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When Fei Qian returned to Lushan to settle the score with the black-haired boy, he found that Pang Degong had already moved to the Feilong Pavilion, and the boy was sticking close to Pang Degong...
Seeing Fei Qian glaring at him, the boy secretly glared back.
Oh, quite the temper.
But since he could follow Pang Degong around, he shouldn't be an outsider. So why did he try to deceive me earlier?
Pang Degong slowly asked, "Did Governor Liu have anything to say?"
At this, Fei Qian felt a bit helpless and recounted everything Liu Biao had said at the foot of the mountain, including the advice he had given Liu Biao.
Pang Degong didn't scold Fei Qian for giving improper advice. Instead, he asked, "In your opinion, should I come out of seclusion?"
Fei Qian blinked. Why was Pang Degong asking him whether he should come out of seclusion? Then he quickly realized that Pang Degong wasn't actually asking about himself but was probing Fei Qian's personal opinion of Liu Biao—after all, Fei Qian still held the official title of Assistant to the Governor.
Fei Qian glanced at the black-haired boy standing beside Pang Degong.
Pang Degong noticed this and smiled, saying to Fei Qian, "This is my nephew, Pang Tong, Pang Shiyuan." His tone implied that Pang Tong was one of their own, so Fei Qian could speak freely.
But Fei Qian was shocked. This unremarkable black-haired boy with a small face and big eyes was Pang Tong? The "Fledgling Phoenix" Pang Tong looked like this?
He wasn't exactly ugly, but he wasn't particularly handsome either.
Fei Qian muttered to himself, no wonder he's called the "Fledgling Phoenix." As the saying goes, a featherless phoenix is no better than a chicken. This young phoenix hasn't fully grown yet, haha...
Hmm, I wonder if he's already earned that title. Judging by his age, he's probably only around ten years old, so it's unlikely.
The black-haired boy, Pang Tong, stepped forward and bowed formally, his small face serious and expressionless.
Fei Qian returned the gesture and then answered Pang Degong's earlier question, "Governor Liu, though he has a dignified appearance, is outwardly lenient but inwardly suspicious. He is narrow-minded and lacks magnanimity, so it would be unwise to come out of seclusion for him."
Pang Degong nodded, then glanced down the mountain and suddenly said, "You may go down the mountain now."
Fei Qian was momentarily stunned. Had he said something wrong? Or done something wrong? Was he being kicked out? What should he do...
Pang Degong glanced at Fei Qian and pointed to a plot of land at the foot of the mountain.
Fei Qian looked and suddenly understood. Unbeknownst to him, the wooden house on his plot of land had already been completed. Now, they were just doing the final touches, cleaning, and arranging things.
It turned out that the agreement with Pang Degong was that once the wooden house was finished, Fei Qian would move down the mountain.
Fei Qian finally felt relieved. He realized that while he had been working hard these past few days, Pang Degong hadn't had it easy either. Not only did he have to assign Fei Qian various books to read, but he also had to provide guidance on Fei Qian's reading insights. For an elderly man of his age, this was no small feat.
Moreover, Fei Qian knew that as people age, they have trouble sleeping at night and tend to feel drowsy during the day. Although he had been careful, he couldn't avoid making some noise that might have disturbed Pang Degong.
So, Fei Qian didn't insist on staying. After all, the mountain wasn't far, and as long as Pang Degong was willing to teach, he could just make the extra effort to travel back and forth.
Standing to the side, the black-haired boy Pang Tong narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking, 'Haha, you took my room and made a mess of it. Now, I can finally move back in...'
But to his surprise, Pang Degong asked Fei Qian if there were any extra rooms in the wooden house at the foot of the mountain. After receiving an affirmative answer, Pang Degong turned to Pang Tong and said, "You will go down the mountain with Ziyuan as well."
"What?!" Pang Tong was stunned and almost jumped up. "Why?"
Pang Degong said leisurely, "There was no place for you at the foot of the mountain before, so I let you stay here temporarily. Now that Ziyuan's house is ready, why should you stay? Go quickly, and stop making noise."
Pang Tong looked miserable but had no choice. He packed his things and, together with Fei Qian, bid farewell to Pang Degong. The two of them then walked down the mountain, one after the other.
As they walked, Fei Qian remembered how Pang Tong had tricked him earlier and slowed his pace. When Pang Tong caught up, Fei Qian used his body to block Pang Tong and asked, "Why did you deceive me earlier on the mountain?"
After all, the "Fledgling Phoenix" was still in his early stages, and Fei Qian felt no pressure in teasing him. Moreover, he still hadn't settled the earlier score...
Pang Tong's eyes darted around as he tried to break free from Fei Qian's hold. He stubbornly refused to admit anything—after all, every word he had said earlier was true. At most, he had misled Fei Qian with his expressions and gestures. There was no way Fei Qian could hold it against him.
Fei Qian thought about it and realized that was true...
Pang Tong pushed a couple of times, but being smaller and weaker, he couldn't move Fei Qian. Frustrated, he said angrily, "What's so great about relying on brute strength? If you have the guts, let's compete with our brains. Let's see how I deal with you!"
Fei Qian found this amusing and said, "I get to choose the topic? No restrictions?"
Pang Tong puffed out his chest and said proudly, "Classics, history, philosophy, literature, astronomy, geography—you can choose anything!"
Well, dealing with a fully matured "Fledgling Phoenix" might have been challenging, but against this half-baked version, it was a piece of cake...
Fei Qian looked around and suddenly noticed the waterfall flowing down the mountain. He came up with a question and asked Pang Tong, "How much does water weigh?"
Pang Tong's eyes darted around, and he said, "You have to specify how much water. Otherwise, whatever I say will be wrong!"
Not bad, he avoided the first trap. But even if he dodged the first one, he wouldn't escape the second—
Fei Qian then said, "In that case, how much does a single drop of water weigh?"
"Huh?" Pang Tong swallowed hard. "...A single drop of water?!"
"Exactly!"
Pang Tong exclaimed, "How can you weigh a single drop of water?! Who would even try to weigh a single drop?!"
Fei Qian pointed at himself and said, "I would! So, do you want to admit defeat, or should I tell you the answer?"
"No!" Pang Tong gritted his teeth and said angrily, "I'll figure it out!"
"Alright then," Fei Qian said casually. "Let me know when you figure it out. I hope I won't have to wait too long, haha..." After all, this kind of question would be ridiculously simple in the future, but in the Han Dynasty, with its crude and imprecise measuring instruments, it would take some serious effort to calculate...
In the Feilong Pavilion on the mountain, Pang Degong watched the two of them bickering as they walked down. He couldn't help but smile and nod, then closed his eyes to rest.
In his view, the path of learning required mutual challenge and competition to yield results. By sending both of them down the mountain and having them live together, his intention was to encourage them to push each other to study harder...
Of course, it had been a bit too noisy these past few days. Sending them both down would also bring some peace and quiet...
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A/N: The crude and imprecise measuring instruments of the Han Dynasty made calculating such microscopic problems a real challenge.
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