Old Demon Luo! You Came Too Late

Zhu Ying could not help covering his face as he said, "Do you know that Egret Academy has several hundred students? Those who could recite two or three volumes of books probably numbered fewer than ten fingers, and all of them had ground away at it for years like water wearing down stone. If you could memorize two volumes in a single day, then purely in terms of memory, you were already the best in the academy."

Little Bug was slightly surprised and said softly, "Reciting books isn't difficult! Most of these books have no more than a few tens of thousands of characters. Even if one's memory is poorer, after reciting them for a few more days, they would become familiar. Does everyone dislike memorizing books?"

Only one sentence echoed over and over in Zhu Ying's heart: Was that even something a person could say? He gave a bitter smile and replied, "Junior Wang Chong, let me advise you: do not tell others that you are so skilled at memorizing books. Otherwise, the other students may ostracize you, and I fear your days will not go smoothly."

Little Bug seemed thoughtful as he said softly, "I understand."

Though he was innately simple and honest by nature, his intelligence and sensitivity far surpassed those of ordinary children. He knew that Zhu Ying truly meant well for him.

Wasn't the principle of a tree standing tall in the forest simple and easy to understand?

And who was truly such a fool?

Seeing that Wang Chong had taken his words to heart, Zhu Ying could not help smiling. "At Egret Academy, breakfast is at the hour of the Rabbit, and classes begin at the hour of the Dragon. It is about time now. I'll take you to eat."

Little Bug repeatedly agreed. He hurriedly washed up, concealed the copper ring in his sleeve, then gently tore apart the sheet of paper on which he had written the three inscriptions. He kneaded the scraps again to make certain the writing could no longer be seen, then threw them into the wastebasket.

Zhu Ying and Wang Chong chatted and laughed all the way to the dining hall. Zhu Ying was tall and slender, his wide sleeves fluttering in the wind, making him exceedingly eye-catching. As a result, quite a few people also gave Wang Chong an extra look.

Wang Chong was young and wore an honest-looking expression. People mistook him for some younger relative of Zhu Ying's. Several students greeted Zhu Ying in succession, yet none paid Wang Chong much mind, at most offering him a slight nod.

Zhu Ying did not introduce Wang Chong to anyone either. He merely smiled, calm and unruffled as drifting clouds.

After entering the dining hall, Zhu Ying did not ask Wang Chong what he wanted to eat. He made the decision himself and ordered him a serving of crispy pork, a serving of greens, a serving of steamed egg, and a bowl of five-colored rice.

For himself, he ordered only a bowl of plain noodles, eating very lightly.

Wang Chong's mother had always educated her son strictly and did not allow him to be a picky eater. Yet Wang Chong's father was, after all, a vice minister at court. The servants in their household had all been carefully selected, and even the cooks came from the capital. It was said that they had been dismissed from the prime minister's residence, their skills possessing touches of brilliance surpassing even the chefs of famous restaurants. Their daily meals were exquisitely prepared.

On the journey from home to the academy, there had been no renowned towers or grand restaurants. The food at ordinary inns was merely edible, far inferior even to that of average well-to-do households, let alone official families. Wang Chong had not been used to it.

Egret Academy's head chef had quite an impressive background. Though the dishes were simple, they tasted genuinely excellent, much better than the food along the way. The young boy picked up his chopsticks and ate with delight.

Zhu Ying ate with refined restraint. He had originally wanted to speak with Wang Chong about the upcoming lesson, but seeing that Wang Chong ate neither quickly nor slowly and strictly followed the old precept of not speaking while eating or sleeping, refusing to say a single word, he could not help smiling and abandoned the thought.

After Little Bug finished his meal, academy servants naturally came over to clear away the bowls and chopsticks. Seeing that Zhu Ying still had half a bowl of noodles left but had already set down his chopsticks, he could not help asking, "Brother Zhu, do you have no appetite?"

Zhu Ying took out a silk handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped his mouth. Smiling, he said, "My appetite has always been this small. It is not a matter of whether my appetite is good or bad. Rather, I envy Brother Wang Chong's fine appetite, that you could finish all of this."

Little Bug rubbed his stomach. It was only three small dishes and a bowl of rice. What was there that I couldn't finish?

Having eaten breakfast, there was still some time before class. He wanted to return and review another volume of books. Just as he was about to mention it to Zhu Ying, the heavens and earth suddenly shook. Above the academy, thunder boomed across a thousand li, and lightning blazed through the sky.

Countless students stirred in alarm and shouted as one, "What fast-moving black clouds!"

Curious, Zhu Ying stepped out of the dining hall and looked up. He saw a mass of black clouds charging from afar, toppling cities and uprooting fortresses, swift as galloping horses. In the blink of an eye, they arrived above the academy and shrouded the entire place.

His expression changed slightly as he cried, "Little Brother Wang Chong, let us hide quickly. This is no good omen."

Little Bug was equally horrified. He had seen such black clouds before. Back then, that white-bearded old man had conjured a mass of black clouds and swept away every child in an entire village. He could not help crying inwardly, Could it be that old bastard refused to give up and has come to Egret Academy to seize people again?

What misery!

I never expected that even after coming to Egret Academy to study, I still could not escape this ordeal.

Just as Little Bug fretted in secret, a clear cry rang out through the clouds. A cold, crystalline beam of light shot into the heavens from the academy's rear mountain and held back the descending black clouds.

All the students in the academy were horrified, when they heard a clear voice shout, "Old Demon Luo! I spared you last time, yet you still dared come here to die!"

The black clouds rolled and churned. A muffled voice spread outward, like hundreds or thousands of wild beasts howling across the sky, utterly unintelligible as human speech.

Yet the person on the rear mountain seemed to understand. With a soft laugh, they shouted, "I got rid of that little ghost trick of yours eight hundred years ago."

"Old Demon Luo! You came too late."

A figure in fluttering white robes soared into the air. Ten thousand streams of clear light converged into a single thread and met the black clouds filling the sky.

The black clouds rumbled, yet they could never suppress that thread of clear light.

Black clouds and clear light tangled together, battling fiercely for half a day. At last, the clear light smashed through the black clouds and flew toward the southeast, with the black clouds chasing tightly after it. In less than the time it took to burn half an incense stick, not even the edge of a cloud could be seen on the horizon.

The academy's students recovered from their stunned, wooden-chicken and thunderstruck-frog poses, gathering in groups of three or five to discuss it. Some were frightened, some excited; all manner of emotions abounded.

Zhu Ying lightly patted his chest and let out a long breath. When he turned and saw Wang Chong's horrified expression, he could not help laughing. "It was not coming for you. Why were you so frightened?"

You were never captured by that white-bearded old man. Otherwise, I guarantee you would be even more terrified than I am.

Little Bug could not speak of his own experiences, so he could only excuse himself. "I am too young and have read too few books. Naturally, my skill at cultivating composure is inadequate."

Zhu Ying deeply agreed. Wang Chong was only twelve years old. At such an age, having already left home to pursue his studies, how could he be compared with an adult? Even adults would inevitably panic upon encountering such a thing. Wang Chong was still a child; this reaction of his was only natural. Zhu Ying said with a smile, "If you encounter something like this in the future, come into my arms, and this elder brother will..."

"Protect you!"

As soon as Zhu Ying said this, he realized he had spoken too freely and said something improper for his status. A bright flush appeared on his extraordinarily handsome face, and the latter half of his words became muddled.

He raised two fingers and brushed his cheek. Knowing that his face must have turned red with embarrassment, he no longer dared look at Wang Chong. He quickly walked away.

Little Bug hurriedly took several steps to catch up with Zhu Ying. His gaze unconsciously flicked toward this Senior Brother Zhu's chest, and an utterly inappropriate thought suddenly surfaced: Senior Brother Zhu's chest muscles are huge.

Could it be that he practiced martial arts? Was he a handsome talent accomplished in both letters and arms?