Wenchang looked furious, and Taibai chimed in beside him. "You lot, what am I supposed to say to you? You come to the Academy and fool around with this nonsense instead of studying. Are you doing right by your parents?"
"I really haven't read it! I borrowed it from a classmate. I wanted to practice transformation arts with it, and only read it after I got home!" Tears began to well in the boy's eyes. He felt terribly wronged. If he had actually read it, that would have been one thing, but he really hadn't. The Academy had been strict lately, and teachers confiscated anything they caught. He had begged his friend for ages before finally getting to borrow it.
Matchmaker Yue narrowed his eyes and quietly watched the little troublemakers. Their heads drooped, and all the life seemed to have drained out of them, like eggplants wilted by frost.
"Taibai Venus, Matchmaker Yue, please believe us! He really hasn't!" The boys were loyal to one another, sharing hardship as readily as good fortune. Each spoke up to vouch for him.
Unfortunately, they would have been better off keeping quiet. The moment they all spoke, Wenchang Dijun's face darkened almost to purple. They were trying to wriggle out of this.
"Really? You're all together, all involved. Who among you can prove it? As far as I'm concerned, bringing a book to school is bound to interfere with your studies. Otherwise, you could have borrowed it after going home instead of bringing it here. Enough explanations. The book is confiscated, and you all need to reflect on your actions. Matchmaker Yue, fellow Daoist Taibai, I don't think we can take this sort of thing lightly.
"Once it becomes a habit, it will disrupt the atmosphere of the entire Academy. Natural Daoist