The journey was bustling, so much so that even someone as patient as Chen Ping An found his ears longing for silence. This was all thanks to the blue-robed little imp, even more loquacious than Cui Chan.

One large and two small figures, in the early days of winter, had been traveling together for half a lunar cycle. They walked slowly along the desolate, cold official road. The blue-robed child began to pester Chen Ping An again, “When we get to the Lord’s manor in Longquan County, can you please not make me a lowly servant, sweeping floors and making beds? It’s a bit embarrassing. If word gets back to the state city, they’ll laugh at me for centuries! How can I be a big brother to those monster ghosts then? My Lord, you don’t understand, I get everything I want here, the wind obeys my whims and the rain follows my commands. Just mention my name and everyone gives me a thumbs up, the best of the best!”

Chen Ping An pretended not to hear, knowing that any response would unleash a torrent of words.

The blue-robed child continued, undeterred, “If the Lord doesn’t believe me, you can ask that silly girl. Even the influential officials in the state city treat me like a god. Only that prince residing in the city’s palace keeps a bit of distance, treating me politely but not warmly enough. But I have a pretty good relationship with his brothers, we often enjoy ourselves together. Lord, you really are something, why not stop by my place on the way? And you won’t even let me send word ahead! Otherwise, I’m not boasting, I’d definitely give you a grand welcome ceremony with deafening drums and a roaring river!”

Through his private chats with the pink-skirted girl, Chen Ping An had a general understanding of this great river serpent’s temperament. He was impetuous and often pushed forward by the River God to take the blame. Many sensational events that shook the Huangting Kingdom to its core had nothing to do with him, but the River God would use a few words to provoke him, and he’d foolishly shoulder the burden, feeling heroic. Once, he was chased by a Supreme Elder of the Lingyun Sect, fleeing for over two thousand miles. The shy little girl, when talking about this, rarely opened her heart and said it would be better if he just didn’t come back.

Seeing that he was about to boast about his past exploits again, Chen Ping An couldn’t help but interject, “Do you really not know the River God uses you as a shield? Or do you know and just not care?”

The pink-skirted girl heartily agreed, secretly nodding her head.

The blue-robed child didn’t dare to say anything to Chen Ping An, but noticing the little serpent’s actions, he sneered, “What do you know about brotherhood, you little wench?”

With that, he widened his mouth, revealing his gleaming white teeth, and bared them at the girl, “If you keep chirping and ruining my image in front of the Lord, I’ll find a chance to eat you! And then poop you out…”

The pink-skirted girl looked resentful, thinking, “I didn’t even say anything! You always pick on the weak!”

Chen Ping An adjusted the bamboo basket on his back. Although Cui Chan had returned to the Imperial Academy in the Great Sui capital, he was still a little worried. However, Chen Ping An knew that besides worrying, there was nothing he could do.

Chen Ping An raised his hands, breathed on them, and looked up at the sky.

It was winter now.

He wondered when it would snow this year and hoped to return to the small town before the New Year. If he couldn’t make it in time, he’d put aside the walking stances for now and practice the Sword Forge Standing Stance more. He could have the blue-robed child transform into his true water serpent form and choose routes through sparsely populated wilderness areas.

Chen Ping An had left the small piece of Dragon Slaying Platform, which Qi Xiansheng had cut from who-knows-where, to Li Baoping. The *Search for Mountains* scroll given by the blind old Daoist was given to Lin Shouyi.

But in reality, Chen Ping An still had quite a few possessions, they just didn’t take up much space. Now that he didn’t need to take care of the children’s schooling, the basket seemed a bit empty, making Chen Ping An feel somewhat unaccustomed.

Ah Liang had robbed the Earth God Wei Bo on Chessboard Mountain. In the end, Chen Ping An received a withered, dried-up golden lotus seed, the one everyone else had left behind, and still didn’t know what it was for.

The locust wood sword housed a little incense spirit. After appearing in that state city, it had hidden itself again.

After making green bamboo book boxes for the three of them, there were still some leftover bamboo strips. Chen Ping An practiced carving characters whenever he had the chance, recording wise sayings that he found insightful.

There were several books that the old Sage of Literature had personally selected back then.

A white jade hairpin with carved characters, which Chen Ping An had worn in his hair in the Great Sui capital, had now been removed and carefully treasured. After Cui Chan left the capital, he said that the wooden box was the truly valuable item, but Chen Ping An had left it, along with the three hairpins, to Li Baoping. Chen Ping An, of course, didn’t feel any regret about this.

A pair of mountain and river seals, and that “Peaceful Mind, Attained Intent” seal of great significance.

And those few pieces of paper with medicinal formulas written by the young Daoist with the surname Lu, which Chen Ping An still took out from time to time to browse through in order to practice calligraphy.

As for that small sword embryo that looked like a silver ingot, said to be related to Mount Sui in the Central Continent, it was exceptionally bright and could illuminate the night.

However, there were some things in the basket that Chen Ping An hadn’t expected.

Besides a letter that Cui Chan had written and placed in the basket at some point, there were also two Spring Festival couplets and a “Good Fortune” character. Cui Chan said in the letter that this was a small token of his student’s appreciation, and he hoped the teacher would accept it with a smile. He assured him that the words were just words, without any calculation.

From this, it was clear that Cui Chan had not only planned to return to the Imperial Academy in the Great Sui capital long ago, but had even predicted that Chen Ping An would make up his mind. This disciple of his had foreseen everything.

Chen Ping An felt a little apprehensive about this, but there was nothing he could say.

In addition to this, there were also two calligraphy scrolls in the basket, *Green Mountains and Verdant Waters*, the content of which was also written in a refined style. This scroll was written more formally, while the other one was very much in line with Cui Chan’s absurd personality, called *Teacher, Please Add More Oil and Salt*, filled with complaints about Chen Ping An’s stinginess.

The calligraphy was… Chen Ping An couldn’t say what the secret was, but he felt that it was indeed good, pleasing to the eye. Just looking at the scrolls made him feel like he was standing in that Flowing Clouds and Running Water Lane.

Along the way, the blue-robed child continued to chatter incessantly, without any sign of fatigue.

The pink-skirted girl obediently followed behind Chen Ping An, carrying Cui Chan’s book box. No matter how Chen Ping An tried to persuade her, the little girl stubbornly refused to put anything into his basket.

Chen Ping An thought about it and remembered that she was a fire python who had lived for hundreds of years, not Li Baoping, so she wouldn’t get tired.

Thinking of this, the young man wished he could turn around and take a step that would directly lead him to the gate of the New Cliff Academy’s school. He wanted to stand at the corner of the wall and see Li Baoping and the others happily listening to the teacher’s lessons, not being bullied, and living well. He wanted Chen Ping An to know that even if he wasn’t by their side, they were living well, even better.
Chen Pingan took a deep breath and began to quietly practice his footwork.

The New Cliff Academy had now become a major topic of conversation in the Great Sui capital, almost all the aristocratic clans were discussing it, watching from the sidelines with great interest. Of course, the families caught in the middle of the storm certainly didn’t find it amusing. For example, the Chu family of Nanxi, the Han Mansion of the Pillar of State in the capital, and the Marquis of Huaiyuan’s estate. The elders of these families were all in low spirits, their faces clouded with gloom every time they attended court.

The Great Sui valued scholarship and did not suppress martial arts, but warriors, in the eyes of the court and the common people, were ultimately not as favored as refined scholars.

The censorate of the Great Sui was esteemed and influential. The imperial court had been bustling recently, with censors and officials from the six departments expressing their opinions freely. They formed their own factions regarding the students’ brawls at the academy, and their words were sharp and unyielding. Some spoke out on behalf of the Han, the Pillar of State, and the Marquis of Huaiyuan, saying that the out-of-town students were ruthless and lacked the elegance of scholars. Others criticized the high-ranking officials for failing to discipline their children, arguing that the children from the distant Great Li’s Dragon Spring had done nothing wrong, and they couldn’t be expected not to fight back when bullied. Then, the former would retort, “What bullying? Verbal disputes between scholars are commonplace. How can it be escalated to the word ‘bullying’?” They would cite historical examples and eloquently extol the virtues of the Southern Jian Kingdom’s pure conversation style. The latter, unwilling to concede, would argue back point by point.

This much-watched commotion in the capital started with a dispute between four children in an academy dormitory. Later, a young girl named Li Baoping, an outsider, injured someone with a sharp weapon. One of the children who was beaten happened to be the beloved son of the Marquis of Huaiyuan. The Marquis of Huaiyuan was related by marriage to the Chu family of Nanxi. The Chu family’s eldest grandson was a prodigy of this generation, sixteen years old, and renowned as a child prodigy. He was recognized by the Great Sui as a potential pillar of the state.

This Chu family’s eldest grandson, who lived up to expectations, did not immediately appear after hearing the news. However, two of his academy classmates, the youngest grandson of the Han, the Pillar of State, and a young man from a wealthy local clan in the Great Sui, went to make trouble for the little girl. Of course, they didn’t lay a hand on her, but they did say some nasty things. Coincidentally, the little girl’s fellow villager, Lin Shouyi, witnessed this. Before long, they rolled up their sleeves and engaged in a fierce fight.

Where were those two boys a match for the esteemed disciple of Grand Scholar Dong Jing? They were beaten black and blue, in a miserable state. This time, the Chu family’s eldest grandson, who was also regarded as a “jade of cultivation,” couldn’t sit idly by. He sought out Lin Shouyi, and the fight that ensued was spectacular. One wielded the ancestral magical instrument, the Cloud-Thunder Zither, using lightning collected by a great Qi refiner and refined into strings using secret methods. Every time the zither was played, thunder roared, creating an extraordinary atmosphere. The out-of-town youth Lin Shouyi, who had already gained a reputation in the Great Sui capital, also performed remarkably. He wielded the orthodox Five Thunder Technique with a righteous aura. He was also at the third realm of cultivation. Even when facing the Chu family’s talented youth with a high-grade magical instrument, he fought with composure and surprised everyone.

It was said that this battle of wills and magic even alarmed Grand Scholar Dong Jing and a group of old scholars who rushed to the scene after hearing the news. They watched from afar, partly to join in the fun and partly to prevent any accidents.

In the end, the Chu family’s eldest grandson did not hesitate to break a lightning string, while Lin Shouyi suffered minor injuries all over his body. They weren’t serious, but his skin was torn and he suffered a lot of pain.

In fact, there were also factions within the academy. When His Majesty the Emperor visited the academy, although he didn’t personally witness such a grand scene, he bestowed generous gifts upon those out-of-towners. Afterwards, the academy’s teachers and instructors clearly paid close attention to their studies. This naturally made the local students of the Great Sui feel resentful. And those students who had followed Vice Headmaster Mao Xiaodong from the old academy in the Great Li had probably also suffered a lot of resentment during their studies in a foreign land. So, with the exception of a few individuals, the vast majority stood firmly on the side of Lin Shouyi and Li Baoping.

As a result, Cliff Academy was divided into two major factions, each united against their common enemy.

The academy was filled with a tense atmosphere, ready to explode.

But strangely, the teachers and instructors turned a blind eye and deaf ear to this, which greatly fueled the spread of this atmosphere.

At this critical moment, someone else stood up, adding fuel to the fire.

The son of the late Great General Pan Maozhen, originally a withdrawn teenager who didn’t associate with anyone, found the recovered Lin Shouyi, enduring the latter’s thunder technique, and sending Lin Shouyi flying with a punch. This time, Lin Shouyi was truly seriously injured, vomiting blood. He struggled to get up, but was hit in the head by the Pan youth, and fell to the ground like a kite with a broken string. The offspring of a Great Sui general, whose actions were as decisive as a soldier on the battlefield, even spat at Lin Shouyi.

The teaching staff of Cliff Academy finally began to intervene, forbidding anyone from fighting in private.

However, the strangely named girl, Xie Xie, a dark-skinned girl who was unremarkable and always serious, didn’t even visit Lin Shouyi. That very day, she found the Pan youth and beat him until blood flowed from all seven orifices. He could only flee for his life. If a teacher hadn’t intervened in time to stop the girl from chasing him, the Pan youth, who was originally skilled in martial arts, would have become a sickly invalid.

Finally, this escalating farce began to show signs of concluding after the appearance of one academy student.

This academy student was a legendary figure. Born of humble origins, he was recognized to possess the knowledge of an assistant instructor before he even reached adulthood. He had previously left the Great Sui to go to the Guanhu Academy, where he passed the joint examination of nine renowned gentlemen of the continent and obtained the official title of Confucian Sage. This time, he returned to the Great Sui, it could be said he had returned in glory.

The Great Sui court specially dispatched the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites ten miles outside the city to personally welcome this young Confucian Sage. Even more enviable was what came after. His Majesty the Emperor had a Grand Eunuch from the palace send a priceless set of writing tools to this future pillar of the Great Sui, as a sign of commendation.

So this academy student named Li Changying entered East Flower Mountain with the identity of a Sage and a gift from the Great Sui Emperor.

The first thing he did upon ascending the mountain and entering the academy was to apologize to Li Huai. Then, he visited the bedridden Lin Shouyi. Finally, he stood before the girl Xie Xie and said that both sides should no longer act impulsively, that Cliff Academy was, after all, a place for learning.

After Li Changying left, Xie Xie remained silent from beginning to end.
The Emperor of the Great Sui was not renowned throughout the continent for his diligence in governance. Generally speaking, his reputation was unremarkable, not as brilliant and ambitious as the Emperor of Great Li, nor as cultured and romantic as the monarch of the Southern Stream Kingdom, and not even as notorious as the Emperor of the Lu Kingdom, which had already fallen. However, Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent had always been rich in the south and barren in the north, and the Great Sui was a unique presence in the north. Even dignitaries from the Southern Stream Kingdom were willing to travel there, and the Gao clan descendants of the Great Sui were frequent visitors to the Lakeside Academy.

The Emperor of the Great Sui rarely summoned the pillars of the Great Sui, including high-ranking officials from the Six Ministries, to a small court meeting in the Hall of Mental Cultivation after the morning court. But today was an exception. However, many generals, ministers, and dukes, including the Minister of Rites, knew in their hearts that the disturbance at the academy had reached a point where His Majesty the Emperor had to personally intervene.

Therefore, the diminutive old man who also served as the Headmaster of the academy became the focus of attention. This Heavenly Official, the foremost figure in the Six Ministries, walked in step with his friends from the court, with no trace of panic on his face. The Minister of Rites, short in stature but high in position, seemed confident, but the faces of several “involved parties,” including the old Pillar of the State, Han, were not pleasant to behold.

The small court meeting proceeded tepidly, not even as vigorous as the charcoal fire in the braziers in the room. The Emperor merely brought up some unresolved matters from the grand court meeting and rehashed them. Everyone present had spent most of their lives in officialdom and was familiar with such routine government affairs. They quickly passed the resolutions in order, believing that they would soon be disseminated from the central government to the local regions.

When the important matters were settled, the Emperor took a sip of the still-warm lotus seed soup, and everyone perked up, knowing that the main event was finally about to begin.

The Emperor put down his cup, looked around, and smiled, “Why, esteemed ministers, are you all waiting to see the Emperor’s embarrassment?”

Although the old Pillar of the State, Han, was in his seventies, he was still hale and hearty, sitting upright in his chair with an imposing air. However, he was somewhat embarrassed at this moment. The Marquis of Huaiyuan, in his thirties, was even more restless. Descendants of meritorious officials of the Great Sui like him, who had inherited the title of Duke, generally faded from the court’s sight. Unless there were major events, they rarely actively participated in the morning court. This was a tacit rule of the officialdom. But today, several important figures, including the old Pillar of the State, Han, had kindly passed him a message, telling him that he had better attend the morning court today, so that he would have a chance to defend himself if something went wrong.

The Emperor of the Great Sui saw several ministers who wanted to rise and plead guilty at the same time, and smiled, extending his hand downward to press down several times, “No need to rise, just speak while sitting. The Emperor is not here to interrogate you today, but just wants to know some things that are not based on hearsay. You don’t know, Xuan’er and all the others have been talking about this every day in the Study Room, neglecting their studies, which has made their chief tutor complain endlessly, angry enough to tell them to just go to the Cliff Academy to study.”

The Minister of Rites, the smallest in stature but the highest in position, slowly rose and recounted the general course of events, impartially.

The Emperor of the Great Sui asked with a smile, “Did Old Mao personally say that he would not interfere with the children’s squabbles?”

The Minister of Rites nodded, “Indeed.”

The Emperor of the Great Sui hummed, “The Emperor understands.” Then he fell into contemplation.

In fact, none of the important ministers of the Great Sui present were naive enough to think that the Emperor really knew nothing. Did they think that the Great Sui’s intelligence network was for show? Just to deal with the infiltration of Great Li’s assassins and spies, the Great Sui’s Ministry of Revenue spent like water every year in secret expenses, only without any fanfare.

In fact, if the Emperor of Lu had listened to the Great Sui’s advice at that time, and had not been so conceited, believing the information provided by the Great Sui’s intelligence, and had prepared early, even if the demise of the Lu Dynasty could not be avoided, the ending would definitely not have been so quick, so quick that the entire Great Sui’s scholarly officials could not help but burst out cursing that the Lu Dynasty’s court was full of useless wine bags and rice sacks.

If the civil officials were like this, not to mention the generals of the Great Sui.

The Emperor of the Great Sui slowly came back to his senses, smiled and said to several people, including the old Pillar of the State, Han, “Let’s leave it at that. Children’s bickering, even if there is no malice, must have a limit.”

The first half of the Emperor of the Great Sui’s sentence was actually the same as the words of Mao Xiaodong of the Confucian Academy.

Then the small court meeting dispersed.

The Emperor of the Great Sui left the Minister of Rites alone.

The diminutive old man saw that the monarch stood up, went to the brazier, and personally picked up the iron tongs to stir the charcoal fire. The eunuchs guarding the door did not do it for him, and the old man did not find it strange.

The Emperor of the Great Sui put down the small iron tongs, put his hand over the charcoal fire, and said softly, “Looking through history, pressure comes not only from the neighboring powerful enemies who never give up, but also from our own people who wave the banner of loyalty to the monarch and love for the people.”

The Heavenly Official’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, and sweat dripped from his forehead.

The Emperor of the Great Sui smiled self-deprecatingly, turned around and beckoned to the old man. The Minister of Rites hurriedly ran over in small steps, somewhat awkwardly squatting with the Emperor.

The Emperor of the Great Sui asked with a smile, “Why did Great Li go south so hastily? Originally, the Lakeside Academy’s attitude was ambiguous, unwilling to give a clear answer. Now, on the contrary, they are more anxious than us. That young man named Li Changying, his title of ‘Sage,’ had been deliberately delayed. I heard that later, within the Lakeside Academy, there were even voices directly giving Li Changying the status of ‘Gentleman.’ Don’t you find it funny?”

This question was one that could not be answered casually, no matter what.

The diminutive old man became more and more uneasy.

The Emperor asked, “If it were Minister Ma or any of them, they wouldn’t be as apprehensive as you. Their backs are all very straight. Do you know why it was you in the end, and not them, who remotely held the position of Headmaster of the Cliff Academy?”

The diminutive old man said softly, “Because this minister is the least scholarly. With me as the Headmaster of the new academy, His Majesty doesn’t have to worry about getting into a dispute with Mao Xiaodong.”

The Emperor reminded him, “Call him Old Mao.”

The diminutive old man said in fear, “Yes, yes, yes, Old Mao.”

The Emperor nodded, and said to himself, “Great Li can give Qi Gentleman how much respect, and the Emperor can even give Old Mao the same respect. This is the biggest difference between the Emperor and that Song barbarian of Great Li.”

The diminutive old man was just about to say something.

The Emperor had already smiled and shook his head, “But it’s not very useful.”

The Minister of Rites was completely flustered.

In fact, His Majesty the Emperor rarely spoke to his ministers in this way.

Except for the time when the old man unexpectedly became the Heavenly Official of the Great Sui ten years ago, this was the second time.

His Majesty the Emperor sighed with emotion, “Scholarly air and bookishness, of course you scholars must have them, but just having scholarly integrity and governing the court only with morality may not be beneficial to the country.”
The old man dared not remain silent any longer, and had to bite the bullet, answering with a dry, raspy voice, “Your Majesty is wise.”

The Emperor of Great Sui turned his head and smiled, “You, ah, you’re fine in every aspect, just too cautious. Don’t tarnish your reputation with such self-demeaning actions anymore. I know the character of your children. How could they dare to encroach upon the farmland of the commoners? Especially your youngest son, such a fine seed for scholarship. A top three spot in the imperial examinations is practically guaranteed, and he’ll undoubtedly pass the jinshi exam with flying colors. Why must you suppress him?”

The old man’s lips trembled, and finally, with a resolute glint in his eyes, he stood up and knelt again, choked with emotion, “This humble subject can only use this clumsy method to share Your Majesty’s burdens!”

The Emperor of Great Sui helped the old man up, speaking in a warm tone, “Many in the imperial court say you are just a good-natured muddler, but I believe that subjects like you are the true indispensable pillars of Great Sui!”

The old man was immediately overcome with emotion, his decades of grievances swept away. He knelt again, “This subject… I am unworthy, I fail to live up to Your Majesty’s trust!”

The Emperor of Great Sui gently kicked the old man’s leg, chuckling, “The esteemed Minister of Rites, resorting to such tricks? Get up quickly, it’s unseemly!”

The diminutive old man then rose, hastily wiping his face, “I have made Your Majesty laugh.”

The Emperor sat back in his place and waved his hand, “Return.”

The diminutive old man bowed and took his leave.

The Emperor pulled a Confucian classic from a small stack of books, flipping through the pages, not even raising his head, as he casually asked, “I hear there are many strange winds in the world. One is called the ‘Book-Turning Wind’?”

The Emperor’s voice was low, but the tall eunuch far outside the door still answered, “Reporting to Your Majesty, that is indeed so. The origins of this pure wind are unknown, but it is known to favor turning the pages of books, regardless of their age. This wind is extremely subtle, undetectable even by ordinary cultivators. If guided and absorbed into the body, this wind will slowly circulate between the internal organs. If one frequently turns and reads books, it can prolong life.”

The Emperor raised his head, surprised, “That’s so wonderful? Does Great Sui have such a thing?”

The old eunuch with snow-white hair shook his head. “The Book-Turning Wind has always been unique to Confucian academies and schools. It is not found elsewhere, not even in Taoist sects or sacred grounds like the True Martial Mountain of the Wind and Snow Temple.”

The Emperor sighed, “The creations of Heaven and Earth are truly mysterious. It’s a pity that I am an Emperor.”

The old eunuch smiled, “This is Your Majesty’s personal misfortune, but it is the great fortune of the people of Great Sui.”

The man in the dragon robe laughed heartily, his imperial countenance filled with joy.

The Emperor put down the book and suddenly asked the eunuch outside the door, “Should we let Gao Xuan go to the Cliffside Academy to study?”

The old eunuch did not hesitate, shaking his head, “Although the journey to the Luminous Pearl Grotto was perilous, the rewards were immense. His Highness practically claimed two immense opportunities alone. There is no need for further study. Moreover, since His Highness dared to agree to this matter, accompanying this old servant to the heart of the enemy nation of Great Li, this is already an immeasurable opportunity on the Great Dao.”

The Emperor nodded, sighing, “In that case, Xuan’er is more fortunate than I.”

But the Emperor rubbed his temples, his head aching. “But Zhen’er has suffered a pointless disaster. His mother finally persuaded him to go to his fiefdom as a prince. It was a joyful occasion, but Gao Xuan, that fellow, claimed to be Gao Zhen in the Luminous Pearl Grotto. As a result, a vengeful maiden, who happened to be passing by, along with several sword immortals from other continents, descended from the sky and found Zhen’er. Although she realized her mistake afterward and quickly apologized and left, Zhen’er has been timid since childhood, and was greatly frightened.”

“This is this old servant’s fault. Had I known this would happen, I shouldn’t have acted so rashly in that alley in the Luminous Pearl Grotto.” The tall eunuch bowed slightly, his face full of guilt.

The Emperor of Great Sui waved his hand, “It has nothing to do with you, don’t dwell on it. By the way, has the maiden’s true identity been found out?”

The eunuch shook his head. “It’s difficult. We only know that she is from the Upside-Down Mountain side. It may be related to the Sword Qi Great Wall. It is truly troublesome.”

The Emperor of Great Sui sighed, “It’s normal that we can’t find out. After all, they are not from the same continent as those Northern Land sword cultivators. Once the Upside-Down Mountain and the Sword Qi Great Wall are involved, it becomes even more sensitive. Those two places have always been a major taboo in our world.”

The Emperor of Great Sui finally said helplessly, “The world is so vast, and there is more than one such place.”

Lin Shouyi now lived alone in a study hall. The other Sui students had moved to other places.

Today, the once deserted study hall had become lively.

Lin Shouyi leaned against his pillow, eyes closed, resting his mind.

Li Baoping hugged the narrow saber Auspicious Talisman, sitting on the edge of the bed with a dark face.

Li Huai stood a little further away, looking pitiful, as if he wanted to cry but didn’t dare to.

The boy mustered his courage and took a few steps forward, saying, “Why don’t I go apologize to those three people? The academy says that Li Changying is a Confucian sage, highly valued even by the Emperor of Great Sui, and that he’s a celestial being in the Middle Five Levels of cultivation. We can’t beat him.”

Li Baoping was like a wild cat whose tail had been stepped on, turning her head to stare fiercely at Li Huai, angrily saying, “Apologize for what? What have you learned, Li Huai! If Teacher and Little Master Uncle were here, they would be angered to death by you!”

Li Huai was startled, but this time he didn’t hide away to cry by himself. Instead, he stiffened his neck and sobbed, “It’s all because of me that Lin Shouyi was injured. I know this matter isn’t over. I’m not afraid of being beaten to death… But what about you, Li Baoping? If Chen Ping An knows that you were hurt because of me, he will hate me to death. He will definitely never pay attention to me for the rest of his life…”

Li Huai finally burst into tears, unable to stop the flow of tears no matter how he tried to wipe them away.

When Li Baoping saw Li Huai’s sad appearance, the angry words that had reached her lips were swallowed back into her stomach, and she said gloomily, “Li Huai, it’s not your fault in this matter. Don’t apologize. Don’t worry, even if I suffer a loss, Little Master Uncle won’t blame you…”

Speaking of this, Li Baoping looked at Li Huai with firm eyes, “Because if Little Master Uncle were here, he would say the same thing to you: Li Huai, you are right!”

The mere mention of Chen Ping An made Li Huai even sadder. He squatted on the ground and howled, sobbing uncontrollably, “Everyone in the academy is bad. If Chen Ping An was here, he wouldn’t have let Lin Shouyi get hurt, and he wouldn’t have let you be scolded, Li Baoping…”

Lin Shouyi, who was covered in the scent of medicinal herbs, sighed softly, not opening his eyes, just revealing a wry smile.
Lin Shuyi knew that someone was definitely fanning the flames behind this matter. He couldn’t fathom the open ploys of the court or the secret schemes of families, but if Chen Ping’an really stayed at the academy, things might escalate even further… But even so, at least the three people in the room wouldn’t be so lost, as if they had lost their backbone, and nothing they did seemed right, because they felt unsure about everything. They were used to having Chen Ping’an around.

These past few days, Lin Shuyi had been lying in bed, thinking about many things. Only now did Lin Shuyi understand the weight Chen Ping’an carried on his shoulders during so many thrilling decisions, like Chessboard Mountain, the Bride Ghost, and facing Zhu Lu’s assassination. He also understood how tedious and painstaking those seemingly insignificant decisions were, such as who would light the fire and cook, who would keep watch at night, how to choose the route, and which scenic spots they had to visit.

A teasing voice rang out at the door, “Oh, our General Li Huai is crying so sadly.”

Lin Shuyi opened his eyes and smiled, “You’re here.”

Li Baoping’s face was filled with hesitation when she saw that familiar figure.

Li Huai turned his head, staring blankly at the slender, tanned girl, sniffled, and continued to sob with his head down.

Xie Xie leaned against the doorframe, “If you can’t beat them, endure it. What’s the big deal?”

Li Baoping wanted to say something, but stopped herself.

Xie Xie sighed, “There’s no way. Even if you lent me the Auspicious Talisman Saber, I couldn’t beat that hypocrite named Li Changying.” As she said this, she felt helpless. If it weren’t for those sinister Dragon Trapping Nails imprisoning most of her cultivation, she, Xie Lingyue, wouldn’t be so constrained.

Xie Xie suddenly turned her head, somewhat surprised.

That uninvited guest slowly walked over, his hands in his sleeves. The tall youth stood smiling at the door, looking at Xie Xie the girl standing beside him, Li Huai squatting, Li Baoping sitting, and Lin Shuyi lying down, one by one. Only then did he softly ask with a smile, “Don’t blame me for being late. I thought you could handle it before.”

Lin Shuyi closed his eyes again, obviously not fond of this Lu clan remnant with his deep thoughts.

Yu Lu wasn’t annoyed by this, but he restrained his smile, “I came here this time just to ask one question. If Chen Ping’an were here, what would he do?”

Li Huai inexplicably recalled the incident on the Embroidered River ferry and said in a low voice, “Chen Ping’an would reason things out first.”

Li Baoping’s eyes sparkled, “After reasoning, if the other party still seemed reasonable but wasn’t reasonable at all, Little Master-Uncle would use his fists to reason again!”

The corners of Lin Shuyi’s mouth turned up, revealing nothing.

Yu Lu gave an “Oh” and said, “Then I understand.”

The tall youth turned around and left, carefree and unburdened.

Xie Xie frowned and asked, “What are you going to do?”

Yu Lu turned his back to the girl, waved his hand, and left dashingly, “On the way here, Chen Ping’an always kept the first half of the night watch, and I was responsible for the second half. It was like this before, and it should be like this in the future.”

Li Huai was a little confused.

Li Baoping’s eyes widened, and she looked at Lin Shuyi, “Yu Lu isn’t going to make trouble for that hypocrite, is he?”

Lin Shuyi doubted, “It shouldn’t be.”

Xie Xie wondered, “But I think it looks like he’s going to pick a fight.”

Li Changying liked to read and was good at reading. Not only did he have a photographic memory, but he could also infer other things from one instance. He was a true seed of a scholar. Therefore, the newly built library of Cliffside Academy was his favorite place to be.

The library didn’t have a curfew. Late one night, Li Changying was reading alone by candlelight when he suddenly looked up and smiled, “You’re Yu Lu, aren’t you? What brings you here?”

Yu Lu had his hands in his sleeves. The tall youth habitually leaned slightly forward and nodded with a smile, “Yes.”

Li Changying, dressed in a Confucian robe and as graceful as a jade tree, stood up with a smile on his face, “Please speak.”

Yu Lu reached out a hand from his sleeve and tossed a bag to Li Changying, filled with silver.

Li Changying asked in confusion, “This is?”

Li Changying suddenly tensed up, as if facing a formidable enemy.

He saw that the tall youth, who had always been polite, harmless, and courteous, was slowly walking forward, his smile bright, “This is money for you to buy medicine. If it’s not enough, allow me to owe you for now.”

First, set a small goal, such as 1 second: