“Perhaps he might have some exceptional strengths?”
…
The male students smiled crudely at each other, a knowing glint in their eyes.
The other female students whispered to each other excitedly.
“That man is quite the looker. He isn’t as bad as the rumors put him out to be.”
“You don’t say! How else could he have caught Chu Chuyan’s eye otherwise?”
“Heh. No matter how capable Chu Chuyan is, she still ended up marrying such a useless husband.”
“Hehehe…”
The teachers who were managing the aptitude test were familiar with the rumors surrounding the drafted son-in-law of the Chu clan. The teacher known as Ni Dian scoffed disdainfully. “I knew it! The crystal ball must have been faulty. Since the Brightmoon Duke has tested this rascal himself, there can’t be any mistake. Zu An, lower Ding, Yellow class!”
The academy was divided into three grades, and each grade was further divided into four different classes, namely Yellow, Black, Earth, and Sky. Those of Hong Xingying’s talent were bound to be allocated to the Sky class, and so too was the student with upper Yi class talent. As for Wei Suo, his Ding class talent would likely see him allocated to the Yellow class, just like Zu An.
Another teacher was to protest this decision when his ears suddenly pricked up. Far beyond the gathered crowd, in the forested grounds of the academy, a beautiful figure had caught his attention. He gazed at her for a moment, then chose to hold his tongue. With that, the matter was decided.
Zu An had all but given up on his plan to maintain a low profile and survive. However, his frustration slowly dissipated as those around him slowly came to the conclusion that he was indeed of poor talent, despite what the most recent test had revealed. Naturally, he welcomed such a misunderstanding, and did not argue.
Hong Xingying walked up to Zu An and snorted derisively. “A crow is, in the end, just a crow. No matter how desperately it flaps its wings in an attempt to scale higher, it’ll never morph into a phoenix.” With that declaration, he left. It was almost as if continuing to speak with Zu An would besmirch his honor.
Zu An, still celebrating that one of his worries had been resolved, chose to let Hong Xingying have the last word for now. He turned to Cheng Shouping, “I’ll be entering the academy now. You can return to the estate on your own.”
“Young master, did I say something wrong?” Cheng Shouping asked with a quaver in his voice.
Zu An patted his shoulder lightly and smiled. “Not at all. You did well.”
A brilliant smile broke out on Cheng Shouping’s face. “Young master, you’re the best to me!”
Zu An immediately pushed him away. “Hey, speak properly. I forbid you from speaking in such an effeminate manner in the future!”
A staff member walked over and led them into the academy. Along the way, the staff member provided them with a reminder. “There are activated formations around the perimeter of the academy. Their main purpose is to guard against intruders, but it would be best if you did not wander around. Accidentally triggering them could be dangerous.”
Those words alarmed Zu An. He had been extremely fortunate not to have wandered into one of them and triggered it the day before. However, he was a little curious as to how formations in this world looked like. Could they be similar to the formations that Huang Yaoshi set up on the Peach Blossom Island?[1]
“How dangerous are these formations?” Zu An was curious to know.
“You’ll find out in the future,” the staff member replied with a smile that could almost be described as dark. He looked as though he had read Zu An’s mind.
As they continued on, they passed by an empty field that resembled a schoolyard from his previous life. Curiously, there was a group of youths squatting right in the middle of the field.
“Squat properly! Let’s see if you dare arrive late again in the future!” A middle-aged man glared at the bunch of youths, a ruler in hand.
The middle-aged man had a bald patch in the middle of his head, but he had combed his hair across it aggressively to try to cover it up. It was a feeble attempt, as he had very little hair on both sides, and the few miserable strands did little to cover up the big, shiny spot.
The man seemed to sense Zu An’s intent gaze, and whipped around to glare at him. “What are you looking at?!”
Oh my, what fiery temper!
Zu An wasn’t the type to take such provocation lying down. He loaded up a retort and was just about to fire away when the young man named Wei Suo tugged on his sleeves urgently. “You mustn’t offend him!”
Surprised, Zu An turned to look at Wei Suo. “Why? Is he a formidable figure?”
Wei Suo lowered his voice. “He’s the discipline master of our academy, Lu De, nicknamed Baldhead. He’s known for being extremely strict with students. Do you see the ruler he’s using to beat the students?”
“I see it.” As Zu An looked on, one of the students in the field was struck by the ruler wielded by the middle-aged man, and wailed in pain.
“The word ‘Virtue’ is inscribed on the ruler. Every time he teaches the students a lesson, he claims that he’s using ‘Virtue’ to win over the students. It’s said that getting hit by that ruler is even more excruciating than being struck by the Wailing Whip, the weapon of the Second Miss of the Chu clan. He’s not like the teachers we met earlier on; he wields great authority in this academy. It’s best for you not to provoke him,” warned Wei Suo.
“What era are we in? Is physical punishment still in fashion?” Zu An retorted. “Is no one going to stop him?”
“Shhh, don’t speak so loud!” Wei Suo rushed over anxiously to cover Zu An’s mouth. “In the academy, he’s the one who boasts the greatest authority after the principal. Furthermore, he’s a sixth rank cultivator. Who would dare to butt into his affairs? Besides, there are plenty of arrogant students in this academy who like to cause trouble, and the academy needs someone like him to keep them in line. Because of this, his superiors implicitly approve of his behavior.”
Zu An nodded as Wei Suo’s explanation sank in. Curious, he asked, “Aren’t you a new student in the academy as well? Why are you so familiar with all this? For you to even know about my sister-in-law’s Wailing Whip…”
“Of course, I did my homework before coming here!” Wei Suo replied proudly. He thought that he saw respect in Zu An’s eyes, and that spurred his desire to show off. He nudged Zu An’s shoulder. With a conspiratorial smile, he said, “Have you heard of the Ten Great Beauties of our academy’s Sweetheart Ranking?”
1. This is a reference to the Legend of the Condor Heroes and Return of the Condor Heroes.