Chen Pingan walked out of the city gate and stood by the bustling official road to rest. Not far away was a tea stall.

After a moment of hesitation, Chen Pingan bought a bowl of tea and sat down to drink.

The youth, who almost never regretted anything, began to regret leaving the Great Sui capital so quickly.

Just as Cui Chan had said, what if Bao Ping and the others were bullied and he wasn’t there to help?

Chen Pingan’s horizons might be limited, but he wasn’t without perception of the goodness and badness of people’s hearts. Because he had never lived an easy life since he was young, and he had truly used all his means just to survive, Chen Pingan understood the disappointments of life and the ugly side of people’s hearts more than Li Bao Ping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi.

Especially during the journey with Cui Chan, through this cheap student’s casual chatter, Chen Pingan increasingly understood one thing: a big official hat doesn’t necessarily mean a smart person, and great learning doesn’t necessarily mean a good person.

Chen Pingan drank his tea, looked at the city wall, and silently made up his mind.

Eastern Flower Mountain, Cliff Academy, a hall with a plaque reading “Pine Waves,” which the common people liked to call the Master’s Courtyard or the Teacher’s Residence.

The current nominal Mountain Master, the Minister of Rites of the Great Sui, was drinking tea, enjoying a rare moment of leisure, with a relaxed expression. The seven or eight people present were all teachers of the academy, mostly old, and all three Vice Mountain Masters were present. One of them, an old man with a square face and a Confucian robe, after holding back for a while, finally couldn’t help but complain, “These children are too mischievous!”

It seemed that after uttering the comment “mischievous,” the old master was still not satisfied and added, “Extremely unruly!”

You should know that this Vice Mountain Master was not only a dedicated scholar responsible for large-scale lectures at the new academy, but also a proper “Junzi” (gentleman). The old man’s name had long been recorded in a Confucian academy, so his words carried more weight than ordinary so-called literary figures and leaders of the scholar-official class.

The Minister of Rites was a short, amiable old man with an unremarkable appearance. If not for the official robes he hadn’t had time to take off, it would be hard to imagine that he was a high-ranking official of the second rank in the central government. Moreover, the Great Sui revered literature; for example, the title of Grand Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel in the Great Li was given to the Minister of Rites in the Great Sui.

The short old man didn’t feel that the Vice Mountain Master’s words had spoiled his mood and said with a smile, “Tell me, how exactly are they mischievous?”

The Vice Mountain Master said angrily, “Lin Shouyi has excellent talent and a good foundation in scripture, quite solid, but it’s just that personality of his, alas, he often skips classes to browse miscellaneous books in the library. And if he just looked, that’d be fine, but he hasn’t read half a Confucian classic, but rather many unorthodox Taoist secrets. In such a short time, he’s borrowed twenty or thirty of them. What kind of system is this? It’s not that Confucian disciples can’t read Taoist books, but at such a young age, where does he have the qualifications to talk about drawing inferences? If he goes astray, how can we explain it to… the original Mountain Master?”

The short old man nodded slightly, his tea-drinking speed noticeably slowing down.

The Vice Mountain Master became more and more angry as he spoke, “And that little girl Li Bao Ping is even more lawless. During class, she often wanders ten thousand miles away in her thoughts, completely unaware of respecting teachers and valuing the Dao. If she’s not looking at that tattered book of landscape travelogues, she’s drawing little people in the book. Hey, that’s right, they’re still the fighting stances of those martial arts barbarians!”

The short old man held back his laughter, remained noncommittal, and lowered his head to take a sip of tea.

The Vice Mountain Master continued, “The youngest, Li Huai… is honest and well-behaved, doesn’t skip classes, doesn’t make trouble, and does all the homework assigned by the teacher every time. But his comprehension is really… how does it feel like an uncarved log? He’s always dozing off in class, drowsy, with drool all over the table. Where is there even a hint of being the original Mountain Master’s personal disciple? Alas, it’s making this old man worry to death.”

A relatively younger Vice Mountain Master joked, “Minister of Rites, our Liu Mountain Master has plucked out many strands of his beard.”

The square-faced old man retorted sternly, “Just a Vice Mountain Master!”

The short old man laughed heartily, put down his teacup to the side, and asked, “Is there no good news at all? If it’s like this, I won’t dare to come next time.”

The square-faced old man’s mood improved slightly, and he nodded, “Yes, strangely enough, it’s those two young people, Yu Lu and Xie Xie, who are outstanding, more like pure reading seeds of our Confucianism. Their interaction with people is very normal, and they are usually respectful of teachers and value the Dao. Especially the young Yu Lu, who is gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, and yielding, is simply a talented disciple from the top clans of our Great Sui, and seems more worthy of key cultivation.”

The short old man was still not in a hurry to draw conclusions, and smiled as he looked at a tall old man who had been secretly dozing off, “Elder Mao, what do you say?”

The tall old man with a long strip of redwood at his waist was startled when he was called out, opened his eyes in confusion, and said, “What? Minister of Rites, are you leaving already? Not staying a little longer?”

The Minister of Rites was still smiling, “Since Elder Mao is sincerely requesting me to stay a little longer, then I’ll stay a little longer?”

The Master’s Courtyard was immediately filled with laughter.

The short old man patiently explained the Vice Mountain Master’s complaints in a concise manner. After the tall old man surnamed Mao heard this, he had a look of sudden realization, “So that’s how it is. Then I really have a few words to say.”

The short old man joked, “We are all ears.”

The tall old man sat up straight and asked, “Is Qi Jingchun’s learning greater, or is the learning of everyone here greater?”

There was silence.

Wasn’t that nonsense?

The tall old man asked again, “Then is Qi Jingchun’s vision better, or is the vision of you gentlemen better?”

Alright, more nonsense.

The square-faced Vice Mountain Master pondered for a moment, didn’t directly refute anything, but lowered his voice slightly and asked, “Elder Mao, that Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven, now the county town of Longquan County in the Great Li, is just such a small place. It is said that there are only five or six thousand people in total. There certainly aren’t many children suitable for elementary education. Could it be that Mr. Qi really didn’t have a choice there?”

The tall old man was Mao Xiaodong of the academy. He was the one who helped the saint Qi Jingchun build the Cliff Academy of the Great Li bit by bit. Regardless of his cultivation, qualifications, seniority, or moral learning, he was undoubtedly the first person in the academy, so everyone, including the Minister of Rites, was willing to respectfully call him Elder Mao.

After Mao Xiaodong heard Vice Mountain Master Liu’s inquiry, he laughed and said, “Of course it’s possible, and this isn’t just a ‘possibility,’ it’s the absolute truth!”

Everyone was dumbfounded.
Mao Xiaodong surveyed the surroundings, “It is your Great Sui that needs these children, preferably each one a genius, shining brilliantly, and striving for them to voluntarily choose to remain in the Great Sui court after they grow up, to bring glory to your faces, and incidentally slap the face of Great Li. I don’t have such pointless ideas…”

The Minister of Rites hastily coughed softly, then naturally reached for his teacup, and lowered his head to drink.

The tall old man didn’t care about such things, and continued to speak without restraint, “If it were me, those little fellows personally taught by Qi Jingchun would eat and drink as they please. If they want to learn, they can learn; if they want to slack off, they can slack off. Whether they become successful in the future, I couldn’t care less. As the Deputy Mountain Master in charge of the academy’s affairs, I have so many students under me, and there will only be more each year. Where would I have the time and energy to listen to your complaints about these children climbing trees, skipping classes, and drawing doodles?”

The officials below looked at each other in dismay.

The short old man sitting in the main seat continued to drink tea calmly, although there was no tea left in his cup.

The tall old man smiled and stood up, “I’m going to check on the book engraving matters in Chongwen Ward. This is a matter of utmost importance, and must be closely watched. I won’t keep the Minister company for tea.”

The short old man followed suit, standing up with a gentle expression, “Then I won’t delay the gentlemen’s time in imparting knowledge and teaching students.”

Mao Xiaodong complained, “Your Excellency, Minister, it’s not too late to leave after finishing your tea…”

The tall old man slightly stood on tiptoe, glancing at the teacup, “Oh dear, it’s finished? Your Excellency, you really are something. Have another cup, have another cup, give our academy some face, alright? If word gets out that we’re not treating you well, that would be terrible. What if the Ministry of Revenue, out of sympathy for the Minister of Personnel, deliberately cuts back on the funds needed for the academy’s Chongwen Ward to engrave books? Who would I complain to?”

The Minister, almost a head shorter than Mao Xiaodong, cupped his hands with a bitter face, “Old Mao, please spare me. Just treat you as the Mountain Master and me as the Deputy Mountain Master, alright?”

“Nope!” Mao Xiaodong laughed loudly and turned to leave.

After the tall old man left, the short old man looked helpless and huffed, “Originally, I came here to find some peace and quiet, but well, in the end I still got lectured. We’re still family, after all. I won’t dare to come here again in the future.”

A burst of laughter echoed within the Sage’s Courtyard, and even the square-faced Deputy Mountain Master couldn’t help but smile.

The atmosphere was harmonious.

The Eastern Flow Mountain within the Great Sui capital, compared to those Five Peaks, was not at all majestic, but it stood out as particularly tall and graceful among the smaller hills.

At the summit of the mountain was a thousand-year-old ginkgo tree. After spacing out for a while, a little girl in a red padded jacket hugged the tree trunk with familiarity and slid down in one go.

As a result, she saw an old scholar waiting for her, truly tall, grinning slyly. The old man didn’t look like a good person.

The tall old man asked, “At this hour, are you skipping class again?”

The little girl was honest, “Yes. I know the academy has rules, I accept the punishment.”

The old man smiled and asked, “What, did Qi Jingchun used to beat you with a board when you skipped class?”

The little girl shook her head, “Skipping class wasn’t punished. Teacher never cared about that, but if we misremembered something that Teacher taught in the academy classroom, he would remind us the first time, and beat us the second time.”

The old man said “oh” and asked curiously, “What were you looking at up there?”

The little girl was stunned for a moment, but considering the old man’s age, she answered, “The scenery.”

The old man became even more interested, “What scenery is so beautiful that I don’t know about?”

The little girl blinked her eyes, “Old sir, why don’t you climb up and see for yourself?”

“A scholar climbing a tree is beneath one’s dignity.”

The old man hurriedly waved his hand at first, then quickly realized something, “Oh, you’re thinking of breaking the rules together, so I won’t report you, right? Little girl, you’re quite clever.”

The little girl chuckled, then shook her head again.

The old man understood the little girl’s thoughts and asked, “What’s wrong? Am I wrong to say it’s beneath one’s dignity?”

The little girl patted her clothes and explained, “Before, when I got my kite stuck on a tree branch, it was Teacher who climbed the tree to help me get it down. And once, I threw Li Huai’s underpants up there, and then I ran home myself. Later, I heard that Teacher helped get them down too. Why are the scholars here at your academy always so particular about things like this…”

The old man helped correct her, “Not ‘your academy’, but ‘our academy’.”

The old man bent over, put his hands behind his back, and smiled at the little girl, asking, “Do you think your teacher, that fellow named Qi Jingchun, is better than the teachers here?”

The little girl sighed.

She thought to herself that this old sir was tall, but why did he always ask such unwise questions?

The old man said earnestly, “Ah, we have many rules. Besides not having as much knowledge as your teacher, we’re not entirely useless. There are reasons. ‘Follow your heart’s desire without overstepping the boundaries’, have you heard of this saying? What comes before it, do you know?”

The little girl nodded, “It’s ‘and seventeen’. What comes before that is ‘listen with your ear and sixteen’.”

The tall old man was stunned for a long time, unable to speak.

The old man’s knowledge was beyond imagination. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand the meaning, but he couldn’t figure out how such a strange answer could pop out of the little girl’s head.

The little girl waved her hand, preparing to leave, “Old sir, my name is Li Baoping, and I’m a student who just enrolled not long ago. I won’t evade punishment. I’ve already read all the rules, and I know that I have to copy an article within three days. I’ll go write it tonight and hand it in to Mr. Hong myself later. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Mr. Hong yourself.”

Li Baoping patted her chest, “Don’t worry, I write faster than I run!”

The old man didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and quickly stopped the little girl, who was full of heroic spirit, “I haven’t finished explaining the principle yet, don’t rush. Consider it as if you’ve already been punished after hearing my principle.”

Li Baoping had already started to make a running posture, but had to stop after hearing this, and stared, “Old sir, you say it, but if the principle isn’t explained well, I’ll just go back and copy the book.”

The old man was choked by the girl’s words, “Think about it, the Most Holy Teacher only dared to do this at this age. If ordinary people only care about being happy and don’t follow any rules, wouldn’t that be not very good?”

The little girl nodded, “Of course it wouldn’t be good.”
The old man laughed heartily, “Alright, I’ve finished explaining the principles, and you don’t need to copy books anymore.”

This time, it was Li BaoPing’s turn to be stunned, “That’s it?”

The little girl sighed heavily, glanced at the old gentleman, hesitated to speak, finally cupped her hands, and began to prepare to dash down the mountain.

The old man was amused, “Little girl, what was that look in your eyes just now? Did you think that I’m older than your Master Qi Jingchun, but the principles I understand aren’t as many as his, right?”

Li BaoPing slowly nodded, determined not to lie. Since the old gentleman had seen through it, she certainly wouldn’t deny it.

The old man smiled, “Then do you know that I just look old, while Qi Jingchun looks young? Actually, he’s older than me! So it’s not surprising that his knowledge is a little greater than mine.”

Li BaoPing looked doubtful.

The old man seemed somewhat exasperated, “Why would I deceive a little girl like you!”

Li BaoPing wasn’t in a hurry to go down the mountain anymore. She crossed her arms, walked a few steps to the left, then moved a few steps to the right, raised her head, and looked at the tall old man, asking a strange question, “Even if you’re younger than my Master, so your knowledge is less, why is it that my Little Shishu (Junior Uncle-Master), is even younger than you, but his knowledge is still greater than yours?”

The old man clucked his tongue, “Knowledge greater than mine? I really don’t believe that.”

Li BaoPing was a little anxious. She thought seriously, carefully looked around, then put a small hand to her mouth and whispered, “I’ll tell you, but don’t tell anyone else.”

Then she pointed to her head, “If my Master’s knowledge is this high,” she then gestured to her shoulder, “then my Little Shishu’s knowledge is at least this high!”

Li BaoPing then moved her hand to her ear, “When Little Shishu recognizes more words on the way home, his knowledge will quickly be this high!”

The old man was dumbfounded, and finally could only echo, “Then your Little Shishu is extraordinary, extraordinary!”

Li BaoPing nodded vigorously, “Of course! My Little Shishu is incredibly powerful!”

The old man suddenly said with emotion, “Powerful is good, powerful is good ah, if he’s powerful, he’ll be able to protect our little BaoPing in the future.”

Li BaoPing’s expression dimmed somewhat. She forced a smile, and with a *xiu*, she rushed out a long way, turning her head while running and waving goodbye, “I’m leaving! I think your knowledge is actually not bad either, it’s this high…”

The little girl wanted to gesture, but she was running too fast, lost her balance, and fell solidly to the ground. Then, with lightning speed, she quickly got up and ran down the mountain even faster.

The tall old man patted his waist. The “Rules” ruler appeared in its true form, gazing at the shrinking red figure. The old man sighed, “Jingchun, I should have met that young man.”

East Flower Mountain has a small lake. The lake water is crystal clear, planted with lush lotus flowers, but in the winter season, they are all withered leaves, appearing particularly desolate.

A tall young man held a green bamboo fishing rod, sitting by the shore fishing. People would point and whisper from time to time, but no one approached to chat.

Finally, a plain-looking, dark-skinned girl came to a stop beside the young man, “Is fishing interesting?”

Yu Lu nodded and smiled, “It’s interesting.”

Xie Xie asked, “What’s interesting about it?”

Yu Lu smiled and gave the answer, “I’m happy when the fish gets hooked, even if the fish runs away in the end, I’m still happy.”

Xie Xie was vaguely angry.

Yu Lu stared at the lake, suppressing a smile, and revealed the secret in one word, “Alright, alright, I’ll tell you the truth, I’m practicing martial arts.”

Yu Lu slowly explained, “Not to mention holding the rod, just my posture is exquisite. It has to be as still as a mountain, as moving as a river. Then, at the moment when the fish really bites, the transformation of my whole person’s movement and stillness is only in an instant, corresponding to the profound mystery of the Daoist Yin-Yang reversal. There’s a martial arts secret manual that says, ‘If one is still, everything is still; if one moves, all the bones follow.’ So my fishing like this can nourish the tendons and bones, and replenish the Yuan Qi.”

Xie Xie was dubious.

Yu Lu didn’t look at the girl from beginning to end, “If you say I’ve never practiced martial arts, that’s right, I’ve never practiced boxing stances, but if you say I’ve been practicing martial arts all along, that’s also right. When I eat, when I sleep, when I walk, and now when I fish, I’m thinking about the things in those martial arts secret manuals. Having a good background has the advantage that the family’s secret manuals, even if the rank isn’t too high, there are definitely not many mistakes, and many seemingly contradictory places in many boxing methods and sword classics are actually the greatest knowledge, especially fascinating.”

Xie Xie sat on the ground, hugged her knees, and looked at the slender fishing rod, “It’s such a pity that you don’t go up the mountain to cultivate.”

Yu Lu said aggrievedly, “Hey, hey, Miss Xie, don’t rub salt into my wounds like that.”

Xie Xie was silent for a moment, and said, “Finally living in peaceful times, I feel uneasy instead. What about you?”

The girl answered herself, “You, Yu Lu, definitely don’t care where you are. On this point, I’m indeed far inferior to you.”

Yu Lu turned his head without warning, shook his head, and said, “I like the time when I’m guarding the fire alone at night.”

Xie Xie asked in confusion, “Why?”

Yu Lu turned his head again, staring at the lake, “I don’t know, I just like it.”

Xie Xie smiled, “Then do you like her, the woman who almost became the crown princess?”

Yu Lu was expressionless at first, but soon smiled, answering irrelevantly, “Miss Xie, here, we must be cautious in our words and actions.”

Xie Xie smiled insincerely, “Li Huai came to me before, showing off his jade hairpin. You don’t have one?”

Yu Lu smiled, “You don’t have one either. It’s not strange that I don’t have one, but it’s not right that you don’t have one. Such a beautiful girl, sigh.”

Xie Xie said with a dark face, “Please be cautious in your words!”

Yu Lu suddenly shook his wrist, and the fishing rod bent into an extremely beautiful arc. The tall young man laughed, “Hooked!”

The girl got up and left, “There’s not a single good man!”

Yu Lu carefully reeled in the fish, while looking at the girl’s back, “Whether I’m a good thing or not is hard to say, but someone is really good, um, just a little biased, no book box, no hairpin, only straw sandals that everyone has, sigh, it’s really disappointing.”

Xie Xie turned around and strode towards Yu Lu.

Yu Lu quickly tried to remedy the situation, “I didn’t mean anything else, we’re all the same, we suffer not from scarcity but from inequality, don’t misunderstand…”
The girl didn’t seem to want to stop. Yu Lu abandoned his fishing rod, not even bothering with the hooked fish, and ran for his life.

Xie took the fishing rod on the bank that hadn’t been dragged far by the fish and threw it with all his might into the center of the lake before dusting off her hands and leaving.

Yu Lu was dumbfounded, this time genuinely infuriated. He muttered angrily, “If it were Chen Pingan’s fishing rod, would you dare try it? If you still dared to be so shrewish, I’d take your surname!”

Lin Shouyi, with a plain yellow jade hairpin adorning his hair, was a young man with slightly dark skin, yet his handsome features were undeniable. Although he gave the impression of being cold and aloof at Cliffside Academy, Lin Shouyi was still very popular with the girls. Although women in the Great Sui could not take the imperial examinations, it didn’t stop them from openly pursuing their studies, and they could stay at various academies before marriage.

Lin Shouyi, as always, went to the library to read whenever he encountered a class he didn’t like.

He was extremely conspicuous as he walked along.

Among the first batch of students at the new Cliffside Academy, the native-born Great Sui scholars were either wealthy or noble, coming from influential families in the capital or deeply rooted aristocratic clans in the regions. All were from families of great wealth and generations of officials.

Lin Shouyi’s appearance was like a clear spring flowing from the mountains, captivating many women.

Lin Shouyi’s aloofness only fueled the ambitions of those aristocratic women. They saw everything Lin Shouyi did as unique and unconventional. For example, the young man dressed simply, and his living arrangements were extremely basic, a world apart from the usual sons of powerful officials and nobles around them. Therefore, they considered it Lin Shouyi’s pure Confucian demeanor.

If these were the only reasons for approaching Lin Shouyi, it would be a superficial understanding. Some seemingly unnoticed details were the real driving force behind this affection.

For instance, Lin Shouyi was deeply valued by the great Confucian scholar Dong Jing, an elderly man renowned throughout the Great Sui court, recognized for his mastery of both Confucianism and Taoism. Dong Jing often summoned Lin Shouyi to his simple thatched cottage to impart his knowledge privately.

Whenever there were thunderstorms, he would personally take Lin Shouyi to Iron Tree Mountain, the highest point in the Great Sui capital. As for the reasons, outsiders at the academy, besides watching the spectacle, also tried to discern the underlying meaning. There were no airtight walls in the world. Dong Jing also had his close friends, especially a notorious drunkard. Soon, after a few good drinking sessions, he let slip some clues: Lin Shouyi was a cultivation genius, the likes of which were seen once in a hundred years. Once he cultivated Righteous Qi (浩然氣), coupled with the Five Thunder Righteous Method (五雷正法), he would undoubtedly be a celestial figure starting from the Middle Five Realms, and he was expected to reach the Sixth Realm before the age of twenty-five.

Simply put, this meant that Lin Shouyi, this cultivation genius, had the potential to aspire to the Tenth Realm, which far exceeded the scope of ordinary geniuses.

Suddenly, a breathless child ran up to Lin Shouyi. It was Li Huai. Upon seeing Lin Shouyi, he burst into heartbroken tears, sobbing, “Lin Shouyi, my painted clay figurine is gone! Someone stole it!”

Lin Shouyi asked, “Not lost?”

Li Huai shook his head desperately, “Impossible!”

“How many people live in your dormitory?”

“Four, including me.”

“Do you suspect anyone?”

Li Huai still shook his head.

Lin Shouyi frowned. Finally, he returned to his dormitory with Li Huai and took out a few silver notes from under his book chest. His family had sent this money to Red Candle Town’s Pillow Inn (枕頭驛) back then. The look on Lin Shouyi’s face after receiving the family letter that day was quite unpleasant.

Li Huai panicked, “What are you doing? I just want my painted clay figurine, I don’t want money!”

Lin Shouyi said, “After you return to your dormitory, tell your roommates that you lost your painted clay figurine in… well, just say anywhere. Whoever can help you find it, you’ll give him this money.”

Li Huai was bewildered, “Will that even work?”

Lin Shouyi said helplessly, “Let’s try it this way first.”

The next day, Li Huai happily found Lin Shouyi, “That method really worked!”

Lin Shouyi said annoyed, “Lock your chest properly from now on, and stop showing off your little trinkets.”

Li Huai said angrily, “Thanks are thanks, I’ll definitely pay you back later, but you’re not allowed to talk about them like that!”

Lin Shouyi raised his hand and slapped the little brat on the head, “Stop bothering me, I’m going to the library.”

“Be careful not to become a bookworm!” Li Huai made a face at Lin Shouyi and ran off in a puff of smoke.

A few days later, Li Huai found Lin Shouyi again with a mournful face, head drooping, hesitant to speak.

Lin Shouyi, blocked at the library entrance, sighed, “What is it this time? The painted clay figurine stolen again?”

The child said listlessly, “No, this time it’s the set of small clay figures…”

“Did you lock the chest properly?”

“I locked it, I promise! Two locks! I always keep the keys with me.”

Lin Shouyi had a headache and rubbed his temples. “I’ll go find Mr. Dong and see if he has any ideas. This can’t go on like this.”

Li Huai suddenly raised his head, forcing a smile, “Forget it, I’ll look for them myself again, maybe they’ll just run back on their own.”

Without waiting for Lin Shouyi to stop him, Li Huai had already run away, ignoring his calls.

Li Huai and Li Baoping happened to be in class together today. After class, Li Baoping found Li Huai, who was deliberately avoiding her, and couldn’t help but ask, seeing his swollen mouth, “What happened?”

Li Huai shrank his neck, “Fell.”

Li Baoping glared, “Tell me!”

Li Huai pouted, about to cry, trying his best to hold it back, becoming even more pitiful, “Argued with someone, couldn’t beat them.”

“Who!”

“My roommates… but I fought three of them alone, didn’t let you down!”

“Let’s go!”

The little girl was so decisive, using at most two words in a sentence.

She issued orders to Li Huai, “You go wait for me at your dormitory, hurry up! I’ll be there soon!”

Li Huai returned to his dormitory uneasily. The three roommates, only slightly older than him, were chatting in a group, completely ignoring him. However, the looks they gave Li Huai were filled with mockery and disdain. This country bumpkin from Da Li was bad at studying, spoke crudely, and exuded a rustic air all over. He even treasured his broken book chest, and the key point was that the book chest actually contained straw sandals, more than one pair!

Li Huai silently walked to the threshold of the dormitory and squatted there, drawing circles on the ground. Before long, Li Huai saw Li Baoping approaching aggressively, carrying that narrow knife named Xiangfu…
Li Huai was so frightened he nearly couldn’t stand. With great effort, he rose, his legs somewhat weak. He swallowed and said in a low voice, “Bao Ping, do we need to bring a blade for a fight?”

Li Bao Ping glared at him and pushed him aside, striding into the schoolhouse, “Fighting doesn’t need it, but does getting beaten need it? Get out of the way!”

Though Li Huai was sweating profusely from fear, he gritted his teeth and quickly followed her, calling out, “Li Bao Ping, wait for me!”

Li Bao Ping looked at the three fellows, raised the sheathed narrow saber, and said coldly, “Whoever stole Li Huai’s clay figurine, hand it over!”

The three of them were initially dumbfounded, then burst into laughter.

Li Bao Ping’s anger intensified, “Whoever hit Li Huai, step forward!”

The three glanced at each other, then rolled their eyes.

Li Bao Ping, wielding the narrow saber, proceeded to give the three little bastards a thorough thrashing.

Despite her not being particularly tall, Li Bao Ping’s strength was honestly earned from hard work since childhood, coupled with her having practiced boxing with Chen Ping An and traveled over mountains and rivers. Dealing with a few pampered sons, weaker than embroidered pillows, was a cinch. Furthermore, in a battle between two armies, momentum was crucial. Li Bao Ping’s first move was already earth-shattering; she struck with lightning speed, sweeping the saber’s sheath, hitting a roughly ten-year-old boy’s cheek hard, sending him spinning. Then, she brought the sheath down on the head of the second poor wretch, causing him to cry out in pain. The third one dared not fight back and quickly ran, but Li Bao Ping caught up and kicked him in the back, sending him crashing into the bed, both in pain and terrified. He simply lay there pretending to be dead.

Li Bao Ping swept her gaze across them, pointing at them with the sheath’s end, “Today, obediently return that set of clay figurines to Li Huai! From now on, whoever dares to bully Li Huai again, I’ll beat you until your own parents won’t recognize you! Li Bao Ping keeps her word!”

Li Bao Ping saw one fellow secretly looking up at her, she raised her arm, ready to bring the sheath down, scaring the fellow into retreating quickly.

Li Bao Ping sneered repeatedly, turned around angrily, and saw Li Huai standing inside the threshold, causing her anger to surge, “Li Huai! You’re such a coward! Don’t you ever call Shishu (小師叔) with me again! If you dare to, I’ll beat you every time!”

As if hit on a sore spot, Li Huai squatted down, hugging his head and sobbing.

Glancing askance at Li Huai, Li Bao Ping seemed even angrier than when she arrived. Holding the narrow saber, she left in a huff.

Inside the room, a boy with a large bump on his head said furiously, “This isn’t over! I’ll let this little shrew know who she hit!”

Two days later.

Inside the Academy Master’s courtyard, the deputy mountain master with a square face slammed his chair’s armrest, “Lawless! Outrageous! In broad daylight, from the young to the old, daring to publicly brawl! Not a single one was spared! This matter, no one is excused! These reading seeds, the hope of the Great Sui, how terrible can they possibly be!”

The others all looked at the tall old man who, unusually, wasn’t dozing off. The old man pondered for a moment and nodded, “Then let it be so.”

Someone gathered their courage and asked quietly, “Elder Mao, what is ‘so’?”

The tall old man’s expression was indifferent, as if speaking in riddles, “It is just ‘so’.”

With this declaration, even the square-faced great scholar who possessed the identity of a Junzi (君子, gentleman) felt a chill run down his neck.

(End of Chapter)