Chapter 1 Gu Zhuo
Chapter 1 Gu Zhuo
In the thirty-eighth year of Zhengsheng, late January.
It was the early spring, when the rains were heavy, and the scenery in Wangjing was just perfect.
However, at this moment, the two professors of the academy, who were deep in the Changzhou Academy, facing the lake and witnessing the best spring scenery of the year, had no intention of enjoying the scenery and were talking in low voices.
"Lin Wanyi won again?"
"Yes, including today's match, this is her 46th consecutive win. She seems to really want to beat all her peers in the entire academy."
“What is the mood of the students in the academy?”
"Compared to the initial courageous response, the morale of the students has dropped a bit. Many students may have become timid, and the outside world seems to be gradually losing confidence in the academy."
"…We can't let her continue to win. This matter must be resolved."
"I want to solve it, but Lin Wanyi's identity is very sensitive. The academy must make her lose honorably, lose sincerely, and lose without saying anything..."
At this point in the conversation, the two professors from Changzhou Academy fell into silence helplessly. Their faces became increasingly gloomy, and their brows were furrowed with annoyance.
After an unknown amount of time, the older professor suddenly sighed, shook his head and said, "Let Gu Zhuo go."
"Gu Zhuo?" Another professor's expression suddenly changed and he asked in surprise.
Changzhou Academy has a very long history, which is only slightly different from Wangjing, an ancient city that has gone through three thousand years of ups and downs and is now a secondary capital. Naturally, many important figures who have left their names in history have emerged from it.
Even though the academy has declined in popularity in recent years due to the court's relocation of the capital, it is still one of the world's top academies.
Gu Zhuo is the most eye-catching name in Changzhou Academy in the past three years.
"Yes, let Gu Zhuo go."
The old professor withdrew his gaze from the lake and said in a dull voice, "Since we can't let Lin Wanyi continue to win and we have to settle the matter openly, who else can the entire academy, no... the entire Wangjing, have except Gu Zhuo? He is our only choice."
……
……
After walking along several bluestone paths and bypassing a shimmering pond, a seven-story wooden building came into view after turning a corner. It was the library of Cheung Chau Academy and also the destination of the young professor's trip.
The professor walked in and went straight up to the third floor. Finally, in this place where the number of students suddenly decreased but was not sparse, he saw the young man sitting alone by the window.
The young man was wearing an ordinary hospital uniform of no particular style. He was dressed very neatly, with clear eyes, regular features, and a gentle face. He gave people a very calm feeling, and subconsciously made people feel a little closer to him.
This closeness, along with the knowledge and talent he has demonstrated in the past three years, has already solidified into fame and even reputation.
For this reason, there were always many classmates sitting at the desks near Gu Zhuo. From time to time, people of the same generation would approach him with books in their hands and ask him earnestly about the difficulties they encountered. These difficult problems would often be answered clearly in just a few words, making people suddenly enlightened.
Therefore, no matter from which angle you look at it, the words "Gu Zhuo" and "young man" do not quite fit together. One must use mature and more complex words to accurately describe what kind of person he is.
But it was also for this reason that the professor believed that Gu Zhuo was willing to solve the trouble caused by Lin Wanyi for them, not... for Changzhou Academy.
Gu Zhuo stood up, looked at Professor Liu who was sitting beside the desk, and greeted him.
Professor Liu smiled and nodded.
He took a casual glance and found that the book in front of Gu Zhuo was not a book of cultivation, but the rules of Changzhou Academy and the rules and regulations of the summer festival in this dynasty. He couldn't help but feel puzzled, but without thinking too much, he gestured for him to sit down.
The third floor of the library was still quiet at this moment, but the few students here had almost all taken their eyes off the books in their hands and looked at the window where the sun was shining brightly, with curiosity in their eyes.
"I heard that you have been making progress in your practice in recent days. I happened to have some free time today, and since we haven't seen each other for a long time, I came here to chat with you."
As Professor Liu spoke, he waved his sleeves to call in the spring breeze from outside the window, which lingered around the two of them, leaving no lingering sound.
Just when he finished doing all these things and was about to start a greeting, or appeal to her emotions, or explain things with reason, Gu Zhuo had already spoken.
"Is it Lin Wanyi that Mr. Liu wants to talk to me about?"
Gu Zhuo's voice was very calm, without any ups and downs.
Professor Liu was stunned for a moment, and asked curiously, "Why are you so direct today? Normally, even if you know what someone is up to, you would usually talk to them for a few more words before getting down to business, right?"
"Because it's already spring, the summer festival isn't far away, and..."
Gu Zhuo said honestly, "It's become easier to hear about Lin Wanyi recently."
Professor Liu sighed and said with self-mockery, "Even you can't avoid the three words Lin Wanyi. It seems that Changzhou Academy is not far from losing face."
Gu Zhuo smiled and said, "No matter how focused I am on preparing for the summer festival, I won't turn a deaf ear to what's happening outside."
"But you are the hope of me, many colleagues, and even the entire Changzhou Academy in recent years. Given the strict temperament of some of us old-fashioned people, we would definitely want to shut out all these unimportant things from your ears."
Professor Liu said with emotion: "As a result, the first thing you say to me when you see me now is Lin Wanyi."
The words are all true, and they are truly sad.
The situation of Cheung Chau College in recent years has not been as good as before. The most direct and obvious change is that the salaries of professors in the college have been cut again and again. In order to solve this problem, the college itself must perform its duties well enough.
The summer festival held every four years is not only a big test for young practitioners, but also an extremely important criterion for judging whether an academy is good enough. At the beginning, the entire Changzhou Academy believed that it would be a long and arduous struggle to restore the academy to its former glory... However, the appearance of Gu Zhuo and the talent he showed in the past three years completely changed the views of the gentlemen of the academy.
The future that seems out of reach is actually just around the corner.
Professor Liu looked at Gu Zhuo who was sitting opposite him. Seeing the gentle smile on the boy's face, he thought for a moment and said, "Because of a misunderstanding in her early years, Lin Wanyi had a strong prejudice against Changzhou Academy. Now that the summer festival is approaching, she deliberately retaliated for the misunderstanding, which affected the entire academy and caused a lot of trouble."
Gu Zhuo asked: "So?"
Professor Liu noticed that his expression had become more serious and said, "I hope you can challenge Lin Wanyi to a duel for the academy and defeat her once."
Gu Zhuo thought, is it finally coming? He continued, "Rumor has it that Lin Wanyi is very strong."
"After all, I am not as good as you."
"Even if Lin Wanyi is really not as good as me, what about the Lin family?"
Professor Liu's expression became serious, and he said in a deep voice: "You are a student of Changzhou Academy. The academy will protect you from the wind and rain. I think you should know how important you are to the academy. Besides, this is a matter between young people. There is no reason for the Lin family to interfere."
"But I may not be able to defeat Lin Wanyi. Even if I can defeat her, given her vindictive and cruel nature as shown in the rumors, she is likely to influence my cultivation at all costs."
Gu Zhuo reminded him, "I would like to borrow your words, Mr. Liu, to show that I am very important to Changzhou Academy."
After hearing this, Professor Liu was not disappointed, but instead a smile appeared on his face.
"I'm glad you have this understanding, so you don't have to worry about it. The academy will do everything it can to ensure that you are safe."
Gu Zhuo looked at him and asked, "Including the Tongsheng Pill?"
After he finished speaking, Professor Liu's expression did not change, and the smile on his face had turned into a smile full of relief.
If this was somewhere other than a library, he might be laughing out loud.
"Although the Tongsheng Pill is not a top-grade product, it is not far off. It is rare in the world. The academy got a few pills by chance many years ago and has kept them until now, just in case."
Professor Liu said calmly: "You are the only hope of the academy now, and no matter how precious the Tongsheng Pill is, it is still a dead thing. How can it compare to you?"
Tongshengdan is a precious elixir whose name suggests it is precious. Its most direct use is to help practitioners break through the realm. In addition to this, it can also consolidate the foundation of the practitioner's Tao, cleanse the darkness in the Tao heart, and even improve the practitioner's qualifications and increase lifespan.
The reason why Changzhou Academy possesses the Tongsheng Pill is because the alchemist once studied at the academy, and they had a deep affection for each other, so many years later he gave the academy this precious pill above the ninth level as a commemoration.
This matter was naturally widely publicized by Changzhou Academy, so it was normal for Gu Zhuo to know the existence of Tongsheng Dan.
"But this is a serious matter and should not be taken lightly."
Professor Liu looked at Gu Zhuo with a serious and sincere expression, and said: "I will apply for the Tongsheng Pill for you, but you also know that there are many old stubborn people in the academy, and some procedures cannot be skipped. No matter how fast it is, it will take ten days."
Gu Zhuo shook his head and said, "Ten days is fast enough."
Professor Liu turned his head and glanced at the sky outside the window, and said, "Then let's count from today?"
Gu Zhuo said politely, "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Liu."
"It's hard work for you and me."
Professor Liu also smiled, stood up and walked away, saying goodbye.
The library was quiet.
The spring breeze that once lingered has dissipated, turning into wisps, and warm sunlight is pouring in from the window, illuminating the shiny black floor.
Gu Zhuo picked up the book of Changzhou Academy rules in front of him and continued reading as if nothing had happened.
At this moment, a voice suddenly surged in from all directions and fell into his heart.
"Is this person lying to you?"
"Nine times out of ten, it's a lie."
"He probably didn't intend to give you the things. He agreed so readily without saying anything just to get you to do the job."
"The main thing is that he can't decide on this matter alone. How can he agree to this? Does he really think you are an idiot?"
"You must not let others fool you!"
Angry or furious, serious or vigilant...all kinds of voices kept ringing in Gu Zhuo's mind. He was having a heated discussion about the previous conversation and pondering every word deeply.
However, there was always no one beside Gu Zhuo.
There is only the evening breeze, the sunset, and the twilight that is not as red as blood.
After an unknown amount of time, he closed the scripture in his hand and said calmly, "I know."
(End of this chapter)