It was already chaotic outside. Zheng Yang was wielding a spear whereas Wang Ying was in a battle stance. Meanwhile Yuan Tao was carrying the tables and chairs in the classroom, glaring fiercely at the intruders.
At the entrance of the classroom, ink was splattered all over the floor. There were three fellows who were drenched black standing at the entrance, fuming.
Clearly, just when they were about to enter, Zhang Xuan’s students immediately threw ink at them.
“Zhang laoshi, these are the three shameless men who had been peeping on us everyday….”
“To still be peeping on girls at your age, don’t you feel embarrassed?”
Upon seeing Zhang Xuan walk out, Yuan Tao and Liu Yang hurriedly shouted at the trio.
However, before they could finish speaking, they saw the mouth of the usually calm Zhang laoshi twitch, then his entire body staggered, and it seemed as though he was about to fall to the ground.
“Liu shi, Zhuang shi, Zheng shi… Why are you all here?”
Zhang Xuan was on the verge of tears.
Back then, when he heard his students say that there were three lecherous old men hiding by the corner peeping on them, Zhang Xuan took their words as truth. Never in his wildest dreams could he have expected that it would be the three master teachers.
As master teachers… they could just walk in through the front door to look for me. Disguising themselves and hiding in the corner, what were they up to?
Due to that, a misunderstanding arose and they were splattered with ink, causing this awkward situation….
Not just that, they were even criticized as shameless and lecherous….
“Liu shi?”
“Zhuang shi?”
“Zheng shi?”
Hearing the words that Zhang laoshi uttered, Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya, and the others staggered.
The three master teachers arriving at the capital was a huge affair, and the students in Hongtian Academy had already long since heard of the event. Naturally, they also knew of their names as well.
Initially, they thought that the few old men who had come to peep on them were just lewd perverts who were lusting over Zhao Ya’s beauty. To think that it would actually be the famous three master teachers in the capital….
Weren’t master teachers supposed to be prestigious figures who were difficult to even catch a glimpse of?
Why did they suddenly appear here and stalk them?
“Zhang laoshi, are you mistaken? Where can one find master teachers who act so pervertedly, wearing these kinds of clothes and hiding in the corner, afraid of us noticing them?” Zheng Yang couldn’t help from saying.
“Mistaken?”
Zhang Xuan nearly choked on his spit.
The hell, what was with the students he was teaching!
Other people usually brought trouble to their father and their grandfather. Yet his students were clearly intent on preparing his grave for him.
The other party were all master teachers. With a single stomp of their legs, even Emperor Shen Zhui would cower in fear. Yet, not only did you all not apologize after splattering ink on them, you even said that they were perverted….
Perverted your head!
Frankly, I really want you all to admit that it was your fault. This way, the problem can be settled easily.
How do you expect me to deal with such a situation?
Zhang Xuan felt so depressed that he could cry. On the other hand, the three master teachers felt so infuriated that their lips were twitching nonstop. They felt so humiliated by this affair that the thought of suicide passed through their minds.
Right after leaving Elder Tian’s residence, they immediately rushed to the academy and headed to Zhang Xuan’s classroom. Yet the moment they walked in, they saw pitch-black ink flying right at them. Stunned by the sight before them, they didn’t even have the time to react….
The hell is going on?
‘We are master teachers. Regardless of where we go, we are influential figures who are held in high regard. Yet why were we splashed with ink here? Why are we treated as perverts here?
‘If word spreads, how can we face others?’
“Zhang laoshi, I am certain that it is the three of them. In the past two days, they have been loitering around the classroom, peeping on us. I find it hard to believe that they don’t have any bad intentions in mind….”
Afraid that Zhang laoshi might not believe Zheng Yang’s words, Wang Ying added on.
“I can also vouch for it! Even if they were reduced to ashes, I would recognize them!” Liu Yang said decisively.
“Shut your traps!”
Seeing how these students were so unreliable and getting worse with their words, Zhang Xuan couldn’t stand it any longer.
After bellowing at his students, he mustered his courage and walked up. “Master teachers, I apologize for bringing you all trouble. I will teach them a lesson later….”
“There’s no need to worry about it!”
“The ignorant aren’t guilty….”
“Forget it, it’s our mistake as well!”
Liu Ling, Zhuang Xian, and Zheng Fei squeezed out smiles on their crying faces.
“Yuan Tao, Zheng Yang, hurry up and buy some clothes for the three master teachers.”
Seeing that the trio didn’t intend to pursue this matter, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. Kicking Yuan Tao and Zheng Yang’s rears, he roared.
“Yes, yes!”
At this moment, everyone finally understood that these three lecherous old men were true master teachers. Their faces immediately turned green with fear.
There wasn’t anyone in this world who didn’t know how fearsome a master teacher was. Yet they threw ink in the faces of three master teachers instantly, reducing them to such states….
They truly felt like crying now.
But… it really wasn’t intentional.
Who could have thought that noble master teachers would disguise themselves and loiter around their classroom to peep at them, even talking about them?
“This… Master teachers, have you been hanging around here for the past few days?” asked Zhang Xuan after getting a towel for the trio to wipe away the ink from their faces.
As master teachers, instead of indulging yourselves in the luxuries in the royal palace, why would you all come here?
Even if you want to take me as your apprentice, upon knowing that I’m not here, there shouldn’t be any reason for you all to be hanging around my students, talking about them.
“We… we…”
Hearing Zhang Xuan’s straightforward words, the three master teachers’ mouths opened, but they couldn’t say a single word due to awkwardness.
What could they say?
That they’d heard of his deeds, and that they wanted to see it for themselves?
Peeping on his students to gather information on him…. They would have to abandon their prestige as master teachers to say such words!
“I have an old friend in Hongtian Academy and he happened to be free the past few days. So we’ve been coming around to see him. Also, the atmosphere is not bad, so… we thought that it would be good to spend our time here,” the quick-witted Zheng Fei said with a smile.
“Atmosphere is not bad?”
Zhang Xuan looked at them with strangely.
He had seen people who could speak lies with a straight face, but he had never seen someone who could spout such an obvious lie so brazenly.
‘My classroom is at the very corner of the academy, the worst location in the compound. How inexperienced of the world must you be to think that the atmosphere is not bad?
‘Besides, do you have friends in Hongtian Academy?
‘Why haven’t I heard of it?
‘If you really have friends here, you would have come much earlier than this!’
“Oh, is that the case? My students are still inexperienced, that’s why they thought that you were up to no good. Please pay them no heed….”
In order to prevent the atmosphere from turning awkward, Zhang Xuan didn’t expose the blatant lie.
Soon, Yuan Tao and Zheng Yang returned with new clothes. After the three master teachers changed into them, they felt much more comfortable.
“Zhang laoshi, you should probably know the reason why we came to look for you?”
Regaining the disposition of a master teacher, Liu Ling looked at the young man before him with a smile.
After the past few days of observation, they were extremely pleased with both Zhang laoshi and his students. They would have truly won the lottery if they could accept an apprentice of such caliber under their wings.
Knowing that the three of them were true master teachers, the several students immediately focused all of their attention onto the conversation between them to see what was going on.
“I can roughly guess. The three master teachers hope to take me in as your apprentice, right?”
Knowing that he had to face this sooner or later, Zhang Xuan dived right into the subject.
“Apprentice?”
“The three master teachers want to accept Zhang laoshi as their apprentice?”
“If Zhang laoshi accepts it, he would be an assistant master teacher?”
…
Upon hearing those words, the faces of Zhao Ya and the others immediately flushed with excitement.
The dream of all teachers was to become a master teacher, and the requirement of being an apprentice of a master teacher eventually turned out to be the barrier preventing them from attaining their dream.
Only when one became a master teacher’s apprentice would one have the chance to become a master teacher.
Instead of finding Lu Xun laoshi, the three master teachers came straight for Zhang laoshi. How could they not be excited?
“Mhm, that’s right. The three of us have such an intention. You can feel free to choose whomever you wish to join!”
Upon seeing that the other party understood the situation, Liu Ling nodded his head with satisfaction.
“Feel free to choose whomever he wishes to join?”
His students were so excited they wanted to jump up and down.
That’s to say that all three of the master teachers had their sights set on Zhang laoshi?
“This…” Zhang Xuan scratched his head embarrassed. “May I reject the offer?”
Putong! Putong! Putong!
Zhao Ya and the others fell to the floor.
For someone to reject becoming the apprentice of a master teacher?
Surely we heard wrong!
“Reject?”
Unable to believe their ears, Liu Ling and the others were stunned.
“Yes!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head.
Possessing the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan was destined for great heights. Honestly, Zhang Xuan found Liu Ling and the others… nowhere near good enough.
“We understand that we’re being a little too rash on the matter, so you need not hurry to give us your reply. How about this, we’ll give you some time to consider the matter. It isn’t too late to reply to us tomorrow!”
Not expecting the other party to reject him, Liu Ling knew that he had been a little rash on this matter and smiled awkwardly.
“It’s alright to answer tomorrow as well. Give it a good thought today. Without the identity of an assistant master teacher and a master teacher’s recommendation, it is impossible for one to take the master teacher examination,” Zhuang Xian added.
“Indeed. Given your capability and your talents, it is a waste if you don’t become a master teacher….” Zheng Fei chirped in as well.
“Oh… I will think over the matter then!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head.
Zhang Xuan had decided to take the master teacher examination, but he was reluctant to acknowledge any of these three fellows as his teacher.
It wasn’t for any other reason…
Than because these three had been trying to become Yang shi’s students.
They were giving their all to become his students while trying to take Zhang Xuan as their student…. What in the world was this….
“Mm! That’s good. We’ll come over tomorrow then.”
Seeing that the other party didn’t directly reject them, they heaved sighs of relief.
“Right, Liu shi, Zhuang shi, and Liu shi, I happen to have a question to ask you three.”
Seeing that the other party didn’t persist on the matter, Zhang Xuan thought of the poison aura in his body and opened his mouth to ask the question.
“Oh? Feel free to speak of whatever it is that’s on your mind! As long as it’s something we know of, we’ll try our best to help you.” Liu Ling stroked his beard.
“Since that’s the case, I would like to ask where I can find books on 【Poison】. The more, the better,” Zhang Xuan spoke.
As Zhang Xuan had no idea what the poison aura in his body was, it would be hard for him to ask the master teachers about it. Also, it might also result in unnecessary trouble, so he might as well just ask them for books.
In any case, as long as there were sufficient books on poison, through the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan should be able to easily find out what poison it was, and solving the problem would be simple then.
“Books regarding poison?”
Not expecting the young man before them to ask such a question, the three master teachers exchanged glances.
“In the field of poison, no one can surpass the 【Poison Hall】!” After hesitating for a moment, Liu Ling said this with a grim expression.
“Poison Hall?”
Zhang Xuan was confused.
Even though there were many books regarding poison in the Tianxuan Kingdom Book Collection Vault, there wasn’t any record of such a location. Thus, this was the first time Zhang Xuan was hearing the term as well.
“Yeah, Poison Hall!”
Liu Ling nodded his head.
