Linzhong Lakefront.
In a pavilion along the lakeside corridor.
When Zheng Qing opened his eyes and returned from the classroom in his dream to reality, the discussions about the school's next president in his mind began to blur within seconds—as though someone were erasing them bit by bit with an eraser.
In the end, Zheng Qing was unable to provide Fatty Xin with a major scoop.
That regret faded considerably after he pulled out the notebook from his Gray Cloth Bag. The young publicly funded student discovered, to his surprise, that all the notes he had taken in the dream appeared perfectly intact in his real notebook.
One sentence in particular was heavily marked in his notes—Knowing enough means you will not be confused; being smart enough means you will not be deceived by reality. He had summarized it himself based on the professor's lecture.
Muttering those words, the boy stretched, rose from the pavilion bench, and leaned out to look beyond it.
The afternoon sun had lost some of its fierceness, but gained a heavier quality. Simply standing in the pavilion's shade and looking out at the world blanketed in sunlight made it hard to breathe.
The cicadas droned weakly, their cries resembling old opera singers dragging out their tunes onstage.
The usually bustling lake was nearly deserted. Most creatures had either vanished into the depths or hidden in crevices among the stones along the shore. Only a few empty Zhe Meng boats could be seen on the water, along with blue-green water buffalo resting beside them, their backs barely visible.
They were work cattle of the School Labor Committee and had to answer the summons of any wizard wishing to cross the lake. So they could only remain at their posts in this sweltering weather.
Apparently, because it