Xu Caichen: Isn't This a Freebie?
A corner of the royal court.
Xu Caichen looked at the three ancient characters written on the door and blurted out subconsciously, "Imperial Academy, I didn't expect there to be such a place in the Desolate Ancient City. Could this be my destiny?"
He muttered something to himself, then pushed open the gate of the Imperial Academy and walked straight in.
After walking several dozen steps, Xu Caichen arrived at the foot of a library. There was a couplet inscribed at the entrance of the library, but the couplet only had the first line and not the second line.
He instinctively reached for the door to enter, but an old voice came from inside.
"Young people who want to enter must first complete the second line of the couplet."
Upon hearing this, Xu Caichen bowed slightly towards the room and said, "This junior obeys."
After speaking, he focused his gaze on the first line of the couplet. After carefully examining it, he silently read the first line in his mind, "If Heaven had feelings, Heaven too would grow old."
Xu Caichen began pacing at the door. After about an hour, Xu Caichen still hadn't come up with a matching line. He then took out a flask of wine from his storage ring, took a sip, and closed his eyes.
After a long while, Xu Caichen opened his eyes, picked up his brush, and wrote the second line of the couplet, "If the moon had no regrets, the moon would always be full."
As the pen fell, that familiar voice came from inside the room.
"May this month be perfect, may it always be full and without regrets. Please come in."
With a creak, the door opened from the inside, and Xu Caichen stepped inside. He saw a spirit with white hair and beard, dressed as a scholar, standing there. He immediately bowed in greeting.
"Student Xu Caichen pays respects to his senior."
The spirit returned the greeting, saying, "Caichen, there's no need for such formalities. I am the guardian spirit of this Ten Thousand Books Pavilion. Now that you have provided the matching line, you may study and research on the first floor of the Ten Thousand Books Pavilion. Once you have finished reading all the books on this floor, you only need to give me a word if you wish to go to the second floor."
"Thank you for your guidance, senior."
After Xu Caichen finished speaking, he began to read extensively in the first floor of the library. Seven days later, he finished reading all the books on the first floor, stood up and said to the spirit, "Senior, I have finished reading all the books on the first floor. I wish to go to the second floor. Please give me a question."
"Oh."
The spirit smiled and said, "Young man, the opportunity to study at the Ten Thousand Books Pavilion is rare. Are you sure you don't want to spend more time there?"
Xu Caichen cupped his hands and said, "To be honest, senior, the articles on this floor are not of much benefit to me, so I would like to go up to the second floor to broaden my horizons."
The spirit carefully examined Xu Caichen and said, "Indeed, you possess the True Intent of the Literary Dao and have a Vast Righteous Qi. The books on the first floor are too superficial for you. Going to the second floor is also simple; you only need to compose a poem with Vast Righteous Qi within a day."
Xu Caichen was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, thinking to himself: Isn't it a waste for this senior to give me such a question?
Without a second thought, he picked up his pen and wrote the three characters "Song of Righteous Qi" on the paper.
The spirit of the artifact didn't pay much attention to the young man in front of it. It had spent countless years in the Ten Thousand Books Pavilion and had seen countless geniuses.
A mere young man who has grasped the Literary Intent is not worthy of his excessive attention.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xu Caichen had written the Song of Righteous Qi.
He handed over the completed poem, saying, "Please appreciate it, senior."
Without giving it much thought, the spirit focused its gaze on the paper. When it saw the contents of the paper, its soul trembled slightly.
"What a fine poem! What a fine poem! In the Ten Thousand Books Pavilion, I have never seen such a work. Did you come up with this poem yourself?"
"No."
Xu Caichen did not hide anything. "Since you did not specifically instruct me to come up with my own ideas, I have written down my introductory work."
"Indeed, I never said you couldn't use the poems taught to you by others."
The spirit paused for a moment, then continued, "Could you tell me who wrote this poem?"
Xu Caichen respectfully replied, "To be honest, senior, this poem was written by my master Chu Feng."
"To be able to compose such poetry, your teacher must be a great scholar of our time. I wonder if your teacher has any other works?"
After speaking, the spirit suddenly remembered that it was testing someone, paused for a moment, and continued, "I won't lie to you, this Ten Thousand Books Pavilion has three levels. Your previous poem can only get you through the second level. To enter the third level, you need a groundbreaking work that establishes a school of thought. I wonder if you have one?"
Xu Caichen looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking, "There really is."
"Quickly... quickly write it down for this old man to see."
The spirit said excitedly, its expression as if it had seen some priceless treasure.
"Please wait a moment, senior."
Just as Xu Caichen was about to grind the ink, the spirit of the artifact flew over immediately.
"Young man, leave such a trivial matter as grinding ink to this old man."
???
When Xu Caichen saw the esteemed scholar before him, he instantly transformed into a devoted fan, and was momentarily stunned.
The Master's charisma is indeed unmatched by ordinary people.
A moment later, the spirit handed the ground ink to Xu Caichen.
He picked up his pen and began to recite from memory a passage from the Analects that his master had previously taught him.
Several hours later, Xu Caichen finally put down his pen and let out a long breath.
call...
Meanwhile, the spirit beside it was completely absorbed in the Analects and could not extricate itself.
The next day, the spirit of the artifact finally came to its senses from the article and bowed to Xu Caichen, saying, "Fellow Daoist, your article is excellent. You can go anywhere in the Ten Thousand Books Pavilion, so I won't disturb you any longer."
"Thank you, senior."
Xu Caichen bowed slightly to the spirit of the artifact, then walked up to the second floor. As soon as he reached the top, he saw the Literary Qi surrounding the library.
This Literary Qi emanates from those books. Even though the Ten Thousand Books Pavilion has existed for countless years, neither the ground nor the books are covered in dust.
He then walked to a book, casually opened it, and a ray of Literary Dao light emanated from it.
At the same time, the ancient texts in the book entered Xu Caichen's sea of consciousness through his eyes.
For a moment, Xu Caichen was completely immersed in the book.
"Senior Brother Wang!"
"Junior Brother Han!"
Wang Baole and Han Ping looked at the familiar person in front of them, subconsciously called out the other person's name, but did not approach rashly.
Both of them are conservative and steady, especially Han Ping, who is always ready to run away at any time.
Moreover, the two of them wandered around the royal court for several days before finally spotting a familiar face.
My first reaction was happiness, my second was caution.
"The Longevity Art." Wang Baole blurted out Han Ping's cultivation method without thinking.
"Successful people."
Han Ping mustered his courage and uttered those four words.
Wang Baole's face immediately darkened. "Junior brother, you've gone too far."
Han Ping was now certain that the person in front of him was his Senior Brother Wang, and he gave an awkward but polite smile, "Senior brother, please don't be offended. I was just being cautious."
Wang Baole pursed his lips. "Hmm, I know you're cautious. Since we've met here, let's see what treasures are inside."
"Good."
Han Ping gestured for him to enter. "Senior Brother Wang, please!"
Wang Baole: "..."