Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

"You really like butterflies?"

"When I was very young, Da'an told me that when a butterfly is small, it is just a caterpillar, and when it grows up, it becomes what it is now."

Back then, I thought that one day I would be like a butterfly, soaring freely between heaven and earth.

"If you want to, this isn't a big deal for you."

"Sir, you're talking nonsense again. Da'an is very good to me, but I can't be too ignorant. It's never good to act recklessly."

In June, at the Mu Mansion Garden.

A stone table sits in the center of the pavilion, which is surrounded by flowing water, and a wooden bridge connects the inside and outside.

The towering green bamboo blocked the sunlight, casting dappled shadows in the small pavilion.

Several books were placed in the center of the stone table, but neither the teacher nor the students paid much attention to them.

They looked together at a blue butterfly perched on a flowerbed, chatting about their bright hopes for the future.

Mu Ling'er reached out her hand, and a butterfly landed on her fingertip. But after a while, the butterfly fluttered its wings and flew to a farther place, weaving through a cluster of flowers.

Watching the butterfly fly away, the child squinted his eyes and smiled.

She turned around, her large, watery eyes fixed on the middle-aged scholar behind her. "Sir, do you think teaching me is easy?"

Zhuang Sheng was slightly taken aback when he met Mu Ling'er's innocent gaze.

He smiled and gave a vague answer.

"No need for scolding, no need for strictness, no need to follow rules, and you can enjoy delicious food, see such beautiful scenery, and communicate with a talented person like Lord Mu. It's all very easy."

Mu Ling'er nodded as if she understood, then pouted as if she was indignant, looking quite angry.

"So, does that mean I'm really stupid and difficult to teach? Sir, you're not thinking of hitting me with a ruler, are you?"

Looking at the sulking child, Zhuang Sheng just smiled faintly. He first shook his head and then nodded, wanting to rub Mu Ling'er's head, but she gently slapped it away.

"Don't touch me like that! I'm not a little kid anymore. If you keep touching me, I won't grow tall!"

Zhuang Sheng burst out laughing at the simple words. He looked at Mu Ling'er and spoke slowly.

"If we only consider your learning of the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as your morals and etiquette, then you, Little Ling'er, are indeed not outstanding."

But just as Lord Mu told me at the beginning, there's no need to rush or worry about the results; it's okay to go a little slower.

My task is complete if I can teach you some principles of life.

Hearing this, Mu Ling'er's pouting lips curled up even higher. She grabbed her clothes in dissatisfaction and spoke up angrily.

"Da'an is always like this. What's wrong with me?! I've asked him to teach me martial arts, but he won't. He always says I'm still young and that in a few more years, I don't know when it will end."

Zhuang Sheng sat beside Mu Ling'er, sizing up this child who didn't know how lucky she was.

He had traveled to many places and met all sorts of people, but he had never met anyone like Mu An before.

He didn't expect her to be well-versed in poetry and literature, nor did he expect her to be skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, nor did he expect her to be proficient in etiquette or needlework. He only wanted to accompany Mu Ling'er to read books and play together, so that he could subtly cultivate her character.

Such a request is truly rare.

To be honest, if he didn't have ulterior motives, his first thought upon hearing these things would probably be how to refuse.

How can you teach like this? Even if the other person is the young lady of Qishan Dao, you can't do this.

Teaching a girl like this would ruin her.

But after teaching at the Mu residence for more than two months, Zhuang Sheng gradually realized that things were not as he had imagined. Mu An was a very talented and thoughtful person.

However, these ideas are often out of step with the times.

He believed that diligence could make up for lack of talent, but he did not believe that hard work could surpass talent.

Mu An would encourage Mu Ling'er to have a bright future and to believe that she could succeed in whatever she wanted to do. But in private, he would tell her not to force it, that she had the talent and that she should just be happy.

He would clearly tell himself that this ordinary schoolteacher was different from ordinary people from the moment he chose Mu Ling'er.

Her starting point is something that most people in the world could never reach even after several generations of effort.

He would stand up for the most ordinary people, and he would also do things that were illegal according to customary practices.

As far as Zhuang Sheng knew, there were also many gangs within the eight prefectures and one mountain under the Qishan Dao forces, but all of these gangs were included in the Qishan Patrol Office's sphere of influence and were managed very strictly.

As a result, the original gang was transformed into a business, losing its original violence.

On the second day of teaching, Mu An clearly told him that he wanted to train Mu Ling'er to be a leader who sets rules, rather than an ordinary person who only knows how to follow the rules.

If you can do it, do it; if you can't, leave.

If you decide to teach, you must be patient; if you change your mind easily, you will bear the consequences.

The scale of Qishan Road is so vast that everyone in the martial arts world knows it; for various reasons, it is a country within a country.

There are few powers in the entire Great Qi that can compare with it.

And such a huge family fortune, they actually wanted to leave it to a girl, who wasn't even their biological child.

All of this aroused Zhuangzi's curiosity, making him want to explore deeper things.

Being half a step ahead of one's time is genius; being a full step ahead is madness. Mu An's ideas undoubtedly transcend far too many boundaries.

More importantly, during a casual conversation, Mu An affirmed his views and expressed high praise for his past research.

By investigating things and extending knowledge, we can observe and explore all things until we discover their essence.

read more, walk more.

Knowledge is found in books, but even more so in the world. Reading is learning, and exploring all aspects of life is also learning.

On many occasions, Zhuang Sheng forgot his status during casual conversations, getting carried away and saying many things he shouldn't have.

Mu An never minded, and even cooperated in expanding the scope of the project.

Zhuangzi truly felt that, in his more than forty years of life, he had met a true confidant for the first time.

but……

Watching Mu Ling'er eat the pastries, Zhuang Sheng sighed inwardly.

He liked this girl very much; she was cheerful, generous, lively, and cute. She knew how to use her strengths but never bullied the weak.

Although she can be a little temperamental, she won't go too far. If she really does something wrong, she'll apologize as soon as you say a few words.

With this kind of development, he will undoubtedly become an excellent leader in the future.

But she happened to meet Zhuang Sheng, a teacher with ulterior motives.

It's hard to imagine what a child will become when their first betrayal comes from their husband.

Thinking of this, he sighed again. Everything in Qing'an County was different from what he had imagined, especially the person he wanted to take revenge on.

"Are you in a bad mood, sir? Here, this is my favorite candy, it tastes great."

"Let me tell you, whenever I'm in a bad mood, Da'an feeds me candy. It's so sweet, it instantly cheers me up."

Looking at the candy in his hand, Zhuang Sheng was stunned again. Before Mu Ling'er could make a move, he instinctively put the candy in his mouth and chewed it carefully.

As Mu Ling'er said, it was sweet and had a lingering aftertaste.

"Thank you, it's really sweet, and it has made my husband feel much better."

……