Chapter 36 A Contest
The woman next to Yu Jiang frowned, pulled her friend to her side, and gave her a brief, indifferent glance, warning her not to make any more rash moves.
She smiled apologetically and bowed to Lin Chengye.
"My name is Liu Zhenglin. My friend Yu Jiang has offended me greatly. Please forgive me."
Lin Chengye shook his head, raised his hand to help Liu Zhenglin up. He then smiled and gave Yu Jiang a knowing look.
"You just said you wanted to sit with me? Sure."
His attitude was surprisingly good, leaving Yu Jiang, who had been deliberately picking a fight, at a loss. She glanced cautiously at Liu Zhenglin, who rolled his eyes at her, implying that she should handle it herself. Yu Jiang could only rub her aching neck in frustration.
She did it on purpose, of course, but she couldn't help being angry.
Not just anyone can enter the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect. Back then, she and Liu Zhenglin were twelve years old, and it took them more than two years to pass the entrance exams for the inner sect. They only managed to grasp the basics of the mechanical array at the age of fourteen. Now, both of them are seventeen, and they are also the most outstanding in their studies.
The sect leader had praised the two of them for their talent. But who exactly was this Lin Chengye, and what exams had he passed? Why was he just crammed in like that, and even placed in the same dormitory as them? Yu Jiang grew angrier the more she thought about it, and finally couldn't help but snort.
"That's enough for Yu Jiang," the Master said sternly. "What kind of talk is this? Go and sit down."
As a teacher, she knew some of the inside story. Especially since the Ninefold Formation was activated that day, and the sect leader allowed the elders to observe and learn. Although they didn't go up to the observation platform, these old folks still heard most of the story about Bian Yi breaking the formation with a single sword and Lin Chengye cleverly finding the formation's key.
She was even planning to go see that miracle doctor for a pulse diagnosis on another day.
"snort."
Knowing he was in the wrong, Yu Jiang muttered a few words and then knelt down in front of a table in the second-to-last row. Liu Zhenglin was sitting in the last row, directly behind Yu Jiang.
Lin Chengye sat down next to Yu Jiang without any hesitation. It wasn't time yet, and there was still some free time. Lin Chengye thought for a moment, then suddenly took out a food box from the cloth bag he was carrying.
Although Yu Jiang disliked this person, his youthful nature still made him curious, and he kept glancing to the side.
As soon as the food box was opened, the sweet and soft aroma of the pastries instantly filled the corner where the three of them were. Even Liu Zhenglin, who was studying with his head down, was tempted to look up and swallow.
Yu Jiang stared in disbelief as Lin Chengye took out a wedding cake and began to eat it nonchalantly. Perhaps her gaze was too blatant, for after eating half of it, he turned his head and asked a question.
"Do you want some? There are wedding cakes, lotus seed pastries, chestnut cakes... but I'll pass on the chestnut cakes, I like that. You can choose the other two."
How could this person be like this? How could those words... how could the second half of them just slip out of his throat so easily? Yu Jiang stared at Lin Chengye in shock, momentarily forgetting to respond.
"I made too few chestnut cakes, I can't bear to part with them," Lin Chengye added.
Their yard had a small kitchen, which Bian Yi discovered and began to study with great interest.
She wasn't the type to believe in the saying "a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen," so that evening she cooked a feast for the two of them. Just then, Fang Yanzhou and Guan Yue visited, so she used the excuse of Lin Chengye preparing to go to school to have a few drinks. This morning, she made a box of pastries for her to take with her.
No, no. How can this person be like this? Like a hard bun, a punch might flatten it a bit, but it'll puff up again after a while. Yet, a few seemingly insignificant words can choke her, making her feel even more like she's the one being unreasonable.
Yu Jiang's eyes involuntarily glanced at the box of pastries. They shouldn't be from the Tianji Sect; they were exquisitely cute, but varied in size, suggesting they weren't made by a skilled worker. She barely managed to suppress her craving and replied stiffly with a gloomy expression.
"No……"
"I want to eat, I want lotus seed pastry with hibiscus."
Suddenly, Liu Zhenglin's gentle voice came from behind the two of them. She had somehow already crossed the table and reached out to tug at Lin Chengye's wide sleeve.
"Choose one yourself," Lin Chengye said generously, picking up the tray.
Liu Zhenglin actually started picking seriously, and finally picked one that was neither particularly good nor bad. He took a bite, his eyes lit up, and only after swallowing it did he praise it.
"Delicious! I wonder who made this? Neither the East nor West kitchens of the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect can produce anything like this."
"Ah..." Before Lin Chengye could reply, the teacher's voice came from the front. The three of them, each with their own thoughts, immediately put away their playful mood and sat up straight.
"Alright, everyone's here. Let's calm down and stop gossiping."
Taking advantage of the moment when the teacher turned around, Yu Jiang angrily turned back and mouthed something to Liu Zhenglin.
The sweet and soft taste of the lotus seed pastry lingered on his tongue. Liu Zhenglin, knowing the saying "He who eats another's food is bound to him," silently looked away, completely ignoring Yu Jiang.
...
After about half a day, Lin Chengye discovered that the rules of the Wen Academy were actually quite flexible. The teacher did not require everyone to listen attentively and sit for the entire day. Instead, students could ask permission to leave early, depending on their own level of understanding.
After all, the secret arts of the Heavenly Mystery Sect are divided into two paths: forging and array formation, and each person pursues different goals. People like Guan Xiaoxian, who are proficient in both, are rare, and people like Guan Yuenan, who are only half-baked in both, are also rare.
For example, Liu Zhenglin clearly pursued the art of forging, and halfway through the lesson, when the teacher was about to teach the next lesson on formation techniques, he asked to leave so he could practice on his own.
Yu Jiang felt like she had run into her enemy on a narrow road, because Lin Chengye, that plague god, was still listening, probably because he, like her, wanted to learn array techniques or something similar.
However, she only heard half of it; array techniques were far more obscure than forging techniques. Yu Jiang clearly knew her limits, and she needed to find a place to digest the information while working on it.
However… Yu Jiang glanced at the people around him several times, his mouth slightly opening and then tightly closing again.
Lin Chengye listened to the teacher's lecture with little expression, while she sat by the window. Perhaps it was the morning snack, but Yu Jiang felt the sunlight falling softly on his shoulders, dappling his hair.
She was quite focused, occasionally making a few strokes, but the rest of the time she seemed to be spacing out, and it was impossible to understand what she was memorizing.
After struggling for a long time, he finally succumbed to his conscience. Yu Jiang couldn't help but nudge Lin Chengye's elbow to remind him.
"...Hey, you don't have to listen to the whole thing. Just listen to what you need. This is a rule left by the sect leader. She thinks that everyone is different, and it's pointless to put them all in one basket."
"Hmm? Okay, thanks for reminding me."
Lin Chengye snapped out of his daze, turned his head, and smiled at Yu Jiang.
"However, I'd like to listen a little longer. You can go ahead and get back to your work."
Tch, what are you pretending for? Do you really think you're a genius?
Yu Jiang suddenly became angry again, and when she stood up, her voice was loud, causing the teacher on the platform to frown. He coldly reprimanded her.
When she went outside, she felt wronged again, and she couldn't hold back her tears, which suddenly welled up in her eyes.
Yu Jiang knew that although Tianji Sect seemed to be enjoying unparalleled glory today, the position of young sect leader was vacant, which was common knowledge in the martial arts world. There were countless people who were pessimistic about it, and gossip was flying everywhere.
There were countless sarcastic remarks directed at Guan Yue, but the man was highly skilled in martial arts and didn't care much about them.
But she could not forget those sharp words.
Yu Jiang is the most outstanding disciple of this generation, but everyone, including herself, understands that perhaps she will become an elder of the Tianji Sect in the future and a renowned mechanical master.
But the position of sect leader was just out of her reach, like a chasm. The moment she saw Sect Leader Guan, she understood that the word "genius" was a height that no amount of hard work, day and night, could ever reach.
The mockery of the lack of successors in the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect was clearly not directed at her, but Yu Jiang could not convince herself not to care. She took on a mountain on her back, a mountain that did not belong to her, yet could crush her.
If she were even more capable, wouldn't it be...?
Therefore, when Yu Jiang heard that the sect leader had personally sent someone over, she reacted very strongly. She asked Liu Zhenglin in a daze who that person was.
She had an extremely strong premonition that the mountain that didn't belong to her was going to be moved away and onto someone else.
But... Yu Jiang looked up, the sun scorching her eyes. She wasn't happy; she was even annoyed and resentful. She was confused herself. Did she really want that mountain? Why didn't she feel relieved, but instead so sad?
Lin Chengye is a good person, but her own actions make her seem more like a madman, but she just can't help it, she can't help but make a few sarcastic remarks.
Lin Chengye watched as the woman turned her back to him, raised her sleeve, wiped her eyes, and then quickly ran away. He sighed softly.
I wonder who he's competing with? Lin Chengye shook his head and made another note amidst the teacher's drowsy tone.
...
The master's lectures only lasted until noon, and the rest of the time was free. Before leaving, the master specifically asked Lin Chengye how he felt. Lin Chengye smiled and said it was not bad, and he could barely keep up.
She hadn't spent so much time focusing on learning one thing in a long time, as if everything else was meaningless, which made her feel very comfortable.
Throughout the afternoon, Lin Chengye only stood up and moved around a few times. The rest of the time, he thought about and copied down what the Master had taught, until the sun was setting and the writing was becoming too dim to see clearly in the dim light.
Since her foundation wasn't strong, she could only write down some parts she didn't understand. Lin Chengye rubbed his eye sockets, planning that he and Bian Yi would have to go to Baimianlou later to figure out the parts he didn't understand.
"Cheng Ye".
Suddenly, someone called her softly from her desk. Lin Chengye recognized the voice as Liu Zhenglin's, opened his eyes, and nodded at her.
Liu Zhenglin gave her a solemn curtsy and took out a jar of wine from behind his back, handing it to her.
"I apologize to you on Yu Jiang's behalf. Don't be angry with her. This is a small token of my appreciation. It's homemade and still palatable."
“I’m not angry with her. She’s probably just struggling with herself. You should try to talk to her.”
Lin Chengye opened the jar of wine and touched the rim with his fingertip. A strong fragrance of osmanthus wafted out, yet it wasn't pungent; instead, it had a sweet, intoxicating aroma. She didn't refuse and smiled at Liu Zhenglin.
"You're too modest, it's fine wine. If you have time, you can bring Yu Jiang to my place for a small gathering."
Upon hearing Lin Chengye's words, Liu Zhenglin was somewhat surprised by the man's intelligence and felt even more favorably toward him.
"I……"
"Zhenglin, there's a very beautiful woman outside! Who is she? Do you know her?"
Yu Jiang suddenly burst in excitedly, interrupting Liu Zhenglin. Lin Chengye raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and glanced at Yu Jiang.
Liu Zhenglin rubbed his forehead and replied.
"If you're referring to the person in white, then I've seen them. They shouldn't be from the Heavenly Mystery Sect; I've never seen them before. Perhaps... a friend of Senior Brother Guan?"
"Why...why are you staring at me?"
Yu Jiang didn't know how to get along with Lin Chengye in the first place, and originally wanted to ignore him, but why was this person looking at her so strangely? She couldn't help but retort again.
"That person came to pick me up from school."
Lin Chengye said calmly. She withdrew her gaze, gathered the scattered papers on the table, and walked out. At the door, she turned back to the two stiff figures and spoke.
"Her name is Bian Yi, and she's a renowned healer. You can go to her if you need her."
Yu Jiang was stunned for a long time before turning around in disbelief and pointing at Lin Chengye's departing figure.
"...Was she feeling very smug just now?"
"..."
Having witnessed everything, Liu Zhenglin curled his lip, scribbled two large characters on a piece of paper, and tossed it at Yu Jiang's head. He then quickly grabbed his schoolbag and left.
Yu Jiang had no idea what she was up to. He rubbed his forehead and opened the note, which had two big characters written on it.
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