Chapter 39 – Three consecutive slaps in the face
After triple-checking, this toy just looks like Doraemon.
Looking at the gears drawn on the blackboard, he understood what this subject was.
The instructor fiddled with the Doraemon for a while, placed it on the podium, and it performed a series of actions.
There was bowing, somersaulting, doing splits, spinning, kicking, and punching.
"Class, this is just a simple mechanism. In fact, Mechanism Arithmetic is closely related to Mystical Arts."
"Theoretically, Mystical Arts is just a branch of Mechanism Arithmetic; it's built on its foundation."
Damn, so it's not Mystical Arts, got it wrong again.
"Our Mechanism Arithmetic covers a broader field than Mystical Arts."
"When you leave the academy and enter various industries, you'll definitely use the knowledge learned here."
"Alright, that's it for this class. Next class is arithmetic. Class dismissed."
"The new student, come over here."
Just as Huang Ye was about to leave, he was called back. He had no interest in this subject.
Arithmetic, he had studied it for over ten years with mediocre results and genuinely disliked it.
He was now a cultivator, not a scientist, and didn't need to study arithmetic for human progress.
After hesitating for a moment, he still walked to the podium.
This instructor would probably be like that old man, trying to sell him his textbooks.
Several students also looked at this poor student.
Huang Ye's attire didn't face discrimination here because the students studying this subject generally came from modest backgrounds.
They only hoped to find stable employment after graduation and weren't looking for major advancements in martial arts.
"Hello, Instructor!" Huang Ye bowed.
"Yes! You arrived quite late, didn't hear much earlier. So, are you interested in this subject?"
"Instructor, this subject seems fun."
The instructor glanced at this newcomer with a peculiar mindset; it was the first time he heard someone say this subject was fun.
"Indeed, it's very interesting, especially if you study it diligently. If you invent something new, the sense of accomplishment is quite satisfying."
"Many public positions will require talents from this subject when you graduate from the academy."
"I understand what you're saying, Instructor, but I'm not very bright and find arithmetic hard to grasp."
"No worries, as long as you're willing to learn, you'll definitely make a name for yourself in the future."
Uh! Is he trying to sweet-talk me?
"The cost of studying this subject isn't high either. The textbook and class fees together are only fifteen taels of silver, with a high return on investment."
"Instructor, I understand what you're saying, but I came to the Martial Arts Academy to learn martial arts. Once I'm decent in that, I'll come back to study this subject."
As soon as Huang Ye said this, the students below started whispering.
The instructor was taken aback, sizing up Huang Ye. His attire didn't look like someone studying martial arts.
"The cost of learning martial arts isn't low. Can your parents afford it?"
"Instructor, I have my own hands and don't need my parents to support me."
As soon as Huang Ye said this, the students below burst into laughter.
The instructor secretly cursed his luck, thinking he could recruit a new student today and earn a little extra.
Unexpectedly, he was dealing with someone aiming too high, a poor student who didn't know his own limits and had no future.
"Good for you, I wish you success!" The instructor said and then turned to leave for the back room.
Huang Ye smiled faintly, not bothering with an instructor who judged by appearances.
He turned to leave, not interested in looking at these students either. Poverty wasn't scary; what's scary is having no ambition.
This was a world that valued martial arts, and Mechanism Arithmetic was just a minor path.
It might be useful in combat, but relying on external forces was ultimately not the way, and such skills would always serve others.
Though he ignored these students, someone took a dislike to him.
"What trash, a poor guy wanting to learn martial arts, doesn't know his limits," a mocking voice came.
Huang Ye stopped and looked at the speaker.
The speaker had a sharp face, broom-like eyebrows, and triangular eyes, yet was quite robust.
This face should belong to a skinny monkey, so why did he look so bizarre, combining two extremes?
"Who are you calling trash?"
"You!"
The triangular-eyed guy realized he had been outwitted by Huang Ye.
"You dare trick me," he said sinisterly, his anger rising.
"What's there to trick about you, trash? With your intelligence, you should go back to farming."
"How do you know my family farms?" the triangular-eyed guy asked, puzzled.
Huang Ye was stunned. This guy really was a farmer. How did a farmer get into the Martial Arts Academy?
"You're destined to farm; you can't learn high-intelligence stuff like this."
"How do you know I can't learn it?"
The triangular-eyed guy was stunned again, wondering how this kid knew him so well.
Suddenly, he realized it. The kid wasn't familiar with him; he was just mocking him and happened to hit the mark.
"You little brat, you need a lesson!"
"Slap!" The triangular-eyed guy yelped.
In a flash, he stood up, clutching his face. "You dare hit me!"
"Slap!" Another crisp slap sent him spinning and back onto the bench.
"You!"
"Slap, slap, slap!" This time, it was a triple hit.
Tears welled up in the triangular-eyed guy's eyes. He wanted to fight back but had no idea how this guy got over or slapped him.
All he saw was Huang Ye standing still, and the rest was just the sound.
"Waah!" The triangular-eyed guy lay on the table, crying.
His family did farm, but they were landowners, and he was pampered from a young age, never beaten.
He entered the academy because his father wanted him to succeed, sparing no expense to train him and forcing him to study every subject.
Relying on his family's wealth, he made many friends and even acknowledged a few big brothers.
Though these big brothers didn't get along, none would refuse money.
Seeing him willingly pay respects, they happily accepted him as a little brother.
He was used to bullying others with the backing of his big brothers and thought he was somebody.
Seeing Huang Ye, a poor guy wanting to learn martial arts, he naturally looked down on him and mocked him, not expecting to hit a hard wall.
"Haha, why are you crying, you joker!" Huang Ye was a bit amused.
This kid was quite robust, yet cried like a child. Maybe he was too harsh.
If he knew the kid was so fragile, he wouldn't have used even one percent of his strength to slap him.
This guy could be easily defeated with just a thousandth of his strength.
The triangular-eyed guy dared not speak, not even lift his head, burying it like an ostrich.
Hitting someone in the face was taboo, yet this kid did just that.
No way, he couldn't lift his head, so he continued to cry with his head buried in his arms, starting with real tears, then fake ones.
In his mind, he kept planning to find a few big brothers later to get revenge.