Taiqing Four Prefectures, southwest corner.

There is a maple forest, and an elegant house is hidden in the forest.

Inside the elegant courtyard, a man and a woman were brewing spring water and tea in front of a stone table.

The man was an old man, wearing a green robe and had an aged face, but his black hair was combed meticulously.

He picked up the boiling kettle and filled a teacup to 70% full, not a drop more or less, the amount of tea in the cup was just right.

Yan Jidao gently pushed the teacup with smoke rising from it in front of the guest, then raised his head and looked directly at the woman sitting across the table. Her arrival surprised him.

Yan Jidao got straight to the point and asked, "What brings you here?"

After he finished speaking, he looked at the woman in Confucian clothes with men's hair accessories across the table.

There was a faint and elegant orchid fragrance in the air.

Yan Jidao knew something about this. Although he had little contact with her, he had heard that this female teacher, who had just arrived at the academy and had a special status, loved orchids and calligraphy very much.

Seeing Zhu Weirui's hesitant expression, he frowned and asked:

"But what happened in the academy, or do you have any teaching questions that you want to ask me? I heard that you are teaching the new class of students and serving as an art teacher. Although I haven't taught new students in the past few years, I do have some experience as an art teacher that I can share with you."

Zhu Weirui, who was staring at the teacup, shook her head when she heard it, and glanced at the teacup handed to her by Yan Jidao on the table. She looked up and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Senior Yan, please wait a moment."

After saying that, Zhu Weirui flicked a jade pendant on her waist with her finger, took out a white porcelain teacup from the Sumeru object, and placed it on the table.

She gave Yan Ji an embarrassed smile, waved her sleeves, drew a stream of clear water from the spring beside her, washed the teacup again, then reached out to pick up the teapot again and poured a cup of tea.

Zhu Weirui elegantly picked up his teacup, took a sip, then put the cup of tea down and didn't drink it anymore.

The host's tea is good, but the guest doesn't like it.

Upon seeing this, Yan Jidao relaxed his brows and looked natural, without any expression. He just thought that next time he entertained this lady, he would not need to prepare any utensils for her.

Zhu Weirui sat upright at the table, his eyes clear as he said, "I am sorry for disturbing you today. I hope Senior Yan will forgive me."

Yan Jidao shook his head. "It's okay. I'm lucky to get to know Mr. Youlan, who has been a hot topic in our academy recently."

"Senior Yan, please stop making fun of me." Upon hearing this nickname, Zhu Weirui smiled lightly and didn't take it seriously. She immediately said seriously, "Weirui came here this time to ask, Senior Yan brought the disciples to Taiqing Mansion to give lectures. The one-month period has expired. Why haven't you changed shifts and returned to the mansion?"

Yan Jidao was slightly stunned, and said truthfully:

"Brother Cheng, who will take over my place, has something to do. He is traveling with his students and has not returned yet. I will stay for a few more days. According to his letter, he will be able to return to the academy in three days, and then he can take my place."

"Three days?" Zhu Weirui felt a little relieved. "I understand. Thank you, Senior Yan."

Yan Jidao frowned slightly, observing Zhu Weirui's expression for a while, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke, with a puzzled tone, "Why do you ask this?"

Zhu Weirui lowered his head slightly, staring at the teacup emitting white mist for a while, then he opened his red lips and asked, "Did Senior Yan accept a new student named... Zhao Ziyu?"

"Zhao Ziyu..." Yan Jidao opened his mouth and read it, then he remembered that this was the scholar recommended to him by his senior brother who was in Da Chu not long ago. He had taken a casual look at him before and didn't see any big problem, so he asked Li Jinshu to take him to go through the admission procedures, and then he no longer paid any attention to him.

However, Yan Jidao had some impression that he had come with him to give lectures in the Four Palaces of Taiqing. He had seen him in class before...

Yan Jidao's eyes fixed, and he said calmly: "There are quite a lot of disciples under my tutelage. Please allow me to think about it... By the way, what do you want to see this Zhao Ziyu about? But... what did he do to you that was disrespectful?"

As he spoke, Yan Jidao suddenly remembered what his eldest disciple Li Jinshu had mentioned to him not long ago: the junior disciple had some disputes with Mr. Zhu's servant Jingzi. Jingzi said that the junior disciple was a lecher, but according to the junior disciple's explanation, it should be a misunderstanding.

Yan Jidao's brows suddenly furrowed. Just in case, he had repeatedly reminded Li Jinshu to keep a good look out for these fellow disciples and to prevent them from causing trouble in the four prefectures of Taiqing and bringing shame to the academy.

As a result, although nothing embarrassing happened outside, he got into big trouble inside Linlu Academy.

Did this Zhao Ziyu write some messed up letter to Zhu Weirui, acting and speaking in a dissolute manner as that servant Jingzi said?

In just a moment, Yan Jidao's thoughts were already thousands of miles away.

He looked up and saw Zhu Weirui staring at the teacup, his eyes seeming hesitant and flickering.

Yan Jidao pursed his lips.

How outrageous!

Not to mention his level of cultivation, this Mr. Zhu is the first-class scholar of Confucianism, and he is also your teacher!

Did you write her something romantic?

Now, he is waiting for us to return to the academy. He will probably file a complaint with the dean. How can you still ask me to protect you?

Thinking of this, the old man's eyes became sharp.

It's no wonder that Yan Jidao thought in this way. A student from the mountainside who had just entered the academy and came in through the back door was suddenly visited by a female teacher of a special status, who asked him by name when he would return to the academy.

Just like Zhao Rong’s previous life, he was a country student who had just entered the university through the back door and was personally called by a young and beautiful female professor who had returned from overseas.

In this situation...could it be that they are hoping that you will come back and ask for advice?

Seeing that Zhu Weirui was hesitant to speak, Yan Jidao put down the teacup in his hand and prepared to ask more details to see if there was any room for maneuver.

But at this moment, Zhu Weirui suddenly looked up and spoke.

"No, Zhao Ziyu...Mr. Zhao was not disrespectful."

That day, after learning that those words were written by Zhao Ziyu, Zhu Weirui wanted to go directly to the Taiqing Four Mansions to find him, but after thinking it over carefully, she decided not to go immediately, not just because of her womanly modesty.

She had just arrived at Linlu Academy and was now serving as a calligraphy teacher for the new students. She had a lot of classes these days, and Zhu Weirui thought that Zhao Ziyu was also a new student and would have to come back to take her calligraphy class in a month. It was a good opportunity for her to take advantage of these days to study his unique and majestic regular script and ask for his advice when she came back.

However, Zhu Weirui had been looking forward to it eagerly, but he did not see Zhao Ziyu and Yan Jidao return within the specified time.

So she gradually became anxious and began to worry that something might have happened to him, so she took a day off and could not wait to come to Taiqing Mansion to ask in person.

At this moment, Zhu Weirui saw that Yan Jidao's expression was a little strange, and remembered that there seemed to be some misunderstanding about his words just now, so he quickly opened his mouth to explain.

She continued, "On the contrary, it was us who were disrespectful to Master Zhao. Jingzi had a bad temper and it was my fault that I failed to discipline her. That day, I made it so difficult for Master Zhao to enter the hospital... It's also my fault. If I had noticed it earlier, I would not have let these things happen later."

Zhu Weirui frowned, and self-blame appeared in his eyes.

Yan Jidao was slightly startled, and took a while to digest these unexpected words. He thought to himself, "So that's how it is," and then he asked in a probing tone, "So, you want us to go back earlier, and you want to apologize to Zhao Ziyu?"

Without waiting for Zhu Weirui to answer, he shook his head and smiled, and continued, "No need to be so troublesome, I will call Ziyu over now, you don't have to blame yourself so much, just explain it to him clearly."

After saying this, he prepared to call someone to pass on the message.

Zhu Weirui raised his hand to stop him. "Wait, Senior Yan, please wait a moment. There is no need to bother Young Master Zhao specifically about this matter. You will be back in a few days. I will bring Jingzi with me to formally apologize to him. It is a little inconvenient today, so forget it. However, um, there is one more thing."

Yan Jidao was a little curious, "What's the matter?"

Zhu Weirui reached out his hand, took out a piece of paper from his chest, and handed it to Yan Jidao.

"Senior Yan, please give this piece of paper to Mr. Zhao."

Yan Jidao nodded and took it.

Zhu Weirui's eyes were still fixed on the paper in his hand. She thought of the calligraphy of Zhao Rong that she had copied herself and sighed softly, her tone sincere.

"His handwriting is so beautiful. There is no one in the world who can write like this... I feel more and more that the path I have chosen is correct and can really work..."

Yan Jidao, who originally thought that the matter was so simple, opened his eyes upon hearing this, looked up at Zhu Weirui, and was shocked.

No wonder he always felt that she was a little abnormal, it turned out to be related to the words... Some of the previous doubts in his mind were immediately resolved.

"Words? What happened to Tzuyu's words?"

Yan Jidao asked in a deep voice.

Zhu Weirui's eyes were bright and piercing, as if they were shining, and his expression was serious, "Mr. Zhao's calligraphy is definitely not ordinary, it is better than Weirui's. Weirui personally thinks that he has a chance to enter Taoism."

Yan Jidao's heart trembled, and he blurted out, "Mr. Zhu, can calligraphy really be regarded as a path to enlightenment?"

Zhu Weirui sat upright with a serious expression, raised his hand and clenched his fist, holding it in front of his abdomen.

“The road ahead may be long and difficult, but if you keep going you will reach your destination.”

Zhao Rong's handwriting made Zhu Weirui vaguely see some possibility that made her heart tremble.

That is the possibility of Tao.

Why did she give up the Confucianism and Taoism that she had been studying for a long time and which had a bright future?

Isn’t it just to create the seventh art of Confucianism?

She paved a path for her beloved calligraphy, even if it was a narrow path, at least it was elevated to the height of "Tao", allowing future generations to see the possibility of a successful path.

Make it a new avenue that all the cultivators from the hundreds of schools can take.

The Jixia Academy was home to hundreds of schools of thought, gentlemen and wise men, and thousands of monks.

Don't you all not believe that words themselves can enter the Tao? You all say that even the ancient sages who created characters could not do it. Calligraphy is only fit to serve as a foil for the words of the ancient and modern sages who enter the Tao.

Well, although I am not talented, I dare to be the first in the world and I will blaze a trail for myself!