It was only after that conversation with his teacher that Wen Yuejun gradually came to accept his father's actions.
He always remembered the exact words his teacher said to him:
"In this world, there is no such thing as a perfect person. Everyone's perspective and aspirations differ. As long as someone's actions don't harm others, what does it matter how they choose to live?"
"As long as your father isn't corrupt, lazy, or harmful to others, his preferences and ways of doing things are his own business."
"Most people tend to impose expectations on others rather than on themselves. But in truth, Yuejun, your father doesn't impose much on you. If you could learn to deal with his demands with a bit more flexibility, you'd find it much easier to live the way you want."
"Living is about finding your own light, not building deeper abysses."
Since then, Wen Yuejun had found peace with his father's behavior and learned how to interact with him more harmoniously.
To his father, Wen Keming, who was usually only concerned with the preferences of his superiors and the political climate, it simply seemed as though his son had outgrown his rebellious phase and matured.
No one knew that the true catalyst for Wen Yuejun's growth had been his accidental entry into the Heart-Testing Path at Lingxian Sect last year.
Only Wen Yuejun himself understood.
And so, he came to Lingxian Sect.
He hoped that this place, which had helped him gain clarity of mind, could become a new starting point in his life.
Since the private school was looking to recruit teachers for younger children, the academic requirements for the position weren't excessively high. A young scholar like Wen Yuejun, who came from a well-educated family and had passed the Xiucai exam, easily cleared the academic interview.
Given that he had passed the Heart-Testing Path once before, and with his will now even stronger and more focused, he successfully passed the challenge again, despite the increased difficulty.
Thus, the private school of Lingxian Sect finally recruited two new teachers.
With the help of these two, even though the school had yet to formally expand enrollment, Sun Yigao found himself much less burdened. The addition of new teachers freed up more time for him to cultivate, and the production of pills in the sect's alchemy room saw a significant increase as a result.
Seeing this, Liao Pantu urged Lin Xiao every few days to recruit more teachers for the private school.
Meanwhile, the rest of the sect, upon learning that the school was about to expand, swiftly began constructing additional buildings for it.
With their cultivation enhancing their abilities, the construction progressed rapidly, and within a few days, the expansion was completed.
Without disrupting the ongoing lessons in the original part of the school, they opened up a side of the courtyard wall and extended the campus alongside the stream and at the foot of the mountain, adding much more space.
Of course, Liu Yunian had already taken care of the land acquisition in advance, having paid the village chief to secure the necessary plots.
They built rows of larger classrooms on both sides of the main school building, along with a small kitchen and resting quarters for the teachers. The teachers' quarters, though not large, were fully equipped with bedrooms and study rooms. Since meals were provided by the school, teachers who lived far away could stay there if needed.
Under Yang Jinshu's guidance, the courtyard was beautifully decorated, with scholarly favorites like plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums. They even added rock gardens and pavilions for the students to relax in between classes.
Further into the forest, they leveled a piece of land to create a field for students to practice riding and archery.
While Lingxian Sect was busy with the private school's expansion, Qin Jianghe finally returned after receiving Liu Yunian's letter, bringing with him a letter from the imperial court.
At the dinner table, Qin Jianghe, while constantly eating, explained to everyone, "The letter says that every year, the imperial court provides a certain number of official travel documents for the three major sects, allowing their disciples to move freely across the country. Now that Lingxian Sect has emerged, the court is asking how many travel documents we would like for this year."
Lin Xiao replied, "You can make the decision on that. By the way, why didn't you bring your disciples back with you?"
After all, Guo Yuxiao and Qin Jianghe's two cousins had officially joined Lingxian Sect as his disciples.
Upon hearing this, Qin Jianghe sighed and explained, "There's no way. Brother Mancang needs to oversee the escort business, so since I came back from the capital, Mancang and Yuxiao had to stay there. I heard that several nations are about to go to war with the Huan You Kingdom soon, so I didn't want to miss any important news. That's why I didn't bring them back."
Hearing the news of an impending war, everyone at the table found it hard to believe. The village had shown no signs of any imminent conflict.
Qin Jianghe's father asked, "Is our country really going to war? How come it feels like everything is normal here? There haven't been any recruitment drives, either."
Qin Jianghe replied, "Dad, this time it's not an ordinary war. It's a war involving cultivators. The mortal armies are just for show; the main forces will be made up of the cultivators from the three major sects and the neighboring countries."
This revelation shocked everyone at the table.
"A war between cultivators? Will they come looking for us?"
Hearing about war, the people of Xiushui Village instinctively felt anxious, their past experiences of war and military conscription fresh in their minds. The old and young alike turned their eyes to Lin Xiao, their faces filled with apprehension and concern.
Lin Xiao quickly smiled and reassured them, "Don't worry, everyone. Our sect won't be involved in the fighting. We've already arranged things—our only responsibility will be to provide supplies at low cost, such as the talismans, formations, and pills we usually make."
After dinner, Lin Xiao, having calmed everyone down, sat alone beneath the peach blossom tree. Thoughts of the impending war in Huan You Kingdom weighed heavily on his mind.
"A war..."
Though he had never experienced one firsthand, the history books of his previous life were filled with too many accounts of bloodshed and sorrow.
He understood that things like Jishi (Soul Stones) were a scourge for both mortals and cultivators alike, and that any nation or organization promoting such things needed to be opposed and eradicated.
But the outbreak of a large-scale war would inevitably lead to innocent casualties.
The more he thought about it, the more restless he became. Eventually, he sought out Qin Jianghe and asked, "Jianghe, do you know when the fighting is expected to start?"
Qin Jianghe replied, "The exact date is unclear, only the frontlines would know for sure. But based on the fact that they've requested supplies to be delivered to the capital by the end of this month, I'd estimate the war will begin by late next month."
His return this time wasn't just for the sect's second assembly but also to collect the supplies needed for the capital.
Hearing the answer, Lin Xiao nodded and fell silent, deep in thought.