Say It to Her Face

Xu Yuan tried to recall the knowledge his former self had learned.

And this time, it actually helped.

Countless facts seemed to awaken in his memory, giving him a few ideas about how to answer the question he had just seen.

He flipped through the exercise book and, beneath the fill-in-the-blank question on the "Three Principles of the Dao of Alchemy," wrote: "Yin-Yang Harmonization; Five Elements Generation and Restraint; sovereign, minister, assistant, and envoy."

Working through the exercises strengthened his memory in turn.

He spent a good fifteen minutes on it.

Only then did Xu Yuan finish sorting and relearning his high school knowledge of alchemy.

It was enough to make him marvel.

He had assumed those experts who soared through the skies and burrowed into the earth only needed to stir their Spiritual Power to cast all manner of wondrous spells.

But that was not how it worked.

Alchemy alone showed how vast and profound the field was, boundless as the sea.

It covered basic theory and principles; materials, including spirit herbs, minerals, and supplementary ingredients; tools and pill furnaces, including furnace types and Artifact Refining knowledge; the essentials of alchemical techniques, including types of pill flame and heat control; pill formulas; and more.

It was practically a major discipline unto itself.

If he grew conceited and arrogant in the face of such a body of knowledge, then even with the ability to "compete," his prospects would be severely limited.

Xu Yuan straightened his attitude, immersed himself in the work, and began writing earnestly in the exercise book.

At times his pen flew across the page; at others, he leafed through old notes and books.

Time slipped by unnoticed.

A little over twenty minutes later.

Xu Yuan was drawing three alchemical hand seals in his exercise book.

Suddenly, a tiny figure no bigger than a finger laboriously climbed over the edge of his desk.

Folded from yellow paper, it crawled across the desktop until it reached his exercise book.

It rolled over and unfolded itself.

It was a talisman.

A Message-Passing Talisman.

It was the most basic kind of talisman. You could write something on it, fold it into a human shape, and send it off to its intended recipient.

A crooked line of writing appeared on the talisman:

"I got my hands on a great book. Want to read it?"

This was—

Xu Yuan looked up.

A shifty-eyed fat guy sitting a few rows ahead was winking at him.

It was his best friend, Zhao Afei.

Wasn't this just passing notes in class?

Apparently, no matter the world, students would never give up passing notes in class!

Amused, Xu Yuan picked up his pen and wrote on the talisman:

"What book?"

When he finished, he gave it a light flick.

The talisman floated up and folded itself into a human shape. Clutching the backside Xu Yuan had flicked, it turned around, climbed down the desk, scurried across the floor, and climbed onto Zhao Afei's desk.

A moment later.

The little figure returned and unfolded itself again:

"Thirty-Six Stratagems of Love. Read it and you'll see. It's amazing. I got it especially for you."

Xu Yuan wrote:

"...What would I read that for?"

He glanced up at Zhao Afei.

"Aren't you going to write a love letter?" Zhao Afei sent back. "If you're writing one to Yang Xiaobing, of course you need a classic reference like this."

Yang Xiaobing...

Xu Yuan looked up and searched his memories.

Then he remembered.

Yang Xiaobing was the girl from the gymnasium.

She really was beautiful—the prettiest girl in their class and in the whole school. Who knew how many love letters she received each day?

She was exceptionally gifted in cultivation, too.

Yang Xiaobing had grown up with his former self, and they were close friends.

Even in the branch of history he had just created, she had been the only witness to his efforts in secret.

With a bond like that, Yang Xiaobing had always looked out for his former self.

But for some reason, someone had spread a rumor that Xu Yuan planned to confess his feelings.

That had led to the scene in the gymnasium.

Yang Xiaobing had returned the love letter.

Their relationship had sunk to a freezing point.

A trace of coldness entered Xu Yuan's eyes.

In three days, I'll be nailed hundreds of meters up, vying with the Mountains and Rivers Bridge for splendor as I gaze out over the nightscape!

And someone dared spread rumors about me—and even write a love letter in my name?

Pah!

Did they really think they could write better than me?

"I don't need this thing. Stop going to the trouble."

Xu Yuan wrote it on the talisman.

"But Brother Xu," Zhao Afei wrote back, puzzled.

"What?" Xu Yuan asked.

"You already sent word this afternoon asking Yang Xiaobing to wait for you after evening study. And now you're not going to write the love letter?"

Xu Yuan was about to reply when he sensed something moving outside the window. He immediately lowered his head and put on an air of intense concentration as he worked on a problem.

He gripped the talisman and crumpled it into a ball.

Zhao Afei was quick on the uptake. Seeing Xu Yuan's reaction, he picked up his pen at once and began working through a problem on scrap paper.

After a moment.

The shadow moved from the window toward the classroom door, then came inside.

It belonged to a tall, thin middle-aged man wearing thick black-framed glasses. A cigarette was wedged between his fingers, and his face was bright red. One look told Xu Yuan he had just returned from drinking.

Their homeroom teacher!

The man did not look their way.

Looks like he didn't notice!

Xu Yuan let out an instinctive breath of relief.

Passing notes during evening study—he had nearly been caught by their homeroom teacher.

If the man had then found Thirty-Six Stratagems of Love on Zhao Afei, they would have been in serious trouble!

In that moment.

Xu Yuan felt as though he were back in high school.

"All right, everyone. Stop for a moment."

The homeroom teacher's booming voice rang out.

Across the classroom.

All fifty-odd students stopped what they were doing and looked up.

"The Monthly Exam officially begins tomorrow at nine in the morning."

"This time, it's the Eight-School Joint Examination. Representatives from several well-known universities will be coming to observe."

"I hope you'll take it seriously and remain calm during the exam. Make the most of tonight as well, and shore up the weak spots in your knowledge..."

The homeroom teacher launched into a long speech.

He went on for a full fifteen minutes.

Xu Yuan propped his cheek on one hand, his eyelids drooping. The longer he listened, the harder it was not to sigh.

For fuck's sake!

Was this a cultivation world?

How was this any different from Earth? Someone tell me—what was the difference?

Perhaps the only difference was that their homeroom teacher did not teach language, math, or foreign languages.

His surname was Liu—Liu Mingdao—and he taught talismans to two classes.

High school had nine main subjects.

Swordsmanship, alchemy, talismans, artifact refining, physical cultivation, beast taming, soul cultivation, Spirit Plants, and formations: nine subjects in all.

Those nine paths made it easiest to awaken a sense for qi.

And they had to keep studying them right up to the college entrance exam!

It was even harder than school on Earth.

But then something occurred to Xu Yuan, and he slowly relaxed.

I'm already a Qi Refiner.

That meant there was definitely a university he could attend.

For example, a student talented in alchemy might gradually get a feel for it through exercises and practical work, until he could stir the five elements of water and fire—

And with that, he would step into the Qi Refining Realm!

Becoming an Apprentice Qi Refiner meant he could get into university!

Because he would have studied all nine subjects beforehand, not only would his strength meet university requirements, but he would also have a solid grounding in the basics.

Look at it another way.

If a student did not work hard at cultivation, earned poor grades, and never found an opportunity to break through—

Then he definitely would not get into university.

After graduating from high school, failing to enter the Qi Refining Realm was more or less the same as remaining an ordinary person for life.

Such students would go to a vocational college and learn a trade to make a living.

"Talismans, more than any other subject, demand solid, steady work. If you study seriously, you'll see results!"

"If there's a problem you can't solve, come ask me in my office."

The homeroom teacher finally finished and drifted away.

For quite a while.

No one in the classroom spoke.

The pressure was too great.

That lasted until Zhao Afei said, in a voice neither loud nor quiet:

"I hear universities offer dual-cultivation courses. That's worth working hard for."

Only then did the atmosphere gradually ease.

Quite a few of the girls turned around to glare at him.

"Dual cultivation isn't what you think," a boy said. "Say you cultivate the art of alchemy. You need a lot of Spirit Plant materials to refine pills."

"Then you find a Dao partner who cultivates Spirit Plants, and the two of you work together."

"Then you have the materials to refine pills. You sell the pills you make, and that pays for seeds for the Spirit Plants."

"That's dual cultivation. Not whatever you're thinking."

"Zhao Afei, if you don't understand something, don't spout nonsense and drag down the reputation of our class."

Xu Yuan glanced over.

The speaker was Li Tao. He got good grades, but he loved showing off and lecturing others.

Sure enough, Zhao Afei's face flushed red. He clenched his fists as though he might charge over at any moment.

"Li Tao."

Xu Yuan spoke up.

Li Tao turned to look at him.

"Zhao Afei's good at alchemy. When he brought up dual cultivation, he meant finding someone who cultivates Spirit Plants so they can make money together," Xu Yuan said. "What did you think he meant?"

"He obviously—" Li Tao caught himself halfway through and shut his mouth at once.

"Go on," Xu Yuan said evenly. "In your imagination, what else could dual cultivation mean?"

Li Tao had no answer.

Under the amused looks of the other boys, he began to regret taking a jab at Zhao Afei.

Zhao Afei specialized in alchemy.

He was a pushover.

But Xu Yuan was a reckless fool who practiced swordsmanship and physical cultivation.

If Li Tao really made him angry, Xu Yuan would pin him to the floor and beat him up.

That would not be a pretty sight.

Muttering under his breath, Li Tao lowered his head and returned to his exercises.

The classroom slowly fell quiet.

Zhao Afei gave Xu Yuan a thumbs-up.

Before long.

The bell rang to end the session.

It was ten at night.

Students chatted in twos and threes as they packed up and prepared to leave the classroom.

Suddenly.

A slender figure peeked through the classroom doorway and glanced at Xu Yuan.

She wore a blue-and-white school uniform faded from washing. Its collar hung a little loose, revealing a swanlike neck as pale as peeled lychee flesh.

Her long, high ponytail made her look especially lively.

Her looks were an absolute knockout.

Just one look at those eyes, rippling like water, was enough to make anyone's heart skip a beat.

It was Yang Xiaobing!

Quite a few boys slowed their packing, hoping to get another look at her.

She beckoned to Xu Yuan and mouthed:

"Were you looking for me?"

"Yeah." Xu Yuan smiled and strode out. He went downstairs with her, and they left together.

They walked through the campus.

The early autumn night already held a chill.

On any other day.

The old Xu Yuan, so blunt and easygoing, would have said something like, "Put on more clothes. Aren't you cold? Want to wear my jacket?"

But now.

Xu Yuan did not say a single unnecessary word.

"They're all saying you're writing me a love letter?"

Yang Xiaobing asked, half joking.

Xu Yuan glanced at the other students along the tree-lined path and the sidelong looks they kept casting their way.

A great many things suddenly came to mind.

In three days, she would come to return the love letter and be abducted by criminals by mistake!

Better to be direct.

He could settle this now.

Xu Yuan lowered his voice.

"I don't make a habit of writing love letters before exams."

"Though I heard someone plans to write one pretending to be me. I wonder who could be that vile."

Yang Xiaobing froze for a moment, then lowered her voice too.

"That's possible. I've turned down a lot of invitations already because I'm planning to team up with you for the group battle in the Monthly Exam."

The Monthly Exam had two parts.

An individual exam and a group battle.

The individual exam was written.

For the group battle, students fought on the spot in teams of four. It counted for sixty percent of their final grade!

Xu Yuan understood at once.

According to the original Xu Yuan's memories, Yang Xiaobing had planned to bring him into her group for the battle.

That would have guaranteed him a decent score.

But after the love-letter incident—

Yang Xiaobing had apparently withdrawn her invitation to avoid giving people the wrong idea.

The original Xu Yuan had not reached the Qi Refining First Layer, nor did he have friends to help him in the exam.

He had ended up with a terrible score.

(End of chapter)