The White-Clad Scholar

The little girl was dressed plainly. Her clothes were too large, the sleeves so long that even after being rolled up several times, they still reached her wrists.

Children from ordinary families always bought clothes a little too big.

Children grew quickly, and buying larger clothes meant they would not have to spend extra money replacing them.

It was common in the Great Chu Kingdom for children this young to help their parents with work.

Although the Great Chu Kingdom promoted education, few ordinary families actually sent their children to study.

At most, they attended a private school. That already counted as being educated.

When Great Chu first began promoting education, many commoners had eagerly sent their children to study, spending great sums of money, only to discover that this path was fiercely competitive.

They spent the money, failed the exams, then went back to doing whatever they had done before. Few persevered.

Over time, aside from a small number of commoners, most gave up.

This was also related to Great Chu's national strength.

The Great Chu Kingdom had only just been pacified. Its emperor was ambitious and wanted vigorous development everywhere, but this resulted in shortcomings in certain areas.

Of course, there were still many scholars, just not in remote little counties like Sheng County.

Places like Nanhua Dao, a sacred land for literati, had the most scholars and were also where Confucianism flourished.

As Xu Bai watched the little girl approach, he could not help reaching out to pat her head.

Cuteness was irresistible to men, women, young, and old alike.

Especially when he looked into the little girl's adorably wide eyes, Xu Bai's manly heart instantly exploded.

"Big Brother, what would you like to eat?" It was the first time the little girl had encountered something like this. She timidly took a step back and asked in a stammer.

This big brother was so handsome, but he seemed to carry a fierce aura about him.

She had never seen much of the world. Being able to say a complete sentence now was already quite impressive.

"Two buns and a bowl of plain congee," Xu Bai said with a smile.

"Please wait a moment, Big Brother." The little girl nodded vigorously and skipped away.

Watching her departing figure, Xu Bai smiled again.

What could brighten one's mood more than a skipping little girl? So early in the morning, Xu Bai's mood had already improved.

Before long, the little girl brought the buns and congee to his table.

Xu Bai patted the little girl's head again before starting to eat.

He ate quickly. He still needed to hurry back and contemplate the progress bar.

By the time he finished paying, quite a few people had gathered around the stall.

Xu Bai rubbed his stomach. His appetite had been satisfied; it was time to grind.

But after taking only two steps, he stopped and turned his gaze in one direction.

A woman dressed in white emerged from the end of the street and walked up to the stall.

"Two buns, packed to go."

Her face was veiled in white gauze, making her features impossible to see.

But her voice was pleasant.

Xu Bai only glanced at her before preparing to turn and leave.

He was considering something in his mind.

The woman's white clothes were not cheap.

Anyone who could afford silk could be considered well-off.

Especially since a vivid green jade pendant hung at the woman's waist. It looked expensive at a glance.

"Sister Liu, you're back!" The little girl happily skipped over.

The woman surnamed Liu patted the little girl's head and smiled. "School is on break, so of course I came back to take a look. Little Yue, you've grown quite a bit."

Xiao Yue pouted. "Sister Liu went to Nanhua Dao and stayed away for two whole years. Of course Xiao Yue grew taller. Children grow so fast."

As she spoke, Xiao Yue held Liu Xu's hand, the delight on her face never fading.

Upon hearing their conversation, Xu Bai silently left.

He did not stop along the way and returned straight home.

"Nanhua Dao, scholars, Confucianism?"

His predecessor still had memories concerning scholars.

The scholars of this world were not powerless men incapable of trussing a chicken.

On the contrary, scholars focused on the spirit, nurturing a breath of Righteous Qi that could expel evil and slay baleful forces.

This so-called Righteous Qi was not a martial artist's True Qi. It was instead stirred forth through the spirit.

It was more like an imposing bearing than True Qi with tangible substance.

"Even a tiny place like Sheng County has people from Nanhua Dao." Xu Bai stroked his chin.

In the Great Yue Kingdom's Jing Prefecture, prefectures and circuits, Circuit was the lowest level, yet Nanhua Dao was more famous than some prefectures. After all, it was the birthplace of scholars and their present-day holy land.

One could put it this way: in Nanhua Dao, if a brick fell from the sky, it would hit a scholar. That alone showed just how many scholars were there.

"Never mind that for now." After thinking for a moment, Xu Bai took out the book he had obtained from Iron Calculation Immortal. "Building up the progress bar is what matters."

Scholars' affairs had nothing to do with him. Thinking too much would only add to his troubles; he might as well continue grinding the progress bar.

Lying on his bed, Xu Bai silently flipped through the book.

The next day.

Xu Bai returned to his usual routine.

Every day consisted of eating, building up the progress bar, and sleeping.

On the second day, he got up, ate, built up the progress bar, then slept again.

Originally, he had planned to stay awake for several days and grind the progress bar to completion.

But the appearance of that woman in white had made him somewhat wary.

No matter when it was, he had to ensure he remained in peak condition and not lose the greater for the lesser.

Going without sleep for several days would at most leave him tired, but even the slightest fatigue could become a fatal factor.

A thousand-mile dike collapsed from an ant hole. Xu Bai did not want trouble to arise because of fatigue.

He still grinded as usual. Other than meals, he spent all his daytime grinding the progress bar.

Worth mentioning was that he ate at that bun stall every day and gradually became familiar with the little girl named Xiao Yue.

The first time he patted Xiao Yue's head, she had been somewhat afraid. But as time passed, she no longer resisted at all.

The little girl was not very old. Six or seven was the age of innocence. Compared to certain people who claimed they had not yet been tainted by the world, Xiao Yue was the one who truly had not yet been tainted by the world.

In Xiao Yue's eyes, a handsome big brother could never be a bad person.

And when Big Brother patted her head, it felt so warm.

Of course, Xu Bai did not know what she was thinking. Otherwise, he would definitely have taught Xiao Yue a lesson.

Today, Xu Bai came to the stall for breakfast as usual.

"Big Brother, your buns and congee." Xiao Yue carried over the buns, set them on the table, and beamed with excitement.

Ever since they had become familiar, Xiao Yue was no longer as shy as before. She had also figured out Xu Bai's routine, bringing out two buns and a bowl of plain congee every time before Xu Bai even had to speak.

She was merely a little girl from an impoverished family, yet Big Brother treated her so warmly. Xiao Yue could not help feeling happy.

After placing the food on the table, Xiao Yue did not leave.

She tilted up her head, stood on tiptoe, and closed her eyes.

She looked like a child waiting for praise from an adult.

Xu Bai reached out and patted Xiao Yue's little head. "Xiao Yue is such a good girl."

Having received her daily praise, Xiao Yue skipped away again.

Xu Bai began eating, while still remembering to survey his surroundings.

That woman in white surnamed Liu was not there. Ever since their previous meeting, he had not seen her again.

Of course, Xu Bai was merely curious.

Whether she was there or not had nothing to do with him.

He swiftly finished his meal, paid, and left the bun stall again.

Today, he could finish grinding through Iron Calculation Immortal's book.