"Young Master Chen, we're counting on you to make Yunqi No. 1 High School proud in the college entrance exams two years from now!"
"..."
There really was no need to place such high hopes on him. Really.
If the tests covered Daoist arts, doctrine, or cultivation, Chen Shi'an dared boast that no one within a thousand miles could best him.
But when it came to schoolwork...
He had never thought he was bad at studying.
It was just that he had barely spent any time in a classroom over the years. He knew neither how classes were conducted nor what students normally studied, much less how to handle being dropped straight into high school.
People ought to maintain a healthy respect for the unknown, and Chen Shi'an was no exception.
Even if his master had already talked him up as the Star of Literary Eminence descended to earth, the young Daoist himself remained quite humble. Yes, he had always considered himself humble...
"Have you read your admission letter, Young Master Chen?"
"Yes. It said to report to Senior Class Five?"
"That's right."
Principal Lin topped up Chen Shi'an's tea and explained, "Our school has done reasonably well in administration and teaching over the years, and we've sent plenty of excellent students to universities. Senior Class Five is our top science-track class. Its homeroom teacher, Teacher Liang, is a provincially accredited master teacher who has taught several of the city's top exam scorers."
Although he had spent most of his life in the mountains, Chen Shi'an had a phone with internet access, so he had some understanding of common terms like science track, humanities track, honors class, and top scorer.
In short, the class was badass, the students were badass, and the teachers were badass too.
Still, Chen Shi'an sounded a little surprised. "Class Five is a science-track class?"
"Yes, science track."
Principal Lin nodded. "As the saying goes, master math, physics, and chemistry, and you can go anywhere without fear. Your master figured that since you knew Daoist arts by heart and could recite the Four Books and Five Classics backward, what you lacked was precisely math, physics, and chemistry. So he asked me to arrange a place for you in a science-track class."
"Then why not Year One?"
"Your master said starting in Year One would take too long, while Year Three would be too rushed. Year Two was just right. He had faith in you."
"..."
Master, you really knew how to crank up the difficulty for your disciple, didn't you? I bet you're up in heaven laughing your head off at my predicament right now!
With the Star of Literary Eminence label slapped onto his forehead, Chen Shi'an was too embarrassed to brazenly suggest switching to the humanities track...
In truth, Chen Shi'an did not particularly care whether he switched.
Deep down, he possessed a streak of overconfident pride. After all, there had never been anything he could not learn or understand growing up. Otherwise, he would not have dropped out after just a few days of primary school, bored because his classmates seemed slow, the teacher sounded like a broken record, and everything they learned was too simple.
Of course, that pride was buried deep. Often, even Chen Shi'an himself failed to notice it. What he usually presented to others was a humble demeanor.
But it had never escaped his master.
"You understand everything except that there's always someone better than you, and a world beyond the one you know!"
It seemed that entering Year Two and learning science from scratch was a trial his master had deliberately arranged.
Chen Shi'an was clever. Once he understood the reasoning behind it, his competitive spirit stirred.
If other people can study science, why can't I?
Fine, I'll give it a go. Bring it on!
In this respect, master and disciple were opposites-Chen Shi'an appeared humble but harbored a measure of arrogance within, while his master privately taught him to rein himself in, then seized every opportunity to sing his praises in public...
Seeing that Chen Shi'an had been silent for some time, Principal Lin asked again:
"Do you have any other thoughts, Young Master Chen? Feel free to tell me."
"No. Let's follow my master's arrangements. Sorry for the trouble, Principal Lin."
"It's no big deal. We just need to add a desk."
Principal Lin smiled. "Then that's settled. Have a seat for a moment, Young Master Chen. I'll call Teacher Liang and ask him to come over. He'll be your homeroom teacher from now on, so you can speak to him whenever you need anything."
"Thank you, Principal Lin. Since I'm your student now, please just call me by my name."
"All right. Shi'an, if you don't mind, you can call me Uncle too."
"Uncle Lin."
As he spoke, Chen Shi'an took a wooden tea canister from his bag.
He had made both the canister and the tea inside it himself. The craftsmanship was every bit as fine as that of an expensive gift bought outside.
"I'm putting you to a lot of trouble by coming here to study. I left in a hurry, so I couldn't bring many gifts. This canister of Profound Peak Snow Bud was grown and picked at our temple. Master enjoyed drinking it too. There happened to be some left, so I brought it for you to try."
Snow Bud was a green tea, named for being harvested after the last snowfall of early spring each year. Profound Peak Snow Bud was unique to the Profound Peak region. Picked as a single bud with one leaf, it was scarce, richly fragrant, and smooth in flavor, with a clear green liquor. It ranked among the finest teas, all the more so when grown and picked at Pure Dust Temple.
Principal Lin's fondness for tea was evident in the assorted tea canisters, compressed tea cakes, and tea utensils in his office, not to mention the tea stains inside his cup.
His eyes lit up at the canister of Snow Bud Chen Shi'an offered him. He considered politely declining, but ultimately accepted it with a broad smile.
It was not as though Principal Lin had never tried Profound Peak Snow Bud before. Had it been bought on the market, he would not have reacted so strongly. What excited him were those words: grown and picked at their temple!
Other people might not know what Chen Shi'an and his master were capable of, but how could Lin Ming not know? Tea grown and picked at Pure Dust Temple was something he simply had to treasure.
"That's very thoughtful of you, Shi'an. Then I won't stand on ceremony... Mm, excellent tea. Excellent!"
"Master planted the tea trees on the mountain behind the temple. They don't produce much, but there's enough for us to drink. If you like it, Uncle Lin, I'll pick some more for you after next spring's snowfall."
"Oh, I couldn't impose!"
"It's only right. Master taught me to repay kindness. I can't just come here and trouble you without giving anything back, Uncle Lin."
"Come now, we're family. No need for that."
If his earlier care for Chen Shi'an had merely been a favor to an old friend, Principal Lin now genuinely liked the young Daoist.
While they drank tea, Principal Lin called the homeroom teacher of Senior Class Five.
"Hello, Teacher Liang. Are you free right now?"
"What can I do for you, Principal Lin?"
"That Star of Literary Eminence I mentioned last time, the transfer student for your class, has arrived. Come to my office if you're free
"-there are a few things I need to go over with you."
"Of course! I'll be right there!"
The moment Teacher Liang heard "Star of Literary Eminence," he perked up. Afraid another homeroom teacher might snatch the boy away, he hurried straight to the principal's office.
Heh heh.
Principal Lin really did look out for Old Liang!
Once they entered their second year of high school, teachers and students alike began feeling the pressure.
Even summer vacation had vanished. Extra classes had continued until the previous week, and only after the monthly exams had they grudgingly been granted two days off.
Senior Class Five was on the second floor. Although classes did not officially resume until tomorrow, quite a few students had already returned early to study in the classroom.
Since being assigned to classes and academic tracks in the second semester of Year One, the students had gotten to know one another well. Some studied inside, while others horsed around outside. Quite a few crowded along the balcony, looking down at the unfamiliar first-year faces passing along the school paths.
"Hey, hey! Look at that first-year girl! Her legs are longer than my lifespan!"
"Fuck, that guy's trying way too hard. Does wearing a monocle make him Kaito Kid?"
"This year's first-year girls aren't much to look at. Not one can compete with our class monitor?"
"That's setting the bar a bit high."
"Still, our class monitor really is..."
"How dare you! Want to keep attending this school or not? Is the class monitor someone you lot can casually rate?"
While the group joked around by the balcony, a boy came running over.
"Intel! Intel! Latest intel! Big news!"
"What is it, little Kun-Kun? You're a big boy now. Can't you be composed like your daddy here?"
"Quit barking. Don't listen if you've got the guts. This really is big news!"
None of them believed him. Instead, they burst out laughing. "When has your intel ever been right? It's always stale gossip or fake gossip. Last time you said the cafeteria was getting a new contractor, and they didn't even change the menu. Where'd you pick up this latest fake news to fool us with?"
"My intel was mistaken. That doesn't make it fake news!"
"Either way, we don't trust you anymore."
"What do you know!" Zou Xiaokun's face flushed red. His glasses slid down to the tip of his nose, but he did not even bother pushing them up. "Intel comes in different grades. This time I saw it with my own eyes. That makes it top-grade!"
"Seriously? You sure your eyes weren't playing tricks?"
"I could count every hair in your nostrils if you tilted your head up!"
"Let's hear it, then?"
Seeing that they were finally interested, Zou Xiaokun said mysteriously:
"The school brought in a Daoist!"
"..."
"Seriously!"
"That sounds even less believable than the cafeteria getting a new contractor. Why would the school bring in a Daoist for no reason?"
"If I'm lying, I'll go eat a pound of shit in the bathroom. I saw the gatekeeper take that Daoist to the principal's office with my own eyes. And guess what happened next? Teacher Liang got called over too!"
Zou Xiaokun's solemn insistence did not look like a lie. At last, the group grew animated, taking a keen interest in the matter.
"No way! The school brought in a Daoist? What do Daoists do, anyway? Check feng shui? Exorcise spirits?"
"Don't tell me there's something haunting this place..."
"Watch your mouth! Better to believe than take chances!"
"Fuck, you guys are giving me the chills."
"Then why call Teacher Liang over? Does it have something to do with our class?"
Zou Xiaokun was very pleased with their reaction. Surrounded by people pressing him for details on his exclusive scoop, he found the feeling downright addictive.
"Could that thing be haunting our classroom?"
"Aren't the only nasty things in our class you bastards?"
"Stop interrupting, you bastard!"
"It's entirely possible! Ever since we switched to this classroom for summer classes, I've felt dizzy, foggy-headed, forgetful, sleepy, weak all over, and listless every single day!"
"Then could that be why I bombed the exam?"
"All right, enough. One of you jerks off too much, and the other studies too little. You've really found yourselves an excuse."
"Then why do you think the school brought in a Daoist and called Teacher Liang over?"
As the others continued debating, Zou Xiaokun cleared his throat twice and said, "I've got another piece of intel. Want to hear it?"
"Spit it out!"
"There was this girl in the year above us, also from Senior Class Five. Apparently, she couldn't handle the pressure and got depression, and then..."
"She j-jumped?"
"No, she just took time off school and went traveling. She filmed videos along the way. Now, not only has her depression cleared up, she's a huge influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers."
"..."
"..."
"Fuck off! Don't you dare shake my resolve! I love studying!"
(Another bonus chapter at midnight tonight. Please send monthly votes and keep reading T.T)
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