Chapter 26: Chen Zixiu’s Highlight Moment
“A sage has descended to the world. No one can rival him.”
“No matter what the contest is, do not agree.”
Silence fell.
But the other party had already come knocking at their door. How could they refuse to answer? If word got out, would Shangjing Academy not become a cowardly turtle hiding in its shell?
At that moment, someone suddenly hurried in. It was a palace attendant.
“His Majesty has decreed: all scholars of the academy are to do everything possible. You must defeat Crown Prince Sudan of Zhao.”
“…”
Chen Bai did not know what happened afterward, because the students were kept in the schoolroom to continue class.
Only, halfway through the afternoon lesson, someone from the academy’s internal affairs suddenly ran over and said something to the master.
The master clearly failed to hide the shock on his face. His expression went from disbelief—impossible, absolutely impossible—to utter fury, as if he had suffered a great humiliation, yet could do nothing about it.
When the master returned to the schoolroom, he barely managed to steady his emotions before announcing, “Starting today, the academy will be closed. The reopening date will be announced later.”
Crash!
The entire classroom suddenly erupted.
Although the master did not say the reason, still…
Not long after Crown Prince Sudan of Zhao arrived at the academy, the academy announced its closure. Add to that the fact that the residences of the renowned scholars he had visited earlier had all shut their doors one after another—if one said this had nothing to do with him, no one would believe it.
“A crown prince from another country actually forced Shangjing Academy to shut its gates?”
“What kind of etiquette is this for an envoy? To humiliate Great Qian like this—outrageous!”
The students in the schoolroom were filled with righteous indignation, their faces flushed with anger.
This was the shame of Great Qian’s scholars.
Chen Bai was also deeply shocked. He had been able to compete against the crown prince’s retainers because he had cheats.
But this Crown Prince Sudan had actually relied on his own strength to force Great Qian’s highest academy to close.
He was truly a peerless figure, an unmatched genius under heaven, a formidable man of his time. Only, Crown Prince Sudan looked like a refined and gentle little puppy. Not only was his combat power strong, but he was also unexpectedly competitive.
At his seat, Qi Zheng frowned. This was far too different from the Sudan he knew. Why had he acted like this?
When Chen Bai walked out of the schoolroom, the whole academy was full of students rushing around in anger. It was complete chaos.
Some were aggrieved. Some were furious to the point of madness. All of them were searching everywhere for the envoys of Zhao.
At that moment, Chen Xiaobu ran over. “Brother, we don’t have class anymore. Are we going home?”
With the academy in such chaos, Chen Bai did not dare let Chen Xiaobu stay there alone, so he was about to nod.
Just then, several children came trotting behind Chen Xiaobu, each holding a dog on a leash. “Brother Bai, want to walk the dogs together later?”
Very well. They had all come to find him to walk the dogs.
“Brother Bai, my bulldog keeps biting people’s shoes. What should I do?”
The others also asked about the problems they had encountered while raising their dogs.
The dogs were all around four months old, at the teething stage. Their teeth itched, so they liked to find things to chew. There were also many other things that needed attention.
It seemed he had to find a place to answer these little fellows’ questions.
With a wave of his hand, Chen Bai said, “Let’s go. We’re going for a stroll.”
He had not really explored Shangjing City much either. Since there was no class today, it was the perfect chance to have a proper look around.
The streets of Shangjing City were paved with connected slabs of blue stone. Chen Xiaobu’s skateboard did not jolt much on them; they were fairly smooth.
Chen Bai looked at the little fellows walking beside him in a “fierce and imposing” manner and said, “Do you know who the coolest kids in Shangjing City are?”
The little fellows shook their heads in confusion.
Chen Bai smiled and pointed at each of them one by one.
The little fellows’ mouths opened wide. Then their faces turned forward, their little bottoms tilted back, their brows curved with smiles, and they walked with the swagger of demons rampaging through the streets.
Chen Bai laughed and did not stop them. Inner confidence was also a kind of strength. At this age, children should live like the most beautiful morning sun. Leave worries to the adults.
Besides, he had brought these little fellows out today precisely to make a scene on the streets.
“Isn’t that Chen Zixiu?”
“Tsk, tsk. He actually dares come out shopping? Although people are now saying there may be doubts about his case, it is not as if he has been cleared of the charges.”
“Just those rumors alone would probably make any ordinary person lock themselves away and never see anyone again.”
Before Chen Bai could say anything, the little fellows holding the dogs beside him raised their brows. “What are you saying? Say it louder.”
Then they turned fiercely to the rough servant women following behind them. “If anyone keeps spouting nonsense, go up and slap their faces. Slap their mouths until they admit their mistake. If they feel wronged, let them go file a grievance.”
After saying that, they smiled sweetly at Chen Bai. “Brother Bai, how did we do?”
Well, a group of little spoiled brats. A group of little bootlickers.
Still, the effect was genuinely good. Sure enough, the surroundings quieted down quite a bit. It made sense. They should look at whose family’s juniors these children were. Nearly a third of Shangjing’s high-ranking officials were connected to this group.
Chen Bai muttered, “As expected, wicked people need wicked people to grind them down.”
In the past, he had allowed others to talk nonsense about him and had not really resisted. That had made people think he was easy to bully. These people had praised Crown Prince Jiao and scolded him a few times, but they seemed to have forgotten that he was also the son of an official. How could he tolerate their loose tongues?
Most of Chen Bai’s thinking still came from modern times, so he had never thought of ordering people to slap others’ faces like this.
The rough servant women behind them glared fiercely around, looking very intimidating.
Chen Bai: “…”
Why did he feel like he had become a tyrannical village bully strutting around with dogs?
Chen Bai smiled. It did not seem too bad. In any case, no one would probably regard him as a good person. However, even Chen Bai did not know that an opportunity for everyone in Shangjing to know he was a good person was about to arrive. When that time came, things would truly be wonderful. The common people who had once humiliated and cursed him would eventually have no face to look him in the eye.
He threw those thoughts to the back of his mind and walked along while buying little things, such as sugar figurines and dough figurines.
Although the items were small, the little fellows played with them happily. Their silver-bell-like laughter filled the street.
Chen Bai also felt the unique atmosphere that belonged to this era.
However, at some point, a sedan chair had started following beside them.
It had already followed them for several streets.
Chen Bai frowned slightly. Was this stalking?
But this stalking was far too blatant.
Was it someone sent by Crown Prince Jiao?
No, even Qi Zheng had not connected Lord Mountain and Chen Zixiu in any other way, let alone Crown Prince Jiao, who barely had contact with him.
Then who was in this sedan?
Moreover, this sedan was getting more and more excessive, moving closer and closer.
Suddenly, a hand reached out from inside the sedan and stretched toward the dogs.
Chen Bai: “…”
Through the slightly lifted curtain, Chen Bai looked inside.
He could not help rubbing his eyes, thinking he had seen wrong.
White robes, refined and gentle, a little puppy-like face.
Who else could it be if not Crown Prince Sudan of Zhao?
The person the entire Shangjing Academy was currently searching for like mad, the Crown Prince Sudan of Zhao who had made the whole of Shangjing feel as if it had been blown up, had actually run over to his side.
Chen Xiaobu hurriedly hugged his Dalmatian in his arms. “Who are you? Why are you touching my dog?”
When the person in the sedan slightly revealed a palm-sized face—
The little fellows’ mouths all formed O-shapes. They had once stood in the procession welcoming the crown prince of Zhao, so of course they recognized him.
“Oh my god, isn’t this the culprit who made us lose our classes?”
“Just now, we heard people shouting along the way that if they found you, they’d press you to the ground and beat you.”
Chen Bai’s face also darkened. “What are you doing?”
Sudan replied solemnly, “I was merely passing by.”
Immediately, Shang Jujiu and Shang Zhizhou said, “Your sedan looks awfully familiar. Why do I feel like it has followed us for several streets?”
“…”
After a long pause, Sudan said, “I saw that these exotic beasts of yours were rather rare, so I couldn’t help looking a few more times.”
It was probably more than just a few extra looks. Just now, he had been unable to restrain himself and had even reached out from the sedan to touch them.
Chen Bai’s face darkened. The peerless genius who had fought Shangjing Academy into closing had actually been secretly teasing their dogs. Why was the contrast in his image so huge?
“Crown Prince Sudan, it would be best for you to return to the guest residence. Great Qian is different from Great Zhao. The people here are fierce,” Chen Bai said.
Sudan replied, “I’ll just follow beside you and watch. It should be fine. Great Qian is hospitable. Surely they would not beat another country’s crown prince in the street.”
“I’ll stay in the sedan. As long as you don’t say anything, no one will discover me.”
Chen Bai: “…”
The little fellows: “…”
Was it worth taking such a great risk just to look at their dogs? Why was this crown prince… nothing like his competitive image?
Besides, both Chen Bai and these exotic beasts on leashes were already the focus of attention on the whole street. Wouldn’t it be strange for a sedan to follow beside them? And he even lifted the curtain from time to time to show his face. It would be a miracle if no one discovered him.
If something happened, the few of them probably would not be able to escape responsibility either.
Diplomatic relations between countries were major matters, and every move could carry weight.
Chen Bai sighed. Since the other party was determined to follow, there was nothing he could do. The road was not his, after all.
Still, if he simply ignored him, something would definitely happen.
With no other choice, Chen Bai bought a mask from a roadside stall and handed it over. “If you don’t want to be beaten, at least disguise yourself.”
Sudan took the mask and looked at it. “Your Great Qian customs are truly unusual. I saw quite a few people wearing red robes and masks on the street just now. Is there some meaning behind it?”
Chen Bai: “…”
After Sudan had a mask, the sedan could no longer keep him contained…
Chen Bai looked at the Crown Prince of Zhao, who was holding the corgi in his left arm and the bulldog in his right, his face buried in the Old English sheepdog’s neck while his eyes still stared at the husky and Dalmatian…
The corners of his mouth could not stop twitching.
The court was probably currently racking its brains over the trouble Sudan had caused, but the instigator himself…
Forget it, forget it. He had only come out today to stroll around. Great matters had nothing to do with him.
Seeing Sudan like their dogs so much, the little fellows became happy too. “Our dogs are pretty, right?”
“Brother Bai gave them to us.”
Chen Bai also introduced himself. “Chen Bai, courtesy name Zixiu, of the Court Commandant’s residence.”
Then he introduced the little fellows as well.
Sudan froze for a moment. “You are that… mm, that Chen Zixiu?”
Chen Bai: “…”
He had only been in Shangjing for one day and had already heard his name. As expected, his bad reputation had spread far and wide.
Chen Bai said, “Let’s walk and talk.”
He could count as the host, so he would show him around Shangjing and fulfill the duties of hospitality.
Although Chen Bai’s shopping trip seemed aimless, he did have a destination.
They arrived at a cloth shop, bought some fabric, borrowed the owner’s tools, and began making chew ropes and cloth balls for the dogs.
They would give the owner some extra money later as a venue fee.
Wasn’t Prince Ning’s bulldog fond of biting shoes? That was because it was about to change teeth, and its teeth itched. As long as it was given something to chew, the habit could be corrected.
It was also a good chance to make a few cloth balls and teach the dogs to fetch them.
Making toys for one’s own dog was rather interesting.
Only…
What was with Sudan, who had already played until he was lying among the dogs?
Sudan even said solemnly, “I’ll make each of them a cloth ball. When yours break, you can still use mine.”
“…”
Chen Bai had never seen anyone like dogs to such an insane degree.
From time to time, Sudan even asked, “Can they really bring back the cloth balls after they’re thrown?”
“They truly are spiritual exotic beasts.” His eyes were full of light.
When they shopped until the sun tilted westward, that reluctant gaze of his made Chen Bai feel embarrassed on his behalf.
He truly had not expected Sudan to be this kind of crown prince.
Chen Bai shook his head. As expected, the sea could not be measured with a dipper, and people could not be judged by appearance.
Whether it was himself, Sudan, Qi Zheng, or Crown Prince Jiao, all of them seemed to have second personalities.
…
When he returned home, Chen Xiaobu could not wait to lead his Dalmatian off to play with the cloth ball.
Chen Bai also checked tomorrow’s courseware. At that moment, Qi Zheng sent him a voice message. “Do you know why Crown Prince Sudan of Zhao acted so arrogant and unreasonable the moment he arrived in Shangjing, humiliating our Great Qian scholars?”
Chen Bai thought, no wonder Qi Zheng had not summoned him today. He must have gone to understand the whole story.
But… arrogant and unreasonable? Inhumane?
If Chen Bai had not interacted with Sudan today, then based on what Sudan had done, those two descriptions were indeed fitting.
Chen Bai was also very curious. The Sudan he had met did not seem like that kind of person at all, so he asked, “Why?”
Qi Zheng replied, “The reason Zhao’s envoys came to Great Qian this time is because they want to exchange a peerless piece of beautiful jade for Great Qian’s Bian City.”
Bian City was a city on the border between Great Qian and Great Zhao, and it belonged to Great Qian. This city was very special because it had been built beside a river.
Having this city was equivalent to possessing that river. With the river, a great deal of surrounding farmland could be irrigated.
Bian City had abundant water, which was why it had harvests year after year. But the Zhao cities facing Bian City were in a completely different situation. The river that had originally been used for irrigation was entirely in Great Qian’s hands. Without irrigation water, their fields were basically barren.
It could be said that as long as Zhao obtained Bian City, they would be able to feed the people of several cities.
Bian City’s location was somewhat isolated for Great Qian. It looked more like it had been inserted into Zhao territory.
Using a piece of beautiful jade to exchange for a city—no matter what, the Emperor should never agree.
Qi Zheng continued, “The Emperor refused. However, among the Zhao envoys, there is a strategist skilled in sophistry. He deliberately provoked us with words, saying that since Crown Prince Jiao had already agreed to let Crown Prince Sudan of Zhao visit Great Qian’s renowned scholars, they were willing to set a wager: with Crown Prince Sudan alone, Zhao could defeat Great Qian’s entire literary education. He asked whether the Emperor dared to accept the bet.”
Chen Bai could imagine the scene at the time. To actually shout such words in front of the Emperor, declaring that one person would challenge an entire country—if Great Qian had refused to agree to such an impossible challenge, it probably would have become a shocking joke.
This was an open scheme. They used a result everyone would think impossible to force Great Qian into accepting the wager.
But who could have imagined that Great Qian’s highest academy, Shangjing Academy, would actually close because of it? That refined and gentle-looking Crown Prince Sudan of Zhao had really done it.
Chen Bai asked, “Don’t tell me they really exchanged one piece of jade for an entire city?”
“The Emperor temporarily refused and is currently summoning scholars from Great Qian’s local regions back to the capital.”
Chen Bai: “…”
Even Shangjing Academy had lost. He feared that even if they were unwilling to give up, it would be useless. Sudan was truly a world-shaking genius who could fight against a whole nation alone. Although right now, Chen Bai’s mind was filled with the image of that puppy-like young man clinging to someone else’s dog and refusing to let go…
They chatted a little more. Chen Bai could not help sighing. Even if it were him, with the help of his phone, he probably would not be able to beat Sudan in the Four Books and Five Classics.
One must never underestimate the ancients. Among tens of millions of people, there would always be one or two breathtaking talents.
The night was long, and Chen Bai chatted lazily, sentence by sentence.
“Since that believer of mine is working in your residence, treat him a little better from now on.”
Qi Zheng gave a perfunctory “Mm.”
Chen Bai got angry just hearing it. “Don’t think I don’t know. You punish him by making him stand every day.”
Qi Zheng’s eyes darkened. Complaining again? Was this Chen Zixiu some kind of professional tattletale?
“I’m doing it for his own good. His body is too thin.”
Chen Bai: “…”
How was he thin? He had also… grown up learning blades and spears since childhood.
His figure was slender, and he had everything he should have. If this were modern times, he could make a living off his face. Qi Zheng must be blind.
In his heart, Chen Bai said viciously, just wait until he found an opportunity. Did Qi Zheng really think he was easy to bully? Chen Bai would strike back with a counter-grab and crush his eggs.
Chen Bai hung up the video call.
Qi Zheng’s expression, however, became complicated.
They had cooperated pleasantly several times. They could be considered friends, right? Yet he could not even compare to a believer?
Believers, believers—they must want something. Their feelings were fake.
…
The next day, Chen Bai had to go teach.
After dressing properly, he went to Qi Zheng’s residence, where Qi Zheng was already prepared.
They rode out of the city together in a carriage. Along the roadside, quite a few students had actually stopped.
When Chen Bai passed by, the students shouted, “Teacher, teacher! I planted the sunflowers in this section of the road. Come look! They’ve all sprouted, and the new shoots have even pushed the sunflower seed shells up on their heads.”
They were especially happy.
If they had been told to farm, they would probably have been miserable. But somehow, they were very attentive when it came to planting these sunflowers. They could observe each sprout for ages.
For the past few days, whenever they had time, they had come out to take care of their seeds.
They were wholeheartedly looking forward to autumn, when a whole road of little suns would bloom.
Chen Bai also stopped and walked along the way, pointing out a few problems he noticed.
The students smiled as they took out little notebooks and wrote everything down. This was something they had never experienced before. Compared to staying inside a schoolroom and studying boringly, it was far more interesting.
What surprised Chen Bai was that they actually ran into Crown Prince Jiao on the road. He was surrounded by a group of people and was also observing the planted sunflowers.
Chen Bai did not comment. At a time like this, the crown prince of Great Qian was not worrying about the city they were about to lose, but still had his heart set on competing with him?
Heh.
By the time Chen Bai reached the school building, a group of students were already waiting there, carrying drawing boards on their backs and holding flowerpots in their arms.
Before Chen Bai could speak, one student said, “Prince Zheng, the sunflowers in your field were eaten by rabbits.”
What?
They walked over to take a look. There was now an extra plot of land outside the school building, and the sunflower seedlings in the field had already sprouted.
He remembered Qi Zheng had said to leave him a plot of land to plant sunflowers.
There were many three-petal footprints in the field, and quite a few sunflower seedlings had been dug up.
It was very lively. The students held their notes and pointed things out.
“Prince Zheng, your seedlings are too dense.”
“If they’re this dense, they’ll only grow leaves and won’t bloom. Prince Zheng definitely didn’t listen carefully in class.”
Qi Zheng looked at the chewed-up seedlings. “…”
How had rabbits run into his field? Hadn’t the place been fenced off?
In the end, by the stream, because the water level had dropped a little, there really was a small gap that had not been blocked.
Chen Bai said, “Your seedlings are too dense. You need to separate them.”
Qi Zheng gave an “Mm.” “After class, together?”
Chen Bai turned around and left. Keep dreaming. Didn’t Qi Zheng like punishing him to stand? Later, he would just stand beside him and watch without doing any work.
There was a new face among today’s students. It was Prince Ning.
There was no helping it. Neither Qi Zheng nor Chen Bai had the right to refuse.
Besides, Prince Ning was a little cutie, and the ten taels of gold had been paid in full. One more student was fine.
The classroom had eighty seats. Right now, there were only seventy students, so there was still space.
“Prince Ning, don’t be so surprised your jaw falls off later.”
Prince Ning: “…”
No matter how he looked at it, it was just an ordinary schoolroom.
He had heard many things along the road just now, but he had not understood them at all.
When the classroom door opened, the students rushed inside in a swarm.
“I missed this place so much.”
“I want to come here every day.”
They rubbed their seats vigorously.
There were also students who skillfully went to pour themselves a cup of sweet water and sat properly at the table in the rest area to drink it, smiling like anything.
There were piles of students playing with the air-conditioning fans.
Prince Ning’s jaw did not fall to the ground, but his mouth could not close. Chen Xiaobu had pulled him to stand in front of the air-conditioning fan, and his hair was blown until it looked like straw, causing a burst of laughter.
Chen Bai looked at the time. “Return to your seats. Class will begin soon.”
As for the lessons Prince Ning had missed, let Qi Zheng tutor him. They were brothers, weren’t they? As for how Qi Zheng, who had no friends, would teach a child, Chen Bai had no idea.
The morning was still sketching class. It was a little more complicated this time and involved perspective. Only by creating a sense of perspective could a drawing truly look three-dimensional.
The students stared unblinkingly at the video. They were both curious and interested in the content.
They never got tired of watching it. Even if they did not understand the content inside, they could keep staring without looking away.
Each time they reached an important point, Chen Bai paused the video and explained it, asking the students to take notes.
Qi Zheng also studied seriously as if no one else were around.
Chen Bai: “…”
Did Qi Zheng count as his student?
If he did, didn’t that mean he could casually control him and make him do whatever he wanted?
After class, he would ask. Just thinking about it was a little exciting.
Because of their experience from last time, the students were no longer so lost and did not ask as many questions unrelated to class, so the lesson went relatively smoothly.
“The most important part of sketching is still practical ability. Even if your eyes understand, your hands may not. You must continue practicing to improve,” Chen Bai said. “Later, I’ll take everyone outside to sketch from life. This time, we’ll try drawing something more three-dimensional.”
Chen Bai looked at the time. “But before we go outside to sketch, we’ll watch a movie first.”
This had been arranged last week.
The students wished the class could last longer. It was too interesting, and they could never listen enough. But…
What was a movie?
Qi Zheng’s face was also full of confusion. The demon had never told him about this.
“Pay attention to the screen,” Chen Bai said. Then he clicked open the film version of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.
Why had he chosen this one?
Of course there was a reason. First, it was a costume drama, and this era also had swordsmen. For example, Cao Qiu, the Sword Saint famous throughout the world. It was somewhat in line with the background of the times. As for the parts that did not match, Chen Bai had avoided them through the dubbing.
Second, and most importantly, The Smiling, Proud Wanderer had Yue Buqun, the model of a hypocrite.
Chen Bai wanted the people of Shangjing to know that beneath the outer appearance of someone who behaved like a moral exemplar could also be a petty man with a vicious heart.
So, when one did not know the full story, one should not casually judge others.
In order to tear open Crown Prince Jiao’s disguise, and in order to plant more seeds of doubt in the hearts of the people of Shangjing, there were some things he still had to do.
In the past, he had always been forced to counterattack. This time, he would use The Smiling, Proud Wanderer to take the initiative. As long as he handled it properly, it would be enough for Crown Prince Jiao to suffer.
He had said that one day, he would seek justice for himself. The other party was the crown prince, so acting rashly would only bring trouble upon himself, but that did not mean he would not act…
He would slowly erode things bit by bit. By the time Crown Prince Jiao reacted, it would probably already be too late.
The students looked at the screen. Were they going to watch people inside the stone again?
They loved this the most.
However, once the image appeared, each of their mouths slowly opened wider and wider, until they were bigger than duck eggs.
“A horse! Someone is riding a horse inside the stone!”
“It’s a swordsman! Why are there mountains and lakes inside the stone too?”
The videos they had watched before had only been of a teacher giving lessons. At most, the person moved their hands and mouth, and they could not even see the full body clearly.
But now it was completely different. It was showing an entire scene in full.
And the sound—before, there had only been a single voice. Now, the sounds inside were so strange and so rich.
Aside from the characters’ speaking voices, there were also background sounds and environmental sounds, all used to build the atmosphere.
With the headphones on, the sound became even more shocking and realistic.
Chen Bai looked at the students, each of them with eyes wide as saucers and mouths hanging open, and found it rather funny…
This was the impact of technology.
When humans first came into contact with light bulbs, first watched television, first used computers, they had probably looked about the same as these students did now.
Chen Bai glanced at Qi Zheng. Qi Zheng’s entire person had gone blank.
Chen Bai really wanted to take a photo of him and let him see it for himself.
“This… What is this?” Qi Zheng did not even know how to ask.
Chen Bai said, “This is a movie. It’s similar to a storybook. Watch carefully.”
“…”
How was it similar to a storybook? It was far too different.
Chen Bai watched too. A classic was a classic; watching it again was still enjoyable.
The story began with Linghu Chong first stepping into the martial world, which made it very easy to get immersed. His ordinary martial arts at the beginning also reflected everyone’s own situation.
Then he chanced upon Feng Qingyang, who lived free and unburdened, and learned the world-shaking sword technique, the Nine Swords of Dugu.
He befriended Qu Yang, an elder of the demonic sect, and Liu Zhengfeng of Mount Heng. They were righteous and loyal, living up to their youth and their friendship.
The latter part was even more exciting. He accidentally exposed his master Yue Buqun’s hypocritical true face, and when they recalled everything that hypocrite had done before, they wished they could pierce him with ten thousand arrows to vent their hatred…
There was also Dongfang Bubai, who had gone down a crooked path but was deeply passionate and sincere, making people both love and hate him, torturing them until their hearts felt torn apart.
At first, the students had been so shocked that they did not know what to do. Later, they slowly became drawn into the story.
A good movie, combined with their first time experiencing one, was not much different from personally being there.
One moment, they were grinning happily. The next, they were gritting their teeth in anger…
A single movie drew out every human emotion: joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.
Even after the movie ended, no one had recovered.
Fortunately, the ending of the movie was still considered beautiful. Retiring to the mountains and forests to live a free and unrestrained life—although there were regrets along the way, at least the final scene was warm.
No one knew how long had passed before Qi Zheng finally said, “So this is a movie?”
It was actually unbelievable to this extent.
The students were also dazed. What had they just experienced?
Chen Bai said, “Just treat it as reading a storybook. It’s only that the story is being shown to you in a more concrete and vivid way.”
“My heavens! What was that just now?” Chen Xiaobu suddenly wailed.
The others snapped awake too. “Quick, bite me. I must have been dreaming just now. Even a dream couldn’t be that clear.”
The whole classroom became excited and lively. The students’ faces flushed red as they confirmed with one another whether it had been real.
Chen Bai: “…”
Fine. His explanation just now had been completely wasted.
They would get used to it. In any case, this would not be the only movie he showed them.
Chen Bai also reviewed the movie with the students, summarizing the entire story from beginning to end. Of course… the focus was definitely on Yue Buqun.
Sure enough, once Yue Buqun was mentioned, all the students frowned.
“How can there be such a hypocritical person in this world?”
“He’s simply hateful. At first, I even thought he was a good person.”
“He hid it so well. Good thing someone exposed his true face, or I would have wanted to crawl inside and beat him up. Though I think I probably couldn’t beat him.”
“As for that Feng Qingyang, I think he’s even stronger than Sword Saint Cao Qiu…”
They discussed excitedly.
By the time their mouths were dry from talking, it was already past lunchtime.
Even when they walked out of the classroom, that lively excitement did not stop, leaving the servants waiting outside completely stunned.
They could not understand a single word.
The afternoon class began with taking the students outside to sketch from life.
Everyone carried their drawing boards on their backs and set off in a grand procession. It was rather interesting.
Because their drawing skills were still limited, they could not draw anything too complicated.
Chen Bai chose a thatched hut for them to draw. It was square and simple enough.
It was an abandoned thatched hut. The people who had lived there had probably already returned to their hometown.
The students each found a good position, set up their easels, and began drawing with smiles on their faces.
Chen Bai walked around the area, giving pointers from time to time.
Some commoners who were raising rabbits and planting grapes passed by, clicking their tongues in wonder.
“Aren’t those the children from our side who went to learn reading and arithmetic?”
Of course, they did not dare come closer. Some of these children were clearly descendants of high officials and nobles.
In their eyes, such a scene was completely unimaginable. They had only been a group of refugees before, yet now their children were actually studying together with the young masters from Shangjing.
When they thought of the tuition—ten taels of gold—they could not help trembling. That was money they could never earn in one lifetime, perhaps not even in several lifetimes.
As for those who had hesitated and refused to transfer their household registrations to Qi Zheng’s fief, Chen Bai did not know what they were thinking now.
They had not known before that this Mountain Lord was teaching their children too.
Now there was nothing they could do. Enrollment had already ended, and they did not have a background as strong as Prince Ning’s, strong enough that neither Qi Zheng nor Chen Bai could refuse them.
The weather was hot, but the place they had chosen happened to have some trees. Hiding under the shade was not unbearable.
Most importantly, the students did not care whether it was hot or not at all.
So class could be held like this?
Compared with a classroom, studying outdoors was far freer. They ran over to see how their friends were drawing, then cheerfully exchanged comments.
They found joy in it.
Being able to study happily—why not?
The bold ones even secretly ran over to look at Qi Zheng’s drawing, then covered their mouths and ran toward Chen Bai. “Teacher, Prince Zheng drew something strange.”
Chen Bai also took a look. “…”
Qi Zheng even asked seriously, “Does it not look alike?”
Heh.
Sure enough, drawing required talent too.
The atmosphere in class was very good, filled with happy smiles and bright voices.
Looking at them, Chen Bai felt even more at ease about the tuition he had collected.
However, there was another lesson arranged for today. Sketching was the fixed course, while the afternoon class could be arranged freely.
There still had to be homework. “The homework for sketching class is the same as last time. Hand in a sketch of the thatched hut you drew.”
There were thatched huts right outside Shangjing, so they did not need to run so far every time.
Chen Bai also had a use for the drawings he collected. Later, he would hold an art exhibition for them. He had to give these parents an explanation. Of course, what would be displayed would definitely not only be paintings.
“Next is the following lesson. Return to the multifunctional electronic classroom first.”
After returning to the classroom, Chen Bai officially began the next class. “This lesson is about first aid and hygiene.”
It could be said that this class had been specially designed for the children from commoner families.
This was not the first time Chen Bai had seen where they lived. Because of their circumstances, the environment was indeed poor.
But it was also far too dirty and disorderly.
Last time, those people who had gotten dysentery and had been brought into the city by Shang Wangshu for treatment had most likely fallen ill because they had not paid attention to hygiene.
Poor living conditions did not mean things had to be so filthy and chaotic.
What Chen Bai taught was only basic content. It would have to be expanded slowly.
The hygiene portion was just common sense.
Of course, that was only common sense to Chen Bai.
First aid was slightly more complicated. It included how to deal with external injuries, how to deal with drowning, how to handle fainting, and so on.
Of course, these could not be fully explained in one lesson.
The students were rather confused listening to it.
Actually, Chen Bai did not expect them to learn it with great precision. He only hoped that if they encountered similar situations in the future, they would not panic. People often panicked because they did not know what to do.
However, even Chen Bai did not expect that the things he had taught unintentionally would be used by these students very soon—and far more suddenly and thrillingly than he could ever have imagined.
“Lastly, I’ll teach everyone how to plant isatis root.”
The planting class still had to be taught.
So next to Qi Zheng’s sunflower field, there was now another plot for growing isatis root.
Each student was assigned one ridge of land. Of course, right now, it was still full of weeds.
Isatis root was widely used in modern times, so naturally, there was a reason for it.
The day’s lessons ended just like that.
Chen Bai decided that next time, he would add a research topic class, letting these children split into groups to study certain things and train their ability to use both their hands and their minds.
As for what they would research? It would definitely be something meaningful for this era.
When the group of students left the classroom, Prince Ning still looked like a wooden statue.
“Prince Ning, still haven’t come back to your senses?”
Prince Ning shook his little head. “Let me sort it out.”
Everyone burst into laughter. In truth, hadn’t they been exactly the same after their first class?
They began to leave reluctantly.
“If only we could attend class here every day.”
“But we’re students of Shangjing Academy.”
“Isn’t Shangjing Academy closed now?”
What they brought back with them was also a movie story called The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. Although the people of Shangjing thought it was probably a storybook.
Why had Chen Bai summarized the plot for them after watching the movie? Wasn’t it precisely so they could carry the story back with them?
Sure enough, once they returned to Shangjing, the students shared it with their parents and friends.
The other things they said were impossible to understand.
But such a complicated and exciting story—they were still willing to listen for entertainment.
Compared with the simple storybooks of this era, the content of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer was far too appealing. Every character felt so vivid and alive.
Within a few days, teahouses in Shangjing began telling this new story called The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.
If they did not tell this new story, they had no business.
A hypocrite named Yue Buqun began to become an object of everyone’s scorn.
Meanwhile, in the crown prince’s residence, Crown Prince Jiao had already smashed quite a few things.
Why did this new story spreading throughout Shangjing make him feel so uncomfortable? His chest felt blocked.
After that, it was as if he had developed a heart disease.
This was even without Chen Bai deliberately connecting Yue Buqun to Crown Prince Jiao. Slandering the current crown prince without evidence would cost him his head.
The effect Chen Bai wanted was merely to make everyone’s understanding of the concept of a hypocrite more profound. Only then could things proceed naturally later.
Right now, Chen Bai was holding his phone and watching Qi Zheng separate seedlings.
Qi Zheng’s sunflower seedlings had reached the stage where they could be divided and transplanted.
From time to time, Chen Bai said, “My students all completed it by themselves. You have to finish it alone too.”
“And this livestream has to use my true body. Don’t let anyone else discover it.”
Qi Zheng did not seem unhappy. Instead, he worked with great enthusiasm.
Watching a prince do farm work, Chen Bai watched with a smiling expression.
After Qi Zheng’s hands were covered in mud and sweat dotted his forehead, after he had spent several hours separating seedlings, Chen Bai finally said, “This is what you get for bullying Chen Zixiu. If you bully him, I’ll bully you.”
Then he hurriedly hung up the video.
He felt refreshed from head to toe.
Qi Zheng’s entire body stiffened. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a mud-covered hand and murmured, “Very good.”
His voice was very deep.
Of course, Chen Bai was also nervous. He had used Mountain Lord’s identity to take revenge on Qi Zheng and made him do farm work for a whole day. Would Qi Zheng take his anger out on “Chen Zixiu”?
This could not be blamed on him. Qi Zheng had started the war first.
“No matter. When soldiers come, block them; when water comes, cover it with earth. Qi Zheng can only punish me by making me stand anyway.”
Compared with Chen Bai’s little squabble, the atmosphere in Shangjing had become rather different.
Two things had happened in total. First, Crown Prince Sudan of Zhao had suppressed all the scholars of Shangjing until they could not raise their heads. Taking advantage of this momentum, the Zhao envoys continued pressuring Great Qian to fulfill the promise and exchange Bian City for the beautiful jade.
Whether in court or among the common people, everyone was extremely anxious.
Second… strange evil happenings had suddenly appeared in Shangjing. Large red patches appeared on people’s faces, and the patches were covered in bumps, making it look as though they were wearing ugly demon masks. It was truly terrifying.
