Chapter 132: Deer Song Academy

“Are you here to kill me?”

Hearing those words, the Holy Lord of the Cold Moon swayed slightly, nearly losing her footing.

She shot Fan Li a sharp glare, silently thinking, Of course not!

She had finally obtained the eldest sister Yaoguang’s permission, using the pretext of searching for the divine beast of Chu, to righteously meet Fan Li.

And yet he misunderstood her?

The Holy Lord of the Cold Moon felt utterly humiliated, nearly storming off in anger.

Fan Li realized he had misspoken.

Knowing when to hold back was wise; given the vast difference in their strength, if they fell out, it would only be to his disadvantage.

A substitute doll was precious beyond measure.

If this woman could kill it with a single sword, wouldn’t that be a great pity?

“Ha, well, I was just joking.”

“It’s rare to have the Holy Lord’s esteemed presence—my humble abode is honored. Please, have a seat.”

Fan Li forced a dry laugh, trying to change the subject.

Seeing his invitation, the Holy Lord’s expression softened considerably.

The woman lifted her chin proudly, like a solitary snow lotus blooming on a high plateau, aloof and self-admiring.

“Holy Lord, could it be you have some matter with me?” Fan Li probed cautiously.

The Cold Moon shook her head.

“No matter.”

“I have been staying in Peng City recently, with plenty of leisure time. I merely came to visit a friend.”

For a moment, Fan Li’s smile froze.

Friend? Between whom?

Us?

Friendship? Where would that come from?

Could it be a bond forged by swords?

Seeing Fan Li’s reaction, the Cold Moon assumed he was overwhelmed with honor.

Indeed.

In this world, very few were qualified to befriend the Pure Land Holy Lord, let alone a mere man.

A faint smile lifted her lips, rare and radiant.

Her smile was delicate and ethereal, like a celestial maiden of the Moon Palace.

“Last time in Chang’an, I left without informing due to sudden orders from the Pure Land. I have come today to explain.”

“Besides, it is impolite to receive without giving in return.”

“Fan Li, if you are free today, I invite you to tour Peng City with me, as a return for that day’s visit in Chang’an.”

Fan Li’s mind raced.

What exactly was going on?

Did this woman have some intelligence system bound to her?

What was she really after? What schemes did she hide? He found himself utterly unable to see through her intentions.

Fan Li finally concluded: the Pure Land of Buddhist Sound harbored relentless hostility toward me!

“What, are you very busy?”

The Holy Lord of the Cold Moon, seeing Fan Li hesitate for so long, displayed a wealth of expressions, assuming he was struggling.

“Ah, I arranged this poorly.”

“After all, he is the Duke of Great Chu Jin, holding power over the entire nation, naturally burdened with countless affairs.”

“I, on the other hand, am idle; aside from cultivation, I have nothing to do.”

The Holy Lord of the Cold Moon indulged in her own wild thoughts, blaming herself rather than Fan Li.

“If you are very busy… you don’t have to accompany me all day.”

She gritted her teeth, as if making a great decision.

She produced two delicate wooden tablets.

“I heard that today, the Deer Song Academy has invited a great Confucian scholar to lecture. If you are interested, I will accompany you.”

The two wooden tablets were tickets for the lecture.

This was a special preparation by the Holy Lord of the Cold Moon for Fan Li!

She had inquired and knew Fan Li was a civil official by origin, a prodigy from youth, who had once astonished the Luo Lake Assembly.

A lecture by a great Confucian scholar was rare; surely he would be interested?

Her heart pounded wildly; this was the first time she had actively invited a man out, terrified of rejection.

“All right.”

Fan Li nodded helplessly.

He was anxious, unsure of what trap lay ahead.

But refusing was not an option; he feared the Holy Lord would drop her disguise and draw her sword to strike him face-to-face.

“A person must die someday.”

“Some deaths are lighter than a feather, others lighter than different feathers.”

“Either way, it’s just abandoning a body double—let’s see what tricks she can play!”

So Fan Li forced a smile.

“Thank you for your gracious invitation, Holy Lord. Let us depart.”

…

Deer Song Academy, the most prestigious Confucian cultivation institution in Great Chu.

Long ago, after a century of warfare, the Overlord of Chu finally established the Great Chu Dynasty.

Because Chu valued literature over military matters, Advisor Fan Zeng proposed founding an academy to educate Confucian cultivators and nurture cultural spirit.

Thus, Deer Song Academy came into being.

“Basically, it’s a public school, right?” Fan Li recalled the academy’s history in his mind. “My ancestor Fan Zeng was the academy’s first headmaster?”

Compared to the academy’s tradition, Fan Li was more interested in its educational system.

They enrolled students every three years.

Passing the exam allowed one to become an academy student and begin cultivating Confucian moral energy.

The academy had existed for a thousand years, holding tens of thousands of volumes.

Students could browse Confucian classics at will, but classes were not daily; most time was spent in self-study.

Deer Song Academy had no permanent lecturers.

Only occasionally did great Confucian scholars come to teach, interrupting students’ self-study and gathering them for lessons.

Moreover, most great scholars in Chu served as government officials; only a few lingered in the secular world unwilling to serve.

In other words, great scholars were mostly officials at various ranks in the Chu court.

Fan Li suddenly felt somewhat embarrassed.

As the foremost official of Chu, naturally also the leader of civil officials and Confucianism, he had never once lectured at the academy.

“I’m so busy, where would I find the time to lecture?”

“I’ll write a letter to Lü Chunqiu and ask him to arrange his disciples to teach.”

“Or send several groups of academy students to Lü City at public expense, letting Lü Chunqiu personally instruct them.”

The more Fan Li thought, the more ideal it seemed.

Talents would emerge with each generation; those he cultivated would ultimately serve his purposes.

Lü City had already secretly submitted to Great Chu; Fan Li did not even have to worry about state-sponsored students shirking their studies abroad.

“What are you laughing at?” the Holy Lord of the Cold Moon suddenly asked.

Fan Li was startled, realizing he had failed to hide his thoughts and was nearly laughing aloud.

“Ah, it’s rare for you to invite me—I’m a bit overwhelmed with honor,” Fan Li said casually.

“Really!?” The Holy Lord frowned, sensing he was lying.

But why would he lie?

Feeling overwhelmed was a natural response.

Thinking so, she dismissed her suspicions and was quite pleased with Fan Li’s attitude.

Both sought to keep a low profile on this outing.

After all, one was Duke Jin of Great Chu, the other the Pure Land Holy Lord.

Fan Li did not wear his ducal robes, only elegant Shu brocade Confucian attire, with a jade belt—an image of a refined nobleman.

The Cold Moon also refrained from wearing her Frost Condensing Sword; a heavenly-grade divine weapon was too conspicuous.

Yet the two were so striking in appearance that as soon as they arrived, they drew countless glances from the Confucian cultivators.

“What a beautiful woman, like a fairy from heaven!”

“A stranger on the road is as exquisite as jade; the nobleman is unparalleled. Oh my, which family’s son is he?”

“I usually focus on self-study; I didn’t know the academy had such figures.”

“As the book says, ‘In books there is beauty like jade, and sages do not deceive me!’”

The Confucian cultivators were both male and female.

Today’s lecture by a mysterious great scholar attracted hundreds of young Confucian cultivators from the city.

Fan Li and the Holy Lord of the Cold Moon presented their wooden tickets and were immediately accepted as academy students.

(The End of this chapter)