Book 1: Chapter 2: One Old One Young Under the Spring Rain

Spring rain drizzled down. The carriage forged ahead arduously through the muddy road.

“Uncle Liu, does our Yunqin Empire have flying swords? Do we have immortals?”

Lin Xi was currently seated inside the carriage, his head propped up with an arm. He looked at the white-haired elder who had also temporarily withdrawn into the carriage, resting in a corner, asking this question seriously.

Because the assassination event had never actually taken place, Lin Xi’s behavior also making him seem like a refined and courteous young man along the way, this old driver’s attitude was also comparatively much gentler, not releasing the mountains of corpses, seas of blood, iron blooded aura again. However, when he heard Lin Xi’s words, this elder, who was still extremely gentle and kind a breath ago, now suddenly became rather upset. “Lin Xi, don’t forget your father’s parting words! After leaving Deerwood Town, you should speak less nonsense like this. In these ten or so days, you’ve already asked me this no less than thirty times! If you were in Central Continent’s Imperial City, you might have already been thrown into prison.”

“Why would I be thrown into prison just for saying these words?” Lin Xi looked shocked on the outside, but he was actually inwardly snickering. In the two weeks or so they were together after that assassination attempt, he had long classified this elder surnamed Liu as the same type as his mother of this world, outwardly strict, but actually tender hearted inside. As long as he didn’t cross this elder’s bottom line, the other party wouldn’t display his dangerous side at all.

“I’m exhausted…” The elder’s face went rigid, spitting out these words with an insipid tone, and then deciding he might as well close his eyes. Lin Xi’s attitude left him with no choice. When faced with such a refined and courteous weak youngster like him, there was no way he could act like how he did in the border army, directly give those new recruits with too many words a vicious beating just because of his own impatience.

“Uncle Liu, since you promised my dad that you would properly take care of me, you don’t want me to end up in big trouble because I said something bad, right? Moreover, we’re already halfway done with our trip! Even though I’ve seen quite a bit of the scenery along the way, I still know nothing about this Green Luan Academy I am going to. You should at least tell me a bit about Green Luan Academy…” 

However, Lin Xi’s soft voice still entered his ears. 

“Also, after all these days, if you don’t talk to me, I’m going to die of boredom! At this rate, even if I have nothing wrong with me, I’ll end up having some illness forced out of me!”

When he heard the first half of what Lin Xi said, the elder whose eyes were shut frowned again, but when he heard the latter half, the cold intent disappeared, his brows loosening as well.

Right, this was nothing more than an ordinary weak youngster who had never left Deerwood Town. Even though the feeling this kid gave him was extremely strange, he wasn’t one of those border army elites the old man was used to, not someone who would march straight into danger without a single word.

In reality, even in the border military, the punishment that was hardest for those barbarians to accept wasn’t the whipping, but rather being shut in the black rooms for half a month, the size of those black rooms about the same as this carriage.

When he thought of this, this elder’s heart that had long become as tough as steel from constantly lingering around the brink of life and death immediately melted.

He suddenly recalled that in these ten or so days, the behavior of this youngster from a wealthy family in Deerwood Town, apart from speaking a bit more strange words, really already far exceeded his expectations. Even when they missed a lodging site, even if it was just a mat over the grassland, this young man who lived like a prince didn’t voice any complaints. When there was only flavorless cold water and hard flatbread to eat, this youngster was still in high spirits.

“Could it be that the high ranking official, in that brief moment, already saw through his potential, which is why he was recommended to enter Green Luan Academy’s entrance examination?” As if he suddenly realized something, the elder’s body shuddered slightly. With a thump noise, he leaned into the carriage wall, causing the raindrops hanging from this corner to splash everywhere.

The carriage immediately became quiet.

This grizzled haired elder, whose wrinkles looked like they were carved from a knife, someone who had experienced endless hardships, gave the young man across from him a firm look.

The young man’s eyes were clear and bright, filled with curiosity and expectation.

Two old, gray-colored horses slowly trudged through the muddy road. There just happened to be a bamboo forest at both sides of the road. Spring rain drizzled down, creating rustling noises as it scattered down. There were bamboo tips that made their way out from the mountain earth, verdant and full of vitality just like Lin Xi.

“Why do you like saying this type of nonsense so much?” The elder’s mood relaxed, stretching out his legs, adjusting to a more comfortable seated position.

Lin Xi looked at this elder who had obviously already been softened by him, immediately becoming a bit excited inwardly. For him, this world was still a completely new one. He was like a tourist, filled with curiosity towards everything.

“But it’s not actually nonsense you know?” He looked at this elder who clearly had many stories to tell, laughed and said, “I’ve read quite a few interesting books. In those stories, there were some powerful people who could release flying swords, removing heads from a thousand miles away, even able to fly through the sky, escape through the earth, shift mountains and move seas! Also, even though I never left Deerwood Town, the town also lacking people with experience, for the two of us, one old one young, to pass through half of Yunqin Empire, there’ll definitely be many dangers. Not long ago, I already heard my father say that Deereast City had a caravan that was attacked and robbed. However, you were confident enough to bring me alone, not a trace of worry or nervousness visible on Uncle Liu’s face. Moreover, you even seem extremely familiar with this path, so I believe that you are definitely an expert like those in the stories. That’s why I asked you those things.”

The elder was stunned.

Those preposterous words, when spoken by Lin Xi, actually seemed just that logical, everything matching up.

“You are extremely smart.” The elder gave Lin Xi another deep look, and then he shook his head. “Turns out you just read too many of those delusional immortal fantasy books.”

“So what Uncle Liu is saying is that this world doesn’t have those people who could release flying swords, astonishing magic power, shift mountains and fill seas?”

“Flying swords and flight have been achieved by some, but there is no way it can be done to the crazy level of the daoist immortals written in those books. Just think about it, if they really were that strong, wouldn’t they be able to easily kill a high official?”

“There are?” Lin Xi was stupefied, his mouth completely open. “Then those flying swords, how far could they fly? In our Yunqin Empire, how many people can do it?”

“The weak only a hundred steps, the strong can kill within a thousand steps. As for how many can do this in all of Yunqin Empire, I do not know either, what I know is extremely limited.” The elder muttered to himself, “I’ve only met three experts like this in my life.”

“A thousand steps… this is still extremely formidable.” Lin Xi muttered to himself. Even if it was only a hundred steps, just the existence of something like a flying sword would be enough for him to redefine his understanding of this world.

“Then what about you, Uncle Liu? Can you use flying swords?” After muttering to himself, Lin Xi raised his head slightly towards the elder, asking seriously.

“Of course not, or else why would I drive a carriage like this so obediently?” The elder also answered seriously. Soon afterwards, both of them, young and old alike, felt like this conversation was rather funny, both of them bursting into laughter.

“Then what kind of place is that Green Luan Academy exactly?” When the laughter subsided, Lin Xi looked towards this elder, seeking further guidance.

“To put it more simply, it is precisely for instructing experts like those who can use flying swords like the ones you were just talking about, a place that produces great people.” When he heard the words Green Luan Academy, a serious and respectful expression clearly appeared on the elder’s face. “Of the influential great figures in our Yunqin Empire, at least half of them came from Green Luan Academy.”

Lin Xi’s jaw dropped, immediately speechless. He was completely shocked.

Even though the elder who came before this carriage arrived already told him that as long as he could get into Green Luan Academy, he would obtain an official position at the very least, this position moreover not low, he never thought that Green Luan Academy was actually a place like this. This world was becoming more and more interesting.

Lin Xi stared blankly for a moment. Then, after exhaling, he looked at the elder and asked, “Uncle Liu, could you tell me about it in a bit more detail?”

“Apart from those who have attended Green Luan Academy, no one else knows too much about this school. However, honestly speaking, Green Luan Academy really isn’t a place someone like me dares to rashly comment on. Moreover, apart from those who really came out from Green Luan Academy and Central Continent Imperial City’s great figures, everyone else’s understanding of Green Luan Academy is extremely limited. That is why the things I tell you today regarding Green Luan Academy, do not mention them to anyone else, or it will bring needless trouble onto you and me.” The old man gave Lin Xi a look, a bit of seriousness appearing on his face.

“Understood.” Lin Xi firmly nodded.

“Green Luan Academy, as one of the empire’s three great academies, has not had a particularly strong performance in recent years, but it is the academy with the longest history in our Yunqin Empire. Furthermore, if not for Green Luan Academy producing someone like Principal Zhang fifty years ago, our Yunqin Empire wouldn’t necessarily have such a great territory today.” The elder muttered to himself. His eyes were flickering, clearly knowing that uttering these words carried great risk. However, Lin Xi’s performance still made him speak these things.

“Three great academies?” Lin Xi stared blankly.

“There is also Immortal Academy and Thunder Academy.” The elder nodded. “Just now, I told you that half of our Yunqin Empire’s current influential great figures came from Green Luan Academy, while the other half… mostly come from these two academies.”

Lin Xi asked, “What are the differences between the three academies?”

The elder looked at Lin Xi. “Apart from those who came out of the three great academies, no one knows much about these three academies, because once the students of these three academies emerge, they are already equivalent to town supervisors in rank. Moreover, most of them would quickly advance in ranks, so how could any of this be what ordinary nobodies like us can understand? However, this isn’t something you need to worry about either. If you truly get into Green Luan Academy, you’ll naturally understand all of this well.”

“Just go in and out, and you are equivalent to a town head?” This type of concept appeared in Lin Xi’s head.

For him, town head and town supervisor were only different in name, not all that different in reality.

“If the three great academies are this incredible, why would they have me go? Uncle Liu, do you know who it was that wanted me to go?” Lin Xi’s eyes flickered with light.

“I know that if I don’t answer this question of yours, you will definitely continue to annoy me on this trip. However, I can tell you very candidly that I do not know the answer to this question of yours either, because normal people don’t have the qualifications to participate in the entrance examination of the three great academies at all! I am also quite curious as to who this high official with the authority to recommend you to participate in Green Luan Academy’s entrance examination is, but that person’s status is definitely extremely great, which is why…”

“Which is why it is best if we don’t guess randomly, best that we tend to ourselves. Otherwise, if we guess wrongly about that high official’s thoughts and someone becomes unhappy, we might be in huge trouble.” Before the elder finished what he had to say, Lin Xi snickered, sticking his tongue out and saying this.

The elder stared blankly for a moment, but he didn’t smile, instead nodding and saying, “As long as you understand.”

The carriage became quiet, only the sounds of spring rain striking against the carriage roof could be heard.

“Uncle Liu…” Suddenly, Lin Xi called out to the elder.

“What is it?” The elder looked at Lin Xi rather strangely, but he only saw Lin Xi put on a rather pensive look. “Uncle Liu, I’m now a bit more interested in this Green Luan Academy.”

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