The stone steps wound up the mountain, ending at a courtyard on the summit, half hidden among peach blossoms.
As soon as Fang Yun reached the foot of the mountain, four scholars came forward to meet him.
Three Grand Academicians and one Hanlin Academician.
The three Grand Academicians were composed enough, but the Hanlin Academician was particularly startled to see Fang Yun.
The Hanlin Academician was named Zong Ming. At the Yueyang Tower Literary Gathering, Zong Ganyu had ordered him to serve as the caretaker of the Old Peach Residence. He was also the only member of the Zong Family who had attended that gathering without suffering dust-covered literary guts.
The three Grand Academicians wore dark expressions, even after doing their utmost to conceal them.
Zong Ming, by contrast, seemed merely surprised. The Hanlin Academician, a man in his thirties, stepped forward with a cheerful grin and cupped his hands. "Zong Ming pays his respects to Void Sage Fang. May I ask what brings you here?"
Fang Yun gave Zong Ming a surprised glance. He had not expected the man to be so easygoing, and his face seemed somewhat familiar. Then, through Memory Reversion, his memory returned directly to the Yueyang Tower Literary Gathering of years past, and he even heard Zong Ming's conversation with Zong Ganyu, the head of the Zong Family, once again.
Fang Yun smiled at Zong Ming and nodded. "The Zong Family's qilin prodigy."
Zong Ming looked overwhelmed by the honor, then hurriedly waved his hands. "I've never wronged you or held any grudge against you. You can't praise me to death like that! Elders, this is a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. Should I curse him a few times to prove my innocence?"
The three Grand Academicians, well acquainted with his temperament, rolled their eyes at