CHAPTER 335: CHAPTER 333 HELPING TO REBEL

Apart from Sun Wukong and trolls, the vast majority of people have parents and friends; essentially, humans are a collection of social relationships.

Death for a person occurs in three stages: first is physiological death, when the heart stops beating; second is social death, when others replace the deceased’s position; third is ultimate death when the last person who remembers the deceased dies, and their traces completely vanish from the world, like a period on a page.

Some people die as if they never existed, like Koto’s Zero Number Machine;

while for others, their cause and effect remain entangled with the living, their voices and shadows quietly flowing deep within the hearts of the living, ready to stir up stormy waves at any moment.

Like Bai Yu, like Qin Xiao.

Even Koto had a few friends who would shed tears like horse piss for his death, so how could Bai Yu not have any? Koto just didn’t expect his friends to be so influential — tutors from the Imperial Academy, during the time when Old Principal Cha Huan only acted ostentatious, Zhu Yan was undoubtedly the Vice Principal.

But upon thinking carefully, it made sense: Bai Yu was a Swift Blade teacher and director of teaching at the Imperial Academy, he must have been a student there — for such permanent-teacher positions, an Imperial Academy education is the bare minimum requirement — and with Zhu Yan’s age, it wouldn’t be surprising if Qin Xiao and Bai Yu were his former students.

What truly surprised Koto was that Qin Xiao and Bai Yu were Zhu Yan’s prized students. Never mind Qin Xiao, the grass on his grave is three meters high, Koto never met him, but no matter how you look at it, Bai Yu doesn’t seem like a model student.

There was no evidence, purely Koto’s intuition. As a good student who skipped classes to surf the internet and didn’t hand in his homework, he could vaguely sense a kindred spirit. His good rapport with Bai Yu from the start was greatly due to sensing Bai Yu’s lazy aura.

Moreover, for a teacher from the Imperial Academy like Bai Yu to welcome the arrival of Qin Le Yin alongside the Raccoon Slave Inspector from the Statistical Department, truly shows his high skills and boldness.

Koto merely had a rumored scandal with a female student and got a stern talking-to from Zhu Yan, if Bai Yu was caught mingling with the Statistical Department, it’s feared he’d be expelled from the Imperial Academy on the spot, forced to lay low for three years without revealing his name.

Could it be that Bai Yu was actually a model student in his youth?

Yet, Zhu Yan’s next words proved Koto’s ’kindred spirit sense’ was accurate: "But compared to them, you’re still a bit green... Bai boy was notorious as a Swift Blade runner during school, loved leading classmates in parkour on rooftops, of course, wearing Swift Blade Boots. Over his four years at the Imperial Academy, he caused more damage to the teaching buildings than in the past forty years."

Parkour between buildings wearing Swift Blade Boots... Koto blinked, didn’t expect Bai Yu to be so punk.

"Didn’t they expel him for that?"

"Principal Cha’s rule, use fists before reasoning."

Zhu Yan casually mentioned Cha Huan, his tone hinting at a bit of helpless discontent: "Since the trouble was caused by Swift Blades, the solution was to outshine him in that area. But Bai Yu was the head of the Swift Blade mad dragon study group at that time, his skill far surpassed his peers, even outmatching the teachers. He paraded with Swift Blades in the academy, no one could stop him, and Principal Cha always appreciated such bold acts as long as they caused no public property damage, so he was allowed to roam free until graduation..."

Koto suddenly felt a bit envious — he also kind of wished to study at the Imperial Academy. Old Principal Cha Huan’s teaching philosophy of ’using fists before reasoning’ tackled those with ill intentions with a strong hand, yet also allowed talented individuals to fully showcase their abilities.

If he could study in such a free and self-disciplined campus, wouldn’t it be quite interesting?

"After graduating, Bai boy spent a year and a half as a Swift Blade Tactical Squad leader in the Ta Bai Army, earned three ’Root Out’ military merits, then returned to Yanjing and directly retired the elderly former Swift Blade teacher."

Quietly recounting past stories, Zhu Yan said: "Then he reformed the Swift Blade curriculum, increasing the difficulty, reducing the pass rate, even requested several ’death slots’ from Principal Cha — though never used, the word spread that ’students died in Swift Blade class’, ironically lowering injury rates, making every student who chose Swift Blade more cautious."

"Doesn’t sound like a teacher that gives peace of mind," Koto laughed.

"Indeed, the complaint letters against Bai boy could fill several cabinets," Zhu Yan softly said: "But maybe that’s a common issue with teachers, what stays in a teacher’s heart are never the obedient outstanding students, but these wild and unruly ones with sincere hearts..."

"Qin Xiao too?"

"Heh, on his first day, he brought wine to chat with me, what do you think?"

Truly two totally different types of mischief... Koto raised an eyebrow and asked: "Did you drink it?"

"I intended to refuse, but I was young, and he brought good wine, so I confiscated it. In hindsight, I fell for it." Zhu Yan laughed: "In schmoozing and Swift Blade skills, they both taught me."

"Disciples aren’t necessarily inferior to their teachers, teachers aren’t necessarily superior to their disciples," Koto responded: "Expertise has its specializations, learning follows no set order, that’s all."

"Where did you hear that classic text?" Zhu Yan suddenly asked: "A very outstanding persuasive classic, not included in the Glorious Five Hundred Editions, enough for Teacher Wei to teach recognition classes on."

"Ah, that was said by Zhengwei of Jing," Koto said without changing expression: "I don’t know where he copied it from, maybe he wrote it himself?"

Zhu Yan nodded, seemingly believing Koto, and asked: "Jing Zhengwei... Dongyang truly produces remarkable figures."

"Not bad, rather than saying it produces remarkable figures, it’s more accurate to say idiots simply can’t survive there," Koto sighed: "That place deprives people of the chance to live mediocre lives, either fight upwards to succeed or sink utterly to failure. Those who become dregs don’t appear before you, so naturally, what you see from Dongyang are all remarkable figures."

"Indeed." Zhu Yan closed his eyes and said, "Having wielded the teaching cane for decades, watching these energetic young people day in and day out almost made me believe this country is truly thriving. But that’s only because the countless oppressed and exploited people outside, suffering in the depths of despair, never appear before me..."

"What I can see is only the prestige of the Imperial Academy. It is only you, who have seen the reality, that can have eyes on the whole world."

"You came to the Imperial Academy for the struggle for the throne, didn’t you?"

Hearing these words, Le Yin was convinced that Zhu Yan was not one of the Glory Four Guards and nodded, "That’s right."

This point needs no denial. With the entirety of the Glory Seven Palaces converging on the Imperial Academy, it’s clear to any discerning person that they intend to use certain means within the academy to select the next emperor.

"Will there be death?"

"There will be death."

"Can we delay death? For example, until after this old body falls at the lectern..."

"Mentor Zhu Yan, you’re in such good form even at your age; this request is truly too difficult for me."

"I knew it..." Zhu Yan took out a cigarette and a lighter, lit up, took a deep inhale, and blew a smoke ring towards the center of the lake, "You people, though differing in so many ways, are all cut from the same cloth."

"Stubborn, proud, extraordinarily gifted, difficult for others to control and manipulate, yet often you voluntarily step onto a dead-end path..."

"As Bai Yu would put it, ’We keep our lives, only for the time when we’re ready to gamble with everything.’" Le Yin shrugged, "Of course, that has nothing to do with me. I’m still waiting to bring my fiancée over to enjoy life, unlike the old bachelor Bai Yu."

"You’re a student of Qin Xiao, recommended by Bai Yu," Zhu Yan couldn’t help but laugh, "Although I wish for you to live a long life, the thought that you’ll surely cause me a lot of trouble the longer you live makes me think perhaps you should just die early."

"That way, even if I see your corpse in the future, I won’t feel too sad."

"I can only promise to cause you less trouble."

"Interesting, when I caught Qin Xiao and Bai Yu in the past, they said that sentence most often," Zhu Yan waved a hand, "I’ve already gotten used to cleaning up after you mischievous students! As long as my body can still move, I don’t mind helping out again..."

He raised a finger to Le Yin, "Once."

Le Yin was taken aback.

"Qin Xiao stayed with me for eight years, Bai Yu for twenty. Now one is an old grave, and the other a new one. Although when I join them, they wouldn’t dare to disrespect me, as their teacher, I must do something to visit these mischievous students with my head held high..."

"So in repayment for their twenty-eight years of companionship, I can help you once, whatever it may be." Zhu Yan flicked the ash into the lake, "Of course, I’m just a teacher at the Imperial Academy, anything too outrageous I can’t do."

"Thank you." Le Yin could only say this, "But I feel undeserving."

"Young teacher, you don’t understand yet," Zhu Yan said, "Watching students succeed, watching students achieve moral standing..."

"I am proud of them."

"However, if you truly have no requests, then I’m happy with some leisure..."

"Wait, I do have one favor, which Mentor Zhu Yan might be able to help with." Le Yin was only being humble earlier and hastily said, "Coincidentally, it has to do with both Qin Xiao and Bai Yu."

"What favor?"

"Before Bai Yu died, he told me Qin Xiao had always coveted the Holy Sword Glory. Then Qin Xiao, somehow, learned that even when the Holy Sword Glory enters a suspended state, it may not necessarily need to wait twenty years to be reactivated..."

"But they never managed to uncover the method to cancel the Holy Sword’s suspension," Le Yin said, "I want to know that method."

Zhu Yan did not answer until the ash was flicked away, and the moon rose over the treetops, he slowly asked, "I take back my earlier words, your mischievousness surpasses theirs. I thought at most you’d ask me to help break the law, but I never expected you’d ask me to help with a rebellion."

"You’re flattering me; I’m merely standing on the shoulders of those before me." Le Yin tentatively asked, "Then Mentor Zhu Yan..."

Zhu Yan let out a long sigh.

"I shouldn’t have confiscated that bottle of wine from Qin Xiao back then."