Wei Zhilin

After years of maneuvering through official circles, Cui Lishen had become adept at reading expressions. Noticing the flicker of displeasure on Wei Zhilin's face at his son's arrogance, he hurriedly scolded, "You insolent wretch! Academy Head Wei of the Knowledge and Practice Institute is here. He will certainly see justice done for you. Stop making a racket!"

He hastily put on a smile and said to Wei Zhilin, "My son spoke out of turn in his anger. Please forgive him, Academy Head Wei. He has already passed the Knowledge and Practice Institute's entrance examination, so in a sense, he is your student as well. I hope you will offer him plenty of guidance in the future!"

Wei Zhilin sat upright in a folding armchair, with two instructors from the Knowledge and Practice Institute standing behind him. Narrowing his phoenix eyes and stroking his long beard, he said leisurely, "So your son is a disciple of our Knowledge and Practice Institute, and these two boys are also our disciples. That makes them fellow students. Must a little friction between fellow students really lead to a fight to the death with flying swords?"

Wei Zhilin had a distinguished appearance and an air of graceful nobility. His tone grew heavier toward the end, radiating authority without any show of anger.

Overawed by his presence, Cui Lishen could not help feeling uneasy. He stammered submissively, "Oh... well... this matter... I leave it to you to decide how it should be handled, Academy Head Wei!"

Wei Zhilin glanced at the boy named He An standing farther down the hall. His topknot was disheveled, his teeth lightly caught his lower lip, and his brows carried the stubbornness unique to youth. Remembering how his esteemed teacher had told him to let everything take its natural course and see whether these two children could be shaped into something worthwhile, he understood his teacher's intention. Even unrefined gold and uncut jade needed polishing. At once, he knew what to do.

Wei Zhilin said thoughtfully, "Since they are all disciples of the Knowledge and Practice Institute, it is only fitting that I settle this matter. Cui Mengshu's provocation started the incident. His injuries are now quite serious, which may be considered sufficient punishment. This student named He An struck too hard and injured a fellow student, violating our institute's rules. I therefore order him to apologize to Cui Mengshu. In addition, immediately upon enrollment, he must report to the Discipline Hall for three days of confinement. Vice Minister Cui, do you consider this ruling fair?"

Although Cui Lishen belonged to the direct line of the Cui Family of Fanyang Commandery, he did not dare offend Wei Zhilin. He could only force a stiff smile onto his face. "Yes, yes. Your ruling is excellent, Academy Head Wei!"

Wei Zhilin bent two fingers and lightly tapped the armrest, his expression calm. "Good! Since Vice Minister Cui agrees, the matter ends here. I will take these two back to the Knowledge and Practice Institute shortly. He An, hurry up and apologize to your fellow student."

He An felt indignant, but the man before him was an important figure in the Knowledge and Practice Institute. He could only swallow his grievance. Secretly gritting his teeth, he stepped forward and cupped his hands toward Cui Mengshu. "Young Master Cui, I am truly sorry. Please accept my apology!"

Lying on the stretcher, Cui Mengshu snorted and turned his head to roll his eyes at the country boy. Malice flickered in his dark eyes as he sneered inwardly. Just you wait. I will make you wish for death and deny you even that.

Wei Zhilin coughed softly, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone in the hall. When he saw Huang Daogong, his face seemed to frost over, and he asked coldly, "You are Huang Daogong?"

Huang Daogong sat at the outer end of a row of folding armchairs. When Wei Zhilin turned those lightning-sharp eyes on him, his heart jolted. He stood and instinctively backed away.

But after a single step, he could no longer move a muscle. In an instant, the space around him seemed to freeze, and an overwhelmingly powerful aura locked him firmly in place.

Huang Daogong was suddenly like a fly trapped in amber, rooted to the spot, dumb as a wooden chicken and filled with terror.

"You think you can seize people from the Knowledge and Practice Institute whenever you please? If this happens again, do not blame me for showing no mercy!" Wei Zhilin thundered. His three long wisps of beard stirred without a breeze as he slammed his palm onto the armrest and rose.

Huang Daogong gave a muffled groan. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his body crumpled limply to the floor.

Incredibly, the palm Wei Zhilin had brought down on the armrest had struck Huang Daogong instead. His chest was slightly caved in, his face had turned purple, and he had clearly lost consciousness.

The two instructors supported He An and Fan Dazhi as they followed Wei Zhilin out, leaving without a backward glance.

Fury burned in Vice Minister of Revenue Cui Lishen's heart. Wei Zhilin had plainly struck the mountain to frighten the tiger, yet Cui Lishen did not dare act rashly. Imperial Preceptor Li Xingzhi's fame spread throughout the land. Over the past dozen years and more, many students who had left the Knowledge and Practice Institute had taken important posts at court. Even the emperor of the Great Chen Empire regarded him with considerable wariness. As the Imperial Preceptor's eldest disciple and Academy Head of the Knowledge and Practice Institute, Wei Zhilin likewise had students throughout the realm. Although the Cui Family of Fanyang Commandery had helped found the empire, they still stood a level below the Imperial Preceptor and his institute.

Cui Lishen rose and, humiliated and angry, kicked the folding armchair Wei Zhilin had just occupied. Then he called for servants to carry Huang Daogong away and summon a physician.

A faint crack sounded. To his astonishment, Cui Lishen saw a fissure appear in the armrest of the chair he had just kicked. Soon there were two, then three...

Countless cracks spread across every inch of the chair. Everyone in the hall gathered around to watch the startling sight. One bold household retainer reached out and touched it with a finger. Without a sound, the chair disintegrated into fine powder. Tiny particles of wood swirled through the air, making everyone cough and their noses run. After a flurry of brushing and patting themselves down, they exchanged bewildered looks.

A trace of fear surfaced on Cui Lishen's face. The Knowledge and Practice Institute's worldwide renown was indeed well deserved.

Two servants carried Cui Mengshu to the study. Still lying on the stretcher, he looked at his father's gloomy face and cried in frustration, "Father, I cannot swallow this insult!"

"Shu'er, the reason I sent you to the Knowledge and Practice Institute instead of our own Dragon Gate Academy was an arrangement made by our Lineage. Officials affiliated with the Knowledge and Practice Institute have deeply entrenched power at court, and His Majesty has become gravely concerned. He is looking for an opportunity to suppress them, and our Cui Family is cooperating with him to counter the institute. This is an opportunity-a once-in-a-thousand-years chance for our Cui Family to soar to greatness."

At this point, a fiery gleam shone in Cui Lishen's eyes. His voice grew excited as he continued, "The Old Patriarch has already arranged for the most gifted members of the Cui Family's younger generation, along with several outstanding talents recruited from among the common people, to enter Dragon Gate Academy. Before long, we will surely gain a firm advantage over the Knowledge and Practice Institute. Your talent for martial arts is limited, but you do have some cleverness. From now on, your main task at the institute is to make connections and win over outstanding students for our Cui Family's future use. If you cannot win them over... you can suppress and isolate them. Take that boy named He An. Won't you be able to twist him around your finger in the future? Only by swallowing your anger for a time can you rise above others one day. Do you understand?"

As Cui Mengshu listened, a gleam appeared in his sinister eyes, and a cold smile unconsciously curled his lips...

The first day of the ninth month: clashes with the Horse, inauspicious influences in the west. Favorable for praying for blessings, thanking the gods, opening a business, and pursuing studies. Unfavorable for taking office or traveling.

Early that morning, He An and Fan Dazhi saw Fang Yizhi off. That day, Fang Yizhi had fought Huang Daogong alone. Although he had failed to rescue the two boys, he had rushed back to the Knowledge and Practice Institute for help. In the end, Academy Head Wei Zhilin had personally gone to the Ministry of Revenue Vice Minister's Residence and brought them back.

Recalling the time they had spent together on their journey from the little mountain village to Luoyang, the Capital, He An and Fan Dazhi felt deeply grateful to Fang Yizhi and reluctant to part with him. He was learned and talented, yet approachable; refined and gracious, both a teacher and a friend.

They accompanied Fang Yizhi all the way beyond Changxia Gate. Along the way, he held their hands and earnestly urged them to devote themselves to their studies once they entered the Knowledge and Practice Institute. If they encountered people or situations like Cui Mengshu again, they must curb their pride, exercise patience, and never act on impulse.

Reluctant to part, the two watched Fang Yizhi board the mule cart. Only when the autumn sunlight shining on the official road obscured the receding cart did they return to the Knowledge and Practice Institute.

Today was also registration day. Food and lodging were free for students at the Knowledge and Practice Institute. Part of its annual expenses came from court allocations, while the rest came from donations by wealthy gentry and merchants in Luoyang City.

New students could choose their own accommodation, either inside or outside the institute. Management within the institute was stricter, however. All new students shared rooms of four, with assignments adjusted each year according to their grades. Those earning an upper A could enjoy a room of their own, while those with an A could only share a double room. The rest remained in four-person rooms. This rule was meant to encourage students to study hard.

Following the crowd, He An and Fan Dazhi registered with the instructor responsible for maintaining order and chose a quiet room in a secluded spot. They pushed open the door to find extremely simple furnishings: four desks, four chairs, and four beds, with nothing else.

After briefly tidying their beds, Fan Dazhi accompanied He An to the Discipline Hall to receive the punishment Wei Zhilin had decreed.

The Discipline Hall was where students were punished for breaking the institute's rules. Its hall master, Jia Huaigang, was in his forties, with a broad, square face, two thick black eyebrows, and a glossy black beard. He looked for all the world like a judge in a City God temple. After a simple breakfast, he had just leisurely brewed a pot of fine Maojian Tea when someone knocked on his door, making him frown.

He An entered, first bowing deeply before explaining why he had come. Seeing this handsome, well-mannered boy, Jia Huaigang wondered how he had landed in confinement immediately upon enrollment. He An briefly recounted what had happened, and Jia Huaigang's brows, which had just relaxed, drew together even more tightly.

Jia Huaigang had formerly served as an assistant director in the Ministry of Justice of the Great Liang Kingdom, the Former Dynasty. An upright man, he had later taken the initiative in persuading remnants of the Tyrant Liang regime to surrender. When Imperial Preceptor Li Xingzhi founded the Knowledge and Practice Institute, he recruited Jia Huaigang and appointed him master of the Discipline Hall. Impartial as iron and hating evil as a mortal enemy, he was both respected and feared by the institute's students.

Confinement immediately upon enrollment was a first since the Knowledge and Practice Institute's founding. As Head of the Literary Institute, Wei Zhilin was normally busy with many affairs and fair in his judgments. He had no reason to target this child without cause, so he must have some other purpose. Jia Huaigang blew on the steaming Maojian Tea leaves in his cup, silently pondering the matter.

Once he had blown the tea cool, Jia Huaigang drained the cup in one gulp, then gestured for He An to follow him to the Discipline Hall's rear courtyard.

The rear courtyard was small, with withered flowers and plants filling its corners. Several rooms stood with their doors tightly shut, some covered in damp green moss. Clearly, few people came here.

Without speaking, Jia Huaigang took a storm lantern from the wall, drew a flint from inside his robe, and struck a flame to light it. Carrying it, he went straight to the door on the far right and pushed it open. A cold draft struck their faces as they entered. Flight after flight of steps led downward, with no bottom in sight.

He An followed Jia Huaigang down. The light grew dimmer and dimmer, and the lantern's faint glow resembled a ghost fire drifting through the darkness. The steps beneath He An's feet rose and dipped unevenly. He had no idea how many he had traversed, but after descending roughly a hundred zhang, the ground began to level out.

Jia Huaigang walked at an unhurried pace, clearly well acquainted with the place. They continued forward for about half an incense stick's burning time before reaching a somewhat spacious stone chamber. Pointing at a long stone slab ahead, Jia Huaigang said, "Sit there and circulate your energy to withstand the cold. I will come for you in three days!" He set the lantern on the ground and left without even looking back.

The cold pierced He An to the bone. He hurriedly practiced his cultivation method to resist it, and before long, a little warmth returned to his body. He then hung the lantern from an iron ring in the chamber, only to feel the cold invading him again. Within moments, his teeth were chattering.

He breathed out a white cloud and rubbed his hands, then rubbed his ears, which ached from the cold. This damned place really could freeze a man to death if he stopped circulating his energy. Three days without food or water would do little harm outside, but here I have to keep circulating my energy for three whole days. This is going to be miserable!