Chapter 1: School Fox Reading

The “Ode to the Eastern Capital” states: “Within the Four Seas, schools are like forests, and academies fill the gates.”

This describes the flourishing state of education in the Yuanshuo Kingdom.

Since Emperor Yuan, the Yuanshuo Kingdom established official schools throughout the country. Official schools in the countryside were called xiangxu, those in counties, circuits, towns, and marquisates were called xiao, those in prefectures and kingdoms were called xue, and the official school in the Eastern Capital was called the Imperial Academy.

However, what Qiu Shuijing saw on his journey from Shuofang City to Tianshiyuan was a different scene, not matching the description in the “Ode to the Eastern Capital.”

The xiangxu in the towns along the way were not only devoid of students, but could even be described as deserted. Some xiangxu had already closed down, overgrown with weeds, overrun by wild foxes, and giving rise to many spirits.

For the past thirty years, rural people have been flocking to the cities, leaving only women, children, and the elderly in the countryside, surviving on meager farmland, which has led to many problems.

The countryside in Qiu Shuijing’s heart held the beauty of his childhood, an impression of clear mountains, beautiful waters, and outstanding people. Yet, what he witnessed on this journey was a scene of crumbling rites, decaying music, and moral collapse.

Putting aside other issues, the education provided by the xiangxu alone had significant problems.

The young and strong from the towns went to the cities, leaving behind the elderly and children. Couples with some money would often bring their children to the city and send them to official schools. Those who remained were the poor, with parents working out of town. How could grandparents manage those children?

Children left behind in the countryside, without parental supervision, not only avoided studying in the xiangxu but even gathered friends, formed gangs, and ran rampant in their neighborhoods.

The rural xiangxu, once bustling with students, were now considered good if they had three to five youths studying there.

“Without scholars, the rural xiangxu cannot continue. Without xiangxu, children in the countryside have no place to study, and the ignorant will only increase, potentially leading to chaos in the countryside.”

Upon reaching the uninhabited area, Qiu Shuijing shook his head repeatedly.

However, his purpose in coming to Tianshiyuan this time was not to observe the local conditions in the countryside but had another objective.

“Mr. Shuijing, it’s getting late. Why don’t we settle down in this xiangxu for now, have something to eat, and then decide what to do when the Heavenly Gate appears?” a scholar behind Qiu Shuijing said.

Qiu Shuijing looked at the setting sun, nodded, and walked with the scholars into a dilapidated xiangxu. Thorns covered the ground, indicating it had been abandoned for some years.

As a few scholars tidied up and were about to light a fire for cooking, they suddenly heard faint sounds of reading coming from the inner hall of the xiangxu.

Qiu Shuijing’s expression shifted. He raised a hand to signal silence, quietly rose, and followed the sounds of reading to the inner hall of the xiangxu.

The scholars tiptoed behind him, the sounds of reading gradually becoming clearer. They wondered, “This xiangxu has clearly been abandoned for some years, and the surroundings are an uninhabited area. How can there still be a teacher here educating people?”

“Those teaching in the xiangxu are not necessarily human,” Qiu Shuijing seemed to guess their thoughts, saying with a cold chuckle.

The scholars felt a chill in their hearts and looked into the inner hall. They saw a large yellow-furred fox, over half a person tall, standing upright, holding a teaching whip in its left hand and a book scroll in its right, pacing back and forth on the platform.

And below the platform, there were a dozen foxes—yellow, white, red, mottled—each sitting upright, swaying their heads, and reciting scriptures!

“Evil spirits are at work, opening their wisdom, understanding principles, and beginning to recite the words of the sages. They will surely transform into humans in the future, bringing disaster to the world, and even contending with humans for dominance!”

Qiu Shuijing felt a murderous intent and was about to act, but suddenly his gaze paused, and the murderous intent in his heart gradually faded.

He saw that the classroom was filled with fox demons, but among the fox demons, a yellow-clad youth was also sitting upright, swaying his head and reciting texts with the foxes.

The youth, thirteen or fourteen years old, had clear eyes, beautiful eyebrows, red lips, and white teeth, and was studying very earnestly.

In this classroom, besides this youth, there was not a single human!

“The people of Tianshiyuan are impoverished, and the xiangxu in the countryside are collapsing. Humans no longer teach children,

and children no longer seek knowledge. Instead, fox demons are teaching and educating, reading and writing.”

Qiu Shuijing was filled with emotion: “And it’s rare to find such a studious person. Let it be, let them go. This youth, studying with a group of fox demons in an uninhabited area, without fear, is truly strange…”

He turned and left.

The scholars were surprised and quickly followed him quietly to the courtyard of the xiangxu.

Qiu Shuijing said nothing, and the scholars dared not ask.

After a moment, they suddenly heard a bell ring, followed by the joyful shouts, clamor, and noise of children from the classroom. Numerous fox demons rushed out, chattering and bustling. Upon seeing the group in the courtyard, the dozen or so fox demons all stood on two legs, staring with wide eyes and open mouths, at a loss.

The scholars all looked at Qiu Shuijing, who smiled slightly, unconcerned.

Footsteps came from within the xiangxu, and a slightly childish voice said, “Brother Hua, Brother Li, don’t run too fast, wait for me!”

The scholars followed the sound and saw that the human youth was a step behind, having just walked out of the classroom.

A female scholar saw the youth’s movements and exclaimed softly, saying to a nearby scholar, “He’s blind…”

The other scholars examined him closely and realized it.

The youth’s eyes were completely white, without pupils, and he could not see. He was indeed blind.

“No wonder he attends class with fox demons.”

Everyone thought to themselves, “He cannot see and can only hear sounds, mistakenly believing that everyone around him is human, never realizing that those studying with him are all demons!”

Although the youth was blind, his hearing was very keen. He laughed and said, “Teacher, teacher, we have guests at the xiangxu!”

Thump, thump.

The sound of a walking stick hitting the ground came, and the yellow-furred old fox who taught walked out of the classroom, an aged voice saying, “Distinguished guests have come a long way. I apologize for not welcoming you. Please forgive me.”

After speaking, the old fox’s expression darkened, and he said to the little foxes, “Class is over, and it’s late. Hurry home.”

The little foxes scattered in a hurry.

Qiu Shuijing looked at the blind youth. Although the youth was blind, he seemed to see his surroundings clearly, bowing slightly to him and the scholars, and then leaving the dilapidated xiangxu with the foxes.

Qiu Shuijing was slightly surprised, turning his head to look at the youth’s retreating figure, deep in thought.

“His name is Su Yun.”

The yellow-furred old fox coughed, raised a hand, and led Qiu Shuijing into the inner hall, saying, “He’s from Tianmen Town in Tianshiyuan, thirteen years old this year. When Su Yun was seven, his family had an accident, and his eyes went blind for some unknown reason, which is quite pitiful. But he’s a studious child. One day he came here, heard the sounds of reading, and couldn’t move, insisting on listening. Seeing his studiousness, I let him stay.”

Qiu Shuijing said “Oh,” and then stated blandly, “He’s from Tianmen Town? As far as I know, there have been no living people in Tianmen Town in Tianshiyuan for a long time. Not only Tianmen Town, but also a hundred-li radius around Tianmen Town is an uninhabited area.”

The yellow-furred old fox stopped, turned his head to look at him, and smiled, his whiskers trembling slightly: “What the gentleman heard is mostly a rumor.”

Qiu Shuijing surveyed the inner hall, seeing a painting hanging in the main hall. It depicted plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, corresponding to the Four Gentlemen, with the inscription “A paragon of virtue” written on it, without a signature, so it was unknown who painted it.

The yellow-furred old fox came to stand beneath the painting, sat upright facing Qiu Shuijing, placed his walking stick across his lap, and said solemnly, “Gentleman from the city, please leave a complete corpse.”

Qiu Shuijing withdrew his gaze from the painting and asked, “How should I address you?”

The old fox said, “They call me Mr. Wild Fox. How should I address the gentleman from the city?”

“Qiu Shuijing.”

Qiu Shuijing bowed slightly: “Shuijing is passing through your esteemed place with my students. We are tired from the journey and would like to borrow your valuable place to rest. Please be accommodating.”

The old fox raised his head, looking at him in surprise: “You won’t kill me to subdue demons and eliminate evil?”

“Confucius said, ‘In education there are no distinctions,’ isn’t that precisely what Mr. Wild Fox is doing?”

Qiu Shuijing said solemnly, “Sir is a demon, and Su Yun is a human. Sir did not refuse to teach him because he is not of the same kind; this is truly the conduct of a teacher. Nowadays, the countryside is out of order, and education is difficult. Even humans may not be able to achieve education without distinctions, let alone demons? Therefore, Mr. Wild Fox’s actions are all the more precious.”

The old fox breathed a sigh of relief.

Qiu Shuijing changed the subject, saying, “However, I just heard Mr. Wild Fox teaching, and he was teaching the classics of the Old Sages, ancient scholarship from thousands of years ago. While the classics of the Old Sages are good, they are already outdated and cannot keep up with the current era.”

The old fox was startled: “Mr. Shuijing, why do you say that? Weren’t these the books taught in xiangxu before? For thousands of years, these are what have been studied…”

“They were, and even a few hundred years ago, or even thirty-five years ago, it was still these. But now…”

Qiu Shuijing showed a hint of bitterness, paused, and said, “Sir, times have changed.”

He repeated, “Times have changed, hehe, those who cling to old ways will only suffer. It’s no longer what it used to be…”

He shook his head and did not continue.

The old fox stood up shakily, somewhat confused, and asked, “May I ask Mr. Shuijing, if not the classics of the Old Sages, then what should be taught? You speak of Old Sages, does that mean there are New Sages now?”

Qiu Shuijing shook his head, a hint of sarcasm in his expression: “New Sages? There are no New Sages in the world today… Perhaps there are, but not in the Yuanshuo Kingdom…”

He composed himself, not in the mood to continue speaking, and said, “Rural xiangxu cannot keep up with the times. If you want to learn useful things, you still have to go to the city. Relying on the Old Sages’ scholarship will only lead to suffering, and what you learn will only be things from thousands of years ago. Mr. Wild Fox, although you teach without distinction, if you continue to teach, you will only mislead your students. The things of the Old Sages cannot survive in the city.”

The old fox was dumbfounded.

Misleading students?

Where did that come from?

Had the Old Sages’ learning fallen to such a degree?

After a moment, the old fox cupped his hands to Qiu Shuijing, transformed into a wisp of demonic energy, and disappeared.

Qiu Shuijing stepped out of the hall.

At the third watch of the night, Qiu Shuijing was meditating, feigning sleep, when he suddenly felt a jolt of energy, opened his eyes, and whispered, “Wake up! The Heavenly Gate has opened!”

In the xiangxu, the scholars, who had been sleeping on the ground, all flipped over and got up, their faces showing excitement.

“Extinguish the bonfire!”

Qiu Shuijing gave the order, and a scholar immediately put out the bonfire.

Whoosh—

Qiu Shuijing leaped up onto the roof of the xiangxu, and a few scholars, moving swiftly like rabbits and falcons, landed beside him.

The villages of Tianshiyuan at night had no lights whatsoever, completely unlike the bustling cities, with only the stars and crescent moon adorning the night sky.

A cold wind rustled.

Qiu Shuijing whispered, “Open your Heavenly Eye, otherwise you won’t be able to see the Heavenly Gate!”

The scholars behind him each took out a jade leaf, shaped like an eye, and pressed it to their foreheads, like a vertical eye.

“Open!” the scholars shouted in unison.

They watched as the jade leaves on their foreheads gradually merged beneath their skin, disappearing from sight.

Something rolled under the skin of one scholar’s forehead, then the skin split open, revealing a rolling eyeball.

The Heavenly Eyes of the other scholars also opened one after another. They looked around, and each of them trembled greatly, exclaiming in low voices, “The Heavenly Gate has really opened! The Ghost Market, the Ghost Market has appeared too!”