Dao Fruit

"Brother, is this the right road? Why is it getting more and more deserted as we go?"

In the forest, a group of people walked slowly.

Most of the people in the team were dressed as Confucian scholars, carrying trunks or book boxes. They looked left and right from time to time, with expressions of vigilance and worry on their faces.

Although this forest is not very deep, it has lush branches and leaves that block the sun. The surrounding temperature is very low. When the wind blows, the cool air rushes in, making the body cold and the heart uneasy.

The team was led by two men dressed as mountain folk, carrying bows and arrows and holding short knives. From time to time they chopped down dead branches blocking the road, creating a path.

When the man who led the way heard the Confucian scholar's question, he replied: "My family, young and old, rely on this forest for their meals. I dare not say that I know the way, but I am familiar with it. There have been many gentlemen entering the forest these days, and this road has also gone." A few times, you can’t go wrong.”

"Since we have walked through it several times, why do we need to reopen the road?" Someone else immediately asked the question.

The person who led the way didn't worry, he turned around and said politely: "I want these gentlemen to know that there is no path in the forest. Even if you walk through it once, there is no fixed path. Maybe you walked on this path yesterday, and if you come back today, you will be a few steps away." , we need to reopen the road.”

"That makes sense," some scholars nodded in agreement, but others asked, "Are many people coming?"

As soon as this question was asked, without waiting for the passerby to respond, another mountain man interjected: "Since the news spread that Mr. Qiu lives here, more and more people have come day by day. At the beginning, there were only three or four people. Today, from From morning to now, there have been seven or eight waves in a row, and the young master and others are already on their ninth wave. Most of the young people in our village do nothing else but lead the way. "

The Confucian scholar who was the first to ask laughed and said, "Brother, you get a lot of money for leading the way. It's much safer than hunting."

"What the young master said is," the pioneer walked forward again at this time, "we hope that Mr. Qiu can settle here. It is best to build an academy like those great sages. Spread the branches and leaves. In this way, our village There’s no need to be so busy.”

"Brother, I take this for granted. Although Qiu Yan is famous, what kind of person is qualified to open an academy? He, Qiu Yan, is not qualified."

"Having said that, Qiu Yan is a very talented person. If you don't stick to one pattern, you might really be able to achieve something in the future."

"Even if he builds an academy here, once he obtains the land deed from the government, he may have to move the surrounding villages. Brother, you may not be able to benefit from it by then."

…

After hearing what the pioneer said, the Confucian scholars in the team immediately started talking to each other. This topic unknowingly fell on Qiu Yan.

It turns out that the reason why these people are here is to visit Qiu Yan.

Qiu Yan's residence was located in the woods and was originally hidden. However, after Wenxuan's criticism, his reputation became more and more famous, and the news that Han Weier and others came to visit gradually spread. This made some people think.

At first, there were some people who wanted to try their luck, hoping to become famous through Qiu Yan's incident. Most of them were lucky, but they failed to do so, but others came one after another.

Not long after, Gao Song and others were in the Wenxuan Building. People who had played chess with Qiu Yan visited him together, talked with Qiu Yan about mysteries, and met other Confucian scholars who came here to meet him. Everyone joined in.

Afterwards, both Gao Song and others, as well as those who admired him, benefited a lot and gained knowledge and insights after returning. There has been a significant improvement, and this has brought a lot of influence, attracting more scholars to try to come.

However, deep in the forest here, scholars and Confucian scholars seldom practice strength or exercise, and it is not easy to travel in the forest. Therefore, few people enter the forest alone. Most of them go in groups, and ask one or two hunters to lead the way. , while protecting yourself.

Over time, the villagers around the forest gradually took on the role of guides. Except for the most capable people, even ordinary villagers who were young and strong were invited to lead people into the forest, and they could get a lot of money. Sometimes, in order to compete for guides, Confucian scholars would It will also drive up prices.

This situation occurs, on the one hand, because there are many scholars who are good-looking, but there are also those from wealthy families who do not hesitate to spend money. Another reason is because many of the scholars are not residents of Dongdu, but came here to study. Yes, because Xingtan gathered in the city to discuss Taoism, they failed to enter the forest. But it was not easy to come here. I didn't want to go back empty-handed, so I looked for opportunities in the city. The previous Wenxuan review was this opportunity. Now Qiu Yan is where That place became a new opportunity.

The current group of Confucian scholars gathered here for this reason, but their purposes are not unified. Some heard rumors and came here specifically to ask for advice and confirm their knowledge. Some wanted to use Qiu Yan as a stepping stone to become famous, and some just followed what others said. , came to join in the fun.

They talked and talked along the way, gradually relaxing, their fear of the woods gradually faded, and their minds gradually became more active.

"When I came to Dongdu this time, I originally wanted to study in an academy, and at last I wanted to seek advice from one or two great scholars. But I didn't expect that Dongdu is different from a small place like home. I encountered obstacles at every turn and was rejected. This Qiu Where Yan lives may be my last chance, I must seize it, otherwise this trip to the Eastern Capital will be in vain." Chen Cai thought to himself in the team.

Next to him, his friend Su Yan, whom he met on the study tour, was thinking about other ideas. A glint flashed in his eyes from time to time, revealing a faint aura of ambition.

After walking a few steps forward, the scene ahead suddenly became clearer. The group walked out of the forest. The first thing they saw were several acres of farmland, followed by several houses not far away.

Not far behind the house, there is a mountain temple.

This temple has been abandoned for a long time, but in the past few days, it has gradually become popular again. Many scholars who come and go have stayed there, showing a certain respect.

"Is this it? It is not easy to open up such a place in the forest. Qiu Yan must have a master around him." Su Yan glanced around and had a guess in his mind.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our brothers will lead the way here and return first. When you go back, you will wait here. When the time comes, we will gather people and go back together." The two mountain people who led the way clasped their fists and said goodbye. They were in a hurry to go back and bring the next group of people.

After coming to the forest, they have to go back. The scholars come and go, and they need someone to lead the way and protect them. Unlike when they came, when they go back, they have to gather several groups of people who came in a day and bring them back at once.

After saying goodbye to the two mountain people, Chen Cai and others stepped forward, carefully bypassing the farmland and walking towards the houses. The further they went, the more people there were. There was even a simple teahouse on the way. Several men were busy in it, and many scholars were sitting on tables and chairs.

"Interesting, this Qiu Yan's reputation can actually cause such a big impact." Su Yan muttered, and looked carefully, only to find that although it was called a teahouse, it actually provided simple dishes, so that many scholars would not have to wait here and starve. However, the dishes and taste were not good, and could only fill their stomachs at most.

Of course, he didn't know that the chefs and waiters in the teahouse were disciples of Yuxu Dao. They were good at cultivation and killing, but they were still novices in making tea and cooking.

After walking and stopping, they came to the front of the house, where a yard had been built to prevent others from rushing in and disturbing the quiet.

Hu Qi came forward and asked Chen Cai and others to explain their purpose, then pointed to a table not far away and said: "If you want to seek advice from my young master, you must first go there to register and talk to that person, so as to judge his knowledge."

"Humph," Su Yan sneered, "He is not even a master yet, but he is already putting on airs."

Hu Qi was not angry, obviously he had seen a lot, and shook his head and said: "This gentleman has misunderstood, it is not that my young master wants to put on airs, but there are too many people coming. If we don't select them, we really can't handle it. The young master chose to study here for peace and quiet. Now it has come to this point, and we can't drive people away. If we go, we must set up rules. "

Chen Cai nodded and said, "We came here to seek advice. If we think from our own perspective, we will feel that Mr. Qiu is overbearing. But if we think about it the other way around, if everyone comes here like us, but Mr. Qiu is the only one, how can he deal with it?"

He came to Dongdu to study, and he encountered setbacks one after another. He understood some things. If what happened today happened in any academy in Dongdu, no one would be dissatisfied, but would think it was natural. But when it came to Qiu Yan, others felt that they were being neglected, because everyone who came here felt that they were extraordinary and regarded themselves as the protagonist, and they could not bear it.

Su Yan still sneered, but did not insist. He walked to the side table, reported his name, and was asked a few questions. He wanted to show off, and thought about making things difficult for the other party, so he said a few questions about principles.

Unexpectedly, the other party answered fluently without even thinking.

"Oh?" Su Yan was stunned, put aside his contempt, and looked at the other person carefully. Only then did he notice that although the person who recorded the name was wearing coarse cloth, he had an extraordinary temperament and handsome face, not like an ordinary person.

"May I ask what your name is, brother, and who did you learn from?" Not only Su Yan, Chen Cai also had doubts. Asking out loud, such a person, but became a pen polisher, of course, aroused doubts.

"I am Wang Yifu, and this knowledge... I got it from Qiu Yan." The person who recorded the name of the visitor was Wang Yifu, the only son of the Taoist Master Yuxu.

When he said this, his voice was a little cold and hard, and he did not use a respectful title for Qiu Yan's name, which made people feel a little awkward, but Chen and Su were shocked by the meaning of the words, but they did not pay attention to the details.

"From Qiu Yan? Could it be that Qiu Yan's reputation has not been fully established yet, and he has begun to teach others without reservation?"

Not only the two of them had this doubt, but Wang Yifu was also the same.

A few days ago, he got a book from Qiu Yan. The title page was marked with the words "knowledge and action". After flipping through it, he was shocked to find that the book was full of profound knowledge, easy to understand, and enough to be passed down as a family heirloom!

"Such profound knowledge, even a master and a disciple would not easily pass it on. I have a grudge against Qiu Yan, how could he be so confident to teach me? There must be a mystery in it!"