Di Guo knocks on the gate

...

The next morning, Xu Xian and Yang Xu continued to oversee security at Liuzhai.

Yang Xu's left arm bandage was finally removed, and he put on a lightweight wristband, making him look much more energetic.

He stood at the entrance of Liuzhai, one hand on the hilt of his knife, his eyes scanning the flow of people coming and going like an eagle.

Xu Xian leaned against a stone pillar, holding a cup of cold tea he had swiped from a tea stall, sipping it intermittently.

Zhang Hu and Zhao Bao stood a few steps away, each holding a bag of roasted chestnuts, competing to see who could peel them faster.

Yesterday, apart from catching a few petty thieves who took advantage of the chaos to steal chickens and dogs, nothing else happened.

Yang Xu's assessment was that the thieves in Kyoto were probably scared away by the assassins from Hao Zai Lai. After all, when assassins block people in the street, thieves have to go around them.

We had a chess match in the morning.

Dozens of chessboards were set up in Liuzhai Square, and the crisp sound of black and white pieces falling onto the boards echoed throughout the square.

Xu Xian knew nothing about Go. The only game he knew how to play in his previous life was Gomoku, and he only managed to get the basics after being tortured by his college roommate for several nights.

He leaned back in his chair, watching the scholars sit at their chessboards for the better part of an hour, their brows furrowed, occasionally making a move, occasionally taking it back...

When it's time to take back a move, both sides will argue vehemently, citing classical texts, making it even more exciting than the game itself.

Jun Jingyan advanced with great difficulty, each game lasting half an hour. In the last few moves, the Confucian scholar from Songyang Academy opposite her was covered in sweat, and his hand was shaking as he placed the pieces. In the end, she managed to seize a ko threat and turn the tide of the game.

Mencius, watching from the side, broke off several strands of his beard in the process.

Jia Xiuxiang still made it into the top ten, but his performance in this game was only average.

The afternoon session is about calligraphy—also known as the art of words.

Jun Jingyan won easily in this aspect without any suspense.

She stood before the main altar, opened the bamboo slips, and recited scriptures. Golden, righteous energy surged from the bamboo slips, transforming into beams of light that shot straight into the sky.

A character for "town" floated in mid-air, gleaming with golden light, and the entire square could feel a heavy pressure.

Several renowned scholars on the judging panel stood up and applauded simultaneously.

Xu Xian overheard two disciples from Bailu Academy whispering to each other.

"Jun Jingyan of Zhengxin Academy has never ranked second in the Word Spirit class, and is also an outstanding student among the current generation of disciples of various academies."

Xu Xian glanced at Jun Jingyan on the stage, raising an eyebrow slightly.

This girl is usually so quiet she's practically mute, but once she's on stage, she's incredibly powerful and radiant!

...

Painting is what Xu Xian is most looking forward to.

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Last time outside Quzhou City, that master painter used a painting of a hundred battles to create a hundred armored soldiers with the Tongmai skill, and almost left them all in Jincheng Prefecture.

The shock he felt from that painting is still there. The people and objects depicted in the painting could exist independently in the real world, detached from the paper. This technique was beyond his understanding of all cultivation systems. It was the technique of creation!

He even felt that painting could be developed into a separate path, not just an appendage of the Six Arts of Confucianism, but an independent major path.

He asked Mencius about the different levels of artistic achievement. Mencius said that the initial level focuses on realism, making whatever is painted look like the real thing. The next step is to bring the painted people and objects to life...

The next step is to allow the objects in the painting to exist independently in the real world, detached from the paper.

Legend has it that when a master painter reaches the highest level, their paintings can exist forever, indistinguishable from reality.

Jun Jingyan also had some experience in painting. The things she painted could move and make sounds, but they did not yet have the ability to exist independently. She was defeated after three rounds.

After her defeat, she remained calm and returned to her seat to continue examining the bamboo slips, showing no sign of disappointment.

Xu Xian wanted to say a few words of comfort to her, but looking at her calm and composed face, he felt that comforting her would be superfluous.

Seeing him staring intently at the drawing table, Master Meng stroked his beard and smiled.

"Young Master, you're also interested in painting? How does my Confucianism compare to martial arts?"

Xu Xian smiled and said, "Each has its own merits, but the Confucian way is more wonderful and interesting. The power of words is that words can become law, the way of music can mobilize qi, blood and spirit, and the way of painting can create things out of thin air. They are all very interesting..."

Master Meng smiled slightly, his face showing anticipation.

"Young Master has no intention of joining my academy? Senior Brother said that as long as Young Master is willing, Zhengxin Academy will open its doors to you at any time. Senior Brother can personally teach you, starting from the basics of the classics. You will definitely be able to break through to the sixth rank in less than three years. With Young Master's comprehension, it may not even take three years."

Xu Xian paused for a moment, then laughed heartily.

"Master Meng, you jest. I'm already the Junior Tutor of the Academy. Let's not talk about it anymore..."

Seeing that he was being evasive, Master Meng did not press him and continued watching the painting test on the stage.

...

The second day of the book fair ended, and everyone went to rest.

As night fell, Luo Shenglin, having finished his meal, was engrossed in reading the classics of the ancient sages in his thatched hut.

It was still cold, but he didn't feel cold at all, and a faint golden light emanated from his body.

Suddenly, he turned sharply to look at the doorway, his eyes slightly narrowed.

A figure walked in through the gate of the thatched hut, dressed in black.

"Dean Luo seems quite carefree. Has he forgotten our agreement?"

Luo Shenglin continued reading, head down. "There's still over a month until the agreed-upon date. What brings you here?"

The man in black chuckled.

"I'm here to tell the Dean that the date has been moved up. The battle report from the border will arrive in the capital tomorrow. Two hundred thousand Di troops are coming from the west to besiege the city. Two of the three kings have personally led the campaign. The three dukes and four marquises have been resting for so many years; it's time for them to make a move!"

Luo Shenglin suddenly looked up, his robes billowing even without wind. "Why the rush? The book fair isn't over yet..."

"The two kings have their own considerations. They also want to catch Yasukuni off guard and see if they can really conquer cities and seize more territory to gain more benefits. It's alright..."

The man in black chuckled lightly. "Once the book fair is over, you'll receive the signal to make your move!"

...

The third day's competition consisted of two arts: archery and mathematics.

Xu Xian wasn't interested in mathematics; he could easily defeat these Confucian scholars... but archery did pique his interest a little.

Liu Zhai's shooting range was located on the north side of the square, using standard military archers, with a distance of fifty paces and a bullseye only the size of a fist.

Disciples from each academy took turns mounting their horses, drawing their bows and releasing arrows as they galloped, the sound of arrows piercing the air rising and falling in waves.

Xu Xian himself was not skilled in archery, but he had seen the border troops shoot arrows at the Iron Gate Pass and could roughly tell who was more skilled.

He paid special attention when Jia Xiuxiang mounted his horse.

The blue-robed scholar who called him a "vulgar brute" at Taibai Tower had been quite impressive in the past few days, persisting until the end in every round.

But today, his right arm was visibly trembling when he drew the bow. The arrow only hit the edge of the target after leaving the bowstring, and the second arrow missed the target entirely.

He looked down at his right hand holding the bow, remained silent for several breaths, and then quietly left the stage.

Xu Xian watched his figure disappear into the crowd, his brows furrowing slightly.

Jun Jingyan finished her last match and returned to her seat.

Xu Xian tilted his head and asked her, "That Jia Xiuxiang, wasn't he quite good at fighting a few days ago? Why is his archery so bad today? I saw his arm shaking when he drew the bow, is he injured?"

"You have a keen eye. Jia Xiuxiang is one of the best young talents at Yuelu Academy, proficient in all kinds of arts... His right arm is indeed injured, it is said to be an old injury."

Xu raised an eyebrow. "How do I compare to you?"

Jun Jingyan thought for a moment,

"They are evenly matched! I sparred with him during the academy exchange last year. I excel in verbal magic, while he excels in the zither. We each have our strengths, and it's hard to say who is better."

Xu Xian responded with an "oh," seemingly lost in thought.

...

On the fourth day of the Liuzhai Book Club, the main event, the discussion on philosophy, finally arrived.

The zither, chessboard, painting table, and archery target in the square were all removed and replaced with a long table with a thin blanket on each side for those who wanted to discuss philosophy to sit cross-legged.

The three sticks of incense in front of the Confucian sage statue on the main altar were relit, and the blue smoke rose straight up, motionless in the morning breeze.

Luo Shenglin and Master Meng sat side by side on the judging panel below the main altar. The five academy leaders were lined up in order, each with a bamboo plaque and an inkstone in front of them.

The five academies—Zhengxin Academy, Bailu Academy, Yuelu Academy, Songyang Academy, and Liuzhai Academy—each occupied a seat on the east or west side.

Thousands of Confucian scholars sat in their assigned seats according to the academy, their blue robes forming a vast sea of ​​faces, and the room was completely silent.

Xu Xian sat in the first row of Zhengxin Academy, next to Master Meng, with a pot of cold tea that Yang Xu had brought him beside him.

The first two days were for playing chess, calligraphy, mathematics, archery, and painting. The Confucian scholars displayed their talents, and the judges scored them. Although the atmosphere was serious, there were occasional applause and cheers.

Today is different. Today's debate is the main course of the book club. The winner will directly take away the manuscripts of three generations of sages and the qualification to receive personal instruction from the sages. It's all about who understands Confucianism and Taoism better!

Luo Shenglin stood up, looked around, and spoke in a deep voice.

"The debate begins!"

The rules remained simple: the five academies sent disciples to the stage to defend their seats. The winners continued to sit, while the losers were eliminated, and the next academy sent someone to challenge them. The person still sitting in the seat at the end was the winner.

The first person sent by Yuelu Academy was a tall, thin Confucian scholar with two thin, long mustaches. He began by quoting classical texts to discuss "the benevolent love others."

Before he could finish speaking, he was utterly refuted by a short Confucian scholar from Bailu Academy, and he stood up and admitted defeat in less than half an incense stick's time.

The short Confucian scholar successfully defended his title and defeated the challenger from Songyang Academy in the next round. After winning two consecutive matches, he was defeated by Wei Qingwen from Zhengxin Academy.

Wei Qingwen sat on the stage for less than a quarter of an hour before being rendered speechless by a disciple of Liuzhai Academy who quoted a commentary by three sages.

Each side took turns performing, with victory and defeat alternating, and no one could defend for three rounds in a row.

Mr. Xu watched with great interest, sipping his herbal tea. Although he couldn't understand the jargon and literary allusions, the back-and-forth arguments on stage reminded him of courtroom debates in his past life.

It's a contest of logic, about exploiting the opponent's weaknesses; whoever gets caught first loses.

The disciples of Zhengxin Academy were defeated one by one in numerous battles, while only a few people remained from the other academies.

Jun Jingyan was the last debater from Zhengxin Academy to take the stage.

When she went on stage, Master Meng clasped his hands on his knees, his back straight, and looked very nervous.