My Wife Is A Sword Immortal-Chapter 250 - 205: She Said She Wants to Have an In-depth Conversation with You

Chapter 250: Chapter 205: She Said She Wants to Have an In-depth Conversation with You

Zhao Rong glanced back at Li Jinsu, who was standing at the doorway, waving towards him with a gentle smile.

Zhao Rong returned a helpless smile to Li Jinsu, then turned around, straightened his crown and the green collar of his scholar’s robe, and started walking towards Teacher Yan under the trees in the distant courtyard.

"Disciple Zhao Ziyu, pays respects to the Teacher."

Zhao Rong clasped his hands and bowed.

Yan Jidao, who had his back to him and was carefully inspecting a lush maple tree with leaves that were not red, immediately turned around. His expression was serious as he scrutinized Zhao Rong from head to toe a few times before nodding, "Ziyu, there’s no need for such formalities."

Zhao Rong lifted his head and met Yan Jidao’s gaze.

Neither spoke.

They remained silent for a few moments.

For some reason, Yan Jidao nodded again then suddenly turned, walking back towards the stone table under the tree while speaking.

"Ziyu, there’s no need to be so tense. I’ve heard a bit about yesterday’s incident, but tell me more about the Tao Yuanran matter and the debate over Confucianism and Daoism."

Having said that, Yan Jidao reached the stone table, hesitated for a moment, then picked something up and walked towards the maple tree.

Zhao Rong focused and saw that Teacher Yan was holding a pair of iron shears for trimming herbs.

Zhao Rong raised his eyebrows slightly, then began to give a more detailed account of the debate over Confucianism and Daoism in Zhongnan Country. He omitted and altered some parts, such as the Furnace Core of the Thunder and Rainbow Purple Gold Furnace and the events on Taibai Mountain the night of his victory, where personal secrets of his or the Lin family of Lanxi were involved.

Under the tree, Yan Jidao, dressed in a simple grey outfit, carefully rolled up his sleeves to prevent them from catching any debris and looked up at the increasingly lush maple tree.

Yan Jidao had stayed in this elegant Fenglin Courtyard many times before. Every autumn when he came to Taiching Prefecture to teach, he was arranged by Taiching Prefecture to live here, alongside this red maple tree.

Yan Jidao had long considered pruning this brilliant red maple, watching it grow from a sapling to maturity, as the bright red of the maple leaves gradually faded.

As if it had forgotten it was autumn.

Yan Jidao held the shears, observing the maple tree, his face’s deep wrinkles slowly receding as he let out a gentle breath and relaxed. Then, as he listened to Zhao Rong’s words, he carefully began to trim the red maple.

Zhao Rong continued narrating the tale of the Confucian and Daoist debate.

Yan Jidao pruned methodically while occasionally inquiring about details in Zhao Rong’s narration, doing both tasks without delay.

When Zhao Rong began to describe the "Essence and Application as One" theory that he had first proposed in this world, Yan Jidao stopped his pruning to listen closely, asking many questions. But as Zhao Rong answered each one clearly and systematically, Yan Jidao took a deep breath and nodded.

The two exchanged in this manner for about a quarter of an hour.

"That’s roughly the gist of the Confucian and Daoist debate. Tao Yuanran and that strange old man left together, and before departing, that strange old man gave me the East Coming Purple Energy... Teacher Yan, do you have any further questions?"

Zhao Rong spoke, looking at the old man busying himself beside the maple tree, a Confucian Golden Core cultivator who could stabilize the universe with a wave of his sleeve, yet at the moment he was pruning and nurturing the tree as if he were an old farmer.

On hearing this, Yan Jidao shook his head, sighing, "Ah, what an embodiment of ’effortless action without inaction’..."

He suddenly turned around, patted his hands together, walked over to Zhao Rong, his aged face brimming with a smile.

Yan Jidao patted Zhao Rong’s shoulder heavily, "Ziyu, this ’Essence and Application as One’ is excellent, and you, even more so."

Zhao Rong shook his head, "Teacher Yan overpraises, I cannot bear such a compliment."

In the distance, outside the courtyard gate, Li Jinsu turned back and caught sight of this scene within. His expression was stunned. Li Jinsu slightly tilted his head, his eyes looking at his junior brother Zhao Rong, filled with envy.

It had been a long time since he’d seen their fastidious Teacher smile. The last time Li Jinsu remembered was when his exceptionally talented senior brother defied the Teacher’s arrangement, forgoing the inheritance of his mantle to leave the sect alone for Tunan Continent.

He recalled that day, the Teacher had argued loudly with the senior brother; he and his junior brothers were as silent as cicadas in winter, the Teacher left in a rage, and the senior brother knelt down to kowtow nine times before leaving with a smile towards them, never to return.

But later, when Li Jinsu went to deliver wine for the Teacher, he surreptitiously looked back and saw the Teacher actually laughing silently while drinking his wine.

Eventually, Li Jinsu became the senior brother under Teacher Yan, but in fact, he did not enjoy being called by that title by the new disciples...

Under the maple tree, Yan Jidao’s smile retreated, and he patted Zhao Rong’s shoulder again, "There are two more matters today."

He took a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Zhao Rong.

Zhao Rong took it curiously, immediately catching a whiff of a subtle fragrance like orchid and musk, lingering and long-lasting.

It seemed familiar, as if he had smelled it somewhere before.

Zhao Rong’s expression shifted.

"Teacher Zhu from the Academy sent it yesterday," Yan Jidao spoke softly, "saying that when we return to the Academy, she wishes to apologize to you for some previous matters. Hmm, she also said that she really likes your calligraphy, Ziyu, and wants to engage in deeper exchanges with you..."

Yan Jidao hesitated for a moment but didn’t continue, his gaze lingering meaningfully on Zhao Rong.

Teacher Zhu?

At that name, the image of the Confucian-robed woman whom Zhao Rong had brushed past the day his eldest senior had brought him to the Academy sprang to mind, her scent as fragrant as the lanxi wafting from the note.

Upon hearing the words "deeper exchanges," Zhao Rong’s eyelid twitched. He picked up the folded note, his expression a bit conflicted, and glanced at Yan Jidao’s face. After pondering for a moment, he unfolded it.

Yan Jidao subtly shifted, his eyes turning away.

Seeing this, Zhao Rong cleared his throat, spread out the note, and without thinking, swept a glance over it before reading aloud.

"Seeking, seeking, in the chilly solitude... Sorrowful, sorrowful, and forlorn."

"Orioles, swallows, in the winds and rains... Year after year, dusk after dusk... Morning after morning."

The more Zhao Rong read, the more awkward his expression became. After finishing, he took a closer look at the paper and, like avoiding the plague, hurriedly refolded the note and stuffed it into his sleeve.

Zhao Rong exchanged a helpless glance with Yan Jidao.

It wasn’t the content of this letter or the couplet itself that he was eager to avoid. Teacher Zhu’s matching line was fairly well crafted; after all, Zhao Rong himself didn’t know any brilliant answer to the first line of this quoted couplet—he had chosen it specifically to vex the young lady, thinking that if she managed to come up with a second line, the advantage would be his, allowing him to respond or not as he wished.

However, now, what did take Zhao Rong slightly by surprise was not Teacher Zhu Weirui’s response, but the calligraphy...

On the paper, the writing bore a nine-tenths resemblance in form and a third in spirit to the writing Zhao Rong had left on the couplet outside the Academy’s side gate!

Zhao Rong’s mouth twitched.

Not that he was afraid his calligraphy was being learned by this female teacher—Zhao Rong was wary of her fiery enthusiasm.

Due to frequently asking Fan Yushu, who had been arriving early at the Academy, Zhao Rong got wind of much concerning Zhu Weirui.

As new students, they were originally required to study six Art Classes.

But now, an additional Calligraphy teacher, this very Teacher Zhu, has brought along another subject to study.

And amidst all the disputes and discussions it provoked at the Academy, Zhao Rong wasn’t particularly concerned with getting involved.

However.

Zhao Rong was extremely fearful of flirting with danger.

Although it seemed mostly impossible for him and Teacher Zhu Weirui, his elder, to advance that way, what if?

He had showcased his past life’s calligraphy talent at the Academy gate merely to gain admittance, out of sheer necessity.

But now there was no need.

Zhao Rong knew it sounded self-absorbed to think this way, but one must err on the side of caution.

The lesson of "blood" was small but significant.

A good man fears entanglement with women, especially the infatuated kind.

In this regard, Zhao Rong had gained a deep understanding.

On the road to finding a wife, he had inadvertently pledged life-long love to Xiao Xiao.

And now, explaining this to Qing Jun was a troublesome matter.

Just last night, Qing Jun made it clear she would only allow him one more wife, and that should be Qian’er.

What to do with Xiao Xiao; Zhao Rong was now truly vexed.

And if he carelessly attracted the affection of an Academy’s female teacher, then what would become of him?

Qing Jun would probably flay him alive, sword in one hand, while sweetly asking her Rong’er brother whether it’d be better to steam, fry, or perhaps just swallow him raw for a pure, high-nutrient treat...

Hearing that thought, Zhao Rong shuddered.

This content is taken from free web nov𝒆l.com