"Brother Qi, Brother Luo, and Miss Qinghe."
Liu Yuntai's voice came from behind them, and the two turned around to look.
He was dressed in a light purple outfit today, which made him look even more elegant and refined.
Luo Fan said, "I still have to patrol. Please continue your conversation." He nodded slightly and left.
With a faint smile, Liu Yuntai casually asked, "How's the scenery on the back mountain?"
Qinghe: "Not bad."
Liu Yuntai nodded. "Actually, the scenery in my hometown is also very beautiful. Would you two be interested in visiting it after Dean Zhuge comes out of seclusion?"
Qinghe glanced at Qirong and asked, "Does your reclusive family also welcome outsiders?"
Liu Yuntai smiled and said, "My friends won't stop me."
Qi Rong looked at him with a hint of coldness in her eyes. Just as she was about to refuse, Qing He said, "Alright, let's go together after this is over."
Liu Yuntai nodded and said, "Then I shall take my leave."
After he left, Qi Rong asked, "Why did you agree to his request? Are you very interested in him?"
Qinghe sniffed the air. "I think I can smell a hint of vinegar."
Qi Rong joked, "If you can't give me a convincing answer, I'm going to be really jealous."
Qinghe was amused by him, and after a moment said, "I'm just curious. I just want to see what the legendary Liu family is like. Since he sincerely invited me, why should I refuse him?"
"Is that really true?"
Qinghe looked at him with sincere eyes, "Really."
...
After Zhuge Hongming went into seclusion, the disciples in the academy inevitably became somewhat lax in their cultivation, not focusing on their practice, but instead thinking about leaving the academy to see the prosperity of the outside world.
Luo Fan was extremely frustrated with his students' lack of progress. He patrolled around the academy all day long, and he had already caught more than a dozen students who had tried to sneak away. With each one he caught, his face grew more and more unpleasant. Finally, as night fell, he ended this job that was driving him crazy.
Grabbing the last disciple who had been captured, Luo Fan carried him by the back of the neck with one hand, all the way to the discipline platform.
There were already quite a few disciples on the discipline platform, all of whom he had captured before.
"Your six senses are impure, you crave worldly pleasures, and you cannot calm your mind to cultivate. You should reflect on your mistakes here!"
Luo Fan hurled the person he was carrying at him, the force of which caused the person to stumble and fall.
The man dared not provoke Luo Fan, so he obediently followed instructions, bent over, and braced himself with his hands, turning himself upside down.
He gave Luo Fan a miserable look, then lifted one hand off the ground and used it as a brush to write on the cloth.
Luo Fan said coldly, "Today I'm punishing you all. Don't even think about going back to rest until you've written the academy rules three thousand times. If you've finished, write them five thousand more times until sunrise. I'll come to check on you then. If anyone is lazy, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Having said that, he turned and left.
Watching Luo Fan's departing figure, the disciples felt bitter but had nowhere to vent their grievances. Looking at the bright crescent moon in the sky, they could only sigh and resign themselves to their fate and punishment.
Unable to contain their curiosity, someone asked, "Senior Brother Luo Fan has been extremely strict with his students these past two days, and he's even sent so many disciples to guard the academy. Does anyone know what's going on?"
Someone replied to him, "I don't know, maybe the dean isn't at the academy and is afraid someone will wander in."
They are unaware of Zhuge Hongming's seclusion and are making wild guesses.
"Hey, have you heard? A few days ago, Yangqu Mountain collapsed, and the whole mountain is gone."
"Yes, yes, I heard about it too. Who's so bored as to blast up the mountain for fun?"
"It is said that the sky was filled with red light at that time, which may have meant that a great person had undergone tribulation and ascended to become a god."
"Becoming a god is not that easy. If it were really a tribulation, how could there only be red light and no heavenly lightning? If you ask me, there must be some rare and precious treasures that have appeared for such a strange phenomenon to occur."
"Hmm, that makes sense."
The night wind was chilly, sending shivers down people's spines. Someone said, "Don't you guys feel a chill down your spine, like someone is watching you from behind?"
A little.
"I also……"
The person who spoke slowly turned his head to look back, only to see Luo Fan return, looking at them with a cold gaze and a serious expression.
He gasped, and said stiffly, "Senior brother, why are you back?"
Luo Fan said coldly, "What, if I don't come back, you'll just keep arguing until dawn?"
"No, no, I know I was wrong. I'll write it down right away."
The other disciples were like mice before a cat, not daring to breathe loudly, and their hands moved faster, quickly copying the academy rules once.
It wasn't until the first light of dawn that the group finished writing the three thousand copies of the school rules. They had poured their hearts and souls into it that night, working tirelessly and without fatigue. Finally, their hard work paid off, and their hands never stopped holding the pen.
But it wasn't because they had reformed or had a change of heart; rather, they never would have imagined that Luo Fan had been watching them all night, standing in the same spot without moving an inch.
Such perseverance filled them with utmost admiration. It would be a disservice to their devoted senior brother Luo Fan if they didn't diligently copy the academy rules.
After turning from the upside-down position, everyone felt dizzy for a moment. Fortunately, they were cultivators, so even if they stayed up all night, it wouldn't be a big problem. If it were an ordinary person, they would probably have died from cerebral hemorrhage long ago.
They handed all the school rules to Luo Fan for review. As they watched him carefully examine each page, the group exchanged bewildered glances, their hearts pounding.
Fortunately, they finally passed the test. The moment Luo Fan nodded, the group immediately ran off into the distance, trying to leave this awful place as soon as possible.
"Wait a minute," Luo Fan said. "There are too many rumors about Yangqu Mountain. You all don't need to discuss it anymore. Focusing on cultivation is the right path."
Disciples: "Yes."
Luo Fan nodded: "Go ahead."
"This disciple takes his leave."
Luo Fan watched them leave, then rolled up the cloth and walked in the opposite direction.
The discipline platform returned to calm. In a corner below the platform, willow branches fluttered, and a green leaf was blown down by the wind, drifting and landing on a person's shoulder. The person raised their hand to take it down, their fair fingertips tracing the veins of the leaf, their focused expression making one reluctant to disturb them.
After a long while, with a flick of his hand, the willow leaf floated into the air, then swirled down and landed on the ground, by which time the person had vanished without a trace.
...
Library.
There were few people today, and the old man with gray hair was still guarding the door, dozing off with his head propped up, his posture seemingly unchanged.
Before long, Yu Zhi Qiu and Mi Er walked in.
It was her first time there, and she was unaware of the rules. It wasn't until she reached a position level with the table by the door that she realized a barrier was blocking her way.
She looked puzzled and glanced at the other disciples in the pavilion, but no one came to help her.
Helpless, he gave up, looked around, saw the old man, paused, and walked towards him.
"Senior, could you please tell me how to get in?"
The old man was snoring, his beard trembling, and no matter how Yu Zhi Qiu asked him questions, she couldn't wake him up.
Mi'er couldn't bear to see her young mistress being wronged, so she rolled up her sleeves and was about to pull him awake, but Yu Zhi Qiu stopped her, saying, "You must respect your seniors."
Mi'er had no choice but to forcefully lower her hand.
The old man still faced outwards, but shook his head slightly.
Just then, Shen Xun walked in.
He walked past them without glancing to the side, his steps never faltering as he went inside. He passed the barrier as if it were flat ground, effortlessly making his way straight to the bookshelves.
The barrier fluctuated slightly before returning to normal, as if nothing had happened.
At the same time, the old man who was lying on the table suddenly opened his eyes and stood up abruptly.
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