The Eternal Principle

After stepping into the courtyard, Chen Baiqing waved lightly, signaling her junior disciples to go about their business freely.

Lin Luoyu could no longer contain her impatience and was the first to push open the door.

What greeted her eyes was Li Junzi holding a brush, writing something with deliberate strokes, her expression utterly absorbed in the task.

The sound of the door opening seemed to startle Li Junzi, who turned her gaze toward the entrance, her face then revealing a look of surprise.

"Why have you all come?" she asked.

Lin Luoyu strode forward, noticing how much more of Li Junzi’s hair had turned white, her face now bearing even more signs of exhaustion.

Seeing Li Junzi’s visibly aged appearance, Lin Luoyu reached out and grasped her hand, her voice tinged with urgency.

"Why didn’t you tell me about your scholarly debate with Gentleman Mountain?"

Li Junzi smiled faintly in response. "It’s just a debate, nothing of great importance."

Lin Luoyu nearly blurted out—When even the Sacred Treasure of the Sage is involved, how can it not be important?

But under Li Junzi’s warm gaze, the words died in her throat. Instead, she changed her tone.

"As your disciple, I should have been part of this debate by right."

Li Junzi didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she greeted Chen Baiqing and Cui Hao with a smile, motioning for everyone to sit down first.

Having stayed in the Tianyan Sect’s residence in Yuzhou City for several months, Li Junzi had grown quite close to both Chen Baiqing and Cui Hao over time.

After all, they had once celebrated Li Yingling’s birthday together.

Cui Hao wore his usual easygoing grin, sitting down without any reservation.

Now that they were here, Li Junzi’s safety was assured no matter what.

Gentleman Mountain wouldn’t dare test the might of the Tianyan Sect, one of the Eighteen Immortal Sects of Central Continent.

Chen Baiqing, aware of Lin Luoyu’s anxiety throughout the journey, softened her previously cold demeanor now that they were among their own.

Li Junzi picked up a nearby pouch of tea leaves, preparing to brew tea for everyone. Lin Luoyu moved to take over, but Li Junzi gestured for her to sit first.

Hesitating briefly under Li Junzi’s firm expression, Lin Luoyu finally complied.

Noticing this, Chen Baiqing extended her hand and spoke up. "Let me handle it. There’s no fire here, so it’ll be easier for me. Fourth Junior Sister has been worried sick about you—you should explain the situation to her."

Li Junzi handed the tea leaves to Chen Baiqing without protest. Meeting their concerned gazes, she spoke with a lighthearted air.

"It’s just that I had some doubts about certain teachings. I couldn’t accept them blindly, so I wanted to dig deeper and seek clarity. I didn’t want to leave things muddled."

Cui Hao sighed dramatically. "Well, you sure made a big splash—even the Sacred Treasure of the Sage was brought into it."

Li Junzi chuckled in response. "A person only lives once. Might as well make some noise while we’re at it."

Cui Hao blinked in surprise. The once somewhat rigid Li Junzi was now cracking jokes?

Lin Luoyu didn’t know what to say either. She knew her teacher well—once Li Junzi set her mind to something, she never wavered.

Should she really try to persuade Li Junzi to abandon the debate, to prioritize her own cultivation and safety?

If that were the case, Li Junzi would never have stayed behind in Lin Family Gully all those years ago.

Besides, when it came to the pursuit of knowledge, no amount of dedication was excessive. The only thing left to do now was to support her wholeheartedly.

Lin Luoyu spoke with resolve. "Teacher, let me help you."

Li Junzi smiled gently. "It’s been a long time since you last studied, hasn’t it? If you want to help, you’d have to start from the beginning—and there might not be enough time."

Cui Hao nodded sagely.

"Fourth Senior Sister’s foundation and talent in scholarly pursuits are admittedly lacking… But no matter. I happen to have a knack for this sort of thing. I can catch up in time."

Li Junzi studied Cui Hao’s confident expression, recalling how he had once closed his eyes in her presence and ascended from the Realm of Transcription straight into the Realm of Enlightenment.

There was no denying it—Cui Hao truly had a gift for scholarship.

Chen Baiqing finished brewing the tea and distributed the cups before asking,

"I heard there are five rounds in this debate, and two have already passed. How did the first two go?"

Li Junzi answered plainly. "I lost decisively."

A brief silence settled over the room.

Lin Luoyu and Cui Hao might have some talent, but their focus had long shifted to cultivation.

Rather than poring over the works of the Sage, they’d much rather study which angle to swing a sword for maximum effect.

No matter how gifted one was in scholarship, a solid foundation was indispensable.

Neither of them had even reached the Realm of the Confucian Scholar. If Li Junzi had only narrowly lost, they might have stood a chance with concerted effort. But a decisive defeat?

Chen Baiqing pressed further. "Is this debate truly unavoidable?"

Li Junzi shook her head. "Nothing in this world is truly unavoidable. It’s just that people pursue different things. I want to know where I went wrong. I studied these texts for answers—if I give up now, then all that reading would have been meaningless."

Cui Hao downed his tea in one gulp and declared,

"A scholarly debate? I’ve never lost one before! Let’s join forces and show those bookworms what real genius looks like!"

Li Junzi’s gentle smile remained as she raised her cup and drank deeply as well.

Chen Baiqing’s expression was calm. Though she had mostly read cultivation manuals and bestiaries in her early years, she had also perused some of the Sage’s works at her senior sister’s recommendation.

After flipping through a few pages and reflecting deeply, Chen Baiqing had concluded that the Sage’s teachings, while lofty in appearance, were hollow at their core.

The world was full of petty people—how many would truly sacrifice themselves for others?

Unable to immerse herself in the texts, she had abandoned them.

To Chen Baiqing, all that talk of righteousness felt too abstract. She preferred tangible things—like ensuring the safety of her master and her sect.

She didn’t possess such noble ideals. If anything, she resembled the narrow-minded villains described in those very books.

But if it meant protecting her master and the sect, Chen Baiqing was content to play the role of the petty schemer.

As for the debate, the most she could offer was moral support.

She didn’t fully understand Li Junzi’s stubbornness—perhaps it was just some tiresome scholarly pride. But Chen Baiqing respected her all the same.

Raising her teacup, she drank in solidarity.

Lin Luoyu’s expression grew solemn.

The Sage represented the pinnacle of Confucian scholarship, a towering figure revered by countless scholars, a being acknowledged by the Dao itself.

To refute these teachings was to shatter the very foundation upon which generations of scholars had built their understanding.

Night had fallen, the faint chirping of insects drifting in through the window.

The courtyard was illuminated by lamplight.

Lin Luoyu and Cui Hao each held books in their hands, brows furrowed in deep contemplation.

Li Junzi looked up at Lin Luoyu, and for a fleeting moment, it was as if time had reversed.

Just like back in Lin Family Gully, when she had watched a younger Lin Luoyu studying with the same intensity.

The debate wasn’t limited to a single phrase or action of the Sage—after all, the Sage hadn’t been born enlightened.

Nor was it about rejecting the Sage’s teachings outright, for even an illiterate peddler might stumble upon universal truths.

What Li Junzi rejected was the notion that the Sage’s principles should be regarded as eternal, unassailable truths for all ages.