Paleography

At six thirty in the evening, Zhang Shuai headed out and grabbed a taxi to Louzhonglou Restaurant again.

By the time Zhang Shuai arrived at Louzhonglou Restaurant, Sun Xiaoya and Lin Xiuwen were already waiting for him outside.

Both women had clearly dressed up for the occasion. Sun Xiaoya wore a black bodycon skirt that showed off her figure, giving her a particularly alluring look. Her long, fair legs, clad in black stockings and high heels, were especially eye-catching. Lin Xiuwen, on the other hand, had gone for a sweet, youthful style. Her delicate features, ponytail, and cream-white dress gave her an innocent charm.

The three of them went up to a private room on the second floor and sat down. Sun Xiaoya asked Zhang Shuai and Lin Xiuwen to order. Zhang Shuai casually picked out one meat dish and one vegetable dish, while Lin Xiuwen ordered only a plate of greens. Seeing this, Sun Xiaoya took the menu and added several more dishes. She made a point of warning Zhang Shuai, "Zhang Shuai, you're not allowed to insist on paying today. Otherwise, I'll get mad!"

Zhang Shuai smiled. "Don't worry. I definitely won't try to pay today."

As they ate, the three chatted. Most of the time, Zhang Shuai simply listened to Sun Xiaoya and Lin Xiuwen talk about amusing things that had happened at university.

"Xiuwen, that Li Feng from the student union who's always pursuing you—are you still not planning to give him a chance?"

"I'm not interested in him. He's so annoying and full of himself, always acting as if everyone has to like him. I've told him so many times that I don't like him, but he still won't leave me alone. It's driving me crazy."

"Isn't Li Feng pretty great? He's 187 centimeters tall, handsome, and on the school basketball team. I heard he's even one of the top ten heartthrobs among the girls at school. How can you not be interested?"

Lin Xiuwen said, "I just don't feel that way about him. I don't even think he's that handsome. Uh..."

At that, Lin Xiuwen glanced at Zhang Shuai and said, "Strictly speaking, he's not as handsome as Zhang Shuai. Just based on looks, Zhang Shuai is much more handsome."

When Zhang Shuai realized that the women's conversation had turned to him, he hurriedly said, "Hey, don't drag me into this. My name is Zhang Shuai, but I'm really not handsome. At least I have enough self-awareness to know that."

Sun Xiaoya grinned. "You're not handsome? There are hardly any guys at our school who are better-looking than you. Don't believe me? Ask Xiuwen. She has the pickiest taste, and even she says you're handsome. That means you really are."

Zhang Shuai didn't want to dwell on the subject, so he quickly changed it. "Let me ask you two something. Does your school offer a course in paleography?"

"It does, actually," Sun Xiaoya said. "Our school may not be one of the very best universities in the country, but its paleography program ranks first among universities nationwide. Last fall, several of the professors in our paleography department were secretly recruited by the government to help decipher something of tremendous importance to the country."

That news stirred something in Zhang Shuai. Could the government have recruited those paleography professors to study and decipher the Small Heavenly Cycle Art?

After all, if this cultivation technique was real, it would mean a great deal to the country. Especially for those in power—who wouldn't want to live forever and enjoy wealth and status for all eternity? The authorities would surely need the most qualified people to decipher the Small Heavenly Cycle Art. It was a cultivation manual, after all, and even the slightest mistake could be disastrous. A single error might cause someone to suffer cultivation deviation, just as Ouyang Feng had when he practiced the Nine Yin Manual backward.

Maybe the government was promoting the Big Dipper Long Fist to identify talented people. Cultivation surely required talent, and only those who developed a sense of qi while practicing the Big Dipper Long Fist could cultivate. Hadn't that female spy from the island nation used this very excuse to infiltrate the 749 Bureau?

"Does your school allow people from outside to sit in on classes?"

Sun Xiaoya asked in surprise, "You want to come to our school and attend a paleography class?"

Zhang Shuai nodded. "I want to learn a bit more."

"But why would you want to study something so obscure? Usually, only archaeology and history students take paleography as an elective."

"I'm interested in ancient scripts and want to learn more about them."

Lin Xiuwen frowned. "Generally, only public electives or open lectures allow auditors. Paleography classes are part of a specialized program, so they usually don't allow people to sit in. "

Lin Xiuwen cut in, "Actually, it's not impossible. You just need to speak to the professor teaching the course in advance. Usually, if you're genuinely interested, the professor will agree to let you audit. If not, you can pay a fee and register with the school as an auditor. It's not hard."

Zhang Shuai understood. If he had money, it wouldn't be hard to work things out.

In today's practical world, there were very few problems money couldn't solve.

It looked like he needed to find a way to make some money. Although he'd come into two hundred thousand yuan by chance after picking it up from that female spy from the island nation, he'd already spent over ten thousand on debt repayment, clothes, and signing up for driving lessons. What he had left wasn't even enough to buy a decent car. And cultivating might cost him quite a bit in the future, too. He had to find a way to earn more.

When Zhang Shuai said nothing, Lin Xiuwen said, "Zhang Shuai, if you really want to study paleography, I can talk to the leaders at our school and help you get permission to audit. Once summer vacation is over, you can come to school with us."

Sun Xiaoya's eyes lit up at that, and she said excitedly, "That's right, Zhang Shuai! Xiuwen's uncle-in-law is our school's vice principal. With her help, you can definitely audit classes at our school. Then we can hang out together on campus!"

Zhang Shuai fell silent for a moment. If he wanted to decipher the contents of the Small Heavenly Cycle Art as soon as possible, he needed to study paleography systematically. That was the only way to make sure he didn't make a mistake.

Zhang Shuai thanked Lin Xiuwen earnestly. "All right, then. Thanks for helping me, Xiuwen. If I ever get the chance, I'll repay you for this favor!"

Lin Xiuwen smiled. "It's nothing. We've known each other for ages, and we're practicing driving together, too. It's no trouble to help out. School starts on September fifth, so there's still over a month. Once classes begin, the three of us can go to school together."

As the three of them ate and chatted, the conversation somehow drifted back to the topic from that morning at the test center.

"Zhang Shuai, come clean. How many days did it take you to memorize all those names of island-nation adult film actresses? You must've had a hard time memorizing such a long string of awkward names just to show off."

Zhang Shuai could only laugh helplessly. Sun Xiaoya still remembered that.

"I told you already, I really do have a photographic memory. I didn't go out of my way to memorize them just to show off!"

"Fine, you say you have a photographic memory, right? Want to put it to the test?"

Zhang Shuai sighed. "Sigh! To prove my innocence, I'll just have to agree. How are you going to test me?"