After Crossdressing and Provoking Long AoTian

“What character is it?” Yu Qingtang asked curiously. “And how can you give a character away?”

Scholar Xiao laughed. “Brother Yu, have you forgotten? I used it back during the Golden Core Competition.”

“The top three in every academy exam get a chance to comprehend one character from the Sage’s Book. Barring any surprises, the first one should be...”

Before he could finish, a bold, sweeping 危—danger—appeared across the Sage’s Book in strokes like splashed ink.

Yu Qingtang: “...”

He remembered now.

That scene of Scholar Xiao fleeing for his life while hurling 危 characters into the sky.

“This one’s actually pretty useful, huh?” Yu Qingtang stared blankly up at the character. It was clearly nothing more than a single written character, yet every stroke seemed branded into his vision, strange spiritual power flowing through it.

If he actually wrote it out, it should carry some kind of extraordinary power.

He glanced at Ye Chenyan, then at Chi Yantian. “But I feel like it’s only useful for me. Those two probably won’t get much use out of it.”

“Then you’d better memorize it properly.” Ye Chenyan grabbed his head and pulled his eyes wide open. “Learned it? Remember it?”

Yu Qingtang hurriedly nodded. “I got it, I got it.”

He lifted Ye Chenyan’s hands off his face. “So now that we solved the case and got those extra five points...”

He paused, then turned toward the head of the Chess School, who had been hiding silently behind the screen the entire time.

“What?” Ye Chenyan followed his gaze and noticed the black silhouette curled up behind the screen.

“For Brother Chi. Just to be safe.” Yu Qingtang patted him on the shoulder. “I’m going to get you another five points.”

With that, he trotted over to the screen, poked his head around it, and greeted the man.

“Hi!”

The head of the Chess School silently shuffled farther back.

“We’ve already talked before.” Yu Qingtang did not move too close either. He crouched there and peered at him as carefully as if he were trying not to startle some timid little animal. “That means we count as acquaintances now, right?”

“Could you give us another five points?”

The head of the Chess School fell silent.

Yu Qingtang looked at him sincerely. “Sorry.”

“But these points are really important to Brother Chi. If you truly don’t want to give them to me, then I’ll have no choice but to give you one very enthusiastic hug!”

“What?!”

The panicked cry came from the head of the Chess School in front of him.

A matching echo came from Ye Chenyan behind him.

Yu Qingtang kept his gaze resolutely forward and refused to turn around. Before Ye Chenyan could haul him back, he successfully obtained an affirmative answer from the head of the Chess School.

“In that case, strike while the iron’s hot and take the exam today.” Scholar Xiao smiled and flicked his folding fan. “If you finish today, you can meet Academy Head Wen tomorrow... What are those faces? Don’t tell me one trip out to form alliances made you forget everything you studied.”

“Not everything,” Chi Yantian said, tilting his head back to look at the sky. “Maybe eighty percent.”

Yu Qingtang sucked in a sharp breath. “Eighty percent of twenty-three is only eighteen! Even with the extra ten points, you still wouldn’t pass!”

Chi Yantian clicked his tongue. “How come you can do math so fast at a time like this?”

Ye Chenyan reminded him, “He said he forgot eighty percent. Not that he has eighty percent left.”

Yu Qingtang: “...That’s even worse.”

“Take the exam.” Scholar Xiao mercilessly made the decision for them. “Dragging this out won’t make either of them study any more. Worst case...”

He glanced at Chi Yantian.

“Brother Chi simply doesn’t get to meet him.”

Chi Yantian scratched his head. “But didn’t your academy head say that if we failed again, we had to get out of Central Province? If that happens, which province am I supposed to meet you guys in?”

Yu Qingtang: “...”

Scholar Xiao chuckled. “Don’t worry. Academy Head Wen has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Ye is the one he mainly cares about.”

“As long as Brother Ye passes, everything will be fine. As for you, just don’t bring the matter up yourself. He’ll turn a blind eye and let it slide.”

Yu Qingtang suddenly caught on and turned toward Scholar Xiao. “You’re in such a hurry to make them take the exam because you’re afraid your junior brother will come to his senses tomorrow and come settle accounts with you, aren’t you?”

“Ah.” Scholar Xiao’s smile widened. “How could that possibly be?”

“What junior brother?” Ye Chenyan asked with growing curiosity. “What happened while I was gone?”

Usually, Scholar Xiao was the one watching everyone else’s drama. Now that there was finally a chance to gossip about him, Yu Qingtang’s eyes lit up. He pulled Chi Yantian and Ye Chenyan closer and lowered his voice.

“Listen, he’s got this junior brother...”

“Hey—!” Scholar Xiao hurriedly cut him off, grabbed him, and herded the group toward the door. “All right, all right, Brother Yu. Let’s stop disturbing the head and be on our way.”

The weak voice of the head of the Chess School drifted out from behind the screen.

“Six months.”

“For the next six months, you’re not allowed to come back.”

Scholar Xiao paused for a moment. Then his eyes curved with a smile as he bowed properly.

“Yes, Head. This disciple will remember.”

He respectfully stepped out of the room and even considerately closed the door behind him.

Dot Star Formation followed them outside and gave him a sidelong look. “You just agreed to that? Academy Head Wen said he has to leave his room at least once every three months.”

Scholar Xiao did not answer right away. He smilingly led her some distance away before finally raising his folding fan to cover half his face, a sly look in his eyes.

“I said I wouldn’t come back for six months.”

“I never said anything about you. Or anyone else.”

With a quiet laugh, he flicked his fan and sauntered away.

Dot Star Formation: “...”

She seemed to laugh soundlessly.

“What crooked ways.”

Then she looked at Ye Chenyan and Chi Yantian.

“Do well on the exam. Don’t make yourselves come back here again.”

Ye Chenyan smiled and cupped his fists. Chi Yantian scratched his head and, for once, muttered without much confidence, “I’ll do my best.”

...

After sending the two of them into the exam hall, Yu Qingtang and Scholar Xiao stayed outside to wait.

Four Books Academy even had an entire courtyard dedicated to examinations. Supposedly, whenever the academy held a unified exam, disciples from all four schools would line up in long rows, making for quite a spectacular sight.

Today, with only Ye Chenyan and Chi Yantian taking the exam, there was probably nothing spectacular about it.

It was, however, exceptionally nerve-racking.

Yu Qingtang patted Scholar Xiao on the shoulder, though he was not sure whether he was comforting Scholar Xiao or himself.

“It’s fine. I checked just now. At least the two of them look pretty lucky. They should... they should be able to pass.”

Scholar Xiao nodded along. “Let’s hope so.”

Yu Qingtang suddenly asked, “Wait. I remember the papers being graded really fast last time. Why do we have to wait until tomorrow to see Academy Head Wen?”

“If we wrapped everything up today, you wouldn’t have to worry about running into Junior Brother Wen again tomorrow.”

“Because...” Scholar Xiao sighed helplessly. “Teacher thinks that if he sees them immediately, he’ll look too eager and lose his grandmasterly dignity.”

Yu Qingtang: “...”

So he cared about appearances too.

Yu Qingtang silently looked away.

Scholar Xiao glanced at him. He seemed hesitant, but eventually spoke.

“Actually, Teacher wanted to meet you alone today.”

Yu Qingtang looked over curiously. “Huh? Me? What’s there to meet me about?”

They had only come along with Ye Chenyan in the first place. Thinking about it, he and Academy Head Wen did not exactly seem to have much to talk about.

“Teacher...” Scholar Xiao frowned slightly. “I believe he once spoke to Senior Tianji Zi about you as well. Something related to fate, most likely.”

Yu Qingtang’s heart gave a little thump.

He instinctively scratched his head. After hesitating for a moment, he muttered, “Then... I guess I’ll meet him?”

Tianji Zi already knew, after all. Academy Head Wen was on good terms with Tianji Zi, so he probably would not hurt him.

Besides, even if Yu Qingtang wanted to hide something, there was probably not much he could conceal from experts capable of holding up the heavens with one hand.

“Really?” Scholar Xiao looked surprised. “I thought you wouldn’t agree.”

“Teacher isn’t actually that frightening. It’s just that he knows too much, and he’s far too good at coaxing information out of people. When others talk to him, they somehow end up telling him everything before they realize it.”

Scholar Xiao looked at Yu Qingtang worriedly.

“Especially you. Without Brother Ye beside you, I’m afraid my teacher could swindle you clean in two sentences.”

Yu Qingtang: “...The way you put it makes your academy sound extremely shady.”

“I originally intended to have Brother Ye go with you. He’s at least somewhat vigilant.” Scholar Xiao chuckled. “But after seeing you converse so smoothly with the Sage’s Book just now, I realized I may have underestimated you, Brother Yu.”

“Your mind is clear, and yours is the sort of great wisdom that appears foolish. There’s no real need to fear whatever he asks.”

Yu Qingtang looked at him sincerely. “Brother Xiao, I’m very susceptible to praise.”

He tilted his head toward him.

“Got any more? Feel free to give me another couple.”

Scholar Xiao burst out laughing. “I’ll leave the rest for Academy Head Wen to say.”

“They’ll be taking the exam for a while anyway. Come on. I’ll take you to see him first.”

He pulled Yu Qingtang to his feet, and the two disappeared from the spot in an instant.

...

“Teacher.”

Scholar Xiao knocked on Academy Head Wen’s door with practiced ease. Only after a response came from inside did he push it open and enter. He led Yu Qingtang in and bowed together with him.

“I’ve brought Brother Yu.”

Wen Tianxia looked up in surprise. “Weren’t you guarding him from me like I was a thief before, refusing to let me meet him? What happened? Have I finally been cleared of suspicion?”

Scholar Xiao’s eyes curved with his smile. “Teacher is joking. How would this disciple dare?”

Wen Tianxia casually tossed aside the book he had been reading. “There isn’t much you wouldn’t dare.”

“In that case...” Scholar Xiao turned to Yu Qingtang and instructed him solemnly, “Brother Yu, if anything unusual happens, just shout. I’ll come in and save you.”

“And that 危 character the Sage’s Book taught you—have you memorized it properly? Throwing it out works just as well.”

Wen Tianxia: “...”

Scholar Xiao finished saying all of this right in front of Wen Tianxia, then smilingly bowed, turned, and walked out, considerately closing the door behind him.

Now that only Yu Qingtang and Academy Head Wen remained in the room, Yu Qingtang could not help feeling somewhat nervous in the presence of such an important figure. He rubbed his hands uneasily and bowed.

“Academy Head Wen...”

“No need for all that.” Wen Tianxia waved a hand and gestured for him to sit. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you from Tianji Zi—and no, it wasn’t because I was gossiping. He’s the one with the loose tongue.”

“He keeps plenty of secrets in his heart, but he also claims that whenever there’s something I truly want to know, I’ll always find some way to dig it out eventually. So he figures he might as well tell me himself. Thus I’ve had no choice but to listen to a great deal of this and that.”

Wen Tianxia was remarkably easygoing. He even poured Yu Qingtang a cup of tea, his movements elegant and seamless, then sent it gliding across the table with spiritual power.

Yu Qingtang obediently reached out to take it.

He had barely taken a sip when Wen Tianxia asked,

“So you really are a person from beyond this realm?”

Yu Qingtang: “Pfft—”

Senior Tianji Zi, you really didn’t leave me a single secret!

“Don’t panic.” Amusement flashed through Wen Tianxia’s eyes. “Naturally, I know the difference between a person from beyond this realm and an otherworldly evil demon. I’m not going to kill you without even hearing you out.”

“I’m merely curious. What are the other worlds beyond this realm like?”

He spoke as casually as if discussing the weather.

“I once considered asking those otherworldly evil demons. I even tracked them down. But I could never tell whether they were simply unintelligent or unable to adapt to the language of this realm. Very few of them were capable of speech.”

“And their urge to kill is quite severe. Give them the slightest opening and they start thinking about killing, robbing, and possessing me.”

He sighed softly.

“I am, after all, the head of an academy. If an otherworldly evil demon possessed me, the damage I could cause would hardly compare to that of an ordinary cultivator. Half of those old friends of mine might end up dead.”

“So, for the sake of their lives, I ultimately threw that otherworldly evil demon out of this realm.”

Yu Qingtang stared blankly.

As expected of Academy Head Wen. Even his thirst for knowledge operated on an entirely different level from that of ordinary disciples.

Then, in a rare flash of inspiration, Yu Qingtang suddenly realized something.

“Before, when we encountered otherworldly evil demons, a senior threw them out through a fissure in the Heavenly Dao.”

“That senior was thrown out with them too. Does that mean there are other fissures in the Heavenly Dao elsewhere?”

“Hm?” Wen Tianxia looked somewhat surprised. “You’re only a Nascent Soul cultivator, yet you already know about all this?”

He did not hide the answer. He simply nodded.

“There is indeed another one.”

“At the Esoteric Sect.”

“The immortal who has remained within that sect to this day is currently bearing the heavens, exhausting all his strength to hold that fissure open.”

“That is the path Tianxuan Nü and the Nine Nether Demonic Sovereign fought their way out through all those years ago.”

Wen Tianxia raised his gaze slightly.

“If it were sealed completely, they would never be able to return.”

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