Sage Token

In front of the enormous bronze horse, Kong Zhong paced back and forth, a bitter feeling occasionally welling up in his heart.

Du Wencai and others also looked unwell and appeared somewhat apprehensive.

This was a rare occurrence among great cultivators, and everyone was unsettled, exchanging glances and conversations.

When Kong Anguo strode out of the inner hall of the Golden Horse Gate, Kong Zhong, who was in front of him, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Gentlemen, you must keep this matter a secret, and move to Chang'an City as soon as possible," Kong Zhong said in a low voice.

"This mess, sigh," Du Wencai sighed.

"The higher-ups haven't even made a decision yet, why should they listen to that guy surnamed Zhuang?" Ye Siqian said in a low voice.

"Now that the person is dead, there's no use saying anything," Zhu Jiusi said in a low voice. "Once Shen Pei and his gang find out, we'll definitely be implicated!"

"They wouldn't dare to openly target Brother Kong, but they'll definitely target us," Li Mingrui said.

While the group was whispering among themselves, Kong Anguo had already hurried over.

"Father!"

After bowing respectfully, Kong Anguo greeted everyone.

"Hmm... wait, Anguo, you've Realm Entry!"

The others responded with unease, but Kong Zhong noticed something unusual and realized that his son was different.

"Yes, Father, I met a benefactor today, and with the opportunity provided by him, I naturally entered the realm," Kong Anguo said happily.

Did you meet a benefactor?

Kong Zhong exclaimed in surprise.

He stared wide-eyed at his surroundings, wondering what important figure Kong Anguo had met that could provide such an opportunity.

He didn't see any important figures, but Kong Zhong unexpectedly spotted the Imperial Carriage Commander from the East Sima Gate.

Where is the important person?

Kong Zhong raised his head and stretched out his hand, as if to say hello to Zhang Xuezhou.

He withdrew his gaze, and couldn't help but want to quickly ask the benefactor if he had the time, feeling that he should make a special trip to express his gratitude.

What Kong Zhong and his associates currently lack in Chang'an City is a powerful patron.

He even lost his way in the present moment, feeling that Confucian School was unbearable, and that he lacked a foundation outside of Confucian School.

But they do need to find a new foothold.

In the Imperial Prison, Zhao Wan, unable to bear the pressure, chose to destroy her cultivation and die suddenly, followed by Wang Zang.

The two top Confucian scholars died in prison without being tried by the imperial court.

Despite Kong Zhong's many thoughts, he only believed that Zhao Wan and Wang Zang had been demoted and stripped of their official positions, never imagining that such a great Confucian scholar would commit suicide.

He had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

However, the deaths of Zhao Wan and others were undoubtedly related to them, which made Kong Zhong and others very uneasy.

These are the two great Confucian scholars on whom Confucian School places the greatest hope at present: one is one of the Three Dukes, and the other is one of the Nine Ministers. Behind them is Shen Peigong, the Grand Master of the Palace.

Confucian School had already occupied an extremely important position in the court, but the sudden death of these two high-ranking Confucian officials would undoubtedly disrupt all the plans of the Lu School of Confucian School.

Whether these culprits are acting in self-preservation or for the sake of justice, the consequences for those involved in this turmoil are difficult to predict.

It's no surprise that everyone was panicking.

Kong Zhong even wanted to find a new patron for the Confucian School school, to see if he could temporarily replace Zhao Wan and others.

"This scholar from the East is my benefactor," Kong Anguo said earnestly. "It was thanks to his guidance that I was able to overcome the long-standing obstacle and successfully enter the Meridian Circulation Realm."

"Ah, this is the benefactor?"

Kong Zhong opened his mouth.

He couldn't immediately figure out what heavenly materials and earthly treasures or mysterious method Zhang Xuezhou had brought that had enlightened Kong Anguo.

But Zhang Xuezhou, this kind of benefactor, was somewhat beyond his imagination.

"What 'noble person'? They're all old friends!"

Zhang Xuezhou laughed heartily and squeezed into the crowd.

He had noticed the unnatural expressions on the faces of the scholars and knew that they were likely being used as shields against Zhao Wan and her group, and were now practically sitting on the hot seat.

Things might be worse than he imagined.

But no matter how turbulent the court was, it was difficult to involve scholars like him who were awaiting imperial orders.

The matter would be announced by the imperial court sooner or later, so Zhang Xuezhou kept quiet after thinking it over.

"Father, although Scholar Dongfang is not Confucian School, he has a strong affinity with Confucian School," Kong Anguo said happily. "He possesses the virtues of a gentleman and is exceptionally kind-hearted. If it weren't for Scholar Dongfang's help, I would have been terribly anxious these past ten days without being able to find you, let alone break through the threshold of cultivation!"

"Father has been busy with important matters these days and is unable to get away!"

Reminded by Kong Anguo, Kong Zhongcai realized that he had been waiting in that dark place for nearly half a month.

"You should have asked your teacher to inform me before you did this important thing," Kong Anguo said with a regretful yet happy tone. "There's a silver lining in not having made arrangements. If it weren't for your lack of planning, Father, I might not have encountered this fortuitous opportunity provided by Scholar Dongfang!"

"Uh-huh!"

Kong Anguo said that fortuitous opportunity was not the point; the point was that Kong Anguo mentioned a person.

Kong Anguo's teachers included Fu Sheng, a member of the Qi school of Confucian School, and Shen Peigong, a member of the Lu school of Confucian School.

The leaders of many factions considered it an honor to be teachers of the Confucius family, and the Confucius family also needed to attach themselves to various Confucian School, but the true teacher-student relationship among them was hard to describe.

At least Kong Zhong felt that if a student hadn't reached a certain level of spiritual cultivation after six or seven years of instruction, the teacher wouldn't be very happy.

"My father often says that one should be grateful and repay kindness. Scholar Dongfang has given me a great fortuitous opportunity, and I feel that I should repay Scholar Dongfang handsomely," Kong Anguo said.

"Ah, it's... what kind of generous reward?"

Kong Zhong pondered how to face Shen Peigong, and gave evasive answers to Kong Anguo's questions.

They only snapped out of their daze when Kong Anguo mentioned the hefty reward.

The ancestors of the Kong family laid a great foundation, but the descendants of the Kong family were not up to the task and found it difficult to protect everything. This led the Kong family to be very generous and constantly give away money to ensure their safety.

This style persisted for generations, and Kong Anguo naturally inherited it.

But after so many years of giving away wealth, the Kong family is finding it increasingly difficult to continue.

If he could, Kong Zhong didn't really like hearing the word "generous reward" right now, but if Kong Anguo agreed, he would still have to do what he was supposed to do.

"This is to repay Scholar Dongfang's generous reward," Kong Anguo said happily. "People should repay kindness, and we cannot break the rules set by our Lineage. I believe this is a necessary and generous reward!"

"Anguo, you did a great job. It's only right that we reward them handsomely!"

Although the Kong family could no longer afford to spend their wealth, Kong Zhong still held a sense of pride in his Lineage.

After pondering for a few seconds, he had no choice but to temporarily put aside his many concerns and then began asking his old buddies for his belongings, hoping to settle this lucrative matter as soon as possible.

"Brother, we haven't even gone back to our parents' home yet, where would we get all this good stuff on us!"

"We fought that deer demon, and now we're forced to hide in a cave. We've run out of supplies!"

"For a cultivator at the Divine Ability Realm to survive a battle with a Ninth-Rank Demon Saint is already a remarkable feat; some losses were unavoidable!"

"I get so angry just thinking about it, and when I get angry, I feel like Zhao Wan deserved to end up like this!"

"Brother Li, be careful what you say. Don't mention Zhao Wan's suicide!"

"Brother Ye, I didn't say that, but you blurted it out!"

"Look at my mouth! I should slap myself twice!"

After Kong Zhong consulted with his old buddies, they realized that everyone was essentially penniless.

They did have some valuables, but none of them gave away their tools of the trade, and it wouldn't be appropriate to give away their Law Treasure shovels and crowbars anyway.

Kong Zhong could only pat himself down.

"Lord Dongfang, I currently have nothing of value on me, so I'll leave this token with you as collateral. I'll retrieve it when I've obtained a suitable reward for you!"

Kong Zhong took out a token with a jet-black luster from his pocket.

He mortgaged the royal decree he possessed as a generous reward in gratitude.

Zhang Xuezhou was initially puzzled by this generous style, feeling that the Kong family's generosity was perhaps a bit excessive.