Chapter Ninety-Seven: Confrontation

"Miss..." Little Chrysanthemum was a true mortal, unaware of the secrets between the Huangfu father and daughter. Upon entering the room, Jiao Na found her usual tricks ill-suited, and had to forcibly restrain herself, retorting, "Don't try to put those hats on me. I've seen plenty of you scholars, all full of scheming and duplicity, deep and false, pretending to be virtuous and righteous, even calling yourselves gentlemen. Hah!" Chen Jianchen burst out laughing. "The Way of the Gentleman is not naïve and obtuse, ignorant of the ways of the world, letting others deceive and bully you. Only those who read themselves to death are like that. That's not a gentleman, that's a fool. A gentleman is like jade: humble but not servile, kind but not gullible, brave but not reckless, upright but not rigid. These are exactly what Mr. Huangfu has invited me to teach you. Otherwise, with your impulsive and reckless temperament, you wouldn't know how much you'd suffer outside!"

A furry tail, bright as flame, stretched out from beneath Jiao Na's skirt, trailing on the floor. At a glance, it seemed strange and uncanny, enough to frighten someone out of the room, fleeing desperately. Yet Chen Jianchen merely glanced at it, remaining calm and composed, as though he hadn't seen a thing.

Hmm!

Jiao Na, not hearing any panicked cries, turned slightly to glance at Chen Jianchen, astonished that this absurdly youthful teacher was not afraid. Was he blind? Or did he think her tail was fake?

Failing to scare Chen Jianchen, Jiao Na felt disgruntled, but realizing her tail trick had lost its effect, she silently retracted the fiery red tail, which vanished without a trace.

Chen Jianchen saw this, and chuckled quietly. At the moment her tail appeared, his righteous energy was stirred, eager and excited, his Sword of Integrity restless, as if ready to leap forth.

A fox spirit!

Jiao Na, and perhaps even Mr. Huangfu, must be fox spirits.

No wonder this manor was called "Fox Manor" and not "Huangfu Manor"—there was a deeper meaning.

Chen Jianchen suddenly understood, confident and assured, though he kept silent and did not expose the truth. Mr. Huangfu and his daughter could transform into human form and were indistinguishable from ordinary people, which meant their cultivation was very advanced, at least at the Golden Elixir stage or above. More importantly, they carried no aura of blood or evil—these were orthodox Daoist cultivators among the monsters, absorbing the essence of sun and moon, refraining from killing, and acting benevolently towards humans.

This last point was evident from Mr. Huangfu's actions. He disguised himself as a country squire, established the manor at the foot of the mountain, traveled for business, and lived among mortals. His conduct was indistinguishable from that of ordinary people.

Entering the Daoist path, one follows Daoist rules. Perhaps their venture into the mortal world was to "experience life" and temper their Daoist hearts?

Chen Jianchen recalled what Daoist Qingyun had once said: without rolling through the dust of the world, the Daoist heart can never attain the Great Dao.

This was indeed profound!

He suddenly thought of the many strange tales where enchanting fox spirits fell in love with destitute scholars. Aside from the fantasy of impoverished literati, perhaps there was some truth to it.

To live among mortals, eating, dressing, walking, reading and writing are all basic skills, but emotion and love are the core, the true depth, the carving upon the heart.

In a flash, Chen Jianchen made an analogy, and realized that even practicing the eight-legged essays could be a form of experience to temper his own heart...

"Sir, please have some tea!"

Jiao Na, still frustrated, brought over tea. This Chen Jianchen was so tactless, never knowing when to retreat, which greatly displeased her. She couldn't be bothered with her usual petty tricks anymore.

She had revealed her tail, her ultimate move, yet Chen Jianchen had ignored it, showing not a shred of surprise—how odd.

Could it be that her father had already told him the truth?

But logically, that was impossible. Her father would never so easily trust a mortal. Thoughts spun endlessly in Jiao Na's mind, but she could not find an answer.

Opposite her, Chen Jianchen sat properly in his chair, received the tea with the composure of a scholar, took a sip, put it down, and said with an air of seniority, "The tea is good, well done!"

Hearing this, Jiao Na nearly exploded, biting her teeth till they creaked. How dare he flirt with her!

Chen Jianchen took no notice of her reaction, and spoke methodically, "Miss Huangfu, since your father has asked me to be your tutor, I must be responsible for you. As the saying goes, 'Mastery comes from diligence, ruin from play; accomplishment from thought, destruction from carelessness.' Therefore, to effectively teach and guide you, I will strictly establish a set of rules to maintain our teacher-student relationship."

Jiao Na paid no attention, her lips pouting. This speech probably hadn't entered her left ear before it had drifted out her right.

Chen Jianchen glanced at her and asked calmly, "Miss Huangfu, I heard several tutors have taught you before. What did they mainly cover?"

Jiao Na replied lazily, "Nothing but the 'Three Character Classic,' the 'Thousand Character Essay,' and the like." Chen Jianchen nodded, "So, Miss Huangfu, you don't know many characters?" Jiao Na retorted, "It's not that I can't read. I just think literacy is useless." "Absurd!"

Chen Jianchen suddenly slapped the table, startling Jiao Na.

"Miss Huangfu, not learning to read is the same as not understanding reason." Jiao Na grew angry. "Reason isn't spoken or written; only strength matters."

Chen Jianchen snorted coldly, "Nonsense! Your so-called reason is nothing but twisted logic, not the Great Dao, a crooked path that will only lead to disaster. The world is vast, containing all things; changes through time are countless and swift. True principles and laws cannot be grasped merely by force, nor explained so simply."

Jiao Na scoffed, "Sir, stop parading your books around, it's so pretentious. I see you full of poetry but wearing shabby clothes—a useless, impoverished scholar. Your words might fool peasants and children, but not me!"

If they were to tear off all pretense and reject his teaching, there was no need for courtesy.

Chen Jianchen stood tall. "Ignorant!" Jiao Na was furious, her eyes wide like an enraged cat, leaping up. "You dare call me ignorant, you poor scholar?"

"Disrespecting your teacher deserves punishment!"

Chen Jianchen moved first, flipping his hand to take up a ruler he had prepared, and struck Jiao Na squarely on her backside.

It was sudden, heavy, and Jiao Na was stunned. Her father had personally instructed her last night, strictly forbidding her to frighten Chen Jianchen or act out, or she would be severely punished. Her father's attitude was unprecedentedly serious. Though Jiao Na didn't care much, she knew her limits, intending only to show her tail and scare Chen Jianchen away. Yet, he hadn't bought it at all.

Not only did he ignore it, he retaliated, hitting her directly with the ruler—right on her backside, stinging hotly.

Had this teacher eaten the heart of a leopard?

Jiao Na's rage surged, ready to lash out.

Chen Jianchen shouted, "Miss Huangfu, I am the teacher your father hired. If you disrespect me, you disrespect your father—that is unfilial. If you refuse guidance, act willfully, that is discourteous. If you invert right and wrong, unable to distinguish reason, that is unwise. Unfilial, discourteous, unwise—what else do you dare?"

His voice thundered, meant to overwhelm her. Outside, Little Chrysanthemum heard the commotion, and fearing something serious, rushed in without even knocking.

"Miss..." Little Chrysanthemum was a true mortal, unaware of the Huangfu family's secrets. Upon entering, Jiao Na found her tricks unsuited and had to forcibly restrain herself, retorting, "Don't put those hats on me. I've seen plenty of you scholars, all full of scheming and duplicity, deep and false, pretending to be virtuous and righteous, even calling yourselves gentlemen. Hah!" Chen Jianchen laughed heartily. "The Way of the Gentleman is not naïve and obtuse, ignorant of the ways of the world, letting others deceive and bully you. Only those who read themselves to death are like that. That's not a gentleman, that's a fool. A gentleman is like jade: humble but not servile, kind but not gullible, brave but not reckless, upright but not rigid. These are exactly what Mr. Huangfu has invited me to teach you. Otherwise, with your impulsive and reckless temperament, you wouldn't know how much you'd suffer outside!"

Jiao Na glared at him fiercely, enunciating each word, "How much I suffer is none of your business. I just know I hate you. You're doomed!" Hearing her childish defiance, Chen Jianchen paid it no mind, smiling, "If one has a clear conscience, one need not fear ghosts at the door. Miss Huangfu, use whatever tricks you like—I'll accept them all!"

How hateful, truly hateful...

Jiao Na had never felt so aggrieved in her life, yet she could do nothing to Chen Jianchen, nearly driven mad, she could only turn and storm out, sleeves flung.

Chen Jianchen called after her, "Miss Huangfu, please wait!"

Jiao Na turned, coldly, "What else do you want?" Chen Jianchen's face was calm as water, speaking slowly, "Miss Huangfu, tomorrow you must attend class on time, or else my ruler will show no mercy."

He held the ruler in his hand, gently tapping it.

Seeing the ruler, Jiao Na felt an inexplicable tingling pain and itch at her backside, an indescribable discomfort. Outrageous! He dared to hit her, and still expected her to attend class tomorrow? If he dared strike her again, tonight she would surely frighten him into begging for mercy, or she was no fox spirit...

Without another word, she strode out.

Thus, the first encounter between teacher and student ended with Chen Jianchen's complete victory!

Little Chrysanthemum glanced at him, unable to express her surprise. The previous eight tutors all appeared more mature and experienced than Chen Jianchen, but each had met a miserable fate. Yet this young teacher, somehow, had managed to make Miss Huangfu eat humble pie, slinking off in defeat...

She didn't dwell on it, and quickly followed after her mistress.

Chen Jianchen, meanwhile, sat back contentedly, picked up a book, and drank the fragrant tea Jiao Na had served, reading a page and sipping tea—a picture of leisure.

Jiao Na left in a rage; with her fiery temper, she would surely not let matters rest. But she dared not act recklessly, most she would do was, as Mr. Huangfu said, "play tricks to frighten mortals." The problem was, Chen Jianchen feared nothing of the sort—not because "to see a monster is to defeat it," but because he relied on righteous energy, fully confident. No matter how advanced Jiao Na's cultivation, there was nothing to fear; he could counter anything she tried.

At dusk, Mr. Huangfu returned. At dinner, Chen Jianchen spoke frankly, recounting everything that had happened in the study that day—except for Jiao Na revealing her fox tail.

Upon hearing that Chen Jianchen had struck his daughter's backside with the ruler, Old Huangfu nearly spat out his food, chuckling as he raised his thumb, and praised, "Well done!"

(To be continued.)