"Teacher."
Chang Qing came to the desk with a sheet of paper and called out.
"Oh? Understood it?"
Li Qingchen looked up at Chang Qing with interest and said:
"Think it over before you speak, if you don't understand, just admit it; if you spout nonsense, it'll be hard to get through this gate."
He could see Chang Qing's nervousness, so he specifically reminded him.
It's okay not to know, but to pretend to know and then babble on annoyingly is what one must avoid.
In such a case, it has nothing to do with learning, but shows a failure to be fundamentally honest.
With Su Nan present, he would certainly continue teaching, but how genuinely the teaching would be, that's a different matter.
He was testing with Dao patterns, not expecting Chang Qing to answer, just hoping for honesty to pass this test.
"Uh... I have a shallow understanding, but I'm not sure if it's correct."
Chang Qing replied, forcing himself.
What understanding? Other than the character 'one,' he hadn't deciphered anything.
However, to pass smoothly, he found a plausible argument to make.
"Understood a few bits?"
Li Qingchen shook his head, his smile slowly fading, and his tone cold.
"Since you've understood, then go ahead and share."
After speaking, Li Qingchen didn't even glance at Chang Qing, continuing to read his book.
In his heart, he had already graded Chang Qing with zero points.
"Teacher's characters are vigorous and strong, sturdy and grand; though simple, they showcase extraordinary aura. I've never seen such beautiful handwriting."
Chang Qing started with flattery, knowing flattery might be wrong but never fails.
Furthermore, though exaggerated, the handwriting was indeed beautiful.
However, he didn't notice Li Qingchen's face not only didn't improve but grew even grimmer.
"Fawning and glib, difficult to achieve great things."
Li Qingchen already regretted the transaction with Su Nan.
But Chang Qing was unaware, continuing his eloquent speech.
"I understand the task given by the teacher seems simple but surely contains deep meaning."
Li Qingchen's face turned slightly black, posing as mysterious without understanding.
A simple 'one' character, what deep meaning could it possibly have?
"Students ponder repeatedly, and suddenly realize the teacher's painstaking intention."
Li Qingchen grew impatient, prepared to eject Chang Qing; his favorable impression of Chang Qing eroded completely.
"This 'one' character is simple, but the Way's simpleness..."
"Stop talking! Hmm?"
Li Qingchen, having just stood up, froze suddenly, then turned to look at Chang Qing, unsure, pointing at the paper and asking:
"You said what kind of character is this?"
"Uh..."
Seeing Li Qingchen's serious expression, Chang Qing swallowed and said,
"Teacher, isn't this a 'one' character?"
Chang Qing felt uneasy, wondering if the culture of this world differed from his past life?
Couldn't be, his mother taught him this way to recognize letters?
But... But what's with this teacher's expression, which looks like he's about to devour someone? Where did he go wrong?
Little did he know, Li Qingchen inwardly stirred up tumultuous waves.
"He actually... truly recognized it?"
"It's only been two brief hours, quicker than the old third of the Wen Sheng's Body back then."
"This..."
Li Qingchen examined Chang Qing, his emotions fluctuating.
Dao patterns aren't commonplace; only those with profound martial arts or deep calligraphy mastery can discern them.
This is not baseless speculation; in this world, few can write Dao patterns, and even fewer can understand them with ordinary eyes!
"Chang Qing, how did you understand this character?" Li Qingchen asked.
He couldn't comprehend how Chang Qing, untrained for eighteen years, could so quickly see through it.
"Character?"
Chang Qing hesitantly pointed at the character on the paper and said:
"Isn't this plain to see? Such a large character, anyone not blind could understand it, right?"
Li Qingchen's expression changed instantly, "You mean, you understood this character at first glance?"
Chang Qing nodded honestly, "It's very simple."
The usually composed Li Qingchen couldn't stay calm anymore. He fetched a mighty brush for immediate use, writing a vigorous flowing character on paper.
"What character is this?"
Chang Qing glanced, replied without hesitation: "Su."
Li Qingchen's hand trembled, his pupils contracted, wrote another character.
"Chang."
Li Qingchen's breath fluctuated, trembling, another stroke fell.
"Qing."
Boom!
Li Qingchen dropped the brush from the desk, looking at Chang Qing in shock, his mind shaken.
Meanwhile, that terrifying aura belonging to the Confucian Immortal briefly erupted to the skies!
...
Cyan Mountain Village.
After sending off Chang Qing, Su Nan lazily lay in the courtyard basking in the sun.
Around him were the Su family members disguised as villagers.
They held significant positions in the Su family; though in seclusion here, they reported recent continental developments to the Patriarch daily.
"Yesterday at the Central Province Saint Academy, a born literary child crafted a four-line verse, causing the sculpture of the Literary Emperor to shine gloriously."
"The Daoist Sect Shenxiao Sect announced yesterday that the current Daozi has been confirmed dead in the secret realm, a new Daozi selection underway."
"The Southern Region's Great Void Forbidden Abyss is about to open soon, many experts coming with their offspring..."
Listening to the reports, Su Nan let them go in one ear and out the other, occasionally looking at the sky.
Close to noon, he promptly stood up, waved to the group,
"Alright, alright, you handle these matters as you see fit."
Then he called out loudly,
"Start cooking quickly; Chang Qing will return soon. Make a feast today, slaughter a chicken, say it was caught in the mountains."
Ye Shu responded from inside the house.
One nearby Su family man was puzzled, "Isn't the Young Master at Mr. Li's place studying? How come he returns at noon?"
"Hey, what do you know, this is called strategy."
Su Nan looked towards the distant green mountains, grinning:
"When you head back, if you see Chang Qing, show some comfort, he might feel quite down."
After thinking over Su Nan's remark, the Su family members understood the situation.
The previous two Young Masters became a bit extreme due to smooth success.
This time, the Young Master met his teacher for the first time, likely facing considerable challenges.
While the group pondered, an invisible terrifying aura erupted from below the Cyan Mountain.
Boom!
Vast as an ocean, the mighty righteous aura shrouded the entire sky, its terrifying presence causing the constructed domain to tremble.
The Su family, faces pale with terror, felt the powerful aura making their hair stand on end.
"Stop!"
Su Nan's heavy stomp ground down, brilliant light on the mountain top suppressed the rising righteous aura instantly, stabilizing the domain.
Those present exchanged glances, uncertain of what transpired.
Instead, a young man murmured enviously,
"The Confucian Immortal is indeed the Confucian Immortal; this teaching grandeur is extraordinary."
Su Nan and others brightened, nodding in agreement.
True enough.