My Wife Is A Sword Immortal
Chapter 216 - 179 Nuanyi Gathering

Chapter 216: Chapter 179 Nuanyi Gathering

"Big Brother."

Zhao Rong and Fan Yushu hurriedly saluted upon seeing the visitor.

Li Jinsu extended his hand in a gentle, supporting gesture, "Ziyu, Yushu, no need for such formalities."

He smiled, "Have you been settling in alright recently? If there’s anything inconvenient, you can tell me."

Zhao Rong coughed lightly, "It’s quite good. The people here are very polite and friendly, heh, Big Brother, I’m somewhat reluctant to leave."

Well, it would be even better if those Residence Students didn’t glare at me...

Fan Yushu thought for a moment and followed suit with a serious nod.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Li Jinsu took out two scrolls from his sleeve and handed one to each, Zhao Rong.

He nodded in praise towards Zhao Rong, "Ziyu, you’ve done very well in your recent assignments, digesting the knowledge taught in class extremely well. It’s clear you’ve put in effort after class. And your calligraphy, did you study under some master calligrapher before? I’ve never seen such script nor am I familiar with it, but it’s much more pleasing than that of our Big Brothers. Next time, when the Teacher is free, I’ll show it to him."

Generally, the assignments set by Teacher Yan were graded by Li Jinsu, the eldest among the scholars.

Zhao Rong modestly deflected with an unchanged expression, taking the papers from him.

Seeing this, Li Jinsu inwardly nodded, feeling that this younger brother from back home was indeed commendable and that his mentor in Great Chu had recommended him wisely.

Then, he turned to an expectant Fan Yushu and, still smiling, handed over his paper without saying much, "Yushu, you’re also doing quite well, but you need to put in more effort. I’ve made some corrections on this paper; you should look them over carefully. If there’s anything unclear, you can ask Ziyu since you live together."

Fan Yushu’s mouth twitched, unable to resist glancing at Zhao Rong, who was nodding along lightly with what the Big Brother was saying.

Seeing Fan Yushu looking his way, Zhao Rong winked at him covertly.

Fan Yushu felt quite displeased. We’re both special admission students, so why are you so outstanding... From my observation, you hardly seem to study much after class, and we usually eat and drink together; you even send three love letters to Nanci Mansion every day in the morning, afternoon, and night. Yet, in the end, only you get praised by the Big Brother... It’s all an act, surely you must be secretly trying hard behind my back. Poor choice in friends indeed.

Li Jinsu spoke without immediately leaving but hesitated slightly. He glanced at Zhao Rong and slowly asked, "Ziyu, do you have time the day after tomorrow morning?"

Zhao Rong was taken aback, pondered for a moment, "I have no classes the day after tomorrow, and Yushu and I had planned on visiting West City, but it’s not urgent. Big Brother, is there something important you need? If so, Yushu and I can go another time."

"It’s nothing too urgent... It would be better if Ziyu could come. A few days ago, while I was running an errand at North Prefecture for Teacher, I accidentally got lost. Luckily, I encountered Miss Ye of Tranquility Mansion who kindly showed me the way and we ended up getting to know each other,"

As Li Jinsu talked, he laughed out, expressing,

"Miss Ye is extremely studious, already at the Heavenly Will Realm, yet still enamored with Confucianism, often consulting me about difficult problems in Confucian Classics. A few days ago, she sought me out again, saying that the Moon Festival is fast approaching and she wanted to warm things up, organizing a scholarly gathering to thoroughly discuss poetry and prose. I thought it’s a good opportunity for mutual exchange to foster learning, and since I also owed Miss Ye a favor for showing the way, I agreed to bring some younger brothers along."

As he spoke, he tilted his head and rubbed the back of his head, somewhat embarrassed, "If Ziyu is busy then nevermind, I’ll ask other suitable younger brothers. There are already a few who have agreed to come."

Zhao Rong, listening along, began to frown slightly, sensing something amiss. Big Brother, are you sure Miss Ye is coming to you just to ask about academic problems?

Before he could voice his thoughts, someone eagerly responded for him.

Fan Yushu excitedly asked, "Big Brother, what’s this Miss Ye’s full name? Tranquility Mansion, Heavenly Will Realm, could it be my cousin Ye Ruoxi?"

Li Jinsu paused, "Her name is indeed Ye Ruoxi. She’s your cousin?"

"Family friends, my family and hers are family friends... Since it’s Cousin Ruoxi organizing the gathering, then Lanzhi will probably go too. Big Brother, Yushu and I won’t go to West City the day after tomorrow; we’ll join you at the gathering..."

As Fan Yushu spoke, his eyes suddenly lit up, seemingly having thought of something. He winked at Li Jinsu, suggestively saying, "Big Brother, Cousin Ruoxi often consults you on scholarship, heh heh, I understand, Yushu and I will help you the day after tomorrow, right Ziyu? Big Brother, I’ve got it figured out, when the time comes..."

His mischievous words were cut off abruptly as Li Jinsu interrupted.

"Yushu, you cannot come the day after tomorrow, Ziyu and I will go alone."

Fan Yushu’s eyes widened, "Why? I know Cousin Ruoxi well, I could help you!"

Li Jinsu was bemused by what Fan Yushu was saying, but knowing the youthful, unrestrained nature of these new younger brothers, he didn’t take it to heart.

Li Jinsu spoke with a serious expression and tone:

"Miss Ye has kindly organized this gathering to promote scholarly exchange. She sincerely invited us, and we must treat this matter seriously, not letting down Miss Ye’s hospitality. Plus, quite a few people will be attending, and we cannot disgrace our Teacher,

ah, Yushu, your studies are still lacking, you need to study harder. I’ll take you next time when there’s another opportunity. This time I’ll take Ziyu and other suitable younger brothers. You should stay here and diligently review the assignments Teacher has set; don’t wander."

Fan Yushu: "......"

In the end, the Big Brother still didn’t agree to take Fan Yushu along.

Zhao Rong thought it over, he didn’t have much going on these days, and since there had been no response from Qing Jun despite his daily letter deliveries, there was no rush. He thus agreed to join the Big Brother at the gathering.

"Big Brother, where is the gathering being held? Surely not outside the Academy."

"No need for that, we usually prefer places outside by the seaside or on high cliffs for gatherings in the Academy. This time the gathering organized by Miss Ye isn’t big, so it’s set at Nuanyi Bamboo Garden within Taiching Prefecture..."

——————

This morning.

Zhao Rong went early to Nanci Mansion, completing a third of his duties for the day. He then parted ways with Fan Yushu, who looked at him with a gaze as woeful as that of a wronged wife, nonchalantly leaving with his sleeves fluttering.

Zhao Rong met Li Jinsu at the agreed location, and together they went to join the Nuanyi Gathering, accompanied by several senior brothers with whom Zhao Rong was not very familiar; he had observed that these senior brothers were quite diligent and hardworking in the past.

He nodded in greeting to everyone, and after the group assembled, they all headed to Xizhu Garden under the lead of the eldest senior brother.

Zhao Rong had initially thought of wearing a luxurious and finely crafted brocade robe that had been stored away for a long time; it was a gift from Wenruo when he left Zhongnan Country and had rarely been worn. He had always planned to wear it when meeting Qing Jun, but each encounter with Qing Jun had been unexpected.

This time he wanted to wear it but didn’t, because the eldest senior brother had said they should dress solemnly, not frivolously, so they all wore the plain, unadorned standard attire of the Academy.

Under the guidance of Li Jinsu, the group walked with straight backs and solemn expressions.

Zhao Rong, following behind, nodded silently to himself; the eldest senior brother likely had a point. This gathering seemed indeed quite serious, and fortunately, he had not brought along that flashy Fan Yushu; otherwise, it would have introduced something odd and affected the purity of their group...

Zhao Rong thought so, completely excluding himself.

However, before long, Zhao Rong started to think differently...

Soon, they reached Xizhu Garden, located at the southern foot of a small mountain within Taiching Prefecture.

Taiching Prefecture was one of the transcendent places on Wangque Continent, constructed by the resources of the Human Clan in the state, and revered for its scenic beauty and distinct climates across the seasons.

Just like Xizhu Garden, it was clearly autumn now; after bursts of autumn rain, the forests outside the prefecture were already showing swathes of autumn yellow.

Yet, at that moment, as Zhao Rong looked around, not far within the garden, he saw thousands of jade-like bamboo canes, their leaves a fresh green as if it were still summer.

As explained by the eldest senior brother, Xizhu Garden was named after a stream that flowed from north to south throughout the garden; the water was warm all year round, much like a hot spring, making it a favored spot among the female students of Taiching Prefecture, who often came to wash their feet across all seasons.

When Zhao Rong and his group approached the exterior of Xizhu Garden, they found a group of charming young women dressed in bright red dresses waiting outside.

Upon their arrival, the girls looked them over spiritedly for a while. Some girls whispered to each other sideways and burst into laughter from time to time.

A girl with hair styled like drifting clouds confidently approached them.

"Are you Li Jinsu, Master Li?"

"It is indeed I."

The eldest senior brother respectfully bowed.

Behind him, Zhao Rong and the other senior brothers bowed formally as well.

The drifting cloud haired girl curiously looked at these utterly polite and properly spoken Academy Confucian Scholars, hardly able to contain a laugh, she said, "There’s no need for such courtesy, really, Fairy Ye has asked us to take you inside, please follow me."

Zhao Rong and the others followed her into Xizhu Garden.

The garden was vast, and the location for the Nuanyi Gathering was just along a section of the clear stream.

The group walked upstream against the warm waters of the stream, entering the tranquil bamboo forest.

Along the way, these delightful young girls hopped and skipped about vivaciously, forming a stark contrast with the stiff and formal Zhao Rong and his companions. These girls were also incessantly chatty, always curious and playfully engaging in conversation with Zhao Rong and the others.

Zhao Rong was surprised to learn that they were not Human Clan girls but Transformation water spirits; their original forms were red carp living in this warm stream.

As they moved through the forest, Zhao Rong suddenly turned his head to look at a round-faced red carp girl who had been silently watching him. Her small body shivered, and she busily shook her head from side to side, pretending to examine the bamboo forest on either side.

Zhao Rong saw this, the corners of his mouth slightly curled, and he suddenly missed a certain silly girl. He remembered that when he first met her, she had been just as naive.

He wondered, were all newly Core Formation Realm Transformation Demon Race girls like this, seemingly a bit slow?

Perhaps feeling that being frightened by a stiff Confucian Scholar was embarrassing, the round-faced girl tilted her head and glared at him, "Stiff blockhead, what are you looking at?"

Misunderstood as a bookworm, Zhao Rong did not respond but casually turned his head away, continuing on his way.

The round-faced girl blinked and tried to start a conversation, "Hey, blockhead, can you write lovely poems?"

Zhao Rong pretended not to hear and remained silent, just watching the lush greenery ahead.

"Hey, why aren’t you speaking, are you deaf?"

Zhao Rong nodded slightly.

The round-faced girl giggled, "So you are a fake blockhead, huh. I understand; you’re the type who... what’s it called, feigning indifference to arouse curiosity. The girls say some men, especially those pretentious Confucian Scholars, like to do this to attract a girl’s curiosity and then, hmm, lure them into a small room and pounce on them...devouring the girl’s heart."

Zhao Rong’s face was expressionless, his mouth slightly quirked, "I have a wife already, please don’t bother."

Round-faced girl: "..."

But just a second later, Zhao Rong suddenly smiled and tilted his head, casually asking, "Are there many little demons like you in Taiching Prefecture?"

The round-faced girl pouted, "You’re the little demon... Well, there are quite a few demon cultivators in the prefecture, some with high talents among the Demon Race can even become Taiching students, with limitless prospects. However, hmm, most are like us, tasked with specific duties, such as overseeing a part of the prefecture’s mountains and waters, cultivating while earning contributions..."

Zhao Rong nodded lightly.

Later, he chatted further with this round-faced girl and became somewhat acquainted.

Before long, under the guidance of the red carp girls, Zhao Rong and his group arrived at a secluded and open riverside, situated halfway up the mountain.

Ahead, quite a number of elegant men and women were already waiting. Seeing them arrive, they all turned around.