The Dean chuckled. He had known this long ago. He was well aware of this student's temperament. Despite appearing mild normally, his personality was actually extremely stubborn. Once he decided on something, he naturally would not change it. He would not listen to advice and would not actively share with others as well.
Since he had already taken the initiative to say that he could not say it, the Dean did not press further. Instead, he said with a smile, "The night snow is beautiful. Warm two jugs of wine for a drink."
After saying this, the Dean took the initiative to walk towards the center of the lake, while Wei Xu turned to prepare the stove and wine.
Before long, the two met again under the pavilion. The Dean then asked Wei Xu to sit down.
The stove was placed on the stone table, bringing waves of warmth to the two.
Wei Xu poured a bowl of wine for the Dean and was about to get up.
The Dean said indifferently, "The two of us teacher and disciple haven't seem to have enjoyed a good drink in a long time."
Wei Xu was taken aback, then immediately understood his teacher's meaning. He did not get up but poured himself a bowl of wine, remaining silent.
"Years ago, when I met you, I said that it doesn't matter whether we scholars are smart or not, but it's important not to be too scheming, nor think too much about things. Living this way isn't enjoyable, and it will also be challenging to understand the true meaning when studying books."
After taking a sip of wine, the Dean said faintly, "You have high cultivation talent, and you're smart. Unfortunately, you were born into the Wei Family. Living in a prestigious family is tiring, and you also think too much. If you don't pull out early, how many more years do you think you can be a scholar?"
Wei Xu had no reaction. He just drank a sip of wine, placed the wine bowl down, and then spoke softly, "Teacher is right, but this student cannot do as Teacher wishes."
The Dean held his wine bowl, and said with a smile, "No need to force it. When I, the so-called leader of scholars, open my mouth to urge people, many people would nod in agreement like little chicks pecking at grains. But who would know that not many of my students actually follow their teacher's advice."
Wei Xu looked at his teacher with a complicated expression and said, "I only saw it in books before. They say that when you're in the pugilistic world, you have no control over your own fate. Later, I learned that the ones with the least control over their fate are not those so-called pugilists, but the children in prestigious families."
The Dean shook his head and said, "That's a pointless saying, might as well drink."
Wei Xu smiled bitterly. He originally wanted to share some heartfelt words with his teacher, but on second thought, someone like his teacher probably knew all the worldly truths, and there was probably nothing he could not figure out.
He did not want to listen, and did not want to speak, so naturally, his teacher had his own reasoning.
Realizing this, Wei Xu stopped talking and silently drank his wine.
Two jugs of wine were not that much. In no time, they had consumed most of it. The Dean remained composed, but Wei Xu's cheeks were slightly flushed, showing signs of intoxication.
When drinking with his teacher, it was natural that he could not rely on his cultivation to dispel the effects of alcohol. Therefore, Wei Xu had to depend on his natural alcohol tolerance, which was not particularly good.
"Speaking of which, am I a failure of a teacher?"
The Dean suddenly looked at Wei Xu, expressing some helplessness and a touch of sorrow.
Wei Xu was a bit puzzled but still said earnestly, "From this student's perspective, no matter how you put it, Teacher can't be considered a failure. In the eyes of this student, Teacher is the best."
However, the Dean did not pay attention to him and continued, "Throughout my life, I've accepted many disciples, all of them are actually quite good. Each person has their strengths, I know and also like it very much. Teacher and students are supposed to travel together, but walking and stopping, who could have expected that people traveling together would ultimately have to part ways? In the beginning, I thought it would be just a few students leaving. After all, everyone has their own aspirations. But later on, after walking for a few years and looking back, there's barely anyone following behind anymore."
"When I decided to take your little junior sister as my final disciple, I did think about a lot. Having a woman as my last disciple might attract gossip, but I didn't mind, as long as she was willing to study diligently. But who would have thought that, not long after she joined, she's already thinking about becoming a sword cultivator."
Wei Xu retorted, "Teacher, that doesn't make sense. Just because Little Junior Sister practices swordsmanship, it doesn't necessarily mean that she must become a sword cultivator and stop being a scholar."
The Dean looked at Wei Xu and said calmly, "Of course, I know. I'm just worried. Liu Banbi that punk is a cautionary tale. Studying too much has really driven him crazy, it seems like he doesn't want anything good at all. It's as if that as long as it's a logic written in a book, it would be utterly illogical to him."
Talking about their fellow apprentice, Wei Xu could only remain silent.
The Dean smiled, he naturally knew about the aversion between the two of them, but chose not to delve into it.
"Now I'm just thinking, there are already few people behind me now. If one day there's not a single one left, how can I face my own teacher?"
The Dean was somewhat melancholic, looking at Wei Xu with a touch of sentiment.
In many people's eyes, this scholar, often considered the best candidate to succeed the Dean in the academy, was not necessarily the best in the Dean's eyes.
The word 'scholar' did not mean just studying books, being able to understand the principles in books was enough to be called a scholarly person.
The Dean who said a lot of words felt a bit tired. He rubbed his eyes and said softly, "I had a dream in the first half of the night. I dreamed that the old fogey from the Myriad Heaven Palace sent me a dream, saying he gained enlightenment on something at this moment. When I asked him what it was, he told me to guess. I got so angry that I picked up a stone from the roadside and hit him with it."
After saying this, the Dean sounded a bit weary as he continued, "That guy departed a bit earlier, otherwise, I'd have gone to the Myriad Heaven Palace today to teach him a lesson."
Actually, this statement made no sense at all, but in reality, it carried a touch of melancholy.
Wei Xu was silent for a long time and finally opened his mouth to ask, "May I ask Teacher, what should one do if, in the future, they encounter a situation where they have no choice but to make a choice? But they are also unsure of how to choose. What should they do?"
The Dean turned to look at him, drank the last half-bowl of wine, and said calmly, "There are many things that are good things, you like and want it, and you can't resist. Who can say anything about that?"
Wei Xu looked at the Dean, wanting to speak but swallowing the words back.
The Dean continued, "If you can choose in this manner, and you feel that you didn't choose wrongly, that makes you an ordinary person. If you know that it's the right choice, but you don't choose, it, that's a sage."
After saying this, the Dean pointed to his own chest and fell silent.
Wei Xu was not sure if he understood the Dean's true meaning. After a long silence, he slowly stood up, bowed seriously, and said, "Thank you for the guidance, Teacher."
The Dean chuckled and did not say anything.
……
……
The Divine Capital was snowing heavily, but that small courtyard next to the academy lakeside was neat and tidy.
Xie Nandu sat under the eaves, with a stove in front of her. Having reached her level of cultivation, she had become impervious to the cold and heat, but she still liked to light a stove in winter, as if it could bring her some warmth.
In front of her were some estate reports sent in these days, all from the Xie Family. However, there were relatively few updates about the Northern Frontier that she was most concerned with.
The war in the North seemed to be of great importance, and military reports were transmitted to the Divine Capital through the most confidential means. Outsiders were completely unaware, and even the major families' hidden agents in the North could not send any information out at this moment. There were only vague rumors that in this great war, the Great Liang Dynasty had not suffered any setbacks.
Xie Nandu reached out and threw the estate report into the stove, then quickly remembered another matter.
The Great Liang Emperor claimed to be at a crucial point in his cultivation and had already been in closed-seclusion for several days. During this time, state affairs were entirely handled by the First Prince. At first, court officials did not think much of it. After all, the Great Liang Emperor was not only the ruler of the country but also a formidable martial artist. Since he was still cultivating, it must be because he encountered a difficult hurdle. However, after a few days, court officials gradually felt that something was amiss. Now, in the Divine Capital, there were already hidden undercurrents moving.
Xie Nandu withdrew her gaze, threw the report into the stove as well, and then looked into the distance with an unusually calm expression.
Currently, hidden undercurrents were flowing in the Divine Capital, it did not seem like a good thing for the entire Great Liang.
"In history, there have been many stories similar to this. His Majesty's ascension was improper, if such a thing has really happened, many people might be happy to give it a push."
Xie Nandu said calmly, looking at Wei Xu who appeared at the courtyard gate, seemingly out of nowhere.
Wei Xu stood in the heavy snow, yet not a single snowflake could land on him.
The scholar from the Wei Family looked at Xie Nandu and asked, "If there's really an upheaval, and the hidden currents turn into surging waves, how would the Xie Family choose?"
Xie Nandu gazed at Wei Xu and said calmly, "And how would Senior Brother Wei choose?"
Wei Xu changed the topic and asked, "What about that young man? When will he return to the Divine Capital?"
Xie Nandu shook her head and said, "Heaven knows."
