Chapter 3: Advancing into the Academy

  "Dad, I want to go to Yingchuan Academy." The next day, Zhang Rui got up early and ran to find his father to discuss the matter of going to the academy.

  "Little Second, what are you up to again? Father is busy, go play on your own." Old Master Zhang was practicing calligraphy and cultivating his character early in the morning and didn't have time to bother with him.

  "Father, do you know Xun Shuang from the eight dragons of the Xun family? I heard that this person is quite capable and skilled in mysticism and law. He's actually at the Yingchuan Academy right now. I'd like to ask him to be my teacher and humbly seek his guidance." Seeing that Old Master ignored him, Zhang Rui continued to pester him shamelessly.

  "Little second, where are you thinking of going this time? Don't try to fool me with this, you didn't say less before, why aren't you saying something farther away this time? Last time you said you were going to Jiangdong." Old Master Zhang simply wouldn't fall for it and refused to agree.

  "Dad, this time Rui'er is not joking with you. Don't you think that Emperor Ling trusts the wrong people, favors eunuchs like Zhang Rang, and listens to the advice of outsiders like He Jin? This has led to chaos in the imperial court and suffering among the common people. It's a prelude to great turmoil! I know I have no learning and am not skilled in martial arts. But when I fell into the water, I thought of you, my brother, and the Zhang family. I've decided to change my ways and stop being a spoiled young master. I want to go to school and study, so that I can increase my knowledge and make correct choices for the Zhang family in the future."

  Seeing Lao Die didn't take himself seriously, Zhang Rui finally made his move. For someone like Lao Die who was dissatisfied with the government and had resigned from office, it would be easy to win him over as long as he could come up with a unique perspective on national affairs. So, he first struck a pose that he thought was most majestic and awe-inspiring, then said...

  Old Master Zhang was no longer calm, and with a sudden movement, he closed the door. "Rui'er (not even calling you Xiao Er anymore), where did you hear this from? Don't ever mention such things again. If outsiders were to hear it, our entire Zhang family would be executed. Alright, you want to enter Ci Ming's academy? I agree. Wait for me to write a letter, and tomorrow morning, have the old steward send you over."

  Zhang Rui happily walked away, finally able to go to the academy. Who would have thought that this cheap old dad actually knew Xun Shuang from the eight dragons of the Xun family? It seems that this old man is not a simple commodity either.

  Mr. Zhang was also delighted, this useless boy had actually grown up, no wonder he felt different after waking up that day, and could say those words, really grown up. He took out the letter paper, and Mr. Zhang began to write hastily.

  The next morning, Mr. Zhang indeed ordered the butler to prepare a horse-drawn carriage, and Zhang Rui brought the letter he was going to give to Xun Shuang, then the butler drove the carriage out.

  Mr. Zhang stood on the city wall of Bo Yang, staring at the horse carriage until it was almost invisible, and he still didn't turn around. He felt that this son would definitely undergo a earth-shaking change when he returned to Bo Yang again. He thought of his eldest son, perhaps that thing was more suitable for Xiao Er, who knows? Wait till you come back and see how much you've grown, then decide whether to give it to you or not. Thinking of this, Mr. Zhang turned around and left.

  "Little yeah, little second son, carrying a school bag to the school hall, not afraid of the scorching sun, not afraid of the raging wind and rain!" Unlike Old Man Zhang's heavy heart, Zhang Xiao'er was humming a tune with no care in the world, munching on the banana bread that his wife had prepared. He lay sloppily in the horse carriage, truly extremely lazy.

  "Old Pineapple, how long will it take us to get to Yingchuan?" Nima, as expected, Old Pineapple has appeared too. This old steward is actually called Old Pineapple. Everyone guesses whether there will be a Little Apple or not?

  "Young master, it's estimated that we'll arrive tomorrow. The old master has instructed me to see you into the academy before I return." Old Papaya replied while driving the carriage.

  Alright, it turns out Father's words were just for show, he still doesn't trust me, sending an old steward to keep an eye on me. It seems I've really caused Father a lot of worry. This time, I've made up my mind, I must learn well in these four years and come back to better protect the Zhang family.

  The horse carriage was running smoothly when a spotted tiger suddenly jumped out from the roadside, and the old steward let out a loud cry and fainted. What a good example of a steward he is! The master hadn't even moved yet, but he had already fainted.

  Lao Hu Zhang Rui has seen it before, when he was strolling through the zoo and even fed meat to the tiger. It's just that you won't know until you experience it yourself, what's the difference between a tiger in the zoo and one born in the wild.

  Zhang Rui's cat arched its back, ready to jump and escape at any moment, secretly glancing at the big bug. The big bug was also staring at Zhang Rui, apparently the tiger had already targeted its prey before pouncing out.

  "Hey! You beast, I, Young Master Zhang, have no grudge against you, why are you blocking my way? Quickly get out of the way, otherwise don't blame me for being ruthless and beating you until you become Hello Kitty, even your mother won't recognize you." Zhang Rui saw that Wu was not working well, so I'll just say it straight to your face.

  But the big bug seemed to have a low IQ, and didn't care about Zhang Rui's threat at all. It stared at Zhang Rui, sharpening its claws, ready to pounce at any moment.

  Zhang Rui was just about to sneak off the bus when the big bug suddenly pounced on him as soon as he stood up.

  All of a sudden, there was a loud thud, and the tiger pounced from Zhang Rui's side and fell to the ground. It turned out that the arrow had just passed through the big bug's mouth and came out from its upper jaw. The tiger lay on the ground, wailing loudly, with more air coming in than going out, clearly it was dying.

  "Hey little brother, that beast didn't hurt you, did it?" Just then, a large man appeared, carrying a pair of halberds on his back and holding a large bow in his hand.

  "Thank you, big brother. Fortunately, big brother intervened in time and this beast did not harm me. May I ask for your name?" Zhang Rui said with a fist bump, and from the way this person was dressed, with two halberds on his back, wasn't his name already on the tip of one's tongue?

  "Oh, I've made a fool of myself in front of you, little brother. Today I went up the mountain to hunt and ran into this beast. I chased it all the way here, but didn't expect to almost get into big trouble. Luckily, you remained calm when facing this beast (damn, that's just being stunned). Thanks to you, I was able to shoot it dead. Since you're unharmed, I'll take my leave now. I still need to rush to the market before dark to sell this tiger head." Dian Wei seemed to be in a real hurry and bid farewell with his dead tiger on his shoulder.

  "Thanks, Dian Ge, we'll meet again someday~~~" Zhang Rui shouted, waving his hand at Dian Wei. Who would have thought that he'd run into Dian Wei here? This ancient evil wasn't particularly cruel-looking after all; it's just that the later generations' games had uglified him to the point of being unrecognizable (damn those islanders). Thinking about Dian Wei's miserable death, Zhang Rui felt a pang of regret. If he could, he definitely wanted to prevent this from happening in the future.

  "Huh? Young master, did you chase that tiger away? My admiration for you is like the endless Yangtze River, overflowing and unstoppable. This old butler is really a piece of trash, he's actually coming out to show off now. Luckily, I'm in a good mood today, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered with this deadbeat servant."

  "Alright, it's getting late, let's hurry up and try to arrive at Yingchuan early." Zhang Rui said indifferently.