Chapter 97

Shen Cui didn’t expect this answer. After a brief moment of surprise, she asked for the details of what happened.

Lao Buyu explained with his neck shrunk.

After returning to his room and lying down for a while, he felt the effects of the alcohol wearing off.

He didn’t know what he was thinking at that moment, but he ended up staggering out of the house.

However, his alcohol tolerance was indeed good. Despite being somewhat tipsy, he made it all the way to the outskirts of Qingzhu Academy.

He had been to Qingzhu several times before, so after the attendant helped to announce his arrival, he waited for a while before Leng Qingming saw him.

Once inside, Lao Buyu found a place to sit and began, “Brother, do you know that our academy’s Wei Xi ranked first in the exams?”

The two had known each other since childhood, so Leng Qingming knew he had come to boast. He glanced at him speechlessly and continued reading his book.

“Ah, this kid is indeed outstanding. With his good aptitude and two years of hard work and dedication in our academy, he truly deserves the first place…”

Drunk people tend to talk a lot, and Lao Buyu, acting as if he couldn’t see Leng Qingming’s displeased face, praised Wei Xi, Mu Erpang, Wei Shu, and of course, couldn’t forget Mei Ruochu.

“This kid is also praiseworthy. He truly represents the scholars from Hongle Academy, with outstanding knowledge and impeccable character. Not to mention myself, even Brother here probably couldn’t teach him anything.”

Originally, Leng Qingming had planned to send him off once he finished his drunken rambling.

However, upon hearing about Mei Ruochu, he was surprised. “Is it the prodigy Mei Ruochu from the Zhan’an County back then?”

“Indeed, it’s him. Brother, you must have heard of him.”

“I have. I heard that he couldn’t be found later on, and it turns out he went to Hongle Academy. How is he doing now? Has he achieved any fame?”

Leng Qingming and the old headmaster from Lengshan weren’t particularly close, but every three years, both families participated in the academy’s major competition, so they had some interaction during those times.

However, since they hadn’t seen Mei Ruochu representing Hongle Academy in the competition, and the old headmaster hadn’t mentioned him, Leng Qingming probably thought, like Lao Buyu earlier, that he was just a smart kid in his youth and might not have achieved much later on.

The old headmaster had entrusted some friendly academies to find Mei Ruochu’s whereabouts, but he didn’t bother to write to Qingzhu Academy.

He was much sharper than Shen Cui and had long noticed that Qingzhu’s atmosphere was too utilitarian. He never expected Qingzhu to be willing to take in Mei Ruochu anyway.

As for the academies that received the letters and learned about Mei Ruochu’s deeds, they had at least received the old headmaster’s endorsement in terms of character.

Although they were unwilling to take in Mei Ruochu, they wouldn’t publicize the matter either.

Due to the distance between the two sides, Cuiwei initially thought that Mei Ruochu had just had some bad luck.

It just happened that Wei Shu was very calm after the fire, and he had a deep impression of Mei Ruochu. Besides, he had seen him before and recognized him.

As for Song Yao, he was already in a panic during the fire, otherwise he wouldn’t have performed so poorly in the exam. So, he didn’t care about who was expelled.

Because the fire only burned Mei Ruochu’s exam papers and a desk, and it wasn’t considered serious, the government didn’t issue any announcements afterward.

When Song Yao came back to complain, saying that he had been misled, Leng Qingming didn’t bother to investigate further, especially for someone who ranked in the thirties in the provincial exam.

So, Leng Qingming was unaware of the situation. He just felt a bit sour, thinking that the scholars sent out by Hongle Academy for academic exchange ended up going to Cuiwei first instead of them.

Lao Buyu could tell from his tone that Leng Qingming was unaware of the situation. He wasn’t so drunk that he would spill all the details about Mei Ruochu. He simply said, “That kid hasn’t taken the exam yet. His ambitions are lofty…”

He glossed over the matter, firmly believing that Mei Ruochu’s lack of fame at present wasn’t his fault but rather a temporary decision.

Leng Qingming had heard of Mei Ruochu’s prodigy reputation before. After listening to Lao Buyu’s nonsense, he couldn’t help but wonder if the old headmaster of Hongle Academy had the same idea as him—just like how he had kept Mu Yunchuan from falling, perhaps he also wanted Mei Ruochu to make a name for himself?

However, the old headmaster had hidden him so deeply that academies like theirs in a small county like this had never heard a word about it.

If things got tricky, and Mei Ruochu ended up competing with Mu Yunchuan, it would be hard to predict who would come out on top.

It was no wonder the old headmaster didn’t let Mei Ruochu come to their academy. He probably knew that Qingzhu had produced someone like Mu Yunchuan, and in the future, these two might become rivals. So, he deliberately arranged it this way.

Leng Qingming took it seriously, put down his book, and asked, “When is he planning to compete?”

“He can take the exam anytime, but when he actually competes is up to him.”

Lao Buyu’s mind cleared up a bit. He felt like his brother cared too much about Mei Ruochu. He got up and said, “The matter is settled. I should go back. My precious students are still waiting for me!”

“Wait!” Leng Qingming put down the book and stopped him. “Junior brother, don’t forget, you still owe me a favor from before.”

Before he could finish speaking, Lao Buyu understood. Leng Qingming wanted him to repay the favor by handing over Mei Ruochu.

With a serious expression, Lao Buyu tried to test the situation, “Favors are favors, and students are students. How can they be mixed up? What exactly are you planning, Senior Brother?”

Leng Qingming interrupted, “I’m not as dirty-minded as you think. It’s just that the representative of Hongle Academy can travel around for academic exchange. Our Qingzhu Academy has also participated in the academy competitions. If someone comes from afar, isn’t it reasonable to invite them as guests? When I invited him, it was purely for academic exchange. Or is it that you lack confidence? Afraid that if Mei Ruochu comes to our Qingzhu, he won’t want to go back to Cuiwei?”

Lao Buyu immediately retorted, “Do you really think Qingzhu Academy is so attractive that everyone wants to come? Let alone staying for ten or fifteen days, even if he stays for a whole month, he will still think about our academy afterward. He won’t stay at your place for long!”

Leng Qingming chuckled, “Since you’ve agreed, let him stay for a month. With this, the favor you owe me will be settled. I’ll say it again, I’m not trying to make things difficult for him. If you don’t believe me, I can swear in the name of our sect.”

He definitely wouldn’t make things difficult for Mei Ruochu, as doing so would mean opposing the prestigious Hongle Academy. However, it wouldn’t hurt to probe Mei Ruochu’s abilities. If Mei Ruochu was indeed as good as Lao Buyu claimed, he wanted to persuade him to postpone his competition. If Mei Ruochu refused, he would inform Mu Yunchuan in advance and prepare accordingly… Anyway, Mei Ruochu needed to come to Qingzhu first for some time.

“When did I agree?!” Lao Buyu was getting flustered, and with the alcohol affecting him again, he couldn’t think clearly. But Leng Qingming didn’t give him a chance to sober up. He called for the attendant to support him out of Qingzhu.

As they walked along, Lao Buyu gradually sobered up, realizing that he had caused trouble by speaking too hastily. He reproached himself, feeling guilty for drinking too much and showing off. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have drunk so much or boasted. This is something I promised to do. Don’t tell the headmaster about it. I’ll say I agreed when I was drunk and forgot when I sobered up. At most, I’ll just lose face in front of my senior brother and get a beating for my previous debts.”

This matter was indeed tricky. Cuiwei knew that Mei Ruochu was supposed to be a representative scholar for academic exchange, but in reality, it was because of his special condition that the old headmaster found him a temporary place.

Although they didn’t know why Leng Qingming made this request, blocking it back was quite simple. They could just openly tell him the truth.

But Lao Buyu didn’t want to say it, and neither did Shen Cui, as they didn’t want to expose Mei Ruochu’s wounds and publicize his private matters.

While Shen Cui was pondering, they heard Mei Ruochu’s voice from behind, “Master, there’s no need to hide it from me. I already know.”

Turning around, they saw Mei Ruochu coming from the direction of the latrine.

Shen Cui and Lao Buyu were talking at the entrance of the academy, so they couldn’t hear from the main hall. However, Mei Ruochu just went to the latrine and spent some time adjusting and readjusting his belt, which delayed him. He couldn’t directly shout from the latrine, “Master, don’t talk yet, I’m still here, wait for me for a moment.”

So he decided to tidy up quickly and leave. He didn’t expect Lao buyu to mention something related to him as soon as he opened his mouth.

“I’ll go to Qingzhu,” Mei Ruochu said. “The post-competition academic exchange is meant to promote communication between various academies. If Headmaster Leng wants me to go, then I’ll go.”

“You…” Shen Cui frowned, not expecting him to readily agree.

Previously, Mei Ruochu lost 20 points of luck, leaving him with around 40 points. With the addition of ten belts, the calculation brought his luck to around 90 points. However, in reality, it wasn’t so. Luck wasn’t easy to increase; like other attributes, the growth rate slowed down as it approached higher values. His current luck was around 80 points.

To increase it further, standard system items and Shen Cui’s Level 2 needlework products wouldn’t suffice. He would need to accumulate shopping points to buy expensive items or have Shen Cui raise her needlework to Level 3.

Shen Cui made him wear so many belts because she was worried about another sudden drop in luck due to unforeseen circumstances, like what happened a few days ago. If such a situation occurred again, the extra belts would help stabilize his luck.

Now, letting him go out, Shen Cui naturally wasn’t at ease.

Mei Ruochu whispered, “Headmaster previously asked me to trust you. Can you also trust me this time? I can take care of myself.”

Of course, Shen Cui trusted him. Mei Ruochu had a set of survival rules, enabling him to safely reach Cuiwei from Hongle despite his low luck.

She just didn’t want him to suffer. A drop in luck would lead to hardships, and if Qingzhu’s people knew about his condition and treated him with disdain like others, it would be even worse.

“In Cuiwei…” Shen Cui began to speak, but Mei Ruochu interrupted, “In Cuiwei, I’ll listen to you. I know. But I am still a student of Hongle, representing Hongle Academy. Since Headmaster Leng has invited me and I don’t go, it would be impolite.”

It made sense. In the end, it all stemmed from Lao Buyu’s mistake of revealing the matter of the representative scholar from Hongle to Qingzhu.

Lao Buyu’s face turned red, and he lowered his head, his chin almost touching his chest.

“Don’t blame yourself, Master, it’s really okay!” Mei Ruochu comforted him with a smile. “I’ve only been to Hongle and Cuiwei. Qingzhu has gained quite a reputation in recent years, so it’s a good opportunity to broaden my horizons.”

He usually appeared gentle, but he was also a person of principle. Once he made up his mind, he wouldn’t change it. He was ready to set out immediately.

A month of separation wasn’t long. Mu Er Pang and the others spent their days in the village, buried in their studies, and didn’t feel like it was over in a blink of an eye.

Moreover, Mei Ruochu was only going to Qingzhu, which wasn’t too far away.

However, everyone was reluctant to see him go and naturally didn’t fully trust him.

Shen Cui was the last one to speak to him before his departure. Before she could say anything, Mei Ruochu spoke gently, “I remember everything Headmaster said. Besides attending the courtesy and bathing, I won’t remove the ‘blessing’ belts you made for me, won’t leak exam questions to others, will listen more and speak less, and if I sense something is wrong, I’ll come back immediately… I have it all memorized.”

Mei Ruochu couldn’t remember his own mother’s face anymore. In fact, Shen Cui was only ten years older than him. But during their time together, he genuinely respected Shen Cui as an elder.

So, he didn’t mind Shen Cui being verbose. He patiently said, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”

After bidding farewell, Mei Ruochu carried the small package Shen Cui had prepared for him and went into the city.

Although everyone was worried about him, the provincial exam and the academy exam were just around the corner. Wei Shu and Wei Xi quickly immersed themselves in their studies again.

Meanwhile, Shen Cui continued to work on other needlework for Mei Ruochu. Having him wear ten belts was just a temporary measure because making belts was the fastest. She planned to replace them with something else later.

With a month’s time, she could make several other items for him.

While the boys were studying, Shen Cui kept working on her needlework, occasionally glancing at Mei Ruochu’s data.

She kept the system notifications on, even though they would pop up repeatedly when he went to the bathroom or took a bath. However, Shen Cui didn’t find it annoying.

[System notification: Decrease Luck by 5 for Target 4.]

[System notification: Increase Luck by 5 for Target 4.]

[System notification: Decrease Luck by 5 for Target 4.]

[System notification: Increase Luck by 5 for Target 4.]

The notifications kept bouncing back and forth like this for several times that day. Shen Cui knew Mei Ruochu was probably taking off and putting on the belts, making it inconvenient to see his avatar. She couldn’t help but wonder, “What’s wrong with this child? Is he having diarrhea?”

She then checked Mei Ruochu’s physical condition and mood values again but couldn’t find any issues.

After this situation persisted for two days, Shen Cui couldn’t help but take it seriously. She was about to send someone to inquire about his condition.

But Mei Ruochu returned exactly as he had left, carrying the same small package, saying he had completed his academic exchange at Qingzhu.