"I want to go up the mountain to train with the great master!!!! Waaaahhhh..." This was Shen Jingxian, wailing because she failed to become a disciple.
"Princess, you're still young and don't understand the dangers of the world..." This was the well-meaning Duan Shaoguang.
"I don't care! I want to go up the mountain to train!!!"
"Princess, you should trust what the scholar says." Duan Shaoguang pulled out every bit of sincerity he had, thinking it would move Shen Jingxian, but to his surprise, Shen Jingxian glanced at him and firmly uttered three words.
"I don't trust it!"
In the original text, Duan Shaoguang dislikes Shen Jingxian because she is unruly, willful, and disrupts the school with her authority.
In contrast, Song Yan is steady, strong, kind, and exceptionally knowledgeable. She is the student Duan Shaoguang admires the most! He even helped Song Yan draft a plan to seize the kingdom later on!
Why should I trust people who want to take my life?
Training is the most reliable way!
At this time, Duan Shaoguang and Shen Jingxian were still on the street. Shen Jingxian's crying made her look quite cute, attracting a crowd of people staring at her with pink bubbles in their eyes.
If you had to describe the situation, it was like a celebrity cat at a cat café rolling on the ground crying, irresistibly cute, attracting a crowd of cat lovers showing perverse smiles.
Duan Shaoguang is just a weak scholar, skilled at quoting classics and teaching, but coaxing children was a skill he only recently picked up, so he wasn't very adept yet. And figuring out how to get the Princess away from a bunch of people hooked on petting her... ah no, hooked on doting on the Princess... had become a monumental challenge.
But then Duan Shaoguang thought, the guards protecting the Princess hadn't made a move yet. Perhaps the danger wasn't as great as he imagined.
Little did he know, the head of the guards was currently discussing with his men the probability of pinching the Princess's cheek without leaving any marks.
Meanwhile, Shen Jingxian and the monk had already hit it off, becoming master and disciple.
"Master!"
"Disciple!!"
"Master, when will you take me up the mountain!" I'm already eager to escape the death flag hovering over my head!
"No rush, disciple. First come over and let me check your physique."
Hearing this, Shen Jingxian hesitated, not stepping forward immediately.
Duan Shaoguang saw this scene and nodded with satisfaction. He knew that with the Princess's precociousness, she wouldn't be easily fooled by a simple trick; she was probably just testing him earlier.
The Princess was afraid leaving this person unchecked would deceive others, so she took the risk herself!
Such awareness at a young age truly marked her as a great talent for the country!
Duan Shaoguang thought that even if he drowned in spit today or jumped off a roof, he must make the Princess regain her interest in studying!
Duan Shaoguang's eyes emitted an eighty thousand volt electric spark, the power of belief!
"Your Highness, we must go now, or we'll be late to the Imperial College." This was Duan Shaoguang's first attempt to persuade, which Shen Jingxian rejected while trying to escape. However, the area was so crowded she couldn't get out.
"Your Highness, the scholar knows you find school dull now only because you haven't encountered books worth studying. Enlightenment books are too ordinary for you, so we should go to the National Academy!" This was Duan Shaoguang's second attempt, and his smile scared off a group of people, creating a gap in the crowd. Shen Jingxian seized the opportunity to slip away!
Just as she was about to succeed, an aunt grabbed the back of her destiny's collar.
"Child, going to school is good; education is the road to a future. Go with the scholar, be a good girl. Here's some Dragon Beard Sugar to eat on the way."
Received Dragon Beard Sugar ×2
Shen Jingxian was brought back.
The helpful aunt even rallied people nearby to clear a path for Duan Shaoguang in a very bold manner.
"Niu Dazhuang, aren't you ashamed blocking a kid's path to school? Move your belly aside, you're blocking the road!"
"Li Chuan, your son wet his pants, yet you're still in the mood to watch someone else's daughter. Be careful, your wife will scold you later!"
"Miss Ma, if you love kids so much, go have one yourself! Stop staring here!"
"And you! This girl's on the path of study. If you want to pursue the Tao, go your own way slowly!"
The monk protested, "Woman! I am the 34th generation of Wuyang Mountain's lineage..."
But under the aunt's intimidating gaze, the monk's voice grew smaller until it faded completely.
He caved.
Shen Jingxian was thoroughly disappointed. What kind of sage was this!!! He seemed completely unreliable. Onto the next one.