He glanced at his younger cousin, whose face remained expressionless.
“I’m deeply honored by the kindness of you two elders,” Xu Qi An said, unsure of the situation and not daring to agree. “However, I practice martial arts. Although I studied in my youth, my academic pursuits have been neglected lately.”
“No matter,” Li Mubai chuckled, stroking his goatee. “Learning is a lifelong endeavor. It’s never too late.”
Such favor towards me… Xu Qi An was shocked.
He thought for a moment, then had an idea. Looking at his cousin again, he smiled and said, “Indeed, the sea of knowledge is boundless. This junior does have a talent for study, and I’m grateful for the two master’s recognitions. If I were to join the academy, I would surely surpass Cijiubefore long.”
Hearing this, Xu Cijiu snorted, “Hmph,” and said proudly, “My teacher and Master Mubai are impressed by your poetry, such as ‘Sending Yang Gongzhi to Qingzhou from Mianyang Pavilion’.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the second young master’s face stiffened. He didn’t dare look at his teacher and Li Mubai, lowering his head slightly.
Mianyang Pavilion sending Yang Gongzhi to Qingzhou… Yang Gong… So that’s how it is… Xu Qi An, having baited his proud and sharp-tongued cousin, understood the situation upon hearing these words.
After pondering for a moment, he grasped the intentions of the two great scholars.
This was indeed a shortcut to historical fame. One need only consider the example of Wang Lun to understand. This gentleman had simply flattered Li Bai well, and effortlessly achieved lasting fame, remembered to this day.
From this, one can see that flattery is also a skilled art.
Ancient flatterers, flattering close friends to achieve lasting fame.
Modern flatterers, flattering goddesses until they have nothing left.
Revering the ancient and despising the modern is not unjustified.
The path to officialdom through Yunlu Academy was extremely difficult, and without becoming a high-ranking official, one naturally couldn’t be written into the history books. This made Xu Qi An’s poetry even more significant.
These crafty old men… Xu Qi An’s mouth twitched, feeling somewhat dissatisfied because they weren’t interested in taking him as a disciple for his talent and integrity.
They were coveting his poetry.
The two great scholars, thick-skinned as they were, maintained their smiles.
Xu Qi An pondered for a moment: “Thank you both for your favor. Ning Yan is devoted to learning, so it would be impolite to refuse. I’ve recently been inspired and have composed a few good poems. After resolving this current matter, I’ll visit the two teachers at Yunlu Academy.”
Two teachers… Li Mubai thought, Xu Cijiu’s elder cousin seems to be much more astute than he is… He breathed a slight sigh of relief, his face breaking into a smile.
If he had to compete with Zhang Shen for a disciple, given the latter’s relationship with Xu Cijiu, his chances of winning weren’t very high.
Xu Qi An’s words were well-spoken.
“In that case, we’ll be waiting for you at Yunlu Academy,” Zhang Shen said, then looked deeply at Xu Xinnian:
“Cijiu, to cultivate oneself, one must first nurture one’s nature. You’ve been enlightened for a year now, yet you still haven’t broken through to the Self-Cultivation Realm… Hmm, go home and copy the Sage’s sayings three hundred times. Bring them to me in ten days.”
Xu Xinnian was thunderstruck.
“This old man takes thirty zhang in one step.” Zhang Shen turned around, took a step, and disappeared.
Li Mubai deliberately showed off, drawing a circle around himself with his toe. He looked at Xu Qi An and said in a deep voice, “Within three inches of this old man is not here but at the city gate.”
With that, his figure abruptly vanished.
Xu Qi An’s eyes widened!
“Cijiu, what realm are these two great scholars in?”
Xu Xinnian, still not free from the despair of three hundred copies of Sage’s sayings, replied as Second Uncle Xu said, “I’ve heard from Nian’er that it’s the fifth rank of Confucianism: Moral Conduct.”
He enthusiastically shared with his nephew what he had seen outside the city.
As long as I boast big enough, is there anything in the world I can’t do? Xu Qi An was shocked once again.
Xu Xinnian exhaled a turbid breath, looking somewhat regretfully at Xu Dalang who had tricked him. He said irritably, “The Moral Conduct Realm can regulate one’s behavior and manipulate others with words.
“The core ability of this realm is the initial mastery of the truth that words can become law, allowing one to alter the laws of things to some extent. Therefore, it has another name, called ‘disrupting law with culture’.
“Of course, techniques like those of the two great scholars are not something an ordinary Moral Conduct practitioner can achieve.”
The two martial artists listened with rapt attention. Second Uncle Xu lamented, “All the major systems have mystical aspects, only martial artists are just brutes.”
So they’re crude… The proud Confucian scholar Xu Xinnian considered that both these crude men outranked him and had ample reason to use force, so he didn’t voice this thought.
Then he noticed his elder cousin looking at him intently.
“Second Brother…”
“Hmm?”
“Your elder brother has treated you well.”
“Brother, before you say that, please touch your conscience.”
“Your elder brother has a favor to ask.”
“…Speak.”
“In the future, when Second Brother reaches the Moral Conduct Realm, I need a promise from you.”
“…Speak.”
“Second Brother must say to me: ‘Where is elder brother’s Diaochan? Oh, elder brother’s ‘carving’ is wrapped around his waist.'”
“You’re vulgar!” Second Young Master Xu stormed off.
Xu Pingzhi listened to his nephew’s words and fell into deep thought.