Chapter 7

Ding —— Ding ——

As the bell of the Fuxue Tower rang, Li Junde cheered loudly and threw his textbook into the air: "Finally, class is over!"

The Lingfeng Academy had double periods. There were two classes in the morning and two in the afternoon. The first morning class started at the hour of Chen and ended at the seventh ke (a unit of time), followed by a fifteen-minute break. The second morning class began at the hour of Si and continued until just before the hour of Wu, when students prepared to go home for a midday rest. The two afternoon classes started at the hour of Wei and ended at the hour of You.

Han Feng had been teaching history for most of the morning, carefully selecting and narrating the historical changes of the twelve dynasties of Zhongzhou, which made Li Junde drowsy.

Han Feng hadn't left yet. Hearing Li Junde's cheer, he immediately picked up the teaching rod and struck him hard: "I still have a class on etiquette and music in the afternoon. You'll see what I do to you then!"

Li Junde's family-secret skill, "Heavenly Clarity Shield," was a powerful internal martial art. Despite being hit by the rod, he remained unharmed, sticking out his tongue: "Brother, why do this? Doesn't it hurt your hand to hit me?" He followed Han Feng, holding his textbook and flattering him to mend his image.

They could still hear their conversation: "Your grades have been getting worse these past two days. Look at Yan Bao from Class B. His grades were similar to yours last month, but this month he has caught up and is now in the top three of Class B. If you don't work harder, just wait and see what I do to you."

Indeed, for a teacher, grades were one of the most important aspects.

Xun Yi watched Li Junde clowning around and rubbed his forehead. After a long class, his mental energy was drained. He had a heart condition and needed to avoid overexertion.

"The next class seems to be a martial arts class. It's a good time to rest." Xun Yi closed his eyes and rested his head on the table to take a nap.

The academy's curriculum was not limited to reading and writing. According to the standards of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the courses were divided into Literature, Martial Arts, Etiquette, and Mathematics.

The Literature class covered poetry, songs, essays, and historical studies.

The Martial Arts class was for physical fitness, including archery, swordsmanship, and horseback riding, to give students a strong physique. The founding emperor once privately said to someone: "I often hear that ancient virtuous scholars could govern the country with their pens and lead armies with their swords. They were true gentlemen. But today's scholars are so weak they can't even kill a chicken. How can they kill people? If we rely on scholars to control the military, the country will fall!"

The Great Zhou Dynasty did not look favorably upon weak scholars who only talked about military strategy. The basic requirement for entering the government was to be able to ride a horse. Swordsmanship and other advanced martial arts were not mentioned, but riding was the minimum requirement. Those who couldn't ride a horse were not even qualified to be military supervisors, let alone be carried in a sedan chair by a group of soldiers.

Not only men, but even women practiced some self-defense techniques. In the early days of the dynasty, a female general even fought alongside the founding emperor and was later ennobled as the Ying Marquis.

The Etiquette class taught the rituals and rules established by the founding emperor and many great scholars at the beginning of the dynasty. It emphasized virtue and the rule of law, and included various musical instruments.

The final Mathematics class covered calculations and planning, including carpentry and architecture.

There were four classes a day, and all four subjects had to be studied, but the content was decided by the teachers.

Li Junde returned to Class A and saw Xun Yi resting with his eyes closed. He shrugged: "I envy you, Brother. You don't have to attend the martial arts class today."

Zhang Yuqi closed the door and changed clothes: "It's said that today's martial arts class is for swordsmanship. Even if you include Class B, no one can match Brother's sword skills."

Quickly changing into his martial attire, Li Junde rummaged through the cabinet in the corner for his clothes.

Just as he was looking for his clothes, he suddenly let out a cry: "Oh no, I took my swordsmanship uniform home to wash it and forgot to bring it back."

Pang ——

A key hit him on the forehead.

Turning around, he saw Xun Yi squinting, lazily lying on the desk with the sunlight slowly spreading from the window: "Why aren't you changing in the changing room? Is the changing room for show?"

"It's so much trouble to change there, and Class B also has martial arts class today. Do you think Liu Zhenying would let us use the changing room? What if we argue?" Li Junde touched his forehead and saw Xun Yi's key, delighted: "Brother, thanks!"

He opened Xun Yi's cabinet and took out the swordsmanship uniform. Their sizes were similar, so it would fit temporarily.

"Make sure to wash it and return it." Xun Yi replied, closing his eyes to sleep.

After changing, Li Junde found that everyone else had already left. The large classroom was empty except for him and Xun Yi.

Xun Yi's heart condition was known to Li Junde, who, as his childhood friend, was well aware of it.

He quietly walked past Xun Yi, covered him with a blanket, and closed the door. He saw Liu Zhenying and the students from Class B also changing and heading to the martial arts field.

Liu Zhenying made a gesture from a distance: "Today, Class A and Class B will have a sword duel. The losing class will treat the winning class to food."

"Damn! You're taking advantage of Brother not being here!" Li Junde rolled his eyes: "Who's going to fight you? Why don't you challenge Brother?"

Looking at the Class A classroom, Liu Zhenying said dismissively: "I'm not stupid. Why would I go and get beaten up by him?"

"Let's fight, what's there to be afraid of!" Zhang Yuqi, waiting at the door, put a hand on Li Junde's shoulder: "Yan Bao from Class B isn't here. It's twenty-four against twenty-four, one-on-one. The losing side treats the winning side."

"Hey, hey." Li Junde knew something was wrong and quickly pulled Zhang Yuqi to the side: "Are you crazy? Liu Zhenying's sword skills were learned from Brother. Who among us can beat him?"

"You!" The students of Class A said in unison, pointing at Li Junde: "At least you've been with Brother for a long time. Your sword skills are better than ours."

"Besides, it's like the story of Tian Ji's horses. Your best against his worst. You're perfect for Liu Zhenying."

Everyone nodded: "Yes, yes. Your family-secret 'Heavenly Clarity' has high defense. Even if you can't beat him, you won't get hurt. Do you want to see us get hurt?"

Gu Yang and Zhang Yuqi had already colluded with their classmates. Since no one could beat Liu Zhenying, they decided to send one person to lose and win the other matches.

Seeing his classmates' "good luck" expressions, Li Junde was anxious: "Where's your sympathy? You're just pushing me out?"

At this moment, the martial arts instructor had also arrived. Liu Zhenying went up and said a few words, and the instructor was happy to let them have a free-for-all: "Fine, free combat. Sword skills are best learned through practice."

The instructor scanned the forty-eight students and felt relieved when he didn't see Xun Yi. Xun Yi's family skills were so strong that even the instructor couldn't last ten moves against him.

"Thankfully he's not here, or I'd be taught a lesson again."

At this moment, Xun Yi, who was being talked about, was still sound asleep. A writing brush rolled out from his robe.

The writing brush transformed into a small blue-robed figure about the size of a thumb, searching the classroom. "I felt it during class. There's a divine power fluctuation here. It seems to be the power of the God of Literature?"

There were twenty-five desks, and Xun Yi was lying by the window. Bai Fu searched and found a red-inked wolf-hair brush on a desk diagonally opposite Xun Yi.

"Sure enough, this brush has a divine power fluctuation. Could it be a divine brush blessed by the God of Literature?" Bai Fu lightly touched the brush, and a divine talisman appeared on the handle, emitting a strange and mysterious red light.

"What is this?" As Bai Fu examined it, Xun Yi opened his eyes and walked over.

"I'm not sure," Bai Fu said, "but the divine power on the brush doesn't seem to come from a true deity, not from the three gods of literature."

Xun Yi held the brush and felt a sudden clarity in his mind. His thoughts became clear, and beautiful articles appeared in his mind.

"It's not from the three gods of literature? Why do I suddenly feel like I can write like a god?" He took a piece of paper and wrote an article effortlessly. "I think the divine brushes given by the gods of literature are no better than this!"

Shaking his article, Xun Yi was quite satisfied. However, as he finished writing, a wisp of his essence and spirit was absorbed by the brush.

"Master, be careful, activate the City God Seal." Bai Fu quickly slapped Xun Yi's left hand, and divine power burst out, returning the essence and spirit.

Xun Yi was confused. He had just felt a moment of mental confusion, as if he had almost lost something.

"Master, this brush is problematic." Bai Fu's face was serious: "It's a technique to capture the soul with a brush. This is the work of an evil deity. Please check if there are other such brushes in the academy. I feel something is wrong."

"..." Xun Yi scratched his head: "Isn't it bad to search through other people's things?"

However, under Bai Fu's urging, Xun Yi symbolically walked around the classroom and found three such brushes in Class A alone.

"Something's wrong, something's wrong! These brushes contain evil divine power and are harmful to the body." Bai Fu shouted: "Master, go check Class B."

Xun Yi put away the wolf-hair brush and went to Class B.

Class B was empty, with only a lock on the door.

Xun Yi went over, lightly touched the wooden window, and used his wood-controlling ability to open it, then climbed in through the window.

He found five more brushes with the same mysterious divine talismans.

"I remember that in the Temple of Literature, they also distribute brushes, saying they are blessed and consecrated." Fixing the broken window, Xun Yi muttered to Bai Fu: "Are these brushes different?"

"Very different. The blessings from the three gods of literature—Wenqu, Wenchang, and Wende—are all unique and do not harm the body. But these evil deity brushes contain a literary aura that can temporarily improve one's writing. However, as a cost, they secretly absorb the user's essence and spirit until the brush is filled."

Bai Fu walked back and forth with his hands behind his back: "These evil deity brushes will likely use the pretext of limited effects to make the buyers return for further blessings, taking the opportunity to absorb the essence and spirit in the brush, eventually capturing the user's entire soul."

"On the third day of the sixth month, there will be a special imperial examination." Suddenly, Xun Yi said.

Bai Fu suddenly understood, clapping his hands: "That's it!"

Scholars, candidates, and graduates. Scholars take the provincial examination every three years to become candidates. The last autumn examination was two years ago, and the next one was supposed to be next year. However, it was said that to celebrate the Empress's birthday, the current emperor had decided to hold a special examination on the third day of the sixth month.

Xun Yi, due to his grandfather's passing two years ago, had been busy with family affairs and did not participate in the last autumn examination. According to the academy teachers, he was encouraged to prepare well and take the special examination on the third day of the sixth month.

"Trouble! If we can't find the person behind this before the special examination, according to the trend, scholars will seek these brushes for a smooth exam, spreading them widely..."

"Will it harm all the scholars in Longchuan?" Xun Yi realized, but what did this have to do with him?

"The disaster of an evil deity is the responsibility of the City God's office," Bai Fu quickly said to Xun Yi: "As the acting City God, you will be implicated. We must find the person spreading these brushes!"

"Find them? Where do we look?" Xun Yi couldn't think of a way and could only wander the academy with Bai Fu, sensing brushes with the same divine power.

"South, a bit more west." Bai Fu used his magic to guide Xun Yi, marking the locations of the brushes in the academy.

In the twelve classrooms of Lingfeng Academy, there were at least eighteen evil deity brushes.

Then, Bai Fu guided Xun Yi to a wall: "I can feel more evil deity brushes on the other side."

"That's the women's school!" Xun Yi immediately jumped back: "Going to the women's school in the west will get me killed!" No matter what, Xun Yi refused to go to the women's school. It was said that the old lady guarding the gate of the women's school was so skilled in martial arts that she could defeat anyone in the entire academy.

"Wait until after class, we'll talk then. I'll go find someone during the midday break." Xun Yi turned and walked away, not daring to face the old lady.

"After class? If they take the evil deity brushes home after class, how will we trace them?" Bai Fu was annoyed: "Master, if we alert them, they might run away and sell these brushes to candidates elsewhere. If someone falls seriously ill or dies, it will alarm the higher deities, and our position in the City God's office..."

Thinking about his heart condition and the need for the City God's help, Xun Yi sighed: "I'll find someone to help." He walked towards the martial arts field. For mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

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