Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 66 Appreciation

Jiang Xun turned around and saw several scholars quickly catching up.

The man in the lead, a man in his early twenties with a handsome face and wearing a slightly worn blue robe, was none other than Liu Wen, whom Meng Huaigu had praised at the earlier discussion on the classics.

Liu Wen approached Li Che, cupped his hands in a respectful but not servile manner, and said, "I benefited greatly from your insightful remarks at the banquet. I would like to ask you a few questions, and I wonder if you would be so kind as to enlighten me?"

Li Che stopped and turned to return the greeting: "Brother Liu, you're too kind. Please speak."

The two then stood under the eaves and began to talk.

They were still talking about Confucian doctrines, such as "governing with virtue" and "the people are the most important."

Jiang Xun got a headache after listening to a few sentences, so he simply leaned against a pillar and looked around listlessly.

Liu Wen's companions stood around, occasionally whispering to each other.

Liu Wen himself became more and more engrossed in his conversation, his eyes lighting up, clearly having found someone he could really talk to.

As Jiang Xun watched, he suddenly found it quite interesting.

Liu Wen was quite different from other scholars.

Those people always speak with an air of superiority, like to flaunt their knowledge, and seem to want to have "I am a scholar" written all over their faces.

This person, on the other hand, asked very practical questions and spoke sincerely, without that pretentious air about them.

More importantly, the way he looked at Li Che wasn't the kind of fawning over the powerful, but rather genuine appreciation and respect.

"...Hearing your words today, Your Highness, has enlightened me greatly." Liu Wen bowed again. "If there is an opportunity in the future, I hope to receive your further guidance."

Li Che returned the greeting, saying, "Brother Liu, you flatter me. If there is an opportunity, we will certainly meet again."

Liu Wen smiled, cupped his hands in a respectful bow to Li Che, and then left with his companions.

Jiang Xun straightened up from the pillar and strolled over: "This Liu Wen is not bad."

Li Che nodded: "This man is indeed insightful. He asked a good question just now, and even Master Mencius looks at him differently."

Jiang Xun glanced at Liu Wen's back again: "If it can catch your and Master Meng's eye, it must be pretty good."

Li Tang nodded in agreement: "That's right. Besides, he's quite good-looking."

Jiang Xun glanced at her: "You're quite observant."

"That's right." Li Tang raised his chin. "I'm very good at judging people."

The three of them talked as they walked to the gate of the Meng residence.

The carriage was already waiting; the driver put down the footstool and lifted the curtain.

Li Che went first, followed by Li Tang, and Jiang Xun came last.

As soon as the carriage curtain was drawn, the noise outside immediately faded away.

Li Tang leaned against the car wall and let out a long sigh of relief: "I'm exhausted."

She sat up straight again as soon as she finished speaking, her eyes sparkling.

"That was truly exhilarating today! Especially Jiang Xun, that sword strike of yours was absolutely thrilling!"

She spoke with great enthusiasm, as if she herself had slashed the ground with that sword.

Jiang Xun smiled but didn't reply.

He only caught Li Fei off guard just now; in terms of raw strength, he might not be a match for him.

Li Che, however, was not as relaxed as his sister.

He glanced at Jiang Xun, his expression becoming more serious: "Tonight's events will not end well."

Jiang Xun snapped out of his daze: "I know."

"The Wang family is related to the Fourth Prince by marriage, and Xingxiuhai is no pushover either." Li Che paused, then reminded him, "You humiliated them in front of so many people and crippled Li Fei's arm; they won't let this go."

"Lots of people are looking for trouble with me, one more won't make a difference." Jiang Xun resumed his nonchalant demeanor. "I'm barefoot and have nothing to fear. I can just run away."

Li Tang couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Li Che smiled slightly, but still said seriously, "With the Prince of Qi's mansion around, they won't dare to touch you openly. But it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. Be careful."

Jiang Xun felt a warmth in his heart and nodded: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

The carriage traveled for a while longer, and then the carriage quieted down, with only the distant sound of the watchman's clapper coming from outside.

"By the way," Li Che suddenly spoke up, "any progress on the Dragon Crystal matter?"

Jiang Xun's nonchalant expression faded, and he nodded: "Yes."

Li Tang sat up straight immediately: "Really? Where?"

"The Meng residence," Jiang Xun said. "I'm certain that the Dragon Crystal is inside the Meng residence."

Li Tang was stunned: "The Meng family? How did you know?"

Jiang Xun thought for a moment and then didn't hide it: "The kung fu I practice has a sensitivity to dragon crystals. I can sense them when I get close. I just took a walk around the backyard, and I could feel it clearly—it's inside."

Li Che nodded thoughtfully: "I see."

Li Tang frowned: "But the Meng residence is so big, do you even know exactly where it is?"

"I don't know." Jiang Xun shook his head. "Besides, there are people guarding it. There are two standing at the back gate, and they look like experts. There are probably more inside."

Li Tang blinked, then suddenly realized something: "What exactly is the relationship between this Master Meng and Mirror Lake? How did a scholar get involved in this kind of entanglement with the martial arts world?"

Li Che replied, "I did find out some information earlier."

Jiang Xun asked curiously, "When did you find out? You've been with us the whole time."

Li Che smiled and pointed to his ear: "That's what those scholars said when they were talking to me just now."

"What did they say?"

"Hmm." Li Che nodded. "Liu Wen and his men are quite well-informed. They said that when His Majesty raised his army, Master Meng was the former Crown Prince's teacher."

At that time, the world was in chaos, and Mencius was besieged by the old dynasty's troops and almost died in the chaos.

He survived only because two people came to his rescue.

"Who?"

"Sword God Lu Qingfeng, and Mirror Lake Sect Leader Fu Hongyin."

Jiang Xun suddenly realized, "No wonder."

No wonder Mencius got involved in this kind of thing.

Meng Huaigu, being a man of character, would never forget the life-saving grace.

Li Tang then asked, "So what now? How exactly does Mirror Lake plan to select people? They can't just let them give the Dragon Crystal to someone directly, can they?"

Li Che thought for a moment and said, "I have heard some things about it. Mirror Lake prides itself on being the righteous path of the martial arts world and has always touted itself as 'caring for all living beings.' The fact that Sect Leader Fu took out the Dragon Crystal this time is probably not just because he wants to find a successor."

"What else can we do?" Li Tang asked, puzzled.

"She probably wants to choose someone like the Sword God," Li Che said, "someone willing to protect the common people and uphold justice."

"Isn't this just like that sword guardian, choosing a successor for the Sword God?" Li Tang blinked, looking puzzled. "If that's the case, why doesn't Mirror Lake simply hand over the Dragon Crystal to him and let him find a successor? That would be so much easier, why go through all this trouble?"

Jiang Xun turned around and scoffed, "Give it to him? Who knows if he's genuine or not?"

Li Tang blinked: "You mean, that sword guardian... Huang something-hu, might be a fake?"

"I don't know," Jiang Xun shook his head, "but there's no evidence to prove it's true."

He paused.

"The Sword God has been dead for so many years, and suddenly a Sword Guardian appears, setting up arenas everywhere and selecting a successor—who knows if he's truly choosing a successor for the Sword God, or if he has ulterior motives?"

There was a moment of silence in the carriage.

"That makes sense..." Li Tang nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly became excited. "I understand! Tonight's discussion isn't just about listening to Mencius preach—those people from Mirror Lake are hiding in the crowd, secretly observing to see who's trustworthy!"

Li Che nodded: "That's possible."

As Jiang Xun listened, a face suddenly flashed through his mind—that female scholar disguised as a man.

His cool, aloof eyes, the pierced ears, and the thoughtful look on his face as he looked around.

"Then brother has a chance too!" Li Tang's eyes lit up. "You performed so well tonight, even Master Meng praised you, and the people of Mirror Lake must have noticed too. Maybe they'll deliver the Dragon Crystal to you first thing tomorrow morning!"

Li Che chuckled: "What would I do with dragon crystals? They're useless to me."

He paused, looked at Jiang Xun, and said seriously,

"Right now, the most important thing for me is food. As for dragon crystals... if they're really willing to give them to me, I'll give them to you."

Jiang Xun was taken aback for a moment, then smiled: "That would be wonderful."

Li Che and Li Tang exchanged a glance and then laughed.

The carriage suddenly stopped.

The coachman's voice came in: "Young Master, we've arrived at the inn."