This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

The sage stared in disbelief. What a loyal and righteous young man! In this day and age, there were few men who would remain devoted to a mute wife. And from his tears, he was even more certain that this young man had suffered a tremendous injustice in the Great Qian Dynasty.

“Young friend, don’t be afraid. Have you been wronged in the Great Qian Dynasty? Tell me. All scholars under heaven are one family. I will stand up for you.”

"Oh, old man, forget it, forget it. A higher-ranking official can crush a lower one, especially one like me... Forget it, I'll accept this injustice. All I want now is to take my wife and leave for a distant land, never to return."

"What are you saying? We scholars would rather break than bend. Since someone has wronged us, we will fight to the death to avenge ourselves. Otherwise, where will we scholars put our dignity?"

Xiao Xingchen gave Daji a sly smile. See? I was right. I can give up my life, but I absolutely cannot lose face.

"Old man, you don't understand. I wrote a few poems, and as a result, I was targeted. The people targeting me are all big shots. We can't fight back at all; we can only run away. Whether we can even escape is another matter. I did my best, and I hope they can let me go."

"Write poetry?"

Xiao Xingchen saw that the sage, who hadn't been so determined to uphold justice for him before, suddenly erupted in anger after hearing that he was being persecuted for writing poetry.

"Outrageous! Is writing poetry a crime in this Great Qian Dynasty? What about my Confucian Temple? What about my sage? Young friend, don't be afraid. Even if you write one poem, or even ten or a hundred, if the Great Qian Dynasty wants to put you in a literary inquisition, I will drown them with my pen."

"Grandpa, don't be impulsive. We can't afford to offend those people,"

"Bullshit! Isn't the most powerful person in the Great Qian Dynasty Emperor Wu? If you piss me off, I'll even curse Emperor Wu. What kind of trash dares to openly insult us scholars like this? Don't worry, with the Confucian Temple backing you up, no one will dare to do anything to you."

"This... I really don't want to involve the old man; it's a capital offense,"

The sub-saint was so angry that he was puffing out his beard and glaring, looking ready to unleash a torrent of abuse at the slightest provocation.

Seeing this, Xiao Xingchen continued to add fuel to the fire. He knew that what would catch up with them soon would not be just a few people, but a whole group. He was afraid that this sub-saint would not be able to withstand it. If he didn't make a promise now, when would he?

"You just mentioned the Confucian Temple?"

He asked cautiously, his eyes filled with awe and longing.

"Yes, I am from the Confucian Temple. Don't worry, they won't dare to do anything to us."

"Wow, the old man is a sage from the Confucian Temple! Sage above, please accept this disciple's bow!"

Xiao Xingchen seemed shaken by the news and immediately knelt down without hesitation, startling the Quasi-Saint. He was about to reach out to stop him when he heard...

"Your Holiness, please accept my bow,"

The Saint's hand, raised in mid-air, was caught in a dilemma: whether to retract it or not.

According to the rules of the Confucian Temple, kneeling down and performing the apprenticeship ceremony makes one a disciple. This confused young man actually performed the apprenticeship ceremony for himself.

"Grandpa, what's wrong with you?"

Xiao Xingchen still looked completely innocent. How could he not know what his actions at the Confucian Temple represented?

Anyway, I've already paid my respects. Whether you accept it or not is up to you. If you don't, I won't lose anything. But if this Quasi-Sage accepts me, then by using the title of Quasi-Sage's disciple, I'll finally have a protective shield and won't be someone to be easily bullied anymore.

"Fine, fine. Since you've knelt before me, I'll accept you as my disciple. Get up and tell me what really happened."

The sage hesitated for a moment, but only for a moment. He thought highly of the young man. He had come out with the intention of finding a successor, and the young man's poems just now were truly remarkable.

"Huh? Disciple? What do you mean?" Xiao Xingchen continued to ask, still confused.

"Hey, you kneel down before me without knowing anything? Don't you know the rules of the Confucian Temple? Kneeling is a sign of becoming a disciple?"

"Huh? I don't know,"

The innocent and bewildered Xiao Xingchen looked around in confusion, especially after seeing the envious, jealous, and hateful expressions on the faces of the followers behind the Quasi-Saint. A smile crept onto his lips.

"See, this is what shamelessness is all about," he thought to himself, showing off to Daji. This earned him a cold snort from Daji, who turned away, pretending they weren't acquainted.

"It is precisely because you do not know that your innocent heart is revealed. If you really knew everything, I would not dare to accept you as my disciple. Let me introduce myself. I am the Second Sage, the Drunken Old Man. From now on, you are my disciple. What is your name?"

The Saint stroked his beard with satisfaction and said,

"Really? Master, please accept my bow."

"Alright, get up quickly. We were in a rush today. I'll make up for the apprenticeship ceremony another day. Get up now."

"Thank you, teacher. Your disciple is Xiaoxingchen."

"Xingchen, a good name. From now on, you will be my third disciple. You also have two senior brothers, which I will introduce to you when we return to the Confucian Temple."

"This disciple understands, but..." Xiao Xingchen looked troubled.

Upon hearing this, the sage shook his head and smiled, immediately seeing his worry, and then assured him,

"As for the trouble you've caused, I will handle it for you, so you don't need to worry."

No sooner had he finished speaking than several riders galloped towards them from afar, kicking up clouds of dust. This caused the Sage to frown slightly, for the banners on the warhorses bore the characters "Huangfu."

"Xingchen, what kind of poem did you write that prompted the Great Qian royal family to intervene?"

"Oh, teacher, to be honest, the first poem I wrote was praising the greatness of maternal love. I really didn't mean anything else. I believe they must have misunderstood my meaning, so..."

The Second Saint nodded in affirmation.

"Since ancient times, filial piety and righteousness have governed the world. It is rare to find someone with such a heart. Please recite this poem for me, and I will polish it for you."

Xiao Xingchen looked aggrieved, but inside he was overjoyed. With the status of a disciple of a Quasi-Sage, he could only imagine how much fun it would be when the pursuers arrived.

"A mother's thread in her hand, a traveler's clothes on his back; before his departure, she sews them carefully, fearing his long absence. Who can say that a blade of grass can repay the warmth of spring?" he said slowly.

"A beautiful poem, a beautiful poem!"

The sage was deeply moved and couldn't help but praise him. Such a masterpiece was rare even in the Confucian Temple. He never expected that a casual trip would yield such a talented disciple. This further strengthened his resolve to bring this person back to the Confucian Temple.

"So they persecuted you for this?" The Second Saint immediately realized, somewhat incredulous. If they would persecute someone for writing poetry, then what kind of law was there in the Great Qian Dynasty?

"Yes, they're jealous of me because I don't have any connections, so... Teacher, you know, there's a saying, 'If they can't be used by me, then nip them in the bud.'"

"This is outrageous! Emperor Wu of the Great Qian Dynasty is a bastard. He actually killed a genius. I'm furious! When I get back to the Confucian Temple, I will definitely write a scathing critique of the Great Qian Dynasty."

"Teacher, please calm down. The people who are chasing you are here."