Wuchang Year One.
May second.
The autumn breeze was cool.
Outside Ping'an County, a figure slowly appeared.
It was Chen Xinghe.
Over the past few days, he had thought about many things at home and decided to travel far afield to clear his mind, while also studying diligently. He was already on the verge of entering a rank, just a tiny step away.
Today, he had come to Ping'an County to congratulate his teacher and bid him farewell. After all, he was going on a long journey, so he had to tell his teacher, lest the man be unable to find him.
Ping'an County was as lively as ever. Especially after Xu Qingxiao's arrival a few days earlier, his presence had lent splendor to its humble doors. Visitors had come not merely from the neighboring villages, but from several surrounding prefectures. Many scholars traveled here hoping to soak up a little Literary Qi.
The place where Xu Qingxiao had lived had also been turned into his former residence. All that remained was for Ping'an County to rename itself Qingxiao County or Wangu County.
In fact, County Magistrate Li had considered doing just that, but later decided it was premature. He thought it would not be too late to change the name once Xu Qingxiao had gone to court and truly established himself.
Outside the county.
Chen Xinghe walked with light steps, his expression as aloof and proud as ever. Over these past few days, he had repeatedly pondered one question.
Why was he inferior to Xu Qingxiao?
Chen Xinghe had boiled it down to three points.
That was why he fell short of Xu Qingxiao. Fortunately, Xu Qingxiao was his junior fellow disciple, so Chen Xinghe did not feel too bad. On the contrary, he increasingly believed that Xu Qingxiao