After Crossdressing and Provoking Long AoTian

In the end, Scholar Xiao still led the way.

For one thing, Ye Chenyan said Senior Tianji Zi had given him a message to pass on to Academy Head Wen Tianxia.

For another, even if they did want to take the alliance by force, they probably couldn’t beat Wen Tianxia yet.

Rongzhou and Central Province were not far apart, and they had already been near the Rongzhou border when they set out. Before long, they crossed into Central Province.

The moment they entered, the oppressive summer heat eased considerably. Lush trees surrounded them, the climate was pleasant, and perhaps because Four Books Academy was located here, they encountered an unusually large number of scholars along the road.

Even ordinary farmhouses had a book or two propped open to air by the windows.

Scholar Xiao smiled as he explained, “At Four Books Academy, anyone who makes a mistake is punished by copying texts. They’re usually basic primers, and every New Year or festival, the copies are distributed among ordinary people so they can learn to read.”

“That’s actually pretty meaningful.” Yu Qingtang nodded along. “Come to think of it, some of those people might even have books copied by you, Brother Xiao.”

“Of course not.” Scholar Xiao smiled pleasantly. “I never make mistakes, so I’ve never been punished with copying.”

Yu Qingtang: “...Right. My mistake for asking.”

There was nothing to talk about with these damn straight-A students!

Ye Chenyan draped an arm over Yu Qingtang’s shoulders. “I’ve had to copy things before. One of the martial uncles from another peak punished me once. I had to copy the sect rules.”

He chuckled.

“My Little Junior Sister and Master helped me finish them.”

Yu Qingtang looked at him curiously. “And then?”

“Then they noticed the handwriting didn’t match.” Ye Chenyan shrugged. “The sect master said that since those two loved copying so much, they could copy a few more sets. So they got extra punishment, and I got dragged off to train.”

Yu Qingtang silently looked away.

“...That doesn’t count as punishment for you at all.”

Ye Chenyan asked curiously, “What does your master do when you make a mistake? Make you copy books too?”

“Nothing that refined.” Yu Qingtang gazed into the distance. “Biehe Sect has this little peach-pink jacket-and-skirt outfit. Whoever makes a mistake has to put it on, tie their hair into two little buns, and parade around the mortal town below the mountain.”

“Fortunately, Eighteenth Senior Brother stretched it apart the year before last. They’ve probably changed punishments by now.”

Ye Chenyan: “...”

He looked as though he wanted to laugh, but held it back. After clearing his throat, he asked, “Have you ever worn it?”

Yu Qingtang said nothing.

He raised his head and contemplated the heavens.

Ye Chenyan finally lost the battle and burst out laughing.

Yu Qingtang punched him in a fit of humiliation.

Scholar Xiao laughed helplessly. “You really have a punishment like that? Then what if one of your Senior Sisters or Junior Sisters makes a mistake?”

“There aren’t many women in our sect. Master says they ought to be spoiled a little, so he rarely punishes them.” Yu Qingtang recovered his composure. “Besides, my Senior Sisters are all pretty well-behaved. At worst, Master gives them a lecture.”

“Brother Chi...”

Chi Yantian scratched his head. “Heavenly Fire Cult doesn’t have that many tricks. If you make a mistake, you get beaten. And they beat you hard.”

Yu Qingtang remembered how Chi Yantian had fallen out with Kong Shanyu in the first place and nodded with deep understanding.

“I can imagine.”

“A moment of silence for Brother Chi’s poor backside.”

Chi Yantian rubbed his butt.

“But we’re allowed to fight back. My master says that the day I can dodge his beating—or turn around and beat him instead—is the day I’ve finally become impressive enough to inherit his position!”

He bumped his fists together, looking eager.

“That day will come sooner or later.”

The group wandered along, and whenever they passed a sect, they somehow forgot entirely about forming an alliance with it—

Scholar Xiao had said that Four Books Academy was one of the major local powers, after all, so it would be better to return with him and pay their respects there first.

Once they left the forests and entered the city, their surroundings abruptly became much livelier.

Yu Qingtang looked around curiously. “There are so many people selling calligraphy and paintings. Is that a Central Province specialty?”

“Anyone who lives in Central Province—especially near Four Books Academy—is bound to pick up at least a little scholarly elegance through sheer exposure.” Scholar Xiao sounded distinctly proud. “Gentlemen, have a look around. If any calligraphy or painting catches your eye, I’ll buy it for you!”

Yu Qingtang had already wandered over to a roadside stall.

He excitedly picked up a painting and turned toward Scholar Xiao.

“Brother Xiao, critique this one for me.”

Scholar Xiao turned his head and found himself staring at an emerald-green turtle sprawled out with all four legs extended.

His mouth opened.

No words came out.

“Brother Yu.” He glanced at the stall owner, who was sprawled asleep with a folding fan over his face and apparently cared nothing whatsoever about making a sale. Scholar Xiao chose his words carefully. “Perhaps... you should look at another stall?”

“But don’t you think everyone else paints so well, while this guy is the only one drawing a stupid little turtle like this? Doesn’t that make it special?” Yu Qingtang clutched the turtle painting and refused to let go. “Buy it, Brother Xiao. You said you’d pay for anything we liked. With technique like this, it can’t be expensive.”

Scholar Xiao: “...”

He sighed deeply and reluctantly tapped the stall owner awake.

“Brother...”

“Hm?”

The stall owner shot upright and touched his face.

“What? You want to buy a painting?”

His eyes widened in surprise, clearly astonished that he had actually gotten a customer.

“Uh, this... how many spirit stones should I even charge...”

Scholar Xiao suddenly stared at his face.

“You’re...”

“Huh?”

The man instantly went on alert and yanked up a fan to hide his face.

“No, I’m not! You’ve got the wrong person!”

“Senior Brother Feihong!”

Scholar Xiao pointed at him, recognizing him immediately.

Senior Brother Feihong leaped to his feet and clapped a hand over Scholar Xiao’s mouth. After glancing around warily and confirming no one had heard, he lowered his voice.

“Hey! Shh! Don’t give me away!”

Then he raised his voice again.

“Looking for the good stuff, are you? I’ve got better pieces inside. Follow me.”

He gave them a meaningful look and led the group into the shop behind the stall.

Yu Qingtang glanced back.

“No one needs to stay and watch the stall?”

“Nope.” Senior Brother Feihong waved dismissively. “With painting skills like mine, who would steal anything?”

Scholar Xiao looked baffled. “Senior Brother Feihong, aren’t you a disciple of the Qin School? Why are you out here selling paintings?”

He turned and explained to the others.

“Our academy is divided into four schools: qin, chess, literature, and painting. I’m from the Literary School. Senior Sister Dot Star Formation, whom you’ve met before, belongs to the Chess School. Senior Brother Feihong here is from the Qin School.”

“Please excuse the embarrassment.” Senior Brother Feihong cupped his fists in greeting. “Naturally, I’m not selling paintings for spirit stones. I just needed an excuse to set up a stall here while I investigate something.”

He lowered his voice.

“Recently, one of our foolish Junior Brothers was caught cheating.”

“Oh—” Scholar Xiao looked genuinely amazed. “Someone actually dared cheat at Four Books Academy? Academy Head Wen has said that anyone caught doing so will have their cultivation abolished and be expelled.”

He looked regretful.

“Why go that far? If you fail, just take the exam a few more times. I mean, I’ve never had to retake one myself, but I can’t imagine it being that difficult.”

Senior Brother Feihong: “...”

Yu Qingtang elbowed Scholar Xiao.

Only then did Scholar Xiao realize what he had just said.

He laughed awkwardly.

“So... someone asked you to come here and... go fishing?”

“Ahem.” Senior Brother Feihong recovered and nodded. “The disciple we caught only said he bought the cheating material somewhere in this market. The seller approached him first.”

“He said he’d been wandering down the street in despair when someone came up to him.”

Yu Qingtang asked curiously, “So when you had that fan over your face just now, you were pretending to be devastated?”

“I even prepared props.” Senior Brother Feihong pointed toward his little stall outside. “Did you see what I wrote next to it?”

Ye Chenyan narrowed his eyes and read aloud.

“‘Quit studying. Switching careers to painting.’”

“Oh—” Yu Qingtang nodded in enlightenment.

No wonder he dared set up an art stall with skills like those.

So he was an undercover cop who couldn’t even make pancakes!

“Besides me, there are other disciples who regularly wander through the market pretending to be utterly despondent.” Senior Brother Feihong sighed. “But who knows whether the guy made one big score and disappeared, or heard that we were after him and became extra cautious.”

“Either way, we still haven’t caught him.”

Senior Brother Feihong clicked his tongue, then turned to Scholar Xiao.

“Speaking of which, why are you back? Didn’t you say you were leaving to seek your own Dao?”

“Just came back for a visit.” Scholar Xiao laughed. “And while I’m here—has Master been at the academy lately?”

“He has.” Senior Brother Feihong nodded with certainty. “Apparently Academy Head Wen is personally writing this year’s minor exam. Everyone’s terrified. The Literary School disciples have all buried themselves in their books.”

“Are you taking the exam this time?”

“Well...” Scholar Xiao looked slightly troubled. “If I happen to be here, I suppose I should. I’m only worried Junior Brother Wen will get angry again.”

“He’s angry every day.” Senior Brother Feihong looked delighted by someone else’s misfortune. “Having the two of you in the Literary School really is a case of, ‘If Heaven gave us Zhou Yu, why did it also give us Zhuge Liang?’”

“Oh, right. Are you taking these gentlemen into the academy?”

“Naturally.” Scholar Xiao nodded. “They have business with my master.”

Senior Brother Feihong sucked in a breath.

“That’s unfortunate timing.”

He looked regretful.

“Academy Head Wen seems to be preparing an update to the Nine Provinces Beauty Ranking. Word has spread, and people from every faction have been flocking here. For the past few days, there’s been an endless stream of people trying every possible method to get an audience with him. It’s driving him insane.”

“So he just established a rule: anyone who wants to see him must take the same entrance examination as an outer disciple. Pass, and you get your audience.”

Yu Qingtang’s eyes flew open.

“What? We have to take an exam?”

“Is there a physical section?” Yu Qingtang pointed at Ye Chenyan. “I think he could pass the physical.”

“It’s comprehensive.” Senior Brother Feihong smiled as he fanned himself. “Astronomy, geography, arithmetic, governance...”

Yu Qingtang clutched his head.

“My brain already hurts.”

“Is it multiple choice?”

“Relax.” Scholar Xiao comforted them. “You only need to read a few books. It’s just an outer-disciple-level examination. Nothing difficult.”

After doing a little mental calculation, he pulled a stack of books from his storage ring.

The pile was as tall as Yu Qingtang.

Scholar Xiao smiled at them.

“Once you’ve finished these, you should be able to pass.”

Yu Qingtang: “...”

Help.

Chi Yantian’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

“What is wrong with your Four Books Academy? What good does passing this exam even do? When you get into a fight later, are you supposed to recite books until your opponent drops dead?”

“The mysteries involved can only be understood once you become a disciple of Four Books Academy.” Scholar Xiao’s eyes curved with his smile. “Gentlemen, knowing my master, once he sets a rule, everyone has to follow it, no matter who they are.”

“Do your best. Only one of you three needs to pass.”

Yu Qingtang slapped the books straight into Ye Chenyan’s arms.

“You do it. I was never cut out for studying.”

Ye Chenyan stared at him in shock.

“And I am?”

Scholar Xiao planted a hand on all three of them before anyone could escape.

“None of you are getting out of this. You all have to study.”

“Look on the bright side. Exams can be quite interesting sometimes.”

“That’s because you know all the answers and come in first every single time!” Yu Qingtang gritted his teeth. “Go ask the person in dead last whether exams are fun!”

Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that their very first day in Central Province would be spent studying.

They borrowed Senior Brother Feihong’s place as temporary lodging and attempted to force knowledge into their brains.

By the end of it, Yu Qingtang felt as though his mind had been put through a blender.

Finally, he staggered to his feet.

“No! I’m hungry! You have to at least let me eat something!”

“Does Central Province have anything good to eat? You people can’t seriously survive on books alone, can you?”

“It is about time to eat.” Scholar Xiao laughed. “I’ll take Brother Yu out, look around, and bring some food back.”

Ye Chenyan instantly stood up.

“I’ll—”

“No, you won’t.”

Scholar Xiao smiled and pushed him back down.

“If you go with Brother Yu, there’s a real possibility neither of you will ever come back.”

“Brother Yu, let’s go.”

“Copy that!”

Yu Qingtang happily followed him, then turned around and waved at the others.

“Study hard!”

Ye Chenyan: “...”

“Food in Central Province tends to be on the mild side. I’m not sure whether Brother Chi will like it.” Scholar Xiao took Yu Qingtang around several shops to buy takeout.

As they walked down the street, Yu Qingtang suddenly sniffed.

“Ooh, that smells spicy!”

“Over there! There’s a braised-food shop!”

“This...” Scholar Xiao sighed helplessly. “Fine. I’ll go get some. Brother Yu, wait here for a moment.”

“Mhm!”

Yu Qingtang craned his neck after him, then let out a long breath.

“Eating is so much better. Who wants to study?”

A muffled chuckle came from behind him.

Yu Qingtang turned around.

A young man with a tear-shaped mole at the corner of his eye was smiling at him.

“Brother, worried about the minor exam?”

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