Compared with Ye Yulin's wildly exaggerated gasp and eyes nearly popping out of his head, Jing Hongchen, sitting silently on the other side and repeatedly reading through the files with his eyes, seemed much more "mature and composed."
Of course, that impression of maturity and composure depended on ignoring his wildly twitching eyelid, the flesh quivering beneath his black robe embroidered with gold, and his leg that wouldn't stop bouncing.
"Gentlemen, you've finished reading, haven't you?" Xu Kun sat up a little straighter and lightly tapped the desk of the imperial table with his right hand. "I wonder what the two of you plan to do now."
Anyone who could cultivate to the Titled Douluo level, whether a Soul Master or a Soul Engineer, would not be a fool in the truest sense.
So Jing Hongchen and Ye Yulin both believed that when His Majesty the Emperor had hurriedly summoned them from their respective posts to Wenhua Hall and handed them this file to read, he absolutely wasn't going to say:
"Hey, what do you think? Nice stuff, right? Now that you've read it, go back and have dinner. I called you here today because I was bored and wanted to mess with you, let you experience the agony of seeing something you can't have. Mwahahahaha!"
If the emperor really was bored enough to amuse himself by messing with the Titled Douluos under his command,
then honestly, the Sun Moon Empire was probably "doomed before long."
"..."
Ye Yulin pondered for a moment, thinking to himself: His Majesty has summoned me and Jing Hongchen, two important ministers who are both major figures among Level 9 Soul Engineers, to the palace, then given us the information file of a top-tier genius to read. His purpose is already obvious, isn't it?—
His Majesty wants to choose between Jing Hongchen and me, whoever can become a super mentor capable of nurturing a Guardian Douluo who will one day prop up the Sun Moon Empire like a pillar holding up the sky!
He's waiting for us to show off our respective strengths and decide who gets the genius!
In a situation where staying silent was practically the same as admitting defeat and leaving empty-handed, Ye Yulin decided to strike first:
"Your Majesty, you know what I'm like. I still don't have a personal disciple to inherit my mantle. Although... although I once swore to find a genius Soul Engineer to carry on my legacy, if I were to replace that Soul Engineer genius with a genius Soul Master of this caliber, it wouldn't be out of the question."
"Pfft—"
Seeing Ye Yulin so ready to throw caution to the wind that he was willing to cast aside his dignity, Jing Hongchen, who felt the advantage was his, finally couldn't hold back a laugh.
"?"
Following the direction of the laughter, Ye Yulin looked suspiciously at Jing Hongchen. "Jing Hongchen, what are you laughing at?"
"I was just laughing at how, despite your advanced age, Elder Ye, you're willing to throw away your dignity just to get your hands on this child." Jing Hongchen slowly closed the file in his hands and asked Ye Yulin with a straight face, "Elder Ye, have you ever taught a student?"
So that was Jing Hongchen's trick: going on the offensive by pointing out that this old man was no good at teaching students, and using that to make himself look better!
Thinking this, Ye Yulin was about to erupt, but then saw Xu Kun staring straight at him. He could only force down his anger and grit his teeth. "No. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked His Majesty to grant me this promising young talent."
"Since you've never taught a student or disciple, Elder Ye, how can you be sure you'd be able to teach one well?" Jing Hongchen rose to his feet, gave Ye Yulin a smile that didn't reach his eyes, then turned toward Xu Kun, who sat upright behind the imperial table.
"Your Majesty, forgive this old servant for speaking frankly. The right person should do the right job. To find someone to nurture a genius like this, a once-in-a-millennium talent, we should look among those with abundant teaching experience, students and disciples all over the world, and the ability to teach according to each student's aptitude."
"Hmph. 'Abundant teaching experience,' 'students and disciples all over the world.' Why don't you just give your own name?" Ye Yulin snorted and shot Jing Hongchen a sidelong glance.
Jing Hongchen, however, didn't get angry or flustered. He bowed to Ye Yulin with a chuckle. "Since Elder Ye agrees that this old man is experienced in teaching and has students and disciples all over the world, then I must thank you for yielding this opportunity to me."
"Bullshit! When did I say I was yielding it to you?"
Realizing that the short winter melon Jing Hongchen had tricked him, Ye Yulin leaped to his feet and glared furiously at him from across the room.
"Ahem, ahem..."
Xu Kun, who had never seen a scene like this before, coughed twice, seemingly reminding Ye Yulin to mind where he was.
"Your Majesty."
Suppressing his displeasure, Ye Yulin abruptly turned toward the imperial table and said in frustration, "This old servant still has something to say."
"Go ahead," Xu Kun said expressionlessly, nodding.
"As Hall Master of the Mingde Hall, Hall Master Hongchen wears many hats. He has to oversee the progress of the many experimental projects in the Mingde Hall, while also bearing the important responsibility of supervising the researchers and students. Even if you handed him such a promising young talent, would he have the time to look after him? Don't forget, Hall Master Hongchen's grandson is also a 'fairly well-known genius'! With his own grandson by his side, can he devote himself wholeheartedly to nurturing an outsider?"
As he spoke, Ye Yulin had already proudly patted his chest, as if making a solemn pledge to Xu Kun:
"Unlike Hall Master Hongchen, this old man isn't so busy. I have no grandson to raise, and no pile of important matters that I have to handle personally. I have all the time in the world. I can devote myself completely to nurturing that child, and even treat him as my own."
Ye Yulin, you've got some nerve accusing me of shamelessness. This hall master thinks you're no less shameless, you old bastard!
You take all that imperial salary and do a fraction of the work I do, yet instead of feeling ashamed, you're proud of it—and have the nerve to say it so openly. You're the one who's got no shame!
Jing Hongchen had wanted to offer to give up a few unimportant positions to prove he had spare time to nurture a talent. But after thinking carefully for a while, he sadly realized a terrible truth:
All the work he had seemed pretty important. He couldn't just give any of it up. And he certainly couldn't tell His Majesty that he could ignore his own grandson and take care of an outsider instead!
If he said that, His Majesty wouldn't believe him anyway...
But!
Even such a bleak life couldn't stop Jing Hongchen from competing with Ye Yulin.
As the saying went, even if he lost, he couldn't lose face. Today, he, Jing Hongchen, was going head-to-head with that shameless old man Ye Yulin.
What should I say next? Where does my competitive edge lie? I need to think this through... Come on, brain, think! We can't lose to that old bastard Ye Yulin!
Just as Ye Yulin saw Jing Hongchen fall silent and felt victory was already in his grasp, imagining the super genius kneeling before him to pay respects as his master, Jing Hongchen, having put his mind to work, suddenly spoke.
He said, "Your Majesty, this old servant believes that neither I nor Starry Sky Douluo is suited to nurture this genius."
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