Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 422 The Link Between Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai and Mount Shu
Liang Shanbo was a talented person, while Zhu Yingtai was a person with great courage.

Seeing that his limelight had been stolen, Ji Rui couldn't stand it and said something as well.

"Those who have been attending classes these past few days, it's on me tonight at the Moonlit Boat Club!"

Taking the opportunity, I fulfilled a dream I'd had since entering the academy: to organize a culturally themed social event on a pleasure boat.

In short, it was a somewhat absurd yet youthful event.

One carriage after another headed down the mountain.

The Three Wonders and Liang Zhu were in the same carriage, and everyone in the carriage was excitedly discussing what was going to happen next.

Free schools require lectures, and orphanages provide playtime; neither is as simple as it seems.

"Zao" definitely means "early", "Ning" must mean "playing the piano", and "Ji Rui" is just bragging.

Liang Shanbo, being the most honest, planned to talk about his experience of studying diligently.

Zhu Yingtai, I will perform a swordplay routine.

Everyone turned to look at you. Your swordsmanship is only good enough to fight Liang Shanbo in the academy, but your courage is commendable.

The group of more than ten people soon arrived at the Lonely Garden.

The residence was an abandoned courtyard that Magistrate Song helped find, located on the edge of Qiantang.

There had been rumors of it being haunted, and the brokers couldn't be sold.

Fortunately, Baoan Hall was wealthy and Magistrate Song was powerful, so they bought it at a very reasonable price.

As for the ghost, it died a terrible death.

When Yan Chixia saw more than a dozen people getting off the convoy, he was somewhat bewildered. Wasn't it said that there were only three people?
These young masters who came down were all dressed in fine silks and satins, adorned with gold and silver; how could they possibly be doing such a thing?

Fortunately, after the handover with Zao, everyone stayed on naturally.

Anyway, there are a lot of kids in the orphanage now.

Some of them were picked up by the Taoist priest from Xin'an County. They had no family or relatives. Here, as long as they studied hard and did simple handicrafts, they would have food to eat and clothes to wear. There were no dirty things to do. They were living very well in this era.

Many more were found in the beggars' dens of Qiantang.

The practice of selling people is very old and has a lot of backing.

The value of people is very high; they are needed as servants, hidden servants, or to do some unknown things and cultivate some confidants.

Fortunately, Magistrate Song carried out a crackdown within the territory, and with Yu Gong's support, no one in Qiantang dared to try to pull strings.

However, most of the rescued children were unclaimed, so they were also sent to the welfare home.

These are all understandable, and some were delivered voluntarily.

Those who can't afford to raise their children, those who want to attend free private schools—there are all sorts of reasons.

There were both men and women, and in times of poverty, there was no time to consider things like favoring sons over daughters. Surviving, and even thriving, was no easy feat for the Great Jin Dynasty.

Yan Chixia witnessed all walks of life and the coldness and warmth of human relationships here.

I admire Young Master Xu more and more.

As spiritual practitioners, they distance themselves from the secular world in order to prevent their minds from being defiled.

Baoan Hall, on the other hand, went against the grain, displaying an air of purity that rose above the mud, which was truly remarkable.

Next, let Zao assign tasks to the students.

Those bored people who had followed along also dispersed; it turned out it really was a charity event.

The three brothers began to take their lessons seriously, and the text they taught was "Jijiupian," one of the longest-circulating children's textbooks.

Compiled by Shi You of the Western Han Dynasty, the book contains commonly used Chinese characters, names of objects, historical allusions, etc., presented in rhymed verses of three, four, and seven characters, making it easy for young children to memorize.

The lessons were both educational and entertaining, and since all three were truly learned individuals, their presentations were not rigid or dull.

Even Qian, who usually has a rather unconventional personality, showed a gentle smile. At Zao's request, he washed off his makeup and still looked rather handsome.

During breaks, Ning Caichen's piano playing became more lively and cheerful, with a lot more childlike fun.

Interacting with children is a process of mutual progress, and I experienced a different kind of emotion.

Ji Rui, on the other hand, shares his perspective and the wonderful adult world, though these are all underage versions.

If his entire life story could be recounted, it would indeed surpass that of 99% of humans, though it would be excessively vulgar and violent. Early, leading the way, showcased his best skill: reciting poetry with righteous indignation to guide the children's minds.

Even Yan Chixia, watching from the side, was amazed; a scholar-knight had actually appeared!
Cleansing one's heart with righteousness can bring a glimmer of light to many children from the mire.

After all, those who end up in the Garden of Solitude all have some tragic past, with the most common being the destruction of their families and the death of their loved ones.

Even worse.
In short, what Zao is doing is very important and very valuable.

Young Master Xu's students are truly not to be underestimated.

Seeing how well the others performed, Liang Shanbo felt his own incompetence for the first time.

He felt he understood the essence of the enlightenment books, but compared to the three masters, he was far behind, and his explanations were not very appealing.

In terms of reciting poetry and books, he is far inferior to his classmate Zao in terms of uprightness and vigor.

Speaking of life experiences, my life has been unremarkable. It was just studying, studying, studying.

He plays the zither, but his skills are mediocre; he can't transform the refined elegance of music into something as captivating as Ning Caichen's performance of "frolicking in the snow."

He wanted to slap himself twice for talking about his ambition to bring glory to his family.

The children below don't even have a home. What's the use of your family's glory if it can make the children's lives happier?
For the first time, I felt my ambitions were so insignificant, and I was deeply ashamed.

Even more uncomfortable
"it is good!"

"Teacher Zhu is amazing."

Zhu Yingtai was incredibly popular.

A wooden sword danced up and down, occasionally punctuated by a couple of slightly flawed aerial spins.

It lacks power and accuracy, but it's still... cool.

The flashy Yue Maiden Sword is the number one weapon in the eyes of children.

Zhu Yingtai was extremely excited. She had been a little nervous beforehand, since going out with her seniors to teach children was a challenge for someone who was semi-literate.

Now they all seem like trash!

Watch as I fetch water from the Jie Bridge!
A somewhat difficult backbend and sword strike was met with cheers, maximizing the emotional impact.

Even Liang Shanbo started to doubt himself. Could it be that I'm a good-for-nothing?
Among the children, a little girl rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky, watching the Yue Maiden Sword Technique being practiced like this.

Is this also called the Yue Maiden Sword?

Using this kind of swordsmanship when facing an enemy would surely make them laugh to death.
Yu Yingnan quickly restrained Li Yingqi, who was eager to hit the teacher and make her cry.

They were the headmaster's students at the academy, and they never intended to go out and fight to the death.

Furthermore, this scholar Zhu's swordsmanship was quite impressive.

When get out of class ended, Zhu Yingtai wiped away her sweat and gave Liang Shanbo, who was dumbfounded, a disdainful look.

"Hmph, that's all."

At this moment, a little girl came over and said that she also knew swordsmanship and wanted to ask the teacher for some individual guidance.

Zhu Yingtai glanced around and seemed to understand something.

The kid is quite concerned about his image; he knows he'll lose face in public.

Since that's the case, I'd like to offer you some pointers in private, heroine.

Arriving at a secluded spot in the back courtyard, the girl drew her sword.

"The Sword of the Yue Maiden, Li Yingqi."

"Oh, you also know the Yue Maiden Sword?"

A moment later, Zhu Yingtai squatted in the corner with tears in her eyes, looking utterly dejected.

Li Yingqi seemed a little embarrassed, as if he had made the teacher cry.

"Actually, your swordsmanship is quite good. You're also quite diligent."

"Look at this move, you have to..."

　It's almost the end of the year, and I'm incredibly busy. I'll try to estimate the workload in advance; today's overtime was just too sudden.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)