Chapter 450 - 173: Prefectural School (4)
Chapter 450: Chapter 173: Prefectural School (4)
’What incredible luck, to be on this young lord’s mind. My ancestors must have done something truly virtuous.’
Just as the old scholar’s scalp was tingling with dread and he was praying to all the gods and buddhas for salvation, his prayers were perhaps answered. Another person had just walked into the warehouse—a place that sometimes didn’t see a single visitor in a month.
Seeing that the man wasn’t wearing the school uniform, the scholar was startled for a moment, then overjoyed.
A few days ago, orders had come from above. Two new students would be enrolling soon, and he was to prepare four sets of uniforms.
He had prepared them early on, but after waiting and waiting, no one appeared. He’d begun to think something had happened and the two students weren’t coming anymore. He never expected one to show up right at this moment and rescue him from this dire situation.
’This person is my savior!’
The scholar was moved to tears of gratitude. "Are you one of the new Scholars? Are you here for your uniform? Are you Zhao Jing, or Chen De’an?"
Before Zhao Jing could even give his name, he felt the scorching gaze of the other person in the warehouse.
The sunlight outside had been dazzling, so when Zhao Jing stepped into the dimmer warehouse, his vision was momentarily plunged into darkness.
This prevented him from immediately noticing that something was amiss.
But he was naturally alert; it was impossible for him to remain oblivious to someone staring at him so intensely.
Zhao Jing frowned and looked over. The face that met his gaze was both strange and familiar.
He felt this way because he had only seen the face once before. They hadn’t even exchanged proper greetings during that meeting, so by all rights, they should have been strangers.
But because the man had spoken so rudely, Zhao Jing remembered him vividly.
While Zhao Jing was lost in thought, the man—who had a pair of flirtatious, peach-blossom eyes and a very dashing, roguish look—suddenly reached out and slung an arm over his shoulder.
"Well now, it’s you! You’re a student at the prefectural school? What a coincidence! I’m an instructor here. My young friend, becoming a Scholar at such a young age is truly impressive. What’s your name? Where are you from... AHH!"
Before the man could finish, Zhao Jing spun to the side and drove a vicious elbow into him.
He staggered back two steps, his healthy complexion turning deathly pale.
Seeing this, the scholar in charge of the warehouse was so frightened he nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Don’t fight! Don’t fight! We’re all on the same side here! Mr. Yin didn’t mean anything by it, he’s just... uninhibited. He likes getting close to good-looking young people..."
It would have been better if he hadn’t said that. His words only served to confirm that the man was no good.
’Remembering how he had spoken so insolently, ruining his wife’s pleasant outing, his tone overly familiar, almost an insult to her... This was an unforgivable offense... ’
Zhao Jing didn’t hold back. As the man straightened up, he seized the opportunity, exerted a burst of force, and sent him flying with a shoulder throw.
When De’an and Wang Jun walked in, the sight that greeted them was Yin Xichen’s two feet falling through the air.
If they hadn’t dodged quickly, they would have been kicked right in the face.
The two dodged with lingering fear, their faces ashen.
"What the hell? What happened?"
"Jing! Jing, who’s hitting you?! It’s this guy, right? Son of a bitch! Bullying a newcomer, has he no shame? Eat my fist!"
When Wang Jun saw who was getting beaten up, he instantly guessed what was happening. His head throbbing with an immense headache, he and the scholar rushed to pull De’an and Zhao Jing back.
"Stop, don’t fight! It’s all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"
"Mr. Yin is an incorrigible admirer of beauty, but he wouldn’t dare act out of line here at the school. He has no ill intentions; he was simply admiring this Scholar’s fine looks."
De’an exploded with rage. "Bullshit! Praising a man’s ’fine looks’? Isn’t that an insult and a provocation? We are Scholars who’ve passed our exams, on the path to becoming great officials for the court! How can we let you mock us for our appearances? Not even an instructor gets a pass! As an instructor, he should be a role model and be more careful with his words! To humiliate a student like this... Just watch, I’m taking this to the Headmaster!"
As soon as he heard the threat of reporting him to the Headmaster, the man on the floor, who had been groaning "ow, ow," fell silent.
He scrambled up from the floor, grimacing and clutching his backside. "You’re going to report such a small matter to the Headmaster? Aren’t you making a mountain out of a molehill?" he said, a note of complaint in his voice. "Besides, it’s not like you lost out. I’m the one who’s beaten black and blue. If we go before the Headmaster like this, who do you think he’ll see as the real victim?"
"Sigh... the way you talk."
"Alright, alright, I was in the wrong first. I’ll apologize to this student. But fighting is strictly forbidden in the school. You’ve made a huge mistake the moment you walked in, and you’re bound to leave a bad impression on the instructors. How about this: I won’t report this incident, and you’ll overlook my slip of the tongue. We’ll just pretend this whole thing never happened. What do you say?"