Coming to someone else's ancestral hall, openly declaring his intention to demolish their house, and burn all their ancestral plaques—such audacious behavior was certainly not unprecedented. However, who could have imagined that such a thing would be enacted by the Dean.
After all, the Dean of the academy was not just a Nepenthe cultivator, he was also the leader of scholars in the world, the true leader of Confucianism.
The elderly man with white hair sighed wryly and motioned his hands, dispersing his fellow clan members who had rather ugly expressions.. Then, he lowered his voice and said, "Lord Dean, is there really no room for negotiation in this matter?"
If there was a possibility, he naturally would not want to be here to accompany the Dean as he went crazy either. But now that the Family Head had long hidden himself, in the entire Xie Clan residence, there were likely few people who would choose to meet the Dean. In reality, would not have imagined why the Dean would come here now, even though they had already guessed the Dean's objective.
The Dean looked at the other party with a bright smile and said, "If you believe your words hold any weight, shall we talk it out then?"
Hearing this, the old man felt as if a thorn had pricked his back, and his expression instantly became ugly to the extreme. If the Dean's earlier statement about burning ancestral plaques had made him somewhat angry, this time, he truly wished to avoid provoking this plague god.
The world at large regarded this old fogey as the leader of scholars, the highly respected Dean of the academy. Yet, only a few knew what kind of personality this Dean truly had. Benefiting from their relationship with the Family Head, the White Deer's Xie Clan, especially this old man who was rather close to the Family Head, they were naturally privy to many behind-the-scenes details that outsiders were unaware of.
Back then, during a banquet, the White Deer Xie Clan's family head had laughed and mentioned that the Dean was actually the most hot-tempered among the previous Dean's disciples. Despite having read countless books, he was known for his fiery temper. While he was indeed a scholar by definition, he was peculiar in that aspect.
"That old fogey's catchphrase is very interesting. He'll say, 'When it comes to reading books and reasoning it out, you can't possibly beat me no matter how hard you try. So, why bother reasoning things out? Let's just have a fight and see if you can beat me? Just listen to that, does this sound like the words of a civilized person?"
This statement was the exact words of the White Deer Xie Clan's family head back then. When he said these words, his face was filled with helplessness, making it difficult for people not to wonder whether he had indeed fought with the Dean in the past.
It was likely that the result was not very favorable for the Xie Family Head.
"Lord Dean, please wait a moment. I will go and ask the Family Head to end his seclusion."
Gritting his teeth, the old man already opened his mouth. Since the Dean had already arrived, the matter today would not be so easily resolved. After all, the Dean was not the same as that girl. He held no sentimental attachment to the White Deer's Xie Clan, and he could not be placated with just a few words.
"Call that old fogey out, I want to personally ask him why he's so shameless. Just because my disciple also has the surname Xie, does that give him the right to coerce her so shamelessly?"
The old man turned a deaf ear to the Dean's words and quickly walked away. However, he definitely would not inform the Xie Family Head of what the Dean had said.
But before he had taken a few steps, a figure converged not far away. An old man in a gray robe and a hair full of white hair appeared. He looked at the Dean who still looked like a middle-aged man rather helplessly and said with a sigh, "You old fogey, you still came in the end."
This person was the Family Head of the White Deer's Xie Clan, the great scholar Xie Xuan.
The Dean glanced at this old man with a head full of white hair and said with a cold snort, "If I didn't come, who knows when you, old man, would kick the bucket? I got to least come and see you one last time, no?"
Hearing this, Xie Xuan remained unfazed. After years of interaction, how could he not be aware of the temperament of this old fogey before him? He was not overly concerned about his tendency to be foul-mouthed. He just replied with indifference, "I might not even die after another 20 years pass. Who knows, I might outlive you, you old fogey."
"I'm old?"
The Dean tossed his head, shaking his head full of black hair provocatively.
Actually, the two were peers from the same generation with a relatively small age gap between them. If the Xie Family Head wanted, he could appear in front of people with a head full of black hair too. However, the two of them thought differently after all.
"Get to the point. Let's talk about how you're going to make up to my disciple."
The Dean went straight to the point, not wanting to beat around the bush with other matters.
The Xie Family Head said calmly, "I'll hand over this White Deer's Xie Clan to her, will that do?"
The dean frowned slightly. After a moment, he mocked, "White Deer's Xie Clan, does this still have any meaning now?"
After more than two hundred years, the Divine Capital's Xie Family had become a top-tier family in the Great Liang Dynasty that could be placed in the same category as the Wei Family. On the other hand, although the White Deer's Xie Clan was still a prominent family in the White Deer Prefecture, it fell significantly short in comparison to the Divine Capital's Xie Family.
Xie Nandu was poised to become the next family head of the Divine Lord's Xie Family. Why would she care about the White Deer's Xie Clan?
The Xie Family Head asked, "Do you really think my White Deer's Xie Clan will decline without any hope?"
He looked at the Dean as if he would take action immediately if the Dean's answer was unsatisfactory.
The Dean furrowed his brow and said, "Speaking of which, even though I find your Xie word displeasing to the eye, you all still carry some scholarly air in the end; not that detestable."
The Xie Family Head smiled slightly, "I was a scholar right from the beginning. There should be some differences."
The Dean asked with a long face, "Are you all still considered scholars now?!"
The Xie Family Head still smiled as he said, "The atmosphere of studying in the academy back then is still vivid in my memory. You, were merely an insignificant youth from the distant South. Logically speaking, it should have been impossible for you to become the Dean. But in the end, out of so many people, wasn't it you, the one with the worst temperament, who became the Dean in the end?"
The Dean retorted, "That's because you were blind and couldn't see the good in me."
Actually, among that generation, there were not many left by now. Without this sentiment, perhaps the Dean would not have been so courteous.
The Xie Family Head sighed emotionally and said, "Indeed, there aren't many left."
The Dean remained silent.
"Regarding that matter, that girl has her own ideas, and there's little I can do. The reason why I appear like this is that I'm a bit anxious."
The Xie Family Head looked at the Dean and smiled, "I also want to use this incident to do some things I want to do."
The Dean sneered and said, "You want to borrow a knife, I don't mind it. But that girl is my disciple, so you still need to compensate!"
The Xie Family Head said calmly, "I've said it, isn't the entire Xie Clan enough?"
The Dean did not speak.
"The weight of the White Deer's Xie Clan has indeed diminished somewhat, but..."
He only spoke halfway and then turned to smile and said, "Old Fogey, there's a promising talent in this manor. Would you like to take a look? Perhaps you'll fancy him and bring him back to the academy?"
The Dean shook his head, refusing him. As for the reasons behind it, he did not say it.
The Dean said, "I just want to know one thing, just what do you treat that girl as?"
Pausing for a moment, the Dean continued seriously, "Back when you, Xie Xuan, were studying at the academy, Teacher remarked on your scholarly disposition. If you had focused solely on learning, you might have become the foremost scholar of our time. If you had concentrated solely on cultivation, Nepenthe Realm wouldn't have been difficult either. But to strive for both is nearly impossible. I don't know whether what Teacher said was right or not, I simply want to ask you, after all these years, are you still the same young man I met in the Divine Capital back then?"
Mentioning the former Dean, the Xie Family Head frowned slightly. It was unknown what he recalled.
He never answered the Dean's question from start to end.
The Dean had already understood something and lamented, "Being just a scholar is a difficult task."
"A few days ago, there was a scholar who visited here."
The Xie Family Head was referring to Wei Xu, the young man from the Wei Clan who had stepped into the White Deer Xie Clan's residence. Though he did not come out to meet him personally, he was well aware of what had occurred.
"He is surnamed Wei and also finds it difficult to remain just a scholar."
The Xie Family Head smiled slightly and said, "You've already nurtured a formidable enemy for the Xie Family."
The Dean looked at him, raising an eyebrow as he said, "Who's blaming me? If they have an issue, come and bite me!"
This was not the first time the Dean had said something like this. Even now, he was completely self-assured, feeling he had done nothing wrong.
He had done nothing wrong in the first place.
As a scholar, educating and guiding people was something he should do.
A plaque hung above the entrance of the academy, bearing only three ordinary words.
Education Without Discrimination.
