Nightfall wrapped the earth, as the distant mountains held onto the last thread of sunset.
Qingyin Pavilion stood perched on the cliff, the bronze bells hanging from the eaves sang ethereal tunes in the evening breeze, accentuating the tranquility.
Gu Qing stood by the window, his wide azure sleeves fluttering in the wind like a drifting cloud. He watched the crowd below gather and disperse, his gaze deep as night.
"Teacher," he turned to Zhao Hansheng, who sat by the desk, "Rumors are rampant, clearly someone is deliberately stirring the waters!"
He walked back to the sandalwood desk, his fingertips brushing over the open books: "The sages said: ’If you wish to destroy, first let them be reckless.’ These exaggerated praises are clearly a trap. We must find out who is orchestrating this against us."
Zhao Hansheng slowly raised his cup, gazing at the swirling sea of clouds beyond the cliff, a faint, mocking smile at the corner of his lips: "Dao De states: ’To draw in, one must first extend; to weaken, one must first strengthen.’"
He turned his gaze back to his most prized disciple: "Why investigate? This was inevitable."
He leisurely sipped his tea: "The opponent hasn’t denied us, but rather strongly affirmed us. Yi says: ’Pride in dragons brings regret, fullness cannot last long.’ It’s an overt scheme! Expertise in stirring trouble, a trait of exceptional individuals steeped in power strategies for years."
Zhao Hansheng set the cup down: "We need to gain fame, while the opposition fans our fire higher, anticipating our fall from a greater height."
"But they underestimate the power of Heart Learning!"
"Haha, tomorrow when I open the lecture, everything will become clear."
Gu Qing’s gaze steadied: "’The strong will rule, the rulers must be strong.’ Ultimately, strength is everything. Teacher, you are right, I have lost composure."
"I am ashamed," Zhao Hansheng sighed lightly, though there was no trace of embarrassment in his eyes, "This time, we broke the impasse, not with my strength, but with Wang Xinyue’s."
Gu Qing refilled his tea, the pouring water shimmered golden under the candlelight.
"You are too modest, Teacher," he spoke respectfully, "We, as master and disciple, came here alone, leveraging limited resources to shift the power structure within the monolith of the Myriad Images Sect."
The military book states: ’A skilled strategist seeks advantage, not fault in men.’ Isn’t leveraging the situation exactly your strength, Teacher?"
He continued, "Traveling the world with you, from Huazhang Country to Flying Cloud Country, I have gained much."
Zhao Hansheng stroked the teacup, his fingers gently tracing the intertwined patterns of blue flowers on the rim.
He sighed deeply, "As long as you understand."
"The Myriad Images Sect is powerful in Flying Cloud Country, the leading righteous influence. Securing support here will greatly benefit your future endeavors in Huazhang Country."
Amidst the swirling tea mist, Zhao Hansheng’s voice sank: "Let me be frank, I have never intended to let go of the Mountain Master position."
"Once Heart Learning is spread, and my fame reaches its peak, I’ll have endless reasons to retain that authority."
"During this time, we must win over the Confucian Cultivator group in Myriad Images Sect."
"Then, at the critical moment, arrange usable people to drive the discourse, making me the popular choice to continue as Mountain Master."
"I’ll refuse several times, only to ’unwillingly’ accept in the end. This is the perfect plan."
"Situ Gu," his lips curled into a cold smirk, "is already a ready example."
"The foreign Confucian Cultivators are easily swayed."
"Their longing for Huazhang Country stems from the heart. This grants us even more influence."
"Hahaha."
Zhao Hansheng chuckled coldly, thinking of Duanmu Zhang, his evaluation came sharply: "Duanmu Zhang is unworthy of being a great Confucian. Years ago, he was passionate about learning, yet was marginalized by peers, tasked with spreading Confucianism in Flying Cloud Country; it’s surprising he still hasn’t improved. He repeats past mistakes and naively gives up the Mountain Master position. Truly foolish!"
The next day.
Dawn’s light was faint, the mist atop Shaishu Peak hadn’t fully dispersed, but the vast green stone plaza was already bustling.
Today marked the first public lecture by Mr. Zhao Hansheng, who recently gained great prominence from Huazhang Country.
Though the rampant rumors had caused some discontent, they also created more momentum, fueling curiosity about whether the fame of this master-disciple pair lived up to their reputation.
On the high platform, dressed in deep black robes, Zhao Hansheng let his wide sleeves hang down, his hair held with just a plain jade hairpin, with no spiritual pressure leaking, yet exuding a charisma that commanded respect.
He brought no scrolls, simply gazed calmly at the growing crowd below, his eyes sweeping over the many experts and strong individuals seated in the front rows, as well as the sprawling masses in the back.
Ning Zhuo was among them, inconspicuous.
He entered using a Stone Token.
The cultivators here were not ordinary; each preselected by the Confucian Cultivator group.
As the two hours arrived, Zhao Hansheng began his lecture.
Without pleasantries, his voice rang clear and true like a great bell, echoing clearly to every ear: "Today, we shall not discuss scriptures or classics, but ask one question of you all: Is there a ’reason’ within your heart?"
Instantly, subtle murmurs spread below. They came, driven by Zhao Hansheng’s reputation and curiosity about Heart Learning. Yet Zhao Hansheng spoke of no scripture or classic; does this still count as Confucian Cultivation lecturing?
Zhao Hansheng continued: "People say, investigate the nature of things to gain knowledge. Wang Xinyue, the great Confucian, investigated bamboo for seven days, yet failed to know the reason of bamboo but realized another aspect of ’investigate the nature to gain knowledge’ — outside the heart, there is no thing, outside the heart, there is no reason, the reason of all things lies within my heart."
The crowd was stunned!