Confucian and Taoist Cultivation Starting from the Equipment Slot

Song Zhiyuan did not answer immediately, but slowly took a sip of tea.

"Mr. Wang is very kind and generous, and I am extremely grateful, but..." He put down his teacup and smiled.

"The Academy of Arts has its own set of rules. The renovation funds and project supervision must all be reported to the Shengtian Prefecture for review."

"If Mr. Song were to accept financial assistance from the Wang family in private, it would be difficult to explain if this got back to the higher-ups. I appreciate Mr. Wang's kindness."

Song Zhiyuan then performed another set of Tai Chi.

He didn't say "no," he just said "it's against the rules."

The rules were set by Shengtian Prefecture, it's not that I, Song, am ungrateful. If you want to blame someone, blame Shengtian Prefecture.

Wang Zhongting's smile faded slightly.

He raised his wine glass, covering the lower half of his face, but from the change in his eyes, Chen Zhuo read a meaning: this guy is not easy to deal with.

Just then, Xie Anshi suddenly stood up.

"Dean Song, I have a favor to ask."

He stood up rather hastily, almost knocking over his wine glass.

Xie Zhiwei quickly reached out to support her father's wrist, but Xie Anshi gently shook her off.

All eyes in the room immediately turned to him again.

Xie Anshi composed himself, his expression suggesting he had made a great decision.

He turned to Song Zhiyuan and bowed respectfully: "Dean Song is a man of profound learning, whom I have long admired. It is truly an honor to meet you today."

He pointed to Xie Zhiwei beside him.

"This is my daughter, Zhiwei. Zhiwei has been studying and reading since she was a child, and has some knowledge of poetry and literature. She has always admired the integrity of scholars. I brought her to this banquet today so that she could broaden her horizons."

He then looked at Xie Zhiwei.

"Zhiwei, offer a toast to Dean Song."

Xie Zhiwei slowly stood up.

Her movements were slow and reluctant.

But she still picked up her wine glass and walked towards Song Zhiyuan.

The moon-white hem of her skirt trailed on the ground, making a soft rustling sound that was particularly clear in the suddenly quiet banquet hall.

Chen Zhuo noticed that her fingers were trembling slightly.

Chen Tiansheng, who was sitting next to him, suddenly wanted to get up.

But Chen Zhuo quickly suppressed it; if he were to show his face now, he would definitely be targeted by the Xie family.

Look at his cheap old man, who is only at the level of a Sequence 8 warrior.

They were no match for the Xie family; once they were targeted, they were doomed.

Chen Tiansheng gritted his teeth, but was unable to do anything.

An intense anger was brewing in his heart.

Xie Zhiwei walked up to Song Zhiyuan, held the cup with both hands, and curtsied.

"This humble woman, Xie Zhiwei, offers a toast to Dean Song."

Her voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of disturbing something.

After saying this, her eyelids drooped, and her long eyelashes covered the emotions in her eyes.

Xie Anshi added with a smile:

"Dean Song, Zhiwei is seventeen years old and unmarried. If Dean Song does not mind, the Xie family is willing to send our daughter to the Academy of Arts to serve as your tutor."

"Dean Song is a young and talented man. It would be a blessing for Zhiwei to serve him."

This statement was not subtle at all.

Everyone in the room understood. Some exchanged glances, some whispered, and some gave knowing smiles.

Chen Zhuo felt Gu Qing'e beside him move slightly.

He turned his head and saw the little girl looking at Xie Zhiwei with a frown, her eyes filled with both sympathy and confusion.

She was probably wondering why her father would give a beautiful older woman as a gift to someone he had just met.

This is a blatant political deal.

The Xie family wants to use Xie Zhiwei in exchange for Song Zhiyuan's support.

Chen Zhuo, however, was somewhat puzzled. Had the Xie family really reached this point? Was such a radical approach necessary?

Song Zhiyuan remained silent for a while.

Then he slowly stood up, without taking the wine glass from Xie Zhiwei's hand.

"You're too kind, Patriarch Xie."

His voice was steady and gentle, as if he were refusing a trivial gift.

"Mr. Song already has a young daughter at home who is still young and needs care. Moreover, the affairs of the Academy are complicated, and Mr. Song really has no time to attend to anything else."

Miss Xie is both beautiful and talented; why should she lower herself to grind ink for me? I appreciate the Xie family head's kindness, but I will offer this cup of tea instead, a toast to Miss Xie, wishing her to find a good match soon.

He picked up his teacup, gently touched the wine glass in Xie Zhiwei's hand, and then drank it all in one gulp.

Xie Zhiwei raised her head.

The look in her eyes when she looked at Song Zhiyuan was complicated.

There was gratitude, shame, and a touch of inexplicable sorrow.

She bowed deeply, then turned and returned to her seat, without saying another word.

Xie Anshi's face turned extremely ugly. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to save face.

But in the end, he didn't say anything. He just sat back down heavily, picked up his glass, and gulped it down in one go.

Just then, Wang Zhongting suddenly stood up.

He walked to the center of the room with a big smile, and gestured for everyone to be quiet.

"Dean Song's refusal to accept the Xie family's offer today reminds me of something."

"These literati and scholars don't care about beautiful women, but they always like strange and unusual things. It just so happens that the Wang family recently acquired an antique. Perhaps Dean Song will be interested."

He took something out of his sleeve.

That was a rubbing.

The paper is yellowed and the edges are worn, but the writing on it is unusually clear.

It was an ancient character, with archaic strokes and a strange structure, looking nothing like any known writing system.

It lay in Wang Zhongting's palm, like a sleeping mythical beast.

Chen Zhuo's pupils suddenly contracted.

He recognized the word.

That is "devour".

The handwriting and stroke composition are exactly the same as the one I received back then.

But why is it now in Wang Zhongting's hands?

Chen Zhu forced himself to calm down and quietly waited for things to develop.

He silently activated his spatial perception technique to suppress the surging literary energy.

Wang Zhongting placed the rubbing on the table in front of Song Zhiyuan.

"Does Dean Song recognize this character?"

Song Zhiyuan looked down.

He tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table, then picked up the rubbing and examined it carefully by candlelight.

He frowned slightly: "The way this character is carved... is not like an ordinary stone inscription. There is a strange sense of continuity between the strokes, as if it was written in one go."

He then looked up at Wang Zhongting and said, "I have only seen this technique on a few antiques in Shengtian Prefecture."

His finger paused briefly at the edge of the rubbing.

"Mr. Wang, where did you obtain this rubbing?"

Wang Zhongting's smile deepened.

"Dean Song has a good eye. To be honest, this rubbing was obtained by chance by the Wang family's ancestor. As for its specific origin," he deliberately dragged out his words, "it is said to have been discovered in a mountain ruin."

"Ruins in the mountains?"

"That's right. But the exact location wasn't passed down from our ancestors."

Wang Zhongting spoke very sincerely, "However, I thought that since Dean Song has taken office at Qingshan Academy, he might be interested in local historical sites. The Wang family is willing to donate this rubbing to the Academy as a way of showing hospitality."

Song Zhiyuan carefully put away the rubbing.

"I thank Mr. Wang on behalf of the Academy of Arts for his kindness. Although this is a rubbing, the engraving style is simple and ancient, which may be helpful for the study of local ancient scripts. I will study it carefully."

Wang Zhongting nodded in satisfaction.

"Dean Song certainly has a good eye for quality. If the Faculty of Arts discovers anything of value in this area in the future, I hope you will not hesitate to share your insights."

"To be honest, the Wang family has treasured this item for many years, but they have never been able to unravel its mysteries. It is a real waste of such a precious item. Dean Song is very knowledgeable and may be able to figure out some of the secrets."

These were well-spoken words, but Chen Zhuo sensed the underlying meaning.

The Wang family has been studying this character for a long time, but they have never been able to decipher it.

They gave the rubbing to Song Zhiyuan, both to test him and to use him to solve the mystery.

one stone two bird.

The banquet continued.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and the exchange of toasts, time slipped away unnoticed.

Wang Zhongting suddenly said something else.

"By the way, Dean Song, although you did not accept the Xie family head's proposal today, Miss Xie is indeed talented and beautiful. There are quite a few young and promising talents in Qingshan County. If you have a suitable candidate, you might as well help Miss Xie make a connection."

He smiled at Xie Anshi, speaking as if it were a casual conversation, but Chen Zhuo noticed that Xie Anshi's fingers suddenly clenched the wine glass tightly.

He immediately understood that Wang Zhongting was giving him a reminder.

It's also a warning.

The Xie family is desperate and is even willing to use their daughter as a bargaining chip.

If Song Zhiyuan doesn't accept, then the Xie family will only have one last option: to submit to the Wang family.

I just don't know what the conflict between them is that led to this situation.

"Could it be that two tigers cannot share one mountain?" Chen Zhuo thought to himself.

Xie Anshi, on the other hand, looked ashen-faced.

Xie Zhiwei lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Chen Tiansheng, who was in the corner, seemed to get up again to say something.

Chen Zhuo pressed down on his arm again and said in a low voice, "Now is not the time."

Chen Tiansheng turned to look at him, his eyes red-rimmed.

But in the end, he didn't say anything. He just sat back down heavily and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Chen Zhuo released his hand.

He looked at the guests in the hall: Wang Zhongting's smile, Xie Anshi's ashen face, Xie Zhi's slightly trembling shoulders, Chen Tiansheng clenching his fists in the corner, and Zhou Wenyuan silently taking notes by the pillar.

I sense a storm brewing.

But he still doesn't know what the tipping point is, and he must find that point as soon as possible!