In an exquisite tea room in Taiyang Academy, Zhang Yu wore a loose sky-blue Daoist robe and sat in the open bamboo porch. He gazed at the lonely Goddess Peak in the distance.
Three days had passed since the day of his self-recommendation.
Taiyang Academy wanted him to stay in the academy for the time being and promised that they would give him an answer.
He knew that the higher-ups of Taiyang Academy wouldn't jump to conclusions just based on the news in the newspaper. They would definitely find a way to verify it.
It shouldn't be long now.
He reached out and picked up the purple clay teapot on the short bamboo table and poured a cup of tea. Then, he picked up an illustrated handbook of foreign objects and flipped through it.
It was a hand-drawn handbook that he borrowed from the academy's collection. He didn't know who made it, but there were many records of the strange animals and plants on this continent. The descriptions were also very detailed.
He had seen some of the things here before, but there were also some that he had never heard of. Such a scroll could only be seen in Taiyang Academy. It was also the foundation of the academy. It couldn't possibly be circulated outside.
Just as he was engrossed in reading, the broken pieces of jade tied with a red knot under the eaves suddenly shook and made a series of crisp sounds.
His heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, 'It's here.'
He unfolded his wide sleeves and stood up from the praying mat. Walking to the front courtyard of the teahouse, he saw a servant using a bamboo pole to lift the curtain. Liu Guang walked in with a smile on his face. He cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Gentleman Zhang, sorry to disturb you."
"Teacher Liu." Zhang Yu raised his hand and returned the greeting. "Please come in and have a seat."
Liu Guang gladly accepted.
The two of them sat down in the tea room, and a servant came to pour tea for them.
Zhang Yu waited for the servant to leave and asked, "Teacher Liu, is it because there's news from Guoyuan?"
Liu Guang was a free and easy person, so he didn't hold back at all. He nodded and said, "The academy has confirmed that you're telling the truth and has also acknowledged your judgment." He paused. "The academy has decided on your position. You'll be the academy's assistant teacher for the time being."
Zhang Yu said thoughtfully, "Assistant teacher?"
The teachers in Taiyang Academy were divided into two categories: Head Prefect and Assistant Prefect. Usually, teachers were referred to as Head Prefects, while Assistant Prefects were one level lower.
Liu Guang said shamefully, "Originally, with Gentleman Zhang's knowledge and character, you should be a scholar. However, someone has clearly expressed their opposition and even used your age as an excuse. Although the three of us argued strongly, we are powerless to oppose the decision made by the higher-ups. We can only ask for your forgiveness."
Zhang Yu was already prepared for this. He had recommended himself and even used a little trickery. He was bound to be ostracized by those who had taken the right path. Perhaps some of them were from the upper echelons of the academy. It was also very possible that he had casually suppressed him.
However, he didn't really care about this.
He had only entered Taiyang Academy to learn the new technique and obtain an identity that would make it easier for him to move about in the academy. Now, he had achieved his goal and had far exceeded his initial goal.
However, there might be some repercussions. His previous high-profile actions might have brought some side effects to his body, but that was unavoidable. It was also a price that he had to pay.
Moreover, there were always two sides to everything. As long as he manipulated it well, good and bad could be transformed into each other.
Liu Guang said, "If Gentleman Zhang has no objections, someone from the academy will send the assistant teacher's attire, jade pendant, and jade seal over later. They will also ask you some questions. However, the matter has already been decided. If you don't want to answer, then you don't have to."
Zhang Yu put down his teacup and bowed with his hands clasped together. He said, "Sorry for troubling you, Teacher Liu."
Liu Guang clasped his hands and smiled. "You're welcome. However, from next month onwards, Assistant Teacher Zhang will be in charge of teaching the foreign tribe's language."
His expression became slightly more serious. He said, "You must pay attention to this matter. When the time comes, the higher-ups will send some students to learn from you. Gentleman Zhang, you must be extra careful. Don't make any mistakes." He then took out a booklet and placed it on the table, saying, "I've left a booklet of the academy's rules here. If you have any questions, feel free to look through it. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."
Zhang Yu nodded. He said, "Thank you for your reminder, Teacher Liu. I know what I'm doing."
Now that he was the only one who knew the language of the Tough Claw tribe, whatever he said was the law. The academy would definitely not be at ease. Therefore, they would definitely send people to learn from him and quickly figure out how to communicate with this tribe.
However, from Liu Guang's words, it was possible that these students had some background and their identities were not simple.
After Liu Guang explained the matter, he did not stay any longer. He used the excuse that he had other matters to attend to and left the tea room.
Zhang Yu picked up the booklet he put down before he left. While sipping his tea, he slowly flipped through it. Inside the booklet were all the rules that the teachers and students had to abide by. There were also various punishments.
He felt that the contents of the booklet were very important. After memorizing and following the rules, he would be able to minimize his mistakes as much as possible. If he encountered any problems, he would also be able to reasonably fight for his own interests.
Apart from this, the higher-ups could also see the degree of leniency of the academy's teaching and the general bias of the academy's higher-ups. In fact, it was best to find the old rules of the past and compare them, then it would be clearer.
The academy's actions were not slow. Liu Guang had only left for a summer when a teacher brought his assistant teacher uniform and official seal over. He also routinely asked him a few questions.
Perhaps because they did not want him to leave the academy for the time being, the academy had specially arranged a residence for him.
This was quite in line with his intentions.
Now that the matter of the Heavenly Salamander had caused an uproar, although he did not know why the people from the Army of God were looking for him, perhaps they had not given up yet. Living in the academy was a good way to avoid these matters.
The teacher knew that he was just there to go through the motions. The higher-ups had already decided the outcome, so he did not ask any more questions. After a few words, he hastily left.
But before he left, he told Zhang Yu that according to the rules, an assistant teacher could be accompanied by an assistant teacher. The assistant teacher would be responsible for half of the remuneration, and the academy would be responsible for the other half. If he did not have a suitable candidate, he could also choose from the academy's assistants.
After Zhang Yu sent him off, he returned to the tea room. He sat there quietly and thought about the problem. After drinking another cup of tea, he came out and moved to the residence that the academy had arranged for him.
This residence was located on a small terrace in the south of the academy. Most of the people who lived nearby were the assistant teachers of the academy. The surroundings were covered with trees, clear springs, and colorful flowers. The temperature was also very suitable.
He felt that this place was not bad, so he immediately ordered people to bring his luggage over.
After taking care of all the miscellaneous matters, he went to the rooftop of the residence, where there was a flower rack. He took out a pen and paper, and began to sketch the scenery in front of him.
The auspicious light was like spring all year round. In the morning light, Taiyang Academy was surrounded by colorful trees and flowers. It was undoubtedly very beautiful. He sincerely hoped that this peace and beauty could continue.
When he put away the charcoal, it was already close to the middle of the day.
He did not go for lunch. Instead, he took a few pills and went to the quiet room to breathe for a while. He immediately felt his mind become much clearer. He thought to himself, 'Now that I have a foothold in the academy, there are no obstacles ahead. It's time to go to Xuanfu to study the new method.
"Xuanfu" was the place where the new method was taught. This place was located within Taiyang Academy.
To the outside world, this place was very mysterious. However, it was not so inside the academy.
This place was actually equivalent to a place to study in the academy. It was just that its status was a little special.
In theory, anyone who was in Taiyang Academy, regardless of whether they were students or teachers, could go there to study the new method. However, whether they could actually enter the academy depended on whether they were fated to be able to do so.
Zhang Yu took out the pen and paper that he had prepared in advance, and seriously wrote down a letter of invitation to Xuanfu to learn the new method.
Then, he made two copies. After carefully inspecting them, he saw that there were no problems. He pushed open the door and went to the administration hall that was in charge of this matter.
The letter of invitation could only be handed in before the fifteenth of the second lunar month every year. If he missed it, he would have to wait until next year. However, he still had plenty of time now.
Most of the pavilions in the academy that were in charge of internal and external affairs were located in the southeast corner of the academy. The administration hall was also located there. It was not far from his residence.
Because he had seen the layout of the academy beforehand, and had personally drawn it, he was quite familiar with the layout of the academy. Thus, he quickly found the location of the administration hall.
After entering the hall, he stated the purpose of his visit and handed the letter of invitation to the administration hall.
The person who accepted the letter was a young assistant lecturer with the surname Song. He smiled and said, "Assistant Lecturer Zhang, please wait patiently. All the letters of invitation have to be presented to the respective administration hall for review. I'll inform you when there's news. If everything goes well, there should be a result in a few days."
Zhang Yu clasped his hands and said, "Then I'll leave it to you, Assistant Lecturer Song."
Assistant Lecturer Song thanked him politely. According to etiquette, he personally sent Zhang Yu to the door. Then, he returned to the hall and sat down again. Just as he was about to deal with the letter of invitation, he suddenly felt something strange. When he looked up, he saw a middle-aged teacher with a square face standing there and looking at him. He quickly stood up and bowed. "Manager Wang."
Manager Wang said with an expressionless face, "Show me the invitation letter from earlier."
Assistant Lecturer Song hurriedly said yes and handed over the letter of invitation with both hands.
Wang Shijiao took the letter and glanced at it. Suddenly, a look of disgust appeared on his face as he said, "This kind of person who takes a shortcut to enter the academy is not worthy of studying in the academy!" As he said this, he stuffed the letter into his sleeve and turned to leave.
Assistant Lecturer Song was dumbfounded. It took him a while to realize what had happened. At first, he was flustered, then he fell into a dilemma.
What should he do?
Judging from Manager Wang's attitude, it was clear that he wanted to mess up this matter. Should he inform Zhang Yu about this matter?
But would he offend Manager Wang if he did that?
He knew that Zhang Yu had entered the academy through self-recommendation. He did not have any background here. Manager Wang, on the other hand, was not only the manager of the administration hall, but also had frequent contact with some important people.
Therefore, this decision was not difficult to make.
"Forget it. If Assistant Lecturer Zhang asks, I'll say that I've already sent the letter of invitation. Besides, if he misses it this year, he can still send an invitation next year. It shouldn't be a problem, right?"
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