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Chapter 266: Qilin's Good Fruit
The voice was dull, like thunder. Li Guanyi was stunned and a little surprised. Senior Brother Fangzi Qiao said with a warm smile: "Come to think of it, I haven't talked to you, Guanyi, yet."

"We heard that you came to the academy, but you came to find Wen He. We were worried that you would suffer..."

Fang Zi Qiao, Du Keming, Wei Xuancheng, and the disciples of Wang Tong stared at the young man sitting there and the lying genius Wen He of the academy. They were silent for a moment, their thoughts slightly frozen.

Who is the one who suffers? !
After a long time, these Confucian disciples who were nominally from the same school as Li Guanyi thought, no, he is worthy of being called Qilin!

Yes, it is worthy of being the Qilin in troubled times. Even Wenhe fell down!

This makes perfect sense!

Many disciples tried to rationalize the behavior of this "fourth senior brother". Fang Zi Qiao kept smiling and said gently, "We met His Majesty the Su King on the way. His Majesty the Su King's King Lin heard that you were coming, so he came to visit Fire Kirin."

As they were talking, a Qilin walked slowly over outside. The scales on its body had turned pale like those of an ancient red dragon. One of the Qilin's horns was broken, and the crack was like half of a sword cut. Even with the power of this divine beast, it could not continue to grow.

The pair of eyes were golden, but not the red-gold color that represented aggression and attack when the Fire Kirin was angry, but a kind of warmth that had lost all dryness over the years.

There is something like the ancient red dragon, although it is not as powerful as the other, it also exudes a majestic aura.

Just like the ancient red dragon, it opened its mouth and spoke human words.

"You are Li Guanyi."

Li Guanyi stood up and bowed, saying, "I am a disciple of Taoist Master Wenyuan, a disciple of Confucian Master Wang Tong, and a disciple of the Academy. I am Li Guanyi, and I am honored to meet you, Senior."

Old Qilin's expression relaxed a lot, and he said, "You are a good child who knows etiquette. Come..." He opened his mouth slightly, and a stream of light came out. It was a scroll of bamboo slips with a powerful Confucian spirit on it, and it fell in front of Li Guanyi.

It was a book that recorded the practice methods of [Shi].

It can be regarded as a unique learning passed down by Confucianism.

The old Qilin said: "The ruler is the ruler, the minister is the minister, the father is the father, the son is the son."

"The younger generation should behave like younger generations, and the older generation should behave like older generations."

"This is in accordance with the Way and etiquette."

"You are polite to me, and I should respond, good boy."

The old Qilin had a broad and gentle voice when he spoke. He did not implicate Li Guanyi because of the battle with Murong Longtu, the fact that his Qilin horn was cut off, or the fact that the severed horn could not regenerate due to the sharp sword intent of Murong Longtu, who was only a grandmaster at that time.

He followed the successive kings and met the first master who founded Confucianism.

His state of mind is higher than that of most Confucian disciples.

A Qilin popped up from Li Guanyi's shoulder and watched Li Guanyi receive the gift.

Kirin, so happy!
He is a very good elder!
The Fire Qilin rested its front paws on Li Guanyi's shoulders, looking up at the huge Qilin in front of him. The majestic, solemn, and desolate feeling brought by the passing of thousands of years mixed into an extremely reliable demeanor among the mythical beasts.

"You are the Fire Kirin."

The old Qilin looked at the Fire Qilin.

He did not get angry instantly or show any emotion. He just protected Fire Kirin's face in front of outsiders and did not criticize or humiliate him in a way that represented the pressure of an elder.

The most basic requirement for Confucian disciples to treat others is:

Love something and you will know its evil; hate something and you will know its good.

The old Qilin loves and cares for this younger Fire Qilin, but he also knows his shortcomings.

However, in this chaotic world, how many Confucian disciples can still stick to this most basic chapter in the Book of Rites? Can such a gentleman's spirit be passed on to future generations?
The old Qilin nodded, turned to look at Li Guanyi, and said:

"Guan Yi, how long have you been here?"

Li Guanyi replied, "I will stay in Zhongzhou for about two months. After the autumn hunt, I will stay for a while and then leave."

Two months, sixty days.

The old Qilin said in a gentle voice: "Okay, I am already the oldest Qilin in this world. There is still a second Qilin in this world. Very good, I hope to have a good exchange with this Fire Qilin."

"I hope to seek your and his consent."

Huo Qilin immediately sent a message to Li Guanyi: "I do!"

The old Qilin stared at the little guy.

The front paws almost broke the ground.

Oh hoo.

After living with humans for nearly five hundred years, haven’t you even learned their language?

The old Qilin's attitude became increasingly gentle, but in Li Guanyi's eyes, it seemed that something terrible was twisting behind the old Qilin.

The old Qilin's scales had turned white and red with the passage of time.

The little Qilin stretched out his claws happily.

Li Guanyi smiled and said, "Since He is willing, then I'll leave it to you, senior." He picked up the Fire Qilin, and the old Qilin lowered its head. Li Guanyi then put the little Qilin on the old Qilin.

The old Qilin thanked him and slowly left with the little Qilin.

The little Qilin was so happy that he even wagged his tail on his own initiative.

The old Qilin's movements froze.

It was as if it had encountered a huge impact.

The claws pressed into the hard ground infused with the academy's cultural energy.

The old Qilin's expression became gentler, and the scales on his body that had turned white under the erosion of time turned completely red, so red that it seemed to be about to explode: "Good, very good, very good."

Fang Zi Qiao watched Old Qilin leave and said, "They really look alike."

"like what?"

"Nothing." Fang Zi Qiao smiled and said, "Since Guan Yi has come to the academy, he must go to visit the teacher. This is also the reason why I came here today."

Master Wang Tong had supported Li Guanyi a lot in Guanyi City and Jiangzhou City, and taught him the art of fighting against millions of people. Li Guanyi said, "It should be like this, but, Senior Brother, please wait a moment, I have something else to do."

The natural words "senior brother" made the smile on Fang Zi Qiao's face soften a little.

"it is good."

Li Guanyi looked at Wen He who had fallen down drunk due to a thousand days of drinking, and asked Ling Pingyang to call a carriage. After the carriage came, Li Guanyi reached out and pushed Wen He, although this Confucian disciple himself had strong internal energy and courage.

However, Qianrizui is the strongest liquor in the world that can make martial arts legends feel drunk. This guy seems to be very drunk. Ling Pingyang intends to directly carry Mr. Wenhe and said, "My lord, since you are here to visit the master, leave Mr. Wenhe to me."

"I will take him back and take good care of him."

At the peak of the fifth level, the first rider of the younger generation of White Dragon Dharmakāya smiled brightly and promised.

Li Guanyi looked at the sleeping Confucian scholar from the academy and said, "No need. I'll take you to the carriage." The young Taoist picked up the sleeping Wen He and walked out. The carriage was outside. Many disciples from the academy had noticed the situation and came over to inquire.

After all, the old Qilin was too conspicuous. They saw the carriage outside and the disciples of Confucian Master Wang Tong surrounding it. When they were curious, they saw the young man in a simple Taoist robe walking out holding a man.

Li Guanyi stepped onto the carriage and carefully put the sleeping and drunk Wen He down.

"I have the help of the Master, like a thousand troops."

Wen He was very drunk.

The carriage was dark and gloomy inside. The young man said:
"Sir, you don't have to pretend to be drunk. If I still force you to go away even if you are drunk with wine, even if there is a crisis in Jiangnan, others will only think that you were forcibly abducted, rather than that you took the initiative to make plans."

"For a talent like you who obviously has no loyalty, my enemies will definitely try to win you over instead of harming your life, right?"

Outside was the academy. The wind blew across the avenues of various schools of thought, carrying with it eight hundred years of literary aura. The branches of the trees rustled, and the young strategist, who had just been drunk, opened his eyes.

There was a lot of noise and people coming and going outside.

Inside the carriage, the young Taoist and the young strategist looked at each other.

Wen He's plain face became somewhat playful because of his pair of cold and quiet eyes, so the Qilin and the poisonous snake looked at each other.

Li Guan raised his hand, and the token in his hand fell into Wen He's arms: "This is the token of the Qilin Army Iron Cavalry in the Imperial City. If you want to leave, they will not stop you."

"Thank you for your advice."

"I hope I can see you again when I come back."

"But if you leave, Li Guanyi will not stop you."

The young Taoist bowed and said:
"Sir, you are indeed very talented."

Wen He was speechless for a moment. The young man turned around and jumped off the carriage. He told Ling Pingyang, "Pingyang, you don't have to worry about it after you take the master back. Wait for me here and go to another place."

Ling Pingyang clasped his fists and saluted, then replied, "Yes."

Ling Pingyang drove the carriage himself, and the carriage was stable and fast. Wen He pointed his finger at his stomach, and a surge of internal energy surged. He opened his mouth and vomited out the Thousand Days Drunk. With his temperament, he would not fall for it easily. He had just deliberately disguised himself before to let Li Guanyi let down his guard.

You can leave.

Looking at the Qilin Army's waist badge, Wen He remained silent for a long time. Finally, he sighed and said, "Never mind, they were able to fight me to this extent. Although it's just a small trick, it's rare and interesting."

He lay there lazily: "Maybe drinking."

"Sir, I am finally a little drunk."

"My mind is not working properly, and I don't really want to."

He hooked his fingers around the tassel on the waist badge, turned it, and said, "Let's go and take a look. After I help you deal with this matter, I will leave. Well, this can be regarded as leaving a way out for the future."

Wen He was silent for a while, looking at his palm:
"What a nice [chain]."

………………

Li Guanyi sent Wenhe up.

He actually failed to discover this strategist who put himself first.

However, Zhang Ziyong's self-created power, which even surpassed the Immortal Dragon Essence, gave feedback the moment of contact. Wen He's breathing, heartbeat, and even the speed of blood circulation were all in a state between normal wakefulness and fake sleep or suspended animation.

In other words, Wen He was awake at that time.

That’s why I just said those words.

Li Guanyi, Fang Ziqiao and others went to visit King Gongyang Su, and then went to the villa where Master Wang Tong was. This Confucian master, who was over 30 years old and had a great reputation among the younger generation, was waiting for the arrival of his fourth true disciple with a smile.

He personally poured tea, asked about Li Guanyi's previous actions in Jiangnan, and finally sighed: "Well done."

Li Guanyi replied: "These are all the teachings of my teachers and ancestors."

Master Wang Tong smiled and said, "Don't flatter me. What have I taught you? You need more than just those things to get to this point. It is the result of your own achievements and those of your colleagues. You can hold your head high and take it as an honor."

"What do you think of coming to the academy?"

Li Guanyi repeated what he had said to Wen He.

Although Wen He proposed a brilliant plan to divide, suppress, and absorb the noble families, they were still short of people and money. Master Wang Tong covered his lips and coughed while saying:

"Are you short of people? It's not an easy task to ask the academy's disciples to go to Jiangnan."

Master Wang Tong said softly:

“When they come here, they have a lot of ideas in their minds.”

"If you say that you can make them turn to you with just one idea, it's actually very difficult because both Chen and Ying are in great need of young, educated students who don't have a family background."

"During these turbulent times, all countries are competing for talent."

"There are great Confucian masters in both Ying and Chen, and many students are willing to go there. Although King Gongyang Su praises you, the academy is not a place like the secular world where there is a strict hierarchy and obsession."

"The prestige of King Su can guide some people, but it cannot force others to go to Jiangnan. You need to convince them..." The teacher in his thirties lit the pine resin, and the faint fragrance lingered in the quiet room.

"Before the Emperor's Autumn Hunt, there will be a discussion in the academy. Only those who can convince them can make them follow you."

Li Guanyi: "My popularity now..."

Master Wang Tong looked at the young disciple and said, "Less than 10%."

Qilin has a huge momentum, but after all, it has only been a year since it rose, while other countries have a lifespan of 300 years. This is one reason; the geographical gap is too large, and the difference between a thousand miles of land and a territory of tens of thousands of miles is not a small one; the gap in the military is also too large.

The difference between 50,000 armored soldiers and 500,000, or even one million, is huge.

There are more than Li Guanyi expected. Li Guanyi smiled and said, "There are still people!"

"However, I want to win over those students who come from poor families and can read and understand articles."

Master Wang Tong said gently, "These students rose from humble backgrounds and common people to come to the academy to study hard and make friends with teachers. What do you think they are doing this for?"

Li Guanyi was quiet for a moment, then replied, "It's to stand out from the crowd."

The Master smiled and replied, "There are several kinds, but roughly speaking, some people think in their hearts that they want to be the best, without any quibbling. Some people still have simple ideals."

"In fact, in a larger situation, the same person has the ambitions and ideals of a Confucian disciple, but also wants to escape from his miserable family past, join an aristocratic family, marry a woman from a branch of the aristocratic family, and improve his status."

"It is to [not bring disgrace to the family name]."

"Guan Yi, do you know the theory of human nature being evil?"

Li Guanyi replied: "I know a little bit."

Master Wang Tong said: "Human nature is evil, and goodness is fake. Some people say that human hearts are evil, but this is not true. Human nature is evil, and goodness can be revealed through learning and guidance."

"The nature is free and undisciplined, like jade, if it is not polished, it will not become a useful object."

"Human nature is evil, and good is hypocrisy. This is what Confucian scholars like to boast about."

“They don’t know that the ancient sages also said this: When heaven and earth come together, all things come into being; when yin and yang meet, changes occur; when nature and falsehood come together, the world is governed.”

"When innate nature and acquired education are combined, the world will be governed by peace."

"Warm and ardent ideals and dark and decadent thoughts come together to form a human being, just like the rotation of yin and yang. I hope you won't 'give up' on the Confucian scholars and students here. They will be afraid, weak, and yearn for that kind of affluent life..."

"But they are also brave, passionate, and simple."

The sun was pouring in from the window, and Master Wang Tong had a gentle look on his face:
“They are all very good children.”

"Cough cough cough..."

Li Guanyi looked at the teacher who was already in poor health at the time, stood up to support him, and said, "Teacher..." When he touched him, Li Guanyi paused slightly, feeling the weakness of Master Wang Tong. The latter waved his hand and said:
"That's just me, an old problem, cough cough cough."

“You saw it that day, too.”

Li Guanyi said: "Please take good care of yourself, teacher."

Wang Tong smiled and said, "I know."

After the master and his disciple finished their tea, Li Guanyi said goodbye. Wang Tong sent him off and said, "Remember to prepare. If you want to win the hearts of students in the two vast countries of Ying and Chen, you can't just rely on your dreams."

"You understand, you have to keep growing too."

Li Guanyi replied: "Yes, teacher."

Wang Tong smiled and said, "Don't be so nervous."

"I will help you that day."

Li Guanyi said goodbye and left. He was thinking about what needed to be done and hoped that Wen He would stay. However, even if the financial problem was solved, the talent problem was still extremely serious. Big countries like Chen and Ying were more attractive to talents.

Talents. In troubled times, many schools of thought emerged. If there were not enough talents, Jiangnan would fall behind again. Li Guanyi especially knew the importance of talents under this situation.

Master Wang Tong watched the young man walk away with firm steps.

He closed the door and coughed a few times, looking calm. He knew that the road ahead for Li Guanyi would be difficult. It could be said that every step he took would be difficult. Fang Zi Qiao supported him and said, "Teacher..."

Master Wang Tong said, "After that, you can go and accompany him."

Fang Zi Qiao lowered his eyes and said softly: "Yes..."

The reason why he cared so much about this junior fellow apprentice was that he helped him persuade Yuan Zhi to be the first to arrive in Jiangnan, and also shook the ideas of Wen Lingjun and Feng Xiao, gave advice to Li Guanyi, and often went to see Wen He.

All of this is because of teacher Wang Tong. Otherwise, with his gentle and distant personality, he would not be so serious towards his junior fellow student with whom he has only been together for a short time.

Fang Ziqiao whispered, "In the future, when the academy discusses the Dao, both Chen State and Ying State will have great scholars."

"King Su asked about Junior Brother."

Master Wang Tong said gently, "Let me do it."

Fang Zi Qiao had a look of reluctance on his face, and said softly: "Teacher, let me do it; Chen State and Ying State have famous scholars, famous calligraphers, diplomats, and miscellaneous scholars, as well as many other schools of Confucianism, all of which are not false."

"The only people who support me are the original Mohist school and the Gongyang Confucian school."

"Although the six palace masters have a good impression of Guanyi, they will not force other disciples to join a certain school. If that were the case, the academy would have been destroyed long ago. This is the time to compete for the world's top position."

"It will be more severe than every academic discussion in the past eight hundred years."

"There may be hundreds of famous scholars at that time. Everyone, your body..."

Master Wang Tong said with a carefree smile: "I am just a common man, why should I be afraid of them?"

In his courtyard, at the innermost part was a hanging white paper with lines of words written on it in ink. The handwriting was clear and freehand, yet solemn.

Master Wang Tong let go of Fang Zi Qiao's hand.

He looked at the line of poetry and said softly:
"Establish a mind for heaven and earth, and a destiny for the people."

"Continue the unique learning for the Holy Spirit."

"Create peace for all generations."

"These words, if nothing is done, are just empty words. But he is walking on this path, so with every step he takes, the words he recited when he was young will have more weight."

“A good singer makes others follow his voice; a good teacher makes others follow his aspirations.”

“I really hope he can go further.”

"The Confucian disciples will not rely on the Taoist magic to move forward. The Confucian disciples will be protected by their own Confucian disciples."

"However, there are only a hundred schools of thought."

“That’s what being a teacher means.”

Master Wang Tong smiled faintly and said, "Let's go and meet the various philosophers in the academy."

"The academy has been around for eight hundred years, and it has accumulated a lot of filth. Although Su Wang and his men have tried their best to maintain the academy's direction, it is difficult to clean up the corruption. If Guan Yi takes over, it will become a school clique similar to the aristocratic families."

"At that time, there would be termites in the imperial examination system."

"I'll clean these up."

"A place like the academy should... cough cough cough..."

"Just right, clean and tidy."

………………

Li Guanyi walked quietly on the avenue of the academy. It was his first time arriving here and he really thought the scenery was nice. It seemed that it was time for the academy disciples to study and there were not many people on the road. Thinking that Ling Pingyang would not be back for some time, he felt a little bored for a moment.

Li Guanyi glanced over and was slightly stunned.

There, a man in his thirties with an unshaven beard was quite eye-catching.

He was wearing a long robe and carrying a sword. He was sitting next to a lotus pond on one side of the academy. Even though he was sitting on a stone, his back was straight, and he was quite polite and dignified. He was drinking by himself, but his eyes were blank and no one knew what he was thinking about.

Li Guanyi was curious and walked over and asked, "Brother?"

Ji Zichang raised his head in a daze and saw a young man in front of him.

Ji Zichang woke up instantly.

Li Guanyi?!
………………

At the same time, the old Qilin looked at the fire Qilin. The fire Qilin looked at the serious old Qilin. He felt that the old Qilin was going to say something. It was that, it was that, right? !

Old Qilin was wondering whether he should pay attention to the child's dignity.

I want to teach in a dignified, compassionate yet gentle way.

Don't be too harsh.

The kind of training I had thought of before might be too cruel. I shouldn't do this...

The Master said that we should teach students in accordance with their aptitude and be tolerant and patient with the younger generation.

Then the Fire Kirin jumped down. The little guy swung its tail quickly. After thinking for a while, it lay down on the ground, exposing its belly and looking cute.

I'm so good. I'm so good.

The old Kirin who traveled the world with the first master:
"........."

The scales on his body turned red with anger.

The previous gentle thoughts and concerns shattered bit by bit.

Fire Kirin made a well-behaved expression of a junior:

"Old Senior, where are my good fruits?!!!"

After a pause, he added:

"Meow meow meow?"

Squeak—tighten!

This is the sound of the old Qilin's last string of sanity breaking.

The claws stretched out, grabbed the little Qilin's neck and lifted it up.

The Qilin's body hung down and swayed there.

Shaking.

The old Qilin took a deep breath, then smiled the arrogant smile of his youth: "Very good, very good."

"I'll give it to you right away. Enjoy the fruit!"

"How much do you want?"

Guru will give the other party a second chance.

He also hoped that Huo Qilin would stop while he was ahead.

The Fire Kirin pondered, waved his claws, and said proudly:
“The more the merrier!”

Old Qilin: “…………”

Even the Confucian mentality could not hold back.

A kind of smile called a grin appeared on the old Qilin's face.

"it is good."

"This young man is teachable!"

"Very good, I will let you eat as much as you want."

…………

The other end of the academy.

Li Guanyi walked forward and looked at the unshaven young man in his thirties.

"Hello, brother."

Ji Zichang looked at him blankly.

The wind blew between the two of them.

All the princes in the world have gathered here. The king of Chen and the emperor of Ying are confronting each other. Tomorrow will be the banquet of the contemporary Red Emperor and Qin Wuhou. The two imperial edicts that will decide the future direction of the world are still sleeping in the study together with the Chixiao Sword.

And at this moment, in the academy.

The emperor of Zhongzhou and the young prince met each other for the first time.

(End of this chapter)