Chapter 48: Azure Cloud (26)

On the tenth day of the fourth month in the ninth year of Linde, Azure Cloud Academy officially began its classes.

He Tingtong rose early, changed into the academy uniform—a set of black and white robes with scholar’s sleeves—tied on his wrist guards, and picked up the sword issued by the academy. He then knocked on Fu Fengyan’s door.

“Still not up? If you dawdle any longer, we’ll be late.” He Tingtong poked his head in and saw Fu Fengyan with a tie strap in his mouth, still struggling with his wrist guards.

Opposite them, Zhang Duixue was already up. He dunked his head into water to wash, shook his dripping wet bangs, and then stared at He Tingtong, who was adjusting Fu Fengyan’s clothes, laughing heartily. “You two have such a good relationship, like a little married couple.”

He Tingtong’s expression remained calm. “Ah-Fu has never used wrist guards before and doesn’t know how to tie them. I’m just helping him.”

From the side courtyard, Yue Qianxun crawled out with a mournful face. “I don’t know how either! Someone save me!”

Applying what he had just learned, Fu Fengyan extended both hands and said generously, “I’ll do it!”

In mid-April, apricot blossoms were falling. The four of them walked over a ground covered in crushed white petals to gather at the training grounds.

Zhang Duixue was excited, Yue Qianxun was apprehensive, Fu Fengyan was absent-minded, and He Tingtong looked at the pale mountain scenery shrouded in mist before him, the corners of his lips hooking up slightly.

“You’re in a good mood,” Fu Fengyan tilted his head to look at him and transmitted softly.

“Revisiting an old place brings many feelings, but I suppose I should be happy.” He Tingtong stretched his arms. He gazed at the distant mountains and trestle bridge. The early morning sun had not yet appeared, and the whiteness felt cold. In mid-air, senior brothers flew over on swords, carrying steamed buns in their hands, landing on the training grounds like cranes.

The number of people on the road gradually increased, walking in twos and threes, calling out to friends. Everything was vibrant and brilliant, and even the wind brushing against their cheeks seemed gentler.

He had seen this scene many times, but no matter how long it had been, he never seemed to tire of it.

Azure Cloud Academy had been open for almost ten years, but it had only started recruiting large numbers of external students this year. The Sword Pavilion had very few people, but they were divided into four cohorts, totaling barely over thirty students.

The students of the first three cohorts had been taught by that Young Master of the Immortal Alliance. Now that the teacher had changed, Qin Tan made no distinction between seniors and juniors or elder and younger martial brothers; he directly notified everyone to gather at the training grounds.

“I heard the Guili Sword Master is good friends with Lord Jingming. Someone saw him walking on the road the day before yesterday, and his attitude was very amiable.”

The training grounds were spacious, but one could still hear many whispers filled with longing and admiration for the legend. “To be best friends with Lord Jingming, the Guili Sword Master must have a very good temper, right?”

Yue Qianxun heard this as he passed by. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he barely suppressed it. But thinking that he wouldn’t be the only one suffering in the future, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl up again.

He didn’t want to learn the sword at all; fighting and killing was so boring. But since Qin Tan had picked him, he had no choice. Besides, the Langhuan Pavilion probably wasn’t a good place for him right now.

Actually, over the past two days, both He Tingtong and Zhang Duixue had taught him how to use a sword. He had tried hard to learn. He Tingtong said he was passable and would take him to crash an array class another day, while Zhang Duixue scratched his head and pondered for a long time before telling him to practice more.

Yue Qianxun knew he had no talent for the sword and was ready to resign himself to Qin Tan’s torment for the next four years. If he could learn, he would learn; if not… well, in broad daylight, he probably wouldn’t be beaten to death.

Qin Tan stood on the training grounds, holding a wooden sword. He looked arrogantly at the crowd, swept his gaze over them, and said indifferently, “Divide into four teams. Once divided, come fight me.”

An uproar erupted in the crowd. Someone said cautiously, “Teacher, isn’t this… inappropriate?”

Qin Tan’s gaze didn’t waver in the slightest, his voice revealing impatience. “Don’t talk nonsense; it’s a waste of time.”

Everyone looked at each other, then divided into four teams based on their year of enrollment.

The leading team had only eight people. The highest cultivation among them was already at the Sixth Realm, and they were the best from various sects. having been taught by Lord Jingming for three years, their swordsmanship, while not godlike, was not to be underestimated. Moreover, with eight people together, if they coordinated well, they could form a sword array.

Qin Tan held the sword in his left hand and said simply, “Attack.”

The eight senior brothers looked at each other and charged.

It was an extremely tragic day for the Sword Pavilion. Qin Tan, carrying a wooden sword, beat all thirty-nine students from top to bottom. In the end, only a few people could still stand on the training grounds. The injured youths clutched their wounds, wailing for their parents, feeling their future was bleak.

At this moment, Su Tan, holding the sword, looked at everyone with guilt in his eyes and said softly, “Tired? Did it hurt? This seat did this to test your limits… Or should I send you to the Hundred Herbs Pavilion?”

Everyone: “…” That face change was too fast, wasn’t it? Teacher Qin!

Su Tan looked at the youths with varying expressions, feeling a bit worried. Beating them so hard on the first meeting—what if they were all too scared and acted like frightened quails in class later?

Just then, an arm was shakily raised in the crowd. Su Tan looked closely and saw a bruised and swollen He Tingtong. The boy smiled at him, revealing the tips of his snow-white teeth. “Teacher Qin, everyone just has minor injuries, so there’s no need for the Hundred Herbs Pavilion. But could you treat us to a meal? It’s noon and we’re hungry. Can we not go to the cafeteria?”

Su Tan readily agreed, “…Sure!”

So the crowd lying half-dead on the ground immediately cheered, shouting “Teacher Qin is great benevolent,” scrambled up, and headed out.

The food at Azure Cloud Academy wasn’t fit for pigs; whoever liked it could eat it.

Qin Tan had only scheduled morning classes for today. In the afternoon, they could rest on their own or go to the training ground next to the Sword Pavilion to fight puppets.

However, most people chose to go back to the dorms and lie flat. No other reason—Qin Tan hit too hard. Although they were minor injuries, the pain was real!

After eating an extremely filling lunch outside, He Tingtong let the other two go back first, then dragged Yue Qianxun to buy some things before returning to the academy together. “You want to learn arrays, right?”

Yue Qianxun looked at him like he was talking nonsense. “Of course. But the Langhuan Pavilion is completely Xie Xuanxiao’s territory. If I go there now, won’t I be kneaded into whatever shape he wants?”

He Tingtong fished around in his robes and pulled out a class schedule. “The Sword Pavilion has few people, so there’s only Brother Tan as a teacher. But the Langhuan Pavilion has many students this year, plus previous cohorts, there might be hundreds. There are many teachers teaching arrays in the Langhuan Pavilion. Besides those related to the Yuanchen Palace, there is actually one more.”

Yue Qianxun’s eyes lit up. He followed He Tingtong over mountains and ridges into the Langhuan Pavilion, then took a huge detour until they finally found a small bamboo courtyard in a shady corner. Looking up, he saw “Mingxin Hall.” Peering inside, he didn’t see anyone in the courtyard. In a sunny spot sat a rattan chair, in which nestled a thin, withered figure dressed in gray hemp clothes with wide sleeves. His calves were like two hemp stalks, sticking straight out. A book covered his face, and snores came in waves.

Yue Qianxun looked at He Tingtong, tilting his head suspiciously. “This… this is also a teacher in the academy?”

Array masters were usually wealthy and powerful. The array cultivators in the Langhuan Pavilion were basically world-famous, coming from aristocratic families. Naturally, they were first-class in pomp and valued their image. They wouldn’t even sneeze usually, let alone lie here snoring like this.

He Tingtong strode forward and placed the packet of lotus leaf chicken he bought on the table. Before he could call out, the old man on the rattan chair jerked awake and bounced up. “Chicken? There’s chicken?”

A sparse layer of hair, gray and dry like straw, was tied up with a bamboo twig into a tiny bun. He was really not good-looking, with drooping eyelids. Looking closely, a strange glint shone in his eyes. Without any grace, he lunged at the food by He Tingtong’s hand, picked it up, took a bite first, and only then noticed the two youths beside him. The old man’s eyes widened slightly, then revealed a hint of wariness. “You two are?”

“Greetings, Teacher Mu. We are new students of the academy, here to learn arrays from you.” He Tingtong gave Yue Qianxun a look. Yue Qianxun brought the things over, placed the two jars of wine he just bought on the table, and gently unsealed them. The aroma of wine wafted through the courtyard.

Perhaps the smell of wine was too fragrant; the wariness in the old man’s eyes dissipated slightly, returning to a muddy pool. Hugging a wine jar, he lay back in the chair bonelessly, not even lifting his head. “Which family? What are your names?”

The two gave their names respectively. The old man raised an eyebrow disdainfully, his tone impatient. “Little rogue cultivators?”

He Tingtong nodded yes. Yue Qianxun felt uncomfortable hearing the mockery in the other’s tone, but thinking that He Tingtong’s choice must be right, he suppressed his dissatisfaction and barely endured it.

Then he saw the old man didn’t even give them a glance, pointing to the gray, dilapidated small courtyard next to it. “Go. Haven’t had students in a long time. Find a place yourselves.”

He Tingtong said yes, his expression unchanged, and pushed open the creaking door. Yue Qianxun looked up and saw the door hinge was broken, covered in a thick layer of dust. The house was empty, with a few tables thrown messily in the corner, missing arms and legs. It looked like no one had been here for ages.

Yue Qianxun used to live in the Langhuan Pavilion, where the windows were bright and clean; even the storage room was cleaner than this. Seeing this scene, he stopped himself from speaking.

He Tingtong winked at him.

Yue Qianxun held back all his dissatisfaction. He tidied up in the pile of junk for a long time, clearing out two relatively complete tables and chairs that were barely usable.

The old man in the courtyard was still eating, gnawing on chicken and drinking wine. Who knew what he was thinking, occasionally shouting something about being happy.

The two of them silently tidied up inside, clearing out the messy tables, chairs, and benches, then found some things to clean up. By the time the room was clean, it was already sunset. Yue Qianxun’s body ached. He had already been beaten in the morning, and now he had to work in the afternoon. Touching his flat stomach, he felt like the sky was falling.

Snores came from outside the courtyard. Two wine jars lay on the ground, along with a pile of bones sucked clean. The old man had fallen asleep again. He Tingtong led Yue Qianxun to say goodbye, then turned and left.

Yue Qianxun thought He Tingtong might have some masochistic tendencies, but when He Tingtong asked him the next day if he was going, he hesitated for a while and nodded.

Forget it. Although I don’t understand, Junior Brother He must have his reasons.

Thus, he endured Qin Tan’s discipline for seven days and delivered chicken to the old man called Teacher Mu for seven days. Finally, on the eighth day when leaving, he heard the old man’s muffled voice from behind the book pages, “No chicken tomorrow, switch to fish.”

Great, he’s ordering dishes now.

With a belly full of resentment, Yue Qianxun returned to the small courtyard. Watching Fu Fengyan learning to cook in the courtyard, he sneaked over, plucked a vegetable leaf, and said stealthily, “Brother Fu, aren’t you curious about what we’ve been doing these past few days?”

Fu Fengyan tilted his head. He looked at Yue Qianxun’s constipated face, which seemed to be holding back eighty thousand words, then looked at He Tingtong going to the washroom to bathe, and turned his back. “No. Xiao He won’t let me ask.”

“But if you really feel wronged, just tell the vegetables. Keep your voice down; I won’t eavesdrop.”

Yue Qianxun: “…”