An Unexpected Encounter

If everyone were allowed to freely choose who would be their strategist, probably nine out of ten would choose Si Jingyu, Si Ming was no exception. Unfortunately, Si Jingyu was the head of a clan, so it was clearly impossible for him to be lured away.

"Getting back to the main point, I'm here to help. The Si Clan's predicament has been resolved. Is there anything else I need to do?" Si Ming asked.

Si Jingyu shook his head. "The Si Clan's crisis is not over yet. Yesterday's battle was just a drizzle. Even if we lost, we'd only get a little wet. The real storm is yet to come. Twenty years ago, our ancestor, along with a few friends, plotted against a mortal enemy. Unfortunately, they failed to kill him on the spot, leaving him severely wounded and escaping. After that, they heard nothing from him, only that he had been diligently cultivating, waiting for his chance to take revenge. Now that our ancestor has passed away, this mortal enemy might take the opportunity to attack Water Mirror Manor to avenge the past."

"You can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against thieves for a thousand days. This is going to be difficult."

"I plan to lure the snake out of its hole, so I need a bait. But considering that the other party is a Spirit Transformation Grandmaster with unfathomable strength, the bait's situation will inevitably be very dangerous, so I don't intend to force it..." Si Jingyu hesitated.

"No problem, leave the decoy task to me, I guarantee I'll complete it."

Si Ming patted his chest confidently. He had done this kind of thing many times before. As long as he didn't use his ultimate move, he had nothing to fear from Spirit Transformation expert. Moreover, he had brought the Vermilion Bird Profound Armor with him on this trip. It was still uncertain who would be the hunter and who would be the prey.

Si Jingyu immediately showed a delighted expression and said, "That's wonderful! I thought this request was unreasonable, and I was worried you wouldn't agree. It's clear you're genuinely confident and not just bluffing, so I'm relieved. From now on, I'll trouble you to impersonate me and attend the Emperor Peak Luofu Academy in my place."

"Ha?"

Chapter 280 Unexpected Contact

"I refuse!"

Si Ming decisively denied it. After all, he wasn't the type to never lie or cheat, and he wasn't the type to always do what he said. He was flexible when necessary and tactful when appropriate. Trying to trap him with words was a pipe dream.

Si Shuiyun couldn't help but say, "Although I think it's very inappropriate to have you impersonate Miss, it's practically an insult to her, a true man's Nine Ding. You have to keep your promises. Don't you even have that much responsibility?"

Si Ming snorted twice, "You're Nine Ding and no action, huh? Don't worry, I'll bring you nine tripods to play with right away. If you can't lift them, I lose."

Having witnessed Si Ming's brute strength, Si Shuiyun didn't think lifting nine cauldrons would be difficult for him, and said irritably, "You're playing word games, you're cheating."

"What's wrong with playing word games? Duke Zhuang of Zheng also played word games, yet everyone praised him as a filial son and lauded his filial piety."

Si Ming to a story from the Zuo Zhuan). Duke Zhuang of Zheng developed a rift with his brother Duan after his mother, Lady Jiang, instigated Duan to usurp the throne. Duan committed suicide, and in his fury, Duke Zhuang of Zheng Ying Kaoshu, suggested a plan: dig underground until spring water gushed forth, then build a basement to house his mother. Finally, mother and son met in the basement, fulfilling the condition of reaching the Yellow Springs.

This Yellow Springs is not the same as that Yellow Springs. Duke Zhuang of Zheng was undoubtedly playing a word game, but no one said he wasn't. On the contrary, they praised him for his filial piety.

"How can you confuse the two?" Si Shuiyun said angrily. "If you don't want to do it, fine, but you're making it sound like we're begging you."

Si Jingyu suddenly said, "What if I lend you the 'Water Moon Precious Mirror' to read?"

Si Shuiyun hurriedly said, "Miss, please think it over!"

Si Ming was taken aback and asked, "Is it really alright to lend our family heirloom to an outsider?"

"Where did this outsider come from? Aren't you my brother?" Si Jingyu smiled, then adopted a serious tone. "Times have changed. From the moment the Grandmaster publicly revealed all the Mohist School's martial arts manuals, hoarding them has become meaningless. Countries like the Nation of Beauty that isolate themselves and reduce the circulation of martial arts manuals are ultimately just prolonging their existence. A traditional Aristocratic Clan like the Si Clan, which uses martial arts manuals to unite people, will eventually be eliminated. Rather than waiting to die, it's better to make changes while there's still room to salvage the situation. As the Book of Classic of Changes says, 'When things reach an extreme, they change; change leads to progress; progress leads to longevity.'"

Si Jingyu's demeanor and vision impressed Si Ming from the bottom of his heart. To put it bluntly, it was simply not the kind of magnanimity a woman should have.

He sighed, "Is it a pity, or is it fortunate that you are a woman?"

"Is this a compliment? Then I'll accept it without hesitation. Are you willing to accept my previous suggestion?"

"Please forgive me for refusing. While the 'Water Moon Precious Mirror' does indeed hold great appeal for me, it is not indispensable, nor is it enough to make me do something I don't want to do."

At worst, he could find other soft martial arts, which might not be as wondrous as the "Water Moon Precious Mirror," but for Si Ming, learning soft martial arts was only to solidify his martial arts foundation, not to actually use it in combat. He still preferred the fierce and domineering fighting style.

Si Shuiyun said angrily, "It was a favor to ask you to impersonate a young lady, okay? Not only are you ungrateful, but you even dared to slander me. If I weren't outmatched by you..."

"If you know you can't beat me, don't waste your energy. Getting angry often can damage your brain, and the rush of Qi and Blood to the head can lead to a stroke and wrinkles."

You bastard!

Si Jingyu stopped Si Shuiyun from taking action and Si Ming with a helpless expression, "Knowing that Shuiyun has this kind of personality, you shouldn't tease her anymore. Since you don't want to be my substitute to go to school, then let's settle for second best and have you enter the school as my personal bodyguard."

"That's no problem. Rather, since you had this option, why didn't you say so from the beginning?"

"Because being male would subject them to many restrictions at the Emperor Peak Luofu Academy, with many areas off-limits, it's easy for oversights to occur."

Si Ming frowned and said, "With such restrictions, the so-called guards are meaningless. The other party can just strike when I'm not around."

Si Shuiyun glared and said, "And me! I'll protect you closely, Miss. Unlike picky amateurs like you, I'll go with you no matter where you go!"

Si Jingyu said, "In fact, I will be going to school less often during this period. Unless absolutely necessary, I will stay at home. The person you need to protect is someone else."

Si Ming thought this was the normal reaction. They weren't the protagonists of Japanese anime, going to school even when the world was ending. Demon kings, heroes, and God Slayer, possessing world-destroying power, still had to get up early every day to go to school, as if their lives wouldn't be complete without going to school. Yet, none of them seemed to really like studying. He didn't know what they had to do with going to school.

Whom should I protect?

"A girl named Si Huaruo is my cousin. Besides me, she's the only other person at the Water Mirror Manor who attends Emperor Peak Luofu Academy. After all, this school has very high requirements; in addition to family background, you can't get in without outstanding talent in a certain area."

Si Shuiyun also said, "Miss Ruo is the second most talented person in the Water Mirror Manor after the eldest young lady. She already possesses Level Nine Internal Cultivation before she turned eighteen, and she is a strong contender for the 'Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling'."

What does "Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling" refer to?

"You don't even know about the Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling? You should at least know about the Nine Arts, right? Never mind, I can tell from your expression. After all, you come from a country that's an artistic wasteland, so I can't blame you," Si Shuiyun seized the opportunity to mock Si Ming. "The Nine Arts refer to music, painting, sculpture, dance, drama, literature, tea tasting, calligraphy, and chess. And 'Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling' refers to a genius under the age of thirty who has achieved the top rank in a certain art field. By the way, Miss is Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling in the field of dance."

"Been taught a lesson."

Si Ming was not angry or embarrassed. He did have many shortcomings, but he did not pretend to know what he did not know. In this era without search engines, the lack of knowledge had little to do with a person's intelligence. The key was the channels through which knowledge was acquired.

He compared the art projects of his previous life. Photography and film, needless to say, are related to science and technology and are only just beginning. Architecture and sculpture are grouped together and not separated. Calligraphy can only be considered China art and is not recognized by the Western-dominated art world. After all, Western languages are usually composed of letters, and there are only twenty or thirty letters used. Perhaps there are differences in fonts, but fundamentally, they lack the basis to form an art system. Tea drinking is an art unique to Huaxia civilization, which reached its peak in the Song Dynasty. Unfortunately, in the Yuan Dynasty, a group of barbarians found drinking tea in this way too troublesome, so they abandoned compressed tea and drank loose tea, simplifying the process to brewing. The art of Huaxia tea was thus abandoned.

"What's the relationship between this girl named Si Huaruo and Si Huamu, who confronted you this morning?"

"They are mother and daughter."

"Oh, so you're going to protect her?" Si Ming asked doubtfully.

"Si Huamu is Si Huamu, Si Huaruo is Si Huaruo. Although they are mother and daughter, they cannot be confused. As long as she has not betrayed the Lineage, I have a responsibility to protect her. As the young clan leader, I have the magnanimity to do so," Si Jingyu said frankly.