Peace Order-Chapter 1558 - 19: Battle, Battle!

Within the ancient Tao of Confucianism, the elderly Qilin flipped through a book with 27,321 characters, 37 of which were typos, for the thirteenth time.

Beside him lay a teacup; the teapot was set on a tray with a dish, containing the kind of crispy, dry snacks favored by elderly folks. Eating too much of these could lead to irritation, though some like to soak them in hot water until they’re mushy. If you had to describe it, it would be said to be quite elderly.

Not just him, even the always carefree and bold contemporary Gongyang Suwang was the same.

He replaced the strong liquor with tea.

Why, you ask? Nothing more than.

It’s boring!

The days are tediously dull, reaching an extreme without any joy.

Suwang looked at the sky outside the window, gradually darkening, winter’s edge tinting the sky to blue. Outside, there’s no noise, no chanting, serene and peaceful to the point that it makes one want to shout, even though as the current head of Confucianism, his upbringing prevents such an indecent display, yet he still feels a bit reflective.

The changes in the environment are indeed unexpectedly swift.

Unaccustomed, quite unaccustomed.

Since years ago, when the Academy altered its long-standing tradition, allowing disciples of diverse schools to venture into the world, this once bustling Academy became quieter day by day, like now, it’s only a winter evening, the sky slightly dimming, but in previous years, this would be the lively time.

Confucian disciples would discuss classics, Military School disciples would strategize over their chessboards, Mo Family disciples would carve mechanisms.

There would always be tipsy rascals, walking arm in arm past the walls, critiquing current politics, cursing out the nobles of Chen Country, Ying Country, and Central State from head to toe, until their teachers stormed out with smelly shoes intent on punishing them, causing them to scatter like animals, leaving the slowest among them to face the music.

Lively indeed...

Gongyang Suwang couldn’t help but become nostalgic.

Back then, the Academy was filled with youth daily.

That’s the Academy for you, this generation and the next may grow old.

But new young people always come, bringing dreams and hopes to change the world.

So the Academy remains forever young, eternally passionate, although now, to stabilize the chaotic world, those young people have left the Academy, dispersed to the corners, making it a tad boring here—it seems especially uneventful for the Qilin, a Divine Beast of auspicious omen, who never found teaching diverse schools tedious before, yet without those troublemakers making daily life somewhat boring, like plain water.

In the populace, the elders who neglect children say it’s an empty nest.

So Old Qilin feels like an empty-nest old Qilin.

It’s boring.

Another boring day passed by.

Old Qilin sighed, feeling no matter what, today was over.

Lazily exchanging greetings with Suwang, he planned to return, but then, amidst the quiet, almost moldy night, a familiar aura suddenly appeared, followed by an arrogant, youthful challenge!

"Old geezer, open the door!"

"If you’ve got the guts, open the door!"

"Young master returns for good fruits!!!"

"Hahaha, open, open!"

!!!!

Gongyang Suwang holding the teapot: "..."

Old Qilin so bored he almost suspected mold: "..."

The two empty-nest old fellows exchanged glances, saw each other’s gravity, suddenly a slight ’strange’ light ignited in their eyes.

What boredom, what aging decrepitude?

This almost visibly dispersed from the two beings.

Gongyang Suwang’s mouth slightly turned up, looking at Old Qilin: "This kid holds grudges, like a disciple of the Gongyang School."

"What say you join me this time?"

Here comes the fun!

Old Qilin showed a gentle, kind smile: "Deal."

Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!

Accompanied by a sound akin to knocking, somewhat resembling a cat prancing upon the gate, Little Qilin’s shouting grew clearer, behind him were several folks, Southwest Auspicious transformed into a child state, sitting cross-legged, baring teeth and munching on the type of bamboo shoots brought along.

He’d heard this chap was coming to Central State for good fruits, so he followed shamelessly.

Humph!

Annoying cat, the heretic who burned down my Great Auspicious Lord’s cave and all the bamboo and shoots with a fire.

Came here for good fruits!

Did not even bring me!

Irksome, not just a heretic, but very unreasonable, without camaraderie!

Southwest Auspicious stuffed the bamboo shoot into his mouth.

Chew, chew.

Central State Academy, even he knows the name of this place, the fruits must indeed be good fruits!

Truly, awesomely good fruits!

This period, the Iron-eating Beast Ball had taken root in Jiangnan, weeping to Red Dragon about how he shouldn’t have left the Southwest for so-called Jiangnan, but later got addicted—after all, the cultural customs vary, soil and water quality differ, bamboo species planted are distinct too—the Iron-eating Beast having stayed in the Southwest for such a long time, was long numb to its bamboo.