In the evening, lamps were lit in every house in the small town, and smoke curled from the chimneys.
Gu Lingyu led the donkey, looking at the houses on both sides, a smile on his lips. The life here was much richer than that of the Imperial Academy in Baidi City. Was it here that Mr. Qin opened a bookstore back then? Although Mr. Qin didn't open a school to take disciples on Xueyu Tianchi, he had taught an excellent disciple, the younger Martial Uncle Lin Zhao.
Lin Baiyi of Xueyu Tianchi, who in the world did not know him?
Gu Lingyu also wanted to meet this younger Martial Uncle. Liu Xing Shu, a fellow disciple from Baidi City, had said that the wine they drank that evening was extremely enjoyable. Liu Xing Shu had almost praised this younger Martial Uncle to the heavens, calling him a born scholar. Now, although Gu Lingyu was not a Confucian sage, he was only one step away from the thirteenth realm of a Confucian saint, so he was even more eager to meet this younger Martial Uncle whom he had never met before.
"This way!"
Ahead, Tang Guangjun, the scruffy man leading the way, pointed to the right. It was an academy in a very good location in the town. The academy occupied a large area, but there was no one inside. Only a few naughty children were playing. Clearly, this academy was empty.
"This big?"
Gu Lingyu was surprised.
"It wasn't like this before," Tang Guangjun grinned and said, "Master said that Mr. Qin's bookstore was actually not big before, only a tiny place. When this academy was rebuilt, it occupied the houses of the Zhang physician next door and the Lu carpenter, plus the land behind, which is how it became this large."
"Is that so..."
Gu Lingyu smiled slightly and said nothing more.
At night, the intersection in front of the stone bridge in the small town was very lively. A warrior of the second realm was performing for money, performing feats like "golden spear locks the throat" and "chest crushes large stones" with ease. The Xueyu cavalry patrolling the town did not drive them away. They even sat on their horses and watched from afar, applauding and cheering at the exciting parts. Not far away, there were stalls selling candied hawthorns and snacks. The vendor, with a face full of wrinkles and a beaming smile, spoke with a northern accent of the Great Shang Dynasty.
Gu Lingyu led the donkey, walking and watching, a smile on his lips.
Further ahead, under the bright red lanterns, a lean man with a mustache was telling stories. He spoke of a battle at Xueyu Tianchi, of the incredibly powerful Soldier Sage who repelled the Demon Ancestor and the Demon Emperor with two swords. He spoke vividly, gesturing enthusiastically at the exciting parts, making a group of town children laugh and clap.
Gu Lingyu's smile grew more pronounced. Looking at the children, their eyes were wide open, their emotions completely following the storyteller. When he spoke of the Confucian Sage Qin Suihan fighting against the sea of heavens with his sword, the children's hearts tightened. They widened their eyes, and a little girl asked, "Storyteller, are scholars really that powerful? Do scholars also use swords? Is it... only sword cultivators who can wield swords with divine skill?"
The lean man scoffed, "Little girl, what do you know? Give me your candied hawthorn, and I'll tell you why scholars also use swords."
"Oh..."
The little girl was not stingy. She pinched a candied hawthorn with her thumb and forefinger, pulled it off the skewer, and ran forward to put it in the lean man's mouth. "Can you tell me now?"
"Yes!"
The lean man, beaming with pride, placed one leg on the bench and chuckled, "Scholars are amazing. What do scholars seek? It is self-restraint and returning to propriety, and cultivating one's state of mind. All scholars in the world want to become gentlemen and sages, and gentlemen wear swords. This has been the principle since ancient times. Therefore, if a scholar can truly read well, his swordsmanship will surely not be bad."
"Ah?! Is that so?"
The little girl's eyes widened, and the other children also stared with wide eyes.
"Look!"
The lean man lightly pointed at Gu Lingyu and his group and said with a smile, "There are a few traveling scholars there. Each of them has a sword sticking out of their book box. See? That is the rule of scholars. How can a gentleman not wear a sword?!"
Instantly, a group of children looked over in unison.
Gu Lingyu smiled and shook his head, then bowed to the children.
What abundant vegetation!
Gu Lingyu did not say it aloud, but he was very happy in his heart. The town governed by his younger Martial Uncle at Xueyu Tianchi was indeed completely different from the places governed by the Great Shang Dynasty.
...
Mountain Peak Villa.
Tang Guangjun went ahead to inform Lin Zhao that a group of scholars were coming up the mountain. One of them was even the Grand Preceptor of the Imperial Academy of the Great Shang Dynasty, a very important position. Tang Guangjun even rubbed his nose and said confidently, "Mountain Master, these scholars are truly well-read, but they are here for Mr. Qin, the Confucian Sage. If you can keep them, the seeds of scholarship in our Xueyu Tianchi will flourish, just like Mr. Qin back then, leaving some literary fortune for the northern part of the human world, a contribution for all ages!"
Lin Zhao deeply agreed. This Tang Guangjun had become much more sensible recently, and his considerations were more far-reaching.
Therefore, Lin Zhao grabbed a torch and rushed down the mountain path to meet Gu Lingyu and his group.
"Wait!"
Tang Guangjun quickly snatched the torch. "How can such a small matter trouble the Mountain Master? Let me, Tang Guangjun, do it."
Lin Zhao did not mind. He went down the mountain with Tang Guangjun to meet them. On the mountain path, they saw a group of scholars leading donkeys up the mountain. It was hard on the donkeys, not only having to carry heavy book boxes but also to climb the mountain.
"..."
Gu Lingyu looked up. The young sword cultivator was coming down the mountain, and Tang Guangjun beside him held a torch, his expression extremely respectful. Could he be Qin Suihan's disciple, his own younger Martial Uncle, the legendary Lin Baiyi of Xueyu Tianchi? He looked so young!
"Lin Zhao of Xueyu Tianchi, greetings to the Grand Preceptor of the Imperial Academy."
Lin Zhao cupped his fists respectfully.
Gu Lingyu immediately returned the bow and said, "Gu Lingyu of the Confucian Academy... May I ask, are you the Mountain Master Lin Zhao? Qin Suihan's disciple?"
"Yes."
Lin Zhao did not deny it and said, "Does Young Master know my Mr. Qin?"
Instantly, Gu Lingyu's nose tingled. "Gu Lingyu is a disciple of Mr. Zi Huai. My teacher is the senior Martial Brother of my two Martial Uncles, Wen Liang and Gu Zixi. And my teacher is Mr. Qin's Martial Nephew. In terms of seniority, Mountain Master is Lingyu's younger Martial Uncle..."
"Ah?"
Lin Zhao was somewhat flustered. This person was a scholar of the twelfth realm, and a virtuous gentleman of the Confucian Academy. How could he, a mere Golden Core sword cultivator, be qualified to be their younger Martial Uncle?
Gu Lingyu bowed again, his waist bent extremely low, and said softly, "Gu Lingyu, greetings to my younger Martial Uncle!"
"..."
Lin Zhao was somewhat at a loss. After a few seconds, he hurried forward and said, "Are you really the Martial Nephew of Wen Liang and Gu Zixi?"
"Yes!"
Gu Lingyu nodded heavily and said, "Has younger Martial Uncle met Martial Uncles Wen Liang and Gu Zixi?"
"Yes, a hundred years ago, we ate hot pot and drank together."
Lin Zhao frowned. "It's a pity that both died heroically in battle."
Gu Lingyu said, "It is common for scholars to die for the Dao."
Saying this, he turned to a group of disciples and said, "Why aren't you all coming forward to greet my younger Martial Uncle?"
A group of young disciples hurried forward, but for a moment they didn't know what to call him.
Lin Zhao chuckled, "No need to be polite. Just call me Mountain Master. Everyone here at Mountain Peak Villa calls me that."
Then, Lin Zhao said, "Let's go to Tianran Ju to rest a bit. You haven't eaten anything, have you? I'll have Dongcang prepare a table of food."
"Thank you, younger Martial Uncle!"
Gu Zixi's attitude was extremely respectful. This young sword cultivator before him was of the same generation as his teacher! The seniority was simply too high!
...
After dinner.
Lin Zhao and Gu Lingyu sat by the lotus pond, admiring the moon. In the distant pavilion, Su Qingjiu was refining her flying sword. Gu Lingyu dared not disturb her, not even daring to look. Although the woman was extremely beautiful, scholars should not look at what is improper, and she was also a sword immortal of the twelfth realm. Lin Zhao saw all of this and knew that his nephew's conduct was impeccable.
"Lingyu."
Lin Zhao watched the ripples of the fish tails in the lotus pond and said, "You resigned from your position as Grand Preceptor and are traveling the world. Have you ever thought about settling down, perhaps finding a place to open a school and teach, so that the scholarship of your own lineage can flourish?"
"I was just about to tell younger Martial Uncle."
Gu Lingyu nodded and said, "When I came to Mountain Peak Villa, Lingyu passed through Tianchi Town and saw that there was an empty academy in Tianchi Town. It is a great pity that so many children in the town who can study are wasting their time. So, Lingyu dares to ask younger Martial Uncle to bestow this academy upon me. This was where Mr. Qin studied. Lingyu wants to bring his disciples there to open an academy, to teach children to read and write, and also to teach the principles and knowledge from the books of the sages."
Lin Zhao couldn't help but chuckle. "I was thinking the same thing! That academy has always been empty, it doesn't even have a name, and there are hardly any scholars on Xueyu Tianchi. Those in the upper five realms are good at fighting, but truly not at studying. I was thinking before if I could get to know some scholars from the Confucian school, but I never expected Lingyu himself to come up the mountain."
Gu Lingyu chuckled lightly. "So, does younger Martial Uncle agree?"
"Yes, I agree!"
Lin Zhao nodded. "You are welcome to use that academy. All expenses for opening the academy will be borne by Mountain Peak Villa. I have no other requirements, except that the children in the town can read and understand, and from now on, flourish."
"Yes!"
Gu Lingyu nodded. "Then shall we... make arrangements tonight?"
"Good!"
Lin Zhao nodded and chuckled. Gu Lingyu's arrival had clearly strengthened the power of Xueyu Tianchi. Although he was a scholar, he was a scholar of the twelfth realm who carried a sword, and his combat power was very strong. Thinking of this, he glanced at Su Qingjiu in the pavilion again, then looked at the Qingliang Sect, and frowned. It was still not stable enough. Zhao Jingyu, the ancestor of the Qingliang Sect, was a thirteenth realm cultivator. Even if Little Jiu'er, Gu Lingyu, Nü Zhi, Mu Gua, Chen Ben, and Chu Yu, joined forces, they might not be able to defeat him.
Moreover, the Qingliang Sect also had Zhao Suiguang, a twelfth realm cultivator. No, no, it wasn't stable enough. They would have to wait for Chen Ben and Chu Yu to enter the upper five realms, and Nü Zhi to enter the twelfth realm. But these things depended on fate and happened naturally, they couldn't be rushed.
...
Night fell.
Qingliang Mountain, Qianlong Abyss, Panlong Pillar.
The dying Huang Tingyu drooped his head. After a long while, he raised his head and looked at the sky above. He felt helpless and muttered to himself, "Why hasn't my little brother Lin Zhao come yet? Is he being too cautious? Damn it, Old Huang hasn't had a drink or seen a woman's legs for a hundred years. How can I endure this?"