NOVEL WEB Chapter 36: Back to school
With a thought, I was out of the space. I focused on the pink bracelet and turned it into an ebony one that boys sometimes wear to ward off evil energy then I went to sleep.
This time I woke up not with a cup of cold water but with my body being dropped on a warm bath. This was the work of aunt Yan who wanted to have the experience to send me to school. Uncle Huai and her never had children but they loved them very much. They used to take care of their nephews and nieces a few decades ago.
By the time I was dry, cleaned and well fed, uncle Huai joined us to taste grandma Li’s food. When they saw me use the analyzer, I explained to them that it is something I got used to doing. I never used the analyzer when they invited me to eat as I was concerned that it would be seen as an insult. Aunt Yan praised me and suggested that I try the analyzer at dinner time.
My first try to investigate the poisoning accident might have a breakthrough soon! For suggesting that, aunt Yan might also suspect some poisoning too.
I took the city lord’s carriage with both adults. Li Bo chose to use the servant’s carriage as there were 3 other kids from the servant residence going to school.
With the city lord’s carriage, we entered the school without stopping. After I got out, everyone was looking at me. This was novel for me so I nodded to some of them on my way to the classroom. This was when I saw Sui-er running toward me.
“Shin-ge. Shin-ge! You are now famous!”
“Hello Sui-er. Hope you enjoyed the vacation”
“My dad made me study like I was at school and pushed me to go visit others to socialize. I was invited by a few students to make friends. They wanted to gossip about that scandal and know more about you” Except for my she-wolf cousin, Sui-er was the only person I talked to at school. It was normal to go to him to get information about me. However, I don’t see why anyone would care about me except me living at the city lord’s mansion
“Ah… I am going to be late! Let’s meet at the cafeteria for lunch!” He said before running.
I did not come an hour earlier to school but everyone except the cultivation theory students received a notice that, exceptionally, today’s lessons were at 9AM. Uncle Huai told me that was because all the teachers had a meeting this morning. He also told me that he personally hired two teachers to replace the old ones. The dean must not be happy as this was part of his responsibilities but who let the city lord be the stronger one in the city?
I went to teacher Wei’s classroom. Teacher Wei was not there but the door was open. The wealthy section’s rules were different from this one and we could enter the classroom at any time. I was the first one to arrive so I picked the same desk as last time. On top of the 3 books, there was another one; ‘The meridians and their effects on the body’. A pretty interesting book that I already read during the break. I might have to change classrooms soon.
“You seem disappointed student Bai”
“I welcome teacher Wei” I said while bowing. “I am not really disappointed, I already read this book and was wondering what to read next” I answered back
“This morning’s lesson might be boring for you then but I will bring some more references during self-study. Or I could check your advancement in cultivation to give you pointer” she suggested.
“That would be great!. Thank you teacher” I thanked her
“Write down the books you’ve read during break and I will make sure to find you others”
While we were waiting for the other students, I was kept busy by writing the list. By the time teacher Wei started her lesson I was done with the task and focused on her. I still found the lesson interesting. Even if I knew most of it, her perspective gave me more insight or maybe her voice was more pleasant than my previous easily to bribe teacher…
I did not see it at first but during the lesson some students would look at me for a second before moving their gaze away. At break time all my classmates were looking at me. Some hesitated as if they wanted to talk to me but, except for a smile, I did not know what to do to encourage them. Dam*n my introvert nature. The most courageous one came half way through the break.
“Hi young master Bai, my name is Wong…euh…student Wong. I wanted to congratulate you for the achievement award” it was one of the two students who passed the advanced exam with me
“Thank you for the praise, student Wong. Please, we are fellow schoolmate, you can call me student Bai” I encouraged with a smile “I hope we get along well in the future”
“I…I have a question about the exam. I could not find the answer even after a week of trying…Could you help me?” He asked. So he either was really curious or wanted to see if I cheated. I didn’t mind though, this could help dispel some potential cheating rumors for me.
“Sure! How about we look at it during self-study sessions? I will brew some green tea for us at the same time” We could study anything during the afternoon session. I did not ask him which question to get ready in advance. My perfect memory recall could tell me which one easily.
“Thank you student Bai!” he replied. By the end of the break, the tension between me and everybody else eased a lot. We took the break in the classroom because the weather got cooler and it was raining a lot. Luckily, when lunch time arrived, the sun returned and the stone ground was wet but without puddles. I bid goodbye to the students with a wave and a smile and went to the cafeteria. Too bad none of them could go to my cafeteria. We could have another chance to get closer if that was the case