He wasnât so brazen as to think that they were looking at him this time. Jiang Luofuâs legs were just too eye-catching. Furthermore, even though the Great Zhou Dynasty was more open-minded than any ancient era, there werenât many who dressed like her in this world.
There were a few bold students who even catcalled Jiang Luofu.
âYou guys, come quick! Look at those legs! Oh my god, if they pressed up against me, I donât even think I could even last three seconds!â
âPah! As if you can even last longer than three seconds normally anyway.â
âHave you seen the stockings she normally wears? From black to white to skin tone, itâs a different type every day. Ah, even talking about it makes me go crazyâ¦â
âAre you tired of living? Sheâs the academyâs new Ms. Jiang! I heard that she used to be the principal of a commanderyâs academy.â
âShe was a principal? Iâm getting even more excited now!â
â¦
A group of male students whispered among each other in the distance. Even though they were trying to be as quiet as possible, their discussion didnât escape Zu An and Jiang Luofuâs high cultivations. They heard every word clearly.
Zu An had a strange look on his face. âAnd here I thought that these studentsâ way of thinking was on a higher level. I didnât expect them to be just as⦠perverted.â
Jiang Luofu smiled. âAll of them are young and vigorous. It would be more strange if they didnât have such thoughts.â
Zu An was shocked. âYouâre not upset?â
âWhy would I get upset?â Jiang Luofu looked at him strangely. âIâm all dressed up like this because I want others to see it. If they like it, that means I look good, which Iâm more than happy to hear. Why would I get angry?â
Zu An was speechless. You make so much sense I donât even know what to say.
Sigh, a mature big sister really is different from a naive little girl after all. If it were those underripe little girls, they would have already been extremely embarrassed in this situation. Maybe this is also the charm of a mature big sister?
Though if we had known it was like this, Wei Suo, you shouldnât have snuck around like that. You could have just stared all you wanted!
Jiang Luofu didnât pay much attention to this brief episode. She continued to walk inside while explaining, âThe academy is divided into the front mountain and rear mountain. The front mountain is what youâve seen so far; itâs more or less the same as Brightmoon Academy. Students are taught all kinds of different subjects.
âThe rear mountain is where the libationerâs core disciples cultivate and learn. Furthermore, if there are any outstanding students in the front mountain who set themselves apart from others, they may become the mentees of those core disciples and be taught by those teachers one on one.â
Zu An thought to himself, Isnât this the same as the difference between an undergrad and a research student? Hm, so in a Xianxia novel, that translates to outer and inner disciples?
âBeing accepted into the rear mountains is the second greatest objective of the Royal Academyâs students,â Jiang Luofu continued.
Zu An was stunned. âAnd the first is?â
Jiang Luofu replied, âBecoming the libationerâs direct, core disciple, of course. However, the libationer has only accepted twelve disciples, so that objective is quite tough to reach.â
âOnly twelve, huh?â This wasnât the first time Zu An had heard that the libationer had twelve disciples.
âBy the way, does the academy have a pill furnace?â he asked. He had always wondered how he was going to get his hands on a decent pill furnace. Normal medicinal furnaces couldnât be used to refine pills. However, after asking around, everyone had said that he could only get such a thing from the academy.
âPill furnace?â Jiang Luofu was confused. âWhy would you need a pill furnace?â
âI just wanted to play around with some pill refining,â Zu An replied.
Jiang Luofuâs eyes widened in shock. She couldnât help but raise her voice. âYou know how to refine pills?â
Zu An replied gloomily, âWhy are you looking at me like that? Can I not know how to do that?â
âThis is indeed quite the surprise. Thereâs quite a high skill threshold for that profession, after all. Kid, youâre always bringing me surprises,â Jiang Luofu said with a smile. âNo problem. Weâll head over to Shen Xuzi and grab you a pill furnace after we visit Sir Libationer. He has no match in alchemy, even throughout the entire capital.â
âShen Xuzi?â Zu An was shocked. There was someone with such a crazy name?[1]
Jiang Luofu smiled, clearly guessing what he was thinking. She explained, âItâs âShenâ as in âShenzhiâ[2]. He admires historyâs greatest alchemists a lot; for example, Chong Xuzi, Xuan Xuzi, Qing Xuzi, and the like, so he gave himself a similar name. Unfortunately, those alchemy masters all had similar thoughts, so all of the good names with âXuâ were gone. Out of helplessness, he decided to take a different route and give himself the name Shen Xuzi. That way, even if his alchemy didnât reach great heights, he could still leave that name behind.â
âAn interesting fella.â Zu An couldnât help but smile. He thought to himself, This fellaâs name really will be left behind in history, but maybe as a joke.
â¦
Meanwhile, a luxurious carriage arrived at the highest peak of Mount Yuquan, Dongâe Peak.
âHalt. Iâll walk the rest of the way alone to avoid disrespecting Sir Libationer,â said a pleasant sounding female voice from inside the carriage.
A maid opened the door and helped the person inside out. An extravagant dress emerged, accompanied by the sounds of exquisite bells. A stunning beauty slowly walked out of the carriage.
âCrown princess, be careful,â a maid warned. It turned out this group of people belonged to the crown princess.
Bi Linglong smiled. âDonât worry, Iâm not delicate to that extent.â
She looked at a nearby pond. She saw the clear water, the green lotus leaves, and the lotuses of many different colors that decorated its surface, from pink, to light yellow, to snow white⦠Together, they formed a beautiful scene that pleased the heart and spirit.
The crown princess sighed in praise. âThis mountain peak is a bit chilly, so it isnât suitable for the growth of lotuses, yet this pond of lotuses is still so beautiful. Sir Libationer truly is mysterious and incredible.â
âSo the crown princess was someone who appreciated flowers,â said a deep voice from inside of the pine forest. No emotions could be sensed within it, so the crown princess couldnât tell his current mood.
The crown princess greeted the libationer respectfully. âLinglong has arrived to greet Sir Libationer.â
There was no reply, only a creaking sound. It was the sound of the entrance opening. The crown princess was happy to see that; after all, the libationer rarely received guests. The fact that he was willing to meet with her was a good start. She gestured for those at her side to remain in place and wait for her, and then entered on her own.
â¦
On the other side of the mountain, as Zu An and Jiang Luofu passed by an open area, they saw that some young students were currently arguing with each other.
âNonsense, how can fire not be hot?â
âOf course fire can be not-hot as well. We use the word âfireâ, but thatâs different from being hot in reality. âFireâ doesnât mean âhotâ. If âfireâ were hot, then oneâs lips would start burning as soon as one said the word. If oneâs lips donât burn when one says âfireâ, fire obviously isnât hot.â
âYouâre just twisting words to suit your logic!â
âThen do you think Iâm wrong? If you think Iâm wrong, point out where Iâm wrong. You canât. But you donât have to listen to my logic. Teacher, what does your respected self think?â
The student bowed toward a stout, seated man. Even though this fattyâs physique was quite⦠wide, he wore a scholarâs outfit and had a long mustache. This gave him quite a unique appearance.
The fatty replied, âPu Guochangâs words are spoken with reason; the logic is profound.â
The student who had been speaking confidently gave the other students a provocative look when he received the teacherâs praise. Those other students became discouraged. After all, they had embarrassed themselves in front of their teacher and had even become the stepping stone of another.
Zu An couldnât help but glance at Jiang Luofu, asking, âIs this really okay?â
Jiang Luofu chuckled and said, âThis is the dao of logic. Theyâre all like this. That fatty is the libationerâs core disciple ranked eleventh, Yin Shi.â
Zu An thought to himself, Arenât they just annoying bastards who get a kick from proving people wrong? Wait, this guy is also the eleventh⦠Why the hell do I share karma with this annoying bastard?
The fatty named Yin Shi seemed to have sensed something. He subconsciously looked in Zu Anâs direction.
Jiang Luofuâs expression changed. She immediately grabbed Zu Anâs hand. âWe need to get out of here!â
Zu An was baffled. Why do we need to leave? Donât tell me weâll experience danger in the glorious Royal Academy? And yet, the force being exerted on his arm told him that Jiang Luofu wasnât kidding. He almost tripped from her strength.
Zu An quickly increased his vigilance in preparation for battle, but his eyes suddenly blurred. A ball of meat rolled up in front of them. When the meatball unfolded his limbs and stood up, only then did they discover that it was that Yin Shi from earlier.
Yin Shi stroked his mustache while saying with a big smile, âAh, so it was eighth senior sister. Why are you running away as soon as you see me?â
Zu An looked at Jiang Luofu in shock. âEighth senior sister?â
1. The name sounds like âweak kidneyâ, which is a sign of too much sex or masturbation in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
2. Shenzhi means âso much so thatâ.