Martial Saint through Reading

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: What a Trailblazer

Chu Ming put on a look of pleasant surprise: ”Mr. Shen, um, I can go with you.”

”Good, let’s go.” Shen Yu was overjoyed. He immediately grabbed Chu Ming’s wrist and pulled him toward the exit of the Mess Hall.

The junior examinees—including Ning Hao, Liang Yuan, and Xu He—looked at each other in confusion, staring blankly as the old and young figures walked out the main doors and disappeared from sight.

Just left like that?

Ning Hao and Liang Yuan were still processing what had happened.

Outside the door, on the road.

Shen Yu pulled Chu Ming along for a few steps, but suddenly Chu Ming stopped.

”Having second thoughts?” Shen Yu’s grip tightened.

”Shen... Mr. Shen... no, it’s not that. I left in a hurry and forgot to put down my chopsticks.”

Chu Ming raised his right hand; sure enough, there was a pair of chopsticks in it.

”Just toss them,” Shen Yu said indifferently.

But Chu Ming looked earnest: ”Mr. Shen, I chose the Etiquette Register; these chopsticks belong to the Mess Hall. If I just throw them away, it would go against the teachings of the Register...”

Shen Yu looked at Chu Ming with some disbelief but did not let go of his hand.

”Mr. Shen, you just promised you wouldn’t interfere with my studies...” Chu Ming added.

”Hurry up and come right back. I’ll wait for you here.” Shen Yu released Chu Ming’s hand.

The Mess Hall had only one main door; he was not worried Chu Ming would run off.

”Thank you, Mr. Shen.”

Chu Ming pinched the chopsticks and walked steadily back into the Mess Hall.

”Huh? Why did Chu Ming come back?” a sharp-eyed examinee remarked.

Ning Hao and Liang Yuan also saw Chu Ming return. As they were about to approach, they saw Chu Ming set something on a table, then walk unhurriedly toward the second floor of the Mess Hall.

The Mess Hall had three floors; the first floor was the main hall, and the second floor had private rooms.

”Why is Junior Brother Chu going upstairs?” Ning Hao wondered out loud.

”No idea.” Liang Yuan shook his head.

”Want to go up and see?”

”Let’s go.”

The two reached the second floor, where they saw a window open, the breeze blowing in, and the doors of several private rooms all ajar.

”Chu—Brother Chu?”

They’d heard the earlier dispute among the examinees: they couldn’t call him ”Senior Brother Chu,” nor was it appropriate to call him ”Junior Brother Chu,” so they simply dropped the ”Senior/Junior” part and called him Brother Chu.

Liang Yuan and Ning Hao checked every private room one by one, but after looking through them all, Chu Ming was nowhere to be found.

”Where did he go?” Liang Yuan stood by the window, puzzled. ”We definitely saw Brother Chu come up.”

Ning Hao’s gaze drifted through the window. In the distance, there seemed to be a figure very much like Chu Ming, but considering the height from the window to the ground, he thought it impossible.

”Perhaps we made a mistake. Brother Chu already left with Mr. Shen.”

”Did we really see wrong?” Liang Yuan muttered, then suddenly recalled something: ”Senior Brother Ning, did Brother Chu leave without paying?”

...

At the Mess Hall entrance.

Shen Yu stood with his hands behind his back. Occasionally, junior examinees passed by and bowed respectfully to him.

But his face remained stern, as if he hadn’t noticed at all.

Pointless formalities!

Walls and prejudice!

He glanced at the Mess Hall.

”I wonder if you actually figured out what I wanted, or if you were just guessing?”

”Still, that lad’s eyes are bright—he’s quite sharp...”

Sharp?

His eyes suddenly narrowed.

Something’s off—how could returning the chopsticks take so long?

”Eh? Mr. Shen, you’re still here?”

Just then, Ning Hao and Liang Yuan exited the Mess Hall and ran into Shen Yu, who was about to turn back inside to look for Chu Ming.

”Where is Chu Ming?” Shen Yu demanded harshly.

Ning Hao and Liang Yuan’s hearts skipped a beat. Mr. Shen was clearly angry.

”Brother Chu...”

”Didn’t Junior Brother Chu just leave with you, Mr. Shen?”

”What a clever boy!”

...

After leaving the Mess Hall, Chu Ming went back to Yunqi Courtyard.

He read a while in his room, flipping through ”Poetry, Politics, and Military,” when hurried footsteps sounded, followed by the courtyard gate opening.

Ning Hao and Liang Yuan saw the oil lamp burning in the west room and the shadow bent over a desk, reading. They almost opened the door, but hesitated at the threshold.

”Brother Chu, how did you get back?” came a voice from outside the door.

”I walked back.”

”...”

Is that really what I meant?

”Brother Chu...”

”Senior brothers, it’s late. I’m a bit tired now.”

Chu Ming walked to the oil lamp and pressed the wick down, making the light immediately dimmer.

”...”

Ning Hao and Liang Yuan lingered a moment at the door. Catching each other’s eyes, they left silently.

Chu Ming watched their departing forms outside and his eyes flickered.

”That old Mr. Shen didn’t follow... Good.”

”Gotta hurry.”

He had his own affairs to handle and wanted nothing to do with Shen Yu’s matters.

Composing himself, Chu Ming refocused his mind and continued reading.

After more than two hours, he stood up, practicing his Inference Technique as he worked through the moves himself.

Inside him, the seventh strand of qi blood was condensed, the eighth now taking shape.

After a few rounds of moves, the eighth strand of qi blood had stabilized. In a few days, it would be just as robust as the previous seven.

On the panel:

[Tiger and Python Blood Refining Technique·Blood Activation (Great Success)]

[Progress: 55/100]

”Once this strand of qi blood is fully refined, I’ll make a trip to the Chu Family.”

...

In a room deep in Baiyuan Academy.

”Sir.” Xu He bowed respectfully. ”Junior Brother Chu Ming has already arrived at the Academy.”

Feng Yuan, clad in a light blue robe, sat calmly in his chair, a book resting in his hands.

He slowly closed the book, neatly placing it along the inner edge of the table, then turned his gaze to Xu He, ”Speak while you stand.”

”Yes.”

Xu He straightened, face full of respect: ”Sir, Junior Brother Chu Ming just arrived yesterday and has moved into Yunqi Courtyard as you arranged.”

”Hmm. How’s the boy getting along with Ning Hao and Liang Yuan?” Feng Yuan asked calmly.

”Seemingly quite well. At supper, they ate together in the Mess Hall. I heard Junior Brother Chu Ming consulting with Brother Liang Yuan about calligraphy and painting.”

”Oh?” Feng Yuan’s eyes flashed cleverly, a deeper meaning in his glance at Xu He. He said gently, ”He just got here, and instead of focusing on ’Poetry, Politics, and Military,’ he’s interested in calligraphy and painting.”

”I only happened to overhear, sir. Maybe it was coincidence; Junior Brother Chu Ming simply happened to chat with Brother Liang Yuan about painting.” Xu He tried to explain on Chu Ming’s behalf.

”Heh. Xu He, I know that boy’s character better than you. No need to explain for him. What else? Say everything.” Feng Yuan’s gaze was piercing as he stared at Xu He.

”...” Xu He hesitated for a moment, a look of frustration on his face.

Feng Yuan immediately noticed and said sternly, ”Speak!”

”Yes!” Xu He jumped, clasped his hands, and said, ”I heard that today, Junior Brother Chu Ming attended Mr. Shen’s poetry class but did not analyze the poems that Mr. Shen left as homework.”

”And then?”

”Junior Brother Chu Ming, in public...”

”If you keep hesitating, you’ll copy the Poetry, Politics, and Military five times!”

”Junior Brother Chu Ming, in public... flattered Mr. Shen.”

”How did he flatter?” Feng Yuan’s face turned cold.

”Junior Brother Chu Ming said Mr. Shen’s poetry was pioneering.”

”In the Mess Hall, many saw Mr. Shen lead Junior Brother Chu Ming away.”

Pioneering?

Feng Yuan’s brows knitted, his expression growing grim. ”You think Chu Ming didn’t know how to analyze poems and, to avoid punishment, did so on purpose?”

Xu He lowered his head, seemingly afraid to answer.

But his actions already answered.

”Pioneering... what a word!” Feng Yuan suddenly laughed. ”That junior of yours is clever, but he sure can stir up trouble.”

Before Chu Ming entered the Academy, Feng Yuan had gone through much trouble to cover up the fact that Chu Ming placed first in the Liuu Town Academy exam, so the news wouldn’t reach the Chu Family.