He Seemed to Be Glowing

As the saying went, when one walked by the river often enough, how could one's shoes stay dry...

Zeng Anmin looked at the strange expressions in the eyes of the students in the classroom as they watched him, and sighed inwardly.

At that moment, he stood by the door, still holding a copy of "Imperial Academy" in his hand.

Since Qi Dachun was his bookboy, the instructor did not pay him any heed and had sent him back.

Zeng Anmin had no mind to flip through the book in his hands. He merely stared blankly ahead, thinking of other matters.

Time slowly passed.

Gradually, he got used to it.

"Ding~"

The bell signaling the end of the noon lessons rang.

The instructor then had the students dismissed for lunch.

Afterward, expressionless, he walked up to Zeng Anmin and let out a cold snort before pointing beside him.

"Pop~"

A milky-white aura formed a small, visible circle around Zeng Anmin.

"With this circle here, if you leave, your teacher will know at once."

"You are not allowed to eat lunch!"

Having said that blandly, the instructor headed outside.

"Grrr~"

Zeng Anmin had only entered the Martial Dao Danyang Realm yesterday, and his body was desperately in need of nourishment. The hollow, churning sensation in his stomach was unbearably uncomfortable.

"You old bastard..."

He was too hungry. Every cell in his body was protesting against him.

If he did not eat soon, he might faint on the spot.

This was no joke. Martial Artists who had entered a rank consumed two to three times as much food as ordinary people.

No! He had to eat.

Zeng Anmin took a deep breath. He had to think of a way to find someone to bring him some food. Even a few steamed buns would do, as long as they could suppress the discomfort in his stomach first.

"Brother Quanfu."

With a gentle face and a faint smile, Zhang Lun walked up to Zeng Anmin.

"Brother Tongyu!" A smile appeared on Zeng Anmin's face when he saw Zhang Lun.

Though they had not known each other long, Zeng Anmin already regarded him as a friend.

Yesterday's explanation had benefited him tremendously.

Zhang Lun first looked around, then, while no one was paying attention, slipped two slightly cold steamed buns into his hand.

"My mother made these steamed buns. They are this foolish elder brother's favorite food. Give them a try."

Zeng Anmin was slightly stunned.

He could naturally tell from Zhang Lun's clothes that his family circumstances were far from affluent.

These two steamed buns were probably all he had for lunch.

Zeng Anmin hurriedly refused.

"You should eat them. I'll be fine."

"It's nothing. Today, I specifically asked my mother to prepare extra for me."

Zhang Lun stood in front of Zeng Anmin, shielding him from the left, and smiled.

"This foolish elder brother will block you. Even if others see, they will not wag their tongues."

This...

How touching!

Brother Tongyu, I've decided. From now on, you are the foremost among the Ten Outstanding Youths Who Moved the Holy Dynasty!

They were only two steamed buns. Zeng Anmin was not so pretentious that he would refuse to eat them no matter what. In three swift motions, he stuffed both buns into his stomach.

Only then did he finally understand Qi Dachun's terrifying appetite.

"Delicious!"

Zeng Anmin's eyes lit up as he looked at Zhang Lun. "Auntie's cooking is truly excellent!"

That was not empty flattery. With his father looking after him, what good food had he not eaten?

In the Governor's Mansion, ordinary meat-filled steamed buns like these had long since disappeared from the menu.

Yet he had never expected an ordinary village woman to possess such skill.

As expected, true masters hid among the common folk.

"Hehe, if you like them, this foolish elder brother will bring you more tomorrow."

A smile curled Zhang Lun's lips.

Given his talent, he had heard plenty of praise since childhood. If Zeng Anmin had praised him, his heart would not have stirred in the slightest.

But Zeng Anmin's praise for his mother made him feel exceedingly pleased.

"You really are a good person!" Zeng Anmin could not help but hand him a good-person card. Just as he was about to continue speaking—

A voice, exceedingly calm and detached, rang out.

"Zhang Lun, have you considered what I told you yesterday?"

Then Zeng Anmin saw a lavishly dressed youth approaching from not far away.

The youth held a folding fan. His face was square and proper, and at first glance, his eyes seemed resolute.

But upon closer inspection, one could see a shadowiness flickering within them from time to time.

Behind him followed a burly man who strode like a dragon and moved like a tiger.

The burly man's temples bulged, his gaze shone like torches, and he watched everyone around him vigilantly.

"At least a ranked martial artist." Zeng Anmin's phoenix eyes slowly narrowed as he secretly assessed the burly man.

"Young Master Wang Lin, there is no need to mention yesterday's matter again."

The smile vanished from Zhang Lun's face when he saw him approach.

He said calmly and expressionlessly:

"The Shuidu Order cannot possibly be given to you. Not to mention a hundred taels of gold—even a thousand taels would be nothing more than filth."

The Shuidu Order?

Listening from the side, Zeng Anmin suddenly understood.

When he had first enrolled yesterday, the teacher had given Zhang Lun a jade pendant.

It was said that, carrying the Shuidu Order, one could enter the Library of Past Sages at Shuidu Academy.

Within were stored the handwritten works of senior figures of the Confucian Path.

For a Confucian Cultivator, it was a tremendous opportunity.

After hearing this, Wang Lin stared at Zhang Lun for a while with a smile that was not a smile, then said coldly:

"If you do not want silver, that is fine. If you are willing to give me the Shuidu Order, this young master can secure a future for you."

"Hah." Zhang Lun gave a faint laugh.

"I appreciate Young Master's kindness, but I would still like to fight for my own future."

Though polite, every word shut him out from a thousand miles away.

"Swish!"

Wang Lin closed his folding fan, nodded faintly, and said no more.

"Since you are so stubborn, then farewell. A Da, let us go."

Watching Wang Lin's retreating back, Zeng Anmin frowned and asked Zhang Lun:

"Who is that?"

"The Young Master of Prince Jiang's Estate in Two Rivers Prefecture." Zhang Lun waved a hand dismissively.

"He is merely someone who relies on his Lineage's power."

The Young Master of Prince Jiang's Estate?

Zeng Anmin slowly recalled what he knew.

He had followed his father to Two Rivers Prefecture only four years ago. Though he had never met Wang Lin, he had heard of his reputation.

As a student of the Confucian Way, he had already reached the Eighth-Rank Cultivation Realm before even turning eighteen.

He could be considered exceptionally gifted.

"Wouldn't it be troublesome to offend such nobility?"

Zeng Anmin did not wish to reveal his identity, so he looked at Zhang Lun with a frown.

Hearing this, Zhang Lun instead frowned.

He raised his head to look at Zeng Anmin, disappointment creeping into his gaze.

"Brother Quanfu, if we of the Confucian Path fear this and fear that from the beginning of our cultivation, then our Dao Path will surely bind itself in its own cocoon!"

As he spoke, his voice grew solemn.

"How could one bend at the waist to serve the powerful and noble? Could one's thoughts remain clear and unimpeded then?!!"

Upon hearing those words, Zeng Anmin instinctively felt so ashamed he wished he could burrow into the ground.

He had never imagined that Shuidu Academy concealed a student of such lofty and pure character.

"Brother Tongyu misunderstands. It is not that I am afraid."

Zeng Anmin shook his head with a smile.

"It is simply that the fellow just said he could help you win a splendid future..."

"Hehe."

Zhang Lun naturally caught the teasing in Zeng Anmin's words. He chuckled softly and said blandly:

"With no one to support my ambition for the azure clouds, I shall tread through snow to the mountain's summit myself."

"Though Lun is but a scholar, I possess a seven-foot body. How could I not rely on myself to carve out a bright and open world?!"

Zeng Anmin gazed dazedly at Zhang Lun before him, as though he were seeing a rising new star.

"Ashamed, ashamed. I do not possess Brother Tongyu's lofty spirit."

"What Anmin seeks in this life is no more than half a pot of clear wine, a lean horse, two mu of fertile fields, and three hundred million taels of idle silver..."

"Hahaha!!"

Zhang Lun could not hold back his laughter.