"That elderly man just now shouldn't be a mere mortal."
Shu Han, though he didn't witness the outcome of the cultivator, had a fair guess.
He was also somewhat curious why the teacher chose to teach disciples in such a small village.
Moreover, the villagers here were too simple and sincere. Seeing him, an outsider, not only were they not wary, but each greeted him with a smile.
"They can't all be masters like that old man, can they?"
Shu Han shook his head with a smile, putting aside such an absurd thought as he made his way to the study at the foot of the green mountain.
At the door, Shu Han adjusted his attire and gently knocked on the door.
"Is it Senior Brother who's arrived?"
With an expectant voice sounding, the door was slowly opened.
Shu Han looked up and saw a tall and slender young man before him.
The young man wore plain clothes, his long black hair casually tied up, and his handsome face bore a calming smile of serenity.
But most striking were the young man's bright eyes, like the dazzling stars, containing the vastness of the galaxy, seemingly able to pierce through all things in the world.
Staring at the young man before him, Shu Han's eyes showed a moment of trance.
Such resemblance!
Such a strong resemblance!
He vaguely remembered, the first time he saw his teacher at the age of six, the young man was identical to him.
The resemblance was not in appearance, but in a very special aura.
An aura... of great scholarly accomplishment!
"Shu Han, aren't you coming in?"
As Shu Han was lost in thought, Li Qingchen's voice came from within the house.
"Sorry, I was reminded of some past events."
Returning to reality, Shu Han bitterly smiled, bowed respectfully, and hurried into the house.
"Greetings, Teacher."
Upon seeing Li Qingchen, Shu Han's expression grew solemn, and he respectfully performed a grand courtesy.
"No need for such formality between us as teacher and disciple."
Li Qingchen waved his hand, his face carrying a smile.
He understood well why Shu Han was momentarily absent-minded.
Currently, Su Changqing, aside from not having cultivation, had inherited seventy percent of his scholarly accomplishments.
Moreover, possessing the Body of Righteousness made the aura Su Changqing emitted particularly striking to scholars.
Without thinking further, Li Qingchen looked at Su Changqing standing to the side and briefly introduced:
"Your third senior brother, Chen Yili, styled Shu Han."
"In terms of knowledge... mediocre at best, considered the least accomplished among your senior brothers."
Hearing this, Shu Han forced a slightly embarrassed smile.
His two senior brothers were not ordinary men; within the sect, he indeed was the least accomplished.
"Su Changqing, greet your junior brother."
For their first meeting, Su Changqing earnestly performed a courtesy.
"Your junior brother, Su Changqing, styled Zhiyu, as for his knowledge..."
Li Qingchen took a sip of tea, seeming amused, "Quite similar to you, equally lacking."
His aim for bringing Shu Han here was simple, to temper Su Changqing's nature and prevent his self-confidence from becoming excessive.
He had only this chance to keep Su Changqing in check because soon, none would be his match in scholarly pursuits.
Su Changqing, upon hearing this, awkwardly rubbed his nose.
On the first encounter with his senior brother, receiving such a comment from the teacher, was he being humiliated?
"I will have to ask senior brother for guidance, to see if I'm really that lacking; it feels like targeting me..."
Su Changqing muttered to himself, not realizing Shu Han beside him had turned serious.
"Lacking to the extreme?"
"Even when the teacher was harsh before, he never spoke such words to the disciples."
"Could this junior brother truly be that hopeless, compelling the teacher to speak so severely?"
Considering the teacher had asked him to come all the way here to impart lessons, Shu Han's face suddenly turned grave.
He turned to look at Su Changqing, ready to speak, but his expression suddenly changed.
"Junior brother hasn't yet comprehended the aura of righteousness?"
Shu Han's face showed incredulity.
Junior brother had been with the teacher for a year!
In such a time, even a pig following a virtuous sage would have absorbed the aura of righteousness, yet junior brother had none of it?
"This is beyond lacking; this is lacking to the extreme!"
Shu Han sighed internally, further understanding the teacher's feelings.
Li Qingchen, noticing Shu Han's thoughts, said nothing, only his smile grew wider.
"Um... has senior brother comprehended the aura of righteousness?"
Su Changqing cautiously asked on hearing this.
"I certainly..."
"Cough, cough."
Shu Han was about to speak when he heard the teacher's cough and immediately understood, changing his tone with a sigh:
"Of course, I don't have it either."
Hearing this, Su Changqing breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he wasn't the only exception.
"Teacher."
At this moment, Shu Han looked anxiously at Li Qingchen,
"Soon, the junior brother will have a literary competition with Miss Ling Si. In this situation, how can he compete?"
Although haoran qi is not the sole criterion for judging Confucian achievements, it is the most direct one.
The more principles you understand and the higher your learning, the more haoran qi you will naturally have.
Now, with the junior brother not having even a trace of haoran qi, how can he compete? Isn't it a guaranteed loss?
"Literary competition? What literary competition?" Su Changqing was stunned; no one had told him.
"It's not a big deal."
Li Qingchen sipped his tea, smiling lightly, "It's the disciple of an old Scholar."
"We have some grudges, so just show up, write a few simple words, and that'll be enough."
Literary competition?
From the beginning, Li Qingchen never cared about this.
If it were a competition with Senior Brother Wei, he would be serious, but with Ling Si... hmm, the two aren't on the same level at all.
"Teacher, have you just given up like this?"
Shu Han said with some reluctance.
It's regrettable if the teacher's lifelong reputation would be lost on a disciple.
Li Qingchen just smiled without saying anything.
Instead, Su Changqing on the side, weakly and quietly said, "Um... Senior Brother, if it's just a literary competition, I should manage."
Hearing this, Shu Han glanced at Su Changqing, wanting to say something, but in the end, just sighed.
Master Wei is not just an old Scholar; he's a great Confucian master, and Ling Si is a prodigy in Confucian arts, almost reaching the third realm.
The junior brother is just an ordinary person; how could he compete?
"Ahem, it's good that you young people are getting along. I'm going for a stroll."
Li Qingchen smiled, looked at Shu Han as he left, and transmitted his voice:
"Remember my words, regardless of what you see, maintain a calm demeanor like a still lake, and make sure to coach your junior brother well."
With those words, Li Qingchen, struggling to contain his smile, turned and left the room.
"Coach him? Of course, I must coach him. I wonder how the junior brother has been studying this year to end up like this!"
Shu Han sat at the desk, looking at Su Changqing with a serious expression.
Even though he knew the upcoming literary competition had little chance of victory, he had to make an effort.
For the junior brother or for the final victory, he had to give it his all!
Thinking of this, he looked at Su Changqing sternly,
"Junior brother, in the coming time, I'll teach you; it might be a bit demanding, so be prepared!"
Seeing Shu Han's serious demeanor, Su Changqing also felt a bit nervous.
He sat upright at the desk, nodding earnestly,
"Don't worry, Senior Brother, I'll study diligently!"
Seeing Su Changqing's serious attitude, Shu Han's expression softened slightly.
He took out a plain sheet of paper, placed it in front of Su Changqing, and said,
"In the four arts of Confucianism, calligraphy comes first. Just write something casually to show Senior Brother your current level."
"Write well, I've brought some of my past works and ancient texts. I will plan your courses based on your level!"
After speaking, Shu Han seriously watched Su Changqing, secretly pondering.
"Form, technique, meaning, and Dao. I wonder which level the junior brother has reached?"
"Has he reached 'technique'? Or has the 'form' been mastered? If even 'form' isn't mastered, then it'll be troublesome..."
Shu Han was troubled over the intensity of the upcoming lessons.
And Su Changqing, meeting his senior brother for the first time, also wanted to leave a good impression.
After pondering for a moment, he earnestly rolled up his sleeves, and picked up the brush.
The words fell like clouds of mist, each character elegant and graceful, infused with a lively rhythm, slowly appearing on the paper.
Before long, a piece of poetry was completed.
Su Changqing nodded in satisfaction, then held out his hands towards Shu Han, "Please, Senior Brother, review it."
Shu Han nodded seriously, took the paper, and looked down.
In an instant, a sense of unyielding spirit seemed to burst forth from the paper!
Looking at the characters!
Each character was as exquisite as an artwork, graceful and flowing, the characters joined together.
Upon close inspection, they resembled a school of koi transforming into dragons, ascending to the heavens, tumbling and intertwining on the paper, with fish and dragons dancing together!
Bang!
Shu Han, who had been grave a moment ago, suddenly stood up in amazement and shock,
"The 'meaning' is complete, Immortal Seal: Fish Dragon Dance?"