arts are the only truth in the world" has deeply taken root in people's hearts. If there is any other true path that can emerge, it would not have lasted this long, nor would anyone have walked out of it.
"Thousand ways of the Dao, hahaha, Tao An, he's a real Tao An. Quick, quick, tell me where Tao An is living now."
Xu Changqing couldn't help but show his excitement and eagerly continued, "Quick, quick, tell me where Tao An is living now."
The noble young man was slightly startled. He didn't expect Xu Changqing to be so interested in Chen Mo's story. Quickly, he told Xu Changqing the address.
Xu Changqing threw the book and the ruler in his hand aside, and hurriedly left the study hall, leaving behind a group of bewildered people.
In a corner of the study hall, a white-clad prince was lying down and standing up with blurred eyes. Suddenly, he saw a note on the table.
The white-robed gentleman picked up the note and read it. His face lit up with joy, "Ha, is he coming out? This is a rare opportunity."
Outside the city, a courtyard with four buildings.
"Let's go outside and enjoy the scenery."
After having breakfast, Chen Mo proposed.
With Chen Mo defeating Zhao Wang, more and more people have recognized him as their Tao An, coming to him to learn every day. They can't be chased away or driven off; it's been two full days, and he is thoroughly frustrated.
Today, Chen Mo decided to take advantage of the time to go hide.
Liu Wuxin stared blankly at Chen Mo, her eyes wide open. These days, so many people had come to the courtyard to ask questions that she could only hide in the side rooms and dare not come out. She had been anxious for a few days, but finally had a chance to relax. She naturally would not miss this opportunity; and it was also an opportunity for her to be alone, so she smiled and replied with a "yes".
As soon as the words were said, a small kid with a short pair of legs shook them while holding Chen Mo's clothes, tugging at him, "Brother, brother, are we going to play outside? Can I come too, can I come too?"
The small kid made a lot of noise, Jiyi, unable to bear it, had to take him along; since they were released from prison, two of them naturally could not be left out, and Su Yumeo was also included.
Su Yumeo blinked her eyes, gazing at Chen Mo with expectation. Chen Mo sighed lightly and said, "You can go too."
Jiyi jumped off the stone bench, happily pulling Liu Wuxin and Su Yumeo into the side room. Since they were going out to play, it naturally included food, drink, and other things for fun. They packed all sorts of things.
Jiyi may look small, but he has a big appetite. Having been hungry for a long time and having several mouths to feed around him, this time when they went out to play, almost all of the food was packed.
Liu Wuxin wore the plain white skirt that Chen Mo had bought for her before. As Chen Mo had said, it was "her beauty standing out among the crowd," so Liu Wuxin very much liked it. Since then, she had not worn it often, usually keeping it stored away.
Today is the day when we go out together with Chen Mo, which is a day worth commemorating. We naturally have to dress more elaborately.
Although it had only been a few days since they were released from prison, Liu Wuxin's figure was no longer as bony as before, and her body had gained some weight. She no longer felt like skin and bones, but rather full of flesh.
Indeed, when life feels love, it starts to put on weight...
"Brother, you've been waiting for a long time."
Liu Wuxin stepped out of the room, looked up at Chen Mo for a moment, and then quickly lowered her head. She murmured softly.
Waiting is also a process of appreciation.
Chen Mo looked at the little girl always lowering her head and couldn't help but remind her, "Don't always keep your head down. Don't you like to show your beauty to me?"
"I..."
Liu Wuxin lifted her head. Because of the bumps on her body and face, and the pair of unusual eyes, she had always been very self-conscious, preferring to keep her head down when she met people. At Chen Mo's words, she shyly looked up, her long hair falling forward to cover her eyes.
"Lift your hair up."
Chen Mo spoke again, "Your eyes are very pretty. Don't always try to cover them up."
"Oh... oh..."
If someone else said that, Liu Wuxin would only think that the person was mocking herself. But Chen Mo was different. He always praised her and slowly helped her build up confidence.
Now, Liu Wuxin no longer had the self-consciousness when she just came out of prison. However, some habits were still hard to change, such as keeping her head down or using her hair to cover her eyes.
Liu Wuxin gently pushed back her long hair, confidently showing her face. Because of the opening of her meridians, the bumps on her face had diminished significantly. Her youthful and lovely face, paired with the plain white long dress, had a unique charm.
If she grows a few more years, she will be a truly elegant and graceful young lady.
Chen Mo looked at Liu Wuxin, who had just tied up her long hair, and smiled, "I asked you to lift your hair, not my heart."
