Chapter 47

No matter what, with Tang Jie's advice, Wei Tianchong no longer indulged in sightseeing along the way, and the speed of the convoy finally increased significantly. Thanks to the protection of the spirit masters, after a long and arduous journey, they safely arrived at the capital of Wenzhixin, Wanquan City.

As the capital of Wenzhixin, Wanquan City was grand and magnificent, incomparable to Canglong Mansion. The entire city was prosperous and thriving, with roads as wide as eight lanes. The buildings on both sides were intricately carved and decorated, with jade pavilions and flying eaves, exuding luxury and grandeur. Even the passersby were mostly dressed in fine silk, with an air of nobility.

The carriage clattered along the bluestone road, and at almost every intersection, a fountain could be seen, each with a unique design and a myriad of postures.

It was said that there was an underground river beneath Wanquan City, hence the city was dotted with springs. A predecessor had once counted the springs out of boredom, but even after counting over three thousand, he still couldn't finish. Thus, the city was named Wanquan City.

Wanquan City was divided into inner and outer cities. The inner city was the imperial palace of Wenzhixin. Although the Immortal Sect was supreme, as the secular representative of the immortals, the imperial city still maintained its unique dignity and status.

In the eastern suburbs of the outer city stood Qingyun Mountain, where the famous Xiyue Academy was located on the New Talent Peak. Unlike other mountains, this one was not naturally formed but was created by a powerful figure of the Xiyue Sect using supreme immortal techniques. Hence, the mountain was named Qingyun, and the peak was named New Talent, symbolizing the rapid rise of new talents.

The carriage proceeded towards Qingyun Mountain, and after passing through Wanquan City, it arrived at the foot of the mountain. At the foot of the mountain was a lake, like a jade belt encircling the mountain, known as the Jade Belt Lake. It was also created by a powerful figure of the Xiyue Sect. The entire Qingyun Mountain was surrounded by this lake, and it was said that there were man-eating lake monsters in the lake, making it impossible to cross without the special boats of the Xiyue Sect.

In other words, the entire Qingyun Mountain was essentially the Xiyue Academy, and once inside the academy, one could not leave without the approval of the academy.

Upon arriving at the foot of the mountain, one could see a cluster of buildings along the lake, known as the "Scholar Forest," which were the residences of Xiyue Academy students outside the academy.

According to the rules of the Xiyue Academy, students were not allowed to bring servants, but to prevent their young masters from suffering, the major families always found loopholes in the rules.

You're not allowed to bring servants? Then I'll bring servant students. You can't say anything about students helping each other, can you?

The rules of the academy could only be enforced within the academy. Since that was the case, I'll build houses outside the academy and leave people there. According to the academy's rules, students could leave the academy for one day each month, and any matters to be handled could be taken care of by the people left outside—servant students were only responsible for matters within the academy, while others were responsible for external matters.

Thus, human ingenuity was boundless, and no matter what restrictions were placed, there was always a way to find a loophole.

The Scholar Forest was born this way.

The Wei family also purchased a house in the Scholar Forest, which was shared by the two older brothers of the Wei family. Since they all only came out once a month, the house was sufficient.

When the convoy arrived, a servant named Lin Mao, who was permanently stationed there, came to greet them.

Wei Tianchong got off the carriage, looked at the house, and frowned, saying, "Isn't this too small?"

The house had a courtyard and four main rooms, laid out in a square, similar to a traditional Beijing quadrangle. In terms of area, it was far inferior to the Tranquil Heart Garden. The three young masters each lived in one of the main rooms, and the servants lived in one room.

Wei Tianchong had never lived in such a small house in the Wei family.

The servant, Lin Mao, hearing Wei Tianchong's question, smiled and said, "Young Master, you think this house is small, but do you know how much it cost?"

Wei Tianchong was taken aback: "Is this house very expensive?"

The servant raised three fingers.

"Three thousand taels?" Wei Tianchong asked in confusion, thinking that the price was quite high, no wonder his mother was reluctant to buy a larger one.

"It's thirty thousand taels!" the servant said seriously.

"What?" Wei Tianchong almost jumped up: "Are you robbing us? Just this small place costs thirty thousand taels?"

Thirty thousand taels of silver was equivalent to thirty million in the present day!

The house, including the courtyard, was about two hundred square meters, which meant each square meter cost 150,000!

The most expensive house in Canglong Mansion, calculated per square meter, was only about 10,000. So Wei Tianchong thought that 3,000 taels was already quite expensive. The house Tang Jie bought in Fengping Ferry was even larger and only cost 150 taels. He never thought that this shabby house would cost thirty thousand taels, even Tang Jie was stunned.

The servant smiled and said, "There's no way around it. After all, those who can come to the Xiyue Academy are mostly wealthy or noble. The house itself may not be valuable, but the land around it is scarce. Therefore, the price of the land around the Jade Belt Lake changes every year, and it keeps rising. This is still relatively cheap. There are places with beautiful views by the lake and mountains, and houses there can cost up to ten thousand taels, and people still fight to buy them."

Ten thousand taels, that's one hundred million!

This was mainly because the students only stayed for one day each month, so the price had risen to this level. If the Xiyue Sect required a household registration in the Scholar Forest to enter the academy, the price would rise even more.

Thinking of a house selling for over one hundred million, Tang Jie felt a twinge of pain and squeezed out a few words: "School district house!"

Because of the abundant spiritual energy and the presence of immortals, the productivity in Qixia World was relatively advanced, but the lives of the common people were quite ordinary. It seemed that all the wealth was concentrated in the places of cultivation.

"This is too harsh!" Even Wei Tianchong, the wasteful one, felt the pain of the price.

Fortunately, the servant consoled him: "But there's a reason for this. Although the house is expensive, Young Master can resell it after completing your studies. If you become a disciple, this place could become a blessed land. Then, your parents could resell the house for fifty thousand taels. Young Master, do you know that the most expensive houses in the Scholar Forest are not the ones with the best views, but those that have produced disciples. So, your parents are investing, treating it as a business."

Indeed, once something is associated with value preservation and appreciation, it is destined to remain high.

Wei Tianchong asked, "What if I become a rejected student?"

The servant was startled and thought, "How can this young master be so unreliable? He's thinking about being expelled before even entering the academy." He could only chuckle and not answer.

"If you become a rejected student, this house might not even be worth ten thousand taels," Tang Jie laughed. "So, Young Master, your entrance exam results are directly related to the tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of taels the Wei family has spent. If you don't study well, it's absolutely not acceptable."

"Don't give me that, are you trying to make me recite the Disciple Regulations again? I won't!" Wei Tianchong replied irritably.

"Reciting the Disciple Regulations is for your own good. Familiarity with the rules can help you avoid mistakes and think more carefully when acting. You wouldn't want to be penalized and sent home because you don't understand the rules, would you?" Tang Jie replied with a smile.

Wei Tianchong turned his head: "I won't recite it. Isn't there still you? Don't think I don't know, you just want to be lazy. Once we enter the academy, you'll leave me alone and be afraid of me getting into trouble, so you want me to recite the rules myself. Humph, I won't fall for your trick."

"Indeed, three years of interaction haven't been in vain. Now, Young Master, you understand me better." Tang Jie replied with a smile.

"Hmph, I knew it would be like this." Wei Tianchong said proudly, pointing at Tang Jie: "And don't use your top ten disciples to pressure me. I'm not interested."

"This matter, I can't just give up. I'll use an eight-person sedan chair to carry you to that position," Tang Jie laughed.

"Really... really... I'm really afraid of you!" Wei Tianchong, having no choice, went directly to his room, trying to avoid Tang Jie's nagging.

The servant had never seen a servant speak to his master like this, and he was momentarily stunned, looking at Tang Jie and then at Wei Tianchong, unable to recover for a while.

He asked Shidream, "Is he a servant student?"

Shidream looked at him as if he were an idiot: "Yes. What? Can't servants joke with their masters? You're making a fuss over nothing."

She turned and walked away.

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Since they arrived early, they stayed in the house for a few days. During this time, Wei Ming, Wei Die's brother, came to visit the young master, but Wei Tianchong's elder brother, Wei Tianzhi, did not come, saying he was participating in a trial at the academy and was too busy.

When the cousins met, and being classmates, they set up a table in the courtyard to drink and chat. However, whenever the academy was mentioned, Wei Ming was reluctant to talk, being taciturn. Tang Jie had heard that he was originally an outgoing person, but something had made him become silent, indicating that his life was not going well.

In the end, after drinking a lot, Wei Ming grabbed Wei Tianchong's hand and said, "Little brother, listen to me. Since you're here, work hard and don't be as mischievous as before. The Xiyue Academy is not the Wei family. It's hard to stand out here!"

Wei Tianchong was confused and looked at Wei Ming: "Is someone bullying you?"

"Bullying?" Wei Ming laughed: "Once you enter the Xiyue Academy, who has the time to bully others? When you advance to a higher level, you might encounter arrogant people, but for now... you need to earn the right to be bullied!"

Saying this, Wei Ming patted Wei Tianchong a few times and left.

Wei Tianchong was shocked by Wei Ming's behavior. He had never heard of needing the right to be bullied and was a bit scared. He tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep well.

On the third morning, the academy registration finally began.

Leaving the Scholar Forest, they arrived at the Jade Belt Lake ferry. A huge dragon-headed boat was docked at the ferry.

The boat was so large that it could carry nearly ten thousand people, and logically, it should not be able to navigate in shallow water. However, it was there thanks to the power of the immortals, making everyone envious.