On the seventeenth floor of the Tower of Babel, on an open-air balcony with a small bridge and flowing water, two people are playing chess.
Sitting on the left was a middle-aged man with a refined appearance, around forty years old, with long hair styled in an ancient bun, and quite handsome.
He was intently looking at the chessboard, and after a long while, he gently placed a piece.
The person sitting opposite him was a young man of about thirty with a buzz cut.
Compared to the middle-aged man, his sitting posture was much more casual, with one foot resting on the stone bench, and his robe half-open, vaguely revealing the T-shirt underneath, a rather strange combination.
The young man with the buzz cut had been showing signs of impatience, but when he saw the middle-aged man finally make his move, he breathed a long sigh of relief and then made his own move.
"Changqing, when will you get rid of this impulsive habit?"
The middle-aged man shook his head. "I told you long ago that playing chess is not just playing chess. It's like reading a book; it's about calming your mind. If you continue like this, when will you ever find the Way?"
"Third senior brother, I have already changed a lot."
Liu Changqing waved his hand dismissively, "I can sit here obediently and play chess with you, don't you think 'a scholar who has been away for three days has been gone for a while'?"
The middle-aged man was speechless for a moment. This time, without further thought, he quickly placed a piece and said, "You lost."
"The three games are over, can I finally relax?" Although he lost, Liu Changqing seemed very happy. He pushed the chessboard away, leaned back in his chair, and started to doze off.
"Speaking of which, how's the task of having your teacher ask you to take on apprentices and pass on the knowledge coming along?"
Shi Dingyan didn't pay attention to Liu Changqing's attitude. He was tidying up the chess pieces on the table one by one when he asked a question.
"Third Senior Brother, can't you talk to me about something pleasant? It's always the same..."
Liu Changqing grumbled and sat up. "I still don't understand what 'teacher' means. Do I look like someone who can teach others? Damn it..."
Seeing Shi Dingyan's furrowed brows, Liu Changqing reluctantly shut his mouth and yawned.
"It's one thing for me to take on apprentices, but they also set tens of thousands of conditions, forbidding this and that. They won't let me choose within the academy, they won't let me go to a top-tier middle school, and they won't even let me take on female apprentices..."
"I can't live like this anymore!"
"Anyway, I think I'm doomed this time. No problem, I'm mentally prepared to go back to the bottom of the tower and continue to reflect on my mistakes. Three years it is!"
Looking at Liu Changqing, who was sighing and looking unwilling, Shi Dingyan pondered and said, "You should understand that your teacher wants you to walk a truly righteous path..."
"Of the eight, only you and your second senior sister can take this path. The teacher is not mistaken."
Seeing Liu Changqing wave his hand and lie down again, Shi Dingyan couldn't help but ask, "Are those schools you went to really so bad that they don't have a single good student?"
"It's alright, not terrible, but still far below the minimum standard of the academy. I've done my best, but I don't think there's much chance of a miracle."
Liu Changqing rubbed his temples, then suddenly seemed to sense something, and sat up and turned to look.
On the glass walkway leading to the balcony, Wu Hongxu hurriedly ran over, carrying the hem of her long-sleeved shirt. "Sixth Senior Brother, so you were here with Third Senior Brother! I've been looking for you for ages!"
"What is it?"
“Someone downstairs is looking for you. He says he was asked by Shen Qian to help him. Will you see him or not?” Wu Hongxu said. “He seems quite anxious…”
“Sinking before?” Liu Changqing frowned.
"You know him?" Shi Dingyan asked.
"Well, he's just a student from No. 7 Middle School. His character is alright, but otherwise he's just average." Liu Changqing waved his hand. "I won't see him. Let him go back."
"oh."
Wu Hongxu didn't say much and turned to leave.
"Wait, did he say why he was looking for me?" Liu Changqing thought for a moment and then called out to Wu Hongxu.
"I don't know about that, but before I came up, I saw that person kept muttering something about seven or eight orifices. Brother Jingwen asked him about it, and he said that Shen Qian told him that Shen Qian had seven or eight orifices, and he kept muttering it because he was afraid he would forget it..."
Before Wu Hongxu could finish speaking, he found himself being lifted up, and the one gripping his collar was Liu Changqing, whose eyes were burning with intensity.
"You fucking explain yourself clearly, what do you mean by seven orifices and eight orifices?"
"I don't know either. I was in a hurry to come up here and didn't hear the whole thing."
"Next time, remember to emphasize the key points first!"
Liu Changqing took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to hit someone, and casually tossed Wu Hongxu aside before disappearing from the spot like the wind.
Wu Hongxu blinked innocently, looked at Shi Dingyan who was standing next to her with a thoughtful expression, and asked blankly, "Third Senior Brother, what does Sixth Senior Brother mean?"
"Hehe." Shi Dingyan came back to his senses and chuckled lightly. "Just wait and see, perhaps your sixth senior brother will be throwing a big banquet in a few days."
"Huh?" Wu Hongxu exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that Sixth Senior Brother... is finally getting married?"
Shi Dingyan glanced at Wu Hongxu, then couldn't help but sigh, "You and Weiyun should study less, go out more often, don't let your studies make you stupid..."
Wu Hongxu scratched his head, looking even more bewildered.
Seeing this, Shi Dingyan shook his head and said no more. He sat back down at the stone table and waved, "Perfect, come and play the next game with me."
...
Outside the bronze tower, Wang Yangming paced anxiously in the square.
That Wu guy went up there an hour ago, and then it seemed like he disappeared and never came out again.
The despair in Old Wang's heart was like waves, one after another.
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