Over the next few days, under Luo Shiyan's guidance, they toured around Ningzhou City.
After several days of sightseeing, they became familiar with their surroundings.
It was time for Yun Mu and Yun Yi to report to Ningzhou Academy.
On this day, early in the morning, Luo Ge brought the two little ones to Ningzhou Academy.
As expected of a renowned educational institution, Ningzhou Academy was quite impressive from the outside.
The academy was situated on a high mountain in the north of Ningzhou City, with over a hundred steps leading up to its entrance that could only be climbed on foot.
Looking up from the bottom, one could see layer upon layer of the academy's library buildings.
The sound of students reciting could be heard from afar, immediately giving one a sense of the thick scholarly atmosphere.
The murals of scholars along the steps leading to the academy, depicting poetry, calligraphy, painting, and other arts, were also very thoughtfully done.
"What brings you here?" asked an elderly man at the academy's entrance, seeing Luo Ge and his wife with the two children.
Luo Ge took out the token he had prepared earlier and handed it to the man for inspection.
"We've brought our children to study here. This is our token."
Upon seeing the token, the old man's stern expression softened, and he looked over the two little ones beside Luo Ge several times.
"Old Master Xu's token? You must be the Gu family from Yiyang Town, and these two are Gu Yunmu and Gu Yunxi?"
Though surprised that the man recognized them at a glance, Luo Ge didn't say anything, assuming Old Master Xu must have mentioned them beforehand.
"That's right, these two are our nephews, Yunmu and Yunxi."
Hearing this, the two little ones politely bowed to the man.
"We, Gu Yunmu/Gu Yunxi, pay our respects to you, elder."
Seeing the family's polite and composed demeanor, Old Master Bai nodded.
He remembered that the Gu family was originally just an ordinary farming household. Despite their humble origins, they showed such poise – quite impressive indeed.
Old Xu seemed to have a good eye after all.
"Since you're from the Gu family, come with me. Although you have Old Master Xu's token, we must still observe proper procedures.
All students entering our Ningzhou Academy must undergo an assessment, and you will be no exception."
Manners were all well and good, but he still needed to test their foundations. He wanted to see if these two six-year-olds really lived up to Old Xu's constant boasting.
The boys had been told by Old Master Xu about the entrance assessment, so they didn't question it.
They obediently nodded and followed behind Old Master Bai.
Luo Ge felt something strange about the old man's behavior, but he didn't seem to have ill intentions. After a moment's thought, he and Gu Jinchen decided to follow along.
Old Master Bai glanced back at them but didn't say anything.
"Old Bai! What are you doing with my disciples?"
Just as they entered the academy grounds, a familiar voice called out from a distance.
The two little ones' eyes lit up when they saw who it was, and they quickly ran over.
"Master!"
Hearing Old Master Xu's voice, Old Master Bai paused and coughed.
"What's with this 'Old Bai'? Can't you be more respectful? I am your superior now, after all!"
Old Master Xu snorted. "Hmph."
Who needs a superior who's always trying to poach his disciples!
"Where were you planning to take my disciples?" Old Master Xu raised an eyebrow, glancing at the path Old Bai was leading them down.
Hearing this, Old Master Bai fell silent for some reason and coughed dryly.
"Master, the elder was going to take us for the entrance assessment," Yunmu looked up and explained to Old Master Xu.
Hearing his obedient disciple's words, Old Master Xu snorted again, giving Old Bai a sidelong glance.
"Assessment? Hmph, this doesn't look like the way to the Examination Hall. It looks more like the path to your musty old courtyard."
The Examination Hall was where all new students took their entrance exams, with test papers prepared for students of various ages.
Hearing Old Master Xu's words, Old Master Bai could no longer hold back. He stroked his beard and smiled.
"What's the difference between going to my courtyard and the Examination Hall? I'm the one who sets all the entrance exam questions anyway."
"Ha!" Old Master Xu responded with a dry laugh to Old Bai's smile.
Of course it was different. The Examination Hall had standardized tests, but if this old fellow took them to his place, he'd surely come up with tricky questions to give them a hard time.
All under the pretense of testing his disciples to see if they were truly qualified.
In reality, he just wanted to gauge their abilities, and if they proved capable, he'd certainly try to poach them.
He wasn't going to fall for this old trick.
"I'll be taking my disciples now. Don't interfere. Don't forget I have the quota in my hands – the one you promised me yourself. Unconditional admission, and I'll be teaching them personally."
Old Master Bai: "...Alright then, but I'll still observe. You've been boasting so much, I need to see some proof. Otherwise, how can you show you weren't exaggerating?"
Ever since returning from Yiyang Town, Old Xu had been constantly bragging about finding three top-notch talents.
Claiming they could memorize poems and books after just a glance, fully comprehending their meaning in half a day – he couldn't believe it.
Even with the best luck, one might find one such talent. But three at once? Surely an exaggeration.
Hearing Old Bai say this, Old Master Xu fell silent. He looked at his disciples, then at Luo Ge and Gu Jinchen.
"Fine, I'll let you see for yourself."
He had confidence in his disciples. It was time to open Old Bai's eyes.
Listening to the conversation between the two old men, Luo Ge pursed his lips but said nothing.
It was clear that this Old Master Bai held a high position in the academy. Having the children demonstrate their abilities wasn't a bad thing.
As they approached the Examination Hall, Old Master Xu stopped and looked down at his two little disciples.
"Have you mastered what I taught you?"
Hearing this, the two little ones nodded obediently. "Don't worry, Master. We can both recite everything fluently now."
Before leaving the village, Old Master Xu had left them and Tie Dan with quite a bit of coursework.
They hadn't neglected any of it and could now fully grasp it all.
"Very good." Hearing his obedient disciples' words, Old Master Xu smiled with satisfaction. He stroked his beard and turned to Old Bai.
"For this assessment, why don't we use the Middle Academy level questions? That should put an end to your accusations of my exaggeration."
The students at Ningzhou Academy were divided into levels by age: Upper Academy, Middle Academy, and Lower Academy.
Lower Academy was for children under eight, around Yunmu and Yunxi's age.
Middle Academy was for young adolescents between eight and twelve years old.
The Upper Academy was for students aged thirteen and above who had already mastered poetry and prose, ready to pursue their future careers in officialdom.
Of course, if one's abilities allowed, it was possible to skip levels through examinations, similar to the modern concept of grade-skipping.
Hearing Old Master Xu's confident words, Old Master Bai raised an eyebrow.
"Since you're so confident, I naturally have no objections."
In fact, seeing Old Master Xu's demeanor, as well as the two young children who showed no signs of nervousness, Old Master Bai was already somewhat convinced.
Old Master Xu's proposal to choose a higher-level examination paper also surprised him.
If that was the case, he might as well broaden his horizons and see what would happen.
