Chapter 8 The Immortal Academy in the Painting
Wenyuan Academy has a history of over a hundred years. It has cultivated many talents, and nearly 30% of its students became officials in the Dayong Dynasty. It is a well-known academy, and many people have tried desperately to get into it but failed.
The original owner was able to enter Wenyuan Academy because the academy's first dean came from Qingshan Village.
Therefore, Qingshan Village has three places available for Wenyuan Academy.
However, not many people could afford to study. In ancient times, reading was a very luxurious thing.
Currently, only two people from Qingshan Village are studying at Wenyuan Academy.
One is Shaoran, the grandson of the old village head, and the other is the original owner of this body.
Shao Yanzhe looked at the tall white wall in front of him and did not rush to go in.
He found a secluded spot to hide, put the book box off his back, and occasionally peeked out towards the entrance of the academy.
Soon, he noticed that a number of people dressed in moon-white robes, resembling scholars, were entering the academy.
After careful observation, he found that the expressions on these people's faces were perfectly normal, and there seemed to be nothing wrong with them.
Looking around the entire academy, it appears to be just an ordinary academy, with nothing unusual about it.
Shao Yanzhe glanced at the setting sun and knew that time was running out. He placed Xuan Yao on top of the book box.
Then, he untied the scroll to reveal the picture inside.
He asked with a serious expression, "I'm giving you one last chance. Are you really sure you want to come in with me? You should know that there might be a powerful and vengeful ghost inside. You might lose your lives because of it!"
Yun Weiyue's gentle yet firm voice rang out: "Of course, don't forget, we're partners. I'm counting on you to help clear my name!"
Xuan Yao, who was a step behind, gave her a disapproving look, then looked at Shao Yanzhe and proudly raised his head: "Meow!"
Without me, what will you, two-legged creature, do?
Shao Yanzhe couldn't help but narrow his eyes, a genuine smile spreading across the corners of his eyes.
"Alright! Let's set off now!"
"Safety first! If you encounter danger, make sure your own safety first!"
Shao Yanzhe solemnly reminds the cat and the ghost.
"clear!"
"Meow!"
Shao Yanzhe tied the scroll to Xuan Yao's back, making sure it wouldn't fall off while running, before putting the book box back on his back.
One person, one cat, and one ghost soldier split into two groups. Shao Yanzhe entered through the main gate of Wenyuan Academy, while the other two entered the academy through the wall with a scroll carried by Xuan Yao.
Shao Yanzhe watched Xuan Yao jump onto the wall before walking towards the academy gate. Just as he entered, he was stopped by a surprised voice.
"Shao Yanzhe! Stop right there!"
His voice was urgent, tinged with fear.
He looked up and saw the original owner's teacher standing not far from the courtyard gate. His face was anxious, and he wanted to come over, but for some reason he didn't.
Shao Yanzhe walked over in a few steps, stood in front of the teacher, and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Teacher!"
The teacher pointed at him with trembling fingers, his lips quivering, and for a moment he was unable to utter a word.
Finally, he sighed deeply and said, "You didn't receive my letter?"
Shao Yanzhe nodded: "I received it, but there was a slight accident that forced the student to come back."
As he spoke, he glanced around, and after finding no one else, he reached out and tore open the front of his shirt, revealing a somewhat horrifying and eerie sight underneath.
When the Master saw it, before he could even rebuke it for being immoral, he was stunned. His beard trembled a few times, and his shoulders slumped limply.
"Even you've been dragged into this! Never mind, come with me."
As he spoke, he called out to Shao Yanzhe and turned to leave.
Shao Yanzhe obediently followed along and soon arrived at the school with the teacher.
The teacher walked to the front of the classroom, looked at him, and said, "Come in, it's almost time!"
Shao Yanzhe found the original body's seat and sat down, then noticed a gaze coming from his right.
He looked over and immediately recognized the man as Shaoran, the grandson of the old village head.
He blinked, not understanding why Shaoran had returned since she had already left Wenyuan Academy.
His gaze shifted downwards, and he saw the fine, dense red veins on Shao Ran's neck, which was exposed outside her clothes. He immediately understood.
The teacher in front held a stack of Xuan paper and distributed it to the students in the classroom one by one before saying with a serious expression, "This time, I don't want to see anyone left there, understand? Remember everything on this!"
The pale-faced students, their eyes filled with barely concealed panic, nodded earnestly: "Okay!"
Shao Yanzhe scanned his surroundings and quickly spotted the same red color on the students, although the locations of the red color varied.
He had seen the teacher and students putting on a brave face, but he didn't understand what the teacher meant by "the time is up" or "here" in "I don't want to see anyone left there."
But given the current situation, his questions remain unanswered.
Shao Yanzhe snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at the Xuan paper on the table. It was covered with small characters in the official script, and the content was not particularly profound. It was all the content that might be tested in the imperial examination, which he already knew by heart.
He looked up and saw the Master sitting in his chair with a worried expression, his eyes vacant and as if he were lost in thought.
After thinking for a moment, he stood up and walked towards the teacher.
"Master, I have a few questions that I would like you to answer."
The Master looked up at him and said, "Now is not the time to resolve your doubts. I will resolve them for you tomorrow."
Shao Yanzhe spoke up: "This student wants to know what exactly happened in the academy."
The Master glanced at the sky and said, "You don't need to know. You just need to memorize what I've given you, and I can guarantee your safety."
Shao Yanzhe said firmly, "How do you know that I don't need to know? I have the right to know the truth so that I can deal with the dangers ahead."
The Master looked at him, sighed, and said, "Alright, come out with me."
The two stood outside the school corridor. The teacher looked up at the setting sun that was about to disappear on the horizon and began to recount the recent events that had occurred at Wenyuan Academy.
The academy discovered something was wrong a month ago, but in fact, it was even earlier.
According to the students, three months ago, a beautiful woman suddenly appeared and gave guidance to a student in Class B while he was studying at night, which helped the student's grades rise steadily and approach those of students in Class A.
This student's sudden rise to prominence attracted the attention of some students, who, after pressing him for details, learned about the beautiful woman.
As a result, these students also began to study at night.
Sure enough, beautiful women would meet with them late at night to instruct them on their writing.
As the poor students in Class B improved their grades, the students who were previously ahead of them but were now behind them couldn't believe that these poor students could achieve such good results.
Suspecting they were cheating, he secretly investigated and quickly uncovered the truth. He then accepted the beautiful woman's guidance as well.
From then on, things spiraled out of control.
More and more students began studying at night, hoping to receive guidance from the beautiful woman. As a result, all the students at Wenyuan Academy were studying at night.
The academy's teachers were unaware of these matters until a student suddenly died in the dormitory, which drew the academy's attention.
After speaking with some students, a shocking truth came to light.
Wenyuan Academy divides students into three stages based on their academic level: elementary studies, classical studies, and advanced studies. Each stage is further divided into four classes: A, B, C, and D.
Each class has twenty students, and the academy has a total of two hundred and forty students.
The teacher learned from his students that the beautiful woman would keep their appointment every night.
In other words, around the same time each of the 240 students was accompanied by that beautiful woman.
According to the students' descriptions, the beautiful woman they described was actually the same person!
This is no longer just a story about a talented woman who mistakenly entered the academy to teach students how to write; it has escalated into a matter of ghosts and monsters causing trouble.
The student who died suddenly had skin covered with fine, dense red blood vessels, and a red mole the size of an egg on his chest.
A look of grief flashed in the Master's eyes. He closed his eyes briefly and continued, "Later, several more students died suddenly one after another. There was no other way, so the academy decided to temporarily suspend classes and let the students go home first. Unexpectedly, all those students developed red moles and red veins similar to those of the students who died suddenly. As long as they left the academy for more than seven days, they all died suddenly."
Left with no other choice, the dean allowed the students to return to the academy. Unexpectedly, a few days later, the beautiful woman appeared before everyone and pulled everyone in the academy into an illusion.
The beautiful woman demanded that everyone answer questions within a set time; whoever ranked last on the test would be forever trapped in that illusion.
Shao Yanzhe's expression shifted slightly, and he asked, seemingly casually, "What did that beautiful woman look like?"
The teacher gave him a rough description of her appearance: "She was dressed in a red gauze dress, and when she walked, she would leave red footprints on the ground. She held a calligraphy brush in her right hand and was dressed like a female teacher."
Shao Yanzhe breathed a slight sigh of relief; thankfully, his guess hadn't come true.
The Master then looked at him and said, "Now that you know the whole story, you should study hard so that you can be sure of getting out of the illusion."
Shao Yanzhe nodded: "Yes, Master!"
He returned to his seat and sat down. His gaze swept across the table, and he saw something that hadn't been there before.
It was a small bookmark with a line of tiny words written on it, the words in a rare red color.
Because of his lack of vigilance, he fell victim to the Soul-Severing Curse in the letter.
Now, he was extremely wary of the bookmark that had suddenly appeared on his desk and did not touch it easily.
His gaze swept around, and suddenly met Shao Ran's slightly impatient eyes on his right.
When Shao Ran met Shao Yanzhe's gaze, a moment of awkwardness appeared on his face, followed by a slightly stiff smile.
"Cousin," he greeted softly.
Shao Yanzhe's eyes flickered slightly as he leaned closer and whispered, "Aran, is this yours?"
Shao Ran's expression grew increasingly unnatural, and he shook his head in denial, saying, "It's not mine."
Shao Yanzhe stared at Shao Ran, becoming more and more certain of his earlier guess. The bookmark that suddenly appeared must have been placed there by Shao Ran.
Shao Ran felt a surge of anger as he was stared at like that. He turned to the side and reached out to take the bookmark. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he was about to shove the bookmark into Shao Yanzhe's arms.
Shao Yanzhe had been on guard against him, and he immediately dodged his hand to the other side.
Unexpectedly, as he dodged, Shao Ran's face suddenly twisted, and she lunged at Shao Yanzhe, grinning maliciously, "Why don't you take it!"
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