Chapter 76: Blue Moonlight (V)

"Of course I have a name!" Chen Yunli didn't hesitate for long. "My last name is Chen."

"What a coincidence, you have the same surname as me." Chen Wenjian smiled. "You know the surname, but what about the name?"

"Keep it a secret for now!" Chen Yunli flew around him, and his eyes followed her. "Jian Ling's name can't be easily revealed to others. We're not familiar with each other yet. We'll talk about it later."

Chen Wenjian stretched out his hand to him, raised his index finger slightly, and he obediently placed it on it.

"Is this what you call unfamiliar?" Chen Wenjian asked back.

Chen Yunli folded one wing and placed it on his hips, then waved the other wing. "We've only known each other for less than a day. At most, we're just fellow travelers, not familiar with each other."

He argued so confidently that Chen Wenjian could only shake his head and smile, "Alright, whatever you say is what it is."

Before he finished speaking, Chen Wenjian had already walked to the table, holding several thick books in his hands, including poetry, prose, classics and treatises.

He knelt down and helped Chen Yunli spread out the storybook on the side near the window where there was more light. He then put the lazy butterfly on it before putting down the book he wanted to read.

The tables in the library are all equipped with the four treasures of the study, which saves a lot of trouble for students who are short of money or those who want to study on impulse like Chen Wenjian.

Chen Yunli was concentrating on reading the storybook, while Chen Wenjian was reviewing his homework seriously. They did not disturb each other, but also kept each other company.

The library is quiet, with the sounds of breeze, turning pages and writing brushes rising and falling quietly, making people feel calm and peaceful.

Half a day passed in a daze. Chen Yunli read the storybook twice, then took a nap surrounded by the fragrance of books. When he woke up, it was already time for lighting the lamps.

Chen Wenjian was not around, probably because he had gone to hand in his poetry homework to the teacher. The sound of footsteps going up and down the stairs echoed, as the servants were lighting the lights on each floor.

Chen Yunli flew into the air and rolled twice, stretching his muscles. Seeing two hanging lamps near the desk, he flew over to check them out curiously.

The lantern is made of thick wood as its frame, with a glass cover and an opening on the top. A tall and thick yellow candle is lit inside. The flame is large and bright, and it is not afraid of wind and is not easy to leak.

The glass cover is not solid color either. It has fine lines engraved on it that flow with the light.

Just as Chen Yunli was about to move closer to see the specific pattern more clearly, a hand appeared between him and the lantern and pulled him over.

"You are a butterfly... No, you are Jian Ling. Don't behave like a moth flying into a flame." Chen Wenjian's helpless voice sounded from above his head.

"Who wants to put out the fire?" Chen Yunli gave him a blank look. "I just want to see what the pattern on the lantern cover looks like."

"Patterns?" Chen Wenjian took down the lantern and leaned in to examine it carefully. "There are no patterns on the glass cover. Is it the candlelight being too bright and dazzling your eyes? Are you mistaken?"

"Can't you see?"

Chen Yunli broke free from his loose fingers and flew closer to the lantern, pointing his wing at the nearby pattern: "Look, here, isn't there a large area here?"

Chen Wenjian responded with a blank and puzzled look.

Yidie and the man looked at each other for a few seconds, then Chen Wenjian returned to the desk with a lantern, sat down, ground the ink again, and spread the paper.

"I believe you're not lying to me, but I really can't see the patterns on it. How about this, if you're curious, draw what you see, and maybe I'll know what those patterns are."

Chen Yunli wanted to say no, it was not a big deal, but seeing his serious expression and the ink ground at twice the speed, he swallowed his words back.

"Okay, I'll try my best to reproduce it, but I can't guarantee that the painting will be exactly the same."

"Well, just give it a rough outline."

Chen Yunli flew to the inkstone, picked up the smallest brush, dipped it in ink, and clumsily and slowly left crooked lines on the paper.

In the middle of the process, the manager came up to remind Chen Wenjian that the library was about to close and asked him to leave as soon as possible. Chen Wenjian stepped aside to block Chen Yunli and found an excuse to get away with it, thus buying him some time.

Finally, before the steward came up to urge him for the second time, Chen Yunli finished the painting. He dropped the brush with a "click" and lay on the back of Chen Wenjian's hand, his two tentacles wilted with exhaustion.

"Let's go, let's go back and take a look."

Chen Wenjian folded the paper and carefully put it into his sleeve pocket, put the lantern, pen and ink back in place, and then took Chen Yunli and hurried downstairs.

The moment he stepped onto the stairs, Chen Yunli felt like he was pricked by a needle. The electric shock-like pain made him bounce upwards, but he fell back to his original position because he had no strength to take off.

"What's wrong?" Chen Wenjian subconsciously curled his knuckles, protecting him in his palm, and asked in a low voice, "Are you cramped from exhaustion?"

"No, I think I sensed something related to Yun... Li, upstairs." Chen Yunli folded his wings and scratched his head. "This feeling is different from last time. It came suddenly and strongly. I think it has a clear direction. It's not an uncertain item like a storybook that requires speculation and cross-comparison to draw conclusions."

Chen Wenjian paused, then quickened his pace and stepped out of the library before the manager came over to urge him.

"That's a good thing." He lifted Chen Yunli to his lips and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work."

Chen Yunli moved his tentacles and felt itchy from the hot breath he exhaled when he spoke.

"You're welcome." He waved his wings nonchalantly. "We have the same goal. This is good for you and me as well."

Chen Wenjian curved his eyes.

…

After returning home, Chen Wenjian carefully identified the pattern on the lantern drawn by Chen Yunli. Although he did not recognize what it was used for, he provided him with the source.

"In the previous dynasty, there was an astrologer named Bai Yuan. He spent twenty years creating a star map. Based on this map, he deduced that certain stars should be located where none existed. Over the next thirty years, he discovered the patterns in the appearance of these stars—they weren't absent, but only appeared in certain months of certain years, or even during certain solar terms."

Chen Wenjian walked towards Hanquan holding a lantern, a stack of fifteen bowls in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other.

"The patterns you drew are formed by connecting these special stars in the star map. They are engraved on the lanterns in the library, perhaps to express the idea that learning never ends and that we must constantly acquire knowledge and innovate."

"Then why can I see it but you can't? Are you the only one who can't see it, or can no one see it?" Chen Yunli squatted above his head and asked puzzledly.

"Maybe... the patterns on the lanterns are painted with special pigments."

“No, that’s engraved.”

"Then I don't know." Chen Wenjian squatted by the spring, stretched out his chopsticks to pick up a wild flower, "As long as it's harmless to us disciples, it doesn't matter what it is."

"That's right."

Chen Yunli agreed with him and nodded. When he lowered his eyes, he saw him picking up the petals of wild flowers and bringing them to the rim of the bowl.

"What are you doing?"

"Collect the dew," Chen Wenjian said. "Don't you want to try the dew on various flowers? It just so happens that there are more than ten kinds of wild flowers here, and after nightfall, dewdrops appear in the center of the flowers. I want to collect a little from each of them for you to taste before I go to sleep, so you don't have to bother digging through the flowers."

I didn't expect that he could remember so clearly even the random words he said. Chen Yunli blinked, feeling both happy and sad.

Even if his data was reset time and time again, his memories emptied over and over again, Chen Wenjian always treated him as special. So special that the system created a white moonlight for him, named "Yun Li".

Chen Yunli could already guess what his second round of tasks would be. The white moonlight named "Yunli" was most likely himself.

The system did not fabricate a painful life experience and past for Chen Wenjian in this world, but it would definitely play tricks on his emotions. No matter which path he takes, he will definitely not escape being heartbroken.

Dog system, can’t you be nicer to him!

Chen Yunli cursed in his heart.

system:"???"

Its calm, mechanical voice suddenly became aggrieved: "Auditor, I'm just following orders."

"Mute the mic."

"oh."

Chen Yunli flew up and circled around him. His graceful figure cast a gorgeous reflection in the clear ripples of the spring water. The light dust lingering around him fell down, making the boring night look dreamy and poetic.

Chen Wenjian saw that the floating dust turned orange-red, like leaping flames or the embers of fireworks, probably expressing joy.

He smiled slightly, picked up the new bowl and walked towards the next flower, then turned his head to chat with Chen Yunli again.

The moon is bright and clear, and it no longer casts a lonely shadow.

For more than half a month, Chen Wenjian worked a hundred times harder than before, reading and writing non-stop morning and night. His dedication even moved the teachers in the academy, not to mention his classmates who were deeply troubled.

However, everyone knew he was working so hard to get into the top three on the exam, which was understandable, and they all felt a little more sympathetic towards him. With him leading the way, the learning atmosphere throughout the academy grew even stronger. Even before the exams even began, everyone was already ready to fight.

The day of the exam arrived in a flash, and Chen Wenjian woke up bright and early to rush to the academy. Unable to enter the exam room, Chen Yunli lay down on the crabapple tree outside the gate, dozing off in the half-opened buds.

The quiz lasted a whole day and the papers were collected at dusk. He slept until the afternoon and felt refreshed all over. He flew away from the flowers and planned to take a walk nearby.

The attic used as the examination hall was located in the center of the academy, and almost every road led to it, so as to prevent students from getting lost on their way to the exam.

Chen Yunli randomly chose a small path to go in. He thought that the flower wall was the end, but unexpectedly there was a path under the wall. Turning left, he found a bright future.

A few green bamboos grow along the road, vaguely covering a bamboo pavilion.

Two figures walked into the pavilion. Through the gaps between the bamboo branches, one could clearly see that they were two men, one old and one young, both dressed in academy uniforms. The older one should be a teacher, and the younger one was a disciple who entered with Chen Wenjian.

The reason why Chen Yunli knew so much was naturally because he had seen them during the time he accompanied them to study.

The old gentleman's surname was Lu, and the young man was named Lu Heng, his youngest grandson. He was very popular in the academy, and he and Chen Wenjian were considered to be a gentlemanly friend. Unfortunately, he seemed to be lacking in study, and his grades were always poor. He often asked Chen Wenjian for advice.

Because there are many disciples in the academy, the quizzes are divided into batches, and each batch of disciples gets different questions. Chen Wenjian drew the first batch by lot, and Lu Heng was in the second batch, and they will take the exam tomorrow.

"Why is this kid dragging his grandfather here instead of studying for tomorrow's exam?"

Chen Yunli was curious and couldn't help but crawl in through the gaps in the bamboos, blatantly landed on the guardrail of the pavilion, and listened in with his face close to her... no, listened openly.

"Grandpa, I beg you, just this once, can you help me this time?" Lu Heng grabbed Mr. Lu's sleeve and shook it. "I don't ask for a top three score, just an average score and not being asked to drop out of the academy!"

Mr. Lu looked embarrassed. "Heng'er, you should know that the examiner for this year's quiz is Mr. Su, and he grades based solely on the quality of your essays. Although Grandpa set the questions this time, even if he gave you the topic, you... you wouldn't be able to write an essay that would satisfy him."

Lu Heng shouted excitedly, "Every time I place last on a quiz, I get kicked out. Grandpa, you finally found a way to get me in, and now you're just going to watch me get kicked out and have all your hard work go to waste?"

"Heng'er, keep your voice down." Mr. Lu said helplessly, "Then how do you want grandpa to help you?"

Lu Heng pursed his lips, his face darkening. "Since Grandpa set the question, and you've worked with Mr. Su for many years, you know best what kind of writing style he prefers. How about... you imitate my writing style and write a commentary for me? I'll memorize it in advance, and then make some changes and polish it up in the exam room, so no one will be able to tell it's right."

Mr. Lu was dumbfounded: "You!... This is cheating!"

"It's not cheating!... At least not really. I'll make some changes based on the framework of your article, add my own understanding, and turn it into my own article." Lu Heng stared at the old man in front of him, his eyes firm, but his voice trembled slightly. "Grandpa, I only ask you this once! I promise, only this once!"

“…”

Mr. Lu was silent for a long time. This old man, who was full of energy and spoke fluently in the classroom, had a back that had not bent for two hours while he was lecturing on the scriptures. Now, his back gradually became hunched.

Chen Yunli, who was shocked to the point of numbness, heard him sigh:

"That's all."

"Descendants and grandchildren are just debts, that's all."