My virtue is above yours.

The ladybug bypassed the screen wall with its broken murals and dodged the raindrops dripping from the eaves, flying into a spacious hall where the sound of reading aloud immediately filled the air.

The room was filled with rows of low desks, many of which were supported by small stones at the corners to maintain their stability.

There were about thirty or forty children in the school. The youngest looked only three or four years old, biting his fingers and not knowing what to do. The oldest was probably fifteen or sixteen, almost indistinguishable from an adult.

There were both men and women, all dressed simply, their coarse linen clothes often patched.

Children sit at desks, and even though there are empty seats, you often see three or five children crowding around one desk.

There weren't enough books, so the children had to huddle together to share one.

An elderly man with white hair, dressed in a scholar's robe, patrolled the classroom with a ruler in his hand.

The sound of reading aloud filled the air, but the content surprised Chen Jingxuan.

"If the husband is immoral, the wife will divorce him."

"If the father is immoral, the son will rebel."

"If the ruler is wicked, I will not serve him."

"The immortals are without virtue; let us all punish them."

Chen Jingxuan frowned deeply upon hearing this, and his hand, which was taking the pulse, froze.

The patient in front of him hurriedly asked, "Master, what is the nature of my pulse?"

Chen Jingxuan quickly snapped out of his thoughts: "It's okay, you're not pregnant."

The patient was stunned: "But I'm a man."

"Yes. So you're not pregnant, but you have a bit of kidney deficiency. Just be more moderate in your daily life and it will be fine."

It's all because of the exciting reading material in the academy that it has messed up his mind. It's a miracle that the academy has survived until now.

Could it be that the real opportunity is that a great demon is about to emerge from the academy?

But for Chen Jingxuan, who has a modern mindset, these four sentences are very familiar. Compared to the set of ethical principles of feudal society, these are the values ​​that suit him.

"Am I going to end up as a villain?"

He delved into the ladybug's thoughts, continuing to spy on the academy's situation.

Unlike other academies, the main hall's front wall did not display portraits of sages, but instead bore a couplet that didn't quite resemble one.

The first line of the couplet reads: "Fate has no distinction of nobility or baseness."

The second line is: "There is no distinction between immortals and mortals among humans."

The horizontal scroll reads: "The world belongs to all."

Chen Jingxuan's heart was stirred, but in a world where personal power ultimately rests with oneself, this was merely a grand dream.

Ladybug flapped its wings and passed through the back door of the main room, leading to a covered corridor. The flowers and plants on both sides were lush and untended, and the yard was as messy as a wilderness.

The corridor is adorned with portraits of figures, meticulously detailed and rendered with superb skill, bringing them to life.

He suddenly saw a familiar portrait.

The person in the painting is dressed in a green Taoist robe and sits upright. He has a young face, but his eyebrows and eyes look very familiar. He has a hooked nose and a mole on his left ear.

Chen Jingxuan was certain that this person was his master!

This is a portrait of my master when he was young. Why is it in this academy?

The ladybug continued flying inside, and there were only a few rooms left, with a large communal sleeping area, simple straw mats and furnishings, which seemed to be the children's daily living place.

When night fell and the last patient was seen off, Chen Jingxuan packed up his stall and turned to walk towards the ruins-like alley.

"Knock, knock, knock." He knocked on the door of Shengyang Academy.

"Get out of my way! I swear I'd rather die than let you tear this academy down!"

The door opened from the inside, and an old scholar with white hair held a long knife, looking fierce and menacing. Behind him were several older children, each carrying a pitchfork, an axe, a ruler, and tables and chairs.

As soon as the old master opened the door, his expression softened instantly. He put down his long sword and gestured for the children to put down their weapons as well.

He asked in a wary tone, "May I ask who you are?"

Chen Jingxuan bowed respectfully and said, "I am Chen Jingxuan, a disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect. I am on duty here and have come to inquire if there is anything I can help you with?"

The old master sized him up and down, then forced a smile: "So you're a Taoist priest from the Heavenly Dao Sect. My apologies, I thought you were just another thug sent by the government. I am Cui Cheng, the headmaster of Shengyang Academy. Please come in, Taoist priest."

They went into the house together and sat facing each other in the main hall. A big boy held up an open earthenware pot and poured tea for them.

Chen Jingxuan asked, "What exactly is this about the government officials and local thugs you just mentioned?"

Cui Cheng sighed, "The imperial court wants to dig a lake here. Shengyang Academy is also going to be demolished. But the government refuses to pay a single penny, citing the lack of property deeds and land deeds. They've ordered us to move out within ten days. But this huge academy has so many orphans and other children who need to study. Without resettlement funds, what will happen to them?"

Chen Jingxuan then asked, "Why are there no house deeds or land deeds?"

Cui Cheng sighed again: "It can't be found. Daoist, you shouldn't concern yourself with this matter. This isn't some rare opportunity, so don't implicate you. If those thugs come to bully the child again in the next few days, and you see them while on duty, I would be eternally grateful if you could lend a hand."

After drinking a cup of tea, Chen Jingxuan stood up and pretended to stroll around the academy. He walked to the connecting corridor and repeatedly examined his master's portrait.

A hooked nose, a mole on his ear, and those gloomy, slightly lewd eyes—that's definitely Master.

He asked, "Headmaster, what is the purpose of placing these portraits here?"

"These are all children who graduated from the academy and have achieved success in the outside world. The academy will hang their portraits here to inspire the students."

"My master also came from here? Do you know him?" Chen Jingxuan asked, pointing to his master's portrait.

Cui Cheng stared in surprise, his eyes widening. He could clearly see the bloodshot veins in the old man's eyes. Excitedly, he asked, "You're Tiger's apprentice?"

"Tiger?"

"Tiger was his childhood name. Let me think, his Taoist name should be—Tongxuan!"

"That's right, my master is Master Tongxuan."

Cui Cheng quickly pulled Chen Jingxuan to sit down on a nearby rock and inquired about the recent situation of Master Tongxuan.

Chen Jingxuan answered them one by one.

The elderly man with white hair spoke of his childhood schoolmate with the animatedness of a child: "Your master is still as lecherous as ever! Back then, he visited a widow's house at night and then accused me of it, which led to me being hung up and beaten by the master! Childhood is truly something to cherish."

After the old man finished asking a barrage of questions, Chen Jingxuan finally voiced his own confusion: "What exactly is this academy all about? And why did you two meet here?"

Looking at the messy garden behind him, Cui Cheng's weathered eyes suddenly welled up with tears. The tears lingered in his eyes, and no one knew how many emotions were churning within him: "This story begins sixty-three years ago. I was five years old that year, and he was three. The first time I saw him was in a brothel."

"My master started frequenting brothels when he was only three years old?"

Cui Cheng explained, "He was born in a brothel. My family was poor, and my father saw that I was pretty and sold me to a brothel as a girl. The next day, I was exposed and kicked out. When I came out, I found out that my father had been killed by people from the gambling den. I became an orphan. Hu Zi's mother had just died of illness, and since no one cared for him, he came out with me. The two of us lived by begging on the streets."

These days didn't last long. We met the person who would change our lives—Master Bi, a kind-faced old man who took us to Shengyang Academy. At that time, the academy wasn't so dilapidated. Besides us, there were forty-three orphans and over a hundred students who came to study. Later, we learned that Shengyang Academy was named after Shengyang Tuan, founded by Niwan Jun 1400 years ago.

Chen Jingxuan asked, puzzled, "You mean Lord Niwan and the Shengyang Clan? Are you referring to Lord Niwan and the Shengyang Clan who ended a million-year period of chaos between gods and demons fourteen hundred years ago?"