"Yanbai, won't you give it some more thought?" Zhi Lian sighed softly. Xie Yanbai had received little attention during his time at the academy. Had he not been on good terms with Mi Xiaqing, his situation there would probably have been even worse. The legacy he had studied made that clear: [Carmine Finger] was nothing more than an utterly ordinary legacy.
Madam Zhi Lian had always had reservations about the Academy Head's so-called direct-lineage legacies. With Qiao Yuan and the others around, however, they had never caused any major problems. Now, with Qiao Yuan and Mi Xiaqing dead and the Academy Head aging and defeated, Zhongda Academy had suddenly been plunged into a precarious position.
That damned Tang Hanpei was certainly to blame, but the Academy Head's approach to training had an even more direct bearing on it. In the past, when people spoke of conservatism, the first institution that came to mind was Star Academy or Bitter Solitude Temple. In truth, Zhongda Academy was the truly conservative one. It was only because the academy produced a few geniuses in every generation that the flaws in its system had been concealed.
Madam Zhi Lian believed that Xie Yanbai held deep affection for the academy. That affection had made him willing to step forward and help it through its crisis. Yet the neglect he had suffered there years ago had also left resentment in his heart. That was probably why he refused to become Academy Head, she thought.
Xie Yanbai shook his head, still resolute. "There's no need to persuade me any further, madam."
Madam Zhi Lian suddenly thought of someone, and her heart immediately settled. The teacher who had taught Xie Yanbai [Carmine Finger] was still at the academy. Why not have her try persuading him when the time came?