Which Teacher Wouldn't Like a Polite Student

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

In a secluded, old courtyard in the city, a young man was practicing martial arts with a wooden staff, his every move precise and steady.

Chop, sweep, lift, thrust, flick, and so on.

There were no flashy techniques, only practicality.

Lin Fan held the staff with one hand, leaped into the air, and brought the wooden staff down forcefully onto the ground. With a bang, it kicked up a cloud of dust, leaving an imprint on the earth.

[Basic Staff Technique Proficiency +1]

"Hoo."

Lin Fan planted his feet, retracted his staff, and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. His body gradually grew warm.

Seeing his proficiency increase, he nodded with satisfaction.

This was the result of his hard work.

Back when he was just flailing around randomly, he'd somehow stumbled upon Basic Staff Technique. Since then, he'd been relentlessly grinding proficiency. As Basic Staff Technique went from beginner to intermediate, and then to advanced...

He found that his staff skills had undergone a sea change without him even realizing it.

It felt like self-correction.

By modern reckoning, it was only five in the morning. Back when he hadn't transmigrated, at five in the morning, he'd still be fast asleep, certainly not awake.

But after transmigrating to this strange world, a constant sense of tension and pressure had driven him to seize every second, to use his time effectively.

As the saying goes: At a time like this, you still have the energy to sleep?

He continued practicing his staff techniques. The sound of the staff cutting through the air was muffled. After a long while, the sound of a door opening came from next door. A child with a round, tiger-like face appeared, standing by the fence as usual, his big eyes staring intently.

Of course, for the current Lin Fan, he was oblivious to the outside world, his mind focused solely on swinging his staff.

[Basic Staff Technique Proficiency +1]

After a long time.

Lin Fan stopped, breathing heavily. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his face was flushed, and he had used up most of his strength.

He glanced at his proficiency.

[Basic Staff Technique (Advanced 63/1000)]

Since waking up, he had gained fifty proficiency points in one hour. This was his fixed rate of improvement each morning. Once he reached a certain proficiency level, he would stop training.

It was just enough to reach the limit his body could handle.

Things were urgent now, but he couldn't afford to be reckless.

Lin Fan's gaze fell on the snot-nosed child. The boy was seven years old, nicknamed Hu Zi. He was his neighbor and lived with his mother. Their family barely had enough to get by.

He had met the boy's mother a few times. She was quite attractive. Apparently, knowing that Lin Fan was associated with the Loyalty Hall, she was hesitant to interact much with people like him and had been avoiding him.

Yong'an City had decent public order, but that didn't prevent dirty deeds from happening in the shadows.

Lin Fan picked up a small, short stick from a corner and walked to the fence. He handed the wooden staff to Hu Zi. "Here, take this to play with."

"Thank you, brother," Hu Zi said happily, taking the stick. Then, after a moment's thought, he pulled out a cooled steamed bun from his pocket. "Brother, have some bun."

Lin Fan smiled and patted Hu Zi's head. "Keep it for yourself. Brother doesn't need it."

"Oh."

Hu Zi then happily took a bite of the bun while randomly swinging his small stick around the courtyard.

No man could resist a straight, long stick.

Lin Fan went inside to wash up. As he was leaving, he happened to make eye contact with Hu Zi's mother. Startled, Hu Zi's mother quickly pulled her child, who was still wanting to play, back into the house.

"Am I that scary?"

Lin Fan touched his face, thinking he was quite handsome, even considered one of the good-looking men in Yong'an City.

Qingfang Private School.

After stuffing the remaining steamed buns into his mouth, Lin Fan pushed the door open and entered. He saw an old man in a blue robe sitting at the lectern and respectfully greeted him.

"Teacher."

The old man nodded.

Lin Fan found his seat and opened the book placed before him. This old man taught law. In his youth, he had been a scribe in the yamen. Now that he was old and no longer able to work, he had opened a private school to teach the law.

The book, Direct Interpretation of Laws, was somewhat obscure and difficult to understand. When he tried to read it on his own, his brain felt like it was about to explode.

He could only spend some silver to attend classes.

At this moment, the old man looked at Lin Fan, who was sitting there with his head bowed over his book, and nodded with satisfaction. He had a deep impression of this young man. Although Lin Fan didn't understand much about the law and his comprehension wasn't high, he studied very diligently.

He came to the private school punctually every day without fail.

No early departures, no late arrivals.

Especially upon learning that Lin Fan was associated with Loyalty Hall, they couldn't help but look at him with more respect. What did this signify?

It signified that this young man was ambitious, understood that associating with a gang offered no future, and had the patience to study for a better path.

As for associating with a gang, it was surely due to circumstances beyond his control; they could understand that.

Before long, people arrived one after another. These individuals were all here to study the Law, aiming for the exam a month later. They all came from good families; the one with the worst background was Lin Fan.

"Yo, you scoundrel, you're early today."

Lin Fan frowned slightly and looked at a young man sitting nearby. This guy had been targeting him ever since he found out Lin Fan was a lowly member of Loyalty Hall.

It angered Lin Fan so much that he sometimes thought about smashing the guy's head with a club on a dark and windy night.

Seeing Lin Fan not respond, Chen Liang continued, "Just waste your time studying. You want to pass? Unless the sun rises from the west."

He didn't take Lin Fan seriously at all.

This was because his uncle worked for the yamen.

His uncle had told him to just go through the motions of studying the Law, and he'd be taken care of later.

Therefore, Chen Liang felt extremely unlucky to see a scoundrel sitting in the same private school as him.

"Quiet, class is starting."

The old man rapped his teaching ruler and glanced at Chen Liang with disdain. However, when his gaze fell upon Lin Fan, it turned to approval. He was calm and composed, able to endure provocation without losing his temper; such a person was suitable for the yamen.

As for these spoiled brats, he wouldn't bother teaching them if it weren't for his livelihood.

Lin Fan naturally noticed the old man's gaze.

He had no relatives or connections in this world. Acting well in front of the old man and gaining a good impression was not a bad thing.

"Turn to page seventeen. Today we're discussing rape cases. There are several types. First, ordinary rape cases, where violence is used to force a woman into sexual relations. The penalty is hanging. Attempted rape still carries severe punishment, usually one hundred strokes and banishment three thousand li."

Lin Fan listened intently as the Teacher explained, committing it to memory. The penalties were harsh. If this were on Earth, it would only be a few years in prison.

"However, in rape cases, there are also cases between freeborn and bonded, and between relatives. If it's between freeborn and bonded, there are two situations. One, if a bonded person rapes a freeborn woman, it's a severe crime punishable by execution. But if a freeborn person rapes a bonded woman, the penalty is strokes or imprisonment…"

Hearing this, Lin Fan paused slightly. Considering this was a feudal dynasty, he didn't say much more.

"Hey, bonded, that's talking about you," Chen Liang said with a quiet laugh.

Lin Fan smiled at Chen Liang, memorizing the man's appearance. You bastard, just you wait. If I had the strength now, if I had learned the Martial Way, how could I let you jump around in front of me?

Of course, he also knew about the household registration system here.

Freeborn citizens were scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.

Bonded individuals were entertainers, beggars, outcasts, boat people, and servants.

He himself belonged to the beggar household.

Time passed quickly.

During this period, Lin Fan benefited greatly, his understanding of the Law deepening. Meanwhile, Chen Liang, sitting beside him, listened drowsily. The Law was one thing, reality was another.

If he were to rape a bonded person, nothing would happen to him.

"Class dismissed."

The old man stood up, preparing to leave.

"Thank you, Teacher. You've worked hard," Lin Fan said respectfully as he stood up.

The old man stroked his beard and nodded with a smile. Who wouldn't like an understanding student? As for the other students, they were a mess, completely lacking in manners.

After the old man left.

Lin Fan looked at Chen Liang and said, "I might know why you've been targeting me."

"Hmm?" Chen Liang asked curiously.

The people around them who hadn't left also cast curious glances.

Lin Fan pointed to Chen Liang's face, then to his own. "It's because you're jealous that I'm better looking than you. But looks are natural, there's nothing that can be done about it. But your face is fat and covered in pimples, like a toad. Sitting next to you is disgusting. I'm leaving, leaving. If I look at you any longer, I might vomit."

As soon as he finished speaking.

The surrounding crowd couldn't help but burst into laughter.

BANG!

"You motherf***er!"

Chen Liang slammed the table in rage, his face turning ashen. The thing he hated most was people mentioning his face, and he couldn't refute it because his face was genuinely ugly.

Meanwhile, Lin Fan had already strode away.

He didn't even glance back at Chen Liang.

He could only hear Chen Liang's impotent, furious curses.