With this, Lin Jin was fully settled down in Heavenly Spiral Academy. In the afternoon, Lin Jin gave Li Xinqi, Li Yuanqing, and the others a lecture. Since they were his pupils, Lin Jin was responsible for their academic achievements. Before class, he tried to familiarize himself with their quirks. This way, he’d be able to tailor his lectures to facilitate the learning process. Halfway through their lecture, the student named Fan Yuan finally came to request an apprenticeship.
Out of curiosity, Lin Jin asked him why he didn’t make the request this morning. Fan Yuan answered the question with a sheepish expression. Apparently, he had thought about making the request in the morning but had held himself back due to the fear of rejection. After leaving the public lecture, he gave it some more thought and finally decided to brace himself before coming here to Lin Jin’s quarters.
Fan Yuan had a reserved personality and was a stickler for rules. He wasn’t a high-spirited or dexterous chap, but people like him tended to be able to focus on their objective easily. Apart from that, Fan Yuan already had a decent foundation, so Lin Jin didn’t reject him. He also informed Fan Yuan that his tenure lasted only for three months.
After that, Lin Jin decided to leave the academy to meet up with Gu Mengzhong. He wanted to notify his friend about the developments on his side, and he was curious about what Gu Mengzhong was going to do next.
After all, Lin Jin would be spending most of his time here at the academy.
“I plan to stay in Heavenly Spiral City for a few more days to study the Battle Saint Mantra. I can’t be bothered with anything else right now. Let bygones be bygones.” Gu Mengzhong seemed to be in a relatively carefree mood. It was a stark contrast from the dispirited Gu Mengzhong that Lin Jin stumbled across on his way here.
Looks like Gu Mengzhong had finally moved on from the misery of his teacher’s rejection.
It was a good thing. At least Lin Jin’s advice wasn’t given in vain.
Of course, the Battle Saint Mantra played a more significant role in Gu Mengzhong’s change in attitude. Composed by a Century Battle Saint, this martial arts manual was packed with profound knowledge. If Gu Mengzhong could fully assimilate the mantra’s swordsmanship teachings and pair it up with his Rank 4 ink monster, he was sure to become a renowned expert.
With this, Lin Jin could rest easy.
By the time he returned to the academy, it was already dark outside. Among his students, Li Xinqi, Shen Chiyue, and Yu Daiwei were girls so they couldn’t well stay here. Even if they wanted to, Lin Jin wouldn’t allow it.
To his surprise, the three scions, Li Yuanqing, Yue Yun, and Wang Pin, were more than glad to stay here with Lin Jin. Though, when Fan Yuan, the broke student proactively requested to stay with Lin Jin, they decided to back his request.
After all, only one person was needed to stay and care for their teacher’s needs.
No matter how they saw it, Fan Yuan was the best candidate for this task.
“Sir, the hot water is ready and I’ve prepared the washing basin too,” Fan Yuan said respectfully when Lin Jin was still deep in thought.
Fan Yuan intended to wash Lin Jin’s feet [1]in the basin.
Lin Jin was not used to having people serve him like this. Still, he had to admit that soaking his feet before bedtime was truly a comforting experience.
The class Lin Jin gave to his private students this afternoon was rather heavy. At their current level, it would take some time for them to fully digest the information.
Fan Yuan was a brilliant student. Although he wasn’t good at expressing himself and had the appearance of a stereotypical bookworm, that was limited only to areas besides studying and research. When it came to learning, the man had great talent.
This was Lin Jin’s impression of him after their interaction today.
Since just now, Fan Yuan had a discussion with his new mentor about today’s lesson. In particular, he asked about the parts which confused him. Without feeling an ounce of annoyance, Lin Jin answered every question without leaving out any details.
Due to how late it was getting, Lin Jin had Fan Yuan turn in. The latter didn’t think much of it. Once he laid down, a sense of drowsiness took over him and he instantly fell into a deep slumber.
Lin Jin’s hand beckoned and a silver needle flew back into his sleeve.
Lin Jin had to give Senior Mo lectures on cultivation at night so it was better that Fan Yuan slept soundly. Fan Yuan failed to notice the needle pricking his body. With Lin Jin’s skill, he could even help Fan Yuan sleep through a thunderstorm without much effort.
Senior Mo had been holding out the entire day now. He crouched down obediently to listen to his lecture. His formal cultivation journey had only begun several days ago but his foundation was much better than regular beasts. Despite this, his cultivation lesson was still pretty basic. Lin Jin’s plan was to start off by teaching him Beast Energy Formation, Part One.
There were many parts that Senior Mo was unsure of, and Lin Jin answered every question he raised.
Under the night sky, inside Peach Blossom House, Fan Yuan slept soundly in the side room. Lin Jin sat cross-legged in the courtyard, answering Senior Mo’s questions and enlightening him. It was a serene sight.
At one point, a tiny white snake curled itself into a ball on a faraway tree, preparing to eavesdrop on the lecture. In the nearby pond, bubbles broke the surface of the water each time the carp floated upwards.
***
Somewhere inside the imperial city.
The seemingly half-human half-beast Zhou Weng was behaving subserviently. From time to time, he would even shudder in fear. Elder Ye who was beside him kept his head low. Even Elder Ye’s snake staff was behaving itself.
This seemingly inconspicuous house where they had gathered was actually one of the secret hideouts for the Demonic Appraisal Association. The man on the street would never have guessed what sort of secret laid within this average-looking building.
Standing across the room was a person clad in black robes. This person had an average figure and their face was concealed by the darkness. No one could have a clear view of their face.
Despite this, this entity was more than able to instill fear in experts like Zhou Weng and Elder Ye.
Moments earlier, Zhou Weng had explained to this person what happened the night before when they met up with Hall Master Chu and the rich young master. Elder Ye would chime in with some of his own observations from time to time.
“So, you’re saying that you’ve all gathered that night because Chu Gou wanted to discuss countermeasures with you?” the person in black asked in a deep and unnerving voice.
“Yes, Black Envoy. That was indeed the case. Though, both of us didn’t manage to meet up with Hall Master Chu the next day. It was later on that we found out he was…” Zhou Weng’s voice trailed off awkwardly.
After all, the person whom he was speaking with was the second in command of their Demonic Appraisal Association, Black Envoy.
Other than their chief, Black Envoy and White Envoy was next on the hierarchy, with the former having a higher position than the latter. Even a brute like Zhou Weng who knew nothing but shouting and roaring behaved like a proper student in front of Black Envoy.
While Elder Ye may be older, the Demonic Appraisal Association didn’t honor seniority. To insist that Black Envoy show him respect just because he was older would be asking for trouble.
Seeing Black Envoy standing there quietly, Elder Ye spoke softly, “Master Black Envoy, no matter who it was, or why it happened, since the perpetrator was bold enough to kill our comrades, he must be hunted down. Zhou Weng and I can make ourselves useful. Should you have anything that you would like to see done, just give us your order.”
Black Envoy chuckled. “Both of you are quite loyal. At first, I was guessing someone might have leaked information, but now, that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
Both Zhou Weng and Elder Ye broke out in cold sweat upon hearing this. If there really was a snitch among them, only those who attended the meeting were able to do so. Of the four of them, two were already dead. That leaves the Black Envoy with Zhou Weng and Elder Ye. If Black Envoy were to doubt their loyalty, death was sure to come. But now, it seemed that the suspicion was already cleared away.
This was good. At least they were safe for now.
[1] This may sound odd to non-Chinese readers, but in Chinese culture, the act of washing one’s feet before bed is a way to express one’s respect. It is typically reserved for people like your parents, your master, etc.
