There is Still Such A Good Thing? - Chapter 7

Wu Lingchan pretended not to understand: “Brother! Brother! Brother! Brother!”

He would not stop making a racket.

Chen Jun preferred peace and quiet; never before had such unruly sounds echoed through the Bihantai.

Xun Ye’s heart was in his throat as he tentatively observed Chen She’s reaction.

Chen She did not seem annoyed. Listening to Wu Kunkun’s energetic scratching at the door outside, he suddenly asked, “Why does he want a demonic beast’s inner core?”

Xun Ye was stunned. Not knowing how to answer immediately, he carefully weighed his words: “When Jiang Zhenglu spoke with him today, he cast a barrier in the Danjiu Palace. Since the Young Lord’s cultivation is only at the Qi Refining stage, perhaps he was enticed by demonic energy. After all, demonic energy is something that can allow one to jump levels in cultivation; everyone wants that.”

Wu Lingchan: “Brother! Brother! Brother!”

Chen She laughed. “To incite a puppet Young Lord who does not even know how to read against me? Is Jiang Zhenglu losing his mind in his old age?”

Chen Jun appeared pleasant and amiable, but Xun Ye was so frightened he dared not speak. In the vastness of the Bihantai, all that could be heard was the scratching at the door and the increasingly trembling cries of “Brother, Brother.”

After a long while, Chen She finally said, “Get the side hall ready.”

Xun Ye silently gasped.

“Yes.”

Though a storm raged in his heart, Lord Xun did not show it on his face. Just as he was about to bow and retreat, he heard Chen She speak again.

“Also, go do one more thing for me.”

Wu Lingchan was squatting at the entrance of the main hall of the Bihantai. He had nearly scratched the door to pieces when he finally heard footsteps from within.

The door creaked open.

Wu Lingchan’s face was slightly flushed from the cold, and he looked up with great anticipation.

When he saw that the person was Xun Ye, his face fell: “Why is it you? Where is my brother?”

Xun Ye looked at him with an inscrutable expression: “Young Lord, please follow me to the side hall.”

Wu Lingchan blinked: “Why go to the side hall? I want to live with my brother. The Young Lord should live in the main hall.”

Saying this, he scrambled up, ready to rush inside.

Xun Ye did not budge.

Xun Ye had never seen anyone dare to barge into the Bihantai. He quickly grabbed him by the back of his collar to stop him, whispering sternly, “Presumptuous! How dare you enter Chen Jun’s residence without a summons? Do you have a death wish?!”

Wu Lingchan was short; lifted off the ground, his feet kicked the air. He said angrily, “You are the one being presumptuous! You said I was noble and precious just today, and now you dare to grab the collar of your precious Young Lord? Do you have a death wish?! Brother!”

Xun Ye did not budge.

Xun Ye’s lips twitched, and he let go of him.

Wu Lingchan landed nimbly and rushed inside again.

But before he could step over the threshold, the doors slammed shut. He nearly collided with them, and had it not been for Xun Ye pulling him back by half a step, he might have hurt his precious head.

Chen She’s faint voice came from inside the hall: “Don’t cause trouble. Go back and rest.”

“I am not causing trouble,” Wu Lingchan said. “It is snowing, and it is so cold. Brother, let me in.”

There was a moment of silence in the hall. After a long while, the doors slowly opened.

Wu Lingchan was overjoyed.

A thick fur-lined cloak flew out from the hall and smacked Wu Lingchan on the forehead.

The doors closed again.

Chen She said, “Go.”

Wu Lingchan stood still.

Wu Lingchan curled his lips, pulled the cloak down, and tossed it into Xun Ye’s arms. He finally stopped trying to break in.

Xun Ye held the cloak, bewildered.

Wu Lingchan stood with his back to him, his thoughts swirling.

The void gaps and the Wangliao Tomb were dead ends. The only breakthrough was the demonic beast core in his brother’s hands. How could he get close to Chen She and charm him into giving him an inner core to study?

If he could not force his way in, what about using soft tactics?

As he pondered this underhanded plan, a howling cold wind blew, making him sneeze violently.

Wu Lingchan turned back to look at Xun Ye, disgusted by his slowness: “What are you doing? Cannot you see I am cold?”

Xun Ye realized too late what Wu Lingchan meant by handing him the cloak and turning his back. He was instantly so angry he laughed.

He glared at Wu Lingchan, hoping to intimidate him with killing intent so he would drop this dangerous idea: “What does the Young Lord mean?”

“You are my brother’s subordinate, and I am the Young Lord,” Wu Lingchan said, impervious to threats. He glanced at him with an expression that said, “Do you really have to ask?” “You said it yourself, I am precious, am I not?”

Xun Ye did not budge.

Xun Ye sneered, “The status of the Young Lord is that of one person above ten thousand; of course, you are precious.”

Wu Lingchan nodded: “Since that is the case, should you not be serving me with gratitude? I am giving you this honor. Come.”

Xun Ye did not budge.

Xun Ye was stunned. What was even more terrifying was that Wu Lingchan was so matter-of-fact about it that he almost convinced him.

Xun Ye radiated cold air, trying to scare the man away with his killing intent.

These demons are so fierce, Wu Lingchan thought. If I were not the noble Young Lord, I would have thought this man wanted to kill me.

Luckily, he was the Young Lord.

Xun Ye did not budge.

Xun Ye took a deep breath, suppressing the ferocity in his chest.

Chen Jun’s attitude toward the Young Lord was unclear; it was best not to offend him just to be safe.

With a blank expression, Xun Ye unfolded the cloak and bent down to drape it over the noble Young Lord’s shoulders.

Chen She’s robe carried a faint scent of tea. As it settled on his shoulders, the surrounding frost seemed to vanish, replaced by the warmth of spring.

Wu Lingchan did not even offer a word of thanks and simply walked away. Not having made Xun Ye thank him was already the Young Lord showing mercy. His snowy-white cloak and the red maple-leaf hems of his clothes fluttered in the snow, like flowers blooming in an ice-covered land.

Xun Ye expressionlessly led him to the side hall.

The side hall was completely different from the main hall of the Bihantai.

Runes on the doors and windows kept the cold at bay. The hall was luxuriously furnished and exquisite in every detail. Incense burned by the couch, and a potted maple bonsai sat amidst swirling mist.

Perhaps fearing the Young Lord would ask him to change his clothes again, Xun Ye brought him to the side hall and hurried away.

Wu Lingchan had been through a lot all day. As soon as he saw the bed, the exhaustion hit his body, which lacked spiritual power to support it. He yawned, circled the Bichin Pearl twice, and crawled onto the couch.

The matter of the demonic beast’s inner core could wait; he would think about it tomorrow.

The side hall of the Bihantai was warm as spring.

Wu Lingchan was a difficult person to please and usually particular about where he slept, but for some reason, he felt incredibly familiar with this side hall. As soon as sleepiness washed over him, he drifted off into a sprawled-out slumber, feeling perfectly at ease.

In his half-conscious state, he dreamt of a scene from his childhood.

But he was too young then, and his memories were fragmented; he could not even clearly see the face of the person in his dream.

It seemed to be at the Danjiu Palace.

Wu Kunkun sat cross-legged at a desk, clumsily dragging a brush across a scroll.

“Chen…” With a few ink smudges on his face, Wu Kunkun struggled to write a crooked “Chen” character. He turned his head back, happy. “I wrote it! I want the bell.”

Someone sat behind him, a tall figure that looked like he could tuck Wu Kunkun into his sleeve and spirit him away.

Wu Kunkun felt the person behind him laugh softly. Then, a warm hand gently wrapped around his tiny claws, guiding him to rewrite the character.

“This is how you write ‘Chen’.”

Wu Kunkun tilted his head, unable to understand what the difference was between the two.

But he was so tired and did not want to write, so he resorted to his usual tantrum: “I wrote it! Brother cannot go back on your word! You have to give me the bell!”

Chen She laughed again: “You cannot write, but you were born knowing how to wheedle and throw tantrums.”

Wu Kunkun did not understand the idiom “born knowing,” but his gut told him it was not a compliment. He leaned unhappily against Chen She’s chest, pursed his lips, and muttered, “Then what must I do to get it?”

Chen She’s voice, filled with laughter, drifted over.

“As long as you are more obedient…”

Knock, knock.

Someone was knocking on the door.

Wu Lingchan was still in his dream. Annoyed by the noise, he tossed and turned, his long hair spread messily over the couch, and he hugged his pillow, intent on continuing his sleep.

The knocking outside became more persistent.

“Young Lord, it is time to wake up.”

Disturbed repeatedly, Wu Lingchan blinked his eyes open in a daze. He sat on the couch, staring blankly for a long while as memories flashed through his mind.

Secret realm, demonic beast, Brother, demonic energy…

The demonic beast’s inner core!

Wu Lingchan scrambled up, instantly full of energy.

When he was little, Chen She liked him to be obedient; so he would be extremely obedient.

If Chen She was happy, would he not give him whatever he asked for?!

“Young Lord?”

“Come in.”

The door was quiet for a moment.

Xun Ye seemed reluctant to come in, but remembering Chen She’s orders, he pushed the door open, feeling quite unwilling.

Wu Lingchan climbed off the bed barefoot, his dark hair flowing like ink down to the floor. He expertly ordered Xun Ye: “Come and dress me. I want to go see my brother!”

Xun Ye did not budge.

Xun Ye was silent for a moment, then gave a slight smile. He actually stepped forward to dress the Young Lord.

Lord Xun’s spiritual power was only ever used for killing. With a flick of his finger, he brushed away the robes in Wu Lingchan’s hand and instead pulled out a brand-new, light yellow and pale pink robe from his storage ring.

Wu Lingchan did not like things that were too plain: “This is not good-looking. I want to wear the most beautiful one.”

The kind of beautiful that would make his brother’s eyes shine, make him happy enough to wave his hand and generously toss him a pile of inner cores to play with.

Xun Ye draped the outer robe over Wu Lingchan’s shoulders and said gently, “This is the uniform of the Sizhuo Academy. It is beautiful, too. Look, it suits the Young Lord so well.”

Wu Lingchan was curious: “Sizhuo Academy?”

“Yes. Your subordinate is here to send the Young Lord to the academy to study.”

Wu Lingchan frowned: “But I want to see my brother.”

“This is Chen Jun’s instruction.”

“The academy is not good,” Wu Lingchan said quickly. “Brother taught me to write when I was little; he can teach me now. I will be good. I can write eight hundred characters a day.”

Xun Ye said: “Chen Jun is busy. He is not at the Bihantai today and will only return at night.”

Wu Lingchan’s brow furrowed deeper, but he soon convinced himself.

His Golden Core had been broken for over a year; a little more time would not make a difference. For now, it was best to listen to Chen She and find an opportunity to use his silver tongue to trick him out of the demonic beast core.

If he were to use his eloquence, he should indeed go to the academy. Otherwise, if he stammered when he spoke, he would just make a fool of himself.

Wu Lingchan relented: “Fine, fine.”

Xun Ye smiled, raised his hand to summon a Great Kite, and respectfully invited the Young Lord to board.

The most prestigious academy in the entire Kunfu Ruins was the Sizhuo Academy in the Main City.

Flying was forbidden in the Main City. As Wu Lingchan arrived on the Great Kite, the demons below looked up in surprise, whispering among themselves.

“Is that Lord Xun Ye’s giant kite?”

“I heard the youngest son of Lord Jufu woke up yesterday. It must be him on board.”

“Hiss, Chen Jun’s temper is so good; he actually let him live?”

“The Sizhuo Academy is divided into four study halls,” Xun Ye said, standing on the back of the kite. The wind whipped his robes, and he looked down at the academy to explain to Wu Lingchan. “Yanghui, Jude, Diaoyu, and Chufeng. The further back the hall, the higher the talent of the students, and the more highly regarded they are by Chen Jun; the current top student of ‘Chufeng Hall’ is Chi Fuhan, who formed his Golden Core at seventeen. It is no exaggeration to call him a genius.”

Wu Lingchan said “Wow”: “My brother loves me. Does that not mean I can go straight to ‘Chufeng Hall’ as a genius?”

Xun Ye smiled again.

Wu Lingchan was full of suspicion.

Lord Xun had been acting strange since this morning. Yesterday he was expressionless, but today he was all smiles.

“How about ‘Diaoyu Hall’?”

Xun Ye smiled without answering.

Wu Lingchan’s brow furrowed tighter.

He was used to being at the top of the rankings in the Immortal Alliance; his instinct was to go to the best hall.

If ‘Chufeng’ would not work, he would reluctantly settle for ‘Diaoyu’.

He would not be happy with anything below that.

Soon, the Great Kite flew over the Sizhuo Academy and landed.

The academy was elegantly arranged. Lush, towering trees grew everywhere, and winding paths threaded through the grounds, where pavilions were vaguely visible. On both sides of the simple academy buildings, clusters of bamboo grew, their leaves lush and green.

Wu Lingchan looked around.

Should there not be a lot of open space in the academy for students to spar on the training grounds?

Why is this place so dainty and refined?

Just as he was thinking this, he heard the crisp, chirping sounds of children coming from the rooms hidden behind bamboo curtains, like little birds.

Wu Lingchan’s eyelids twitched.

Xun Ye turned to the side and said with a smile, “Young Lord, please.”

A breeze blew, rustling the bamboo leaves.

Looking through the half-hanging bamboo curtains, he saw several rows of four- or five-year-old children wearing yellow and pink uniforms, sitting obediently at small low tables, gripping brushes to practice their calligraphy with serious faces.

Wu Lingchan: “?”

The only adult was an elder at the head of the room, stroking his beard as he sat lazily.

“Children, remember to keep your horizontal and vertical lines straight. Write one hundred horizontal strokes today, and tomorrow you will be able to write vertical ones. Listen to your teacher, and within ten years, all of you will be able to enter the ‘Yanghui Hall’.”

A dozen children answered happily: “Yay!”

Xun Ye said: “This is the ‘Fengyu Small Hall’ established by the Sizhuo Academy specifically for children under six; it is best for enlightenment. From now on, the Young Lord will learn to read and write here.”

Wu Lingchan stood still.

“Chen Jun also gave instructions that you are to write the character ‘Chen’ one hundred times and hand it in at the Bihantai this evening.”

After delivering the message, Xun Ye laughed heartily and strode away.

Wu Lingchan stood still.