Qi Yuanshou was a stubborn, slightly mad genius, and also a man whose luck was utterly terrible.

Watching his teacher devour the food like a starving storm, Ning Qingtian couldn’t help thinking this.

He truly didn’t understand how a man of such astonishing talent could have fallen to living in a tiny place like Anqing Prefecture, making a living teaching unruly children.

From inherited memory, Ning Qingtian knew that this teacher excelled at every scholarly and artistic discipline—qin, chess, calligraphy, painting—and was unrivaled in strategy and learning.

Yet the strange thing was that such a heaven-sent genius had taken the imperial exam nine times in his life and failed every single one.

Now, at fifty-three, he held nothing more than the lowest scholar rank of xiucai.

And that was precisely why Ning Qingtian never wanted to take the exam.

Think about it—if even someone like Mr. Qi was rejected over and over simply because he couldn’t pass the exams, utterly unable to serve the country, then the Great Song was not a dynasty worth dedicating himself to.

Not to mention, he wasn’t even sure he could pass.

But now things had reached this point, so he would just muddle through and be done with it.

He didn’t know how long he had been drifting in thought when he suddenly heard Mr. Qi sigh.

“Ah, it has been a long time since I came to Yanlai Pavilion. I didn’t expect I would come again today, thanks to your fortune.”

Snapped back to reality, Ning Qingtian glanced at the table—most of the food and wine were already gone. Hearing his teacher speak, he quickly replied with respect, “Sir, you’re too polite. This is what your student should do.”

After saying that, he hesitated.

Recalling the scene he had witnessed at the teacher’s home, he couldn’t suppress his curiosity.

“It’s just… I wonder, sir, nowadays, nowadays…”

He repeated “nowadays” twice but still didn’t know how to phrase it.

An awkward air hung between them.

“Hehe, you want to ask why this old man has fallen to such a pitiful state, don’t you?”

Fortunately, Mr. Qi, now full and satisfied, laughed at himself and said it directly.

Hearing the self-mockery in his tone, Ning Qingtian jumped up anxiously.

“Teacher—teacher, I absolutely had no intention of mocking you, I just… I just—”

In this world, Heaven, Earth, monarch, ancestors, and teachers formed a strict hierarchy.

A teacher’s status ranked directly beneath one’s ancestors.

So Ning Qingtian treated Mr. Qi with deep respect—and more importantly, he was seriously considering inviting this man to join him on the mountain as strategist and adviser.

After all, although he possessed knowledge from another world, that didn’t mean he suddenly had superhuman wisdom.

If that were true, wouldn’t librarians be invincible?

Knowledge had to be digested, internalized, and transformed.

That transformation—that true wisdom—was what he lacked.

And perhaps the man capable of guiding him… was this very teacher before him.

Seeing his best student so anxious over a single joke, Mr. Qi waved his hand and smiled.

“Sit, sit. No need for that. As for this old man’s poverty and downfall—nothing worth saying.
It’s only a pity that so many children gave up their studies when the imperial court halted examinations for five years. Anqing is a small, narrow-minded place. The common folk simply do not understand.”

After that, he glanced at Ning Qingtian and casually asked, “By the way, I heard you were carried off by mountain bandits years ago? Looking at you now, could it be that you've already turned into a bandit yourself?”

Ning Qingtian’s face changed.

He had planned to explain everything after taking the exam.

But who would have thought that with a single glance, his teacher would lay bare his situation?

Where exactly had he slipped up?

Before he could figure it out, Mr. Qi picked up a peanut, shook his head, and said, “That attendant of yours reeks of banditry. And a meal at Yanlai Pavilion is not cheap—you didn’t even blink when paying. Only someone spending stolen money would treat silver like water.”

Hearing this, Ning Qingtian instantly understood.

It was Yang Ba who had exposed him—and the teacher had even noticed details he himself had missed.

His admiration for Mr. Qi’s terrifying insight only deepened.

Seeing that this student of his remained calm even after having his identity exposed, Mr. Qi found himself impressed and said, “Even if Mount Tai collapses before you, you remain unshaken. Not bad. Three years apart, your cultivation of temperament has improved. I have not failed in my teaching.”

Hearing him still refer to himself as teacher even after confirming his bandit identity made Ning Qingtian’s eyes brighten.

Clearly, the old man did not fear or despise him.

As for the praise, he pretended not to hear it.

Mr. Qi could never imagine that his “student” had actually been replaced.

Being someone who had lived two lives, Ning Qingtian naturally possessed steadiness of heart.

“Since sir has already noticed, I won’t hide it anymore. Three years ago…”

He briefly recounted the events of three years prior.

When he finished, Mr. Qi was still calmly eating peanuts.

So Ning Qingtian added, “Sir, looking at the world today—treacherous officials run rampant, even someone of your talent cannot serve the country. In the north, the Northern Guardian King rules his own territory, and wolves and tigers eye the borders. Inside the realm, disasters and chaos never cease. The Empress is just a little girl, incapable of handling all this. The Great Song looks prosperous on the surface, but in truth it stands on the brink of collapse. Sir, why not come up the mountain with your student? That way, I may hear your teachings every day.”

After speaking, he stood and bowed deeply.

His posture was extremely respectful.

But Mr. Qi behaved as if he hadn’t heard a single word.

He simply continued picking peanuts from the plate.

So Ning Qingtian remained bent in formal salute.

Only the faint clinking of chopsticks and dish echoed in the room.

At last—when his waist started to ache—Mr. Qi finished the peanuts, lifted the cup of white liquor that Ning Qingtian had poured for him earlier, and drank it in one gulp.

At that exact moment, Ning Qingtian suddenly heard a shocking question, “That young girl who abducted you… her name was Yan Bailu, wasn’t it?”