Confucian and Taoist Cultivation Starting from the Equipment Slot

As Song Zhiyuan alighted from the carriage, Chen Zhuo saw that everyone in the Academy was waiting silently outside.

The moment Song Zhiyuan was seen, a faint murmur arose from the crowd.

"This is the new dean; he looks really young."

"Being young is a good thing. He's said to be a genius of Shengtian Prefecture. What a pity."

"..."

Just then, footsteps could be heard outside the College of Arts.

The leader was a man dressed in the robes of a county magistrate.

"This is the current county magistrate," Song Zhiyuan's voice transmitted in my ear.

Chen Zhuo looked closely and saw that the person who came was not the Zhou Wenyuan County Magistrate he knew, but someone he did not recognize.

"I, Wang, have truly failed to properly welcome Dean Song upon his arrival here."

"Not at all, Magistrate Wang, you're too kind."

The two men talked with forced smiles, while Chen Zhuo's gaze swept over the people following Magistrate Wang.

Soon, he spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.

Zhou Wenyuan.

At this moment, he was not yet the magistrate of Qingshan County, but merely an assistant to the magistrate.

Moreover, judging from his demeanor, he was at the same level as himself, a scholar.

"Then it's settled. This evening, a welcome banquet will be held for Dean Song in the county government compound. We hope you will do us the honor of attending."

"Naturally, naturally."

As Song Zhiyuan watched Wang Cheng's departing figure, the smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a cold expression.

He then looked at the crowd waiting in the Faculty of Arts.

"Gentlemen, the positions remain the same as usual, except that we have added one instructor."

He pointed at Chen Zhuo, his meaning clear.

Upon hearing this, the students from the Faculty of Arts all breathed a sigh of relief.

It's just adding one more instructor position, nothing special.

As long as their interests are not affected, everything is negotiable.

Besides, it's normal for the dean to assign instructors. This new instructor looks young, but his aura is that of a scholar.

When the instruction is sufficient.

They didn't offend the new dean for a mere teaching position.

"Young friend, why don't you go and familiarize yourself with this place first, and then come with me to the banquet tonight?"

I heard Song Zhiyuan's questioning voice in my ear.

Chen Zhuo glanced back at the direction of the carriage, then readily agreed.

The county magistrate's surname was Wang, and based on the rumors he had heard outside the city, he had a feeling that something big was about to happen.

"Excuse me, may I ask your surname?"

As soon as Song Zhiyuan left, someone approached him.

Judging from their appearance, they are students from the Faculty of Arts.

"My surname is Chen, please just call me Instructor Chen."

"Then, Instructor Chen, shall I show you around the Faculty of Arts?"

Hearing his words, Chen Zhuo frowned.

Is everyone in the Faculty of Arts this subservient? They actually call themselves "lowly people" in front of professors?

He remembered that the Faculty of Arts he attended wasn't like this!

But he didn't say anything; instead, he silently nodded.

There must be a reason why the other party is doing this. What I need to do now is not to interfere recklessly, but to figure out why.

As he continued his stroll, Chen Zhuo discovered that this literary academy was almost identical to the one he would have entered ten years later, with little difference between them.

The familiar atmosphere put Chen Zhuo at ease for a moment, but he soon noticed something was amiss.

That is, I didn't feel the cultural heritage here.

In an instant, a multitude of thoughts popped into his mind, but he quickly suppressed them all.

Unbeknownst to him, Chen Zhuo stopped at the door of a room.

"Instructor Chen, the other instructors are already waiting for you inside."

The man who led the way looked on with awe.

Chen Zhuo merely glanced at him without saying anything.

Even if you asked, a mere liberal arts student wouldn't know much.

Instead of wasting time, you might as well ask those people inside.

As expected, when he pushed open the door, several instructors he had met once before were standing in front of him.

"Instructor Chen is here, please have a seat!"

The older teacher, sitting in the middle, spoke first.

Chen Zhuo glanced at them, but wasn't intimidated, and immediately found a seat.

He had only told the person leading the way his name before, but these people in front of him were able to call him by his name directly.

There is clearly a connection.

Or to put it another way, they were not actually welcoming of Song Zhiyuan and Chen Zhuo's arrival.

But it doesn't matter, Chen Zhuo isn't worried about these things.

On the one hand, he knew that this place was a reflection of the unknowable realm.

On the other hand, he knew the history of ten years later, and even without him, Song Zhiyuan could still gain a foothold here.

What he needs to find now is how to get out of here.

Is there some kind of mechanism involved?

Chen Zhuo guessed that the current focus was on his junior sister.

He simply doesn't have a reason to approach Gu Qing'e right now.

Don't be fooled by his current pleasant conversation with Song Zhiyuan; the moment he reveals even the slightest hint of his feelings for Gu Qing'e, his expression will instantly change.

This needs to be done step by step.

"What business do you gentlemen have with Mr. Chen?"

Seeing that no one spoke up, Chen Zhuo took the initiative.

"It was just casual conversation."

The person sitting in the middle smiled but didn't say anything else.

"Old fox," Chen Zhu cursed inwardly, but he had no intention of getting entangled with them any further.

The other side was clearly trying to teach him a lesson, so he simply decided not to look.

"In that case, I'll take my leave now."

Chen Zhuo got up to leave when he heard a voice behind him.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, please wait!"

Chen Zhuo turned her head and silently looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"It is like this: several of us, fellow Daoists from Guan Chen, have come with the abbot to host a banquet, hoping to have a good chat with you all."

Upon hearing these words, Chen Zhuo immediately understood their plan.

I just want to figure out my own background!

They probably found out from somewhere that Song Zhiyuan came to take office alone, but they didn't expect that they would end up with him.

With that in mind, Chen Zhuo agreed without hesitation.

The main reason was that he boarded Song Zhiyuan's carriage in full view of everyone.

It probably won't be long before the other side finds out about me.

It won't be so easy to get information out of each other then.

"Mr. Chen also has this idea, and I think now is the perfect time. Mr. Chen also has a dinner with Dean Song tonight."

The group exchanged glances and then quickly spoke.

"In that case, Fellow Daoist Chen, shall we go to the Ju Restaurant to discuss this?"

"Very good."

After saying this, the group used their literary arts to quickly disappear from the spot.

The air around Chen Zhuo was filled with literary energy, and the word "fast" appeared in his writings. His figure disappeared from the spot in an instant.

When Chen Zhuo arrived at Ju Restaurant, the others had not yet arrived.

After waiting for a short while, the figures of the group gradually appeared.

Their expressions towards Chen Zhuo changed.

They never expected that Chen Zhuo would arrive here before them!

"Fellow Daoists, you've arrived a bit late!"

Chen Zhuo's voice was indifferent, but it sounded extremely grating to the ears of the group.

"snort!"

The elderly man at the head of the group simply snorted and turned to walk into the restaurant.

Chen Zhuo shook his head and followed him inside.