The next morning, Xiao Mo woke early. He sat in the courtyard, reading a book and writing his *Knowledge and Action Combined*.
After decades of study, debate, and contemplation, Xiao Mo was finally putting his philosophy of "Heart Learning" to paper.
But when he actually tried to begin writing, he found it far more difficult than he had ever imagined.
He had been working on *Knowledge and Action Combined* for a long ti, but so far, he had only managed to write two or three pages.
’So maybe I should establish a school,’ Xiao Mo thought. ’I could teach students to read, and I could also teach my Heart Learning.’
’For one, it would help organize my thoughts on Heart Learning.’
’For another, I don’t know when I’ll die. If I don’t finish my work on Heart Learning, it would be nice if soone from the Hundred Generations Book could inherit my legacy and continue down this path.’
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK...
Just as Xiao Mo was becoming engrossed in writing *Knowledge and Action Combined*, a knock ca from the courtyard gate.
Xiao Mo stood up, put his book away, and opened the gate.
An elderly man bowed to Xiao Mo. "Pardon , are you Mr. Xiao?"
"I am," Xiao Mo replied, returning the bow. "And you are, sir?"
The old man smiled. "My na is Qin Feng, and I am the housekeeper of the City Lord’s Mansion in Demon Suppression City. I heard that you wish to teach, Mr. Xiao. Last night, I selected a location for a school, and I was just about to lead you there for a look. My Lord City Lord is also waiting for you."
"Thank you for your trouble," Xiao Mo said with a bow.
"You’re too kind, Mr. Xiao. Please, follow ."
Qin Feng led Xiao Mo toward the school.
It was located in the northern part of Demon Suppression City, beside a lake.
The area was beautiful, and Cultivators from Demon Suppression City often ca here for leisure and spring outings.
However, it was also so distance from the bustling city center, so it wasn’t noisy.
It was indeed a good place to build a school.
Xiao Mo arrived before a courtyard.
Above the courtyard gate hung a sign with the two words "University Hall."
The two words were written in a flamboyant, calligraphic style. While not exactly ugly, they weren’t particularly attractive either.
"This ’University Hall’ plaque...?" Xiao Mo asked curiously.
Qin Feng smiled as well. "Our City Lord wrote it herself. She said that from now on, the school will be called ’University Hall’."
Xiao Mo was speechless.
"Our City Lord can be a bit... whimsical. I hope you’ll forgive her, sir." Perhaps because he felt a bit embarrassed himself, Housekeeper Qin’s tone was tinged with apology.
"It’s no matter. The school’s na isn’t important," Xiao Mo said with a smiling bow.
He walked into the courtyard.
The courtyard was like a landscaped garden, with rockeries, a small pond, fresh grass and flowers, and a pebble path. It looked quite lovely.
At the end of the winding pebble path stood a large building. Peeking through the windows, he could see it was furnished with desks and chairs. The space was large enough to hold about fifty students.
"RAWR..."
"Co and get !"
"Sister He, you can’t catch us! You can’t!"
"Sister He is a bad zombie!"
"Darn it! You little rascals, get back here!"
"Sister He is getting mad!"
"Run away!"
Just as Xiao Mo was walking toward the schoolhouse, a dozen or so children burst out from the backyard, laughing and shouting as they played with He Yeye.
He Yeye was hopping around like a zombie, a Talisman stuck to her forehead. The only thing was, the Talisman had a picture of a turtle drawn on it.
He Yeye hopped energetically toward the children, a bell tied to her ankle with a red string jingling with every movent.
The children scattered in every direction, constantly dodging He Yeye.
They seed to be playing a ga of "zombie tag."
And the thirty-foot-tall Big Guy followed carefully behind them, terrified of trampling the flowers and grass in the courtyard.
Even when the little ones clambered all over him and pulled at his hair, the Big Guy never got angry. On the contrary, whenever a child was about to fall, he would gently catch them and set them safely on the ground.
To be honest...
Xiao Mo was sowhat surprised to see this.
The girl and the giant who had slain Demons on the battlefield without batting an eye were now playing childish gas with a group of kids.
When He Yeye saw Xiao Mo, she quickly waved her hands, panting. "Alright, ga over, ga over! Settle down, you little rascals! Your teacher’s here. Ti for class."
"Oh..."
The children nodded reluctantly, clearly wanting to play more.
They clearly had no concept of what "class" was. They simply followed He Yeye over to Xiao Mo and stared curiously at the young man standing beside Grandpa Qin.
The children’s eyes sparkled. ’This big brother is so handso,’ they thought. ’And he has such a warm, gentle presence, like a spring breeze.’
"These are the students I found for you," He Yeye said, hands on her hips. "Just a bunch of little brats from the nearby alleys."
"Go on, start your lesson. I want to hear what you have to teach. If I’m not satisfied, I’ll toss you in the lake outside to feed the fish."
Xiao Mo said, "You didn’t ntion that last night, my Lord City Lord."
"Didn’t I?" He Yeye mused. "Well, if I didn’t, I didn’t. Just consider it a new condition. What, you got a problem with that?"
Xiao Mo just smiled and shook his head. "None at all."
"Alright then." He Yeye turned and waved, calling out like the leader of the pack, "Let’s go, little ones! Inside for class!"
"Class ti, class ti!"
The children ran happily into the classroom.
But one little girl remained, standing nervously before Xiao Mo. She gave a timid bow. "Hello, Teacher."
"Hello there," Xiao Mo said, smiling at the girl, who couldn’t have been more than ten. "You even know the proper greeting?"
"My father taught my sister and . He used to be a Confucian Scholar, too," the little girl replied, nervously fidgeting with her sleeve.
Xiao Mo nodded. "I see. Since we follow the sa path, I must pay a visit to your ho one of these days."
The little girl lowered her head. "Father was killed by the Demon Race. He died beneath the city walls. Now it’s just my sister and at ho."
"..." Xiao Mo bowed deeply. "I’m so sorry..."
"It’s okay, Teacher." The little girl looked up and shook her head. "I’ll go to the classroom now."
"Go on."
The little girl hurried into the classroom and found a seat.
Housekeeper Qin walked over to Xiao Mo’s side and began to explain softly, "In our Demon Suppression City, we have an unwritten rule. If a Cultivator dies in battle and leaves behind children, their friends and relatives are expected to help raise them. Alternatively, they can be sent back to their clan in the World of Ten Thousand Laws."
"But for these children, both of their parents died beneath the great walls. All of their fathers’ friends and relatives are also dead, and their clans in the World of Ten Thousand Laws can’t be found."
"So, the City Lord adopted them. They live here, in the backyard of this estate."
"When they turn sixteen, they can choose to either join the army of Demon Suppression City or leave the city altogether."
Xiao Mo nodded. ’I imagine most of them choose the forr.’
Housekeeper Qin fell silent.
"Mr. Qin," Xiao Mo asked, "compared to studying, would they rather be learning Demon-slaying Skills?"
"Yes." Housekeeper Qin nodded. "If you ask them what they want most, they all say the sa thing: to cultivate, slay Demons, and avenge their parents. But... our Lord City Lord wants them to know that there is more to life than just slaying Demons."
Hearing Housekeeper Qin’s words, Xiao Mo paused, slightly stunned. He looked toward the classroom.
Inside the classroom.
The young woman of the Ascension Realm, the one who called herself "this lady," was once again playing a zombie, hopping around as she chased the children.
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