"What was there not to know? This school of thought was born right here in our Eastern Capital!"
Several people in the crowd immediately showed proud expressions, clearly sharing in the glory.
"Exactly." Wang Er nodded, lifted his tea and took a sip to moisten his throat before continuing. "Most of the other five have devoted themselves to Qiu Learning. Take Cui Sujing from the Min Region—he came from the Cui Family, yet he had a great talent for Qiu Learning. Once he encountered it, he gained insight, and relying on it, he led quite a few people out of Changle Prefecture..."
Wang Er then began telling Cui Sujing's "story." He was not exactly praising the Way of Knowledge and Action in Qiu Learning, but his account was still coherent and convincing.
"The Way of Knowledge and Action may seem profound, yet it also has plain and simple aspects. So long as one understands its core, even ordinary folk can speak of it in terms of one, two, three, and four, and use it to guide their daily lives. This Qiu Yan truly is no simple man. Through one moment of misguided thought, Huazhang missed such a great talent. Alas."
Several people sat at a table in one corner of the teahouse.
Had Qiu Yan been present, he would have recognized them. The two at the head of the group were Huazhang and Zhen Zhizuo of Principle Sect Academy.
Compared with several years ago, Huazhang and Zhen Zhizuo's bearing had clearly changed. One look at them made others instinctively feel they were not to be underestimated. The teahouse was full of noisy, mixed company, yet no idlers approached their corner for precisely that reason. On the other hand, this was not merely a matter of receiving someone; it also concerned