Chapter 8: Breaking News! Breaking News!
“Little Master Chen, in a couple of years, we’ll be relying on you to bring honor to Yunqi No. 1 High School in the college entrance exams!”
...
There’s really no need to pin such high hopes on me, honestly.
If the test were about Taoist arts, doctrines, or spiritual cultivation, Chen Shian could boast without shame that, within a thousand miles, no one could surpass him.
But when it came to academic studies…
He never thought he was lacking in learning. It’s just that, over the years, he’d barely spent any time in a classroom. He didn’t know what lessons were like, what students studied day to day, let alone that now he was being dropped straight into a high school.
One ought to face the unknown with some reverence, and Chen Shian was no exception.
Even though his master had talked him up as if he were the very incarnation of the God of Literature, the young Taoist himself remained quite modest—yes, he’d always thought himself modest...
“Little Master Chen, have you read your admission notice?”
“I have. It says I’m to report to Class 5, Grade 11?”
“That’s right.” Principal Lin refilled Chen Shian’s teacup and explained, “Our school has done well in recent years with both management and teaching, supplying many top students to leading universities. Class 5, Grade 11 is our elite science class; the homeroom teacher, Mr. Liang, is a top-level provincial teacher who’s produced several city-wide top scorers.”
Although he’d spent most of his time in the mountains, he had a phone and could access the internet, so Chen Shian was at least familiar with common terms like science stream, humanities, honors class, and top scorer.
In short, the class was excellent, the students outstanding, and the teachers even more so.
Still, Chen Shian was a bit surprised. “Class 5 is a science class?”
“Yes, science,” Principal Lin nodded. “As the saying goes, ‘Master math, physics, and chemistry, and you’ll walk the world without fear.’ Your master figured you have a firm grasp of Taoist arts and can recite the classics backwards, so what you’re missing is math, physics, and chemistry. He asked me to place you in the science class.”
“Why not Grade 10?”
“Your master said Grade 10 would be too late, but Grade 12 is too stressful—Grade 11 is just right. He has confidence in you.”
...
Master, you really do know how to raise the bar for your disciple, don’t you? You must be up in heaven laughing at my awkwardness right now!
With the reputation of a God of Literature forced upon him, Chen Shian didn’t have the heart to shamelessly request a switch to the humanities...
In truth, Chen Shian didn’t care much either way. Deep down, he had a stubborn confidence—after all, since childhood, there had never been anything he couldn’t learn or understand. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dropped out of primary school after a few days, finding his classmates slow, the teacher a broken record, and the material tediously simple.
Of course, that arrogance was deeply hidden, so much so that even Chen Shian himself rarely noticed it; what he showed others was mostly humility.
His master, however, saw right through him.
[You know everything, except that there’s always someone better beyond yourself!]
It seemed being placed in Grade 11’s science class, starting from zero, was a deliberate trial set by his master.
Chen Shian was quick-witted; once he understood the reason, his competitive spirit was ignited.
If others can learn science, why can’t I? Let’s just try—it’s just a challenge!
In this respect, master and disciple were quite the pair. Chen Shian outwardly appeared modest but harbored some pride within; his master, meanwhile, would tell him to be humble in private, but took every opportunity to boast about him in public...
After a long silence, Principal Lin asked, “Little Master Chen, do you have any other thoughts? Feel free to tell me.”
“No, I’ll go along with whatever my master arranged. Thank you, Principal Lin.”
“It’s nothing—just a matter of adding another desk.” Principal Lin smiled. “Let’s proceed as planned. Please wait a moment, Little Master Chen; I’ll call Mr. Liang to come over. He’ll be your homeroom teacher from now on. If you have any issues, you can go to him.”
“Thank you, Principal Lin. Now that I’ll be your student, you can just call me by my name.”
“Alright, Shian. If you don’t mind, you can call me Uncle as well.”
“Uncle Lin.”
As he spoke, Chen Shian took out a wooden tea caddy from his bag.
The tea caddy and the tea inside were both made by him, as refined as any high-end gift.
“I’m sorry to trouble you by coming here to study. I left in a hurry and didn’t bring much. Here’s some Xuanyue Snow Bud—grown and picked by us at the temple. My master loves it, and I happened to have some left, so I brought it for you to try.”
Snow Bud is a type of green tea, picked after the last snowfall of early spring each year, hence its name. Xuanyue Snow Bud is unique to the Xuanyue region, a tender bud and a leaf per pick, rare in quantity, with a high fragrance, mellow taste, and clear green liquor—among the finest teas, especially when homegrown and handpicked at Jingchen Temple.
Principal Lin enjoyed tea; his office, filled with tea tins, cakes, utensils, and the stains in his cup, made that clear.
Seeing the tea caddy Chen Shian offered, Principal Lin’s eyes lit up. He wanted to be polite, but in the end, he accepted it with a smile.
Xuanyue Snow Bud wasn’t new to Principal Lin, but if it were store-bought, he wouldn’t think much of it. What truly excited him were those four words: “homegrown and handpicked.”
Others might not know the abilities of Chen Shian and his master, but Lin Ming certainly did. Tea from Jingchen Temple’s own gardens was a treasure in his eyes.
“Thank you, Shian. Then I won’t stand on ceremony… Ah, wonderful tea!”
“My master grows the tea trees on the back mountain. The yield isn’t much, but it’s enough to drink. If you like, Uncle Lin, I’ll pick more for you after next spring’s snow.”
“Oh, that’s too much trouble!”
“It’s what I should do. My master taught me to repay kindness; I can’t just come here and cause you trouble for nothing.”
“We’re family—no need to mention it.”
If Principal Lin’s care for Chen Shian was initially just a favor for an old friend, now he genuinely liked the young Taoist.
While they sipped tea, Principal Lin called the homeroom teacher of Class 5, Grade 11.
“Hello, Mr. Liang? Are you free right now?”
“Anything urgent, Principal Lin?”
“It’s about that transfer student I mentioned—the God of Literature is here. If you have a moment, come to my office. I have some things to discuss.”
“Of course! I’ll be right there!”
Hearing “God of Literature,” Mr. Liang was instantly energized, afraid some other teacher might snatch the student, and hurried to the principal’s office.
Heh heh.
Principal Lin really did look after him best!
...
After entering Grade 11, both teachers and students felt the pressure mounting.
No more summer break; remedial classes had gone on until last week. After the monthly exams, there were only two days off.
Class 5, Grade 11 was on the second floor. Even though classes officially started tomorrow, many students had already returned early to study on their own.
Since the classes were divided by stream last semester, everyone in the class was already well acquainted. Some were studying inside, others were horsing around outside, and quite a few leaned over the balcony, watching the new Grade 10 faces pass below.
“Hey, hey! Look at that freshman girl! Her legs are longer than my life!”
“Damn, that guy’s trying too hard, wearing a monocle like he’s some kind of master thief.”
“The freshmen this year aren’t great—none of them can compare to our class monitor.”
“Your standards are too high.”
“But our class monitor really is—”
“Watch it! You want trouble? Is the class monitor someone you can gossip about?”
While the group was joking around at the balcony, a boy hurried over.
“News! I’ve got breaking news!”
“What is it, Xiaokun? Can you act a bit more mature?”
“Don’t bark if you don’t want to hear it. This time it’s real news!”
No one believed him, and they all burst out laughing. “When’s your news ever been right? It’s always stale or fake. Last time you said the cafeteria was getting a new contractor, but they didn’t even change the menu. What kind of fake news are you spreading now?”
“That was just misinformation—not fake news!”
“We don’t believe you anymore.”
“You guys don’t get it!” Zou Xiaokun’s face flushed red, his glasses slipping down his nose. “There are grades of information, and this is Grade A—I saw it with my own eyes!”
“Really? Are you sure you’re not seeing things?”
“I can see the hairs in your nose crystal clear!”
“So what is it?”
Seeing everyone finally interested, Zou Xiaokun lowered his voice mysteriously.
“The school hired a Taoist priest!”
...
“Really!”
“That sounds even less believable than the cafeteria rumor. Why would the school hire a priest?”
“If I’m lying, I’ll eat a pound in the bathroom. I saw the guard take him to the principal’s office, and guess what? Mr. Liang was called over too!”
Zou Xiaokun looked so serious that the others began to get excited.
“No way? The school hired a Taoist? What for—feng shui? Exorcisms?”
“Don’t tell me there’s something dirty...”
“Don’t say that! Better safe than sorry!”
“Damn, you’re giving me the creeps.”
“Why call Mr. Liang? Does it have something to do with our class?”
Their reactions pleased Zou Xiaokun immensely; being the only one with the inside scoop, he basked in their attention.
“Maybe the dirty thing’s in our class?”
“Aren’t there only scoundrels in our class?”
“Don’t interrupt, you scoundrel!”
“It’s possible! Ever since remedial classes moved us to this room, I’ve felt dizzy, forgetful, sleepy, and weak every day!”
“So my bad test scores are because of this?”
“Come on, one of you studies too much and the other too little—don’t look for excuses.”
“Then what else would the school want with a priest, and why call Mr. Liang?”
The debate grew heated. Zou Xiaokun coughed and said, “I’ve got another piece of news—want to hear it?”
“Spit it out!”
“There was a senior last year, also from our class. I heard she couldn’t take the pressure, got depressed, and then...”
“She jumped?!”
“No, she just took a leave, went traveling all over, filmed her journey, and now not only is she cured, she’s a huge influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers.”
...
“Get lost! You’re not going to shake my resolve! I love studying!”
.
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(Midnight update tonight, please vote and keep reading T.T)