BXBX NOVEL Chapter 131 - 95: Academy_2
Speaking, Old Man Xin turned his gaze towards the red-clad young girl at his side, “The first thirteen daughters have already found families to take them in, the only one left is Shisi who hasn’t been entrusted to anyone yet. Hence, I came here to ask if she could be married to Li Jieyuan. She needn’t be the main wife; being a concubine would suffice, as long as she has a place to exist.”
As he finished speaking, Old Man Xin stood up and, to Xu Yang’s surprise, began to kowtow deeply, “I beseech Li Jieyuan to have pity on my young girl and, out of great kindness, take her in!”
“Elder, you must not do this.”
Xu Yang shook his head, raising an empty hand gently, True Gang energy invisibly emanating to support the elder’s body.
Feeling the invisible True Gang, Old Man Xin’s expression subtly changed, but he quickly regained his composure and stood up, “Li Jieyuan, with your unparalleled genius and literary grace, you are destined to be a top scholar in the future!”
“With such honors to your name, demons and evil spirits will surely retreat. Although my enemy is formidable, they would not dare to harm a hair on your head. My wife and I would do everything possible to lead it away, ensuring it does not trouble you.”
After speaking, he looked earnestly at Xu Yang, “What does Jie Yuan think?”
Xu Yang observed him in silence.
He finally understood the other’s intention.
In this world, Divine Soul methods, under the guise of the unreal, Cultivation is not only practiced by humans but also by spirit monsters.
However, most spirit monsters prefer the rapid advancement offered by the Evil Path Cultivation Method over the slow-progressing Righteous Way of Cultivation, devouring human blood, flesh, and souls, along with their Mana Essence.
Such spirit monsters are known to the people as demons and evil spirits.
Yet, there are spirit monsters that do not follow these dark shortcuts but cultivate according to the Righteous Dao.
These monsters can be considered kind.
However, being kind does not necessarily lead to good fortune.
In fact, the standing of kind spirit monsters is quite awkward.
Since they practice the Righteous Dao, which leads to slow progress and pure mana, they are seen by other animalistic demons as walking Spirit Pills, beneficial to consume and without the risk of retaliation or pursuit by high-ranking individuals from Taoism or Buddhism.
Human cultivators aren’t much better than demons, with those from the Evil Path often being even more brutal, all of them wanting to capture these spirit monsters for consumption and to strengthen their own Cultivation and Taoist practice.
Righteous Daoist cultivators also harbor prejudices, subscribing to the idea that those who aren’t part of their clique have ill intent, often scorning these spirit monsters. Some extremists even follow a policy of killing all demons and monsters on sight, without regard for good or evil or the Righteous or Evil Path.
Thus, the situation for kind spirit monsters is very difficult.
In times of peace, with demons lying dormant, they can seclude themselves from the world.
But when chaos reigns, with demons running rampant, they become hunted “Spiritual Medicine.”
The Xin Family’s Foxes are such kind spirit monsters.
With the chaos of the world and demons running amok, they were forced to leave their ancestral home of Yellow Mountain, fleeing desperately from one place to another, yet still coveted by all kinds of demons, and in the end, they incurred the wrath of a terrifying enemy.
To avoid disaster, they had no choice but to marry off their children, seeking shelter for them.
Thus, they came to him, the renowned Li Jie Yuan!
This was not surprising.
Although he had not demonstrated great strength to the outside world, with the literary talent he had shown, it was almost certain that he would achieve the honors of a top scholar in the future.
The title of top scholar had significant meaning within the system of Confucianism. Though not on the same level as a Great Scholar, it was enough to deter common demons and monsters, and with the backing of Confucian Gate, protecting a small fox was easily manageable.
So, was he to agree?
In the face of Old Man Xin’s anxious and hopeful gaze, as well as Miss Xin Shisi’s nervous and shy look, Xu Yang shook his head with a light smile and said, “I don’t mean to hide anything from you, elder, but I have no interest in fame or a political career, and I won’t be taking part in the imperial examinations anymore. I’m afraid the honors of a top scholar are not in my future.”
“This…”
Old Man Xin stood rooted to the spot, surprised and uncertain.
“However…”
Xu Yang lowered his gaze and looked at Miss Xin Shisi, who was also at a loss, and smiled, “I intend to engage in educational work, transforming my private school into an academy to admit numerous students. If the elder is willing, let this young lady enroll. With the educational aura of the academy, ordinary demons will surely not dare to offend.”
“In addition, I have some connections in North City, Jinhua Mansion, and with scholars of Jiangzhe. They are all friends of mine. Master White Mountain from Mana Bright Temple and Daoist Green River from Qingping Taoist Temple also share a certain affinity with me. If the elder trusts me, Li Liuxian, why not settle down here in North City?”
Xu Yang looked at the two, smiling lightly as he said, “I guarantee absolutely no one will trouble you!”
“This…”
Upon hearing this, Old Man Xin was even more astonished and unsure of what to do.
Xu Yang did not press or push for an immediate answer.
He indeed wanted the Xin Family’s Foxes to settle down, preferably with the whole family in tow.
But it wasn’t because Miss Xin Shisi’s beauty had stirred his heart; rather, these kind spirit monsters were of great use to him.
He wanted to raise these foxes!
As mentioned before, there are two ways to cultivate skills: focusing on quantity and focusing on quality.
There’s no need to discuss quantity; it is a matter of time accumulation and continuous practice.
Quality also needs no explanation, which is to perform as perfectly as possible.
If these kind spirit monsters were to swear allegiance to him, it could drastically improve the quality of his “breeding” skill, yielding high-level traits, enhancing his fighting power, and aiding his cultivation.
Therefore, he hoped the Xin Family would settle down, ideally bringing along all their relatives—seven aunts and eight uncles. He could provide for their basic needs and even pay them a monthly allowance for raising them.