My Wife Is A Sword Immortal
Chapter 325 - 246 Different Treatment

Chapter 325: Chapter 246 Different Treatment

At that moment, the crowd on the ground was already waiting in silence, so the disdainful mutter not only reached the ears of Zhao Rong and others but also aptly entered the ears of all the students of Shuaixing Hall.

The tranquility of the open space was somehow accentuated, with the sound of the river and rustling maple leaves growing louder, yet no one spoke.

Zhao Rong’s eyes slightly narrowed, his sleepiness abated a bit, his gaze passing over Yu Huaijin to the open ground behind her. He saw a young scholar with a delicate appearance, his head adorned with a flowing scarf, gently stroking the luxurious ancient zither on his lap. Many students were turning their heads to look at him, he was evidently the one who had just been muttering.

Wu Peiliang felt that he had become the center of attention on the ground; his lips twisted slightly, and he sighed again, shaking his head and said,

"Alas, the Academy has really become more and more bizarre nowadays, all sorts of riff-raff are being admitted, even the top-ranking Shuaixing Hall of our Six Halls has admitted two."

After Wu Peiliang’s "soliloquy".

The ground was even quieter for a moment.

About half of the students either smiled or nodded their heads expressionlessly, and some even echoed a "That’s right."

The remaining students either looked up in curiosity without any expression, or they bowed their heads tuning their zithers, minding their own business.

As soon as Wu Peiliang’s words ended,

Jia Tengying’s face suddenly flushed, even his dark skin could not hide it. He bowed his head, feeling the playful gaze of some classmates. At that moment, he wished he could burrow into a crack in the ground and never come out.

Zhao Rong stood with his hands clasped, silent.

But Fan Yushu frowned and stared at Wu Peiliang, taking a breath and said,

"Wu, Pei, dear, if this young master remembers correctly, Teacher Si’s class starts at the fourth quarter of the hour of Mao, and it was just recently the third quarter of the hour of Mao. Although we are a bit early and Teacher can start the class earlier, we are just a little late today, and still not tardy. Teacher hasn’t said anything, so why are you causing trouble? Do you think you outrank Teacher?"

"Heh." Wu Peiliang chuckled and shook his head, paying no attention to Fan Yushu, with an air of reluctance to argue with nonsense, mainly because he noticed that Yu Huaijin was still casting a calm glance.

Fan Yushu stepped forward, but was stopped the next second.

"Brother Yushu," Zhao Rong pulled Fan Yushu back, shaking his head without a word.

Zhao Rong did not look at Wu Peiliang anymore, but rather spoke out to break the deadlock, addressing Yu Huaijin,

"Senior Yu, this time it is mainly my fault. I got up late today, which made Brother Yushu and Brother Teng Ying wait for a while. We had to walk slower on the road to accommodate me, causing you and Teacher Si to wait longer."

Yu Huaijin gazed at the low-profile and silent Wu Peiliang with a slight frown; upon hearing this, she first looked at Teacher Si, who was standing by the river with his back to them, seemingly oblivious to the conflict among the students on the ground, and then turned back and lightly said,

"It’s okay, we haven’t started the class yet. Just try to come a bit earlier next time."

Yu Huaijin paused her speech and looked seriously at Zhao Rong’s pale face, "Brother Zhao, are you alright? Did something troubling happen last night?"

Zhao Rong shook his head, "Nothing at the moment, thank you for your concern, Senior."

Yu Huaijin nodded her head without asking further as they were not very close.

Still, she couldn’t help but glance at the thick autumn clothes on Zhao Rong.

Today he had not worn the academy’s student robe again.

However, Yu Huaijin did not say anything further because yesterday afternoon, while Zhao Rong was playing a zither piece titled "Integrity," he had openly told her that the autumn clothes were personally woven by his wife.

The lady prodigy from Taiching’s Tranquility Mansion had earnestly advised him that he must wear them, as it was a customary tradition in their family.

Yu Huaijin stepped aside, making way for Zhao Rong and the other two to pass by and find their seats.

She did not turn back to the seat because there were still two people who hadn’t arrived...

Entering the ground, Jia Tengying carried his zither to the front rows to find a seat, while Zhao Rong and Fan Yushu, being the kind of students eager to learn, chose seats in the middle towards the rear, away from a certain disagreeable individual.

Zhao Rong, dressed in a dark blue Confucian robe, walked among the seats on the ground. His attire starkly contrasted with the blue robes worn by all other students, making him highly conspicuous. Wherever he passed, many turned their heads to look.

Soon, the two found seats in the rear right side and prepared to sit down.

Yet at that moment, another familiar "muttering" voice drifted over.

"Really, putting on airs like he’s something special, not wearing the student uniform, changing into more attractive clothes, thinking he stands out from the crowd? Always wanting to be different, heh, as if no one else could."

Wu Peiliang paused and plucked a string lightly, then "whispered" again as he listened intently,

"Hey, this guy couldn’t possibly think that we are all from the backwoods like Jia Tengying, right? Comparing backgrounds?"

"Hehe," Wu Peiliang chuckled.

"Among us Shuaixing Hall students, there are all kinds of family backgrounds. There are several whose parents are high-ranking Purple-clothed Sword Cultivators at Tianya Sword Pavilion, not to mention legitimate descendants from powerful families or millennium-old households in Du You City, we lack none. We all listen to Senior Yu, wear the student robes, but only you are fussy, probably thinking you’re the young master of a Youlan Prefecture city lord’s family. If so, please enlighten Wu with your dazzling identity..."

Many students could not help but snicker, and a low chuckle erupted in the hall.

Zhao Rong did not immediately take his seat but first set down the zither he was carrying, then stood still, unblinkingly watching the red maples by the river while keenly listening to the ongoing chatter.

His lips curved into a light smile, and he listened attentively to every word Wu Peiliang uttered, but still felt it was not satisfying enough.

Gui, who was originally looking forward to seeing Zhao Rong be embarrassed, could not help but step in, his tone disdainful as he spoke within his Heart Lake,

"I thought this guy would spout some remarkably bizarre and powerful words. If he could have agitated you, I would have really learned something, but this is it?"

It sighed softly, "Yes, this is it. And his voice is so faint. Has he not eaten?"

Zhao Rong, too, was somewhat disappointed, but said nothing, for, up to now, he had seldom encountered an opponent with strange words powerful enough to anger him, much less an equal match, giving him a sense of the loneliness of a superior fighter.

However, Zhao Rong felt it was understandable since none of the students currently present had awoken memories of their past lives like him, possessing rich "combat experience", having spent countless days and nights instantly confronting each other through a small Glazed Mirror, with numerous unseen but keyboard-proficient opponents achieving the realm of Land Sword Immortals.

As for a place called "Zaun," the greetings from those gentle and easygoing rivals made Zhao Rong feel especially cordial and nostalgic.

But they were no longer here, leaving only him alone in this world.

Zhao Rong sighed deeply.

He rubbed his face, then cupped his fists towards Wu Peiliang, his gaze vacant and his expression somewhat dejected, as he sat down.

From the beginning till now, Zhao Rong had not once looked at Wu Peiliang, and now he maintained the same demeanor.

Wu Peiliang, who had been observing the unpleasant figure from the corner of his eye, caught not only the absence of anger but also a distracted and slightly regretful expression, which made him choke on his breath momentarily.

Wu Peiliang’s somewhat feminine face suddenly stiffened, his thin lips pursed as he coldly smiled and began to speak, "Zhao Rong, you look so pale; could it be that last night..."

"Wu Brother!" Yu Huaijin, who was by the door waiting for others, turned around and rebuked sharply, cutting him off.

The stern woman’s voice was unusually deep.

Wu Peiliang abruptly stopped talking, his fingers trembling slightly, his fair face turning a bit red, then with a slight huff towards Zhao Rong, he said no more.

The atmosphere at the scene became somewhat solemn due to Yu Huaijin’s interruption, and the students watching the excitement quickly adjusted their expressions and returned to their tasks.

Wu Peiliang looked down at the expensive ancient zither in front of him, but his peripheral vision keenly monitored Yu Huaijin’s side. Seeing her eyebrows relax and turn back towards the door, he instantly felt relieved, yet soon after, he looked disdainfully at Zhao Rong.

Zhao Rong paid no further attention to the happenings around him, sitting lethargically, supporting his aching back with one hand while casually tuning the zither.

Zhao Rong did not use Yu Huaijin’s Nine Heavens Cloud Pendant again, always borrowing from others, which made him somewhat embarrassed. Just yesterday, he went out and bought a zither, and although the material was ordinary, his gentle handling made it durable.

Just then, urgent footsteps approached from the path.

Soon after, Xiao Hongyu’s characteristically gravelly loud voice rang out.

"Huaijin, ah... sorry, we’re late. I and Li Xueyou played late into the night in the city yesterday, and by the time we realized, it was already midnight. Li Xue’s father kept urging us to stay, so we ended up resting overnight at the mansion and rushed back this morning."

Xiao Hongyu, with her arm around the petite shoulders of Li Xueyou, panted while explaining.

Li Xueyou also blushed, wiping the fine sweat off her smooth forehead with the back of her hand, her small face filled with anxiety, "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Huaijin, have we delayed? Mr. Si, I’m so sorry..."

The seemingly delicate woman wrung her garment’s corner, her tone self-reproaching as she lowered her head, not daring to meet the glances from her classmates.

Xiao Hongyu, on the other hand, smiled sincerely as she turned to the awaiting students, meeting their eyes with an apology, "Sorry, fellow students, it was our fault. Li Xueyou and I definitely won’t be late again."

Seeing this, the students from Shuaixing Hall nodded collectively.

"It’s fine, it’s fine, no need for formalities."

"Li Xueyou and Xiao Hongyu, you don’t need to blame yourselves, after all, it’s still some time before the fourth watch of mao, and the class hasn’t begun..."

"Yes, there’s no need to be too hard on yourselves, Li Xueyou is simply too shy; even after being classmates for more than two months, he’s still so introverted..."

The students of Shuaixing Hall laughed and chattered among themselves, showing little reproach.

Fan Yushu, feeling a bit discontented, turned towards Zhao Rong to complain, "We all arrived late, so why do we have to be so subservient?"

Zhao Rong glanced at him, too lazy to respond to such an obvious question, and continued tuning his zither with a listless motion, thinking about the upcoming calligraphy class, and kept silent.

Xiao Hongyu tilted her head and laughed, patting her chest, "That’s good, that scared Li Xueyou and me to death; we ran all the way here. Ah, Teacher, why pick such a far place for today’s lesson..."

"Xiao Hongyu, Li Xueyou." At this moment, the stern woman beside them, also wearing a male hairstyle, spoke up.

Yu Huaijin, with a serious expression, looked at them, her brows slightly knitted, "I reminded you both this morning that there were classes today, yet we nearly arrived late."

Xiao Hongyu quickly dropped her smile, solemnly bowing her head just like Li Xueyou, listening earnestly to the admonition.

Yu Huaijin watched them for a while and then sighed softly, "When I arrived at the first quarter of mao, Mr. Si was already waiting, and now we are only just on time... Never be so careless again."

Li Xueyou and Xiao Hongyu rapidly nodded, resembling chicks pecking at grains.

Yu Huaijin turned sideways, and the two hurriedly went behind a desk in the open area to sit down.

Yu Huaijin also turned and joined them, returning together.

In the open space beside Fenglin, all the seats were filled.

Only then did Mr. Si leisurely turn around, his gaze blank but seemingly able to see everyone, and surveyed the students from Shuaixing Hall; his tone was gentle, "Everyone has assembled, let’s begin the lesson quietly."