Chapter 146 - 108: I Completely Fooled Liu Xian

Chapter 146: Chapter 108: I Completely Fooled Liu Xian

"Hm?"

A trace of absentmindedness flashed through Liu Xian’s eyes.

He looked at Zeng Anmin in confusion.

"Is he... trying to befriend me?" he wondered.

For a moment, a profound sense of being overwhelmed by an unexpected favor surged in his heart.

"I am Liu Xian, courtesy name Fengnian. Greetings, Brother Quan Fu."

Liu Xian hurriedly bowed to Zeng Anmin.

"Brother Fengnian, why so full of self-pity?" Zeng Anmin walked over with a chuckle and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him. "You are a genius of the Confucian Dao. Why care so much about this single gain or loss?"

Although Liu Xian was a genius of the Confucian Dao, he was only sixteen after all.

He sighed, his gaze somewhat melancholy. "Wasting such an excellent opportunity this time... I don’t know what year or month it will be before I encounter the next."

"A man in this world should be able to pick things up and let them go! If one opportunity is gone, countless more await us in the future! You are but sixteen years old, Virtuous Brother Fengnian. Why wouldn’t you be able to become a Great Confucian Scholar one day?"

Zeng Anmin was extremely earnest, his eyes shining with encouragement. He reached out and gave Liu Xian’s shoulder a heavy pat. "As your older brother, I believe in you!"

Hm?

Liu Xian felt as if his heart had been touched. He looked up, staring straight at Zeng Anmin.

He swallowed hard.

"Brother Quan Fu..."

At the same time, the rightful pride of a genius within him was ignited.

"That’s right! I, Liu Fengnian, passed the exam to become an Advanced Scholar at only sixteen! I’ve been on the path of the Confucian Dao for merely a year, yet I’ve already entered the Seventh Grade Realm! How could someone like me be defeated by a single setback?" he thought.

"Brother Quan Fu is right to reprimand me. I have learned my lesson."

Liu Xian bowed deeply to Zeng Anmin.

"Heh, recognizing your mistakes and correcting them is the greatest of virtues!" Zeng Anmin helped him up with a smile.

The Little Fatty Crown Prince watched from the side, utterly dumbfounded. A hint of confusion flashed through his round eyes, wondering why Zeng Anmin valued this kid so highly.

"To be honest with you, I also went through countless failures before reaching the Sixth Grade Gentleman Realm. Moreover, just a few days ago, while studying the path of Archery among the Six Arts, I also failed once and missed the chance to condense my manifestation and break through to the Fifth Grade," Zeng Anmin comforted Liu Xian with a chuckle. "But I am very open-minded about it.

"In my eyes, the struggle for Realms is like floating clouds over the wilderness—far less tangible than a fine cup of wine."

The Crown Prince’s mouth twitched. "It’s true you didn’t break through to the Fifth Grade, but you didn’t fail either!" he thought. He was one of the only three eyewitnesses present at the time.

"Oh?" Upon hearing Zeng Anmin’s words, the lingering sense of loss in Liu Xian’s heart vanished instantly, and he felt much better. "Someone in the Sixth Grade didn’t even break through after an epiphany. It’s only normal that I, a mere Seventh Grade, didn’t either!" he thought.

He didn’t doubt Zeng Anmin’s words in the slightest. After all, the name Zeng Anmin—Zeng Liangjiang—was not only a sensation in Jiangnan. The scholars in the capital had all heard of it as well. Although he had long guessed that his Confucian Dao Realm was not low, hearing him personally admit to being in the Sixth Grade still shocked him.

"Brother Quan Fu, your words are like pearls of wisdom, enlightening the deaf and awakening the blind. I, Fengnian, am deeply ashamed of my impatience and for caring so much about gains and losses just now."

"Hehe." Zeng Anmin chuckled lightly. "It is no matter. The days ahead are long. When there is another path to tread, I will support you as you walk it." With that, he gently patted Liu Xian’s shoulder.

Now, Liu Xian was truly overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. The underlying meaning in Zeng Anmin’s words left him somewhat astonished. He knew he came from a merchant background. To think that Zeng Anmin didn’t discriminate against him...

"Brother Quan Fu, to be completely honest, I come from a mere merchant family... I truly couldn’t stand the cold mockery and sarcasm from the scholars at Qi Lin Academy, which is why I chose to come to the Imperial College." Feeling that he shouldn’t hide his identity, Liu Xian looked at Zeng Namming and explained with a bitter smile.

"Hehe," Zeng Anmin waved his hand dismissively. "All trades are lowly; only scholarly pursuits are noble. Be it merchant or official, in my eyes, when one steps out to study, it is not about one’s background, but oneself."

This...

Liu Xian stared straight at Zeng Anmin, his eyes filled with nothing but profound emotion and surprise.

"Brother Quan Fu..." His voice even carried a hint of a choke.

"When three people walk together, there must be a teacher for me among them. I will choose their good qualities and follow them, and their bad qualities and correct them," Zeng Anmin smiled and grasped Liu Xian’s hand. "Virtuous Brother Fengnian, actually, I happen to have a matter I’d like to ask for your guidance on."

This...

Liu Xian was on the verge of tears. Brother Quan Fu was the first person not to discriminate against his background! And those words were so philosophical... He marveled at the phrase about three people walking together having a teacher.

"Zeng Liangjiang... truly lives up to his reputation!!" Liu Xian looked at Zeng Anmin with an intensely passionate gaze.

Seeing this look from him, Zeng Anmin’s heart immediately steadied. "It’s done," he thought. "This kid is probably fully ready to bare his heart and soul to me now. But I still need to add a little more spice."

"Hehe, you too, Virtuous Brother Fengnian. If there is anything you don’t understand in the future, just come ask me. If I don’t know, I will go seek guidance from a teacher and then pass the answer on to you." Zeng Anmin’s face was full of smiles, his eyes brimming with absolute sincerity.

Liu Xian’s heart skipped a beat. Courteous to the wise and accessible to all! It was as if that very idiom had been tailor-made for Zeng Anmin. In his eyes, it was as if Zeng Anmin was radiating boundlessly radiant light from behind. It was a manifestation of the supreme holiness of heaven and earth.

"I, Xian, have drifted for half my life without meeting a wise lord. If you do not disdain me, I wish to acknowledge you as my sworn brother!" Liu Xian’s lips trembled as he bowed profoundly to Zeng Anmin.

Uh...

Zeng Anmin wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Thank goodness this kid said sworn brother. If he had said sworn father, there’d be no continuing this conversation," he thought.

"If that is your wish, Virtuous Brother, then I am willing as well," Zeng Anmin nodded with a chuckle. Then, looking at Liu Xian with a solemn gaze, he said earnestly, "To be completely honest, I do not yet hold any scholarly honors. Today, I would like to ask you for a bit of guidance, Virtuous Brother Fengnian. What should one prepare before the Imperial Examinations?"

Oh?

Liu Xian’s eyes lit up slightly, and an extremely warm smile appeared on his face.

"Older Brother, there is no need to be so polite. The path of the Imperial Examinations is actually quite simple.

"As everyone knows, the Imperial Examinations of our Great Saint Dynasty are divided into the Illusion Array Examination and the Calligraphy Examination.

"Though lacking in talent, I took the path of the Illusion Array Examination."

Oh?

A gleam of light flashed in Zeng Anmin’s eyes. He hadn’t expected that Liu Xian, at the tender age of sixteen, could obtain the title of Advanced Scholar. And that he actually took the Illusion Array Examination to do so.

"It just so happens that next autumn is the new Autumn Examination." Speaking of the exams, Liu Xian’s face was brimming with confidence. His voice was very slow, yet incredibly self-assured. "The path of the Imperial Examinations offers several honors. Step by step, they are: Child Scholar, Tribute Scholar, Advanced Scholar, and Advanced Scholar.

"As a hereditary student of the Imperial College, Older Brother naturally doesn’t need to test for Child Scholar. What you must focus on right now is Tribute Scholar, which is what the common people usually call a Scholar.

"However, this requires a recommendation from the Imperial College."

Pausing here, Liu Xian glanced at Zeng Anmin and continued, "If you can attain the honor of Tribute Scholar this year, you can take the Autumn Examination for Advanced Scholar next year."

"I see." Zeng Anmin nodded slowly, then looked at Liu Xian and asked, "Then, if I wish to enter the Illusion Array Examination, what matters should I pay attention to?"

Liu Xian’s eyes lit up gently. He naturally hadn’t expected that Older Brother Quan Fu would actually want to walk the path of the Illusion Array Examination just like him!

"To tell you the truth, there are many categories in the Illusion Array Examination, and the questions inside the array are all randomized. I was just lucky and got a question related to ’Mathematics’," Liu Xian grinned and laughed. "I come from a merchant background. I might not have any other talents, but I am still slightly better than the average person when it comes to Mathematics."

"Oh." Zeng Anmin nodded in understanding. He then looked up at Liu Xian and asked, "How can one obtain a quota for the academy’s recommendation?"

"Simple. Just have your dad say a word to the Doctor of the Imperial College," he thought to himself. But while Liu Xian dared to think these words, he didn’t dare say them out loud.

"If Older Brother wishes to obtain the quota on your own, you must participate in the selection studies jointly held by the scholars of the Imperial College and Qi Lin Academy to earn the spot."

Zeng Anmin frowned. "Selection studies?"

"Yes. If you want to participate in the Illusion Array Examination, you need to have a strong mastery of the Six Arts of the Gentleman at your disposal."

The Crown Prince finally managed to get a word in at this moment. He looked at Zeng Anmin with a serious gaze and said, "This is also why many scholars choose to start practicing the Six Arts of the Gentleman before they even obtain a Grade in the Confucian Dao."

"Oh~" Zeng Anmin nodded in sudden realization. He wondered if it was all for the sake of this Illusion Array Examination.