There were nine people in Zhuxing House.
On the first day, Yan Ling ran all around Zhuxing House, happily saying to Lezheng Jiu: “Gege, the academy is more fun than I imagined.”
Lezheng Jiu was setting up a barrier on his quarters to keep strangers out, offhandedly humoring him: “Mm, as long as you don’t cry for your parents at night.”
Yan Ling thought about it: “Then can I come find you at night…”
Before “you” could finish, Lezheng Jiu interrupted without looking up: “Don’t even think about it.”
Yan Ling: “…”
The first day of enrollment was to let them familiarize themselves with Zhuxing House. There were no other matters. Yan Ling ran around wildly all day, but at night when he returned to his unfamiliar lodgings, he tossed and turned unable to sleep.
After lying there for ages, he still got up, wrapped himself in a cloak, and ran to Xi Jue’s quarters—the closest to his—to knock on the door.
“Xi Jue? Gege.”
“Bang.”
Xi Jue seemed to have thrown something over. His impatient voice followed: “Do you know what hour it is? Go back to sleep!”
Yan Ling said quietly: “I can’t sleep alone.”
There was rustling inside. Xi Jue opened the door with disheveled hair, his face full of impatience: “Haven’t you been weaned yet?! I told you to wait another two years before entering the academy. You insisted on coming. Can’t sleep—whose fault is that?”
Yan Ling was used to Xi Jue’s sarcasm and acted as if he didn’t hear it. Looking up with a small face smiling: “Gege, I have an unreasonable request. I don’t know if I should say it.”
“If you’re saying the request for me to groggily use ‘Wheresoever I Roam’ to send you back to the Yan residence in my sleep, then come pick you up tomorrow morning to return to the academy for class…” Xi Jue said in one breath, then yawned, saying coldly: “That’s way too unreasonable.”
Yan Ling: “…”
Yan Ling took a moment to understand Xi Jue’s meaning, hurriedly saying: “No, I want to sleep here for one night.”
Xi Jue looked at Yan Ling with cold eyes, suddenly saying: “Pack your things.”
Yan Ling was delighted: “You agreed?”
“I’ll send you back to the Yan residence.” Xi Jue said coldly.
Yan Ling: “…”
Late at night during the late spring cold, Yan Ling was refused entry by Xi Jue. He was listless for a long time, then looked toward the osmanthus quarters across the pond. He tiptoed over to knock on the door.
Yan Ling rarely interacted with peers, let alone attended school. He could only tell from Xi Jue’s reaction that staying overnight at someone else’s place seemed an extremely unreasonable request. But he was too afraid alone—closing his eyes, he felt something hiding under the bed would quietly crawl out planning to assassinate him.
Yan Ling carefully knocked on the door, closing one eye in preparation for Sheng Jiao to throw something at him.
But soon the door opened. Sheng Jiao wore a loosely draped outer robe, sleepiness still in his eyes, but his temper was still good. Looking down at Yan Ling for a while, he said half a beat late: “Yan Ling?”
“Gege, I can’t sleep alone.” Yan Ling sneakily probed. “Can I make a very, very unreasonable request?”
Sheng Jiao, groggy from sleep, reacted a bit slowly. After silent thought, he nodded: “Sure.”
Yan Ling decided to first propose a not-so-unreasonable request to test Sheng Jiao’s limits: “Can you send me back to the Yan residence now and pick me up again in the morning?”
Sheng Jiao: “?”
This time Sheng Jiao’s silence lasted quite a while.
“For—forget it!” Yan Ling didn’t want to make things difficult, hurriedly turning to leave. “I—I’ll go back to sleep.”
Sheng Jiao saw his thin figure walking into the night. Thinking about it, he said: “If you don’t mind, sleep here.”
Yan Ling whipped around, his pupils nearly shocked out. Wasn’t this even more unreasonable?
Clearly Sheng Jiao didn’t have as many strange rules as Xi Jue. He pulled Yan Ling into the warm inner chamber. Worried he’d be afraid of the dark, he even left a lamp lit.
Yan Ling didn’t detect Sheng Jiao’s difficulty. Immediately taking off his clothes and obediently climbing onto the bed, he said from the heart: “Sheng Jiao, you’re really good.”
Sheng Jiao smiled, tucking the blanket around him: “Call me if you need anything.”
Yan Ling shrank into the warm blanket, hurriedly nodding his head.
He’d run around all day and was already terribly tired. Now finally able to sleep peacefully, just moments ago he’d been talking to Sheng Jiao—the next instant his breathing evened out as he fell into deep sleep.
Sheng Jiao: “…”
Perhaps too fast.
Probably because Sheng Jiao’s aura was too reassuring, this was the first time Yan Ling slept peacefully without his parents nearby.
Early the next morning, Yan Ling woke groggily to find Sheng Jiao was no longer in bed.
The morning sun rose. Yan Ling yawned and wrapped himself in his outer robe, running back to his own quarters.
Xi Jue’s lodgings were right next to his. Rising early to practice swords in the courtyard, he sensed a short figure running past outside the fence. His brows furrowed as his hand made a beautiful sword flourish.
Cold light and sunlight merged, flashing briefly. Xi Jue was no longer in his original spot.
Yan Ling had just run to his quarters’ entrance. Just as he was about to push the door, a half-smiling voice came from the side.
“You really ran back to the Yan residence?”
Yan Ling was startled, patting his chest and glaring at him: “Don’t always appear out of nowhere to scare me!”
Xi Jue followed Yan Ling into the courtyard. In such cold weather, from sword practice he wore only thin clothing. His figure tall and slender, ink-black hair casually tied in a high ponytail. Raising an eyebrow with a wicked smile in the sunlight, he looked spirited and full of vigor.
“So easily scared.” Xi Jue said. “I’m asking you—so early in the morning, where did you go? Did you cry for your parents again last night?”
Yan Ling had already learned not to get angry in interactions with Xi Jue, or sooner or later he’d be angered bald. After returning to the inner chamber to change clothes, seeing Xi Jue still relentlessly teasing him, he said irritably: “I slept at Sheng Jiao’s. Didn’t cry for my parents to let Young Master Xi laugh at me. Really sorry about that.”
Xi Jue frowned: “You went to sleep at Sheng Jiao’s?”
“Yeah.” Yan Ling said offhandedly. “Sheng Jiao gege isn’t like you. He even proactively let me go.”
Though it was Xi Jue who’d proactively refused Yan Ling, knowing Yan Ling had actually run to find Sheng Jiao again, Xi Jue felt displeased. Arms crossed, standing in the sunlight leaning on the door frame, he said coldly: “He lets you go and you just go?”
“Xi Jue, what exactly is your problem?” Yan Ling found it utterly baffling. “You already shut me out. Do you still need to care who takes me in?”
Xi Jue choked.
Even someone as unreasonable as him sensed he was being a bit unreasonable. After silent thought, he turned and left.
Yan Ling didn’t care what temper he was throwing. After changing clothes, he happily ran to find Sheng Jiao, going together to Jiusi Garden.
The gentleman has nine reflections; all manner of conduct.
Early in the morning, the other seven had all arrived. When Yan Ling came over, they were all chatting lively. Only Xi Jue sat alone in the most conspicuous spot, his face full of smugness as he crossed his legs—no one paying him any attention.
Yan Ling was originally puzzled why no one talked to Xi Jue, when he saw him beckon: “Shorty, come here. There’s an empty seat. Sit on my side.”
Yan Ling: “…”
With that poisonous tongue, he himself didn’t like chatting with him either.
Yan Ling huffily pulled Sheng Jiao to sit in the two empty seats beside Feng Yu, smugly raising an eyebrow at Xi Jue. But before he could sit down, he felt someone push his waist—he nearly stumbled forward onto the table.
His ear cuff shifted slightly. Crackling firecracker sounds poured into his ears. Yan Ling turned back miserably to see that in the previously empty seat sat Fu Man in brilliant golden clothes.
Fu Man said apologetically: “Sorry I’m sitting here. How about I give you my seat?”
Yan Ling: “…”
Yan Ling hurriedly said: “No need, I—I’ll just sit next to him.”
Fu Man said emotionally: “You’re really good.”
Yan Ling sat down with a green face in the empty seat beside Xi Jue.
Now it was Xi Jue’s turn to smugly raise an eyebrow at him.
Zhuxing House this year had three Spirit-grade xiangwen—unprecedented in all Tianyan Academy’s history. The academy headmaster specially came to teach them.
Tianyan Academy’s headmaster was surnamed Liu, an elder of the Sword Sect. His Heartless Dao was perfected—white-haired and handsome, looking like an unsheathed sharp blade, making one shudder.
Feng Yu leaned to Liu Changxing’s ear, whispering: “Isn’t Tianyan Academy’s headmaster Wen Gubai?”
Liu Changxing felt apprehensive seeing Headmaster Liu. His back straight, kneeling upright there, he didn’t dare make a sound.
Feng Yu, not getting an answer, could only ask Sheng Jiao.
Sheng Jiao said: “Senior Wen already resigned from the academy headmaster position last year.”
Feng Yu nodded in understanding.
Headmaster Liu walked in expressionlessly. Not one word of pleasantries—extending his hand to point at Feng Yu and Sheng Jiao, he said coldly: “You, you, go stand outside.”
Feng Yu, Sheng Jiao: “?”
Liu Changxing showed an “as expected” expression, simultaneously breathing an imperceptible sigh of relief.
Good thing he didn’t speak out of turn.
This was the first time good child Sheng Jiao had been punished to stand by a teacher. After silent thought, he still obediently got up to stand outside.
Yan Ling didn’t understand, asking: “Why do they have to go stand outside?”
Liu Changxing’s face immediately looked miserable.
“Good question.” Headmaster Liu said indifferently. “You go stand outside too.”
Yan Ling: “???”
Yan Ling dazedly was chased out, standing in a row with Sheng Jiao and Feng Yu outside.
After this show of authority, where did the remaining people dare speak casually? All silent as cicadas in winter, watching this new headmaster.
Headmaster Liu was concise: “The wandering souls from Xiezhi Sect’s Shen Tianshe haven’t all been captured yet. When you go out for practical training tomorrow, also search and capture them. Those who catch them will be rewarded; those who don’t will be punished.”
Everyone immediately looked at each other.
Liu Changxing weakly raised his hand: “Headmaster.”
Headmaster Liu didn’t even lift an eyelid: “What do you want to say?” The headmaster can hear.
Though it was already the spring equinox, Central State was still cold. Yan Ling was wrapped in layer upon layer, but standing outside in the cold wind, he still couldn’t stop shivering.
“Achoo.”
He couldn’t hold back a sneeze, nearly knocking his head on the wooden door behind him.
Sheng Jiao extended his hand to cushion it. Seeing his small face reddened by the wind, he took out a hooded cloak from his storage ring to wrap around his shoulders. The hood was too big—once on, it covered half of Yan Ling’s face so it couldn’t be seen.
Yan Ling finally warmed up a bit.
Feng Yu was bored, pondering how to gesture with sign language. After gesticulating wildly for ages, he tried to make Liu Changxing understand his meaning.
“We, have to stand here, how long?”
Liu Changxing indicated: Didn’t understand, one more time?
Feng Yu: “…”
Yan Ling sneezed again, his voice carrying a nasal tone.
Sheng Jiao frowned, pulling the hood for him.
Probably Yan Ling’s continuous sneezes and coughs stirred Headmaster Liu’s compassion. Finishing the lesson, he walked out coldly, his gaze indifferently sweeping over them.
The four people immediately straightened their backs and stood firm.
Headmaster Liu’s gaze landed on Yan Ling. Seeing him wrapped into a ball yet still trembling and coughing non-stop, he was silent for a long time, seemingly somewhat moved.
Feng Yu, seeing this, hurriedly raised his hand, indicating he wanted to speak.
Headmaster Liu frowned: “What is it?”
“Ling’er’s health isn’t good.” Feng Yu grabbed Yan Ling over in one motion, lifting the hood to show Headmaster Liu his small face frozen deathly pale. Pitifully he said: “If he keeps being blown by cold wind, he’ll definitely get sick. He’s still young and doesn’t quite understand. Headmaster, show mercy and spare us this time.”
These words were very skillful. The first half used Yan Ling to sell pity, while the second half asked Headmaster Liu to spare everyone.
Headmaster Liu looked like he might have been persuaded by Feng Yu.
The four looked at the headmaster expectantly.
Finally, Headmaster Liu went “Mm.”
Feng Yu was delighted, but Liu Changxing, who knew Headmaster Liu’s temperament well, painfully closed his eyes.
Headmaster Liu said coldly: “You three continue standing. Yan Ling, come in.”
Feng Yu’s face turned green.
Yan Ling had originally suffered an undeserved calamity. Just about to happily go back, he heard Headmaster Liu add a sentence: “…Copy the sword manual ten times.”
Yan Ling: “…”
Yan Ling’s toes paused. He ran back to Sheng Jiao’s side, saying sullenly with a nasal voice: “Don’t want sword manual. Don’t want sword manual. I’ll just stand here. Not going in.”
Everyone: “…”
**
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152