The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror-Chapter 29 - 25: The Feng’s Daughter

The door was opened by a young girl, still in the flower of her youth, quite slender and with delicate features. Her large, spirited eyes reminded Xu Qing of the animated female protagonists he had seen in comics in his previous life.

In short, she lacked the demeanor of a young lady groomed strictly within the confinements of proper etiquette.

"Which of you is Xu Qing?" she asked, her gaze fixed on Xu Qing.

"It is I."

"Father only allows you to come in."

Xu Qing glanced at Master Qian and Yan Shan, excused himself briefly, and followed the young girl inside.

The courtyard was small and visibly worn, but it was immaculately clean. The walls were adorned with climbing ivy, lending the environment a quiet, refined charm.

Accompanied by the heroic spirit of the poems in the courtyard, it seemed even more vibrant and aspiring.

The singing stopped; the person who had been singing was a tall, thin man, his clothes disheveled, and his beard unkempt, around his early thirties. His eyes were similar to the girl's, as if they were carved from the same mold.

Standing together, no one would doubt they were father and daughter.

"Young Xu Qing pays his respects to Teacher Feng," Xu Qing greeted him.

"Sit."

Xu Qing looked around, found no chairs or stone stools, so he simply sat down on the ground.

The girl beside him couldn't help but smile.

Teacher Feng himself sat down boldly on the ground, his posture relaxed, and asked, "I heard you topped the county exam. What are your ambitions in life?"

"To live long and comfortably," Xu Qing answered honestly.

Feng Xifeng was taken aback. He had seen many young men with grand ambitions—to support and stabilize the realm, to cleanse the world, to achieve broader peace rather than personal power, and some who simply aimed to be number one among men or seek a comfortable life. However, he had never come across such an ambition.

Yet such an ambition was the stark truth.

Who doesn't want to live long and comfortably?

Besides, what do young people really understand about the grand paths of the world? These grand ambitions are often just conventional standards imposed by the ordinary world.

"How can one live long and comfortably?" Feng Xifeng asked again.

Xu Qing replied, "The civil servants in our current Great Yu Dynasty tend to live very long lives."

This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.

Scholars are mature by thirty, rarely youthful by fifty.

Today's civil servants in the Great Yu Dynasty are vigorous and active at fifty—the prime time for achievements.

It's not surprising.

Not being involved in physical labor naturally reduces wear on the body; using the brain regularly prevents senility. These are all excellent secrets to longevity.

"So you aim to pass the Imperial Examination and become an official, not to devote yourself to public service or duty?"

"I have heard from the Tao Te Ching, 'When governance is unobtrusive, the people are simple and pure; when governance is scrutinizing, the people lack.' Thus, I believe that 'devoting oneself to public service and duty' is a means to ascend in office, not truly a way to govern the world effectively."

The girl listened to such a rebellious speech with widened eyes, even more curious about Xu Qing.

He dared to speak such words openly.

Feng Xifeng questioned, "How can you dare say these things to me? Are you not afraid I might spread your words, making it impossible for you to establish yourself among the scholarly?

Xu Qing explained, "First, the Emperor favors the Dao, and my quoting the Tao Te Ching is politically correct. Second, the cultural atmosphere in South Zhili is open; various academic schools vie for doctrinal supremacy with even more rebellious declarations than mine. Third..."

He hesitated, then stopped.

Feng Xifeng prodded, "What is the third?"

"I heard that Teacher is highly knowledgeable, but having failed the local examinations five times, you likely also reject conventional moral essays and do not wish to produce them. I thought my words might amuse you."

The girl beside him burst into laughter.

Feng Xifeng's face darkened.

Actually, Xu Qing guessed it from Feng Xifeng's poems, which were written by a recluse from the previous dynasty who had the air of a strategist.

Because the Imperial Examination also emphasized the rules of poetry, and even included poetry tests, learning poetry was necessary.

However, ordinary people studying usually focused their energy on the eight-legged essays, so they wouldn't explore poetry extensively.

Now, Xu Qing's Divine Soul possesses an extremely strong ability to read and remember, so on ordinary days he would also browse through some collections of poetry, and crucially, this collection of poetry came from Guo Zhuang.

It was probably a book from Guo Zhuang's younger brother-in-law.

Xu Qing didn't specify the reason directly, but analyzed it from the perspective of local exams. This seemingly sarcastic and belittling critique was actually a compliment.

It didn't indicate your lack of capability, old man; rather, you simply disdained to sully yourself with the mundane world.

After all, even the proudest of people like to hear excuses for their failures.

Even if they don't admit it verbally, they will surely acknowledge it internally.

What if he didn't acknowledge it? He couldn't possibly admit his own shortcomings, could he?

Feng Xifeng still lashed out on the surface: "Impudent boy."

Then he paused, sighed and said, "You nephew and uncle have finally cleared the frustration in my chest, I must thank you. Qing'er, you teach him how to write the eight-legged essays."

"Er, Teacher, that doesn't seem appropriate. Having a young lady teach me could easily provoke criticism regarding propriety."

Feng Xifeng sneered: "Is propriety really set for people like us? Besides, you are in my house with no outsiders around, and if I do not speak of it, and you do not speak of it, will Qing'er possibly speak of it herself? Are you worried that Qing'er can't teach you? If she wasn't a girl, she would have already been a student at the Prefecture School."

Alright, if Mr. Feng himself saw no issue, what could Xu Qing say?

Moreover, despite Mr. Feng saying so, he was still in the courtyard, having found a lounge chair to lie on, while his daughter brewed a pot of tea nearby, helping to cure his hangover.

Shortly thereafter, the young lady brought over a mat and set up a small table on it, bringing along a collection of essay questions, seemingly excited.

Seeing the doubt in Xu Qing's eyes, she whispered softly, "I can't sit for the Imperial Examination, so if you use what I teach you and you pass, it's as if I have passed!"

"That makes sense." Xu Qing coughed lightly.

The young lady opened the book, letting Xu Qing read the first essay himself.

The sentences in the article referenced the classics, yet the logic was inconsistent; Xu Qing, having studied essays for some time, couldn't see any merit in it.

After Xu Qing finished reading, the young lady said, "Does it feel like this article is even worse than the one from your county exam?"

"It's not just worse, it's far inferior."

The young lady chuckled, "Do you always speak so frankly?"

"It depends on the person."

The young lady paused briefly, then suddenly realized, "You have a smooth tongue. But don't see me as a common woman. I don't fear losing reputation, and I was never going to marry anyway." She continued, "If you write such articles for the Prefecture Examination, you'll surely become the top scorer."

"Why?"

"In the child student test, anonymity is not maintained. Admission depends solely on the examiner's Heart Intent. Therefore, the standard of whether an article is good or bad is determined by the examiner. Of course, it can't really be nonsensical. Although this article is illogical, every sentence is the essence of the East State's scholarship. If you want to pass the Prefecture and College Exams, you need to study these."

"Lady, is the new Academic Supervisor from the East State school?"

"No, the Academic Supervisor is from the West State school, the mortal enemy of the East State school, so if your exam paper contains the essence of East State scholarship..." The young lady said meaningfully.

Xu Qing: "..."

He wondered if it was still possible to leave now.

If any villain (Zhao Xiong) were to report to the newly appointed Academic Supervisor about him studying under Feng Xifeng...

The young lady seemed to see Xu Qing's concerns, and whispered softly, "My family's surname is Zhou."

"How does Zhou relate to this?" Xu Qing was puzzled.

The young lady added another sentence, "The Academic Supervisor is also surnamed Zhou."

With these words, the young lady, in Xu Qing's eyes, seemed like a Heavenly Immortal descended to earth.

Lady, how can you be so beautiful?