Ling Zhuzi shook his head so hard he looked like a rattle-drum.
What a joke. He had worked so hard to get into Farm Teachings. If he could not learn alongside everyone else, then what had he come here for? He could not possibly spend every day in the dormitory staring blankly at his token.
Besides, he had come out to gain experience. How could he retreat just because there was a little too much to learn?
"I don't want to."
"Then study hard."
A Heng patted him on the shoulder encouragingly.
"Keep it up. I believe in you.
"There's a class at the Scripture Hall tomorrow at the hour of the dragon. Don't be late."
"Alright!"
After seeing her off, Ling Zhuzi pushed open the window. The distant mountains drifted in and out of view amid the clouds and mist.
The mountain breeze carried the fragrance of spirit plants, along with the distant sound of scripture recitations from the Scripture Hall.
He pressed the token to his chest.
"Empress, this disciple will work hard."
At the hour of the dragon the next day, Ling Zhuzi arrived at the Scripture Hall on time.
The large classroom on the first floor was already full. Ling Zhuzi found a seat in the corner and took out the twelve compulsory-course Jade Slips A Heng had helped him collect the night before from his Storage Bag, arranging them neatly on the desk.
The one hundred and twenty-three Jade Slips, stacked together, stood taller than he did. Staring at the pile, he furrowed his brow into a knot.
"So many... when am I supposed to finish them?"
The disciple beside him heard that and turned to glance at him. He was a Zheng whose Transformation was incomplete, with five tails, a single horn, and a