Chapter 202 – Mr. Yuanjing’s Fourth Disciple
Liu Heng and Feng Jin enjoyed a gentlemanly friendship; their past gatherings consisted of talking about everything under the sun—discussing literature and political views. Now, they had added another topic—Liu Heng’s cousin, and Feng Jin’s good friend—Liu Xi, and what kind of person he was.
The former had a bit of an invisible brother complex while the latter greatly admired Jiang Pengji, considering her a close friend. There was certainly much for them to discuss.
Originally, Han Yu was just listening with mild boredom, but the more he listened, the more curious he became about the “Lan Ting” they mentioned.
Upon hearing that Han Yu was a highly regarded disciple of Mr. Yuanjing, Liu Heng couldn’t help but look at Han Yu with increasing respect, his admiration shining through.
Since his cousin was heading to Langya to study, if he could find out Mr. Yuanjing’s preferences early on, it might come in handy later!
With this thought in mind, Liu Heng began hinting, while Han Yu wore a faint smile and exchanged a meaningful glance with Feng Jin.
Feng Jin sighed, thinking that this was probably what “brother complex” meant as previously mentioned by Lan Ting.
Liu Heng, being well-intentioned, chose to ignore the obvious.
“Yao Zhi’s love for her brother is understandable, and Yu can sympathize, but the teacher has already taken in enough disciples and probably won’t accept more,” Han Yu said, shaking his head regretfully. “However, Langya Academy is still open to all. If Lan Ting goes to Langya in the future, he can be classmates with Yu.”
This caught Feng Jin’s attention as he was watching from the sidelines.
“Already full? Mr. Yuanjing has found the long-sought fourth disciple?”
Now it was Liu Heng’s turn to be confused; he could not comprehend what these two were talking about.
Seeing Liu Heng’s puzzled expression, Feng Jin sighed, “Yao Zhi, there’s something you don’t know. Many years ago, when Mr. Yuanjing regained three cities and returned to Langya County, he had a divination done for himself, which foretold he would have four disciples. A few years ago, it was said he had already taken in three… I thought that perhaps due to Lan Ting’s abilities, he would be the teacher’s sought-after fourth disciple, but it seems that has already been taken…”
When it came to students, anyone attending Langya Academy counted as Mr. Yuanjing’s students, but true disciples could only be four.
“Th-This…”
Liu Heng’s disappointment was palpable. Although he publicly belittled his cousin, he was still incredibly proud of him.
Was there even a comparison between students and disciples?
For the former, Mr. Yuanjing might occasionally come out to lecture, but for the latter, he poured his heart and soul into their teachings.
“Sigh…” Liu Heng let out a deep sigh before adopting a somewhat magnanimous tone, “To gain is my fortune, to lose is my destiny; it seems Lan Ting and I simply are not fated. But I just heard Huai Yu mention that Mr. Yuanjing was ‘looking for’ his fourth disciple… that’s truly puzzling…”
He emphasized the phrase “looking for,” considering Mr. Yuanjing’s reputation and talent; who wouldn’t be clamoring to study under him?
Countless scholars had gone to great lengths just to meet Mr. Yuanjing, and if they could be accepted as a disciple, it would be a tremendous blessing. Why would Mr. Yuanjing need to be the one searching? It was simply absurd! However, seeing the expressions on Feng Jin and Han Yu’s faces made him unsure.
Han Yu explained, “I originally recommended Huai Yu to the teacher, but the teacher said Huai Yu’s destiny lay elsewhere, and he wouldn’t be fated to be a disciple.”
Mr. Yuanjing had some peculiarities when it came to accepting disciples; he not only required intelligence and personality traits that matched his preferences, but he also believed deeply in a mysterious “fate” connection.
Just as Liu Heng thought, after Mr. Yuanjing rose to fame, the number of people wanting to be his disciples was countless.
He could choose from among the best talents in the world; was there really a type of student he couldn’t find?
Han Yu had initially planned to give it a try himself but hadn’t expected Mr. Yuanjing to take initiative in accepting disciples. After entering, he had seen many people praised by Mr. Yuanjing, but all of them, without exception, were left at the final hurdle—they had other fates and thus no bond with Mr. Yuanjing.
Darn this fate for disciples!
If he didn’t take in disciples, how could there be such a thing as a “fate for disciples”?
As for this grievance, Mr. Yuanjing just smiled quietly, never offering explanations.
The first three disciples were taken in smoothly, but the last one had hung in suspense for many years, causing many to think he would be impossible to find.
Feng Jin was curious, despite Mr. Yuanjing’s quirky standards for selecting disciples, the last requirement of “fate” seemed particularly baffling. From this, it was clear how much he valued the matter; the first three were accepted quickly, yet the last one was not so easily attained.
Feng Jin’s curiosity was piqued, “I’m wondering who this fourth person is. I remember last time Wen Bin wrote to me saying that Mr. Yuanjing was quite troubled about the matter of recruiting disciples. Now that I meet him, I’m told the candidate has already emerged, leaving me quite curious.”
Speaking of this fourth person, even Han Yu was clueless, still uncertain about his teacher’s intentions.
“Well, this person, I’ve mentioned before to Huai Yu. There are many exceptional young talents at Langya Academy, and the disciples being accepted are certainly top-notch. However, there is one exception,” Han Yu frowned slightly, “When I first arrived at Langya County, I initially thought that person might be a disciple of the teacher, but later discovered that was not the case; not only was he not, but he wasn’t really even a student of Langya Academy. Yet the teacher exceptionally permitted him to study here.”
Feng Jin thought for a moment, suddenly remembering, “You mean that person who has an ominous birth date and is said to be doomed by fate…”
Liu Heng was blissfully unaware.
What ominous birth date? What doomed by fate?
Han Yu nodded, “Exactly that person.”
Feng Jin was puzzled, “That person has been studying at Langya Academy for seven or eight years now. If Mr. Yuanjing had accepted him early, he would definitely be his top disciple. Why wait seven or eight years to finally take him in?”
Han Yu had also asked his teacher about this, who had merely smiled mysteriously.
“Timing!” Han Yu explained, “The teacher said the timing wasn’t right earlier; now the fate has arrived.”
Feng Jin listened, a helpless look on his face; esteemed teachers often had their quirks, and Mr. Yuanjing was definitely an exemplary case.
Liu Heng had to interject, “You two have been talking for so long, but I still don’t know who this lucky person is.”
“Wei Ci. After he became a disciple, the teacher gave him a courtesy name, ‘Zixiao,’” Han Yu answered.
Wei Ci? Wei Zixiao?
Liu Heng had never heard of him, racking his brain but unable to recall any trace of this person.
“Then why is he said to have an ominous birth date and be doomed by fate…”
Liu Heng had a tendency to ask when he didn’t understand something; he couldn’t help but feel restless until he cleared his doubts.
Han Yu’s expression stiffened, seeming somewhat hesitant to speak.
Thinking he’d hit a nerve, Liu Heng’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said, “I apologize for my impudence; please forgive me, Wen Bin.”
Han Yu shook his head, softly replying, “There’s nothing taboo about it; I just fear others might develop unnecessary fears and apprehensions about Zixiao. People are ignorant and fear the supernatural—such a trivial birth date can lead to so many superstitions, only causing trouble for Zixiao.”
If it weren’t for Wei Ci’s good fortune, he might have been secretly suffocated by family members right at birth and discarded in the wilderness.
Liu Heng heard this and chose not to press further.
Asking revealed suspense, but Liu Heng’s penchant for being nosy was truly quite the gentlemanly pastime.
Liu Heng reluctantly set aside his doubts, and took the initiative to bring up another topic. The other two tuned in, and the atmosphere quickly warmed up again.
