He started walking over.
As he drew closer, he could finally make out a little bookstall in the middle of the crowd.
A few children stood beside it, while a throng of students pressed in front, money raised in their hands as they shouted:
"I want this one!"
"I was here first!"
"Stop shoving! You're stepping on my foot!"
Mo Hen's face darkened.
It was the opening ceremony. Shouldn't they be standing properly instead of running off to rent books?
He pushed through the crowd and stepped forward, ready to reprimand them.
Then his gaze fell on the bookstall.
The books were neatly stacked, and the words on their covers leaped into his eyes one by one.
Battle Through the Heavens
Martial Universe
Journey to the West
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
The Legend of the Condor Heroes
Mo Hen's reprimand caught in his throat.
His gaze was caught fast by one of the books.
The Legend of the Condor Heroes.
The cover depicted a person drawing a bow and nocking an arrow, radiating boundless power.
Mo Hen's hand reached out against his will.
He picked up the book and opened it to the first page.
[The mighty waters of the Qiantang River flowed on without cease, day and night, winding past Niu Family Village in Lin'an before streaming eastward into the sea. Along the bank stood a row of dozens of black wax trees, their leaves red as if scorched by fire...]
Mo Hen couldn't tear his eyes away.
He stood in the middle of the crowd. The students around him were clamoring, and the September sun blazed overhead, but he couldn't hear or see a thing.
There was only the world inside the book.
Guo Jing, Huang Rong, the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, the Eastern Heretic, the Western Venom...
Each name came alive in his mind.
Who knew how much time had passed?
At last.
"Teacher Mo Hen!"
A voice yanked him out of the book.
Mo Hen jerked his head up and saw a student staring at him anxiously.
"Teacher, the ceremony's started! The principal wants you to come over!"
Mo Hen froze. Only then did he notice that the crowd had dispersed. The space in front of the bookstall was empty, with only the fair-skinned little boy left, packing up the books.
He looked down at the book in his hand, then at the boy.
"This book..." He paused. "Whose is it?"
Su Mo looked up and smiled. "Mine."
Mo Hen nodded, handed the book back, and turned to leave.
After a few steps, he couldn't help glancing back.
The book lay quietly on the stall, its cover still showing the figure drawing a bow and nocking an arrow.
Mo Hen drew a deep breath and forced himself to look away.
The ceremony had begun.
He was a teacher. He couldn't be late.
At the ceremony.
The principal stood onstage, cleared his throat, and began to speak.
"Students, a new semester has begun..."
Silence reigned below.
The principal nodded in satisfaction and continued.
"...Our Notting Academy has stood for a hundred years and trained countless outstanding Soul Masters..."
The audience remained silent.
Even more pleased, the principal raised his voice.
"...I hope you'll study hard and reach ever greater heights this semester... Let us give our new students a warm welcome."
With that, the principal led the applause.
But.
The audience was still silent.
So silent it was toe-curlingly awkward.
The principal looked closely and finally realized that something was off about the silence.
The students sat upright, eyes fixed straight ahead, their expressions attentive.
But their eyes were vacant.
Their minds were nowhere near the stage.
In the upper-year section, one student had his head lowered, clutching a book and hiding it beneath his sleeve as he stole glances at the pages.
Another student leaned over and whispered, "What part are you at?"
"Xiao Yan just broke off the engagement."
"Was it satisfying?"
"So satisfying! Nalan Yanran deserved to get humiliated!"
"Let me have a look, just one glance..."
"No way. Wait till I finish this part!"
The lower-year section was even more outrageous.
A few students had simply laid their books on their knees and were reading in plain sight.
The students beside them didn't report them. They craned their necks to read along instead.
"Stop shoving! I can barely see the words!"
"Turn the page!"
"Wait, wait, this part's exciting!"
The teachers' section was no better.
A few young teachers sat straight-faced, their hands quietly slipping into their sleeves, where they had hidden books.
The older teachers were too embarrassed to sneak a look, but their eyes kept drifting toward the students, a hint of longing in them.
Mo Hen sat at the far end of the teachers' section, doing his best to look like a proper teacher.
But his mind was full of Guo Jing and Huang Rong.
Had the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan found Guo Jing yet?
Would Hong Qigong take Guo Jing as his disciple?
Was Huang Rong really Huang Yaoshi's daughter?
He desperately wanted to know.
But he couldn't move.
He was a teacher.
He had to maintain a teacher's dignity.
Mo Hen took a deep breath and forced himself to focus on the principal.
The principal was growing annoyed, but could only press on.
"...The way of the Soul Master lies in perseverance..."
Mo Hen nodded.
Perseverance...
Guo Jing was certainly persistent.
Fools had all the luck...
No, no. He couldn't think about that.
Mo Hen shook his head hard, trying to fling the thoughts from his mind.
A teacher beside him looked at him strangely. "Teacher Mo Hen, are you all right?"
Mo Hen forced a smile. "I'm fine. My neck's a little sore."
The principal finally finished speaking.
"With that, the ceremony is—"
He didn't get to finish.
A thunderous roar erupted from the audience.
Hundreds of students jumped to their feet in unison and surged in the same direction.
They moved as fast as people fleeing for their lives.
The principal was stunned.
He stared blankly as the students vanished in the blink of an eye.
The playground was left with only a handful of teachers and a bewildered groundskeeper.
The principal opened his mouth to ask, "What's going on?" but there was no one who could answer him.
He looked at the dean beside him.
The dean shook his head.
He looked at Dai Cong, the newly appointed manager of the logistics department.
Dai Cong was shaking his head too.
The principal's face turned completely dark.
He strode off the stage and hurried after the students.
He wanted to see what could possibly be more appealing than his opening-day speech!
The bookstall was packed again.
Even more people than before.
Tang San was collecting money until his hands were sore, while Xiao Wu's voice had gone completely hoarse. She could only direct customers with gestures.
"Mmmph, mmph!" (Line up over here!)
"Mmmph, mmph!" (Pay first!)
"Mmph!" (Stop shoving!)
Su Mo crouched beside them, watching the madness unfolding before his eyes, his feelings complicated.
He knew his books were popular.
But he hadn't expected them to be this popular.
And this was only the first day.
At this rate, how much could he earn in a month?
He was calculating the profits when the crowd suddenly parted down the middle.
A dignified figure strode in.
The principal.
Su Mo looked up and met his gaze.
The principal's face was stern. His eyes swept across the bookstall, finally landing on the wooden sign.
Book rental: 20 Copper Soul Coins/hour
Advanced edition: 100 Copper Soul Coins/hour (personally written by Su Mo; those with high comprehension may find an opportunity)
The principal furrowed his brow.
Twenty Copper Soul Coins an hour?
That was expensive!
In his fifty-plus years of life, he'd never seen book rentals cost so much.
And what was this "advanced edition," "regular edition," and "those with high comprehension may find an opportunity"?
Who did they think they were fooling?
The principal let out a cold laugh, about to reprimand them.
Then a voice spoke beside him.
"Principal, why don't you take a look?"
Mo Hen had appeared in the crowd at some point. He held out a book to the principal.
The principal's gaze fell on the four large characters on its cover.
Battle Through the Heavens.