“Swindler! Great swindler!”
An enraged roar could be heard. Then, the sound of flurried footsteps on a bluestone pavement echoed.
Zhang Xuan raised both his hands up helplessly and said, “I’m not a swindler, I’m a teacher of the academy… I only want to make you my student! Besides, do you have to add in a ‘great’ at that? You make it sound as though I’m some unpardonable criminal…”
Shaking his head, he suddenly recalled the words of the principal and sighed. “This is the 17th one already! If I fail to find a student today, I’ll have to pack up my stuff and leave tomorrow!”
Zhang Xuan wasn’t a person from this world, he was just an ordinary librarian in a high school. All he could remember was blazing flames, and then… There was nothing after that. When he woke up once more, he was already in this world.
This world was just like those depicted in novels, where the martial arts formed the foundation of the world and the strong reigned supreme!
He thought that since he traversed into another world, he would become a useless talent who was rejected by his fiancée. After which, he would strike back at those fools, slapping them in their face, and his life would proceed smoothly from then on… But it seemed like he was overthinking it! It didn’t take him long to realize that he wasn’t a student but a… teacher!
The most pathetic teacher in the entire academy!
The lectures conducted by other teachers were always overflowing with people, to the point that many people found themselves without seats. On the other hand, there wasn’t a single person in his class. It wasn’t easy at all for him to rope in a few students, but eventually, they ended up labeling him as a ‘swindler’ and escaped from him!
As for the reason… Putting aside the fact that the fellow whose body was taken over by him was the weakest teacher in the entire campus, and that he was inept in picking out talents, the crux of the problem was that… he even taught a student erroneously, causing the other party’s cultivation to go berserk!
This was just like having a dead patient under one’s record! His reputation was sullied, and he became a despised figure in the academy. Even the freshmen chose to stay away from him, fearful that they would land in the same situation if they were to fall into his clutches.
A bad track record and a lack of students caused him to be ranked last in the academy’s Teacher Qualification Examination last year. He even received the very first zero score in the entire history of the academy.
Depressed, the previous host drowned his sorrows through alcohol. In the end, just as he wished, he died, thus providing an opportunity for Zhang Xuan to leap over to this world.
At the start of the new term, the academy issued an ultimatum to him. If he was unable to admit a single student to his lessons at the start of the semester, his qualifications as a teacher would be revoked!
There were seventeen new students who passed by his classroom today, but as soon as they heard his name, every single one of them ran away as fast as their feet could take them, as though young ladies running away from a suspicious uncle.
“I have to find a way to coax at least one of them into my lessons!”
Just as he was scheming a ploy to rope someone into his lesson, he saw a lady with a slightly dazed expression standing at the entrance.
“May I know if this is Lu Xun laoshi1’s classroom?”
She had a cute and refined appearance, and her sweet voice felt like honey to one’s ears.
Lu Xun laoshi was the academy’s star teacher. His lessons were always packed, and he was the reason why innumerable people chose to attend this academy.
“I’ll take her!” Seeing someone walking straight into his trap, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.
All kinds of ‘acting cool’ techniques he learned in his previous life flashed across his head, and eventually, he chose to sit quietly in his chair, bringing out the disposition reminiscent of a composed and enlightened expert. “You wish to become his student?”
The young lady nodded her head furiously as admiration gleamed in her pitch-black pupils, “I’ve heard that Lu Xun laoshi is the most incredible teacher in Hongtian Academy. All of the students he taught achieved extraordinary accomplishments, and joining his class in itself could be considered an honor!”
“Rumors may not necessarily reflect the truth. Teachers are just like shoes; what is important is whether it fits or not! No matter how well he lectures, if the theories he proposed aren’t compatible with the techniques you practice, not only will you find it hard to advance to higher realms, your cultivation might even regress! Even if a teacher isn’t well-known, as long as his theories complement with your skills, you can still improve swiftly and your cultivation will rise exponentially!”
“Is that so… I’ve also heard my elder brother speaking similar words before!” The young lady pondered for a moment as uncertainty flashed across her beautiful eyes. “However, I don’t know what kind of lessons would suit me!”
Seeing that she was on the verge of biting onto the hook, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. Wise quotes from great sages like Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels flashed across his mind as he slowly sieved through his next words. Feigning a look of difficulty, he said, “Our meeting can be considered as the planning of fate as well. How about this, since I’m also a teacher of this academy, I’ll help you take a look at your bones, talent, and personality, and recommend a suitable teacher to you!”
“Teacher, I’ll be troubling you then!” She didn’t expect a teacher she met by chance would be so accommodating, and she immediately nodded excitedly.
“Display your cultivation first!”
Zhang Xuan’s eyes were half-open, and his slightly lazy and casual posture seemed to say that this matter was merely a walk in the park for him.
“Yes!”
Huuuuuuuuuuu!
A gust of wind whistled within the room from the shockwave generated by the might of the young lady’s punch. Waves of spiritual energy gathered and shrouded the body of the lady. Judging from how her spiritual energy didn’t dissipate immediately, and her powerful but inconspicuous aura, she clearly possessed a solid foundation in her cultivation.
“Alright, I can tell that you’ve been training diligently. Your foundation is solid and your talent is top-notch. You are a hard-to-come-by genius!” After the other party finished a punching routine, Zhang Xuan immediately nodded in satisfaction.
He was imitating the fortune-tellers from the world he came from, using slippery words that had a wide range of interpretations. Through this, it would be hard for those listening to find a flaw in his words. Instead, they would be astonished by how accurate his evaluation was.
“What that stands out is the strength of your legs. They possess immense might, as though a coiling dragon. Every single movement felt like the raging current of a river, overwhelming with strength. As long as you train hard, your future will be bright…”
“Teacher, my legs are injured. The physicians that have diagnosed me said that it’s as good as crippled…” The lady interrupted his monologue with a doubtful gaze.
“Injured…” Zhang Xuan’s face flushed in anxiety. However, as he was thick-skinned, it was impossible for others to tell the difference. He continued to prattle on without showing any signs of embarrassment, “Do you think that I can’t tell that much? I knew it from the moment you exerted your strength! The reason why I said that is because… only through destruction will there be rebirth! Your legs might be injured, but this has presented you with an opportunity. As long as you grasp it, your legs will become your greatest strength!”
In any case, the most important matter at hand was to coax her in. If nonsense could do the work, he would prattle nonsense all day long.
“Opportunity? Teacher, what kind of opportunity do you mean?” Hearing those words, the lady’s eyes lit up.
Ever since her legs were injured, she had always felt inferior to others, resulting in her low self-esteem. She didn’t think that such misfortune would present her with an opportunity instead.
“If you grasp onto this opportunity tightly, you can allow you to soar to the top in a single go. It won’t be too difficult for you to reign supreme among the freshmen. After all, your talents are extraordinary, and a genius of your caliber has yet to appear in history. However…” Zhang Xuan went on and on. All he was short of was to whip out a ‘Buddha’s Palm’ manual at this point.
Upon hearing that she was a genius capable of rising to the top of the freshmen, the girl blushed furiously, and she continued asking, “However what?”
“However…” Zhang Xuan sighed. It was a sigh lamenting that a talent was about to be buried in the dirt. “The teachers who are able to notice and bring out the talent within you don’t number many in this academy! Including me, there are only three who are capable of such a feat. The other two have already stopped accepting students from three years ago… It’ll be difficult for you to acknowledge them as your teacher even if I were to speak up for you…”
“Stopped accepting students?” The lady had her hopes raised by Zhang Xuan’s compliments, but upon hearing those words, her heart sunk. Then, an epiphany struck her and she asked, “They aren’t accepting students, but teacher, are you… accepting any?”
“Of course I am. Just that, as you can tell, I am indifferent to fame and fortune, and I don’t have much time to spare as well!” A look of difficulty flashed across Zhang Xuan’s face. “If one isn’t a superior jade, I won’t take him in even if our paths cross…”
Putong!
Before he could finish his words, the lady had already kneeled onto the floor, and she kowtowed, “I know that teacher is a powerful expert, but please accept me as your student! I’ll train diligently so as to not embarrass you!”
A surge of joy gushed through Zhang Xuan’s heart, but on the surface, he maintained a conflicted expression. “Fate has brought us together, but… As you can see, I prefer to pass my time quietly…”
“As your student, I promise to never interrupt teacher unless it’s an emergency!” Seeing that the other party was still reluctant, the lady immediately nodded vigorously with an earnest look on her face.
“I don’t have many students, and so, the resources I have cannot be compared to other teachers. Also, you might be criticized by others…” Zhang Xuan continued.
“Is that so… I have heard that training resources are important…” The girl finally hesitated.
The resources a teacher could claim from the academy were directly related to the number of his students, the results of his students, and numerous other factors. These resources were of extreme importance, and without them, it would be difficult to advance one’s cultivation.
“Cough cough, I’ve only those words to test you. Since you’re determined and sincere, I’ll grudgingly accept you!” Noticing her hesitation, Zhang Xuan immediately interrupted her and said, “Let’s affirm our relationship then!”
“Ah?”
She didn’t expect that the teacher before her to change his attitude as quickly as flipping the pages of a book. Taken aback, the lady blankly grabbed the token Zhang Xuan passed to her. This token would represent her identity as Zhang Xuan’s student if she were to verify it. Just as she was considering whether she should affirm the relationship, she saw the reticent Zhang laoshi pull her hand over to him and cut a small wound with a sharp dagger. A drop of her blood fell on the jade token.
Weng!
Light flashed.
“Ah….”
The girl was a little dumbfounded.
Didn’t the teacher say that he had to consider the matter carefully? Indifferent to fame and fortune, was it? If that was the case, why was his movement so fast and… it even seemed like he had prepared the dagger beforehand?!
“From now on, you are my student!” After the blood authentification, Zhang Xuan heaved a huge sigh of relief. He continued to assume the disposition of an unworldly expert as he asked “What is your name?”
“Teacher, I am Wang Ying!”
Knowing that the decision couldn’t be revoked, the lady chose not to dawdle on the matter and replied respectfully.
“Un, collect your bedding and books through your identity token, and find yourself a lodging. We shall begin lessons tomorrow here!”
Zhang Xuan waved his hands.
“Yes!” Wang Ying nodded before turning around to leave.
“Huu! I have successfully coaxed one in!”
Having successfully admitted a student, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief and smiled.
It really wasn’t an easy matter to play off as an expert. If not for the techniques in acting cool that he learned from the internet, it would be highly unlikely for him to succeed
With this student, he would be able to avoid the ultimate tragedy of being expelled from the academy. The burden that was weighing on Zhang Xuan’s all his while disappeared, and his spirit felt much more relaxed. Gradually, the obsession lingering in his mind disappeared.
“Rest assured. Now that I’m in your body, I’ll live properly in your stead!”
The previous Zhang Xuan died because of his inability to bring in new students. His regrets was so strong that it continued to linger in this world even after his death. This new student admitted had fulfilled his last regret, and thus, his lingering will faded. Zhang Xuan finally gained complete control over this body.
Boom!
After settling this matter, Zhang Xuan intended to continue coaxing a few more students in. However, he suddenly felt a tremor in his head, and the ancient bells rang in his head.
“The callous heavens regard all beings as nothing more than straw dogs1…”
“The sun sets and the moon wanes, the heavens are imperfect…”
Boom!
Profound adages left Zhang Xuan faint-headed. Then, in his mind, a massive palace came into appearance. Above the entrance, four words glowed brightly on a plaque.
Library of Heaven’s Path!
Zhang Xuan pushed open the door and walked in. Innumerable bookshelves stood tall and mighty across the vast space, and countless books of all kinds filled the empty spaces between. The entire space was so immense that he couldn’t even see the other end.
“Could this be the gift pack for transcenders? A library? Damn it, I was also a librarian my previous life. Am I to continue on with this occupation in this life as well?”
The gift packs that others received are old grandfathers, systems, or some overpowered tool. Yet, my gift pack is a library?
Zhang Xuan’s vision turned dark, and he nearly fainted in despair.
Library? What purpose does it serve? Will I be throwing books in fights when the others are throwing swords around?
“Forget it, I should take a look at the books first.”
Helpless, Zhang Xuan reached out to grab a book from one of the bookshelves, intrigued by the purpose of this library. However, his hand simply passed through the bookshelf, causing him to grab empty air.
“Are you playing with me? Giving me a library yet preventing me from grabbing and reading any of the books, what exactly do you want?”
Zhang Xuan was speechless. An urge to cry overwhelmed him, but tears refused to spill out.
—
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EDIT on 4/2/2018:
This novel will be using a few hanyupinyin, and it might confuse you so I’ll explain the meanings here first. It is due to several reasons in the story that I chose to use hanyupinyin instead of translating them.
laoshi = Teacher
For example, Zhang laoshi would be the equivalent of Teacher Zhang. It is considered as a respectful address. If it is any help, it is somewhat similar to the usage of -sensei in Japanese.
gongzi = Gentleman
But in Chinese context, gentleman is a suffix to address someone. It is usually used to address scholarly people from distinguished families
xiaojie = Miss
This is the female equivalent of gongzi (Gentleman).
