Ludi’s emotions were like the withered vine tree in winter. He was filled with a sense of bleakness, with no anger at all.

  The Central Province Academy had ascended to the ‘C’ grade. Other than feeling happy, he also felt a huge sense of pressure. It was as though surging waves were crashing over, wanting to drown him under.

  Ludi was very clear of his own situation. His strength and talent were ordinary. He had wanted to join the faculty as a new teacher. However, after the school had ascended a grade, the requirements toward intern teachers would be even stricter. In that case, his hope of joining the school as a teacher felt even dimmer.

  Hu~

  Ludi drew in a deep breath. He carried his basin of braised pig trotters and went to look for Sun Mo. No matter whether it would succeed or not, he had to give it a try. After all, this concerned his future.

  “Sigh, how good would it be if I had built a good relationship with Sun Mo back then?”

  Upon thinking of this, Ludi’s heart was filled with regret.

  Bracing the cold wind, Ludi went to the villa. When he saw the luxuriously magnificent building, as well as the beautiful scenery in the surroundings with the tranquil atmosphere, Ludi felt even more depressed.

  Why was he so much more inferior than Sun Mo given that they were newbies from the same batch?

  (If you told me Sun Mo was a graduate from one of the Nine Greats, I would just admit my inferiority. However, he’s clearly a graduate from an ordinary school!)

  Ludi stood at the villa’s door. He didn’t knock on it but tried peering through the windows instead.

  Creak!

  The door suddenly opened.

  A beautiful woman walked out. She had an elegant demeanor and a pretty face, and her casual actions revealed a sense of nobility from major clans.

  “Who are you looking for?”

  Dong He asked.

  This man was staring at the villa nervously. Hence, Dong He had to make things clear and ascertain if he was bad or not.

  In any case, her master was present. If Sun Mo was alarmed, he might come out and beat this fellow up so badly that this fellow would piss his pants.

  “M……my name is Ludi, I’m Sun Mo, eh, Teacher Sun’s colleague and we once stayed in the same dorm together. I heard that he won the championship and I specially came to congratulate him!”

  Ludi stuttered a little.

  There was no solution to it. He had never spoken with such a beautiful and elegant woman before. Hence, he was nervous as a result.

  “Damn, I should have washed my shirt before coming today!”

  Ludi was silently vexed. After that, he felt worried. Would he be rejected by Sun Mo? Actually, he wanted to say that he was Sun Mo’s friend, but he didn’t have the courage to do so.

  What if Sun Mo didn’t feel the same?

  “Please wait a little, I’ll check with my master!”

  As a maid, Dong He naturally didn’t have the authority to make a decision for Sun Mo. Passing on messages was a part of her job.

  “M……master?”

  Ludi was astonished, he had initially thought that she was Sun Mo’s friend or relative. He didn’t expect that she would actually be a maid.

  However, she was so pretty. Why did she have to be a maid?

  In his heart, Ludi was wailing in agony. The seeds of love that had just sprouted were now ruthlessly trampled under a large foot.

  “Being rich is so damn good!”

  Ludi sighed ruefully. He couldn’t help but straighten his posture, and his expression was no longer so humble. No matter how low his social status among his peers was, he was still an intern teacher. At the very least, he didn’t need to speak so humbly before a maid.

  A few minutes later, Dong He came out.

  Ludi’s waist almost bent again. He also squeezed out a smile on his face.

  There was no solution to this. Since he came here for a favor, he naturally couldn’t put on any airs. Although the other party was a maid, she was Sun Mo’s maid. Hence, things were different.

  “My master invites you to enter, please come with me!”

  Dong He then led the way.

  After stepping past the door and walking for a certain distance, Ludi arrived at the living room. He could see Sun Mo was currently speaking with an extremely beautiful woman.

  “It’s Jin Mujie!”

  Ludi’s spirits stirred. He subconsciously put on his most perfect attitude. This was Headmaster An’s very good friend and a famous 3-star great teacher in the school. If she admired Ludi, he would be able to join the school as a teacher and have a relatively good future.

  “Teacher Lu!”

  Sun Mo stood up. “Dong He, serve the tea!”

  “I don’t dare to, I don’t dare to! Teacher Sun, it’s better if you just call me Ludi.”

  Ludi hurriedly spoke. It wasn’t that he was humble but rather, this was an unspoken rule in the great teacher world.

  For intern teachers who hadn’t officially joined the faculty, they could call each other with their surname and add the word ‘shi’ (short form for the word teacher) behind. But it was different for formal teachers. They had to respectfully call formal teachers with the word ‘teacher’ (lao shi)!

  After all, there were so many intern teachers and at least half of them would eventually fail to make the cut.

  “Teacher Lu!”

  Jin Mujie stood up and nodded.

  “Teacher Jin!”

  Ludi hurriedly bowed. Jin Mujie actually stood up to receive him? This made him feel as though he was extremely favored. However, he understood that the reason for Jin Mujie’s politeness was entirely because of Sun Mo.

  “Sit!”

  When Sun Mo first came to Jinling, three other people stayed in the same dorm as him. Yuan Feng had already left, and it seemed that Ludi was still braising pig trotters. Sun Mo then asked, “Where’s Teacher Zhang?”

  “He resigned long ago.”

  Ludi sighed.

  Zhang Sheng had a minor conflict with Sun Mo. He had worked hard and wanted to surpass Sun Mo, but who knew that the disparity between the two would keep widening with time? This was especially so after he attended one of Sun Mo’s medical cultivation lectures. He then completely conceded and left the Central Province Academy.

  “Oh!”

  Sun Mo was merely asking and not concerned about a minor character like him. His current opponents were famous teachers like Liu Mubai and Ming Xian.

  “Teacher Sun, you should be participating in the 1-star great teacher exam that’s going to be held two months later, right? Let me wish you success first!”

  Ludi smiled. When he saw Dong He bringing the tea over, he hurriedly stood up and took the cup of tea.

  “Thanks!”

  Sun Mo smiled lightly. “Is Teacher Lu also going? You can just call me Sun-shi* or Sun Mo. There’s no need to call me Teacher Sun.”

  “I’m also hesitating. Can you help me make a decision?”

  Ludi mentally mused that the main topic was here. Other than to improve their relationship, the other reason why he came to look for Sun Mo was because he wanted to ask Sun Mo for advice regarding his current situation.

  After all, Sun Mo had the God Hands. Ludi had long since wanted to try it.

  “Shouldn’t you consult a great teacher regarding this?”

  Sun Mo frowned.

  “Hehe!”

  Ludi bitterly smiled and involuntarily snuck a glance at Jin Mujie. (I also want to, but I’m like just a transparent guy in front of them. How would I be acquainted with major characters like them?)

  (But as for you, you are casually chatting with Jin Mujie, the dream lover of all the male teachers in school. And from the looks of things, the private relationship between the two of you seems pretty good. If this matter was to spread out, I wonder how many guys would die from jealousy?)

  “Teacher Jin, why don’t you share your opinion?”

  Sun Mo rejected. After all, not only were he and Ludi of similar ages, but they were colleagues as well. It was one thing if he gave Ludi some suggestions in private. However, since they were before Jin Mujie, Sun Mo had to give her some face

  “Teacher Lu, where do you think you rank among the intern teachers?”

  Jin Mujie didn’t decline.

  At the same time, she felt a trace of good will toward Sun Mo in her heart. This was a man who knew how to think for others.

  One must know that Ludi came here for guidance.

  Because Jin Mujie was talented, had a high status, and was beautiful, there were simply too many men pursuing her. These people would never give up any chances to display their brilliance before her.

  If these men heard Ludi’s question, they would definitely speak frankly with assurance to solve his question so they could display how outstanding they were, wanting Jin Mujie to view them with admiration. However, Sun Mo didn’t do so.

  Ding!

  Favorable impression points from Jin Mujie +30. Respect (3,360/10,000).

  Sun Mo stared at Jin Mujie in bewilderment. (Why did you contribute favorable impression points? Did you want to eat Ludi’s pig trotters?)

  “Above average I guess?”

  Ludi smiled bitterly.

  “Since you know yourself clearly, it depends on what you want to do then. If you wish to accumulate experience and ‘fight’, to increase the probability of you joining the school as a teacher, you should participate in the 1-star great teacher qualification exam. If you are confident in your future and feel that you will definitely be able to join the school as an official teacher no matter what, you can wait one or two years more before you participate in the 1-star great teacher qualification exam!”

  Jin Mujie imparted her experience.

  Sun Mo was also thinking of this. Honestly speaking, if Ludi didn’t display a good performance, there was an 80 to 90% chance that he wouldn’t be able to remain in the Central Province Academy.

  However, if he went for the 1-star great teacher examination, he would have to face the risk of failure.

  In the great teacher world, there was an unspoken rule. For schools at the ‘B’ grade or above, they would only hire teachers who passed their 1-star great teacher qualification exam in one attempt within two years of their graduation.

  In other words, it meant that if you failed once, even if you obtained full marks during the second time, you wouldn’t gain any recognition.

  Ludi was conflicted. How would anyone who aspired to become great teachers not want to teach in one of the Nine Greats! Even if they knew they had a very low chance, they would fantasize about it. But if they failed during their first 1-star great teacher qualification exam, their hope would be extinguished completely.

  “Teacher Lu, the passing rate of the exam isn’t differentiated by the marks you get. Rather, for each province, there’s a passing limit of 300 people.”

  Jin Mujie reminded him.

  The Saint Gate set this rule to control the quality and number of great teachers.

  Every year, no matter how many people participated in the exam, you had to be in the top 300 before you could get a qualification certification.

  Ludi’s expression immediately grew unsightly. He felt that his future was dim.

  This rule basically meant that many teachers would fail. Ludi’s opponents were no longer newbie teachers of the same batch. Many veterans who tried and failed many times before would also be included.

  Naturally, if one took the exam five times consecutively and still didn’t pass, their right to take the exam again would be stripped from them. It also meant that they wouldn’t be able to become great teachers their entire lives.

  Ludi glanced at Sun Mo and discovered that Sun Mo’s expression was calm. He showed no signs of panic or unease. (Sigh, this must be how geniuses feel!)

  “Teacher Sun, I have a favor to ask of you. Can you please use your God Hands on me and see how I should develop myself in the future?”

  As Ludi spoke, he stood up and gave a deep bow.

  “Teacher Lu is too serious, there’s no problem at all!”

  Sun Mo didn’t reject the request. He walked over and placed his right hand on Ludi’s shoulder. Actually, he didn’t need to touch Ludi. He could already obtain Ludi’s information through Divine Sight.

  Ludi, 20 years old. Second level of the blood-ignition realm.

  Strength: 23. Due to you braising pig trotters since you were young, the strength of your upper limbs is pretty high.

  Intellect: 24. You won’t be fooled and you won’t be able to gain any easy benefits from others.

  Agility: 23. Ordinary, it can be trained further.

  Endurance: 25. You once braised pig trotters for five days without sleep or rest.

  Will: 21. Dispirited, you are feeling lost about your future path……

  Potential value: Above average.

  Note: Your braised pig trotters are very nice to eat!

  Sun Mo was somewhat taken by surprise. Ludi’s potential was unexpectedly not bad. But was this potential value referring to his potential as a teacher or potential for braising pig trotters?

  [1] 师 (shi) vs (lao shi) 老师. If we break them down by the characters, shi can mean teacher and lao shi can mean old/senior teacher.

  Basically intern teachers, when conversing mutually with each other, can call each other with their surname followed by the word ‘shi’. But when they are addressing official/great teachers, intern teachers have to use the words ‘lao shi’.

  Just for your information, when intern teachers like Ludi are referred to as ‘Teacher Lu’, the Chinese raw for it is ‘Lu-shi’ when he is speaking with fellow intern teachers.

  For official/great teachers, when they speak to each other, people with equal statuses, they address each other with their surname followed by the word ‘Shi’ as well. For e.g., When Gu Xiuxun speaks to Sun Mo, she would refer to him as ‘Sun-shi’.

  For the ease of readers, I translate both shi and lao shi as teacher. I’m writing this footnote to clear the confusion, if any.

  Chapter 421: Living In A Luxurious Manor, Appreciating Famous Tea, One Should Live Like Sun Mo Does!

  When Ludi saw that Sun Mo’s gaze darted to the basin at the side, he immediately became spirited. (Is there finally a chance to display my advantage? Although I might not be great as an educator, in terms of braising pig trotter, I’m sorry, I can confidently say this whenever and wherever that everyone else is just trash!)

  “Teacher Sun, these are pig trotters that I braised. I used a newly invented recipe that not only increased the texture but also mediated the greasiness. There’s no need to worry about getting fat from eating it.”

  Ludi smiled and introduced. As he did so, he opened up the basin and a fragrance permeated.

  Jin Mujie couldn’t help but take a sniff.

  It smelled so nice!

  However, what was more amazing was the fire control. The skin and flesh were soft but not mushy. The fats from the bones had also been brought out from the stewing, and the unique fragrance integrated into the meat, further increasing the aroma.

  “.……”

  Sun Mo assessed Sun Mo. (You must be a great chef in your previous life, right? Then you had taken an arrow in the knee and became a teacher.)

  “Teacher Jin, would you like to give it a taste?”

  Ludi recommended, “Usually, people don’t dare to eat much out of fear of getting fat. However, no matter how much you eat my pig trotters, there’s no need to worry.”

  Jin Mujie threw a glance at Sun Mo then rejected. (How can I chew on a pig trotter in front of Sun Mo? It’s too damaging to my image as a woman.)

  “Teacher Lu!”

  Sun Mo tried to think about how he should say it in order to not hurt Ludi’s pride.

  Ludi immediately sat up straight, looking like he was willing to accept guidance. “Teacher Sun, please give me your guidance!”

  “Your aptitude isn’t bad. As long as you put in more effort on your path of becoming a great teacher, you’ll be able to succeed.”

  Sun Mo persuaded.

  “Teacher Sun, I know what I am like.”

  Ludi smiled in self-mockery.

  “Teacher Lu, you’ve experienced working hard until you’ve reached your limit, right?”

  Sun Mo asked.

  Ludi fell silent. He immediately recalled back in the days when his father fell to illness, and he could only take on the family business. Back then, he spent five days without sleeping or resting, only braising countless pig trotters.

  It was back then when his skill surged. He was capable of going on by himself.

  “Use the time you spend on braising pig trotters on improving yourself!”

  Sun Mo patted Ludi’s shoulder. “You’re a teacher after all. Don’t let your talent down!”

  Ludi fell silent.

  “Teacher Lu, don’t think about all the tricks and dishonest practices. They are useless. Whether or not you can remain in the school will eventually depend on your real capabilities.”

  Jin Mujie’s words were a little sharp, but they were the truth.

  “Teacher Jin, I’ve benefited from the teaching!”

  Ludi quickly got up and gave a bow. He knew that Jin Mujie had only said this in view of Sun Mo’s account.

  “Which great teacher are you following at the moment?”

  Jin Mujie asked.

  “It’s Teacher Zhou, Zhou Shanyi!”

  At the mention of this name, Ludi felt gloomy again. This great teacher was a colleague who shared the same office as Sun Mo.

  Jin Mujie nodded, no longer saying anything. However, Ludi became excited.

  This was how important characters were. They merely touched on the surface of things. Jin Mujie would definitely mention him privately to Teacher Zhou.

  Given Jin Mujie’s status in the Central Province Academy, Zhou Shanyi would definitely have to give her face. Ludi would be able to get more opportunities in the future.

  At the very least, he could spend more effort into accumulating experience and not rely on braising pig trotters to get into Zhou Shanyi’s good books, thereby receiving good ratings.

  The conversation ended on a happy note.

  Ludi left the villa, feeling happy as if there was a small bird hidden in his heart. He had a strong urge to sing. Sun Mo was quite easy to get along with!

  Ding!

  Favorable impression points from Ludi +100. Friendly (430/1,000).

  “I’ll have to buck up so that in the future, I’ll be able to stay in a luxurious manor, have beautiful maids, and live a life above others.”

  Ludi swung his fist to cheer himself up. (When I become famous, I also want to chat happily with beautiful female great teachers like Jin Mujie.)

  In the villa, Sun Mo looked at Jin Mujie. “There won’t be any problems?”

  “I will only be mentioning it to Teacher Zhou, giving Ludi some more chances.”

  Jin Mujie no longer took intern teachers under her wing. However, she had been through the phase in the past and knew that it wasn’t easy for intern teachers. If they were to find themselves with a harsh guiding teacher, it’d simply be torture. Not only would they have to be tired out every day, but they would also have to receive scoldings. Most importantly, they wouldn’t be able to gain any experience.

  “This is probably a little bit of an unnecessary move. Given your current reputation, if you were to mention something to Teacher Zhou, he would be very happy to take care of Ludi.”

  Jin Mujie smiled.

  Sun Mo was destined to have a great future. Hence, Zhou Shanyi would definitely grab hold of the opportunity to do a favor to someone like him.

  “Thank you, Teacher Jin.”

  Sun Mo took a sip of tea. “If you have anything you want me to do in the future, please feel free to tell me!”

  “You’re standing too much on ceremony by saying thanks. You can give me a massage!”

  Jin Mujie touched her face. “I want that skin-beautifying technique. I’ve overworked recently and I feel that I’ve gotten dark circles.”

  “Alright!”

  Sun Mo nodded. It could be said to be an enjoyment to give Jin Mujie a massage.

  Jin Mujie’s eyes lit up. “What about doing it now?”

  “Let’s go!”

  Jin Mujie couldn’t wait. She took Sun Mo’s hand and headed upstairs.

  Sun Mo’s finger bones weren’t bad. They were long and slender, strong, had perfect arches, and were of a suitable toughness. It’d be good if she could collect one of them!

  However, it was fine. Jin Mujie suddenly felt a little agitated at the thought of how she’d be able to enjoy a massage from these few finger bones.

  Ding!

  Favorable impression points from Jin Mujie +100. Friendly (3,460/10,000).

  “Huh?”

  Sun Mo was stunned, not because Jin Mujie had contributed favorable impression points, but because this beautiful teacher was exerting strength in her grip. Moreover, she seemed to be pinching and admiring them.

  At the next instant, Sun Mo felt a little bit of a shudder.

  He hadn’t forgotten that Jin Mujie was a woman who had a hobby of collecting bones.

  “She couldn’t be thinking of chopping off my fingers to soak them in formalin, could she?”

  Sun Mo wasn’t that much of a narcissist to think that Jin Mujie would fall in love with him.

  The ancient massaging technique started very quickly.

  Outside the guest room, Dong He had her ears against the wooden doors, listening to the sounds inside. An astonished expression crept up on her face.

  “Master is so amazing. To think that he can conquer such a great woman like Jin Mujie. It’s no wonder he doesn’t care about me.”

  Dong He’s heart was filled with intense disappointment.

  Although it had only been a few days since Dong He became Sun Mo’s maid, Jin Mujie was too famous. As she was beautiful and strong, she was one of the signboards for the Central Province Academy. Therefore, Dong He knew a lot of rumors about her.

  “Oh my, I heard that Jin Mujie likes to collect bones. She won’t kill Master and make him into a skeletal specimen due to her overwhelming love for him, right?”

  Dong He started to feel worried. ……

  Rest days felt very good. But what was even better?

  It was to have rest days after having a lot of money and being able to buy or play whatever one wanted. There wasn’t a need to worry about not having enough money to spend.

  Right now, Sun Mo had a few sources of income.

  The Wind King’s spirit stone vein was considered a battle resource. They wouldn’t be sold and thus couldn’t be converted to cash. However, Sun Mo invested in An Xinhui.

  The Giant Medicine Packet Workshop had started operations, and the demand was more than the supply. Every month, Sun Mo would be able to get several hundred thousands of silver.

  Once the workshop expanded, this number would surge on. However, Sun Mo didn’t take this money. He let An Xinhui increase the investment in this. He wanted to rapidly take over the market and expand the Central Province Academy’s influence.

  Money?

  Sun Mo wasn’t lacking in it. What he lacked was talent. As the giant medicine packets’ sales surged, reaching an extent where it was known by everyone, the students of suitable ages would definitely think of the Central Province Academy first when choosing the school to enroll in.

  This was Sun Mo’s final goal.

  Why would students want to come to your school?

  It was because you could bring them practical improvement. Given the Central Province Academy’s current finances and reputation, it was still impossible to headhunt great teachers of a high star level. Therefore, Sun Mo could only entice the students by offering benefits.

  Each month, every student would be issued a giant medicine packet for free. Students with outstanding results and ranked in the top few would be given more. This was definitely a huge attraction.

  Other than these, Sun Mo also had over two million taels that were all saved in the Central Province Academy’s treasury. One sum was what he had gotten after killing Daoist White Bird, another was money he had received after the Jinling Governor confiscated the Zhou Clan’s assets.

  This money was sufficient for Sun Mo to have fun in all the top brothels of Jinling. However, he didn’t let himself loose like that. Instead, he went to the old headmaster’s private library, grasping the time to improve himself.

  After all, it was only two months until the 1-star great teacher exam.

  The times spent reading alone were happy ones. The only problem was the guardian warrior, who had a height of over two meters. The guardian warrior was always sneaking looks at him. ……

  When it was close to the new year, Qi Siyuan left the school in advance and headed home. On the second day, he wore a light coat, brought along his saber, rode a great horse, and headed straight for the Drunken Immortal Inn.

  He had several good friends who were hosting a banquet here to receive him.

  “Brother Qi, you’re late!”

  “Brother Qi, it’s been one year since we’ve last met. Your demeanor looks better than before!”

  “Brother Qi, quick, bottoms up!”

  Sumptuous dishes were quickly served up and wine was brought out. They started to drink to their fill.

  Qi Siyuan had a great character to begin with. In addition to his mother being the elder sister of the Great Tang’s Emperor, this member of the royal family enjoyed a greater status than some other princes due to his mother’s influence.

  Toward the end of the meal.

  After Qi Siyuan brought up some trifling matters concerning the school, someone spoke up.

  “Brother Qi, I heard that her Highness has been staying at your place recently. Why didn’t you bring her along? You should let us meet the pure and elegant princess!”

  After a round-faced young man said this, the countenance of Bai Ziyu, who was sitting next to Qi Siyuan, changed. He let out a low bellow.

  “Bian Yuanshan, have you had too much to drink?”

  Bai Ziyu secretly glanced at Qi Siyuan’s expression as he said this. He knew well how much his good friend doted on his cousin.

  The tone and the way Bian Yuanshan had said it when asking Qi Siyuan to bring his sister out to meet them sounded as if he was choosing a famous prostitute. It was too frivolous.