Chapter 41: Superb

At the top of the stairs.
It was as if the light had suddenly brightened!
The young lady of the Bai family, dressed in a white gown with skin as fair as snow, walked up quietly.
Stripped of the sun's glare, she appeared clearer and more real, purely white and aesthetic.
It was as if an immortal had descended to the mortal realm, untainted by a single speck of dust.
Her skin, white to the point of glowing; her hair, black as a waterfall; and her poetic, picturesque beauty and temperament were all breathtaking.
Even Luo Zijun, a man who was ninety-nine percent immune to the charms of women, could not help but marvel inwardly at this moment.

Just then, the girl in the pink dress named Luo Diudiu walked up.
Their eyes met.
The little girl’s eyes widened immediately. She scurried over, looking aggressive, and said, "Aha! So you snuck up here while I wasn't looking! Get down there right now!"
Luo Zijun: "???"
"Miss, I was the one who came up first, alright? If anyone is going down, it should be you."
Is this little girl mental?
Luo Diudiu placed her hands on her hips and said fiercely, "You clearly followed us up here! How dare you lie!"
Luo Zijun waved his hand impatiently, shooing her away. "Go find somewhere cool to stay."
He then picked up a book, intending to read at a nearby seat.
Luo Diudiu’s round, dark eyes widened even further.
This guy—how could he be so rude! He actually told her to go find somewhere cool to stay!
I refuse to go anywhere cool!
How hateful!
"I’m going to kick your butt!"
Luo Diudiu immediately gave chase. She lifted her small right foot and kicked him hard in the rear.
Caught off guard, Luo Zijun stumbled forward a few steps.
Luo Diudiu laughed heartily. "Serves you right! Let’s see you dare to—ah? What are you doing?"
Luo Zijun suddenly lunged forward, grabbed her shoulders, and quickly spun her around so her back was to him. Without hesitation, he raised his long leg and, with a loud "thud," delivered a heavy kick to her round, pert little bottom!
"Ah—!"
A shriek rang out!
Luo Diudiu’s petite, doll-like frame was kicked flying. She landed face-first with her limbs splayed out, sliding along the floor for some distance before finally coming to a stop.
"..."
She stared with wide, incredulous eyes.
This bastard actually... actually hit a woman... and such a cute little woman at that...
At that moment, the eldest Miss Bai, who had finished selecting books from another shelf, happened to walk over and witness the scene.
"I’m warning you two, stop bothering me!"
Luo Zijun cast a sidelong glance at them, took his book, and walked away with a long stride.
Luo Diudiu lay on the floor, stunned for a long while before crawling up and looking at her mistress. "That guy... he really doesn't seem to be here for you..."
Miss Bai said nothing.
She took her books, went to a corner on the other side, sat down, lowered her head, and read quietly.

"On the mountain stands a temple, in the temple lives an old monk..."
"The old monk bathes the young monk every night, and after every bath, the young monk walks with a limp..."
"The old monk never eats, and the young monk is never full..."
"Finally, one day, while the old monk was bathing the young monk, the young monk discovered a secret in the mirror: the old monk was pulling out his own intestines..."
Luo Zijun read with great interest.
After finishing one book, he went to swap it for another.
Although he didn't find any books regarding "talent energy," the books on strange phenomena were quite interesting.

Perhaps the students here would only view them as fabricated stories.
But he felt there might be truth mixed in with the fiction.
Without realizing it, the sun had already dipped to the horizon.
Luo Zijun looked out the window and suddenly remembered he had to go to the apothecary. He immediately closed his book, returned it to the shelf, and prepared to leave.
Just then, that milky, ferocious voice came from across the way: "Hey! What’s your name? If you’re so brave, tell me!"
Luo Zijun glanced at her and said, "I do not change my name when I stand, nor my surname when I sit. I am Wang Dafu!"
The little girl clenched her fists and said indignantly, "Wang Dafu, is it? Fine! You just wait, you hear me!"
Never in her life had anyone dared to kick her bottom! And so hard, too!
How hateful!
Luo Zijun ignored her and went downstairs.
That guy Wang Dafu was foul-mouthed and loved to scold people; naturally, he wouldn't be afraid of this wet-behind-the-ears little girl.
Besides, that guy had plenty of time on his hands.

He exited the library.
Outside, the setting sun spilled across the courtyard, painting everything in shades of orange.
The flowers, trees, and buildings became dreamlike in these intoxicating colors.
It felt like a real world.
—To the people here, it certainly was.
But to him, it always felt like a dream.
Perhaps once the dream ended, nothing would remain.
"After I complete the mission, will I be reborn? And what will that rebirth feel like? Will the betrayed family, love, and friendship from before return?"
Even if they did, so what?
Those things had already soured.
He no longer cared, and he would certainly never harbor any illusions again.
Being alone was fine.
Though, if one could truly live forever, that wouldn't be half bad...
Lost in his own thoughts, he walked along the tree-lined path toward the academy gates.
"Luo Zijun!"
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from the nearby woods.
Luo Zijun turned his head.
In the woods stood several students in Confucian robes, seemingly chatting.
One of them, tall and thin, was the "lapdog" for Sun Yan'er, the guy named Liu Songjin.
"Something you need?" Luo Zijun asked.
Liu Songjin looked at him with a puzzled expression. "How did you get in here?"
The West Lake Academy was off-limits to anyone who wasn't a student or a teacher.
This guy had just passed the preliminary exam, and the main academy entrance exam wasn't for another month. Why would he suddenly appear here today?
"Climbed the wall, obviously." Luo Zijun couldn't be bothered with him and prepared to leave.
"Stop right there!"
Liu Songjin suddenly shouted, then said with great excitement, "Brothers, this man is not a student of our West Lake Academy! He must have snuck over the wall today, and he’s likely stolen something from our academy! Let's catch him and report him to the teachers!"
How could he not be excited?
If he could catch this kid in the act today and get him punished by the academy, then even if the boy passed the exam next month, he would never be allowed into any academy!
His revenge would be complete!
"Brother Liu, are you sure he’s not a student of our academy?" someone asked.
Liu Songjin said loudly, "Of course I'm sure! This kid only passed the preliminary exam a few days ago; he can't take the entrance exam until next month. How could he possibly be a student of our West Lake Academy?"
"Luo Zijun! I told you to stop!"
Seeing the youth apparently trying to flee, he hurriedly shouted and gave chase, while yelling toward the guards at the main gate: "Help! Help! Thief!"
Luo Zijun: "..."
Is this guy actually insane?
By now, other students nearby had gathered at the commotion.
Sun Yan'er and the wheat-skinned Huang Zhaodi were among them. Seeing this, they were stunned. Before they could speak, they saw Liu Songjin rush forward with an excited face, grab the youth, and scream: "Catch the thief! Catch the thief!"
"Are you fucking sick?"
Luo Zijun said, speechless. He grabbed the guy by the hair and, with his other hand, slapped his face a few times—*smack, smack, smack*—hoping to wake him up.
Liu Songjin saw stars, but his arms remained tightly locked around him as he continued to shout excitedly: "Help! Someone help! I’ve caught the thief!"
By then, several guards from the gate had rushed over.
"Where’s the thief?"
"Him! It's him! He’s the thief! He’s not a student of our West Lake Academy! He climbed the wall; he must have stolen something! Catch him!"
Seeing the guards, Liu Songjin finally let go of his arms, though his hands still gripped the boy's robes tightly. His face bore clear red slap marks, yet he was abnormally ecstatic.
Go ahead, keep hitting me!
You’ll be crying soon enough!
I can finally get my revenge today!
*Thud!*
Luo Zijun didn't hold back, planting a kick in his stomach that sent him stumbling backward until he landed hard on his bottom.
"You idiot, stop clinging to me. I'm not interested in men!"
The onlookers: "..."
Liu Songjin rolled his eyes from the pain but stubbornly scrambled back up, clutching his stomach. Red-faced, he roared at the guards: "Catch him! Catch him! He’s not a student here, he’s a thief!"
However, the guards were looking at him as if he were an idiot.
One guard couldn't help but speak up: "This student Luo came to register this morning with his admission letter. Teacher Yuan personally came to welcome him in. Where on earth did you get the idea that he isn't a student here?"
"Ah?"
As soon as those words were spoken, Liu Songjin, with his face full of slap marks and excitement, stood there with his mouth agape, looking completely dumbfounded.
His friends behind him were also stunned, their expressions darkening as they quickly took a few steps away from him.
"The guy seems to have a mental issue. You should take him to the academy infirmary to get checked out," Luo Zijun said to the guards before pushing through the crowd and walking out the gate.
"Luo Zijun!"
At that moment, Huang Zhaodi’s voice came from the crowd.
"I heard from Yan'er that you were admitted to our academy as a special case? And your tuition is fully waived, plus you get a monthly stipend? Is it really that good?"
Liu Songjin shivered upon hearing this, his face turning even uglier.
Luo Zijun glanced at the round-faced girl with the little fangs and said, "It is quite good, indeed."
Huang Zhaodi giggled and gave him a thumbs-up. "Tsk, tsk, you’re super amazing!"
"You’re super amazing, too."
Luo Zijun gave her a thumbs-up in return.
Huang Zhaodi was taken aback, only to hear him add: "You scolded me like a genius just a moment ago without even apologizing, and now you're praising me with such a bright smile. Your skin is thicker than the soles of my shoes."
With that, he strode away.
Huang Zhaodi: "..."