“Just who could possibly be known by everyone under the heavens? Could this person really shake the world like Sword Immortal Shen?” Ye Zhibai asked, utterly baffled.
Gu Yiyou glanced at her.
“You’re not entirely wrong to put it that way.
“As a scholar, what this person accomplished in scholarship can indeed rival what my master achieved in the martial arts.”
Gu Yiyou raised his wine bowl and took another swig, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. A glimmer of reminiscence surfaced in his cloudy old eyes.
“Thirty years ago, the great war between Grand Zhao and Grand Shuo shook the world to its core, and countless experts from both nations died or were wounded.
“Yet the one who truly swayed the course of that war wasn't any Martial Arts Grandmaster, but a frail scholar who couldn't even truss a chicken.
“His name was Wen Zhuo.”
At those words, even Chen Zui couldn't help sitting up straight.
He had naturally heard of this name.
Thirty years ago during that great war, Grand Zhao had suffered defeat after defeat, on the verge of having its borders crushed beneath Grand Shuo's iron cavalry.
It was this man who, as a mere commoner, entered the imperial court to offer stratagems, turning a dead game into a stalemate.
He was hailed by the world as the World's Number One Strategist!
Naturally, “the world” included Grand Shuo as well.
After the war, he was granted the title of Marquis for his merits, but he politely declined.
Thereafter, he vanished without a trace from the martial world, and no one knew his whereabouts.
Some said he had retired into seclusion in the mountains, some said he wandered the four seas, while others said he had long since died in an assassination following the war.
Yet no one could have imagined that this World's Number One Strategist had actually founded an obscure academy and peacefully spent thirty years as a schoolteacher.
“What is that academy called?” Chen Zui asked.
“It has no name.” Gu Yiyou shook his head.
“When Master Wen gave it a name, he simply called it ‘The Academy.’
“Just those two words, as simple as could be.
“It didn't even have a plaque—just a few dilapidated tiled huts tucked away amidst the wilderness.”
He took a sip of wine and continued.
“Yet it was from this nameless academy that, over thirty years, the majority of students who emerged now occupy vital positions in the imperial court.
“Half of the Ministers of the Six Ministries were his students.
“As for the Governors of various commanderies, they are countless.”
Ye Zhibai drew in a sharp breath.
Although she knew little of court affairs, she understood what this implied.
An academy with neither high walls nor deep courtyards, guarded by no ironclad soldiers, yet held the very roots of half of Grand Zhao's civil officials.
How was this an academy? It was clearly an invisible imperial court.
“Just what did Master Wen want to do?” Ye Zhibai asked in a low voice.
“He wanted to do nothing.”
Gu Yiyou set down his wine bowl. His tone was calm, yet tinged with an inexplicable reverence.
“In his entire life, Master Wen did only one thing.
“And that was teaching people to read and understand reason.
“He didn't meddle in court politics or involve himself in the martial world; he rarely even stepped past the academy gates.
“Yet every student he taught went out longing to change the world.”
He paused, the corner of his lips curling into a bitter arc.
“Yet how could the state of the world ever be so easily changed?”
Chen Zui remained silent.
“Then have you also stayed at this academy all these thirty years, Senior?” Chen Zui asked.
Gu Yiyou nodded.
“It was quite a coincidence. After leaving my master's side, I drifted aimlessly all over.
“One day, I ventured deep into the mountains and found this academy.
“So I stayed there, working as an odd-job servant.
“In truth, I’ve only done two things in my life.
“The first half was spent by my master’s side, carrying and drawing his sword for him.
“The second half was spent doing odd jobs and chores at this academy.”
Yet these humble, self-deprecating words struck the ears of Chen Zui and the others with a distinct flavor of extraordinary pride.
Just as said before.
Sword Immortal Shen was the undisputed number one in martial arts today.
And Wen Zhuo was the World's Number One Strategist, the beacon in the hearts of all scholars.
To spend a lifetime doing only two things, yet having stood beside those two towering figures.
What an unfathomable stroke of fortune was this?
“Yet after thirty years, you’ve suddenly drawn your sword and reentered the world. Could it be that The Academy has run into some trouble?” Chen Zui asked with a frown.
Gu Yiyou nodded, his expression turning solemn.
“As the saying goes, fortunes can change overnight.
“A scholar like Master Wen who could calculate human hearts to perfection was no exception, and naturally, neither was the emperor possessing supreme power who sits high upon the dragon throne.”
His gaze fell upon Xiao Chengyan.
“I know you are the Prince of Grand Shuo, but for the sake of your mother's kindness, I will speak of things you shouldn't be hearing.”
Gu Yiyou took a deep breath.
“Master Wen passed away half a year ago.
“And our Grand Zhao Emperor is now terminally ill, his days numbered.”
At those words, the expressions of all three changed.
The Emperor was gravely ill?
Once news like this leaked, it would be enough to shake the entire realm!
These words truly were not meant to be heard by Xiao Chengyan, a prince of a foreign nation.
Gu Yiyou sighed, his voice growing heavier.
“How could the one sitting on the dragon throne not know?
“Over these years, more than half of the young pillars of the imperial court studied in those dilapidated tiled huts.
“All of them respectfully called Master Wen their ‘Teacher.’
“Master Wen taught them to govern the state and aid the people, taught them the principles of being an official and a proper person.
“Yet the more successful his disciples became in the court, the more his name would be remembered by certain people.
“Especially the one on the imperial throne.
“Now, he is sick to the point of drawing his last breaths.
“What does a dying man fear most?
“He fears that after he dies, there will still be people and matters under the heavens beyond his control.
“Although Master Wen lived in seclusion for many years, his influence in the imperial court was simply too vast.
“Those disciples who walked out from his tutelage are now scattered across the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers.
“If Master Wen had the heart to raise a single rallying cry, the imperial court would shake to its foundations.
“What's more, the identity of the last disciple Master Wen accepted is anything but simple.
“And so, the one on the dragon throne couldn't wait any longer.
“He sent people to eliminate the master's closed-door disciple.”
“Master Wen's closed-door disciple?”
“Correct.
“This closed-door disciple of Master Wen is the wisest, most gifted student The Academy ever had.
“She is also the student Master Wen could not put his mind at ease about the most.
“The master held high hopes for this disciple, often saying that peace under heaven rested on her shoulders alone.
“In all my years by his side, I had never seen him place such importance on anyone.
“Moreover, this disciple is a young woman.”
“A woman?”
Ye Zhibai and Xiao Chengyan couldn't help but gasp in shock.
Although Confucianism often preached teaching all without distinction, they had never heard of any Great Scholar willing to accept a female disciple.
Let alone this world-famous strategist accepting a woman as his closed-door disciple.
A closed-door disciple meant inheriting his mantle and scholarly legacy.
Chen Zui listened quietly, his fingers tapping absentmindedly against the tabletop.
He recalled the woman dressed in scholar's robes he had encountered at the inn that day.
That aura around her—so utterly serene, as if nothing could weigh on her mind—truly was not that of an ordinary person.
Moreover, judging from the system rewards, that woman's identity was undoubtedly far from simple.
“May I ask, Senior, is this closed-door disciple of Master Wen named Lin Jianxi?” Chen Zui asked.
Gu Yiyou frowned slightly.
“You've met her?”
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