Private School Enrollment

Thanks to a bountiful harvest in the first half of the year, coupled with Sun Yigao's impressive feat of prompting the county magistrate to exempt their village from miscellaneous taxes, the villagers were immediately intrigued upon hearing that he was opening a private school to personally teach students.

Furthermore, because this newly minted top scholar of the county examination resided here, scholars from nearby areas flocked to the village out of admiration. Some came to compete with Sun Yigao, some simply wanted to see where the top scholar lived, and others were just there for a leisurely visit.

Perhaps due to the nourishment of the spirit vein, the environment around Xiushui Village seemed to be undergoing a subtle transformation.

The mountains grew greener, the waters ran clearer, and the flora looked exceptionally vibrant and full of life.

When the visiting scholars arrived and saw the picturesque scenery, breathed in the fresh air, and experienced the tranquil environment, they all marveled that Xiushui Village was truly a blessed land that nurtured exceptional talents.

A few literati even planned to live in seclusion in Xiushui Village for a while to enjoy the rustic charm of the countryside.

Almost overnight, Xiushui Village transformed from an obscure little hamlet into a renowned land of excellent feng shui, famous throughout the surrounding towns and villages.

When Liu Yunan corresponded with Qin Jianghe, who was far away in Songyang County, he shared all the recent changes in Xiushui Village with him.

He had to admit that with the Location Voice Transmission Talisman, their communication had become vastly more convenient.

However, he wondered if the talisman had a distance limit, as the messages he tried to send to Brother Xiao would never go through.

Upon receiving Liu Yunan's letter, Qin Jianghe quickly brainstormed an idea and immediately sent a reply.

He suggested to Liu Yunan that if the crowds were truly that large, they could try setting up a tea stall in the village to sell tea and snacks, providing convenience for the visitors.

His letter also detailed some clever ideas and important precautions.

Receiving the reply, Liu Yunan trusted the advice implicitly and swiftly put the plan into action.

The very next day, a tea stall was erected along the main path that everyone passing through Xiushui Village had to take.

Seeing her son bustling about all day managing sect affairs, Yang Jinshu volunteered to tend the stall herself. The two young girls, Liu Shengsheng and Lin Ying, also eagerly offered to help out as assistants.

Although foot traffic in Xiushui Village had increased recently, it wasn't exactly a continuous throng of people. The tea stall actually enjoyed quite a bit of downtime. Taking advantage of this, Yang Jinshu brought out various books she hadn't finished transcribing, copying them down while simultaneously teaching the two young girls the material within.

Inside this little tea stall on a country lane, an elegant woman wielded a brush to write, flanked by two young girls earnestly practicing their characters and reading. In the distance, lush green fields stretched out to meet a sky as clear as washed sapphire. It painted a beautiful picture of a thriving literary atmosphere in the countryside.

This idyllic scene caused many literati and scholars to pause and admire. They praised Xiushui Village, remarking that it was no wonder the village had produced a fifteen-year-old top county scholar, seeing as even the village women and young girls were so devoted to learning.

Consequently, ever since the Lingxian Sect set up this tea stall, business had been surprisingly good.

Moreover, since the patrons were mostly scholars—some even accompanied by retinues of servants—the local ruffians and scoundrels from nearby areas dared not come around to cause trouble.

Naturally, there were a few exceptionally bold ones who were dead set on causing a ruckus.

However, whenever they tried to stir up trouble, they would suddenly find themselves completely paralyzed, only to return to normal after a short while.

At first, these thugs refused to believe it was anything supernatural. But after experiencing this paralysis multiple times right as they were about to strike, always taking quite a while to regain their mobility, they were thoroughly spooked and fled.

After fleeing, they went around spreading rumors that Xiushui Village was haunted.

Yet, despite their efforts to tell everyone about the ghosts in Xiushui Village, how could the words of known ruffians and hooligans ever hold more weight than the praises of esteemed literati and scholars who lauded the village's exceptional aura?

Therefore, no matter how vividly they recounted their attempts to cause trouble and their subsequent ghostly encounters, no one believed them.

People simply assumed that the thugs had been intimidated by the large crowds and were spreading rumors to scare others away, making it easier for them to commit their misdeeds.

As a result, not only did their attempts at extortion fail, but their actions also prompted the local township and village heads to step forward and issue stern warnings against them.

After all, this was a village favored by the county magistrate, home to a top scholar, and currently frequented by many learned men. If local troublemakers were to offend the wrong person, it would bring immense trouble to the entire region.

For a time, Xiushui Village enjoyed unparalleled prestige throughout the surrounding towns and villages.

Meanwhile, Sun Yigao's private school reached full capacity after just two days of enrollment.

Since this was his first time running a private school, he initially planned to accept only ten students.

Out of these ten spots, Sun Yigao intended to reserve half for families in Xiushui Village who wished to send their children to study, leaving the remaining half for outsiders.

Many local squires from nearby towns had come out of admiration, and they were all pleasantly surprised to hear that Sun Yigao was opening a private school.

At first, the enrollment process was incredibly popular. Many people rushed over upon hearing the news, eager to enroll their children in his school.

However, among the admiring visitors, one family asked Sun Yigao if he accepted female students. Only then did he consider the matter, and he decisively announced that his school would accept students regardless of gender.

Upon hearing this declaration, more than half of the interested families immediately withdrew. While they did not doubt Sun Yigao's scholarly abilities, many did not want their sons sharing a classroom with girls.

Ultimately, after carefully screening the applicants for age and suitability, Sun Yigao's private school expanded its enrollment to fifteen students.

Out of these fifteen students, there was only one girl—the daughter of the family who had initially inquired about female enrollment.

Her family were merchants from the county town. For years, the merchant and his wife had only this one daughter. Despite this, the wealthy man had never entertained thoughts of taking concubines for a male heir, simply accepting it as fate.

Now, his only desire was to properly educate and nurture his daughter. At worst, he figured, he could always spend money to establish her as an independent female head of household in the future.

As for the families of the other students, some did have reservations about Sun Yigao taking in a female student. However, they kept their complaints to themselves. Considering Sun Yigao's profound knowledge at such a young age, and having toured the school to see its vast collection of books—many of which were rare, unheard-of original manuscripts—they ultimately decided to let their children study under him.

With that, the private school officially commenced its operations.

It was Mo Yuanjiao's first time seeing someone in his circle open a private school, and he was deeply curious. Seeing Sun Yigao occasionally teaching the students basic martial arts like the Five Animal Frolics, Mo Yuanjiao's hands itched to join in. He even brought out his and Mo Que's horses to teach the students riding and archery.

Seeing this, Sun Yigao suggested that Mo Yuanjiao become the students' martial arts instructor.

From the time he was born, Mo Yuanjiao's family had hired countless tutors for him, but this was his very first time being a tutor himself.

Thrilled, he eagerly accepted the role, patting his chest as he promised Sun Yigao that he would train these students to become just as highly skilled in martial arts as he was!