Chang'an Academy's teachers' dormitory stood amid a verdant Bamboo Forest, its surroundings elegant and quiet.
The setting sun shone through the half-closed window, spilling over the simple, antique furniture inside and casting mottled patches of light and shadow.
On the desk, a document had been gently spread open. It was a proposal concerning the expansion of the mountain stronghold.
Zhuo Qianren looked up at Zhang Ci, a hint of surprise and inquiry in his voice. "Did you come up with this?"
Zhang Ci, his prized disciple, was standing at the side.
He shook his head lightly and explained, "No, Master."
"This is the original draft Xiao Jun—student Hongchen—gave me."
"I've been recuperating at home these past few days, and with nothing to do, I just revised it a little."
Zhuo Qianren frowned slightly. "Xiao Jun came to the academy?"
Zhang Ci waved a hand in denial. "No, Master. He gave me the original draft in the mountains."
Zhuo Qianren was startled when he heard that.
He slowly closed his eyes, as if pondering something.
The idea in this proposal about expanding the mountain stronghold had actually taken shape before the Wolf Bandits' attack.
Zhang Ci asked tentatively, "Master, do you think Xiao Jun had already anticipated the Wolf Bandits' attack?"
Zhuo Qianren opened his eyes, looked at Zhang Ci, rubbed his temples, and after a moment of thought, said, "If he had known in advance that we would be attacked then, that would be wisdom bordering on the divine."
"It may have been a coincidence, but the judgment and foresight in this document are real."
Zhang Ci nodded in agreement. "Yes, Master. If we had set up a few more forward strongholds in the mountains and could raise the alarm and respond earlier, so many people wouldn't have been trapped