“Accepting a disciple has its proper rituals—it’s not something you can accomplish with just empty words and a bow.” Lu Chi crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, speaking coolly.

Zhu Li’s heart grew even colder. He resentfully lifted his head to look at his stone-hearted teacher. “Teacher, you promised Sister Shi that you would accept me as your disciple. Are you going to break your word to Sister Shi?”

Seeing him mention “Sister Shi” with every breath, Lu Chi raised an eyebrow. What was this? Using a chicken feather as an imperial arrow?

“I naturally keep my word,” Lu Chi snorted lightly.

Hearing this, Zhu Li silently grumbled to himself. So it really was because of Sister Shi that he agreed to accept him as a disciple. How naive he had been to feel secretly pleased when he heard Sister Shi’s words, thinking that the teacher truly valued talent and wanted to polish him. He would never again be so naive as to have expectations for this unreliable teacher!

Though he was grumbling inwardly, Zhu Li still happily prepared to kowtow in prostration, but was stopped by Lu Chi again.

“Accepting a disciple is not done this way,” Lu Chi looked at him and said leisurely.

“But if I don’t formally become your disciple today, my grandfather will send me to the family clan school tomorrow,” Zhu Li said urgently.

“Even if you formally become my disciple today, without your grandfather’s approval, won’t you still have to go to the family clan school tomorrow?” Lu Chi raised an eyebrow.

Zhu Li fell silent at once. Was he really still too naive?

“Then what should I do…” he murmured.

“Go back and rest well.” Lu Chi waved his hand dismissively, his tone light and airy.

Zhu Li stood there for a long time, finally performing a deep bow silently before turning and walking away dejectedly.

When he returned to the Zhu residence, the household was in chaos due to his sudden disappearance. Second Madam Zhu saw him return and rushed forward crying, clutching him tightly in her arms, calling him her precious child repeatedly.

“My poor child, you’ve grown so thin in just these few days… Mother’s heart aches so much…”

Zhu Li let her hold him, but his eyes remained distant.

Seeing this, Second Madam Zhu cried even louder. “This is going to tear out my heart! In just these few days, the child has grown distant from me, his own mother!”

Old Master Zhu walked out leaning on his walking stick. Seeing this chaotic scene, he struck his walking stick heavily on the ground and growled in a low voice with a dark expression, “Shut up.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but Second Madam Zhu immediately closed her mouth and dared not wail anymore.

Zhu Li lowered his head without speaking.

“What are you all standing around here for? Take the Third Young Master back to his room to rest.” Old Master Zhu struck his walking stick heavily again, appearing quite furious.

Zhu Li dared not speak and silently followed his tearful book boy, who was covering his bottom as if he had been beaten with a rod again, back to his room.

“Young Master! Please be more careful! My mother said I’ve grown thin these days following you around!” The chubby book boy limped along while covering his bottom, wailing pitifully.

Every time the young master got into trouble, he was the one who suffered!

Zhu Li glanced at the flesh on his face and his double chin that was about to spill out, silently turned his head away, and ignored him.

The chubby book boy finally noticed his young master’s unusual silence today. He quietly shut his mouth, and after a long while, gently consoled him: “Actually, the clan school isn’t so bad. Many people want to get in but can’t.”

Yes, so many people wanted to get in but couldn’t.

So he should be grateful.

Zhu Li silently returned to his bed and lay down. His head was still throbbing with pain. Covering his head, he thought somewhat disheartedly… perhaps this was how his whole life would be.

Being fooled by his mother, being manipulated by his grandfather, forever like a puppet with no control over himself, unable to have his own thoughts and decisions.

For the first time in his life, the young boy thought of the somewhat heavy phrase “a lifetime.”

The next day, Zhu Li did not go to the clan school.

Because he had injured his head, the physician said he needed to rest well for a while. Zhu Li thought that his grandfather was actually not entirely unreasonable.

That morning, Lu Chi once again came to visit the Zhu family and met with Old Master Zhu.

After Lu Chi left, Old Master Zhu sat alone in his study for a day and night.

The next day, he went to see Zhu Li.

“When the wound on your head heals, you may return to the school to study,” Old Master Zhu looked at his grandson, who sat upright on the bed with a resigned expression, and spoke with a grave expression.

Zhu Li was stunned and suddenly lifted his head, seeming somewhat incredulous.

He had originally thought that today his grandfather had come to order him to attend clan school classes.

“As for your matter of accepting a teacher, we’ll handle that after you recover,” Old Master Zhu added.

This time, Zhu Li was truly and thoroughly stunned.

After a long while, he knelt down on the bed, kowtowed, and said sincerely: “Thank you, Grandfather.”

“Thank your teacher instead,” Old Master Zhu looked at this grandson who had never been willing to bow his head to him, now showing such rare obedience, and said with some emotion, “He is a good teacher. Don’t let him down.”

Though he was only a xiucai scholar, though his reputation was not prominent, that Teacher Lu was indeed a person of great talent and had eyes as sharp as torches.

Then, without waiting for Zhu Li to react, Old Master Zhu turned and walked out of his room.

Zhu Li stared blankly at his grandfather’s departing figure.

Teacher?

What exactly had the teacher done?

After the wound on Zhu Li’s head scabbed over, he indeed returned to the school to study.

Old Master Zhu personally prepared the bundle of silk as tuition and had Zhu Li formally bow to Lu Chi as his teacher.

Sitting in the long-missed school, Zhu Li unexpectedly felt a surge of emotion. He propped his chin in his hands and earnestly watched his teacher who was lecturing, genuinely curious about what the teacher had said to his grandfather to make him change his mind. After all… his grandfather’s stubbornness was famously well-known.

“Keji, you answer this,” Lu Chi glanced at him and suddenly said.

Zhu Li stood up like a conditioned reflex.

Yes, “Keji” was his courtesy name, bestowed by his teacher after he formally became his disciple.

Keji fuli—restraining oneself and returning to propriety—was said to embody the teacher’s expectations for him, but somehow he always felt a sinister malice behind it. It was probably just his imagination… after all, his teacher was so good.

Yes, Zhu Li now greatly loved and worshipped his teacher, because his teacher had done what he promised… perhaps because he had promised Sister Shi? Well, whatever the reason, just based on the fact that his teacher had actually persuaded his grandfather and given him such a great surprise when he was in despair, he deserved such love and worship!

“Not paying attention in class—copy the Spring and Autumn Annals twice as punishment,” he heard his teacher say expressionlessly while he was still feeling moved.

Zhu Li’s touched expression immediately cracked.

He was wrong! The teacher was still that same terrible teacher!