As for the events of the past, he did hear the Fox Spirit mention it once. The Fox Spirit once said that back in the day, Chen Sanliang pointed out that the teachings of the old Master were useless, which instantly enraged everyone and caused him to be ostracized by Confucian scholars nationwide.
"The local County Magistrate used to be a member of the Academy and once studied under the disciple Zhu Xun of the old Master’s branch. He had the duty to monitor us. When this person searched the courtyard that day, he inadvertently saw a portion of Chen Sanliang’s Heart Learning manuscript and then rushed overnight to deliver it to Jixia Academy. Thus, a storm began," Han Suzhen sighed faintly, her voice full of helplessness.
The following events were simple. The dispute over orthodoxy and doctrine was a real bloody conflict with no room for mercy. When Zhu Xun saw Chen Sanliang’s manuscript and its embryonic form, he was greatly shocked. If it were to be perfected, how would the old Master’s branch have a future?
Therefore, the Academy issued an edict that day, denouncing Chen Sanliang’s teachings as heretical and ordered him to incinerate his writings, convening a conference to apologize to scholars nationwide and thereafter never engage in scholarship again. Chen Sanliang, with his stubbornness, naturally refused to comply and directly confronted them. Then the Academy, infuriated, sought to debate with Chen Sanliang in front of the scholars of the world. If Chen Sanliang were to win, he could return to the capital and spread his teachings across the nation.
Of course, if Chen Sanliang were to lose, he had two choices: first, abandon his teachings, or second, leave the Human Race, never to set foot on its territory again.
After recounting all the events, Han Suzhen said, "The force of Jixia Academy is immense. If it weren’t for Chen Sanliang’s family having some influence, it’s likely that he wouldn’t even have had the chance to debate, and his path would have ended abruptly. Now, with Jixia Academy exerting strict pressure, even Chen Sanliang’s family can hardly bear it, and they’ve had to agree to this debate."
Hearing this, Zhang Chen felt guilt in his heart, never imagining that his inadvertent action would bring such great trouble to his teacher.
"You should leave, find a place to hide, and never show yourself again," Han Suzhen sighed helplessly. "I’m afraid I must head beyond the White Bone Great Wall and may never return. The road to learning in the future will be yours to walk alone."
"Is there really no hope for this debate?" Zhang Chen asked, somewhat unwilling.
"Chen Sanliang’s teachings have just begun to take shape, and they are full of flaws and cannot withstand attacks," Han Suzhen replied. "If he had another twenty years to perfect his teachings, defeating the old Master’s branch would indeed be possible, but now... his teachings are too naive."
Han Suzhen’s words ended here, but she could no longer continue, only shaking her head with a bitter smile.
Listening to Han Suzhen, Zhang Chen scratched his head—all of this really was his fault.
At this time, Han Suzhen pulled an envelope from her sleeve and handed it to Zhang Chen: "This is the last gift your teacher leaves for you. If you wish to continue your studies in the future, you can use this letter to audit at the Academy. The Principal of that Academy was once my suitor. We sought knowledge together for eight years, and our relationship is very close. As long as you hold this letter, you will surely be allowed to audit."
Han Suzhen threw the envelope into Zhang Chen’s arms and then lazily asked, "Did you come today with some inscrutable study question?"
Zhang Chen hurriedly caught the envelope and carefully put it into his arms. Just as he was about to speak, the door suddenly opened, and Chen Sanliang appeared at the threshold, looking at Zhang Chen with a livid face: "How dare you still come to seek knowledge? It doesn’t matter if a person’s status is low, but as long as they are honest, they are still a good person. Yet for people like you, who steal and cheat, there is no cure!"
Chen Sanliang glared at Han Suzhen: "You’ve recruited such scum as a disciple, making me a laughingstock among the scholars of the world. I can’t lift my head in front of them. I can tolerate your breaking the rules to teach literacy to commoner disciples for a living, but I absolutely won’t allow you to teach a morally corrupt person as a disciple."
"A morally corrupt person who learns knowledge will only bring great evil to the world; such a situation I absolutely will not allow," Chen Sanliang’s voice was full of seriousness, his chest heaving continuously.
Zhang Chen looked at Chen Sanliang, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. Despite his eloquence, he found himself unable to argue at this moment.
Just then, Zhang Chen’s eyes suddenly glowed with Golden Light, and his Dharma Eye opened. He saw a pure white light flowing on Chen Sanliang’s body.
The white light was very faint, like a candle flame in the wind. Within the white light, Zhang Chen could even hear the sound of reading aloud.
Zhang Chen was stunned: "Chen Sanliang has gained Qi? He was just an ordinary person last time. How did he suddenly gain Qi? Is he about to turn Mysterious?"
Zhang Chen took a cold breath inwardly—how had Chen Sanliang gained Qi?
The flow seemed like Vast Righteous Qi from a novel, and it looked very extraordinary.
"Strange! What exactly is Qi? How can an ordinary person like Chen Sanliang gain it?" Zhang Chen was filled with countless questions.
"Chen Sanliang! This is my disciple, and you better be polite with your words. How I teach my disciples is none of your business!" Han Suzhen immediately became angry and retaliated against Chen Sanliang.