"Father, instead of hoping that I will fulfill Grandpa's ambitions, you should teach Xiao Wen a lesson. I think this child is much smarter than I was back then. Maybe he can pass the imperial examination and be among the top three."
Perhaps to attract the old man's attention, or more likely because that was what he was thinking, the young man, returning home in wealth and honor, immediately shifted his focus to Feng Bingwen, who was watching the spectacle.
This caused Feng Bingwen, who was happily watching the show while holding his cat, to freeze with a stiff expression and wide eyes, completely unprepared for his father's unexpected move.
He truly is a father in every sense of the word. To solve his own problems, he didn't hesitate to shift the blame onto his son.
Feng Bingwen desperately hoped that the old man wouldn't be so easily distracted. But unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. With just that simple gesture, the old man, who was greatly disappointed in his son, turned his gaze to his grandson.
"Hmph! You scoundrel, a fine young man in his prime, how could you utter such spineless words?"
Although the old man's attention was diverted, he still wouldn't stop scolding his son for giving him such a big surprise.
“Father, it is precisely because I have such a bright future that I am unwilling to waste my short life of several decades on the imperial examination.”
Perhaps because he had achieved economic independence and attained the same level of fame as his father, Feng Zichuan's tone became much more assertive.
"How dare you spout such nonsense?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Lingjun's thick eyebrows twitched, and he was barely able to contain his anger. If it weren't for his wife and grandson watching over him, he would have made this bastard recall the happy times of his childhood.
"Am I wrong? How many people have spent their entire lives on the imperial examinations, only to end up achieving nothing?"
"Do you only see those who failed the exam?"
“Son, I know my own limitations. It is already a stroke of luck that I have made it onto the list this time. If I had overestimated myself and participated in the provincial examination, I would have surely failed.”
"What do you mean by that? Don't you plan to participate in the provincial examination?"
"Of course I'll participate. I'm already qualified, how can I not go?"
"Then why don't you go and review your lessons?"
"I'll go right away, but please don't scold me if I fail the exam, Father."
"If you've tried your best, would I blame you?"
Feng Lingjun seemed to have a sudden realization. Although he still kept a straight face, he no longer had the anger he had shown before.
After a brief conversation between father and son, Feng Zichuan, dressed in fine silks and satins, with his carriage gleaming, returning home in wealth and honor, was still forced by his father to obediently go back to studying.
Feng Bingwen, who was standing to the side, thought the commotion was over and was about to slip away with the cat when the old man grabbed his arm.
"Where are you going?"
"I'll go outside and take a look."
Feng Bingwen blinked his innocent big eyes and looked at the stern-faced old man, a bad feeling suddenly rising in his heart.
"You're at the age to study, how can you be so playful? Come on, come inside with me."
Amidst a disgruntled meow, Feng Bingwen was dragged into the study by his grandfather, who vented all his frustration over his rebellious son on his grandson—ordering him to memorize the Four Books and Five Classics by heart within a certain timeframe.
From that day on, Feng Bingwen's previously pleasant leisure time suddenly shrank. The old man was watching him almost every moment, and whenever he had a spare moment, he would be called to read books and practice calligraphy, leaving him with almost no free time.
This situation worsened after his father failed the provincial examination. After failing, his father simply sent a letter home, stating explicitly that he would not waste time on the imperial examinations.
Seemingly out of fear of being scolded by the old man, the seemingly honest father simply stayed in the prefectural city and refused to return.
However, instead of returning, he sent back a large number of books, so many that they had to be transported by horse-drawn carriage. These were all precious books related to the imperial examinations.
This naturally eased the old man's worries, but it made Feng Bingwen's situation even more difficult. He was forced to immerse himself in books and studies, and had no free time during the day.
However, that father who had brought trouble to his son did more than just send back the books. He also dispatched a large number of craftsmen to build a three-courtyard manor next to the old house, which was considered luxurious for a farming family.
This action immediately earned the villagers' admiration for the scholar Feng Zichuan, who never returned home. They remarked that the two elderly people were finally enjoying a peaceful and happy retirement.
"Ugh, what bad luck!"
Amidst the green tiles and blue bricks, one can see tall pines and bamboos, pavilions and towers. In this magnificent yet exquisite and elegant courtyard, a child is practicing calligraphy with a pained expression on a lakeside pavilion.
Beside him was a large stack of scrap paper, soaked in ink and covered with writing. Clearly, the child had been practicing for some time, otherwise he wouldn't have used up so much paper.
The unfortunate child forced to practice calligraphy was none other than Feng Bingwen. Although he looked miserable, he wasn't actually unwilling; in fact, he was quite enjoying it.
Otherwise, with his current supernatural abilities, it would be incredibly easy for him to break free from an old man whose life force is declining.
He also had a great interest in reading the books his father sent back, because, as far as he knew, reading classics that contained profound meanings could cultivate a righteous spirit in one's heart, making one impervious to all evil.
Although he did not intend to become an upright and incorruptible Confucian gentleman, Feng Bingwen was deeply interested in this unique method of cultivation and naturally did not mind studying it.
Although reading and practicing calligraphy take up a lot of his time, Feng Bingwen does not consider it a waste of time; on the contrary, it will become the foundation of his cultivation.
Moreover, this only takes up his daytime time; at night, he still has extra time to tinker with and research his own affairs.
For example, the art of transforming into a dragon in a dream!
When he was eight years old, he accidentally entered a dream and, in a hazy dream, transformed into a dragon and killed a ferocious beast with the force of thunder.
Having done something so incredible, Feng Bingwen naturally wanted to thoroughly study it and turn it into his regular methods of killing.
If he had buried himself in his studies on his own, who knows how much time it would have taken, but he happened to have a master who gave him access to 100,000 Daoist texts as a reference.
Before long, he figured out the underlying principles, and after accidentally glimpsing a supernatural method contained in the Taoist canon, he developed even greater ambitions and planned to reach a higher level.
All of this stemmed from a supernatural power he found in the Taoist canon.
The Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons: Astrological Symbols
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