Chapter 406: In the Book and Beyond
Before accompanying Mao Xiaodong down the mountain to the capital's Confucian Temple to "try his luck," Chen Ping'an first arranged the personnel within the academy to prevent anyone from exploiting the situation, luring others into a trap only to fall victim to a decoy maneuver themselves.
First, he had Pei Qian move out of the guest house and into the residence where Xie Xie was staying, with Shi Rou as her companion. Chen Ping'an handed her the golden demon-subduing rope.
Lin Shouyi had been spending his days cultivating in the courtyard under Cui Dongshan's name, and with "Du Mao" now residing there, Lin Shouyi, after discussing it with Chen Ping'an, simply moved into the courtyard openly.
Chen Ping'an then had Zhu Lian and Yu Lu secretly keep an eye on Li Baoping and Li Huai.
Zhu Lian, a stooped old man who would grin whenever he saw a woman, and Yu Lu, a tall young man always wearing a faint, serene smile—who could imagine they were both pure martial artists at the golden body realm?
Li Baoping and Pei Qian would stay together in Cui Dongshan's main house at night. Chen Ping'an believed Cui Dongshan would have no objections and wouldn't dare to.
Xie Xie and Lin Shouyi each occupied a side room. Shi Rou, being a yin entity, could take on the role of night watch. Li Huai would share a room with Lin Shouyi.
Zhu Lian didn't need to stay in the courtyard; he could sleep in the original guest house at night.
But Yu Lu had to partner with Shi Rou for the second half of the night watch.
Chen Ping'an didn't fully trust Shi Rou to handle sudden emergencies.
In contrast, Yu Lu had always been reliable.
As for Mao Xiaodong's academy, the night-patrolling teachers were traditionally divided into civil and martial roles. For instance, the great Confucian Dong Jing, who had taken a liking to Lin Shouyi, was an old golden core cultivator proficient in thunder magic. Another, more unassuming figure, was a little-known Nascent Soul Earth Immortal, like Mao Xiaodong, hailing from Great Li—the old man surnamed Liang who guarded the academy gate. In a critical moment, he could replace Mao Xiaodong in overseeing the academy.
Finally, Chen Ping'an called Li Baoping aside alone and handed her two items he had obtained from Li Baozhen: a jade pendant engraved with the characters "Dragon Palace" and a high-rank Day and Night Wandering Spirit True Body Talisman.
Li Baoping was somewhat puzzled.
Chen Ping'an didn't hide anything. He gave Li Baoping a general rundown of his encounter with Li Baozhen in the Green Luan Kingdom, and finally rubbed her head, saying softly, "From now on, I won't seek out your second brother, and I'll try to avoid him. But if Li Baozhen doesn't give up, or feels he's been gravely humiliated at Lion Garden, and a conflict arises again, I won't show any mercy. Of course, this has nothing to do with you."
Li Baoping's spirits sank a little, but her eyes remained bright. "Little Uncle-Master, you and my second brother can settle things by the rules of the jianghu—clearly distinguish grievances..."
She paused and asked, "Little Uncle-Master, can I write a letter to my eldest brother, asking him to persuade my second brother to back off?"
Chen Ping'an thought for a moment, then nodded. "That's feasible."
Li Baoping was about to speak, intending to gift the jade pendant and talisman to Chen Ping'an.
Before coming down the mountain, Little Uncle-Master had told them about his current predicament.
Li Baoping wanted him to have a few more items for protection.
Chen Ping'an had already smiled and said, "At Lion Garden, I joined forces with a very powerful dharma sword female Daoist to capture an extremely rare demonic creature—essentially a living treasure trove. The gains were substantial. The female Daoist kept the demon for herself, and as compensation and payment, she gave me sixty-two Grain Rain coins. So I want to borrow that Day and Night Wandering Spirit True Body Talisman from you—not buy it, just borrow it. It's a bit like a pawnshop, but reversed: you pawn the talisman to me, and I give you these Grain Rain coins. Since this talisman is of extremely high rank, it's not a one-time use item. It can be reused. As long as you can afford the immortal coins, those two Day and Night Wandering Spirits can exist in the world indefinitely. Even if their spiritual avatar is dispersed, as long as the talisman artist has the skill to dot the eyes on the talisman core, they can still command the two spirits to appear. To be honest, sixty-two Grain Rain coins is a lot of money, but it's still not enough to buy this priceless talisman. So I'm not buying it..."
After holding it in for a long time, Li Baoping couldn't help but speak seriously, "Little Uncle-Master, treating me like an outsider like this makes me very sad."
Chen Ping'an patiently explained, "I'm not an outsider with you or your eldest brother, but I do need to be an outsider with the entire Fulu Street Li family. After you pawn the talisman at my temporary pawnshop, those Grain Rain coins can be sent by Academy Head Mao to Dragon Spring Commandery. Your grandfather is now a native Nascent Soul immortal in our hometown. He probably doesn't lack for various magical treasures, given that our Lizhu Cave Heaven is best at picking up bargains among the four great clans and ten surnames. But immortal coins—your grandfather can never have too many. Even if he wants to sell off some family heirlooms, it's not hard to find buyers. But for Qi refiners, unless a spiritual artifact or treasure doesn't align with their own great path, they're usually reluctant to part with them."
Li Baoping beamed. "So Little Uncle-Master was still thinking of me. I wronged you. My apologies, my apologies. Guilty, guilty."
She made a formal bow to Chen Ping'an.
After she straightened up, Chen Ping'an reached out, pinched her cheeks, and teased, "I'd better take the chance to pinch while Little Baoping is still young."
For "In the Book and Beyond", perhaps "Within and Beyond the Book" is good. Also note "In the Book and Beyond" might be a play on "in the book" and "outside the book", so title could be "Chapter 406: In the Book and Beyond". Let's go with that.
Li Baoping stood still, her lively eyes squinting into crescent moons.
Finally, Chen Ping'an watched as Li Baoping ran off.
At the academy's main gate, Mao Xiaodong had been waiting for some time.
The two left the academy, walked through the main street, and turned into White Artemesia Street. Only then did Chen Ping'an quietly hand the talisman to Mao Xiaodong.
Mao Xiaodong glanced at it and tucked it into his sleeve.
The tall old man used the ripples of his heart lake to ask Chen Ping'an, "This talisman—I've never seen one like it. The material is strange too. Is there a story behind it?"
Chen Ping'an, using a pure martial artist's technique of concentrating sound into a thread, replied, "It's an ancient talisman from a copy of the *Dan Shu Zhen Ji* (True Record of Alchemical Writings), called the Day and Night Wandering Spirit True Body Talisman. The essence lies in the word 'True Body.' The book says it can connect to the original spirit of the deity. Unlike the common Daoist talisman sect's method of summoning spirits, which relies on a bit of spiritual light from the talisman core to invoke a dharma form that resembles but lacks the spirit, this talisman has more of the spirit. It's said to contain a trace of divine nature."
After that, Chen Ping'an explained in detail the technique for controlling this talisman and the precautions.
Mao Xiaodong grew more astonished as he listened. "Where did such a precious talisman come from?"
Chen Ping'an skipped the personal grudge with Li Baozhen and only said it was a protective talisman someone had given to Li Baoping.
Mao Xiaodong laughed. "And you just hand it over to me like that?"
Chen Ping'an said, "In Academy Head Mao's hands, it will be put to its best use. I'm a martial artist using talismans without the proper method. I haven't learned the orthodox techniques from the True Record of Alchemical Writings, so it's easy for me to damage the original essence of the talisman. Any talisman I activate by opening the mountain and lighting the spiritual light is like draining a pond to catch fish."
Mao Xiaodong made a strange remark, "Alright, I've now had a firsthand taste of it."
Chen Ping'an was a bit baffled.
Mao Xiaodong didn't explain further.
No wonder Cui Dongshan had called this little junior brother a "money-dispensing child." He was really just giving things away and scattering wealth to everyone he met, wasn't he?
The two walked along White Artemesia Street. Chen Ping'an asked, "Li Baoping has skipped so many classes for me, her little uncle-master. Doesn't Academy Head Mao worry about her studies?"
Mao Xiaodong said, "Li Baoping is actually the one in our academy who has learned the most correctly. As for learning—in the Cliff Academy's library, there are so many sage books from the hundred schools. Reading is a very interesting thing. If you're not sincere, if you don't have enlightenment, the words on the page are all delicate and proud. They won't grow legs and move out of the book into the reader's belly on their own. Li Baoping is different. The principles those words convey aren't big—they not only grew legs and settled in her belly, but also went to her heart. And finally, those words returned to the human world, flew out of her heart, grew wings, and landed on the places where she helped an old man push a charcoal cart, settled on the chessboard where she watched without speaking, appeared where she separated two naughty children in a fight, and touched the spot where she helped an old woman up the stairs... Seems like trivial matters, but it's actually remarkable. Haven't our Confucian sages always pursued this? The three immortalities of reading—later generations often drool over the words 'speech,' 'merit,' and 'virtue,' but they don't realize that the character 'establish' is the foundation. How one establishes oneself and stands firm—that's a great learning."
Mao Xiaodong clasped his hands behind his back, looked up at the capital's sky, and said, "Chen Ping'an, you've missed a lot of beautiful sights. Every time Li Baoping went out to play, I quietly followed. After that fiery little girl in red appeared in this Great Sui capital, it felt like... it came alive."
Mao Xiaodong's words were rather sentimental, while Chen Ping'an simply felt happy about Li Baoping's progress in her studies at the academy.
Mao Xiaodong suddenly said, "You're now reading both Confucian and Legalist texts, so I should remind you of something. If you study Confucianism in a mixed and imprecise way, you'll end up like muddled paste, able to find whatever reasoning you want from books, which will actually confuse you. Especially when faced with major issues of right and wrong, it can leave you feeling lost. But you should also note this: Why has no ruler in all of history ever been willing to openly advocate for the exclusive veneration of Legalism?"
Before Chen Ping'an could respond, Mao Xiaodong waved his hand. "You underestimate the magnanimity of Confucian sages and the strength of Legalist sages."
Mao Xiaodong sighed softly. "Do you know how the sages view the depth and shallowness of various schools of thought?"
Chen Ping'an laughed. "I definitely wouldn't know that."
He subconsciously took off his wine gourd. These heartfelt words from Academy Head Mao were excellent to go with wine, leaving Chen Ping'an with endless aftertaste.
Mao Xiaodong pointed at the bustling crowd on the street, randomly gesturing. "For example, Confucianism makes people close to each other; Legalism makes people keep their distance."
Chen Ping'an was thoughtful.
Mao Xiaodong said, "This is just my personal insight. It may not be correct. If you find it useful, take it and chew on it as a side dish with your wine. If not, just throw it away—no matter. There are so many golden words in books, yet the world doesn't know how to cherish or fully understand them. My half-baked learning doesn't amount to much."
Chen Ping'an drank his wine in silence.
Mao Xiaodong was quiet for a moment, watching the endless flow of the capital's street, and suddenly remembered a casual remark from some little bastard: "What pushes history stumbling forward is often beautiful mistakes, extreme ideas, and a few inevitable coincidences."
Mao Xiaodong's thoughts drifted. When he came back to himself, Chen Ping'an still hadn't spoken. The old man turned his head in surprise. "At this point, shouldn't you say something like 'Academy Head Mao's learning is excellent, don't be so modest'?"
Chen Ping'an was speechless.
Master Qi, Sword Immortal Zuo You, Cui Chan.
And now this tall old man beside him.
Chen Ping'an always felt that the disciples taught by Old Man Wen Sheng were just too different from each other.
But then he thought of his own "disciples," Cui Dongshan and Pei Qian—they were a similar sight.
If possible, add Cao Qinglang from Lotus Flower Blessed Land later—each person different.
He remembered a passage from a children's primer: "A hundred flowers blooming together is true spring."
That made sense.
---
In the twilight, Chen Ping'an and Mao Xiaodong had not yet returned to the academy.
At Cui Dongshan's courtyard, for the first time, it was packed to capacity.
Li Baoping, Li Huai, Lin Shouyi, Yu Lu, Xie Xie.
Plus Pei Qian and Shi Rou.
Lin Shouyi and Xie Xie sat at either end of the green bamboo corridor of Azure Sky Ferry, each breathing and cultivating.
Shi Rou, feeling constrained, felt that in this academy, there was no place for her to stand. In this courtyard, she was even more ill at ease.
Chen Ping'an had, in bits and pieces, mentioned the backgrounds, origins, or cultivation strengths of Li Huai and the others.
Shi Rou had seen Li Baozhen, Li Baoping's second brother—he was a ruthless man with deep cunning.
Li Huai's father was said to be a tenth-rank martial artist who had almost beaten to death the Great Li king, Song Changjing, and had alone, with his bare fists, climbed a mountain to dismantle the ancestral hall of the Birch Leaf Sect.
Chen Ping'an hadn't mentioned Yu Lu's identity, but Shi Rou already knew that this tall, young scholar was a pure martial artist of the eighth rank.
Xie Xie's current identity was said to be Cui Dongshan's maidservant. Shi Rou only knew that Xie Xie had once been a cultivation prodigy in a great dynasty.
Shi Rou stood near the courtyard gate, intentionally keeping her distance from everyone.
She knew that these people had come to Great Sui to study for the first time, and throughout the journey, Chen Ping'an had been "in charge." From what she had overheard in casual conversations between Chen Ping'an, Pei Qian, and Zhu Lian, Chen Ping'an had only been a second- or third-rank martial artist back then.
Why did these people, who in any great dynasty were children of destiny, regard Chen Ping'an—an outsider newly arrived at the academy—and his arrangements as something natural, even unquestionable?
Li Baoping was copying books in Cui Dongshan's small study.
Pei Qian and Li Huai lay on the green bamboo floor in front of the main house, bringing out Cui Dongshan's beloved chessboard and pieces, and started playing a game of five-in-a-row.
The rules were the same kind that Cui Dongshan had once used to trick Pei Qian.
Yu Lu sat cross-legged between them. Pei Qian and Li Huai had agreed that each had three opportunities to ask Yu Lu for advice on their moves.
Yu Lu, playing both sides as a "dog strategist," was even more focused than the bickering Pei Qian and Li Huai.
Shi Rou felt like an outsider.
Yet she was the owner of that immortal's abandoned body—her great path was promising, and her future achievements might surpass everyone in this courtyard.
If she were in any sect of the bottle-gourd continent that was headquarter-level, wouldn't they enshrine her?
But here, everyone was polite to her, but that was it. The politeness was laced with undisguised distance and coldness.
Shi Rou couldn't understand.
---
The Cai residence finally saw off their "cheap ancestor" like they were sending away a plague god.
From Cai Jingshen down to the kitchen cook, everyone felt relieved.
Perhaps the only ones who felt a slight loss were the pretty maids who had had the chance to serve that handsome immortal.
Cui Dongshan left the prefectural city. Instead of heading straight for the capital, he took up residence in a large Daoist temple on the capital's outskirts.
An elderly Daoist, who presided over purification rituals and initiated people into the Dao, and thus bore the honored title of "Dharma Master" on his Daoist registry, came to visit under the pretext of discussing Daoist mysteries.
Wei Xian understood clearly that this old Daoist was undoubtedly a spy from Great Li stationed in Great Sui.
This was hardly surprising. When Cui Dongshan had nothing to do, he had even shown Wei Xian a list of dead agents and spies still lurking in various parts of Great Sui—from all walks of life. Of course, the spies still undiscovered were even more numerous. Many names on the list were circled in red ink; Cui Dongshan said they were the kind who sold intelligence—double agents, the most amusing kind. They acknowledged no loyalty, only money. Dealing with them was quite stimulating.
But somewhat to Wei Xian's surprise, although the old Daoist was undoubtedly a Great Li spy, after giving a concise intelligence report, he actually began to sit cross-legged on a cushion with Cui Dongshan, discussing the Dao and talking about heaven and earth.
Wei Xian found it so boring he nearly dozed off.
After the old Daoist left, Cui Dongshan pointed to the cushion opposite him and said, "While it's still warm, hurry up and sit."
Wei Xian sat down, but not on the cushion; he sat directly on the floor.
Cui Dongshan took out an antique-looking low table from his arm's-reach storage, covered with writing implements. He spread out a sheet of fine paper, likely of imperial manufacture, and began writing with his head down.
Wei Xian asked, "Mr. Cui, why did you suddenly change your mind, leave the Cai residence, and rush toward the capital, only to stop here?"
This was a question that puzzled Wei Xian endlessly.
Cui Dongshan didn't look up and didn't give a direct answer. Instead, he asked a completely off-topic question: "Do you think the human heart is complicated or not?"
Wei Xian nodded. "Naturally."
Cui Dongshan had once been a recognized master of calligraphy in the Central Divine Continent. His brushwork flowed like clouds and water, and even from a distance, Wei Xian found it a pleasure to behold.
Cui Dongshan continued writing the summary of all the intelligence he had compiled, speaking slowly, "The human heart may seem unpredictable, but it's far less complicated than you imagine. All people fear death and cling to life—that's human nature, even the nature of all sentient beings. What distinguishes humans from beasts? It's also the love for one's children, romantic attachments, the passing of the torch, the rise and fall of family and nation. Right? The more outstanding a person is, the more pronounced a certain emotion tends to be."
Wei Xian thought for a moment. "That's the principle, but there are also those vague, mixed, balanced types."
Cui Dongshan stopped writing, placed his brush on the porcelain rest, shook his wrist, and sneered, "What balance? They're just muddleheads, with wavering hearts, drifting with the tide. They see beauty and lust arises, see money and fame and want it all. Wanting is fine, but they fear overreaching. Liu Qingfeng, Li Baozhen, Wei Li, Wu Yuan—these four belong to the clever seed category, but they also have their own flaws and shortcomings. Wu Yuan, who served as the commandery governor of Dragon Spring, internally agrees with my practical learning and is nominally a disciple of mine. But early on, he was favored by that lady who cultivates in the Spring and Autumn Palace, a vegetarian. He believes everything he has today was bestowed by her. So between personal gratitude and state affairs, he wavers constantly, living in great inner conflict."
"What Li Baozhen seeks is nothing special, nor does he have Wu Yuan's alignment with orthodox Confucianism. He just wants to achieve merit, to one day hold the highest office. But he plays the fool wisely—for now, he only knows how to pretend to be stupid. But all so-called clever people under heaven are nothing but farts, worthless."
"Wei Li of the Yellow Court Kingdom, relatively speaking, is the most pure Confucian among the four. His heart holds the highest regard for the state, the land, and the people. But his perspective is still small. He sees a single country and a hundred years of customs, but hasn't yet accustomed himself to seeing an entire continent and a thousand-year plan."
"Liu Qingfeng, the county magistrate of tiny Green Luan Kingdom, is the one I'm most optimistic about among the four. Unfortunately, he has no talent for cultivation. At most, a hundred years of life. Truly... 'heaven envies the gifted'?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Xian was a bit surprised.
Mr. Cui was actually willing to describe someone else as "gifted"?
Wei Xian had actually been chewing over Cui Dongshan's theory of the human heart.
Cui Dongshan grabbed a stack of intelligence reports ranked as the lowest tier from the table and tossed them to Wei Xian. "These are the latest failed-exam poems from scholar-officials in both Great Li and Great Sui. One of my ways to amuse myself when bored."
Wei Xian caught them. Cui Dongshan continued, "You're probably thinking that my method of judging the depth and direction of the human heart seems feasible, but in reality, worldly affairs are unpredictable, and the human heart is volatile. A single change could produce many temporary alterations, making it troublesome and extremely hard to be precise—so it's not true learning, right?"
Wei Xian nodded, not denying it.
Cui Dongshan laughed and pointed at his own head. "When you go up the mountain to cultivate, besides longevity, this also becomes enlightened."
He then flicked his wrist, scattering a handful of immortal coins onto the table. "The several categories of the human heart I just mentioned can be combined with the counting and calculation methods of the School of Logicians among the hundred schools. From one to ten, you judge accordingly. You'll find that the so-called fluctuations of the heart don't affect the final outcome."
Before Wei Xian could speak, Cui Dongshan smiled. "One to ten is still not precise enough. But what if you can achieve one to a hundred? What then?"
Wei Xian sighed. "This method of the Logicians has always been considered a minor art in the Righteous Qi World. It's only been promoted by the Merchant School, which has never had a good reputation. Can Mr. Cui use it this way? Are you also a proponent of the Logicians, besides Confucianism and Legalism?"
Cui Dongshan sneered. "The Logicians are worthy of my promotion?"
He stood up. "I even investigate the distinction between gods and humans, the three souls and six spirits, the tiniest details of the world. The Logicians' paper work is nothing but farts."
Wei Xian, holding the stack of papers filled with failed-exam poems from both kingdoms, stood speechless.
Cui Dongshan took a long detour of ten thousand miles and finally returned to Wei Xian's original question. "I'm fully aware of everything inside and outside the academy. The only variable now is that Master Zhao, who seems to have no strength to truss a chicken."
Wei Xian asked doubtfully, "An elderly scholar, a Confucian sage stationed to oversee the academy's small world—the two are at a standoff. Can the former still stir up trouble? Besides, according to Mr. Cui's explanation, Mao Xiaodong is not a rigid, pedantic Confucian. How could there be a loophole? And based on Mr. Cui's analysis, unless the Great Sui emperor wants to court destruction, he would never dare to lay a hand on Li Baoping and Li Huai."
Cui Dongshan stared blankly at Wei Xian, looking disgusted. "Think carefully. I reminded you before: stand higher and look at the problem."
Wei Xian's mind shook.
Cui Dongshan rubbed his face and sneered. "The Great Sui emperor cares about the dynasty's fate, but the people behind the scenes—do they care if Great Li and Great Sui fight to the death, destroying each other? If assassinating one or two people could decide the pattern of a continent, would you, Wei Xian, be tempted? The Merchant School disciples would love to see it—war means profiting from death, the more the better. As for those... who like to skulk in the shadows and hide behind layers of curtains—the Vertical-Horizontal School experts—they'd be even more eager!"
Wei Xian's heart pounded, his hands trembling slightly.
This was the world that the founding emperor of the Southern Garden Kingdom truly yearned for.
Great chaos, great contention!
Mountain and mundane, emperors and generals and immortals and gods—all would be swept up in the tide, all powerless pawns.
But then Cui Dongshan seemed to remember something sad. He wiped his face and said mournfully, "Look at me. I have such great ability and learning, yet what kind of dog-shit things am I doing now? Calculating here and there, just scraping meat off a mosquito's leg—a small-time business. That old king-turtle is cheerfully scheming for the entire Bottle Gourd Continent, while I can only guard the house for him, staring at this place called Great Sui, making a dojo in a snail's shell. The family property is too small, so I can only mess around blindly. And I have to worry that if I mess up one thing, the Master will expel me from the sect..."
Cui Dongshan raised his hand, balled it into a fist, and pounded heavily on his chest. "Old Wei, my heart aches."
Then Wei Xian watched the young man in white roll around on the floor inside the room, then looked down at the failed-exam poems in his hand, which Cui Dongshan had said revealed true nature.
Wei Xian's heart didn't ache, but he was tired.
---
The Great Sui Gao clan had always treated literati well—a tradition since the founding of the dynasty.
Not to mention someone like Zhang Dai, the new top scholar. Though he was still in the Hanlin Academy temporarily, he already had a three-courtyard residence with ten rooms in the capital, paid for by the Ministry of Revenue.
This evening, Zhang Dai was walking in his empty courtyard. After feeding the few red carp in the large tank, he went to his study to play a chess game by himself.
Zhang Dai came from a humble local family. His eight-legged essays in the county and provincial exams were decent but not exceptionally brilliant. It was in the palace examination that he made a stunning impression, leaping over the dragon's gate.
After becoming the top scholar, he moved into this residence. The only change was that Zhang Dai hired a coachman and a carriage. Besides that, he had few banquets or social engagements. It was hard to imagine that this young man, just over twenty, was Great Sui's new literary champion, even harder to imagine that he would speak out generously at the Cai residence and then leave in the same carriage as Miao Ren, a general from a meritorious founding family.
To both Cai Feng and Miao Ren, this was all within reason. Zhang Dai possessed a very valuable top-scholar identity, and his reputation had spread throughout the court and the countryside as one of the "Four Spirits of Great Sui." His background was humble but clean, and he was passionate—thus easy to control. They felt this man was willing to stand at the forefront for the sake of the country's righteousness.
Zhang Dai heard a knock and stopped studying the chess pattern. Looking up, he said, "Come in."
It was the old coachman who had been lodging in the residence.
The old man stood at the dimly lit study entrance and said slowly, "Mao Xiaodong has already left the academy with a young man named Chen Ping'an."
"Didn't they clamor to kill the literary demon Mao Xiaodong? Let them go ahead and kill him."
Zhang Dai said expressionlessly, "Have the insider inside the academy find an excuse to get Zhao Shi and Bailu to leave the academy together. Find a secluded place, knock them out, and hide them. After controlling that white deer, make sure that Liang Rensi, the Nascent Soul cultivator guarding the gate, doesn't get suspicious. Once you succeed in entering the academy, act decisively. You must kill at least one person—two would be even better."
The old man nodded.
Zhang Dai hesitated for a moment. "I will leave the Great Sui capital tonight."
The old man smiled. "If you accomplish this matter, Young Master, when you return to the Central Divine Continent, you will surely have a bright future."
Zhang Dai did not respond.
After the old man left, Zhang Dai put down the chess manual and looked down at the board.
Vertical and horizontal, advance and retreat.
---
Southeast of the Bottle Gourd Continent, on the outskirts of the Green Luan Kingdom's capital region, a private residence with no public reputation.
A young man, who was one of the heads of the Great Li Green Wave Pavilion's spy network, had a grim expression.
The people in the hall were of various identities—all were experts with sharp pens in the Green Luan bureaucracy and literary circles, and of course, they were trusted subordinates won over by the Great Li dynasty.
Li Baozhen looked at the ground, spinning an untouched teacup in his fingers.
Everyone was trembling with fear.
The reason they were gathered here was to do one thing: to use their pens to drag down the literary leader of Green Luan Kingdom's elegant culture, the old vice minister Liu Jingting, who had retired to Lion Garden. They wanted to sink him into the mud, make him lose all credibility forever, so that he could no longer form a cohesive force for the southerly migrating aristocratic clans. The Green Luan Kingdom still needed a flourishing literary scene, but it did not need a single dominant figure like Liu Jingting.
Once Liu Jingting's reputation was destroyed, those aristocratic clans would fall apart.
Great Li would be glad to see this, and even the emperor of Green Luan Kingdom might see the pros and cons—he wouldn't be constrained by these outsiders who couldn't discern the situation, those who daily meddled in Green Luan's state affairs with full bellies. Then Emperor Tang could sit down with Great Li to divvy up the spoils, each pulling the great clans to their side.
But tonight, the dozen or so people in the hall had used all their family influence and power to launch a fierce attack on Liu Jingting, pulling out almost every one of his articles—poems, official documents, searching for flaws word by word.
Unexpectedly, not only was the effect unremarkable, but it had also aroused public indignation among the vast majority of Green Luan's literati. Some officials who had originally held different political views from Liu Jingting, as well as many local great Confucians, couldn't stand by and began to speak out for Liu Jingting. Especially those aristocratic clans that had fled south—they were furious, running around for Liu Jingting, to the point that even the rumor that Liu Jingting was about to return to the central government as Minister of Rites began to spread through the capital.
Li Baozhen looked up and smiled. "Everyone, no need to be nervous. If this matters turns out badly—starting with a failure instead of a success, taking a big fall—then the first to be punished will be me, Li Baozhen. Only then will it be your turn. If His Excellency the National Teacher is understanding, he might think we had extenuating circumstances, change the chessboard, and give us another chance."
If he hadn't said these "comforting words," it might have been better. After Li Baozhen said this, everyone felt a chill down their spines.
Hair-raising.
The candles in the hall flickered.
Li Baozhen was, of course, furious—a bunch of useless gluttons!
Just then, two figures appeared at the entrance of the hall. One walked in; the other remained outside.
Looking at the Confucian-robed scholar entering the hall, Li Baozhen felt somewhat resigned. He had originally thought to bypass this man and handle the matter beautifully himself—who could have known it would come to this?
The man's voice was quiet as he slowly spoke. "Honored guests present, you have already done half of it. Now there are three small steps left."
"First step: Cease the attacks of slinging mud at Liu Jingting. Turn around and begin to extol the old vice minister extravagantly. In this step, there are three substeps. First, all of you and your friends should first put out some balanced, moderate articles to put a lid on the matter, trying not to make your articles completely unconvincing. Second, invite another group of people to deify Liu Jingting. The more cloying the rhetoric, the better—paint him up as someone who could be moved to the Confucian Temple for canonization after death. Third, write another batch of articles denouncing all the officials and celebrities who defended Liu Jingting. Don't distinguish between right and wrong. The worse the rhetoric, the better. But be careful: the overall gist of the articles must be to describe everyone as hangers-on of Liu Jingting, as lackeys echoing his voice."
At first, when the gathered heard this man's first sentence, they sneered inwardly.
But as they listened further, they found the method... novel!
The man continued. "Second step: Wait for a period, then redirect the spearhead solely at Liu Jingting. Some small tricks are needed. All articles should have their guiding principle and foundation in words like 'although' and 'even if.' For example, 'Although Liu Jingting has some flaws in his morality, the flaws don't outweigh the virtues, and he has produced many talents among his disciples.' Then list them one by one—the killing intent lies in those enviable high official positions. Another example: 'Even if Liu Jingting's political achievements were mediocre, at least he was incorruptible—just that one Lion Garden that has made half the continent famous.'"
The man explained, "Why do this? Because for onlookers, these articles seem calm and peaceful on the surface, and they are also defending Liu Jingting. Many neutral people who weren't originally involved in this literary war will unconsciously begin to accept those assumed facts. And the so-called defenses with hidden killing intent that follow will only make things worse."
The people in the hall looked at each other in dismay.
The man smiled. "Third step: Attack his personal morality. For example, hire ghostwriters. It doesn't matter if the writing is good or bad—as long as it's sensational. For example, an affair when Liu Jingting stayed overnight at a nunnery on a rainy night, or an old man messing with his daughter-in-law, or 'A pear blossom crushing a crabapple' with a pretty maidservant at Lion Garden. At the same time, make some catchy doggerel poems, compile them into storytelling material, and ask storytellers and jianghu wanderers to spread them widely."
Seeing the crowd both shocked and baffled, the man patiently explained, "Don't think this is useless. Impoverished scholars without officialdom love this kind of stuff. Common people who don't care about the truth love to hear these things. In the literary world, three people make a tiger. In the marketplace, many mosquitoes make thunder."
Finally, the man laughed, took out a piece of paper, walked to Li Baozhen, and handed it to him, looking around the room. "Honored guests present may not necessarily know the channels and prices for printing erotic books, or how much silver to pay to hire storytellers. All these trivial matters are written on this paper, so you don't accidentally get cheated. And many marketplace small traders, though low in status, can be quite crafty and clever, each with their own way of navigating the world. If they take advantage of you financially, they might even look down on you."
With that, the man took his leave.
As he neared the door, he suddenly turned back and smiled. "Your excellencies set the precedent, giving me this opportunity to display my petty skills. I hope it can be of some help."
Everyone stared blankly as he left.
Li Baozhen's mouth was dry. He clenched the paper tightly in his hand.
The others felt their scalps go numb.
Because that man's name was Liu Qingfeng.
He was Liu Jingting's legitimate eldest son.